Do you think Pool is Fun?

cueball2010

cueball2010

Active member
I think I have strong work ethics and determination. So when I win I feel pleasure. I practice to win, but I don't know if I find practice itself to be fun... I think I find practicing pool to be amusing or interesting like detective work. Like testing myself to keep trying to pocket as many balls as I can without missing, because I know that that will build consistency, and stamina. Is practice fun or work?

I am confident I can beat opponents 50-100 pts above my Fargo, for maybe 3 or 4 consecutive hours. Is this fun though? I feel like I am exerting a lot of effort, trying to keep my mind energetic and positive. But big money tournaments are never this short. After 7-8hrs, I'm lucky if I am still playing at my existing Fargo level. but if I can hold my self together for additional 3-4hrs I might just be able to take a big money finish spot. Is almost winning fun? I can tell you with great confidence I do know what satisfaction feels like to me, and I don't know if making it 8hrs out of a 12hr tournament is satisfying, but I know with great certainty that it is draining on the mind and body. Is a long and tiring day of pool fun?

So what exactly is this thing we call fun? What part of pool is actually fun for you?

I think of things that I can categorize as fun: riding a roller coaster, slow playing a pair of pocket aces while not drawing dead on the river, having a great conversation with someone who is excited to talk about the same things as you, getting drunk and not giving a fk about how you shoot.

I have a friend who said. "Pool is fun at the beginning. That is how you get sucked in. After that its nothing but battling stress to get better at the game". Problem is, is that I don't see how the game can remain fun if you never get better. Which brings me full circle back to the beginning of this post, because I doubt there are any members of this forum limiting their play to once every full moon that are experiencing fun. Maybe that is the issue... Once you develop pool passion you throw this thing called fun out the window.
 
Absolutely its fun. Sure it gets a little frustrating at times when you cant find your top gear. And that frustration is only because I care if I play well and I care if I win. But it is fun in every other way. Honestly, why would a person do it if it wasnt enjoyable unless it was their job. If it puts food on the table, then it doesnt have to be fun. But outside of that, if a person doesnt like it, walk away or play less or whatever....dont torture oneself.

One big thing it does for me is it provides a platform for competition. I am super competitive by nature. And I enjoy all the aspects of the physical part of the game. Lately, I have been working hard on the mental side to help me improve. Mix all that together and its an easy yes from me.
 
First off, please ignore the grumps who wander down from the attic in their stained underwear on the way to the kitchen to grab another beer.

Personally, I find your question an intriguing one from a philosophical point of view. I mean, I think we all get into pool for fun and for many that will always remain a valid motivator.

But I think there are a couple of other subsets of players, one of which that gets hooked on the technical challenges the game presents in never ending permutations. Plus, there’s something intrinsically lovely about the game with its precise rectangle, and brightly colored spheres.

Lou Figueroa
 
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lfigueroa said:
First off, please ignore the grumps who wander down from the attic in their stained underwear on the way to the kitchen to grab another beer.

Personally, I find your question an intriguing one from a philosophical point of view. I mean, I think we all get into for fun and for many that will always remain a valid motivator.

But I think there are a couple of other subsets of players, one of which that gets hooked on the technical challenges the game presents in never ending permutations. Plus, there’s something intrinsically lovely about the game with its precise rectangle, and brightly colored spheres.

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...
Were there mushrooms on that pizza Lou??
 
No….pool is not fun…it is a continual work in progress. As such, it accordingly aligns with one’s hope & expectations.

Is pool satisfying? Absolutely, otherwise I’d quit and so would you. Is pool frustrating? Oh boy, it causes molar grinding.
What’s your motivation behind playing pool other than to socially recreate, casually & enjoyably pass time with friends?

If that’s how you mostly identify with pool, then you’d definitely answer the question with a resounding reply of “Yes”.
However, if you appreciated what I described, you’re likely someone not discontent with their game but eager to improve.

Unfortunately, there is a reckoning point in life and in pool playing. Reality strikes you smack dab in the puss. And when it does, you can’t dodge that Father Time is telling you how well you might have played in the past isn’t in your future.

When you reach that point and accept it, then pool is played for fun……for the moment…….because none of us truly
know how many more moments there’ll be in our destinies after we put our cue back in our case after playing pool.
 
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I've always equated pool (or getting better at pool) like an amateur surfer always paddling like hell to catch that ever elusive wave and frustratingly never quite being able to catch it. Then one day when he least expects it happens he's caught that wave and riding it to its fullest. He's finally knows what it feels like to be what he considers 'dead stroke'. This doesn't happen often almost never but he's felt it and finally knows what a joy it is. This is the addiction of pool. It's been said that pool is like a cruel mistress, just when you think you're finally done with her she raises her skirt up a couple more inches and you're right back in.
 
Looks to me like league players socializing, laughing and buying each other beers are genuinely having fun. The rest of us are continuously accepting a challenge and taking it seriously, because we experience validation when we meet it and some level of disappointment, even a kind of agony, when we don't. I don't call that fun, but it's more satisfying than many things I would call fun. You could write a book about the agony and the ecstasy of pool, but best not to. As Yogi Berra might have stated it, pool is 95% mental; the other 50% is talent and hard work.
 
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cueball2010 said:
I think I have strong work ethics and determination. So when I win I feel pleasure. I practice to win, but I don't know if I find practice itself to be fun... I think I find practicing pool to be amusing or interesting like detective work. Like testing myself to keep trying to pocket as many balls as I can without missing, because I know that that will build consistency, and stamina. Is practice fun or work?

I am confident I can beat opponents 50-100 pts above my Fargo, for maybe 3 or 4 consecutive hours. Is this fun though? I feel like I am exerting a lot of effort, trying to keep my mind energetic and positive. But big money tournaments are never this short. After 7-8hrs, I'm lucky if I am still playing at my existing Fargo level. but if I can hold my self together for additional 3-4hrs I might just be able to take a big money finish spot. Is almost winning fun? I can tell you with great confidence I do know what satisfaction feels like to me, and I don't know if making it 8hrs out of a 12hr tournament is satisfying, but I know with great certainty that it is draining on the mind and body. Is a long and tiring day of pool fun?

So what exactly is this thing we call fun? What part of pool is actually fun for you?

I think of things that I can categorize as fun: riding a roller coaster, slow playing a pair of pocket aces while not drawing dead on the river, having a great conversation with someone who is excited to talk about the same things as you, getting drunk and not giving a fk about how you shoot.

I have a friend who said. "Pool is fun at the beginning. That is how you get sucked in. After that its nothing but battling stress to get better at the game". Problem is, is that I don't see how the game can remain fun if you never get better. Which brings me full circle back to the beginning of this post, because I doubt there are any members of this forum limiting their play to once every full moon that are experiencing fun. Maybe that is the issue... Once you develop pool passion you throw this thing called fun out the window.
Click to expand...
It's fun if you have masochist tendencies. 🤣 Or alternately if you like to practice competition or mastery of something. There's always something to learn and improve upon. It's like a puzzle and you don't even realize there are pieces missing til you find them under the table or in the box.

After my first 5 or so, tournaments they were no longer "fun," they are about cashing in the money. Even if you don't cash you can still take joy in a well played tournament. You can lose a tournament and literally make no mistakes if it's winner break. Lose a coin flip and you're toast. Now catching up with friends and such can be a fun aspect, and it can be fun to watch good players. But "fun," I'm not so sure.

Leagues can be fun. Playing sets with buddies for bragging rights or small money can be fun. Playing "single game record" where you all try to get the biggest win streak in a row can be fun.

A well ran tournament can be fun, but they are relatively rare.

In all honesty if you're not having fun, take a break for a couple weeks. You'll be interested again.
 
Playing well is fun
Winning is fun
Banging balls with the music cranked is fun

The getting better process is fun about 20% of the time. Beating pr.'s, finally making a challenging shot, just hitting one pure

Taking less than first sucks
Going 2 steps back, 1 step forward sucks
Plateaus suck
Mistakes you thought you fixed rearing there head sucks

Gotta give to get I suppose
 
I must admit that when I run a rack of 9-Ball it makes me feel good.

Just wish there were more pro tournaments like we used to have in the past. Like the Sands Regency Tournament in Reno, the Glass City Open in Toledo, etc, etc.

r/DCP
 
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