Billiards were popularized during the reign of Louis XIV, if only to justify the latest aristocratic fad of replacing one's fingers with long, tapered, wooden sticks. Play a more-principled game of pool with today's Groupon: for $10, you get two hours of pool for up to four people (up to a $32 value) at Shooters Billiard Club in Burnsville.

Sixty-four tables populate Shooters' 22,000-square-foot billiardland. Some are Valley and Diamond coin-operated tables, and others are Brunswick Gold Crown tables designed for professional play, with flawless felt and wood that welcomes elbows like the moon welcomes a handsome astronaut. Observe the physics of a well-played bank shot from the ample seating surrounding each table. Shooters' rates are hourly and depend on the number of people at a table. Before 7 p.m., one to four players play for $3.75 an hour per person; after 7 p.m., hourly rates are $5.25 for one player, $4.75 for two players, $4.25 for three players, and $3.75 for four players. On weekends after 8 p.m., rates rise an additional $0.25 per hour.

When Shooters was built in 1988, it had only 32 tables and plenty of extra space aching to be filled with more tables, kiddie pools filled with billiard balls, and wishes. Since then, Shooters has added an arcade, café, pro shop, plasma TVs, and state-of-the-art sound system with a digital jukebox. It's a superb place to bring pals on a Friday night because it's fully stocked with fun-lubricating liquids and solids, so invite along some geometrically challenged friends who love to gamble for a night of easy money at Shooters Billiard Club.

This deal can be used for a single person, but depending on the time of day, some of the pricing options listed above will be less than the actual price of the Groupon for a single player.