how many US players have the ability / skill to go pro but can't because of work?

If regional pool tournaments were like the level 3 golf tournaments, there wouldn't be much of a field after a while, they'd all be broke. The Golden State Golf tour is level 3 at best, maybe even level 4. There area some sponsors, but not very much, if you look at their current standings (http://gstour.com/Event/Standings.aspx), top 50 has made $3500 and played in 4 events. Mind you, each events entry fee is $1200. So that player is a minus $1300 not counting any other expenses, like hotel and food, and travel. How well would any regional pool tournament do if the entry fees went to $1200, you might get 64 players. Entry fees on the web.com and pga tour are not disclosed and not figured out per tournament, both tours are of closed membership, and have to be qualified for, Sure you can try to get into an event through the Monday Q, but first you have to battle it out at a Thursday pre-qaul, that only costs you $200, you need to finish in the top 5 of a field of between 100 and 150, so you finish 1st at a pre-qual, you get to play in the Monday Qual, it will cost you another $200, oh ya, no prize money for winning the pre-qual. So Mondays -qual will have 156 players, top 4 get to play in the actual event. If pool went that route, there would be no pro's that could afford to play. How do the young golfers do it, they go into debt, and either make it, or go broke.
 
Bank it said:
I'd venture to say a whole bunch. Saw something interesting yesterday at the hall.

A gentleman walked in dressed in a business suit, dress shoes, Rolex. Rented a table & cue. Started playing straights. Looked nothing like what you'd expect to see in a pool hall.

Ran 126. Got snookered on shape. Started over, ran a 137, with a house rental cue and then folded up and left. They're out there.
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Exactly. There are tons of great pro level players that nobody knows about. I live near the expo center in Oaks Pa. where the SBE plays out and these guys come in and hit the local rooms looking for action when everybody is charged up about the SBE. They never play in the tournament. Saw some great unknown players last year.
 
Back in the 80's I played solid short stop speed with a full time job,wife and 2 kids.
I now wonder if i had none of the above and devoted myself full time to the game could I have been competitive with the big boys.
I will never know.
 
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iusedtoberich said:
If that were the question, then I think the Philippines holds your answer. The USA produces one world class superstar player every 10 years or so. Shane, Archer, Earl, Buddy, etc. The Philippines produce that level of player ever 3 or 4 years, where pool there is a national sport.
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The Philippines is a 3rd world country though, right? Has there ever been any money to be made in pool over there? I imagine most the good players really struggle over there too. It is not anything like boxing over there.
 
The Renfro said:
Every league player in the world thinks they could if they just quit their jobs and played 8 hours a day..... So you will hear THOUSANDS!!!
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League players are usually drunk by 9 o'clock so I'd say after that hour your number could go into the hundreds of thousands.
There is only one way to become a pro. Start at a very young age and spend every day of your life in a pool hall. Unless, of course, you're our boy Sam. :)
 
The Renfro said:
Actually that is 100% opposite of what the old road players say today... In those years you rarely ran into a player that could beat you that was 100% unknown...

The road men had little books to steer them with names, places and descriptions... Those descriptions were where most of the nicknames came from....

Now the sheep know what the wolfs look like and how they play...... With cell phones, better information and better players the road is dead... It was not dead thru the 80s...
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Really ,,not too many road players ever went thru Jack n Jill's and busted the house guys and if they stayed long enought the left broke ,
I now several guys who's gone on the road and had to call home for money
Funny thing is ask them and they tell you they never lost ,,anyone who's been around pool knows it's not if but when will you get busted

1
 
one stroke said:
Really ,,not too many road players ever went thru Jack n Jill's and busted the house guys and if they stayed long enought the left broke ,
I now several guys who's gone on the road and had to call home for money
Funny thing is ask them and they tell you they never lost ,,anyone who's been around pool knows it's not if but when will you get busted

1
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i went on a little road trip when I was 18 with a friend . It was 1965.I picked my games very carefully and managed to stay about even and cover the very modest expenses of the time.
Every morning we topped off the gas tank because 1 tank would get us home.
Then I ran into a guy in Baltimore. Good thing we had a full tank of gas to get back to Jersey!
 
Far more "put pool down" because LIFE intervened...they met a girl, got married, had a kid...and got a real job. Lots of those guys are now, 20 or 30 years later (kids grown and out of college), coming back into the game. ALL of them are much happier that they went the route they did. No doubt a few of them wish and wonder what might have been.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

kollegedave said:
I bet there are thousands like me, and many likely played better at an earlier age! How many people simply put pool down, because there is no future in it? There is no telling how much talent is lost, because pool cannot offer a stable future.

kollegedave
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Scott Lee said:
Far more "put pool down" because LIFE intervened...they met a girl, got married, had a kid...and got a real job. Lots of those guys are now, 20 or 30 years later (kids grown and out of college), coming back into the game. ALL of them are much happier that they went the route they did. No doubt a few of them wish and wonder what might have been.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
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Absolutely.

In high school I wanted to be Jimmy Page. I learned every Zeppelin song there was, practiced a ton, lived and breathed rock roll. My Mom didn't freak out and say I was wasting my life chasing a dream. I didn't hit it big. I lived.

Went to college. Played pool many many hours a day. Loved it. I could run 60 balls playing straight pool. I didn't hit it big. Got a finance degree.

Went on to work. Got an MBA (which isn't a genius path to take either), got married, have a lovely daughter.

Now 38 and back to playing pool. Love it. Support it. Encourage everyone young and old to play and chase that dream.

Pool ain't dead. Play on. Support the game you know you love.
 
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measureman said:
Back in the 80's I played solid short stop speed with a full time job,wife and 2 kids.

I now wonder if i had none of the above and devoted myself full time to the game could I have been competitive with the big boys.

I will never know.
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You coulda been a contender.

Sorry, couldn't resist
 
justinb386 said:
I am curious how many players out there (that had the skill and the dedication to the game) would quit their full time job and risk their livelihood to go out on the road and try to survive by just playing pool?

Before you answer, I have a 2nd part to this question.

How much would the average tournament need to add to the pot (like $100,000 added for example) in order for players (that actually have the potential to become elite players) to quit their day jobs and take on that risk of playing full time?

Please keep in mind that this is purely a fantasy question.

I am mainly just curious how many players out there could give the top 5 players in the us a run for their money, if pool was actually worth their time in order to dedicate all of their time to practice.

I wonder how many really great players have gave up the game because there was more money to make doing something else.

Thanks
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Great question! My guess is a lot. We've all seen people that seem to be gifted in various ways. Yeah I bet tons of people fit this description. I wonder what it would really take where say the average income in winnings alone for the top 40 US players was like $60k...$100k. That's still meager compared to some sports, compared to snooker. But still its enough to have a living, and allow you to be a "pro" player...have a place to play and practice, and just focus on your career.

Yet another reason why it would be great for pool if I won Mega Millions.

Lol. Good post eager to see where this goes.

KMRUNOUT
 
Ranmar said:
Absolutely.

In high school I wanted to be Jimmy Page. I learned every Zeppelin song there was, practiced a ton, lived and breathed rock roll. My Mom didn't freak out and say I was wasting my life chasing a dream. I didn't hit it big. I lived.

Went to college. Played pool many many hours a day. Loved it. I could run 60 balls playing straight pool. I didn't hit it big. Got a finance degree.

Went on to work. Got an MBA (which isn't a genius path to take either), got married, have a lovely daughter.

Now 38 and back to playing pool. Love it. Support it. Encourage everyone young and old to play and chase that dream.

Pool ain't dead. Play on. Support the game you know you love.
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If this isn't the best post in the history of azbilliards, I don't know what is. Well said!

KMRUNOUT
 
justinb386 said:
Yeah, I understand that. I just wonder how many players would quit their jobs, and give playing pool full time a shot, if pool payed the type of money that Golf pays for example. Imagine if their was a qualifier to get on a National (or world wide) pro tour, and if you won that qualifier, you would get a sponsor, that would pay for all of your expenses, and fly you around to all sorts of big tournaments, where half the finishing field shared a million dollar prize pot (for example), how many US players would be entering these qualifiers? How many Shane Van Boening level players could there be after 10 years of pool getting big like this? Sorry if I am going off topic. Just wonder how big pool could get, if the big billion dollar companies got involved with the sport of pool. In Golf, even the last place finishers make a good living, right? So, what is pool was the same way? How many elite pool players would we have in the US? It is sad about all of the great players that quit the game, because there was just not much money to make at it (actually no money, if you do not have a good backer, and if you are not at least top 10, but I do not know).
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All you are saying could happen except pool has always been and will always be a fringe sport. Can it be bigger? Maybe. For as many who try to build pool there are more that tear it down. Always been that way.

Look at how many 2nd tier pros in the US have faded away in just the past 5 years. If you aren't getting the lion's share you are going hungry. All those guys could beat the best players on earth on their best days , but it still isn't enough. With so few events and money paid, it is not sustainable.
 
Ranmar said:
Absolutely.

In high school I wanted to be Jimmy Page. I learned every Zeppelin song there was, practiced a ton, lived and breathed rock roll. My Mom didn't freak out and say I was wasting my life chasing a dream. I didn't hit it big. I lived.

Went to college. Played pool many many hours a day. Loved it. I could run 60 balls playing straight pool. I didn't hit it big. Got a finance degree.

Went on to work. Got an MBA (which isn't a genius path to take either), got married, have a lovely daughter.

Now 38 and back to playing pool. Love it. Support it. Encourage everyone young and old to play and chase that dream.

Pool ain't dead. Play on. Support the game you know you love.
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WOW! Cool post! :cool:
 
peppersauce said:
You'll either go pro or "live in a VAN down by the RIVER!" Who knows, maybe both. :thumbup:
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Mid 80's Richie Ambrose comes to the Ballroom in Toms River N.J. and plays Gypsy Bob
$20 nine ball.
Hes living in an old Ford van.
Great life right?
 
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