How do you go pro?

seymore15074

seymore15074

So what are you saying?
Silver Member
I would like to know how a player goes pro. At what point do they officially become considered pro? Is there a particular event that they must win or is it based on points or something? I have heard of pro points and pro cards, but I have no idea how they are acquired and what the significances are...

Thanks!
 
Ask me what a pro is. Ok, a professional, in my opinion, is someone who makes their living by competing. They don't go to work at WalMart and go out at night and play league or weekly tourneys. They play pool. Most of the time they travel (best tourney are never all in the same location).

I do know pros who simply play like 5 or 6 nights a week in local tourneys, but they also play in the big ones when they can get their money right.

If you can support yourself by playing pool, some would consider you a pro.

Now, there are lots of other things like tour cards, sponsorships, exemptions, etc that go along with a touring professional, but IMO you don't have to do all that for people to say you are a pro.
 
belmicah said:
Ask me what a pro is. Ok, a professional, in my opinion, is someone who makes their living by competing. They don't go to work at WalMart and go out at night and play league or weekly tourneys. They play pool. Most of the time they travel (best tourney are never all in the same location).

I do know pros who simply play like 5 or 6 nights a week in local tourneys, but they also play in the big ones when they can get their money right.

If you can support yourself by playing pool, some would consider you a pro.

Now, there are lots of other things like tour cards, sponsorships, exemptions, etc that go along with a touring professional, but IMO you don't have to do all that for people to say you are a pro.
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This would be the definition I would go by.

Earning or winning money via tournaments, gambling, etc.
 
At what point would some authority consider you to be pro? I mean, for example, at Valley Forge there is an Amateur Open... What do you have to do for them to tell you that you cannot enter? How would they know if you make a living or not playing pool?

There must be some OFFICIAL definition somewhere.
 
I think once you start competing in Pro events and doing well then you are considered pro.
 
Sport

Main article: Professional sport

In sports, a professional is someone who participates for money. The opposite is amateur, meaning a person that has not played for money, but usually through an academic setting (e.g. college football).

Sometimes the professional status of an activity is controversial, for example there is debate as to whether or not professionals should be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games. The motivation for money is sometimes seen as a corrupting influence, tainting a sport.

It has been suggested that the crude, all or nothing categories, of professional or amateur should be reconsidered. A historical shift is occurring with the rise of Pro-Ams, a new category of people that are pursuing amateur activities to professional standards.

In chess, a professional generally means a player with an official ranking. Amateurs are those without official rankings, they have never played in a 'ranked' game.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional
 
Here is how you go pro...

First take 2 weeks off from your job, then quit. After that, lay on the couch and sleep or play playstation during the day. At night, go to the local pool room and try to stir up some action, but if there is no action, then by all means go out on the town and blow some money. After doing this for several months, go out on the road and scuffle to make ends meet. When a tournament rolls around, try and get at least 2 people to stake you. Any more questions?
 
They Just Know!

seymore15074 said:
At what point would some authority consider you to be pro? I mean, for example, at Valley Forge there is an Amateur Open... What do you have to do for them to tell you that you cannot enter? How would they know if you make a living or not playing pool?

There must be some OFFICIAL definition somewhere.
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Hey Seymore15074...it sounds like you're pretty young. Everybody who travels around the country/world spending much of their time around pool tables know who the "pros" are. It's NOT just the high-profile players like Earl and Busta and Efren etc. It's also the guys who go around gambling like Ryan McCreesh, Shaun Wilkie, Gerry Slivka, and on and on and on.....
There is no definition OR there could be a MILLION definitions.......
I'll try to explain it to you when we're at Valley Forge. The best way for me to do that is for you to just walk around up there with me OBSERVING.....especially in the Action Pit. You are in for a life-changing event when you go to Valley Forge......because it sounds like you really really LOVE pool. I'll try to contact you as March 14 gets closer........BTW I don't get down to the Pool Hall in Rochester much.....I go to the Fort Mac Club instead.......has one really tight-shimmed pocket 9 Footer......
 
seymore15074 said:
At what point would some authority consider you to be pro? I mean, for example, at Valley Forge there is an Amateur Open... What do you have to do for them to tell you that you cannot enter? How would they know if you make a living or not playing pool?

There must be some OFFICIAL definition somewhere.
Click to expand...

When I last played in a BCA Amateur tournament, the BCA had a listing of players that were considered professional. IIRC, that list consisted of the top 50 players on the men's tour (I think they either used the winnings or the Billiard Digest Power Rankings as the benchmark). I'll go back through the website and see if the definitions and criteria are still the same.
 
Or you may get a nice letter like I did years ago from the APA saying you are no longer eligible to play :(

(that was from a certain amount of $$ earned in pro events)
 
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corvette1340 said:
Here is how you go pro...

First take 2 weeks off from your job, then quit. After that, lay on the couch and sleep or play playstation during the day. At night, go to the local pool room and try to stir up some action, but if there is no action, then by all means go out on the town and blow some money. After doing this for several months, go out on the road and scuffle to make ends meet. When a tournament rolls around, try and get at least 2 people to stake you. Any more questions?
Click to expand...

I would like to add, here's how to make a small fortune as a pro:

Start out with a large one and keep playing tournaments.

Chris
 
Back when there was a Pro tour you had to acquire a certain number of points by playing in sanctioned tournaments to get a tour card. Now that there is no Pro Tour or any recognized Pro organization all you need do is show up and pay your entry fee or if you like you can spend 2,000.00 for a try at the getting a birth on the IPT but who likes the odds on that gamble.

Dick
 
> Quit your job,sell everything you own and buy a car,or load all your clothes into your current car. Sell everything else but your cues,and spend the next 3 years trying to pocket 2 million balls,and find a way to make enough to keep gas in the car,food in your stomach,keep your clothes clean. Gamble every chance you get,and hope like hell you never get sick or hurt. This a pretty much verbatim quote from Grady when I asked him how a young player established himself as a competitive player,someone who makes ALL his money playing. I've met a couple people that were pretty good players,that seemed to do ok if you consider 3-400 a week good money playing 5-10-20 dollar 9-ball,but they were basically homeless doing it. If you had a decent place to stay,and there were enough players in your area that you didn't have to stay on the move to hit your spots,3-400 a week might not be too bad,I know I'd take it,but considering I haven't had anything more than 5 a rack 9-ball action from anyone that actually lives in Union City in close to 4 years,it's impossible. Tommy D.
 
Theres Pro,theres Hustlers and then there is Scufflers,thats just my view on it and there are differences but all these guys make money to varying degrees.
 
The determination of amateur versus professional is made by the governing body of the sport or institution. The concept of "a pro plays for money and an amateur does not" is a bit too simple and general for practical use. As examples, the USGA has very specific rules regarding who is an amateur golfer and who is a professional golfer, in the USA. While the rules are quite similar, the RCGA has jurisdiction over a player’s status in Canada. The second example is the NCAA, who again have very specific rules for deciding if a player is an amateur and therefore eligible to participate in an NCAA sanctioned event. There is no real governing body in pool, imo, therefore there is no proper distinction between pro and amateur.

Historically the status of "professional" was applied to anyone whose occupation (work for pay) was such that they would have an advantage in a contest over another participant. As an example fisherman, who row boats as part of their occupation, were considered professionals when it came to rowing, so they were not allowed in competitions with athletes who row as a pastime. In many ways the concepts of amateur and professional were created to maintain a class distinction in high society ... keep the pleb's away from the aristocrats.

Back to the question at hand, I think one can become a pro player by clicking on the "User CP" button and editing your profile adding "Pro Player" as your custom title. ;)

Dave
 
when to be pro?

i think when you no longer feel you're an amateur and start to join the pro leagues...you might be at the lowest tier in terms of classification, doesn;t matter though....but being a consistent pro is a different thing as it already involves great time, money, effort and perseverance to the game.

mind you, just joining one pro league already makes you a pro, the problem is how you fare and how many lackluster results are coming in...

www.filipinopool.com
 
DaveK said:
Back to the question at hand, I think one can become a pro player by clicking on the "User CP" button and editing your profile adding "Pro Player" as your custom title. ;)

Dave
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You're such a smart ass sometimes :D :D You wouldn't be referring to anybody in particular would you? Perhaps someone who uses a cuetec.
 
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