Anyone Else Feel They Could Have Made Pro?

CreeDo

CreeDo

Fargo Rating 597
Silver Member
I wonder if many pros had a crossroads moment and decided to go for it, or it was just sort 'a given' they would be a pro player. A lot of them were A speed at like 19 years old, not a lot of teenagers are sitting there thinking "should I go get my degree in economics or just keep playing pool?"

...if someone's playing A speed at like 25-30 and hasn't gone pro yet, I'd be surprised if they ever do. They could theoretically bridge that gap with like 5 years of hard work but by that age they had to already figure out a way to make a living and will probably just stick with whatever's paying the rent.

It's really discouraging when you hit that moment realizing the gap between pros and strong locals. The local APA champion might win 90% of his matches in league, and probably lose 90% to shane, ralf, mika, johnny, etc. It seems like the better you get, the bigger the gap looks.
 
Underclocked

Underclocked

.........Whut?.........
Silver Member
I decided on a family and a steady income instead. Damn little appeal in being a pro pool player. Things might have been different if there had been snooker opportunities here as there were in the UK.
 
Nine ... corner

Nine ... corner

BANNED
Silver Member
Toncam said:
Hey, i didnt know we had any ex-number runners here besides me, lol. Ask most people today if they ever played the numbers and they look at you and say "Whats that?"
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A blast from the past! About a 100 years ago when I lived in New York I used to play the numbers everyday. Back then "The Number" was the last three digits of the Aquaduct daily handle. Do the numbers still exist someplace and if so how is the number determined? I'm thinking lotteries replaced them.
 
Toncam

Toncam

Another Bum !
Silver Member
Nine ... corner said:
A blast from the past! About a 100 years ago when I lived in New York I used to play the numbers everyday. Back then "The Number" was the last three digits of the Aquaduct daily handle. Do the numbers still exist someplace and if so how is the number determined? I'm thinking lotteries replaced them.
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Im from NY and youre right, the daily number which is what was called the Bklyn number came out of Aqueduct except on tuesdays when it was a Florida track they used. There was also the NY number which was the results of the first 3 races, the next 2 and the last 2 , you could also bet single numbers.
 
Samiel

Samiel

Sea Player
Silver Member
I don't think I could ever have made it to pro. I don't think I have the heart it takes.
 
Nine ... corner

Nine ... corner

BANNED
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Toncam said:
Im from NY and youre right, the daily number which is what was called the Bklyn number came out of Aqueduct except on tuesdays when it was a Florida track they used. There was also the NY number which was the results of the first 3 races, the next 2 and the last 2 , you could also bet single numbers.
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LMAO ... While the 100 years ago in my OP was a bit of an exaggeration, it was a long time ago but reading your response above makes it seem like yesterday. I had forgotten about Tuesdays. :D
 
jimmyg

jimmyg

Mook! What's a Mook?
Silver Member
Toncam said:
Im from NY and youre right, the daily number which is what was called the Bklyn number came out of Aqueduct except on tuesdays when it was a Florida track they used. There was also the NY number which was the results of the first 3 races, the next 2 and the last 2 , you could also bet single numbers.
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Paid 600 to 1. You were also able to play combinations and other assorted exotic bets.

Many years ago my ex brother-in-law asked me to chip in a few bucks to go partners with him on a numbers bet, and asked me to pick the three numbers. Well I had never played the numbers before, or after :), and I thought that it may be fun once, so I picked three. Sure enough I checked the paper for the daily racing handle the next day, and low and behold my number came in perfectly....I got real happy...real fast. I immediately called my brother-in-law to tell him and ask how much we won, and, well, turned out that instead of betting it straight, he bet the "combination" and not just for a day, for the entire week, along with some other exotic bet, and my share was about $20. Can't honestly say that it was the only time he "got" me, but he always created some type of action and, aside from his habit, he was a heck of a lot of fun.

Seems as though my brother-in-law had a serious gambling habit......never trust anyone with a habit, never.

J
 
Matt

Matt

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There's no way I could be a pro pool player, or a professional player of any sort, for that matter. I love games and sports, and pool is right at the top of the list for me. I definitely spend more free time playing pool than any other game or sport, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. However, the thought of making it into a job has no appeal to me, and I've never considered the money won from gambling or in tournaments income.

I come from two families of designers and engineers, so I guess I inherited the desire to create things, whether genetically or from growing up in that environment. I think I wouldn't feel satisfied if my work wasn't producing something. I suppose you could argue that some athletes and gamers are producing entertainment, but I don't think that would do it for me.

Aside from not really wanting to be a pro, I don't think that my mindset is compatible with being the best, or even one of the best, at any one thing. I much prefer being good at several things, so there's no way I could focus on pool with the intensity that the pros do.
 
fasted71465

fasted71465

Fast Ed
Silver Member
I started playing serious at 13. From then on I wanted to be a pro. I am a quiet and shy guy and lacked self confidence done me in. Some days I would be running 4 and 5 racks in a row and the next I couldn't make 4 balls in a row. I had a bar table at home and would play 8 and sometimes 12 hours a day when I was 17 and 18. I dove deep in the proper mechanics of the game and this made my confidence go way down as I was always trying to fix why I miss until it became an obsession. I was trying to hard to get better. I quit for some time and just started back a month or so ago. I am trying to let my mind do the work and not worry about it and concentrate more on the game itself.
 
B

backplaying

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
fasted71465 said:
I started playing serious at 13. From then on I wanted to be a pro. I am a quiet and shy guy and lacked self confidence done me in. Some days I would be running 4 and 5 racks in a row and the next I couldn't make 4 balls in a row. I had a bar table at home and would play 8 and sometimes 12 hours a day when I was 17 and 18. I dove deep in the proper mechanics of the game and this made my confidence go way down as I was always trying to fix why I miss until it became an obsession. I was trying to hard to get better. I quit for some time and just started back a month or so ago. I am trying to let my mind do the work and not worry about it and concentrate more on the game itself.
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Now you have the right idea. I know a guy who has played for 40 yrs and every shot still thinks about so many fundamentals that he's has never even made it to a good b level. He has a table at home with every instructional video, and has played more pool than anyone I know. If your having to think of the basics while playing every time, you will never be a good player.
 
B

backplaying

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
victorl said:
I think if you ask anyone they will probably say they could have made it if they wanted to.
Honestly though,I believe the level of precision that high-level pros play at it is out of reach for most of us. With dedicated practice and proper instruction, I think many could be pretty darn good, but to become a precise, consistent professional without any obvious weaknesses in one's physical and mental game is just too tough a road, with too many obstacles, as it is in any other professional sport.

To get there requires loads of self-confidence, unwavering dedication, willingness to learn, natural talent, mental toughness, attention to detail, desire, consistency, mentoring, a support network, and more. Most of us, including myself, can say we are lacking in some or even all of these and that's probably where we would get held back.

Just my 2 cents though.

Vic
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Very good post.
 
JumpinJoe

JumpinJoe

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
JAM said:
I have often wondered what distinguishes a champion player from a good shooter, and the one trait I have seen in all champion players is a strong self-confidence.

It is the same with Hollywood actors or comedians. When you see Jay Leno or David Letterman or Matt Damon or Robert DeNiro, they all have one thing in common: self-confidence.

Not everybody has the capability to block out crap in their life to achieve total self-confidence. This is what separates the lions from the lambs.

That said, no, I could have never made pro. I shot in a few state championships and missed a duck shot as well as ball in hand. I couldn't fade the nerves. :embarrassed2:
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The difference in a solid player and a champion, its simple.

It's about 1/16th of an inch. That's it entirely. This was told to me from Buddy Hall about 13/15 years ago in one of the nightly tourneys we always attended and it makes sense. You will need to figure it out yourself though.
 
catpool9

catpool9

"Rack Um"/ Rusty Lock
Silver Member
Going Pro

I'd say by age 19 if your not doing some amazing shit with that cue ball you never will, you should know by then if you can make Pro level or not, there are exceptions that bloom later in life but not many, Terry Bell never picked up a cue until he was 21 and made Pro for a while..

This day and time I'd say get a job and play pool on the side, it's not easy pickings like it was 25 or 30 years ago. I use to make $200-300 a day playing just $2.00 pool and $500 -1,000 on weekends playing $10-20 but I couldn't do that now with a gun held to someones head!


David Harcrow
 
Toncam

Toncam

Another Bum !
Silver Member
jimmyg said:
Paid 600 to 1. You were also able to play combinations and other assorted exotic bets.

Many years ago my ex brother-in-law asked me to chip in a few bucks to go partners with him on a numbers bet, and asked me to pick the three numbers. Well I had never played the numbers before, or after :), and I thought that it may be fun once, so I picked three. Sure enough I checked the paper for the daily racing handle the next day, and low and behold my number came in perfectly....I got real happy...real fast. I immediately called my brother-in-law to tell him and ask how much we won, and, well, turned out that instead of betting it straight, he bet the "combination" and not just for a day, for the entire week, along with some other exotic bet, and my share was about $20. Can't honestly say that it was the only time he "got" me, but he always created some type of action and, aside from his habit, he was a heck of a lot of fun.

Seems as though my brother-in-law had a serious gambling habit......never trust anyone with a habit, never.

J
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Good story Jimmy and very true. It actually paid differently in parts of the city, Queens and parts of Bklyn paid 500-1, other places paid 600-1.
I got a ton and half of experience with the business in a lot of forms from running to picking up work for the controller, to other things, it was a great education, lol.
By the way , your line about 'Whats a mook ?", lol, thats from Mean Streets where they go to the pool hall to collect a winning bet and they get into a big brawl, funny funny scene.
"Can i give you a little car fare, Davis?" I know you know that line. :smile:
 
B

backplaying

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
catpool9 said:
I'd say by age 19 if your not doing some amazing shit with that cue ball you never will, you should know by then if you can make Pro level or not, there are exceptions that bloom later in life but not many, Terry Bell never picked up a cue until he was 21 and made Pro for a while..

This day and time I'd say get a job and play pool on the side, it's not easy pickings like it was 25 or 30 years ago. I use to make $200-300 a day playing just $2.00 pool and $500 -1,000 on weekends playing $10-20 but I couldn't do that now with a gun held to someones head!


David Harcrow
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Very true. Its hard to believe people now consider 5 and 10 dollar pool, good action now, or sets for 20, but they do. I know the young guys don't believe us when we tell them in the 70's or 80's you could make 200 or more on any given night hitting a few bars. Hope you and Calvin are doing good.
 
J

JAM

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
JumpinJoe said:
The difference in a solid player and a champion, its simple.

It's about 1/16th of an inch. That's it entirely. This was told to me from Buddy Hall about 13/15 years ago in one of the nightly tourneys we always attended and it makes sense. You will need to figure it out yourself though.
Click to expand...

You got me. :eek:

I'm gonig to ask my roommate and hope he can tell me why. :wink:
 
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