I'm referring to the full fledged guys who play full time and make a living exclusively from the road?
any full time road players left?
- Thread starter smashmouth
- Start date
full time road players?
I think they're all gone. The last one may have been Jack Cooney. Ike gave it a run for awhile. I'm not sure if he's still traveling.
It's just too tough a nut to crack. The cost of gas, hotel and eating out all the time makes road life difficult. You've got to find, at minimum, $100 action on a regular basis then book winners at least 80% of the time.
I think they're all gone. The last one may have been Jack Cooney. Ike gave it a run for awhile. I'm not sure if he's still traveling.
It's just too tough a nut to crack. The cost of gas, hotel and eating out all the time makes road life difficult. You've got to find, at minimum, $100 action on a regular basis then book winners at least 80% of the time.
8ballEinstein said:
Not true...If your definition is just those who make a full time living shooting pool, there are several of us still out there. However, the more successful ones are not trying to live off of gambling (in fact most of us don't gamble at all anymore). I travel full-time, teaching and doing shows in the college market. I teach privately on the side, but I am on the road 200+ days a year.
I can name three others easily who keep the same kind of schedule...Mike Massey, Tom Rossman/Dr. Cue, and Randyg (who takes his 'roadshow pool schools' around the country). We all make a nice living strictly from playing pool. Truth is...(and I've said this before)...there's enough work for 100 people doing what we do; and that's just here in the U.S.A.
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
road players - does that term include show persons?
Hi,
I have always thought (and I might be wrong) that road players
were "players". That is, folks who traveled *playing* for
money, as in gambling, and maybe a little "stealing" of a
local-type tournament when in the area.
Hi,
I have always thought (and I might be wrong) that road players
were "players". That is, folks who traveled *playing* for
money, as in gambling, and maybe a little "stealing" of a
local-type tournament when in the area.
Showmen and teachers?
Sir Lee,
I thought the general definition of a road player was one who travels and gambles at pool. Maybe Sir Smashmouth could clarify the definition for us.
Still, I'm glad to see that showmen and teachers are doing good. They surely fill a need in the marketplace.
Sir Lee,
I thought the general definition of a road player was one who travels and gambles at pool. Maybe Sir Smashmouth could clarify the definition for us.
Still, I'm glad to see that showmen and teachers are doing good. They surely fill a need in the marketplace.
I'm thinkin that todays road players, i.e. those guys going from town to town trying to make a living scuffling, are flying under the radar whenever possible and we'd be unaware of their existance until their skills get so sharpened that they have to come to the surface.
Were I a road player I'd want to be invisible!
Were I a road player I'd want to be invisible!
gamblers and hustlers are still out there
Road agents are still out there. A couple I know of shoot pool but they will jump into a poker or crap game just as quickly. They are quick to turn a not quite legitimate deal also. This actually describes most of the old time road agents too. There were very few strictly pool players that wouldn't try anything that seemed to offer an easy buck.
One guy I knew and his brother are doing life on Angola farm because of a little easy money deal. Another spent over six months in the hospital after he came back from Chicago and went after the family that killed his brother for firing a $2000 air barrel in a poker game.
Hu
Road agents are still out there. A couple I know of shoot pool but they will jump into a poker or crap game just as quickly. They are quick to turn a not quite legitimate deal also. This actually describes most of the old time road agents too. There were very few strictly pool players that wouldn't try anything that seemed to offer an easy buck.
One guy I knew and his brother are doing life on Angola farm because of a little easy money deal. Another spent over six months in the hospital after he came back from Chicago and went after the family that killed his brother for firing a $2000 air barrel in a poker game.
Hu
smashmouth said:
The Lizard survives. Also T-Rex and Ronnie Wiseman. And there are others. Too many to list.
Scott Lee said:
It's great that you guys can actually make a living doing what you're doing but I'm pretty sure that the question was if there were any people out on the road gambling. They're wondering if there are any Keith's, Cole Dickson's or Frisco Jack's left. You know what they meant but, if you want to call yourself a road player on the basis that you're on the road and you're playing pool, ok. You're a road player.
I wish here were more! When I worked in pool rooms 15 years ago you would see an agent maybe 3 times a year. I never missed the chance to donate. I learned, they made some dinner money.
It always seemed to be the same scenario. They would walk in and ask me (counter guy) if anyone wants to play cheap, and they'd laugh watching me scramble for my cue. I'd play as cheap as they would let, lose what I had, cover their table time, and fill em in on where they might get better action.
I wasn't a very good player back then, but the moment I put together 2 or 3 racks, they would turn up the heat and break me. I never once felt bad about losing.
Gerry
It always seemed to be the same scenario. They would walk in and ask me (counter guy) if anyone wants to play cheap, and they'd laugh watching me scramble for my cue. I'd play as cheap as they would let, lose what I had, cover their table time, and fill em in on where they might get better action.
I wasn't a very good player back then, but the moment I put together 2 or 3 racks, they would turn up the heat and break me. I never once felt bad about losing.
Gerry
Gerry said:
Gerry
And I bet you have some stories to tell that would be interesting from your side of the table (vs the road player's).
they came through Vegas alot back in the earily 90's alot, its a tough gig, in Sacramento I ran around with Joe Villapondo for a week once steering him around, he made a few nice scores and took care of me, I liked him alot we lost touch and now I see he is doing videos. He is smart he met me, figured out that I was an OK player but knew the places to go and had the line on who could play etc and took care of me, we did the switch player move when necessary, I beat one guy but the rest of the time he would take my place and win. It was fun, he was on the road I wasnt, he told me that was his angle meet wise guys and work with them in new towns, I met him in Hardtimes a month before and he called me when he got to Sacramento. This way he traveled alone but had info where ever he went. smart guy, it was mostly bar action. I really liked him and learned alot from him. Good memories. thanks Joe V.
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Jack Madden said:
Yea Jack, I remember the time Jimmy Matts came in and I was about to close. I never met him, and he asked me to play some $5 9ball. I'll play anyone $5 9ball so we got at it. I was actually playing well, but this guy was "different". He never said much to me, but talked to himself the whole time from mumbling to back and forth conversation! After maybe an hour My mentor Andy walks in and pulls me aside half pissed asking me what the frig I was doing playing Jimmy Matts! I was like....who? He said this guy is a straight up killer, and how much have I lost? I was down $30 or so, and as I racked Jimmy guessd I was tipped off, so I put my last $50 on the table and said thats all I got man, I'll play til i's gone. about 11 minutes later I was busted.
He played flawless smooth catatonic 9ball kinda like Earl. I wasn't pissed, just in awe......because the guy would play for $5 a rack!
Gerry