earning your cue?

I think the unspoken assumption is that the unskilled player with a nice cue has purchased the cue because he thinks it will make him a better player. That's where the attitude comes from. Players know it's the indian, not the arrow. But it looks like the banger with the X,000 dollar cue doesn't realize that.

Or he's looking to fool people into thinking he's more than he really is. The D player with the A cue is screaming 'wannabe'.

I'll admit I've thought that way before. It's not the money... people can spend their money on what they want, and some people truly are buying because they love the looks. I just figure that fish who buys expensive cues is a victim of some sort of wishful thinking or misconception. On the other hand, at least they can't reasonably blame the stick when they miss.

PS: yeah, I've seen people who put away the nice cue when they shoot badly. I've also seen them switch back and forth between their break stick, and between 2 different nice cues. Sorry, I think it's superstitious bs >_< you can't get good at pool without consistency, and you can't get consistent swapping back and forth between two cues every night. Pick Betty or Veronica and stop playing mindgames with yourself.
 
pooltchr said:
I have a guy on one of my teams who owns a cue I have been lusting over for a couple of years. He is an SL-3, but he is also a lawyer who makes a good living and can afford it. Good for him!
Another player on my team (SL-2) showed up last week with a brand new custom cue. Gorgeous! And I say good for her too. Why shouldn't people be able to have nice things if they want them and can afford them?
Would I like to own either of those cues? Sure would! But it's not in my budget, so I will continue to use the same cue I have had for several years.
There is no rule that skill level must be tied to the kind of cue you own.

Steve
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I agree. It's what your Socio-economic status, the importance you place on your "hobbies", and sometimes simply the desire to display "wealth", as to whether someone would spend the money on a nice cue. Anyone with a reasonable IQ, and a couple of years banging on a bar-box, is going to understand that because the cue costs x times more than you have invested in yours, it does not make them play x times better, or vise-versa.


I am a SL5 and do carry a production Joss/314, a Patrick Custom, and a Gulyassy/Samsara JB to league matches. Occasionally I do carry the Josswest. 99% of the players in my APA division have relatively low end production cues, and probably 40% of those have LD (Predator/Tiger/OB) shafts. While I have not seen many players below a SL5 with a custom, they do exist in the city (Columbus, Oh).

I was rather surprised a few weeks ago during the APA State Team tournament. I saw VERY few players with customs. There were some older players who had some very nice older, higher end model, production cues. I was shocked at the amount of overlay, and plain-jane low end cues I saw. It made me paranoid, and have a death grip on my case, the entire time I was there.
 
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I earned my cue: I won it at a 9-ball game 12 years ago. It's been my playing companion since. It's a old cheap Meucci cue, but to me, it's the proof that one day, I played better than its previous owner. He didn't deserve it, I did. I earned the right to play however well I want with it that day.

I'm more proud playing a low-end Meucci cue that I won at the table than a high-end cue I bought. That's why I can't get myself to retire the Meucci and order the custom cue that I dream of: although it'd be exactly like I want, and not an ugly yellowish thing like the Meucci, the custom cue would just be another thing I bought. I wouldn't feel the same playing it. I know it doesn't make much sense, but that's how I feel :)
 
So none of the cues in Japan come up missing? Being the jaded Miami player, I take my cue to the john with me to take a wiz.....i just cannot even imagine leaving the Gus on some wall rack at the pool room and heading home. How do the Japanese pool rooms manage to do this and not have cues come up missing?
 
People can do whatever they want to. I agree alot with fatboys post, especially for the reasons that most newbies then to not treat their cues very well. Give a freshman a $2k cue and its liable to be beat to living hell in a couple of years.

I definately had to discover my aquired tastes in a cue, if that means i earned it then i guess so. Cue shoots like a million bucks but looks like an old battle axe lmao....till you look at it with your hands lol.

I shoot with a BUTTER CUE....every things great butter looks lol
 
uwate said:
So none of the cues in Japan come up missing? Being the jaded Miami player, I take my cue to the john with me to take a wiz.....i just cannot even imagine leaving the Gus on some wall rack at the pool room and heading home. How do the Japanese pool rooms manage to do this and not have cues come up missing?
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It's something called respecting other people's property. An idea that got lost in America a long long time ago.

Look, I'm sure there is the occasional theft, but it would be far and few between. To be honest, I've been living here 20 years now and I've only heard one story of a cue getting stolen, and that was out of the backseat of the guys car at a restaurant. Great story too, if I may....

My friend has a $25,000 Black Boar cue. 8 points with all kinds of ivory, malachite and silver all through it. He keeps it in an Instroke case that he won at a tournament. The back of the case has "Tokai Champion" embroidered on the back. This guy owns his own pool room and the name of the room is BB. Only a coincidence and has nothing to do with Black Boar. So, anyway, he also has a BB sticker on his case.

After a tournament one night he and a bunch of people stopped off for something to eat. He left his cue in the backseat of his car. When he came out the car had been broken into and his cue case was gone.

Fast forward about 2 years or so. One of his customers calls and says he thinks he saw his Black Boar on Yahoo Auction. My friend logs on and sure enough there is the photo of his Black Boar cue, his break cue, and the Instroke case with "Tokai Champion" embroidered on the back spine.....oh, and the BB sticker. Title of Auction: BB cue and case. Starting price for this auction......30 bucks. He contacts the seller and it turns out to be a recycle shop, similar to a pawn shop. He explains to them that the cue is stolen, etc... etc... and they take the auction down and he goes to get his cue back from them. While talking to the owner he asked why the price was so low. The guy told him that that is what he paid for it. He said he didn't think the cue was worth anything but gave the guy 30 bucks because the case looked to be real leather. And the auction title of BB was because of the BB sticker on the case and the BB logo on the cue. HAHAHA!!! 30 bucks for a $25,000 Black Boar. HAHAHA!!!! Happy ending though.

And that is the only stolen cue story that I know having lived here, and been involved with pool, for 20 years.

Walk into any pool room in Japan and you'll see all the eye candy you want, right on the wall, no locks and no one standing around guarding them. Just one other reason that I love living in Japan.
MULLY
 
When I was a little younger and played a lot, I only played with simple cues. Sneaky petes and plain janes, that stuff. Now I play much less frequently and probably not as well, but I've been paying more for cues. I think it's a trade-off: I don't have the time I'd like to put into the game, but buying nice cues is a way to enjoy pool without being able to play for hours every day. I expect others do it for similar reasons.

FWIW, I'm a "B" player - who wants to tell me what I can and can't buy? ;)
 
bobroberts said:
As for spending large sums of money on a cue stick,that's nothing to what most fisherman or golfers spend on there sports.
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Ain't that the truth.:frown:
I should just narrow down to one hobby. You are dead set on buying something for one of your hobby and bam WTS section has something I've been looking for 5 years for another hobby....
 
You don't earn the cue, you earn the money you use to pay for it. That done, you can spend it how the hell you want. No one else's business. Deserve doesn't come into it.
 
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uwate said:
So none of the cues in Japan come up missing? Being the jaded Miami player, I take my cue to the john with me to take a wiz.....i just cannot even imagine leaving the Gus on some wall rack at the pool room and heading home. How do the Japanese pool rooms manage to do this and not have cues come up missing?
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the people in japan (the japanese) are just more honest in general. it's taught to them as they're raised. you drop cash on the streets in japan and people'll argue over whos it is because nobody wants to take something that isn't theirs.

the pool hall i used to go to in iwakuni the members would leave their cues in a display case and just ask for it when they came in. the case didn't lock.

if i could live anywhere else in the world it'd be japan.
 
I feel that nobody should have to "earn" playing with an expensive cue. If they can afford one and want to buy one more power to them. If the person does not even play but collects cues for the craftsmanship and artistic expression that the builder put into it I am cool with that also. To some, a cue is a tool used to pocket balls, to some they are functional art, to some they are an investment.
 
Most people assumed I was flat out judging people with my original post, or assume jealousy or something like that, but it really has nothing to do with that. This has nothing to do with collectors or people who just appreciate quality cues; it's about players specifically. There are a lot of people I know and play with that just go out and buy anything and everything that's new and expensive and then rub it in your face. Obsessing over their equipment and flaunting it in front of people, gloating about how much they paid for it, when you can clearly see they don't take care of it, truly appreciate the craftsmanship, and their playing style doesn't even necessarily match the stuff they're using, and it's just oneupmanship. It's not about who made it or how well it was made or anything like that. It's about the dollar amount. A mentality of buying more expensive stuff = better playing. I completely support everyone's right to buy nice equipment, but when I see a person running their mouth on their latest and greatest cue while trashing other peoples' less expensive equipment, I love to pick up the cheapest cue I can find and run a few racks on them. I think respect is one of the most important parts of playing, and maybe that's where the "earning" part comes into play for me. Maybe "earning your cue" wasn't the best way to say it. More like, if you're gonna be an arrogant ***** about things, then you haven't earned any respect from me, and the more you spend on your equipment and remain the same player, the more foolish you look. I love when a guy comes in the pool room and picks up a house cue and beats the hell out of everyone playing with their expensive equipment. That speaks a lot more volumes to me than someone always trying to purchase talent.
 
My take on this is allways own a cue that plays better than you do. That way you never have to worry about your equipment.
Does that make any sense? I didn't think so. The damn medications must be wearing off. :wink:
 
mullyman said:
It's something called respecting other people's property. An idea that got lost in America a long long time ago.

Look, I'm sure there is the occasional theft, but it would be far and few between. To be honest, I've been living here 20 years now and I've only heard one story of a cue getting stolen, and that was out of the backseat of the guys car at a restaurant. Great story too, if I may....

My friend has a $25,000 Black Boar cue. 8 points with all kinds of ivory, malachite and silver all through it. He keeps it in an Instroke case that he won at a tournament. The back of the case has "Tokai Champion" embroidered on the back. This guy owns his own pool room and the name of the room is BB. Only a coincidence and has nothing to do with Black Boar. So, anyway, he also has a BB sticker on his case.

After a tournament one night he and a bunch of people stopped off for something to eat. He left his cue in the backseat of his car. When he came out the car had been broken into and his cue case was gone.

Fast forward about 2 years or so. One of his customers calls and says he thinks he saw his Black Boar on Yahoo Auction. My friend logs on and sure enough there is the photo of his Black Boar cue, his break cue, and the Instroke case with "Tokai Champion" embroidered on the back spine.....oh, and the BB sticker. Title of Auction: BB cue and case. Starting price for this auction......30 bucks. He contacts the seller and it turns out to be a recycle shop, similar to a pawn shop. He explains to them that the cue is stolen, etc... etc... and they take the auction down and he goes to get his cue back from them. While talking to the owner he asked why the price was so low. The guy told him that that is what he paid for it. He said he didn't think the cue was worth anything but gave the guy 30 bucks because the case looked to be real leather. And the auction title of BB was because of the BB sticker on the case and the BB logo on the cue. HAHAHA!!! 30 bucks for a $25,000 Black Boar. HAHAHA!!!! Happy ending though.

And that is the only stolen cue story that I know having lived here, and been involved with pool, for 20 years.

Walk into any pool room in Japan and you'll see all the eye candy you want, right on the wall, no locks and no one standing around guarding them. Just one other reason that I love living in Japan.
MULLY
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That reminds me of a story from years ago. I knew a guy ( I won't mention his name ) That had a George Balbushka made for him in 1972 I think. He was in Chicago on a business trip and when he came out of his meeting the trunk of his car was busted open and the cue was gone. It was insured so he got payed by the insurance company.
Years later he was in Chicago again (at some pool room) and spotted what looked to be like his cue. He asked to take a look at it and sure enough it was his. The guy told him that years earlier someone walked in there with that cue and wanted to sell it for $100 so he bought it.
The guy took his cue back and didn't even give the poor bastard his $100 back. He never even new what he had.


It was a long time ago but that's the way I remember it.


Johnny
 
On the subject of Japan and low crime rates, my navy buddy is stationed there and he dug the cue story. He told me that one day he parked in kind of a seedy neighborhood and locked the steering of his motorcycle. As he's walking away the keys fall out of his pocket unnoticed. Some 'sketchy looking' dude followed him for like 2½ blocks, finally caught up with him and tapped his shoulder, bowed 'like a thousand times' and handed him his keys.

Too cool.
 
If they obtained the money to buy the cue in a legal manner ... they "EARNED" the cue.

LWW
 
Salt Lake City Utah, and all over the Southwest

CreeDo said:
On the subject of Japan and low crime rates, my navy buddy is stationed there and he dug the cue story. He told me that one day he parked in kind of a seedy neighborhood and locked the steering of his motorcycle. As he's walking away the keys fall out of his pocket unnoticed. Some 'sketchy looking' dude followed him for like 2½ blocks, finally caught up with him and tapped his shoulder, bowed 'like a thousand times' and handed him his keys.

Too cool.
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The same thing could have easily happened over much of the Southwest USA, not with the bowing but with great manners being shown. I found it very funny to go into a convenience store in what had become some very rough looking neighborhoods and have the teens or young men dressed like gang members jump to get a door and be very polite when thanked. When I caught a door for one of them they without fail thanked me, again very politely. After a three or four week vacation there I was a bit embarrassed about how much manners in the Deep South had slipped, not that we don't see them often here but the excellent manners were shown without fail everywhere I went in the Southwest even well off of the beaten path.

Hu
 
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