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I just got called to table two. I just got fucking called to table two. My heart's fucking beating out of my chest but I'm trying my best not to show it. I refuse to show it. I'm going to relax, take a deep breath, walk over to my table, shake my opponent's hand (who I've forgotten the name of...

I'm such an angry player. Or rather, I'm such an emotional one. I get angry, that's undeniable. A seething rage often grows in the pit of my gut when things go from fine, to acceptable, to bad, to frustratingly worse as I watch again and again in disbelief as balls simply refuse to go where I...

Fabricio showed up as I was practicing last night. He was on his way to one of the dive bars he works at and his black collared shirt, embroidered with egg white letters spelling SECURITY over his left tit, was stretched so tightly over his fat stomach that I could make out his belly button. I...

A shooter fired into an Independence Day parade from the top of an outdoor equipment store at Highland Park, lllinois today. He used a semi-automatic rifle (most likely an AR-15), killed six people, and injured more than a few dozen. It doesn't surprise me. America's been suffering from mass...

I challenged Fabricio to a race to twenty. He occasionally shows up on Saturdays, playing alongside Bert, Jerry, and Phelps, the three caballeros of my tiny pocket billiards world. Bert's got the kind of smoke gray beard you wanna rip from his chin and slap onto yours; it always looks like the...

I played a race to seven against Nike tonight. I call him Nike because he's always wearing a bright white pair with ocean blue shoelaces. He says he's had them for over six years and takes pride in the fact he's maintained them for so long. He stopped by looking like he'd been through a petty...

What the fuck are you talking about? Of course you're not quitting, you worthless piece of dog shit. So you've had a few bad days. So you've had some embarrassing weeks. So what? You think you're the only one? You know how many pool players fail over and over again, night after night, and find...

I don't care about improving anymore. I just don't. Progress is damn near impossible to make and when you DO think you're getting somewhere someone better comes along and happily spreads their feces all over your cue stick while running out on you before trying to shake your hand with their...

I suck so much ass at this game. Ass that hasn't been wiped in weeks. Explosive diarrhea ass. The kind of ass you wouldn't eat even if someone offered to make you a millionaire. Crusted cat ass. Swollen, parasite-ridden dog ass. Any disgusting example of ass you can imagine. I'll let you do the...

I learned an important lesson tonight while playing against Rudi. As usual, I was shooting poorly, and when I made something of note it was always unintended (think trying to kick or bank into a pocket but sending your ball straight into another), so I was hardly winning. But Rudi's breaks...

I'm so over pool right now. I just don't give a shit about it. I lost too many games against D tonight, a guy I know I should've been able to beat easily, and ended up breaking one of my sticks after scratching on the eight ball during our last game. He promptly left without a word and I went...

I played a few games with a balding fellow named Pete tonight. Imagine an aging Paul Newman, but with slurred speech, a paralyzed right arm, and a wheelchair that refused to lock in place. Why it didn't is beyond me. Whenever he stood to take a shot I made sure to walk over and hold it steady...

Chopin came to play against me tonight. Everyone calls him that because he likes to listen to the late composer's music, often blaring it in the early morning so loudly that it can be easily heard while walking past his door. He's a junkie and an alcoholic. I know because I've seen him smoke...

I made a revelation today while at the table. I decided to start practicing my draw shot; back spin will be essential to my game soon enough so I figured I might as well get serious about starting now. I tried to practice it for many months before my old cue lost its tip, but, as you can...

Bettie, another resident, had her grandson with her for the day and brought him in to play pool tonight. She's obese, likes to wear jeans and slides, and always has her shoulder length graying hair tied up in a ball. She works for a food delivery service and usually has food with her when...

More losses against Rudi tonight. He was high and sometimes when he bullied a shot he grunted to himself and said, "Too hard! Like my dick!" I'll never get tired of watching him move around the table. He's like a wasp, quickly buzzing from spot to spot and stinging at the cue ball with the...

I'm at a small party composed of mostly gay men. There's a doctor, someone pretty respected in his field (something that has to do with the eyes), a former teacher (he used to teach elementary and middle school but gave up on them because teaching little shits took a toll on him and quite...

Slowly but surely, things are getting easier. I read in an article that new or novice players shouldn't expect much from the game, that they should simply enjoy the process of playing and learning and most importantly just keep showing up at the table. Practice builds confidence and with enough...

I live in a building where the dead call home. Most of the time they're not a bother; on rare occasions I catch glimpses of an unkempt man or woman sitting in one of the chairs in the pool room watching me, but when I approach they disappear. Sometimes I hear whispers, voices floating above me...

I started playing pool in October of 2021, which means that soon I'll have played for a year. I don't know how much longer I'll keep doing it, I could get struck by lightning tomorrow or run over by a bus on my way to the liquor store, but it's quickly become my favorite game. Sometimes I...