" Pro Athlete" and " Pool " aside; even for the most restrained of us it can sometimes be oh so very hard to fade a nice score at a casino and walk out with all of it lol
Does life as a road player change the personality of most players?
- Thread starter justinb386
- Start date
" Pro Athlete" and " Pool " aside; even for the most restrained of us it can sometimes be oh so very hard to fade a nice score at a casino and walk out with all of it lol
The marriage cant be that great or why would the guy be looking for some strange?
Its because a lot of the guys that live the life you tried to convince others to take are in fact bored to death because they are working a job that they hate, and living with a wife that they dont really love, and have kids who grow up in a family that is convinced that the best path in life is to follow the heard of other sheep who work all their life at the job that they hate just so they can have a few material possesions that dont really mean shit.
Last edited:
That might be accurate about your old friends but not guys like Thorston Hohmann or Ralf Souqet, or even players who have really been on the road like Johnny Archer, Allen Hopkins, Jeremy Jones, Darren Appleton, Chris Bartrum, or a whole lot more.
Last edited:
Another bash-the-pool-player thread.
I personally believe those who can *NEVER* play pool proficiently counteract their inferiority by attacking those who do play pool proficiently. It somehow makes them feel superior by demeaning people who can play pool well.
Whether you're a tournament soldier or a road player, which actually don't exist anymore with the advent of digital technology and the Internet, those who are able to play pool at a high level can enjoy pool to a degree that most may never experience. To demean them on a pool forum makes good reading, I guess. Have at it! :angry:
I personally believe those who can *NEVER* play pool proficiently counteract their inferiority by attacking those who do play pool proficiently. It somehow makes them feel superior by demeaning people who can play pool well.
Whether you're a tournament soldier or a road player, which actually don't exist anymore with the advent of digital technology and the Internet, those who are able to play pool at a high level can enjoy pool to a degree that most may never experience. To demean them on a pool forum makes good reading, I guess. Have at it! :angry:
What is a road player?
A guy who travels around and plays all the big events, or a guy who travels around trying to gamble, while avoiding big events, or even tournaments, period?
I would think the former wouldnt be too bad.
I think the latter would be awful. Sitting around pool halls all day/ night. Hoping someone would play for $...That would be like punishment.
A guy who travels around and plays all the big events, or a guy who travels around trying to gamble, while avoiding big events, or even tournaments, period?
I would think the former wouldnt be too bad.
I think the latter would be awful. Sitting around pool halls all day/ night. Hoping someone would play for $...That would be like punishment.
Well, jam...you know people are far more likely to share a negative experience, than a positive one...
In additikn to the slimeys that dean speaks of, there are also guys in whit hats too. Two that come to mind woulx be bill staton and jaysus helfert.
Both are entrenched in the game and littl negativity is in either's bio.
In additikn to the slimeys that dean speaks of, there are also guys in whit hats too. Two that come to mind woulx be bill staton and jaysus helfert.
Both are entrenched in the game and littl negativity is in either's bio.
Justinb386,
The answer is MOST LIKELY.
The smartest road players learn that being nice to strangers, while it might be a slight inconvenience at times, is the BEST WAY to build relationships and they sure need relationships/people pulling for them when they are on the road.
It's tough out there and when it's tough, you have condition yourself to withstand the bad times. The good times will take care of themselves.
As for you, if you are interested in developing relationships with road players, my advice is, don't attempt to talk to road players when they are competing, getting ready to compete or when they have just taken a beating. Any other time, offer to buy them a drink and see where that leads the conversation. If you see them competing and want to buy them a drink, you had best know them at least a little bit before offering since they are subject to questioning your generosity for various reasons.
You should also realize that depending upon their financial condition at that particular time, you might be inviting yourself to being asked for a "loan". That being said, you should be prepared to respond with a statement that doesn't sound smug or inconsiderate. If they are running "fat" no worries. :wink: Everybody appreciates a kind word.
JoeyA
The answer is MOST LIKELY.
The smartest road players learn that being nice to strangers, while it might be a slight inconvenience at times, is the BEST WAY to build relationships and they sure need relationships/people pulling for them when they are on the road.
It's tough out there and when it's tough, you have condition yourself to withstand the bad times. The good times will take care of themselves.
As for you, if you are interested in developing relationships with road players, my advice is, don't attempt to talk to road players when they are competing, getting ready to compete or when they have just taken a beating. Any other time, offer to buy them a drink and see where that leads the conversation. If you see them competing and want to buy them a drink, you had best know them at least a little bit before offering since they are subject to questioning your generosity for various reasons.
You should also realize that depending upon their financial condition at that particular time, you might be inviting yourself to being asked for a "loan". That being said, you should be prepared to respond with a statement that doesn't sound smug or inconsiderate. If they are running "fat" no worries. :wink: Everybody appreciates a kind word.
JoeyA
I think somebody needs to distinguish between a "road player" and a "tournament player".
A tournament player is on the road because they have to travel to tournaments. Everybody knows tournament players.
Road players (undercover hustlers) are very rare and are almost/if not extinct. The days of a guy sneaking into town unknown and busting everybody have long been over. There may be a few exceptions, but they are far and few between.
Going into bars and beating all the drunks may be one of the exceptions.
A tournament player is on the road because they have to travel to tournaments. Everybody knows tournament players.
Road players (undercover hustlers) are very rare and are almost/if not extinct. The days of a guy sneaking into town unknown and busting everybody have long been over. There may be a few exceptions, but they are far and few between.
Going into bars and beating all the drunks may be one of the exceptions.
justinb386
Banned
This is some really sad stuff.
justinb386
Banned
Yeah, I was not referring to the hustler type of road player, because I know that they do not exist anymore. I was referring to the tournament players, who these days, all have backers (who probably pay all of their expenses). The type of players that Dean is referring to do not exist anymore (I do not think). I understand that the internet and technology changed everything, and that all of the big money games are being funded by stake horses / backers these days. I imagine that not all of the known players out there have gambling issues, or some of the other problems that Dean was talking about. Some might be smart with their winnings, and at least put their winnings in their savings account (since most of these guys have stake horses, that probably pay for a lot of their expenses, but I do not know). All of the road players out there can't be the types of people that Dean thinks they are. And from what I understand, most of these guys actually do have a 2nd job, right? Since only the top 5 players can actually make a living playing pool (from what I learned on here).
Justinb,
As someone who loves pool and really enjoys being around great players, I really understand where you're coming from. I think you have correctly identified that there is a certain camaraderie that is found in the pool world that's not really found in the normal one.
Most of us have our daily nine-to-five existence and then we have this pool world that we are a part of. The thing is -- nobody in the normal world understands this world of ours. But the thing is -- you don't have to be a great player to experience this world. You just have to have a love for the game, coupled with a willingness to get involved in your local pool scene. This can be done by playing tournaments, playing in leagues, or just spending time in your local hall. To me it sounds like you are under the impression that you have to be a great player to fit into this pool world of ours. I don't think that's the case at all. All you have to do is love the game and be a decent human being and you can have just as much fun as any road player (however you choose to define that).
I've had an absolute blast the past few years just playing the occasional local tourney, playing league once a week, and playing in a few different State level events.
Along the way, I've gotten to know a lot of great players and it really is a fun world to be a part of.
I know you asked about road players but i guess I posted because I think all of your questions have the same underlying theme and that is how do I become a part of this pool world? And the answer is it just happens naturally when you get out there.
As someone who loves pool and really enjoys being around great players, I really understand where you're coming from. I think you have correctly identified that there is a certain camaraderie that is found in the pool world that's not really found in the normal one.
Most of us have our daily nine-to-five existence and then we have this pool world that we are a part of. The thing is -- nobody in the normal world understands this world of ours. But the thing is -- you don't have to be a great player to experience this world. You just have to have a love for the game, coupled with a willingness to get involved in your local pool scene. This can be done by playing tournaments, playing in leagues, or just spending time in your local hall. To me it sounds like you are under the impression that you have to be a great player to fit into this pool world of ours. I don't think that's the case at all. All you have to do is love the game and be a decent human being and you can have just as much fun as any road player (however you choose to define that).
I've had an absolute blast the past few years just playing the occasional local tourney, playing league once a week, and playing in a few different State level events.
Along the way, I've gotten to know a lot of great players and it really is a fun world to be a part of.
I know you asked about road players but i guess I posted because I think all of your questions have the same underlying theme and that is how do I become a part of this pool world? And the answer is it just happens naturally when you get out there.
justinb386
Banned
Yeah, I was honestly referring to the "tournament players" that have to be on the road to travel to all of the big annual tournaments, and other smaller tour stops around the country. I understand that road hustlers do not exist anymore, and if they do, then I imagine they are the way Dean explains them to be. The "tournament players" are the guys that I idolize. They are the stars to me. I hope they are all doing well, and not hurting at times.
justinb386
Banned
Yeah, but the pool scene you are referring to is not the least bit exciting to me. League is very boring to me. It is very boring to sit around for 3 hours and have to watch 2s 3s and 4s take forever to get through their matches. I want to be around the super strong A level and short stop players. The sad thing is that you never (or very rarely) ever see any of them in your local pool hall. The only way to get to see these great players (and get into that scene) is to travel to the annual tournaments that they attend, but you can't be in their tight nit scene unless you are also a very strong short stop level player.