Was pool better 50 years ago?

Stu, before I ever met Keith, he traveled the tournament trail religiously. Back then, tournaments weren’t just about trophies. They were gathering places for after-hours action. For players like Keith and his circle, the real games often began when the bleachers emptied.

You’re a pool purist, and you’ve always seen the game a little differently than folks like me, and that's is perfectly okay. You appreciate the quiet geometry, the chess match of patterns, the elegance of a perfect stroke under pressure. Today’s pool, disciplined tournament soldiers playing mum pool, is what brings a pool purist that greatest joy as a pool enthusiast, and I do understand why.

As for personalities, the game still has a few. Alex Pagulayan continues to bring energy and levity wherever he plays. Oi is another colorful character, and Jayson Shaw certainly has personality both on and off the table. But they are exceptions now, not the rule.

Those of us lucky enough to have lived through pool’s golden years saw something different, entertainers as much as champions, people like, well, Keith McCready, Ronnie Allen, Larry Lisciotti, Cornbread Red, Strawberry, Minnesota Fats, Jimmy Mataya, Earl Strickland, Shannon Daulton, Louie Roberts, Dennis Hatch, Jimmy Reid, Grady Mathews, CJ Wiley, Popcorn, Kid Delicious, Allen Hopkins, Ginky, Steve Mizerak. And that’s just off the top of my head. Given more time, I could name a couple dozen more with personality-plus.

The era of what I call "pool's golden years" had something modern pool often lacks: danger, personality, and mythology. What made them different was not only their talent, but their toughness, stamina for 12-hour sessions, emotional control under financial pain, and a killer instinct when blood was in the water. Back then, reputations were earned in cash, not trophies.

So, Stu, you’re in luck. Today pool is exactly where you want it to be in caliber of play, venues, and professionalism. The best tournament players are no longer the most feared money players. It’s a different era, and I hope you enjoy your front-row seat as the game evolves into its next frontier. Modern pool, your cup of tea, is technically superior, thanks to advances in equipment and training. Classic pool, my cup of tea, was culturally superior. Different eras produced different animals, and both deserve respect.
Thanks so much for this! As I've confessed before on AZB, most of my knowledge about Keith's past exploits comes from your posts and you have enlightened me once again.

The truth is that, although I saw pool up close fifty years ago and still get to do so, I loved it then and I love it now. I just feel that the globalization of the game that has occurred chiefly in the last ten years makes pool's landscape more exciting than it ever has been. Pool is no longer a niche American game, and one can travel the world without landing in many places where the game is not played. I love that!

Good call on Naoyuki Oi by the way. Other than Alex Pagulayan, he may the greatest entertainer in the game today, and he's every bit as engaging off the table as on. His "no shot is too difficult to play" style always makes for good theater.

Perhaps one day there will be a thread comparing 2076 to 2026. Who knows where pro pool will land. Unfortunately, unless I live to 118 years old, I won't be posting in that thread.

Was pool better 50 years ago?

Sigel most definitely is a tournament soldier, as evidenced by his portfolio of major wins. He also is known in some circles as Mike the Mouth, and there's a reason for that. He definitely had his own unique personality and brought a lot of entertainment, still does, on and off the table. But his other moniker is Captain Hook, and that's his tournament persona because he was capable of hooking anybody in competitions.
Thanks for your input. Mike Sigel was my favorite player in the early 1980s. I was glad to be present for his first world championship. I knew him just a little back then, but now he's a close friend. I had breakfast with him as recently as November 2025.

I have suggested on this forum that if Mike had not, for practical purposes, retired from competition in 1993, he, not Efren, might be remembered as the greatest player of all time. He was still one of the best few when he retired and had a lot of titles left in him. For me, he remains the only player that I'd call a top five straight pooler and a top five nine-baller of all time.

I really enjoy reflecting on the 1980s when Mike was doing his very best work ... and when I was about a thirty-year-old young man, LOL.

Filter

Back
Top