What is your definition..,
- Thread starter manopr350
- Start date
700 fargo and above or gets into the money in a tournament 50% of the time.
billiards_watch
Well-known member
If you are paid for playing pool then you are a professional.
Problem with that in pool is everyone is a pro. Pool tournaments hand out more cash prizes than trophies. Anyone who has cashed in any tournament is a pro not an amateur under that definition.
billiards_watch
Well-known member
Predator sponsors a ton of players but they don't pay them to play. they just give them free cues. but they don't pay their tournament fees or bills.
OP....''land of hard knocks''.
Life in a nutshell in a capitalistic society.
With 50 tables, bathrooms/bar food and night life.
Life in a nutshell in a capitalistic society.
With 50 tables, bathrooms/bar food and night life.
There is many players that play at the professional level that don't make a living playing pool.
In fact it's just as fascinating to me that many of these players have full-time jobs and still play professional level.
I don't see why being paid by someone matters if you can still produce the results of a professional player.
In fact it's just as fascinating to me that many of these players have full-time jobs and still play professional level.
I don't see why being paid by someone matters if you can still produce the results of a professional player.
Because "professional" has specific meanings:
Definitions from Oxford Languages
pro·fes·sion·al
/prəˈfeSH(ə)nəl/
adjective
- 1.
relating to or belonging to a profession.
"young professional people"
Similar:
white-collar - 2.
engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.
"a professional boxer"
pj
chgo
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Biloxi Boy
Man With A Golden Arm
What of the scrubs who devote themselves to it full time but in the end support nothing? Can a loser be a professional?
This is an interesting question-what is a pro?
I think that the correct characterization of a “pro” changes over time, it’s not a static thing just related to $ or skill. It’s more complex than that. I’m not one for shallow thinking……
In the 70’s living in motels on the road, white cross tops.
In the 80’s hotels and cocaine
In the 90’s & 2000’s Camel Pro Tour
In the 2010’s I’m not sure
In the 2020’s Milk drinkers and yoga class
Times change and so has pool
Best
Fatboy <——-depressed pool historian
I think that the correct characterization of a “pro” changes over time, it’s not a static thing just related to $ or skill. It’s more complex than that. I’m not one for shallow thinking……
In the 70’s living in motels on the road, white cross tops.
In the 80’s hotels and cocaine
In the 90’s & 2000’s Camel Pro Tour
In the 2010’s I’m not sure
In the 2020’s Milk drinkers and yoga class
Times change and so has pool
Best
Fatboy <——-depressed pool historian
billiards_watch
Well-known member
I prefer the 90's version LOLThis is an interesting question-what is a pro?
I think that the correct characterization of a “pro” changes over time, it’s not a static thing just related to $ or skill. It’s more complex than that. I’m not one for shallow thinking……
In the 70’s living in motels on the road, white cross tops.
In the 80’s hotels and cocaine
In the 90’s & 2000’s Camel Pro Tour
In the 2010’s I’m not sure
In the 2020’s Milk drinkers and yoga class
Times change and so has pool
Best
Fatboy <——-depressed pool historian
Tournaments held at small casinos televised on ESPN.
90’s was amazing. I didn’t take the time to add much else. I thought that summed things up very well. It was amazing period in pool in America.
I’m kinda half joking and half serious in that answer. Being a pro is more than skill or $. More often than not it’s both or one or the other, however being a pro imo is a bit more complex than just $ and/or skill-sometimes. More so in the past.
And that’s where my depression starts,,,,,,rendering pool down to a rating & money is very “yoga and milk drinker” data driven 2020’s life which I hate. It’s called the “With out data you are just another opinion” mentality. For me that way of thinking is boring AF and I’m just not interested.
This applies to MUCH more than pool in today’s world.
Fatboy<——-doesnt like getting old
I agree. Except it need not be the majority. I would say if their livelihood depends on it. It could be their secondary income.
Whether crooked, straight, or crazy. May or may not have anything to do with tournament play. May or May not have to do with any pool "skill rating".
As a point of fact most "legit" pros even today certainly don't make their money at tournaments. Unless you are good at gambling, don't quit your day job.
Plenty I met over the tears were mediocre at pool but good at gambling, or were good at pool but couldn't gamble.
AFAIK these things haven't changed much. It still isn't a sport you can reliably plan a career on, even if you are very good at it.
Of course, I could be wrong. I haven't followed pro pool for a long time.
Why would anybody care about my definition?
But since you asked...
I think it's tricky; you could say that it's a person that makes a living from playing professional tournaments, but not all of them make a living from it.
Gambling is not "pro"; maybe a pro gambler, but not a pro player.
I would say anybody that is in the WPA ranking
But since you asked...
I think it's tricky; you could say that it's a person that makes a living from playing professional tournaments, but not all of them make a living from it.
Gambling is not "pro"; maybe a pro gambler, but not a pro player.
I would say anybody that is in the WPA ranking
Look at the money leader board for last year. Scroll down until you conclude, "That's not a living." The players above that line are professional pool players.
The first page looks great. The second page looks OK.
Page 3 is, "Maybe it's not so expensive to live in their country. Page 4 is, "Maybe they still live with their parents or have a side job."
Not all winnings are recorded there in spite of the very hard work of Mike Howerton, so some of the amounts are low. I think heyball and such are not recorded, so Chris Melling is probably a lot higher.
The first page looks great. The second page looks OK.
Page 3 is, "Maybe it's not so expensive to live in their country. Page 4 is, "Maybe they still live with their parents or have a side job."
Not all winnings are recorded there in spite of the very hard work of Mike Howerton, so some of the amounts are low. I think heyball and such are not recorded, so Chris Melling is probably a lot higher.
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