Everyone has seen "that guy". No one wants to be "that guy"...

[Colin Colenso]

Everyone needs a beat around cue, set up the way you have your playing cue. Also a cheap break and jump that works well. I have mine in a old leather case and it travels with me where ever I go. I park the car in the shade. Magically its never warped.

I've had a couple of custom made cues, but my best pool has been with low end cues. They stayed solid, didn't warp... all they need is a nice tip and ferule. It's really a matter of what you get used to I think. Though I'm fussier these days about pivot points, I don't need expensive cues to accommodate that.

Cheers,
Colin

 

[BobTfromIL]

Guess I'll fall in "that guy" catagory. Like my Schon cue, wear a glove, like the feel,
have my own chalk, where I play in the winter your lucky if there's a used up cube. Have a break stick and a jump cue, hell even carry my own cue ball. Use Kamui tips and have a Gator Grip tool. My game is my game, it might be decent to some people and a banger to others I don't care. But I bet there are more than a few billiard suppliers who are happy there are "that guys' out there.

 

[philly]

Back in the game 10 months now. Boy has equipment changed in 40 years. I play with an entry level Joss production stick with a 12.25 shaft and love it. Got the OB 2 plus with an 11.75mm. Still trying to get comfortable with the new shaft. Love it for straight pool but not so much for 8 and 9 ball. Will get an extra stock Joss shaft at the SBE and have it turned down. After spending money on the OB I have learned, as I'm sure you all have, that if you have stroke and knowledge of the table you will kick ass with a comfortable house cue. This being said, one day I will get a custom cue Hoppe style with 4 points of yellow, purple, orange, and black because I think it will be beautiful and it will be one of only one and it will be mine.

 

[nateobot]

First world problems

 

[peteypooldude]

Play golf in Germany, and 90% of them are "That Guy"!!!

a few grand worth of equipment, and a fresh air shot is still a factor in their game, too funny...

Being a bit of a cue collector, I hope no-one thinks I am "That Guy" :\

90% of players are "that" guy. Efren won a U.S. open with a $15 cue

 

[macguy]

Play golf in Germany, and 90% of them are "That Guy"!!!

a few grand worth of equipment, and a fresh air shot is still a factor in their game, too funny...

Being a bit of a cue collector, I hope no-one thinks I am "That Guy" :\

It is funny you mention Germany. I was playing in a tournament in Germany and one of my matches was with a guy I had not seen yet. Our match gets called and I arrive at the table and I am hitting some balls when this guy comes in.

He looks just like the guy in the painting "Blue Boy"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/blue-boy-68676

I am not kidding he is even dressed like that painting, My wife nicknamed him "European man" when she later tells the story. He has this elegant box case that he puts on his side player table. Out comes his break cue and jump cue and playing cue, all high end.

He has a hand towel and tip shapers his own power and chalk he was really something. We get ready to play and he wants to lag for the break rather then toss a coin as everybody had been doing.

I should add, this was a big tournament with all the top Europe players and a few Americans, this was not league night and the bleachers were full.

Long story short, he can't make a ball. This guy could not beat anybody. I won like 11 to 1 and I completely forge how he won the one game. The best part was after the match. He shakes hands and packs up all his stuff like nothing had happened. He seemed completely oblivious to everything almost delusional.

 

[peppersauce]

............

 

[bdorman]

I am That Guy.

And my cues and accessories aren't worth much.

 

[macguy]

i am "that guy" and I am happy to be "that guy".
Pool is something which I enjoy playing and I love to use nice equipment to play.

I am happy to sit down with a beautiful cue and let people beat the crap out of me on the pool table.
At the same time, I do look around the pool room for nice cues instead of good players.


Marcel<===been "that guy" for many years.

I don't think it is any kind of knock or embarrassment to have nice equipment.
I have always had nice cues. My first cue was a POS that I bought of a guy for like $20.00, but my second cue was a Paradise cue. I was like 14 and I had the nicest cue in the pool room.

I am always attracted to nice cue and like to look at them when someone shows up in the pool room with one whether they can play or not. I remember coming in the pool room and spot a guy with what I thought was a Szamboti.

I go over and ask him about the cue and he confirms what it is. This guy can't really play at all but turns out he was a neighbor of Gus Szamboti and the cue had been a gift from Gus.

 

[jojopiff]

Anyone have any good stories about "that guy"?

How other people spend their money is irrelevant to me. So long as the guy doesn't suddenly become a know-it-all because he dropped $5k on his sticks, case, etc. then it's all good.

 

[slide13]

I really hate when people post this picture or express these sentiments. Nobody has to earn a pool cue of a certain level, all they have to do is be able to afford it and want it. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm quite sure my current cue is worth more than my game and I know for a fact that the one I have on order will be when it's done. I don't care. I like nice things, I want a specific cue, I can afford it, and I plan to use it for many years as I slowly get better. I'm not under any misconception that the cue is going to make me play better or that I couldn't learn to play just as well with a $100 Players cue.

The only thing that bothers me is when people try to justify their expensive purchases by saying it's going to make them perform better. I don't like fake justification or to see people who mistakenly believe such things. But if some beginner walks in with a Southwest and a gator skin Justis case, knows he isn't any good and just says it straight up that he bought the cue and case because he liked them and can afford them, then more power to him (and I might ask him what he does for a living...because I'd like to be in that position).

 

[Manoman2444]

I have never seen one of these guys in my life

I have seen many not so good players with nice cues
and a ton of pool hall bums making fun of him

Given the choice of the two ,I prefer the guy who is successful in life and can afford to
buy the cue,car,home and support his family to the envious critical know it all broke
who can run a few racks

It is my experience that all this type of criticism is directed at a straw man
by pool hall losers.

Dean

I think this says it all!!!

 

[Straightpool_99]

See it all the time:

APA SL4 who has:
Predator P3 with a Z2 shaft, because "it puts more spin on the ball."
Predator BK3, because "it's the best break cue ever made."
Predator Air 2, because "it's the best jump cue ever made." Even though it's not allowed in the APA.
Predator 4x8 Butterfly Case. Even though it only holds 2 cues and a jump cue.
Predator Glove, because it matches all his other equipment.
Predator Chalk, because "it's better than that cheap blue chalk."

I'd rather see the guy who is still playing with the beat to crap Meucci, that he bought new in the 90's.

I'm that guy. Don't know about "APA 4" (I never understood what that rating actually means), although I do own a Predator butterfly case, play with a Z2 and use Predator chalk. Don't like the other stuff on your list.

I play sometimes with a guy that has always had nicer cues than me. His high run in straight pool is half of mine and my life time win percentage (by racks in rotation) against him is about 2 to 1. Do you know what I say to him when he buys a new cue? "Congratulations, that is a nice cue", because that's what a real person says and not a pool hall snob. I seriously don't get why anyone would care what another person plays with, unless you are curious about how it plays, in which case you should politely ask to try it. If someone has a nice cue but can't play, I always assume that he or she has more money than spare time for practice. There is nothing wrong with that. I have no illusions about my level of play (we have Open speed players in our pool hall so that always helps to keep your ego in check), but then again I don't particularly care how I compare to others as that is not in my power to change. I can only change how I play, changing how others play is mostly only possible by sharking. I don't do that.

As long as I can afford it I see no reason to handicap myself by not playing with equipment that I feel helps me play my best. For me that's a Z or Z2 and predator chalk. If you feel that's too nice for my current skill level, that's tough titty for you, buddy.

 

[macguy]

I really hate when people post this picture or express these sentiments. Nobody has to earn a pool cue of a certain level, all they have to do is be able to afford it and want it. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm quite sure my current cue is worth more than my game and I know for a fact that the one I have on order will be when it's done. I don't care. I like nice things, I want a specific cue, I can afford it, and I plan to use it for many years as I slowly get better. I'm not under any misconception that the cue is going to make me play better or that I couldn't learn to play just as well with a $100 Players cue.

The only thing that bothers me is when people try to justify their expensive purchases by saying it's going to make them perform better. I don't like fake justification or to see people who mistakenly believe such things. But if some beginner walks in with a Southwest and a gator skin Justis case, knows he isn't any good and just says it straight up that he bought the cue and case because he liked them and can afford them, then more power to him (and I might ask him what he does for a living...because I'd like to be in that position).

I good cue may help your game physiologically. You can't wait get cleaned up from work and grab your cue and go to the pool room. You may even play more and take an added interest once you have a nice cue.

I have seen it in my pool room. I would order a nice new cue for a customer and when it comes they are on the table every night. Kind of like fishing. It is a lot more fun to fish with nice equipment.

 

[TX Poolnut]

First world problems

You win.

 

[alstl]

It's all relative. Efren Reyes could grab a $25 dollar cue and beat us all.

 

[Wolven]

Cannot please all the people all of the time.

The guys with nice cues make the pool business go around, and most people that look down on them don't have 2 cents to scrape together, so are probably jealous.

All good players around here have either a custom or decent/good production cue.
Most have a break cue, either a retired player or a dedicated one, and virtually all have a jump cue unless they are philosophically opposed to them.

When going to bars most will play off the wall but in a pool hall that doesn't happen often.

There are a couple exception, they are old timers, don't like to spend money and play with old snooker cues shaped like bananas. They hate all cues that are straight, or have a tip diameter of more than 11mm.

 

[macguy]

It's all relative. Efren Reyes could grab a $25 dollar cue and beat us all.

Sounds good but not a 100% true. I remember seeing Parica lose to a guy and part of the proposition was he had to play with a house cue. It was not long before Parica quit.

Parica actually offered more weight if he could use his own cue but the guy refused and Parica was done the house cue made that much difference. He must have tried a dozen different house cues but without his own cue of at least a decent two piece cue he could not beat the spot.

 

[jay helfert]

We used to call them "pool imposters." These were guys who looked the part, dressed the part, talked the part and had nice looking equipment. Only problem was they couldn't back it up on the table. Typically it took a lot of doing just to get them onto the table. They preferred to pose and talk like they were great players. I managed to get a couple of these guys down and after the smoke cleared they had a thousand excuses why they lost, "Ha Ha, I just hustled you", "I'm laying down to trap some bigger fish", "I save my best game for a much bigger bet", "I wasn't really ready to play today, I was just getting warmed up" and on and on. I didn't care what they said afterward since I had their money in my pocket.

 

[pt109]

Sounds good but not a 100% true. I remember seeing Parica lose to a guy and part of the proposition was he had to play with a house cue. It was not long before Parica quit.

Parica actually offered more weight if he could use his own cue but the guy refused and Parica was done the house cue made that much difference. He must have tried a dozen different house cues but without his own cue of at least a decent two piece cue he could not beat the spot.

Take note of this....all you 'it's not the arrow' people.

If you give an Indian a crooked arrow, he can't hit the broadside of a barn....
....just like everyone else