What is pool to you?

I have often wondered why this idiotic game consumes my thinking

I would like to give it up,but yet I don't

I used to win money,now there is no money to win

I used to quit,but it didn't last

I feel like a dog returning to my own vomit

I have loved this game ever since I first picked a cue when I was 8 years old. And other than helping me maybe pick up some spending money in college, I've never really made any significant money at it. Most of all it just boggles my mind how I can not be any better at the game than I am after having been playing for 35 years. Terribly irritating. lol.....yet I still love it with every fibre of my being and will continue to flounder around the cloth pointlessly trying to improve.

All of the above.

randyg

Hobby and escape only for me.
I have about reached my maximum potential in this game and I am ok with that. Too many other priorities take precedence.

That said, I don't know that I could ever give the game up for good. I could hang it up for a while but I know I would be back playing again at some point.

"Pool is not a matter of life and death, it is much more important than that."

I saw this on a sign in a pool hall somewhere, and I fully agree

Is it your hobby or occupation? Yes
Is it your lifestyle? Yes
Is it some significant portion of your identity? Yes
Is it your escape? Yes
Is it something else? Yes

Freddie <~~~ Yes Man

Cornerman said:

Is it your hobby or occupation? Yes
Is it your lifestyle? Yes
Is it some significant portion of your identity? Yes
Is it your escape? Yes
Is it something else? Yes

Click to expand...

YES YES YES YES YES

:thumbup:

Pool to me is a means to meet like-minded people, accumulate resentments against them, and then bash them on the internet.

For me it's a relationship. It started with an attraction, quickly became a friendship, grew into love, and after years of commitment has pretty much turned into a hostage situation.

Pool is a way to get away from my girlfriend. And for that, I am forever in debt to pool.

just therapy

Addictive at the very least

For me pool is a challenge to improve. I enjoy the physical aspects (stroke, aim, etc) but mostly enjoy trying to improve my game.

I also like it as a fun way to have friendly competition with friends.

Recreation...an excuse to get out of the house for a spell...

I asked myself this question a while back when I realized how much time and effort I was putting into it without much of a future of really doing anything with it. There is no real, serious, worth while pro pool tourney system that I would be willing to invest my time and money into.

I'm not a money player, so that has nothing to do with it. I don't play much in handicap tourneys anymore because of the BS that goes along with it, plus handicap tourneys is not a true measure of ones skill.

Over time, the time the answer became clear...........I enjoy it, its something I have a knack for. I've made shots during practice that the masters would bow down to me. I never fully understood the picnic scene in the Hustler when Eddie was describing what the feeling was when everything worked....until recently.

It is that feeling that keeps be coming back. That feeling when you do some table magic and even better when in matches.

When that happens, there is nothing else going on in the world or in my life. I'm right there at the table at that moment doing that shot and no where else. It's a Zen thing.

Because of pool and the commitment to mastering pool, I realized it was a journey and not a goal. A journey that takes a life time, as with everything day to day in life. Its the journey, not the goal that matters.

Pool allows me to express who I am in how I play. How I act, address my opponent, my manners at the table, and so on are direct reflection of who I am.

But mostly, pool is fun, frustrating, rewarding, challenging, and not easy.

What pool means to me...

Pool has been my best friend, mentor, confidant and my greatest challenge.
Most importantly, pool is the love of my life, and has made me a better person, as
my love for the game is reflected in the way I live my life
I am truly blessed to be a poolplayer>>:grin-angelic:

My typical day of pool begins when Mom wakes me up to tell me breakfast is ready. I watch cartoons while I enjoy the eggs, home fries and bacon. At 52, I know I might be too old for cartoons. I check the Help Wanted ads in the paper for a job, nope no poolroom manager openings. I still hope to land my first job someday.
After my shower, I put on the clothes Mom has laid out for me and I remind her my bed has to be made. “Hurry up, the poolroom will be open soon.”
I grab my lunch she has packed for me and my pool cue and it’s out to her old clunker of a station wagon for the ride to the hall. “Swing by the store Mom so I can grab some smokes.”
We arrive at last, 5 minutes early. “Ok Sonny, have a good day.” “Mom, I need more than $5 for the day.” “Here you go. Don’t come home late. Supper is at 6.”
Barney finally shows up with the key.
Once the lights are on I usually find a decent leather tip on the floor that popped off somebody’s cue last night. It’s good enough for me and I slip it into my pocket.
The coffee smells good brewing but I don’t usually get a cup until I hint around enough and then somebody will buy me one.
By 1 O’clock, I spot my action. It’s a kid with a skateboard and I’ll bet he wants to bet on some 8 ball. A quick $10 there and I splurge for a cup of soup to eat with Mom’s sandwiches.
Cobweb comes in looking for one-pocket action. Need I say he is excessively slow? I dozed off during the first rack and the old fellow he was playing against quit. Cobweb used to play 9 ball but figured out he could duck on every shot in one-pocket and that was his game.
Mike the Match comes in and wants to sell his break stick and a nice set of brass knuckles. Mike got that nickname from the arson charges he faced. I passed on the cue, but bought the knuckles. You never know when one of these young kids is going to refuse to pay up.
I’m saving up to buy a nice Predator. So far, my laminated $10 bill has earned me a pretty good return and I should be able to order that cue soon. It’s getting late. I’d better swing by the car wash for some quarters and get myself home for supper.

Definately addictive, need my daily fix. Don't care about gambling, kind of like tournaments and leagues but if their not available I still need to hit balls. I still have a feeling I can improve maybe it's not likely but I still try. Right now I'm in my winter
quarters and can get in three to four hours per day, back home not quite as much.
Just wished I had played more when I was younger.