I started playing pool in Jr. High on a bar box at the slot car shop.
As a sophomore in High School, my dad bought a 8 foot table from a pool hall going out of business. I played 3-ish hr.s per day for 2.5 years. In college, I played 3-5 hours a day for 5-ish years.
Then I took a 35 year break; until I moved into an area in walking distance of a bar with a bar box. A year later my mother decided I was not to inherent the table in the basement, but instead gave me a budget of $5K to buy my own table.
I have been playing on that table for 10-ish years. Through 2 different leagues I rated SL6 in APA and maybe a tad better (equivalence) in BCA.
Until this pandemic hit, I was pretty useful (not quite good) but I could beat everyone at the bar, but I still could not make shots I could back in Fat House days. Since the pandemic, I have been practicing (meaningfully) for 2-3 hr.s per day 5-ish days per week, and I am probably playing the best pool of my life.
One night about a week ago I ran the table 4 ties in a row. I think the boys in the bar are in for a harder time when it opens up again. I am probably playing at SL7 maybe SL7.5 right now; maybe C+/B-