Do players that play pool for a living (without any other income) do okay?

[Rjmoncrief]

Even with the love we all have for the game....In all honesty, who would want to?
The road life is fun and exciting for a while, but for a living? I know it was a lot easier in years past (70's, 80's, etc.) when a lot of us on here experienced it, but even then there's no way I would want to attempt to make a living at it regardless of how good I played. The only consideration I would give to it would be if I played on the level of the best in the world. Just my 2 cents worth. I hope my reply belongs here. Nice thread!

 

[BigNBeefY]

Honestly I pity the guys I know who play and gamble for a living. Inconsistent income and the struggle of matching up consistently with the added pressure of losing money that is needed for necessities is not an easy life. I have never gone to work and lost money. Unless you have one hell of a backer and a grade A game...do yourself a favor and get a job...contribute to society and stop chasing the burnt out dream of easy money. Its fine to supplement your income with some action but making a living is a different story. For every CJ there are 500 rheas out there sleeping in their car with no hope

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Fast Lenny]

I would scuffle around in the bars when I lived in NY, I could go out and make a couple of hundred depending on the night. It was not a common thing really though, I would say maybe 1 night out of the 4-5 I was going out. I mostly would get free drinks and I still go out some nights to a bar and get buzzed up for free. I found no rhyme or reason to it, I mean I could go out on a Wednesday night and come across the right person and cash in or no one would bet anything and the place is packed on the weekend.

People commonly will play for the friendly drink which averages around $5-$10 so if we both already had drinks I would say do you want to play for another one or maybe $5-$10 for the next round? Usually they would get relaxed by this and not think much about the money and buying someone a drink is a friendly no big deal type of thing.

As soon as the money is flowing and others have quarters up or their name on the board then you just state to the incoming player we are playing for $5-$10 a game or possibly raise the stakes because they saw money change hands and people are watching, not many like to back down from a cheap challenge in front of others. If they decline you offer to play for the friendly drink, if they don't bet you then beat them and move on to the next person.

I was at a place called the Reno Room in California years ago while I was visiting my friend who was living out there and he took me bar hopping with his girlfriend. Cool place with the hipster type crowd in it with a little taco shop attached, the place to my surprise has a couple Diamond bar tables. My friend is not the guy to get us into a game even though he sells cars but for some reason people get at ease with me and things happen. I don't know if we lost a game of partners or singles all night, we were blitzed and won more drinks then we could handle especially since his girl was not a drinker at all. We had so many lined up from pitchers, shots, and mixed drinks that we could have fed the soldiers in the Battle of Karansebes.

The last time I ran into a little score in the bars was maybe 200-300 a few weeks back at this place down the street. I was playing some guy for $50 a game, he was Samoan I do believe. He saw me and my friend play two guys first for a drink and then $100, we won both. He says he likes to gamble and just got back from Vegas, I told him I like to gamble too. We let this busty bartender hold the cash in her bra of course, we gave her $5-$10 after each game she held the money.

After 2 games my friend says to me that the guy has no tip on his cue and I tell him to zip it and we just laughed. This guy was so hammered he had no tip, we played 3 games like this and I was stunned he made any balls. We shook hands and had a couple of shots, he said he wished his girlfriend was there to play as she is a Filipino and loves pool. Life can be stranger than fiction is the truth, you never know what might happen each night you venture out.

I could not see doing this strictly as a living, for some extra fun play money sure. Most pool players who are pros that I know are not well off and borrow money and owe many. I do wish they could make it, takes lots of talent and skill to play at that level.

 

[macguy]

I am curious if there are very many unknown hustlers left here in america, who keep a very low profile, and just go around to the little bars all over, and make a living maybe by gambling and winning these little tournaments here and there?

I ask, because I know if they won any big regional events, then they would become known, and it would be hard for them to get action anywhere.

I wonder if there are any guys like fast Eddie from The Hustler left in america, and many players left that just play pool for a living (without a job, or any other income coming in)?

I see the money earnings from all of the pro players that play in all of the big events, and go all over playing in the biggest yearly tournaments, and they seem to make a good living playing pool, but I wonder about the unknown players (if very many unknown players play for a living), and if they do okay for themselves, or if they really struggle to make a living by just playing pool?

Are there players that do not get in any of the big annual tournaments, because they actually make more money (then the known pro players) by not being known?

I guess the days of hustling are over, now that we have the internet and all of this technology, so it is impossible to keep a low profile, and so is trying to make a living by just playing pool (no matter how good they are).

But I still wonder if there are any players (that might be even stronger then SVB for example) that are still able to stay unknown.

I can't imagine how they could do it. I played pool full time for a few years over 40 years ago and it was actually easy. I made more then enough money. I won money every day. Easily more then a guy at a pretty good job at the time.

Here is the thing, I doubt if I could instantly play as good as I did 40 years ago and went out trying to make a few bucks I could win any more money today then I did back then. Heck, I probably could not win as much.

Not to mention there are no more 3 egg omelets with toast and coffee for $.60 or motels for $6.00 a night. The economy has passed pool by in almost every respect. Even the pool rooms. I had a pool room in the early 70's and made a killing.

Pool was $1.00 an hour per player, my rent was cheap as well as my electric. I would say my bottom line was higher back then then it would be today with the same business once you adjust it.

The average guy in a bar or pool room back then bet about the same as they do today. A few dollars a game or maybe a $5.00 or $10.00 set. That is not paying the bills today.

 

[fastone371]

Easy answer?

What do you call a pool player without a girlfriend?

Homeless!!!!!:rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1: