Been playing on and off since about 1977. Was given my first cue in 1979 so I started playing a bit more than I had been. Stopped and started over the next few decades. Met my wife at the pool hall, so for me. I can pretty much get out to play whenever I would like. Been with her for 23 years so far, so things must be working out.
How has pool affected your life...
- Thread starter Chili Palmer
- Start date
Place to play Pool all over USA are closing.
Phoenix & Maricopa County lost so many I need more then I have fingers to count.
So shitty businesses are struggling. That's not pool on the decline.
In my younger days, I was a socially awkward introvert.
Once I started playing pool, I gained confidence around others, and am now a complete extrovert.
The vast majority of my friendships have been formed through our mutual interest in billiards. I even met my girlfriend (of nearly 6 years) while playing pool.
I have also formed a very successful business in the pool world, as a pool table technician, tournament director, and billiard product sales specialist.
Once I started playing pool, I gained confidence around others, and am now a complete extrovert.
The vast majority of my friendships have been formed through our mutual interest in billiards. I even met my girlfriend (of nearly 6 years) while playing pool.
I have also formed a very successful business in the pool world, as a pool table technician, tournament director, and billiard product sales specialist.
Well as I have said before, before you lived in Valley, there were more place to play.
Reason for closing were many, not one reason.
Hell at one time we had three pool papers in AZ, Mikes, Dr. Jacks, and a Western Regional paper that covered AZ also.
SSDiver2112
Escott Cues
Better Late than never.
I’ve always had an interest in pool. It just took a while to get its full grip on me. My first memory is that table in my Uncle’s basement. We would travel to Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving every year. Down the stairs in the cool basement was a pool table. Too young to know what I was doing, and too young for the adults to pay attention to my interest in the game. Back home I remember a neighbor having one, but my friend had no interest or maybe wasn’t allowed to use it. Either way it remained covered up so we did other things. As a teenager I had many other distractions so I don’t recall anything during those years. Then came college.
I moved to Myrtle Beach and at that time you could drink beer at 18. It was the early 80s and the clubs had terrible music and disco girls. I was young with no bar experience and some of the bars were a little intimidating, but I found one called Rockburgers that felt right. It was at the beach, I could park my motorcycle in front, great food, a little stage for good bands, and a couple of pool tables. It wasn’t a passion yet, I just enjoyed playing now and then.
Pause again as my life became engulfed in my new career, my business, and family. I think I played less than a dozen times with my wife on date nights, but she had little interest. Ironically during the last two years of our marriage we had moved into a house that had a pool table downstairs that I only played on once during all that time.
After our split the kids and I moved back to Florida to start a new life. This was about 5-6 years ago. Then one day my boss said one of the guys dropped off his league (APA) team and asked if I wanted to fill in.
And so, it begins. I walked into a pool hall for the first time. A room full of nine-foot tables and no quarters needed. He gave me an old cue of his to use and I showed everyone my lack of skill. My new team gave me lots of pointers that I did my best to remember. Even though I played poorly, I still had a great time. The hook was finally set.
The first couple of years, I would play each week and my game did improve, but then kind of plateaued. I wasn’t really practicing, I was just playing on league night and occasionally playing with a friend at a bar. I joined a second league which was a bar league which was a different experience to the other league, which was really challenging. Most of these guys have been playing most of their lives so I realized I had to get serious. About that time my last two kids graduated, so I had more time and freedom to devote to improving my game.
Pool had its grip on me now. With my new Cue in hand and the thirst for more knowledge and skill, I started finding more time for practice. I watched YouTube videos, read what I could, and found any table to play on. I think my game was beginning to improve, and then Covid shut everything down. I had this new passion and drive to play and I was stuck at home. After a few months the restrictions eased up, I got to go play again. No leagues yet, but I found a place with a couple of tables so now I could practice again. I met some new guys there and one in particular gave me lots of useful instruction that really helped boost my progress. I know I am a noob with a ways to go, but I am enjoying the quest as much as the game.
At 57 I am trying to catch up on lost table time. I play every chance I can and try to learn from everyone I can. I do prefer the bar league, but when I first joined the team, I thought I would surely get kicked of the team, my first season was so bad. It has been encouraging to have some of the "seasoned" players from my team and other teams comment on my improvement these past couple of years.
I’ve always had an interest in pool. It just took a while to get its full grip on me. My first memory is that table in my Uncle’s basement. We would travel to Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving every year. Down the stairs in the cool basement was a pool table. Too young to know what I was doing, and too young for the adults to pay attention to my interest in the game. Back home I remember a neighbor having one, but my friend had no interest or maybe wasn’t allowed to use it. Either way it remained covered up so we did other things. As a teenager I had many other distractions so I don’t recall anything during those years. Then came college.
I moved to Myrtle Beach and at that time you could drink beer at 18. It was the early 80s and the clubs had terrible music and disco girls. I was young with no bar experience and some of the bars were a little intimidating, but I found one called Rockburgers that felt right. It was at the beach, I could park my motorcycle in front, great food, a little stage for good bands, and a couple of pool tables. It wasn’t a passion yet, I just enjoyed playing now and then.
Pause again as my life became engulfed in my new career, my business, and family. I think I played less than a dozen times with my wife on date nights, but she had little interest. Ironically during the last two years of our marriage we had moved into a house that had a pool table downstairs that I only played on once during all that time.
After our split the kids and I moved back to Florida to start a new life. This was about 5-6 years ago. Then one day my boss said one of the guys dropped off his league (APA) team and asked if I wanted to fill in.
And so, it begins. I walked into a pool hall for the first time. A room full of nine-foot tables and no quarters needed. He gave me an old cue of his to use and I showed everyone my lack of skill. My new team gave me lots of pointers that I did my best to remember. Even though I played poorly, I still had a great time. The hook was finally set.
The first couple of years, I would play each week and my game did improve, but then kind of plateaued. I wasn’t really practicing, I was just playing on league night and occasionally playing with a friend at a bar. I joined a second league which was a bar league which was a different experience to the other league, which was really challenging. Most of these guys have been playing most of their lives so I realized I had to get serious. About that time my last two kids graduated, so I had more time and freedom to devote to improving my game.
Pool had its grip on me now. With my new Cue in hand and the thirst for more knowledge and skill, I started finding more time for practice. I watched YouTube videos, read what I could, and found any table to play on. I think my game was beginning to improve, and then Covid shut everything down. I had this new passion and drive to play and I was stuck at home. After a few months the restrictions eased up, I got to go play again. No leagues yet, but I found a place with a couple of tables so now I could practice again. I met some new guys there and one in particular gave me lots of useful instruction that really helped boost my progress. I know I am a noob with a ways to go, but I am enjoying the quest as much as the game.
At 57 I am trying to catch up on lost table time. I play every chance I can and try to learn from everyone I can. I do prefer the bar league, but when I first joined the team, I thought I would surely get kicked of the team, my first season was so bad. It has been encouraging to have some of the "seasoned" players from my team and other teams comment on my improvement these past couple of years.
God this part makes me happy. I thought I was the only nut that did this. Sometimes I'll shoot for 10-15 minutes before work tooStill today it's my happy place. I come home from work, put my stuff down, walk straight to the pool table and just shoot balls. I can do that for hours. Sometimes I care what I'm doing but most times I don't, just hitting balls, watching how a firm hit affects the action, banking, kicks, 3 railers, it doesn't matter - as long as I'm at a table I'm good
Try looking on a bigger scale. Pool is booming.
i have alot less money
but it saved me after divorce
but it saved me after divorce
Which one cost you the most though!
I believe I read the book The Hustler which was given to me on the school bus by a friend who enjoyed it and thought I might too. Shortly after that I saw the movie. I lived in rural NYS on a small dairy farm and was raised by my grandparents. After the book and the movie I begged for some kind of pool table for Christmas, any kind. What I got was a chip board top table with burlap cloth. I was on it day and night until some time later I got out to bars. I started at the age of 12 or 13, was playing in bars at 16-18. 18 was the drinking age in NY at that time. I played on 4 1/2 x 9 table whenever I got a chance but really didn't get rolling until 1973 when my wife and I moved to a small city, Binghamton, NY. I walked into The Pocket Billiard Lounge on State Street in Binghamton and was home! It was a Friday or Saturday night and the place was packed. Gambling going on at table 10 near the big windows, casual games everywhere else. One 10 tables at that time but eventually grew to 28. I played every chance I got, I worked second shift so, if possible, I was at the door at 10 am when it opened. Became friends with the owner and worked there for a few years later on, just cleaning tables and vacuuming the carpets. I played for what I could afford to lose and sometimes a bit more. I played in the first New York State 9 Ball Championship in, I think the late '70s or early '80s. Got to know quite a few good players from Rochester, Buffalo, Albany, Scranton, the New England states. I never got to be the player I wanted to be. I was told early on that if I wanted to get good at this game to quit my job and get a divorce. I decided to NOT do those things and my game never got real good but I still loved to play. Fastforward to '97, moved to South Carolina, played for 3 1/2 years on the bar tables. Bought an Olhausen Remington table from Sammy Jones and started practicing at home. I had gotten kinda discouraged playing on bar tables losing to people who had no chance in hell of winning playing me on a Gold Crown. I got so I could play pretty good on bar tables but I gradually quit going out and finally stopped competing altogether. I think about getting back out from time to time buy circumstances just keep it from happening. There is a LOT MORE to it but that's it in a nutshell! I've met some great, great people and some shady characters. I still love pool and think I always will.Like the title says - How has pool affected your life?
Just like most people here, I have a long history with pool going back to my childhood, I don't have time to tell any stories right now because I have to head out the door but I've been wanting to start this thread for a long time but keep forgetting about it.
To start...
I used to go the bars with the old man when I was around 10 or 12, he'd sit at the bar and hit on the waitress and I would go play on the table and would throw quarters in the juke-box, when I was thirsty I would go to the bar tender and tell her I wanted my "usual", a Shirley Temple - I was 10 or 12
When I really started playing in 1986 I met a few people in my life that changed the direction of my life drastically later on.
What's your story?
I'm sure this is a duplicate of some past thread and my apologies if so.
Wow!! I left a LOT out!