Being a pool player vs. Regular life?

john schmidt said:
there is a big difference between being a pro pool player and being a very successful pro pool player like efren,allison,alex ,johnny etc.to be a successful one is alot of fun thats what they tell me anyway.some people have amazing ability and will be the ones who make it.most people seem to think they quit because the money was bad ,they quit because they were not talented enough and did not have the overall package to make it. i see this in bowling,golf baseball etc.people say i used to be great but would rather have a job ,yeah right.people come on here and compare being a pro pool player to a guy who lives in his car .i can show you pro golfers who are doing that. many of the pros i know own their own home have plenty in the bank and basically have a life that is very fun and exciting.so if we are gonna compare being a pro player to working lets keep it real and use a successful player like efren ralf,rodney,johnny,etc.it beats digging ditches trust me ive done that .
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Come on John, you're talking about a handful here. Maybe 1/10 of 1% of the aspiring pool players. Guys with talent like you are very rare. We all know that. We in the real world need steady income that only comes with a regular job. Anyway I'll be pulling for you in that IPT straight pool match coming up. Good luck
 
john schmidt said:
there is a big difference between being a pro pool player and being a very successful pro pool player like efren,allison,alex ,johnny etc.to be a successful one is alot of fun thats what they tell me anyway.some people have amazing ability and will be the ones who make it.most people seem to think they quit because the money was bad ,they quit because they were not talented enough and did not have the overall package to make it. i see this in bowling,golf baseball etc.people say i used to be great but would rather have a job ,yeah right.people come on here and compare being a pro pool player to a guy who lives in his car .i can show you pro golfers who are doing that. many of the pros i know own their own home have plenty in the bank and basically have a life that is very fun and exciting.so if we are gonna compare being a pro player to working lets keep it real and use a successful player like efren ralf,rodney,johnny,etc.it beats digging ditches trust me ive done that .
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John,

With all due respect, I don't think that's a fair comparison. The vast majority of players who attempt to become pros don't have the talent of Efren, Ralf, Rodney, or yourself. It's easy to say that someone with the talent of Efren should go pro. It's substantially harder to make that call when the player is just starting out and doesn't know where the ceiling is.

A career in pool is profitable only for the very best players. For comparison's sake, in 2007, 216 golfers on the PGA tour made over $100,000 in prize money. 3 pool players did. And that's not including the various sponsorship deals that golfers get, the second-tier tours, the LPGA, and the many many ways that a pro golfer can make a living even without touring, such as club pro positions, private lessons, course design, etc. And the top golfers can very easily become wealthy - 99 golfers made over $1 million in prize money on the PGA tour in 2007 alone.

There's so much more room to make a living in golf than in pool, and that's why the calculus is so difficult for a young player thinking of becoming a pro.
 
john schmidt said:
there is a big difference between being a pro pool player and being a very successful pro pool player like efren,allison,alex ,johnny etc.to be a successful one is alot of fun thats what they tell me anyway.some people have amazing ability and will be the ones who make it.most people seem to think they quit because the money was bad ,they quit because they were not talented enough and did not have the overall package to make it. i see this in bowling,golf baseball etc.people say i used to be great but would rather have a job ,yeah right.people come on here and compare being a pro pool player to a guy who lives in his car .i can show you pro golfers who are doing that. many of the pros i know own their own home have plenty in the bank and basically have a life that is very fun and exciting.so if we are gonna compare being a pro player to working lets keep it real and use a successful player like efren ralf,rodney,johnny,etc.it beats digging ditches trust me ive done that .
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The way this thread was started was sort of, or it was a question. When do you decide to take that risk? Its known that some do make a living playing pool, and are comfortable. There are probably quite a few talents that decide to take the 9 to 5 job that had the talent to play at pro status.
It takes some time to stay in stroke and take more time to become a player with as much knowledge and seasoning it takes to compete at a pro level. I'm not trying to compare a pro player to a guy who lives in his car but some do end up having a hard time. Some do well. So have a hard time. One thing you have factor in is that I don't really know how easy or hard it is. Thats part of the reason for this thread. It may be easier than I believe. It surely wasn't meant to be takin' as an insult to those that have tried.
 
gpeezy said:
The way this thread was started was sort of, or it was a question. When do you decide to take that risk? Its known that some do make a living playing pool, and are comfortable. There are probably quite a few talents that decide to take the 9 to 5 job that had the talent to play at pro status.
It takes some time to stay in stroke and take more time to become a player with as much knowledge and seasoning it takes to compete at a pro level. I'm not trying to compare a pro player to a guy who lives in his car but some do end up having a hard time. Some do well. So have a hard time. One thing you have factor in is that I don't really know how easy or hard it is. Thats part of the reason for this thread. It may be easier than I believe. It surely wasn't meant to be takin' as an insult to those that have tried.
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" hustling pool is the hardest way in the world to make an easy living" an oldtime player, Marcel Camp (eddie taylor said Camp was the best money player ever) said pool was a good way to try to get enough money to do something with. i raised my family playing pool ,
about 12 or 13 years. those were good gambling years mid 60's to late 70's
i had a great time,never played in a tourament, wasn't good enough,
wouldn't have anyway.could of made as much working by the hour,
but no boss, hours were my own.had to go where i was a stranger though.finaly quit and went on to other kind of gambling.
 
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I too am on the cusp of "playing professionally" or working for a living, what kills me is how guilty people make you feel for wasting your talent if you don't do it full time. Little do they know how little you can make if you are only moderately successful and how expensive it can be to put yourself out there like that.

If there were more stops and decent money to be made you bet your ass I would put 110% into the game, for right now 25-30 hours a week is enough though. Even with the sponsors I have which pay for entries here and there it's the traveling costs that are the gist of the monies expended and sponsors don't pay for that in general.

Even with the best tour in the country in Florida, close enough for me to drive to every stop IF I take a half day off on Friday (and they let me) I still can't afford to go to every stop. $500 a weekend and missing work does not make you rich unless you have a lucrative job, which obviously I don't, and that's only with 8 stops a year.
 
"I am sick and tired of packing my suitcase only to unpack it again soon after. It's dragging me down."
Stephen Lee at the World Snooker Championship
 
jrhendy said:
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Funny you should say that Frank. I am coming down for the 4th of July one pocket tournament at Hollywood Billiards. I will also hit House of Billiards in Santa Monica & Hard Times in Bellflower. I'll look forward to seeing you then. I also plan some longer trips later in the year, maybe one of Grady's tournaments, the Open & Derby City for sure (Wherever they have it). I have been saving up S/S checks and if I find a place with a good golf game I can beat, I might stay a long time. It's time to do it while I still can. John
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Frank & John,
There is a customer for the two of you in New Orleans if you make it that far.

We have a FREE one pocket tournament every Friday. It's handicapped and you have to give up the nuts if you can play a lick but it's free, so that's OK. :)

Hollywood Billiards Fourth of July? That's a Friday.

What time does the one pocket tournament start?
JoeyA
 
john schmidt said:
there is a big difference between being a pro pool player and being a very successful pro pool player like efren,allison,alex ,johnny etc.to be a successful one is alot of fun thats what they tell me anyway.some people have amazing ability and will be the ones who make it.most people seem to think they quit because the money was bad ,they quit because they were not talented enough and did not have the overall package to make it. i see this in bowling,golf baseball etc.people say i used to be great but would rather have a job ,yeah right.people come on here and compare being a pro pool player to a guy who lives in his car .i can show you pro golfers who are doing that. many of the pros i know own their own home have plenty in the bank and basically have a life that is very fun and exciting.so if we are gonna compare being a pro player to working lets keep it real and use a successful player like efren ralf,rodney,johnny,etc.it beats digging ditches trust me ive done that .
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I think that most people would take your situation if they could get there. The problem is that one notch below your level is not even close. So yeah, you and a handful of others are doing well. Look at a guy like Ernesto who plays great, has to work as a table mechanic to make a good living. I don't think anyone would take working over being a sponsored pro, honestly how many guys out there have your situation?
 
JoeyA said:
Frank & John,
There is a customer for the two of you in New Orleans if you make it that far.

We have a FREE one pocket tournament every Friday. It's handicapped and you have to give up the nuts if you can play a lick but it's free, so that's OK. :)

Hollywood Billiards Fourth of July? That's a Friday.

What time does the one pocket tournament start?
JoeyA
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The Gingerbread Man is running the tournament so there will be some information on here soon. I will be going to DCC & we can do something there. I have some customers here, but have decided to see some parts of the country that I have never been to and NOLA is on the list somewhere down the line. If you are going to the next DCC I'll look forward to running into you. If you make it to the tournament out here on the 4th of July, we may get down sooner. I have not been down to So Cal in a few years so I'm sure I will have all I want down there but will save a little for you. Johnl
 
When I was in college, I played several hours a day, and dreamed of being a pro player. I won many amateur tournaments, but never played good enough to cash in pro events.

Now I have two successful businesses that take me around the world. I take my cue wherever I go, and match up with whoever I can. I think I enjoy the game now more than I did when I took it seriously, and I travel more than I would if I was a player.

I was at the WPC in Manila last year on a business holiday. If I was still a player, I wouldn't have been able to go.

A part of me is still jealous of the players that are making a go of it, even if they are struggling. There's just something appealing about making a living doing what you love.
 
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