The REAL problem with pool

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
The guidelines I've recommended about catering to women are timeless

CJ...I remember those times so well. They are gone and probably forever. Packed night clubs, dance clubs, and band bars filled with heavy drinkers and smokers were a common place in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. With the advent of new smoking laws and new DUI guidelines, the playing field has changed.

The "times" I was referring to were 2008......however, I do agree that the smoking laws have hurt alcohol related businesses and ultimately closed my doors.

It wasn't just the smoking law that changed in Dallas, it was also the jealousy and animosity (from competitive owners, etc) that goes with doing those type numbers and the constant issues with the Fire Marshal, Health Dept, and disgruntled employees....because of all the "issues," I'll never do a high volume night club again.

I learned a lot from those experiences, my next place will be more pool/billiard oriented.

The guidelines I've recommended about catering to women are timeless, and they effect "word of mouth" more than any other single factor. 'The Female Demographic is the Teacher'
 

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
CJ...I remember those times so well. They are gone and probably forever. Packed night clubs, dance clubs, and band bars filled with heavy drinkers and smokers were a common place in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. With the advent of new smoking laws and new DUI guidelines, the playing field has changed.


Video games and facebook etc have had more of a lasting impact, it took the kids away from pool.
 

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
Pool is an awesome game for mental and physical exercise for the "most mature"

Video games and facebook etc have had more of a lasting impact, it took the kids away from pool.

On Line Poker may have had something to do with it....although I still think the best target demographic is the 50 and up crowd.

What's wrong with them being our "new kids on the block"? The best marketing for kids is to FORBID them form doing something and they'll bust down the door to participate.....too bad it's cigarette and alcohol companies that utilize this the best.....fortunately they neutralized the cigarette industry a few years ago.

Pool is an awesome game for mental and physical exercise for the "most mature" and many retirement communities have several pool tables. The snooker fans in England aren't kids, they're older ladies that like to watch......the snooker players. ;)
 

Fast Lenny

Faster Than You...
Silver Member
Video games and facebook etc have had more of a lasting impact, it took the kids away from pool.

Exactly and without fresh blood in the game then the old money dies off. I think the focus really has to be on promoting it with the youth in every pool room, it might take years perhaps 20 even but all the little kids playing baseball, football and other games did not happen overnight.
 

336Robin

Multiverse Operative
Silver Member
The Great Demographic

On Line Poker may have had something to do with it....although I still think the best target demographic is the 50 and up crowd.

What's wrong with them being our "new kids on the block"? The best marketing for kids is to FORBID them form doing something and they'll bust down the door to participate.....too bad it's cigarette and alcohol companies that utilize this the best.....fortunately they neutralized the cigarette industry a few years ago.

Pool is an awesome game for mental and physical exercise for the "most mature" and many retirement communities have several pool tables. The snooker fans in England aren't kids, they're older ladies that like to watch......the snooker players. ;)

I agree with you here. This demographic was exposed to pool in their youth. They have worked jobs and some are retired in their early 50's and are looking for something to do with part of their time. They have money, time and want someone to hang out with and be friends.

I see these guys as being the back bone of our existing Sports bars and Rock on which a foundation could be built for many reasons.

Sure grassroots efforts need to be aimed at kids and women for long term growth of the sport but these guys are where the foundation is at in all instances in my opinion.

I think that Pool Rooms could be put in every small town across the country using a model Ive thought up by having Seniors involved. Make it an extension of the Senior activities and they will want to own it, kids will have a place to be exposed to pool. Keep alcohol out of it and you and use it for the local school, educational avenue.

I don't see these "clubs" as being big money makers. I see them as being the local hangout, coffee pot, where you can get a coke from the refridgerator, maybe a piece of cake someone baked, some crackers and just a great place to learn pool, meet local characters and learn about life.

As far as the money piece. I think once started the seniors will want to own the place and you gladly sell it to them to them and you move on and do it again. Tables are available. Cheap rents in uptowns are also. I think the time of pool to resurge in small towns is here and I think that we need the seniors to run it, own it and I think that with cooperation of local authorities, town boards etc...it could end up being a place for kids that don't have much of a chance in life, to find information about local community college programs, trades etc and could do the community a service by helping youth.

Its a crazy dream of mine, but I think its doable but I wholeheartedly agree with CJ that the best demographic is the seniors and I think its possible in many applications they can be used as the "Rock" on which the foundation of a come back is built.

All the other things we touch on exposure to women, kids, making it easy to watch with bleachers, television coverage, womens events, women and mens team events, effective advertisement are all a part of turning things around for pool are pieces of fairly uncomplicated but expensive to assemble puzzle.

The pieces of which will have to be arranged by different people in the sport in a way that profits can be extracted from them in order for the interest to keep going. This is a greatly disjointed sport with really "no one in charge." In my opinion we are the free-est vestige of American society because we regulate ourselves and regrettably we have fallen aside just a bit because this is a huge, slow moving body that is trying to figure out which way to go.

I think we will figure things out one room at a time but things are getting critical in my area and its going to take individual efforts and risk taking to turn things around. Someone has to try these ideas and be dedicated to making them work.

Collecting this information and putting it up where it can be seen by people so hopefully it wont be forgotten is going to be important, maybe someone will come along with the time and devotion that its going to take, to make it work. Or better yet add to the ideas and make it work even better.
 

West Point 1987

On the Hill, Out of Gas
Silver Member
Exactly and without fresh blood in the game then the old money dies off. I think the focus really has to be on promoting it with the youth in every pool room, it might take years perhaps 20 even but all the little kids playing baseball, football and other games did not happen overnight.

I generally agree with this, but I still see plenty of young guys in the rooms I shoot in...about the same as always, but much less than when the COM boom hit. I see a lot less girls, which I think is the big difference lately. Some rooms do better than others at getting them in, usually in college towns. Leagues help bring them in, too. Get the girls in, the rest will follow. :grin-square:
 

336Robin

Multiverse Operative
Silver Member
The Answers

I generally agree with this, but I still see plenty of young guys in the rooms I shoot in...about the same as always, but much less than when the COM boom hit. I see a lot less girls, which I think is the big difference lately. Some rooms do better than others at getting them in, usually in college towns. Leagues help bring them in, too. Get the girls in, the rest will follow. :grin-square:

I think the answers to the equation are all right there in front of us and I know for myself I just wish there were someway that I could convince my local room owner to do something to change the way he...doesn't market his business...but there isn't unfortunately.

People are going to do what they are going to do and they aren't going to change until they are ready. I think time is to blame. People age out and find themselves hemmed in by attitudes some they cant seem to get by and when that happens change becomes inevitable. Its just a pity that the change includes going out of business. I guess the life cycle includes someone going into business that has the energy and motivation to go after the right crowd that is going to do it for them.
 

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
"saving money by not advertising is like saving time by unplugging your clock"

I think the answers to the equation are all right there in front of us and I know for myself I just wish there were someway that I could convince my local room owner to do something to change the way he...doesn't market his business...but there isn't unfortunately.

People are going to do what they are going to do and they aren't going to change until they are ready. I think time is to blame. People age out and find themselves hemmed in by attitudes some they cant seem to get by and when that happens change becomes inevitable. Its just a pity that the change includes going out of business. I guess the life cycle includes someone going into business that has the energy and motivation to go after the right crowd that is going to do it for them.

Pool rooms in general don't advertise and that presents opportunities for those that decide to invest. I learned from some of the best night club operators in Texas and they consider advertising as important as electricity.

They're the ones that used to tell me that "saving money by not advertising is like saving time by unplugging your clock"......this is a profound statement, however, there's an art to advertising or it can be a waste of resources. The main thing is to develop your "unique marketing position" within your area and FOCUS all you forces towards striking this "public nerve". This is usually entertainment oriented and pool needs to be part of it, but there needs to be a additional element ie:. DJ's, Bands, Contests, Singles Parties, Karaoke, Pro Exhibitions, Tournaments, etc. 'The Game is the Teacher'
 

JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Some pool rooms are coming up with innovative ways to make ends meet. Take the Chattanooga Billiard Club owner Phil Windham. He's expanded to the building next door and building a cigar club called "Cherry Street Burns Tobacconist":

Since the move, they've been working on turning the second floor of that building into a lounge. The grand opening won't be for a couple of months, but they are open and taking members for the private club.

"It's a branded cigar lounge," Phil said. "Davidoff is the brand. It will be part of a worldwide network of Davidoff cigar lounges."

The completion of the lounge isn't the end of improvements for Burns, though. Phil is planning a dining room on the third floor, and he's working with leaders at River City Company for possible urban art on the back of his building, he said.

There are currently other similar lounges being constructed in New Jersey and Texas, he also said. The first lounge opened last year in Westmont, Ill. Actor Kelsey Grammer attended the opening of that lounge, according to a news release.

The idea of the lounges is to encapsulate a local, unique vibe while still showing off the Davidoff brand, Phil said. "They are not cookie-cutter lounges," he said. "Each will have its own personality." The Windhams put about $250,000 into the project, Phil said.

The lounge has four levels of membership, ranging from $100 to $250. The levels are bronze, silver, gold and platinum. It's open from 11 a.m. until midnight on weekdays and until customers leave on weekends. The lounge has 100 lockers now, but owners can add more as needed. Phil said they might cap membership at 125-150, but he will wait and see how things go before making a final decision.


$250,000 is a big chunk of change as far as an investment. They say it takes money to make money. Time will tell, I guess. :)

Source: Downtown Burns Tobacconist Opens Private Lounge [Retrieved 24 August 2013]
 

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JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
And then there's Frankie's Sports Bar Owner Frankie Schnarr who is allowing patrons to smoke pot after Washington State passed the law about smoking marijuana. :eek:

Tavern owner Frankie Schnarr takes a long draw from his bottle of Coors Light and scans his sports bar, listening to billiard balls rattle and a pinball machine explode with points.

Suddenly, there's that smell: musky-sweet, skunky yet somehow pleasing, an odor traditionally fraught with illegality.

Three men in jeans and sleeveless shirts shooting pool nearby fire up a small purple pipe packed with pot. They inhale deeply between shots, laughing, passing the bowl, mellowing their buzz with an occasional swig of beer.

Marijuana. Being brazenly smoked in public, right there under the bar owner's nose.

Schnarr smiles. "You get used to the smell — it's like the mold at your Mom's house," he says, motioning for another Coors. "It's strange at first, but later you realize, 'Oh, that's what that is.' Some people walk in here these days and go, 'Oh, wow.' But most walk in and say: 'Oh, wow. This is cool!'"

At Frankie's Sports Bar and Grill, firing up a "fatty" or a "blunt" is not only condoned, it's welcomed. Last fall, Washington state legalized recreational marijuana use, allowing people to smoke the drug in private, but not in public places such as bars. Schnarr, 63, has found a way around that: He's using a space in his bar he says is private, not public.

Now the second floor of his sports bar — a mammoth room with TVs, card tables, 10 pool tables, four shuffleboard tables and rows of booths — is the only pub in the state to allow the practice. It's a rarefied realm where patrons burn joints and bowls of greenish weed in a free-for-all fashion that's still unknown in most of law-abiding America.


Now, that's a new twist on how to increase your patronage in a pool room. :grin-square:

SOURCE: Washington Bar's Patrons with Pot are Living the High Live. [Retrieved 24 August 2013]
 

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JoeyA

Efren's Mini-Tourn BACKER
Silver Member
And then there's Frankie's Sports Bar Owner Frankie Schnarr who is allowing patrons to smoke pot after Washington State passed the law about smoking marijuana. :eek:

Tavern owner Frankie Schnarr takes a long draw from his bottle of Coors Light and scans his sports bar, listening to billiard balls rattle and a pinball machine explode with points.

Suddenly, there's that smell: musky-sweet, skunky yet somehow pleasing, an odor traditionally fraught with illegality.

Three men in jeans and sleeveless shirts shooting pool nearby fire up a small purple pipe packed with pot. They inhale deeply between shots, laughing, passing the bowl, mellowing their buzz with an occasional swig of beer.

Marijuana. Being brazenly smoked in public, right there under the bar owner's nose.

Schnarr smiles. "You get used to the smell — it's like the mold at your Mom's house," he says, motioning for another Coors. "It's strange at first, but later you realize, 'Oh, that's what that is.' Some people walk in here these days and go, 'Oh, wow.' But most walk in and say: 'Oh, wow. This is cool!'"

At Frankie's Sports Bar and Grill, firing up a "fatty" or a "blunt" is not only condoned, it's welcomed. Last fall, Washington state legalized recreational marijuana use, allowing people to smoke the drug in private, but not in public places such as bars. Schnarr, 63, has found a way around that: He's using a space in his bar he says is private, not public.

Now the second floor of his sports bar — a mammoth room with TVs, card tables, 10 pool tables, four shuffleboard tables and rows of booths — is the only pub in the state to allow the practice. It's a rarefied realm where patrons burn joints and bowls of greenish weed in a free-for-all fashion that's still unknown in most of law-abiding America.


Now, that's a new twist on how to increase your patronage in a pool room. :grin-square:

SOURCE: Washington Bar's Patrons with Pot are Living the High Live. [Retrieved 24 August 2013]

Does Frankie's have any pool tournaments?

JoeyA
 

ENGLISH!

Banned
Silver Member
Nice discussion 'guys'.

I just came here from another thread.

IMO one of the problems with pool is closed minds that are stuck in their ways & are not open to anything other than what they THINK they know.

Sorry for the interruption. Please continue & Best Wishes to All.
 

336Robin

Multiverse Operative
Silver Member
Testosterone Blindness

Nice discussion 'guys'.

I just came here from another thread.

IMO one of the problems with pool is closed minds that are stuck in their ways & are not open to anything other than what they THINK they know.Sorry for the interruption. Please continue & Best Wishes to All.

Yes, Ive encountered that before. The other thing is even when you can agree there isn't an outlet available to actually do much of anything. We talk, talk, talk and unless you own a room you cant do much.
 

CJ Wiley

ESPN WORLD OPEN CHAMPION
Gold Member
Silver Member
the "stone cold nuts"

And then there's Frankie's Sports Bar Owner Frankie Schnarr who is allowing patrons to smoke pot after Washington State passed the law about smoking marijuana. :eek:

Tavern owner Frankie Schnarr takes a long draw from his bottle of Coors Light and scans his sports bar, listening to billiard balls rattle and a pinball machine explode with points.

Suddenly, there's that smell: musky-sweet, skunky yet somehow pleasing, an odor traditionally fraught with illegality.

Three men in jeans and sleeveless shirts shooting pool nearby fire up a small purple pipe packed with pot. They inhale deeply between shots, laughing, passing the bowl, mellowing their buzz with an occasional swig of beer.

Marijuana. Being brazenly smoked in public, right there under the bar owner's nose.

Schnarr smiles. "You get used to the smell — it's like the mold at your Mom's house," he says, motioning for another Coors. "It's strange at first, but later you realize, 'Oh, that's what that is.' Some people walk in here these days and go, 'Oh, wow.' But most walk in and say: 'Oh, wow. This is cool!'"

At Frankie's Sports Bar and Grill, firing up a "fatty" or a "blunt" is not only condoned, it's welcomed. Last fall, Washington state legalized recreational marijuana use, allowing people to smoke the drug in private, but not in public places such as bars. Schnarr, 63, has found a way around that: He's using a space in his bar he says is private, not public.

Now the second floor of his sports bar — a mammoth room with TVs, card tables, 10 pool tables, four shuffleboard tables and rows of booths — is the only pub in the state to allow the practice. It's a rarefied realm where patrons burn joints and bowls of greenish weed in a free-for-all fashion that's still unknown in most of law-abiding America.


Now, that's a new twist on how to increase your patronage in a pool room. :grin-square:

SOURCE: Washington Bar's Patrons with Pot are Living the High Live. [Retrieved 24 August 2013]

Oddly enough the best profit center in this pool room is the "stone cold nuts". ;) 'The Ganja is the Teacher'
 

SeabrookMiglla

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Im a new player, i have been playing for almost 2 years now. but i play constantly, and have improved quickly because of my dedication to the game. i watch youtube videos and read books when im not playing, and when im in the pool hall i have a fairly structured routine and take advice from anyone. one thing as a young person in his mid twenties that i have noticed to be the problem with pool is the general mindset of american culture now in days-

people want to be good at something fast and easy.

thats what all of these commercials tell people and what these movies tell people, is that you can become good at something fast like this person who was a special case. i think for many people my age, they get into the game but dont keep up with it because it is that demanding of a game. they practice their butt's off and still loose to people they shouldnt lose to and get frustrated and quit. i hear it and see it all of the time.

this is a game where people watch you, and your weaknesses are exposed very quickly when you are playing somebody who is much better than you. like in bars and what not, that is where i find people in the younger age groups play. they like to impress there friends etc. but when someone comes along who is better, they want to quit. i personally was not like this (even though i hated getting stomped by better players in front of pretty ladies) i would sit there and take the beating and learn from my mistakes. not many players my age are willing to do this on a consistent basis. ego gets caught up, and i think people dont have the work ethic they once did. people are too caught up in there image now in days and put it before understanding that the long learning process is the game itself. i think this is something that is drastically different about this generation than previous generations.

a game like golf, is something that is more private and that people arent watching you as much like in a crowded pool room.

to fix this game and bring it back as someone said, IMO it will take a perfect storm. i think the key to bringing it back to america is make it sexy once again. im a fairly good looking guy, and the ladies love watching me play and want to practice with me. when people see this, i have noticed it makes them want to play. pool has to maintain the image that it is sexy, because then when people get interested in the game they will see the real beauty of the game is on the table not the player playing. but i think people my age think it is the opposite. i personally use to think this way.

i think other cultures dont think of this way of pool, like in east asia. their youth over there understands the dedication it takes to learn this game. they dont face the same issues the american pool scene is facing.

pool will come back though, i am confident of this.
 
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liakos

Banned
Im a new player, i have been playing for almost 2 years now. but i play constantly, and have improved quickly because of my dedication to the game. i watch youtube videos and read books when im not playing, and when im in the pool hall i have a fairly structured routine and take advice from anyone. one thing as a young person in his mid twenties that i have noticed to be the problem with pool is the general mindset of american culture now in days-

people want to be good at something fast and easy.

thats what all of these commercials tell people and what these movies tell people, is that you can become good at something fast like this person who was a special case. i think for many people my age, they get into the game but dont keep up with it because it is that demanding of a game. they practice their butt's off and still loose to people they shouldnt lose to and get frustrated and quit. i hear it and see it all of the time.

this is a game where people watch you, and your weaknesses are exposed very quickly when you are playing somebody who is much better than you. like in bars and what not, that is where i find people in the younger age groups play. they like to impress there friends etc. but when someone comes along who is better, they want to quit. i personally was not like this (even though i hated getting stomped by better players in front of pretty ladies) i would sit there and take the beating and learn from my mistakes. not many players my age are willing to do this on a consistent basis. ego gets caught up, and i think people dont have the work ethic they once did. people are too caught up in there image now in days and put it before understanding that the long learning process is the game itself. i think this is something that is drastically different about this generation than previous generations.

a game like golf, is something that is more private and that people arent watching you as much like in a crowded pool room.

to fix this game and bring it back as someone said, IMO it will take a perfect storm. i think the key to bringing it back to america is make it sexy once again. im a fairly good looking guy, and the ladies love watching me play and want to practice with me. when people see this, i have noticed it makes them want to play. pool has to maintain the image that it is sexy, because then when people get interested in the game they will see the real beauty of the game is on the table not the player playing. but i think people my age think it is the opposite. i personally use to think this way.

i think other cultures dont think of this way of pool, like in east asia. their youth over there understands the dedication it takes to learn this game. they dont face the same issues the american pool scene is facing.

pool will come back though, i am confident of this.

I agree with you for the most part!!! I think sexy needs to get it on it, but also good play!!! I'm a decent player and when I go to hit a few, usually the people close by are watching me play, not because I'm good looking (I'm an ugly fat head) but because they here the balls hitting the back of the pocket, time after time!!! I have Lot of people, men and women come up to me and ask me questions about the game!!! And they sure as hell ain't talkin to me because I'm good looking;) sometimes I think they think I'm mentally challenged:) I can challenge anyone,,,, mentally;)
 

Snapshot9

son of 3 leg 1 eye dog ..
Silver Member
I was really impressed with your post until I go down to the sexy part. Yes, sex attracts in every area in life, but usually falls beside the wayside over time. Does this mean you would choose personality over character? I have been playing this sport for 52 years, and still love it today. Why? Because I view it as a sport like any other sport. I recognize the knowledge it takes to play it well, and the dedication it takes.

When I first took up this sport, I knew then that I needed to study it first. For six months before I every picked up a stick, I watched all the best players in town playing. We had a 4 year college in town, and some of the players went to the college and were from other states, it added to the flavor of player.
I, also, read 3 books on Pool during that time, to find out what was the best way to go about learning the sport. So when I picked up a cue, I had some idea about what to do, and become good.

Another thing is, I was small growing up, and sports were a challenge for me, but I always thought that is if you were 'smart enough' you could figure out how to overcome your obstacles. And I did, because I made 1st teams in baseball, track, tennis, and had a bowling team that went to State several times.
I also won several ribbons in checkers, chess, and ping pong. You have to apply yourself to the sport, and take an intelligent approach to it. One other thing is, I do not like losing, at anything, especially sports though. I always thought losing was an insult to my intelligence.

One last thing, a real Pool player doesn't usually play with a girl to beat up on them, and to look arouind the room to see whos watching when they happen to make a decent shot, especially if they are a D level player to begin with. That is about as lame as you can get! When you get good, you won;t have to say anything, because other people/players will.
 
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YubaCushion

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Space rent

I believe another huge problem, and maybe CJ can confirm this, is the space rent on a place big enough to hold ten tables in an area where there is a decent concentration of people. That probably runs 5,000$ a month. Power is 2,500$ pay one person 2,500$. Ten tables at 10$ an hour 10 hr a day(maximum, I know) 6 days a week is 6,000$ a week x 4 = 24,000$ a month. Take away ten and your left with 14,000$. Where does that go and what is left. Probably not much, and that problem hurts distribution of the sport. if that's the right word.
 

SeabrookMiglla

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was really impressed with your post until I go down to the sexy part. Yes, sex attracts in every area in life, but usually falls beside the wayside over time. Does this mean you would choose personality over character? I have been playing this sport for 52 years, and still love it today. Why? Because I view it as a sport like any other sport. I recognize the knowledge it takes to play it well, and the dedication it takes.

When I first took up this sport, I knew then that I needed to study it first. For six months before I every picked up a stick, I watched all the best players in town playing. We had a 4 year college in town, and some of the players went to the college and were from other states, it added to the flavor of player.
I, also, read 3 books on Pool during that time, to find out what was the best way to go about learning the sport. So when I picked up a cue, I had some idea about what to do, and become good.

Another thing is, I was small growing up, and sports were a challenge for me, but I always thought that is if you were 'smart enough' you could figure out how to overcome your obstacles. And I did, because I made 1st teams in baseball, track, tennis, and had a bowling team that went to State several times.
I also won several ribbons in checkers, chess, and ping pong. You have to apply yourself to the sport, and take an intelligent approach to it. One other thing is, I do not like losing, at anything, especially sports though. I always thought losing was an insult to my intelligence.

One last thing, a real Pool player doesn't usually play with a girl to beat up on them, and to look arouind the room to see whos watching when they happen to make a decent shot, especially if they are a D level player to begin with. That is about as lame as you can get! When you get good, you won;t have to say anything, because other people/players will.

to reiterate on the "sexy" thing i was saying, i am saying that i think this is an image that will appeal to american culture. look at all the young people movies/shows that are out right now, most of them have to do with sex. american culture right now is obsessed with sex and doesnt stop talking about it, pool should use that to its advantage when marketing.

in taiwan this type of marketing would not work, because the image of the game is pure sport over there right now. they have billiards as an option for physical education in public schools, so the game is perceived differently over there than it is in america. in the phillipines for many years,pool was a way for people to make money because the country faces great poverty, but now it has transitioned into a more professional tournament image in the phillipines. pool has different images in different cultures, pool's image in america was shaped around the movie "the hustler". and i dont think pool should run away from that image, because it is with these elements of mystery, money, hustling, that brings a unique level of mystique to this game that are not present in any other sports or games in america.

lets take snooker for an example, when you get a guy like alex higgins who comes onto the scene people flipped out. snooker exploded in britain after higgins won his second title, because he brought a certain image to the game. but then you have guys like steve davis who comes along, and bring a completely different aura to the game than higgins. but who had the more profound effect on the game? and despite skill level who will people remember more? id say players will remember higgins more because of what he brought to the game, even though davis was the better player. despite the snooker establishment preferring to market davis over higgins.

i do agree that the sex image is temporary though, but pool needs a shot of energy right now. and i think if pool can achieve the status of competitive tournament sport while maintaining that image of "the hustler" that would be ideal. but pool should not neglect the hustler image.

and no, i am not the guy who doesnt let his girl win. and i no longer care if people watch me anymore, i use to, and sometimes i get a little conscious of my surroundings but i try to tune them out so i can focus on the table. i played a lot of pool in oman this summer, and the pool halls in oman are packed in and crowded so everyone is watching peoples games. that helped me improve in the department of becoming immune to crowds, but everyone gets nervous. its something that i still can improve in though. i use to box competitively for seven years, and i will say that this game is very tough and demanding, and like you said, you have to bring an intelligent approach in learning this game and use every resource available at your disposal. hopefully new players will think of the game in this way as well.
 
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