How much does it cost?

jcpoolgod said:

How much does it cost for you guys to live the pool player life, going from tournament to tournament. Is there anyone out here that can give me an accurate or estimated costs of life on road? I want to try this out.

Any other things you can help me out with? Tips for saving money? etc

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Depends on whether or not your hustling along the way. Of course, it's different when you're on the bottom looking up, as opposed to the top looking down.

The price is..a chunk of your life.

Can’t answer you but the best hustle is a full time job with a pay check

Well, let's look at it from a different perspective... The talent level you have to beat to "make it".

In order to make more than 20K/year on average in tournament winnings alone, you better be able to run 2-3 racks every time you step up to the table. The "big boys" like Shane and Alex are more in the 3-4 range. Plus, they almost never error in decision-making/safes.

So, from that perspective, it doesn't matter what it costs, unless you are good enough to recoup the investment. And as far as what that investment IS, you can just spitball what it might cost to go to a regional tour event, 3 hours from wherever you live...

$100.00 a night hotel. $50.00 a night if you are sharing a room with another player. (Note: This means your significant other is not gonna be there to cheer you on.) So, for a weekend event, it will run you $100.00 in lodging, if sharing a room.

$30 dollars a day for food, if you are eating somewhat on the cheap. I guess you could get down to $15.00 a day, but that will be McDonald's, and your health will begin to suffer if you attend a lot of tournaments.

$20.00-$50.00 in gas, if you are driving.

So, for your local regional event that is a few hours away, you are out of pocket either $310.00, or $150.00, before you hit a ball, depending on whether you go the cheap or moderate option. And realistically, your regional event is gonna generally pay out somewhere between $500.00 and $1000.00 for first place.

I lived in Texas for a while, so just to illustrate what level of competition you will be going up against for that $1,000.00 first place... I played one like that where C.J. Wiley was entered into the event.. And did not win. It was won by Max Eberle, and realistically, if Jeremy Jones or someone else his speed happened to be there, Max is playing for second place. And JJ isn't playing quite the speed he was when he won the U.S. Open.

So... "Deciding" to start playing more to "up your game" with the hopes of realistically competing with these monsters is not a realistic goal. If you are capable of competing with them, believe you me, you would already know it.

Keep in mind.. For anything other than a two day weekend event, these costs can easily quadruple, or more. I am pretty sure it costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,000.00, to run deep in the U.S. Open.

Then again, some might call me a Negative Nancy...


Short Bus Russ

Negative Nancy? Nope...Realistic Russ.

pwd72s said:

The price is..a chunk of your life.

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yes...and possibly the job and the family.

I’ll say this,your effort and time will be way more profitable elsewhere probably.

GoldCrown said:

yes...and possibly the job and the family.

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But think of the fun....zapping balls into the back of pockets, learning to smoke and being a Bad a$$ whooping folks that have no chance. It's my dream also but age, eye sight and lack of skill got in my way.

ShortBusRuss said:

Then again, some might call me a Negative Nancy...

Short Bus Russ

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You can easily double Russ's amounts.

Russ forgot::
a) wear and tear on the car; which is at least 1/10 the cost of gas.
b) drinks !!! water included !
c) ....

I’ll add a little more sunshine.There are guys around here that are awesome and I could only hope to be that good if I quit my job and put in five years of solid pool.I watch them get destroyed when the top pros come to tourneys near by.

And btw ,I know in your 20s who cares but at 50 you will want to have a blossoming 401k,15 years of career ahead of you, and health care.Pool has the career life of a pro athlete without the money,fame,or respect

MitchAlsup said:

You can easily double Russ's amounts.

Russ forgot::
a) wear and tear on the car; which is at least 1/10 the cost of gas.
b) drinks !!! water included !
c) ....

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c) fees: entry, registration, etc.

Without figuring entry fees and gambling, the costs to be on the road eclipse $1000 a week...and that's living on the cheap. I've been doing just that for 25+ years, and the average is still $150/day ($200/day if my wife is with me). That includes motel, food, gas/oil, etc. In some parts of the country, it will cost you double that. So...you have to bring in a minimum of $1-2K a week...just to break even! At least with teaching and exhibitions you have guaranteed income. :thumbup:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Scott Lee said:

Without figuring entry fees and gambling, the costs to be on the road eclipse $1000 a week...and that's living on the cheap. I've been doing just that for 25+ years, and the average is still $150/day ($200/day if my wife is with me). That includes motel, food, gas/oil, etc. In some parts of the country, it will cost you double that. So...you have to bring in a minimum of $1-2K a week...just to break even! At least with teaching and exhibitions you have guaranteed income. :thumbup:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

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And let's not forget the bills back home that still need paid while you're out there robbing all those world champions. Mortgage companies, at least in my experience, have little or no sense of humor. "Ohhhhh... out on the road are we? No problem, you can just get those monthly payments to us whenever you can. We won't foreclose or anything like that. Trust us." And then there's that pesky car insurance and that car payment. And that ( lessened, granted ) power bill. And those utilities. And then those intangibles such as pet-sitting services, etc...

So, as you can see, you need to be bringing in at LEAST 3K a week, just to break even. And let us know how THAT works out for ya. The road these days ( and even way back when ) is/(was) a classic case in point of trying to outrun the nuts.

You better have groupies if you plan on doing it.

Simple answer is.... It will cost you everything

No person is ever broke doing what they love!!!
But you can be damn hungry...

I would say $1,000 a week in expenses is accurate if you are traveling alone and staying ON the road all week, hitting week night and weekend regional tournaments as well as gambling in between. Keep winning and you will be shut out of most weekly tournaments and anything but open/pro weekends, so your gamble will need to increase proportionately to stay ahead. You will have to be good enough to place 1 or 2 almost always- hard to do; or win most on whatever gambles you can find- also harder to do today.
Full time road warrior is almost an impossible dream today in the billiards world. You may be better off just hitting weekend regional tours with gambling on the side during those weekends, if you can hit enough tours in a month traveling within 4 hours then figure $300/$400 a weekend in expenses for decent quarters and food if traveling alone. You will need to book two weekend nights-Fri/Sat - I would not recommend driving 3/4 hours on a Sat. morning and expect to play into Sunday morning and be at your best.

Arrive Fri around noon, have lunch, check into your room, rest up a bit and use Fri night to gamble. if you get knocked out on a Sat. use the rest of the weekend to gamble as well if you have the $$$. If you place high or win by Sunday, and still feel chipper, perhaps lay it all out on the line in a ten ahead against a willing match. go home in the wee hours of Monday morning busted, or Flush$$$. if your flush$$, maybe stay one more night just to be safe on the road. JUST my advice from experience.

If I were doing it I would, for starters:

Start close to home - saves on motel and other costs.
Have a reliable vehicle that gets good mileage.
Travel with others - saves $ and gives you a little security.
$100/night is about the cheapest motel you'll find anytime.
Research places and your competition before you go.
Get a sponsor; or 2 or 3.
Get in shape and stay in shape.
Make each trip a business trip. Keep all receipts and account of all expenses, mileage etc.
Be adequately financed before you start.
Plan trips to string tournaments together.

I’ve done so much cross country traveling and I’ve always been able to stay places much cheaper than 100/night. They’re not super nice, but they’re out there. You can also Airbnb it if you plan well. Plenty of people offering up beds for super cheap.