Archers Not So Comeback and Commentary
- Thread starter Brookeland Bill
- Start date
If his stakehorses had done their due diligence, they wouldn’t have backed him against Oscar, regardless of what JA told them. That’s likely why a number of his backers dropped out leading up to the match, not to mention the fact that they didn’t like the fact that apparently JA had very little if any of his own $ riding on the match.
Sometimes I wonder how many people on here even play pool. Professional pool is not a lifestyle choice akin to choosing between becoming an accountant, stock broker, or a tradesman. It's much closer to an OCD like mental illness. The only way you can possibly get as good as top professionals is if you go through a long period in your life where all you think about is hitting balls. These guys aren't chasing financial rewards, instead they're trying to satiate this maddening desire to pocket balls.
I'm not even that good, but I've tasted this madness and it came close to destroying my life. Had I been a few balls better and started a bit sooner, I probably wouldn't have the blessed life that I now have. Had I followed that path and failed, yes I'd have no one to blame but myself....but....thank God we have people that are willing to chase such seemingly futile dreams. All of our lives would be less rich if not for these dreamers. So yes - it may be individually stupid, but it's collectively necessary.
I'm not even that good, but I've tasted this madness and it came close to destroying my life. Had I been a few balls better and started a bit sooner, I probably wouldn't have the blessed life that I now have. Had I followed that path and failed, yes I'd have no one to blame but myself....but....thank God we have people that are willing to chase such seemingly futile dreams. All of our lives would be less rich if not for these dreamers. So yes - it may be individually stupid, but it's collectively necessary.
Maybe but what does any of this have to do with JA being a has-been deadbeat? I've been around $$ players for over 40yrs and they all did it to do one thing: eat/survive. They didn't play for fun. When Buddy was living in Tulsa one of the regs. asked if he wanted to play a 'fun set' Buddy's reply?? "I don't have fun playing for fun". He gave the guy the orange ball and promptly taxed him for a quik $50.
It seems the conversation has evolved to talking about top pros choosing a different career path. I applaud those that do. It looks like Dennis Hatch has finally settled down and figured out a path. His road hasn't been easy. I just laugh when people talk about top players being able to EASILY do this because they recognize THEY could do it. Most of us can't quite grasp what it must be like to play top-flight pool, say FR level 800 pool. If I had tasted that -- I would have lost my mind. I lose it sometimes just thinking about it.
I guess maybe we should appreciate the professional pool player's journey (aside from Archer) more so because they don't make a lot of money, instead of less so. For all of its faults, it really is sport in its truest form.
What I‘ve heard is cheap local weekly tournaments. Nothing medium let alone big.
Will Prout
I used to wake up dreaming about certain shots. Thank god i never got good enough to contemplate pool as a full-time gig. I always had a job, pool was nothing but a side-hustle.
Will its sad. You've seen him at the zenith of his powers, me too. I bet he couldn't beat a good 650Fargo now based on what my OkC friends tell me. Haven't seen JW in 5yrs.
I see that reading comprehension is not your forte. What you put in quotes above is not anything that I said in my post, and you totally changed the context of my statement. I never expressed any disgust for people working the trades, and you pretty much mischaracterized everything I said. I guess you could call it your version of alternate facts. Nice try - FAIL!
Maybe it's just me but I don't see anything wrong with a young man (or woman) spending a portion of their life chasing the next tournament and trying to move up the pool ladder. Let each person make their own choice of what path they want to follow! I firmly believe that most people who chose this path for any period of time don't (or shouldn't have) any regrets. They all had many interesting and educational experiences and got to learn how to deal with adversity, as well as triumph. All good lessons in life!
Many pool players morphed into other areas of the billiard industry to make their living, i.e. poolroom owners, cue makers, tournament organizers etc. etc. Personally I'm not sure I would have had the success I had later in life if I hadn't done a ten year stint as a pool player. In those years I found out what I was made of and how to take care of myself. I learned how to recognize the good from the bad, when to be careful and when to be bold. All put together I gained the confidence to move forward and be my own man. Thank you Pool!
just like jay i started out in the pool room. and what i learned wasn't pool but life. and life taught me how to advance in it. some miss that part.
i was in a tough to win but action pool room, but soon got the hang of how to win. that's how to win in life as well. ive probably made more money from pool than most anyone ever did. although it was in times when you could win every day.
but i used it as a stepping stone to go up the ladder of success and not stop there in a rut as many do. i am an old man now but still gamble high stakes at least a few days a week at something with a positive expectation.
no matter how you take risks you must separate the good ones from the bad and never lose much from the bad(that is the key). then your graph goes straight up over time just like the stock market or home values.
i was in a tough to win but action pool room, but soon got the hang of how to win. that's how to win in life as well. ive probably made more money from pool than most anyone ever did. although it was in times when you could win every day.
but i used it as a stepping stone to go up the ladder of success and not stop there in a rut as many do. i am an old man now but still gamble high stakes at least a few days a week at something with a positive expectation.
no matter how you take risks you must separate the good ones from the bad and never lose much from the bad(that is the key). then your graph goes straight up over time just like the stock market or home values.
Thanks for this Maha. I was once called a nit by Dippy Dave because I wouldn't bet thousands on a pool match (I did bet 500) that day. In that same poolroom at that moment were two guys (Archie and Harry Platis) who I had played $1,000/game One Pocket with before. I said nothing. Also, at that same time I had recently made real estate transactions involving seven figure deals. One was for 1.65M and the second one was for 4M. I was betting more then Dave ever thought about on these two deals. I said nothing.
Last I heard the high rolling Dippy Dave was playing 2/5 Hold'em to try to scrape together a bankroll. Your post above made me think about that experience. So Dave, wherever you are, this one's for you!
A senior tour may acfually have market value in the USA.
To this day (based on the old ESPN2 coverage in the 90’s), Earl, Archer, Jeanette Lee, etc…have more name recognition among casual sports fans than SVB, Fedor, and friends. Lee getting a 30 for 30 last year kinda proves that.
As for being a youngster and betting on yourself making a living as a pool player. Not one financial planner is going to say “winning the lottery” is a good financial plan, but there are far more $1,000,000+ lottery winners every year than there are people clearing 6-figures playing pool. This isn’t to say “don’t chase your dreams,” and your 20’s are pretty much a free decade that’s easy to recover from if you don’t make it, but be ready with plan B!
To this day (based on the old ESPN2 coverage in the 90’s), Earl, Archer, Jeanette Lee, etc…have more name recognition among casual sports fans than SVB, Fedor, and friends. Lee getting a 30 for 30 last year kinda proves that.
As for being a youngster and betting on yourself making a living as a pool player. Not one financial planner is going to say “winning the lottery” is a good financial plan, but there are far more $1,000,000+ lottery winners every year than there are people clearing 6-figures playing pool. This isn’t to say “don’t chase your dreams,” and your 20’s are pretty much a free decade that’s easy to recover from if you don’t make it, but be ready with plan B!
He was a genuine BEAST for years. Quiet, 110% concentration at the table.
Didn’t know how to miss.
WP
Badpenguin
Well-known member
At 25-18 and 25-23, it wasn't a huge blowout or anything. He had a chance.
I’m not saying he didn’t have a chance. Right now Oscar’s a +17 as far as their Fargo points and two years ago it was likely less of a difference, if any.
My point is, for someone to stake a player in a big $ match, he’s not only needing to be even $ to win but at least a slight favorite, to make the bet worth making from the backer’s perspective. JA, at nearly 20 years older, was clearly not a favorite going in to this match, which made it a bad risk for his backers.
As we now know, JA was in a tight financial spot at that time, so as it was his backer’s $ at risk and not his own $, why not take a shot at it.
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If pool players needed to be sane and sober we wouldn’t have pool
Yup, and all pool players, deep down, believe they can bear down when they really need to and revive their top game. I believe that myself, but those freaking balls keep disagreeing with me!
JA's decline seemed to happen fast. I can remember when if he lost to anyone, it was an upset.
Do more research on Master plumbers.
No different than what it means to be a "Master Electrician". Time served and an additional certification exam. My neck of the woods the real difference is the ability to pull permits. Not really much to jerk off over...
Difference in income boils down to the amount of margin you make on labour you farm out and of course permit costs.
There is a minimum requirement of time in the trades before challenging the "Master" cert. That will vary from region to region but none will be measured in decades. Possibly a handful of years beyond the regular cert.