Does life as a road player change the personality of most players?

justinb386 said:
I imagine that not all of the players are the type of people that you think they are. Some are very good and respectful, like Shane Van Boening I imagine. Johnny Archer is another player who I imagine is a very good person (who does not do a lot of the bad things that some other players might get into). There are probably many other top players that that are truly just as good (as their good image, in their fans eyes). I do not know anything about the lives of any of these players though, but they could not all be bad. Corey is another player who I imagine is a really good person. And John Morra seems like a very classy guy. Alex Pagulayan too. Many others too. Efren? Jose Parica? They seem like very good guys. Who knows what any of these guys get into behind the scenes though. Only you guys in their tight nit group might know.
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Of course all the statements that have been made are not blanket statements. But if you've hung in a pool room for any amount of time ( and IMHO it does not sound like you have ) you will " see stuff " that you probably would not have believed prior to seeing it. Also just being in the pool room doesn't garuntee that you will know what's going on. Plenty of things go on without the majority of people knowing. If you happen to be one of those people you refer to as in " the in crowd " you will see / know more than you ever wanted too. I don't want anyone to take this as a dig on road players, I think Jam took it that way, and I don't want it to come across that way from me. I think everyone knows I've always held the road players / gamblers in the highest regard when it comes to the pool world. Bottom line is this though; once again NOT A BLANKET statement - but lots and lots of things can and do happen in the pool room. I've personally seen plenty. I'm not offering judgement one way or the other only saying it is what it is / or rather it was what it was.

I've got somewhat of a funny story. Everyone knows the stories about scooter and the quarters. Well, that was extremely prevalent in the pool room I came up in. Most of the time when our players said they were " going on the road " we all knew what that meant most of the time lol. It is often said that particular profession was invented by one of our own, and perfected by all of the locals in our area. When our players " went on the road " while fluid they would normally give us an estimate how long they would be out for but would always give the pool room a call when headed for home regardless what part of the country they were in. Anyway, too many times to recount we would be in the pool room and here a scraping sound coming down the street. We knew what this meant lol. The players car would be pulling into the pool room parking lot with the ass end of the car so low it was dragging the tail pipe on the pavement. Someone would aways yell " grab your cues guys, xxxx and xxxx are back and looks like they are pumped up pretty good ��. This was mostly before the advent of coinstars and more often than not banks required you to have an account to cash in coins.
 
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BmoreMoney said:
Of course all the statements that have been made are not blanket statements. But if you've hung in a pool room for any amount of time ( and IMHO it does not sound like you have ) you will " see stuff " that you probably would not have believed prior to seeing it. Also just being in the pool room doesn't garuntee that you will know what's going on. Plenty of things go on without the majority of people knowing. If you happen to be one of those people you refer to as in " the in crowd " you will see / know more than you ever wanted too. I don't want anyone to take this as a dig on road players, I think Jam took it that way, and I don't want it to come across that way from me. I think everyone knows I've always held the road players / gamblers in the highest regard when it comes to the pool world. Bottom line is this though; once again NOT A BLANKET statement - but lots and lots of things can and do happen in the pool room. I've personally seen plenty. I'm not offering judgement one way or the other only saying it is what it is / or rather it was what it was.

I've got somewhat of a funny story. Everyone knows the stories about scooter and the quarters. Well, that was extremely prevalent in the pool room I came up in. Most of the time when our players said they were " going on the road " we all knew what that meant most of the time lol. It is often said that particular profession was invented by one of our own, and perfected by all of the locals in our area. When our players " went on the road " while fluid they would normally give us an estimate how long they would be out for but would always give the pool room a call when headed for home regardless what part of the country they were in. Anyway, too many times to recount we would be in the pool room and here a scraping sound coming down the street. We knew what this meant lol. The players car would be pulling into the pool room parking lot with the ass end of the car so low it was dragging the tail pipe on the pavement. Someone would aways yell " grab your cues guys, xxxx and xxxx are back and looks like they are pumped up pretty good ��. This was mostly before the advent of coinstars and more often than not banks required you to have an account to cash in coins.
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Yeah, the only pool room that I ever hung out in (for very long lengths of time) was the one I went to as a teenager. It ran out of business back in around 99, or 2000. It was mainly just a teenage hangout, but there was a lot of action there (mostly in the mid 90's where there were a lot of very strong players going to SIU Carbondale). I really miss the 90's. There were so many great players around my local area back then. I did go on a lot of road trips to near by places like St. Louis and Cape Girardeau MO (back in the mid to late 90's), and it was a lot of fun. Have been very much out of the pool scene since my home pool hall ran out of business. I never was in the serious pool scene, but always dreamed about being in it.
 
justinb386 said:
Yeah, I certainly dream about being able to play short stop or pro speed. I think I had the skill to maybe become a champion, if I would have had the discipline, confidence, a great instructor, and eventually a great stake horse who believed in me. I just lacked too many things that are required to become a great player. I think I had the potential though. Always dreamed about what that life would be like though (being in the 'in croud' with all of those great players). I have been out on the road a lot when I was younger, and it was very exciting, even though I would lose all of my money most of the time. I understand the type of personality that the average pool player has (which is pretty cool most of the time), but I just do not know how cool most of these super strong touring pro's are.
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Discipline, confidence , great instructor, great stakehorse?
What are you bringing to the party ? A warm body?
I don't mean this to pick on you , but if anyone had these ingredients ,if they got any enjoyment out of the game at all, they could become a short stop or low level pro.
 
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book collector said:
Discipline, confidence , great instructor, great stakehorse?
What are you bringing to the party ? A warm body?
I don't mean this to pick on you , but if anyone had these ingredients ,if they got any enjoyment out of the game at all, they could become a short stop or low level pro.
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A strong mental game is something any player needs to be able to compete. I had the skill, but just never had the strong mental game required. I would fall apart most of the time against any player I felt was better then me. A player also needs a good support system, right? Like a father or big brother who also loves to play and supports your game. I had nobody, and so called pool buddies did nothing but make fun of me as a teenager (in my learning years as a pool player). I bet that Skyler Woodward's dad took him all over the place, and paid for him a great instructor. He had not only a lot of pure natural talent, but also a great support system. I really envy him. Justin Bergman too. I wish I had a dad who was a master pool instructor. Must have been great. I understand that he put in a lot of work in his game though (with hours and hours every day doing all of the drills that are needed to become great), but he had his dads help and support.
 
justinb386 said:
A strong mental game is something any player needs to be able to compete. I had the skill, but just never had the strong mental game required. I would fall apart most of the time against any player I felt was better then me. A player also needs a good support system, right? Like a father or big brother who also loves to play and supports your game. I had nobody, and so called pool buddies did nothing but make fun of me as a teenager (in my learning years as a pool player). I bet that Skyler Woodward's dad took him all over the place, and paid for him a great instructor. He had not only a lot of pure natural talent, but also a great support system. I really envy him. Justin Bergman too. I wish I had a dad who was a master pool instructor. Must have been great. I understand that he put in a lot of work in his game though (with hours and hours every day doing all of the drills that are needed to become great), but he had his dads help and support.
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Most of these players you idolize DIDN'T have a good upbringing, how would they have become great players otherwise.
You take a small sample or the rare exception then act like that is the norm. It's not!

Btw, a Road player IS the gambler, the rest are tournament players, and very few make ANY kind of living.
Also, just because somebody is great at something, it DOESN'T make them cool, and it certainly doesnt make their lifestyle cool - especially when they "go to work" and lose hundreds or thousands of dollars plus expenses.
 
I will recal in years past, ul in md, the guys who had the master keys to the soda machines...a god score was when they open a machine that an operator had used for holding the route's collections, like a safe.
wasnt that safe at all!
BmoreMoney said:
Of course all the statements that have been made are not blanket statements. But if you've hung in a pool room for any amount of time ( and IMHO it does not sound like you have ) you will " see stuff " that you probably would not have believed prior to seeing it. Also just being in the pool room doesn't garuntee that you will know what's going on. Plenty of things go on without the majority of people knowing. If you happen to be one of those people you refer to as in " the in crowd " you will see / know more than you ever wanted too. I don't want anyone to take this as a dig on road players, I think Jam took it that way, and I don't want it to come across that way from me. I think everyone knows I've always held the road players / gamblers in the highest regard when it comes to the pool world. Bottom line is this though; once again NOT A BLANKET statement - but lots and lots of things can and do happen in the pool room. I've personally seen plenty. I'm not offering judgement one way or the other only saying it is what it is / or rather it was what it was.

I've got somewhat of a funny story. Everyone knows the stories about scooter and the quarters. Well, that was extremely prevalent in the pool room I came up in. Most of the time when our players said they were " going on the road " we all knew what that meant most of the time lol. It is often said that particular profession was invented by one of our own, and perfected by all of the locals in our area. When our players " went on the road " while fluid they would normally give us an estimate how long they would be out for but would always give the pool room a call when headed for home regardless what part of the country they were in. Anyway, too many times to recount we would be in the pool room and here a scraping sound coming down the street. We knew what this meant lol. The players car would be pulling into the pool room parking lot with the ass end of the car so low it was dragging the tail pipe on the pavement. Someone would aways yell " grab your cues guys, xxxx and xxxx are back and looks like they are pumped up pretty good ��. This was mostly before the advent of coinstars and more often than not banks required you to have an account to cash in coins.
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jasonlaus said:
Most of these players you idolize DIDN'T have a good upbringing, how would they have become great players otherwise.
You take a small sample or the rare exception then act like that is the norm. It's not!

Btw, a Road player IS the gambler, the rest are tournament players, and very few make ANY kind of living.
Also, just because somebody is great at something, it DOESN'T make them cool, and it certainly doesnt make their lifestyle cool - especially when they "go to work" and lose hundreds or thousands of dollars plus expenses.
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I did'nt know Justins dad was an instructer.
 
decent dennis said:
I did'nt know Justins dad was an instructer.
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He started talking sbout Sky's dad and how he wished his dad was an instructor, and how these players must have a great father figure.


Ps. It helps to read the quote to go along with the response:grin:
 
jasonlaus said:
He started talking sbout Sky's dad and how he wished his dad was an instructor, and how these players must have a great father figure.


Ps. It helps to read the quote to go along with the response:grin:
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My reading comprehension is quite well, thank you. He said quote "I bet sky's dad took him all overthe place and paid for him a great instructer". Then he moved on to Bergmann.:eek:
 
deanoc said:
In a word,if you are not a crook when you go to prison,you soon will be

Pool huslin.serious pool hustling,the kind that only a pretty hardened character will even attempt

Leaving honest gainful employment and choosing the way of the road agent exposes the player to temptations to lose their soul that few survive

first the exposure to the sort of individuals you will daily be exposed to,not like your mom caring and generous but hardened cynical so called pundits that fancy themselves sports heroes
when in effect they are pool hall bums

they wake up looking to beat somebody ,without pimps with working girls,druggies and peddlers ,in other words dishonest people with easy money there will be no gambling

seldom does a doctor or businessman go these low rent dives and if they do,it won't be long until a top notch hustler arrives to take this poor stiff off quickly

Life on the road changes people for the worse almost 100% of the time
and that is the result of divine intervention

If a fella dresses nicely and has a job he is considered a mark,a sucker

If the mark has money he is promoted to a stake horse,the player may start out trying to win,but he soon takes tough games with little chance to win because he has nothing to lose

soon he dumps stakehorses,this applies to about 80% of the games where you see big money pass

the hustler makes 50% (often even a higher per cent)of his money borrowing money that he will never pay back,or even intend to return

you ask does thi s affect the character of the fella starting out on the road?You bet it turns him into a bum,a druggy, aworthlless hardened fella with no love for his fella man or decent manners
,compassion orany socially redeeming benefits at all

But don't knock dream,let him think that he is a professional athlete,he can bank a ball and he considers all the decent folks to be fools.the bums admire him


life on the road(or even to the local pool room) chages people for the worse almost 100% of the time
And that requires divine intervention
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Solid post. I can add that the short time I spent on the road was one of the best times of my life, but also pretty stressful and a little dangerous.

I do kind of wish I'd done it longer, but I'm also glad I didn't. I may also try it again maybe when I'm retired or something and don't care as much about the money. It would be a lot more fun then. Of course the downside is that I probably don't play as good as I did back then so it'll be a lot tougher to win lol.

Life is weird.
 
decent dennis said:
My reading comprehension is quite well, thank you. He said quote "I bet sky's dad took him all overthe place and paid for him a great instructer". Then he moved on to Bergmann.:eek:
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Anyway.....support system, instructor, dad, blah, blah, blah. Lol

And yes , your comprehension is spot on.

Jason<-----standing corrected
 
I'm confused on what part is funny about flat out theft.


BmoreMoney said:
Of course all the statements that have been made are not blanket statements. But if you've hung in a pool room for any amount of time ( and IMHO it does not sound like you have ) you will " see stuff " that you probably would not have believed prior to seeing it. Also just being in the pool room doesn't garuntee that you will know what's going on. Plenty of things go on without the majority of people knowing. If you happen to be one of those people you refer to as in " the in crowd " you will see / know more than you ever wanted too. I don't want anyone to take this as a dig on road players, I think Jam took it that way, and I don't want it to come across that way from me. I think everyone knows I've always held the road players / gamblers in the highest regard when it comes to the pool world. Bottom line is this though; once again NOT A BLANKET statement - but lots and lots of things can and do happen in the pool room. I've personally seen plenty. I'm not offering judgement one way or the other only saying it is what it is / or rather it was what it was.

I've got somewhat of a funny story. Everyone knows the stories about scooter and the quarters. Well, that was extremely prevalent in the pool room I came up in. Most of the time when our players said they were " going on the road " we all knew what that meant most of the time lol. It is often said that particular profession was invented by one of our own, and perfected by all of the locals in our area. When our players " went on the road " while fluid they would normally give us an estimate how long they would be out for but would always give the pool room a call when headed for home regardless what part of the country they were in. Anyway, too many times to recount we would be in the pool room and here a scraping sound coming down the street. We knew what this meant lol. The players car would be pulling into the pool room parking lot with the ass end of the car so low it was dragging the tail pipe on the pavement. Someone would aways yell " grab your cues guys, xxxx and xxxx are back and looks like they are pumped up pretty good ��. This was mostly before the advent of coinstars and more often than not banks required you to have an account to cash in coins.
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doesn't change them all

I've heard that Detroit Whitey was the the same nice fellow as a young lad as
he was after he became a pool player. So I'm not so sure if being a pool hustler
changes a person. And I knew Joey Torrma (Dallas Joey) from the first day he
walked into the Cotton Bowling Palace as a kid about 16 years old. He didn't
change one bit in all the years I knew him. Got to where he played pretty good
but got a lot of bad rolls, and unlucky, some of the times I went in with him.
jack
 
deanoc said:
Name one that has, 70 year old explayer who won it all,not some businessman who won some money on the side
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Toby Sweet is doing pretty good.

Edit to say, I agree with you though. He's the only one I can think of.
 
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Skylers Dad

Skylers dad is/was a strong pool player. I dont think he ever paid for lessons for Skyler, in fact I suggested it to him one time while he was a youngster.

His dad was/is an APA 7, when I was in the area and he was a fine player, not a pro-player but a strong player.

When Skyler was younger he played Landon and for a while Landon had beat him in their matches. I think Skyler may be a little younger than Landon too. Obviously Skyler has improved much and I understand Landon is going to school.

Skyler played ALOT of pool. And while Jeanie may hate me, that is how Keith got so great, along with most other great players, they played EARLY in their lives and played ALL THE TIME.

Sara Rousey - great female player, her father owned a pool room and was from a "pool family"

IMO, the great players were players who started VERY YOUNG, and PLAYED ALL THE TIME. I did or do neither.

There was a great pool player from Maryland or Mass. named Tullous. He was a great player and I interviewed him once and he said that when his son was born he layed a golf club in the crib, not a pool cue. IMO, that gives you your answer.

Best of rolls for all,

Ken
 
Black-Balled said:
I will recal in years past, ul in md, the guys who had the master keys to the soda machines...a god score was when they open a machine that an operator had used for holding the route's collections, like a safe.
wasnt that safe at all!
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Just for clarification , that was never my thing. That doesn't mean I don't know those guys though. Today it's all diff, all but dead except those on a suicide mission.
 
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