is there any money in pool?

mark tadd

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
just wondering if there is any money to be made without gambling nowdays.
was thinking about mabye playing some tournys .
 
Worlds pays 75 grand. US Open depends on the feild, but it is what, 30k these days on average? BCA 9-ball is a decent payday, DCC events are decent, there are the small tours like the Joss events and such that are good for 750-1000 per a tourney for he who wins it and tend to be relatively soft for a top player as you once were, you would be a good bet in any of them to win in your prime. Seems the top players these days make 100-120 grand in winnings on their good years. Top 20 are breaking 40-50k maybe in winnings. So in all, not really, you have to be the best to be making anything reasonable. I am not sure the money is any better now on the tourney scene then when you left. If you can beat everyone you can do pretty well and sponsers will pay your way, but that aint an easy thing to dominate these days with 20+ players in the world who can sit a player in their chair for an entire race to 9 with a good lag. I dont see anyone dominating these days, the top players take turns knocking each other off, the problem is the game of 9-ball is too damn easy at the top, I watched 2 15 year old kids put racks together well enough to beat any pro out there in a race to 9. There needs to be a new game, a 15 ball rotation game where each ball is a point and matches to 75 points would be alot better then what we have now for letting the creme rise to the top.

If I had your skills I would come back, the money is not phenomenal but you have a gift and alot of fame in this game. You have been there at the top and know what it takes. Not alot of people have the chance to be near the top at anything, to be able to type their name into a search engine on the internet and have themselves pop up all over the place due to their ability to do something better then almost anyone. To walk into a pool hall and have everyone in the place look up and take notice and know you and know that probably noone is going to ask you to play for cash because they have too much respect for your game. Long after he is gone Efren will be remembered, you will be too, and how well you will be remembered depends on what you did in the past and what you do in the future. The tournament players get something different then the road players, the road player is rarely well known, it is not a good thing to be known. On the other hand when Efren walked into the Cue Club in Vegas when I was there everyone took notice, the other pro type players there were like his court and he was king, everyone wanted to watch him play, and noone wanted any piece of him, that is something worth going after imo.

To have a chance to be the best, to have a chance to be a world champion, 6 billion+ people on the world and you are for that moment the best. Screw the 75 grand, I would just love to feel that top of the world thing. The money would be a bonus. Few people in this world get a chance to do anything of note, they do some little meaningless job in the grand scheme of things and the biggest mark they leave on this world is a 2 line epitath on a tombstone.
 
Celtic said:
Worlds pays 75 grand. US Open depends on the feild, but it is what, 30k these days on average? BCA 9-ball is a decent payday, DCC events are decent, there are the small tours like the Joss events and such that are good for 750-1000 per a tourney for he who wins it and tend to be relatively soft for a top player as you once were, you would be a good bet in any of them to win in your prime. Seems the top players these days make 100-120 grand in winnings on their good years. Top 20 are breaking 40-50k maybe in winnings. So in all, not really, you have to be the best to be making anything reasonable. I am not sure the money is any better now on the tourney scene then when you left. If you can beat everyone you can do pretty well and sponsers will pay your way, but that aint an easy thing to dominate these days with 20+ players in the world who can sit a player in their chair for an entire race to 9 with a good lag. I dont see anyone dominating these days, the top players take turns knocking each other off, the problem is the game of 9-ball is too damn easy at the top, I watched 2 15 year old kids put racks together well enough to beat any pro out there in a race to 9. There needs to be a new game, a 15 ball rotation game where each ball is a point and matches to 75 points would be alot better then what we have now for letting the creme rise to the top.

If I had your skills I would come back, the money is not phenomenal but you have a gift and alot of fame in this game. You have been there at the top and know what it takes. Not alot of people have the chance to be near the top at anything, to be able to type their name into a search engine on the internet and have themselves pop up all over the place due to their ability to do something better then almost anyone. To walk into a pool hall and have everyone in the place look up and take notice and know you and know that probably noone is going to ask you to play for cash because they have too much respect for your game. Long after he is gone Efren will be remembered, you will be too, and how well you will be remembered depends on what you did in the past and what you do in the future. The tournament players get something different then the road players, the road player is rarely well known, it is not a good thing to be known. On the other hand when Efren walked into the Cue Club in Vegas when I was there everyone took notice, the other pro type players there were like his court and he was king, everyone wanted to watch him play, and noone wanted any piece of him, that is something worth going after imo.

To have a chance to be the best, to have a chance to be a world champion, 6 billion+ people on the world and you are for that moment the best. Screw the 75 grand, I would just love to feel that top of the world thing. The money would be a bonus. Few people in this world get a chance to do anything of note, they do some little meaningless job in the grand scheme of things and the biggest mark they leave on this world is a 2 line epitath on a tombstone.
well i still love the game and mabye would have played but got married and it would of been to hard on marriage so i quit . but got divorced couple months ago so who knows. been practicing lately and it seems it would be pretty easy to get back in shape. but would probaly want a sponser to really get serious. i would probaly have to prove myself but dont think that would be hard. going to some bar tourney next week so we will see what happens.
 
Not really

mark tadd said:
just wondering if there is any money to be made without gambling nowdays.
was thinking about mabye playing some tournys .
Its sad to say Mark, but I think pool is in much worse shape now than when you quit. There is really no tour to speak of, and prize money has shrunk is these tournaments. Remember when the tour would make its west coast swing and there would be about 6 tournaments over a 2 month period in places like Reno, Bicylcle Club, Las Vegas, and even the ones in Bellflower? These days the only one of those tournaments that is still going is Reno. The pros don't even come to west coast anymore. I heard that there is hardly any action at Hard Times in Bellflower anymore, if you can believe that. Its a sad thing because I truly believe someone with your talent should be a milionaire, such as with other sports. The only bright spot for pool right now seems to be Asia, the game is getting really popular over there and most of the new talent seems to be coming from over there. The game gets more respect over there and seems to be treated more like a mainstream sport than here in the states. I hope you get back to playing again, I really enjoyed watching you play back in the day.
One question for you, I remember watching you playing back in your prime, I heard a rumor that you had only been playing for 5 years or so prior to that, is that true?
 
thebigdog said:
Its sad to say Mark, but I think pool is in much worse shape now than when you quit. There is really no tour to speak of, and prize money has shrunk is these tournaments. Remember when the tour would make its west coast swing and there would be about 6 tournaments over a 2 month period in places like Reno, Bicylcle Club, Las Vegas, and even the ones in Bellflower? These days the only one of those tournaments that is still going is Reno. The pros don't even come to west coast anymore. I heard that there is hardly any action at Hard Times in Bellflower anymore, if you can believe that. Its a sad thing because I truly believe someone with your talent should be a milionaire, such as with other sports. The only bright spot for pool right now seems to be Asia, the game is getting really popular over there and most of the new talent seems to be coming from over there. The game gets more respect over there and seems to be treated more like a mainstream sport than here in the states. I hope you get back to playing again, I really enjoyed watching you play back in the day.
One question for you, I remember watching you playing back in your prime, I heard a rumor that you had only been playing for 5 years or so prior to that, is that true?
well i started when i was 17 and by 19 played pretty good and that started my wast of life . whoops did i say that out loud lol. pool is a great game and unfortunately is not a spectator sport . there are to many other games in our country that are more interesting to people. and can pack in 30000+ people. plus the fact that the movie industry has not helped with the bad sterio type that will probaly never go away. also it is a very difficult game and people would wrather get good at a sport that pays more if there going to invest their life. but i still love the game as all of us do or we would not post here.
i wish i had put my time in golf :( hmm think its to late?:) lol
 
Mark Tad,

I have never seen you personally play but I have heard enough through the grapevine from other people that I respect, THAT YOU HAD WHAT IT TAKES.
Fortunately I realized that I didn't have want it takes at a young enough age to move on with my life. Stiil love the game and play enough for my own goals.
Since I now live in Europe I've been exposed to alot more snooker due to Eurosport and DSF and IMHO there is alot more money and tournaments in snooker in the UK. America can dream about the payouts in snooker in relation to pool. All the big events are on television all over Europe. If I had what it takes to be a top notch pro I would seriously consider switching to snooker and giving it a shot. There are quite a few tournaments that pay out
1,2,3,4,5 hundred thousand to the winner. Thats my 2 cents. I would give it some consideration. That's where the money is!!!!!!!
It's great to have you on board!
no-sho
 
Celtic said:
...Seems the top players these days make 100-120 grand in winnings on their good years. Top 20 are breaking 40-50k maybe in winnings. So in all, not really, you have to be the best to be making anything reasonable.

Great post, Celtic! It is true that the top 20 are breaking 40- to $50,000 maybe in winnings. What is often overlooked is how much money needs to be expended to get to the various tournaments. Most larger tournaments (more than a 2-day weekend) require extended lodging, travel, food, gas or air fare, et cetera. Even if the player wins, as an example, $10,000, the player may have spent $20,000 on expenses from previously attended tournaments before he made a lucrative score.

Celtic said:
I am not sure the money is any better now on the tourney scene then when you left. If you can beat everyone you can do pretty well and sponsers will pay your way, but that aint an easy thing to dominate these days with 20+ players in the world who can sit a player in their chair for an entire race to 9 with a good lag.

Having a sponsor relieves the sponsored player of the huge cost to get to these tournaments. I cannot imagine how much Efren Reyes, Bustamante, Alex, Johnny, or Earl's travel expenses for one year would be since they are globe-trotters. I'm sure they've got many tax write-offs to counter the positive cash flow from winnings.

Currently, there are a few exceptions, but the majority of sponsored players are sponsored by pool industry folk, i.e., Scorpian, Cuetec, Puyat, et cetera. Danny "Kid Delicious" Basavich is an exception, as he is sponsored by Pittsburgh Steel. Many times a player is stuck $1,500 and $2,000 before he hits the first ball, and coming in third or fourth place, one may only break even in some venues.

If a player does not have any other means of income, it is extremely difficult to participate in multiple tournaments in a one-month time period. If they do have another means of income, as in a job, this obligation and responsibility hinders the player's ability to attend which would force him/her to get time off from work to attend week-long events or play pool full time.

My pool budget over the last year attending tournaments only on the eastern part of the United States is 3- to $5,000 a month, more money than my daughter earns for a living each month. This includes entry fees, hotel, gas (because I do not fly), food, and all of the associated expenses when on the road.

The new trend of ring games seems to be very attractive to pool enthusiasts, but for a player to post up $3,000 and $5,000 sometimes one, two, or three months ahead of time is very hard. The remedy is to have each ring game participant sponsored. Most players I know need their cash to keep themselves moving on the tournament trail. They do not have an extra $3,000 laying around for advanced planning, sad to say.

There are many players who share travel expenses and put three and four people in one hotel room to minimize their costs, and two players most likely will be sleeping on the floor like a dog, yet need to shoot well for a tournament competing with pros. Some players, though not too many, will even sleep in their cars to save on travel expenses. I know one player who stays in really crappy hotel rooms, $19.95 per night, sometimes 30 or 40 minutes away from the tournament venue. Some other players stay up all night long and try to check in the hotel in the morning to save one day's expense and have to play in the tournament with no sleep whatsoever. Sponsored players, as fortunate as they are, do not have to endure these hardships, which allows them to continue on their pool journey in life, be the best that they can be, with less financial burdens.

If you look back at the older pool magazines, Pool & Billiards, Billiards Digest, On the Snap, The National Billiards News, for the years of 1975 through 1985, the tournament payouts are exactly the same, and in some cases, maybe even higher. The cost of living has maybe quadrupled since the '70s and '80s. So, in essence, pool tournament payouts has not received a COLA (cost-of-living adjustment). ;)

There are many pool players currently who play full time because they have a passion for the game. There are some great opportunities available if you want to travel to the Philippines, Asia, Europe, anywhere outside of the U.S., but, again, the huge nut of the travel expenses is a deterrent to most folks I know. The UPA Tour, the men's professional pool organization, is in its second season, and may be of assistance to somebody who is interested in playing pool professionally. The player, though, whether a UPA member or not, must have a pretty huge bank roll to keep up with the rest of the pack.

Independent promoters, tournament directors, and sponsors are the back bone of the sport. Without them, there would be no tournament trail, and promoting a big event ain't a perfect science. There are numerous expenditures that are hidden costs, and I see red when folks condemn them for their efforts.

One can make money gambling, but in my experience, you cannot depend on gambling as a reliable means of income if you want to keep a roof over your head. If your standards of living are not that high, then this may be the way to go, but I wouldn't recommend it.

JAM
 
Last edited:
JAM said:
Great post, Celtic! It is true that the top 20 are breaking 40- to $50,000 maybe in winnings. What is often overlooked is how much money needs to be expended to get to the various tournaments. Most larger tournaments (more than a 2-day weekend) require extended lodging, travel, food, gas or air fare, et cetera. Even if the player wins, as an example, $10,000, the player may have spent $20,000 on expenses from previously attended tournaments before he made a lucrative score.



Having a sponsor relieves the sponsored player of the huge cost to get to these tournaments. I cannot imagine how much Efren Reyes, Bustamante, Alex, Johnny, or Earl's travel expenses for one year would be since they are globe-trotters. I'm sure they've got many tax write-offs to counter the positive cash flow from winnings.

Currently, there are a few exceptions, but the majority of sponsored players are sponsored by pool industry folk, i.e., Scorpian, Cuetec, Puyat, et cetera. Danny "Kid Delicious" Basavich is an exception, as he is sponsored by Pittsburgh Steel. Many times a player is stuck $1,500 and $2,000 before he hits the first ball, and coming in third or fourth place, one may only break even in some venues.

If a player does not have any other means of income, it is extremely difficult to participate in multiple tournaments in a one-month time period. If they do have another means of income, as in a job, this obligation and responsibility hinders the player's ability to attend which would force him/her to get time off from work to attend week-long events or play pool full time.

My pool budget over the last year attending tournaments only on the eastern part of the United States is 3- to $5,000 a month, more money than my daughter earns for a living each month. This includes entry fees, hotel, gas (because I do not fly), food, and all of the associated expenses when on the road.

The new trend of ring games seems to be very attractive to pool enthusiasts, but for a player to post up $3,000 and $5,000 sometimes one, two, or three months ahead of time is very hard. The remedy is to have each ring game participant sponsored. Most players I know need their cash to keep themselves moving on the tournament trail. They do not have an extra $3,000 laying around for advanced planning, sad to say.

There are many players who share travel expenses and put three and four people in one hotel room to minimize their costs, and two players most likely will be sleeping on the floor like a dog, yet need to shoot well for a tournament competing with pros. Some players, though not too many, will even sleep in their cars to save on travel expenses. I know one player who stays in really crappy hotel rooms, $19.95 per night, sometimes 30 or 40 minutes away from the tournament venue. Some other players stay up all night long and try to check in the hotel in the morning to save one day's expense and have to play in the tournament with no sleep whatsoever. Sponsored players, as fortunate as they are, do not have to endure these hardships, which allows them to continue on their pool journey in life, be the best that they can be, with less financial burdens.

If you look back at the older pool magazines, Pool & Billiards, Billiards Digest, On the Snap, The National Billiards News, for the years of 1975 through 1985, the tournament payouts are exactly the same, and in some cases, maybe even higher. The cost of living has maybe quadrupled since the '70s and '80s. So, in essence, pool tournament payouts has not received a COLA (cost-of-living adjustment). ;)

There are many pool players currently who play full time because they have a passion for the game. There are some great opportunities available if you want to travel to the Philippines, Asia, Europe, anywhere outside of the U.S., but, again, the huge nut of the travel expenses is a deterrent to most folks I know. The UPA Tour, the men's professional pool organization, is in its second season, and may be of assistance to somebody who is interested in playing pool professionally. The player, though, whether a UPA member or not, must have a pretty huge bank roll to keep up with the rest of the pack.

Independent promoters, tournament directors, and sponsors are the back bone of the sport. Without them, there would be no tournament trail, and promoting a big event ain't a perfect science. There are numerous expenditures that are hidden costs, and I see red when folks condemn them for their efforts.

One can make money gambling, but in my experience, you cannot depend on gambling as a reliable means of income if you want to keep a roof over your head. If your standards of living are not that high, then this may be the way to go, but I wouldn't recommend it.

JAM
nice post i agree did it at times in my life. 3000-5000 a month? from what i read you are keiths girl . i thought because of that your expences would be much higher lol. jk
 
Hi Mark,
I would suggest hammering the that smaller tournaments like Joss, Pechauer, Viking and such that pay from several hundred to a couple of grand to win and are close enough to drive to without heavy expense. Then play the larger ones occasionally once you have your game back in top form. Hope to see you at the top of the charts soon. Sponsors have been burned so much or seen so little benefit in sponsoring players, that unless you are very famous or on the very top they are just not interested. One way that some of the players got sponsorship back in the 80's was to become dealers for the sponsors cues. They would take a case of cues to tournaments along with their spouse or buddy and usually get compensated a free table to display for showing up at the midsize events. They would get fronted the cues from the manufacturer and usually sell enough to cover all expenses and make some extra $$ also above what they won. You might consider approaching a manufacturer of cues or cases for something like that. Or forget getting cues fronted and just buy various items wholesale and have a booth at all of the midsize tournaments. I do not play anywhere near your speed, but I make decent part time money playing smaller tournaments. But I make my living building cue machinery and cues. I was once told that during the gold rush more money was made on picks and shovels than made in the mines. That has stuck with me. Look at Nick Varner, Mike Sigel, Buddy Hall and Bobby Hunter. All champion players yet they make most of their money from the business side of pool. I would encourage you to play and also start some billiard related business to suppliment your income. My guess is that in the end the billiard business will be your main income with pool playing being the suppliment. That is a nice position to be in. If you win it is gravy and if you don't you are not hurting, like the standard road player is.
I pray God will bless you in your pursuits.
Chris
www.cuesmith.com
www.internationalcuemakers.com
 
Yeoww Jam! You are dead on! It is very hard but, if you have the talent and backing it is somewhat better!
JAM said:
Great post, Celtic! It is true that the top 20 are breaking 40- to $50,000 maybe in winnings. What is often overlooked is how much money needs to be expended to get to the various tournaments. Most larger tournaments (more than a 2-day weekend) require extended lodging, travel, food, gas or air fare, et cetera. Even if the player wins, as an example, $10,000, the player may have spent $20,000 on expenses from previously attended tournaments before he made a lucrative score.



Having a sponsor relieves the sponsored player of the huge cost to get to these tournaments. I cannot imagine how much Efren Reyes, Bustamante, Alex, Johnny, or Earl's travel expenses for one year would be since they are globe-trotters. I'm sure they've got many tax write-offs to counter the positive cash flow from winnings.

Currently, there are a few exceptions, but the majority of sponsored players are sponsored by pool industry folk, i.e., Scorpian, Cuetec, Puyat, et cetera. Danny "Kid Delicious" Basavich is an exception, as he is sponsored by Pittsburgh Steel. Many times a player is stuck $1,500 and $2,000 before he hits the first ball, and coming in third or fourth place, one may only break even in some venues.

If a player does not have any other means of income, it is extremely difficult to participate in multiple tournaments in a one-month time period. If they do have another means of income, as in a job, this obligation and responsibility hinders the player's ability to attend which would force him/her to get time off from work to attend week-long events or play pool full time.

My pool budget over the last year attending tournaments only on the eastern part of the United States is 3- to $5,000 a month, more money than my daughter earns for a living each month. This includes entry fees, hotel, gas (because I do not fly), food, and all of the associated expenses when on the road.

The new trend of ring games seems to be very attractive to pool enthusiasts, but for a player to post up $3,000 and $5,000 sometimes one, two, or three months ahead of time is very hard. The remedy is to have each ring game participant sponsored. Most players I know need their cash to keep themselves moving on the tournament trail. They do not have an extra $3,000 laying around for advanced planning, sad to say.

There are many players who share travel expenses and put three and four people in one hotel room to minimize their costs, and two players most likely will be sleeping on the floor like a dog, yet need to shoot well for a tournament competing with pros. Some players, though not too many, will even sleep in their cars to save on travel expenses. I know one player who stays in really crappy hotel rooms, $19.95 per night, sometimes 30 or 40 minutes away from the tournament venue. Some other players stay up all night long and try to check in the hotel in the morning to save one day's expense and have to play in the tournament with no sleep whatsoever. Sponsored players, as fortunate as they are, do not have to endure these hardships, which allows them to continue on their pool journey in life, be the best that they can be, with less financial burdens.

If you look back at the older pool magazines, Pool & Billiards, Billiards Digest, On the Snap, The National Billiards News, for the years of 1975 through 1985, the tournament payouts are exactly the same, and in some cases, maybe even higher. The cost of living has maybe quadrupled since the '70s and '80s. So, in essence, pool tournament payouts has not received a COLA (cost-of-living adjustment). ;)

There are many pool players currently who play full time because they have a passion for the game. There are some great opportunities available if you want to travel to the Philippines, Asia, Europe, anywhere outside of the U.S., but, again, the huge nut of the travel expenses is a deterrent to most folks I know. The UPA Tour, the men's professional pool organization, is in its second season, and may be of assistance to somebody who is interested in playing pool professionally. The player, though, whether a UPA member or not, must have a pretty huge bank roll to keep up with the rest of the pack.

Independent promoters, tournament directors, and sponsors are the back bone of the sport. Without them, there would be no tournament trail, and promoting a big event ain't a perfect science. There are numerous expenditures that are hidden costs, and I see red when folks condemn them for their efforts.

One can make money gambling, but in my experience, you cannot depend on gambling as a reliable means of income if you want to keep a roof over your head. If your standards of living are not that high, then this may be the way to go, but I wouldn't recommend it.

JAM
 
mark tadd said:
just wondering if there is any money to be made without gambling nowdays.
was thinking about mabye playing some tournys .
Well the DCC is coming up soon, that might be a good one for you. It is the same format as the L.A. Open a few years back. I remember you did pretty well for yourself there.
 
The only real money in pool is everything outside of actually playing pool. Bowlers make more money than pool players.
 
mark tadd said:
just wondering if there is any money to be made without gambling nowdays.
was thinking about mabye playing some tournys .

The problem with pool is, it is an industry, not a professional sport. If you like being around it get yourself a small pool room or something that can support you and play without being dependent of the prize money. Even in sports like golf many of the players have other incomes, they design courses and so forth. Take players with endorsements, once they stop winning they will see the indorsements dry up real quick. As a pool player, without another dependable income you can't really play and live much beyond what would be by today's standard almost poverty. And God forbid something happens and you can't play anymore, accident or what ever. Most players I know are very unstable and not really capable of even holding a decent job. There is an unhealthy mind set pool players seem to have when it comes to responsibility. I'm not talking about just a guy that likes to play pool but many of the pros, they seem like bums waiting to happen.
 
mark tadd said:
just wondering if there is any money to be made without gambling nowdays.
was thinking about mabye playing some tournys .

Mark I would suggest that you play in some tournaments. There is money to be made, it's just not as easy as in some other sports. Besides, if top talent like yourself remains absent from major events, it degrades the quality of the tour. To put it another way, if the top players all quit because they can't make a living then pretty soon the game will die, and that's bad for everyone.

I watched you play in Reno a few years ago during what I thought was another comeback. Your skills looked like they were there, just not as sharp as before you quit. With some regular competition you could do some damage in the tour level events. Things aren't great in the pro ranks, but there is still some potential. I don't know you real well, but I would say it depends on what other opportunities you have for a career.
 
mark tadd said:
just wondering if there is any money to be made without gambling nowdays.
was thinking about mabye playing some tournys .

Just MHO, but I would't quit any reasonable day job to play pool for a living. Its simply not taken seriously enough in North America. In reality, most who say they play for a living are struggling after they pay what it takes to make what they tell you they earn...
If you were in the UK and were a top dog at Snooker, then that's a bit different. Steve Davis, Hendry, Ronnie O', and Jimmy White are names that come to mind as billiard players that have become independently wealthy from the game. They are truly national heros. Similar to A-Rod, Shaq and Tiger Woods in our part of the world. Ever wonder why Ronnie O' hasn't shown up at the WPC? When you can run a perfect Snooker game in less than 6 minutes and win more than 75K just for that alone, I would think the Pool World kind of "pales" in comparison. Nevertheless, I love pool and will never voluntarily quit the game or my better paying job!
 
thebigdog said:
Well the DCC is coming up soon, that might be a good one for you. It is the same format as the L.A. Open a few years back. I remember you did pretty well for yourself there.
yea i think i placed pretty good in that one ;) but i was playing everyday in 93 and nothing else but i just stqarted back again so might take a few months of playing every day and i should be fine.
 
cueman said:
Hi Mark,
I would suggest hammering the that smaller tournaments like Joss, Pechauer, Viking and such that pay from several hundred to a couple of grand to win and are close enough to drive to without heavy expense. Then play the larger ones occasionally once you have your game back in top form. Hope to see you at the top of the charts soon. Sponsors have been burned so much or seen so little benefit in sponsoring players, that unless you are very famous or on the very top they are just not interested. One way that some of the players got sponsorship back in the 80's was to become dealers for the sponsors cues. They would take a case of cues to tournaments along with their spouse or buddy and usually get compensated a free table to display for showing up at the midsize events. They would get fronted the cues from the manufacturer and usually sell enough to cover all expenses and make some extra $$ also above what they won. You might consider approaching a manufacturer of cues or cases for something like that. Or forget getting cues fronted and just buy various items wholesale and have a booth at all of the midsize tournaments. I do not play anywhere near your speed, but I make decent part time money playing smaller tournaments. But I make my living building cue machinery and cues. I was once told that during the gold rush more money was made on picks and shovels than made in the mines. That has stuck with me. Look at Nick Varner, Mike Sigel, Buddy Hall and Bobby Hunter. All champion players yet they make most of their money from the business side of pool. I would encourage you to play and also start some billiard related business to suppliment your income. My guess is that in the end the billiard business will be your main income with pool playing being the suppliment. That is a nice position to be in. If you win it is gravy and if you don't you are not hurting, like the standard road player is.
I pray God will bless you in your pursuits.
Chris
www.cuesmith.com
www.internationalcuemakers.com
thanks i can use some prayer for guidance right now in this point of my life
 
cueman said:
Hi Mark,
I would suggest hammering the that smaller tournaments like Joss, Pechauer, Viking and such that pay from several hundred to a couple of grand to win and are close enough to drive to without heavy expense. Then play the larger ones occasionally once you have your game back in top form. Hope to see you at the top of the charts soon. Sponsors have been burned so much or seen so little benefit in sponsoring players, that unless you are very famous or on the very top they are just not interested. One way that some of the players got sponsorship back in the 80's was to become dealers for the sponsors cues. They would take a case of cues to tournaments along with their spouse or buddy and usually get compensated a free table to display for showing up at the midsize events. They would get fronted the cues from the manufacturer and usually sell enough to cover all expenses and make some extra $$ also above what they won. You might consider approaching a manufacturer of cues or cases for something like that. Or forget getting cues fronted and just buy various items wholesale and have a booth at all of the midsize tournaments. I do not play anywhere near your speed, but I make decent part time money playing smaller tournaments. But I make my living building cue machinery and cues. I was once told that during the gold rush more money was made on picks and shovels than made in the mines. That has stuck with me. Look at Nick Varner, Mike Sigel, Buddy Hall and Bobby Hunter. All champion players yet they make most of their money from the business side of pool. I would encourage you to play and also start some billiard related business to suppliment your income. My guess is that in the end the billiard business will be your main income with pool playing being the suppliment. That is a nice position to be in. If you win it is gravy and if you don't you are not hurting, like the standard road player is.
I pray God will bless you in your pursuits.
Chris
www.cuesmith.com
www.internationalcuemakers.com


Good post Chris and very true. You left out a big name that went from player to businessman...Allen Hopkins. They all found out that business is where the real money is.

It really made me take note when a well known name in tournament promotions was posting on another forum a week or two ago regarding the doom and gloom of the pool world, and even went so far to say, "here's my resume...I'm looking for a job and am for hire".

Mark, I never had the pleasure of meeting you when you were playing steadily, but I wish you the best in your return if that's what you finally decide to do. There are a lot of different tours out there and without playing for money it might be a tough go. All you have to do is go to:
http://azbilliards.com/thepros/2000thepros.cfm to see how quickly the money falls off after the first 10. The question one always has to ask is, what kind of lifestyle do I want and how much do I need to live on.

Whether it's a 12 year old kid coming on here or even adults like us, the same advice applies.........just go do your homework first. ;)

P.S. Corey is coming out with the "Woodpecker" cue...Gulyassy came out with the "Sledgehammer"...I think you have the perfect built in name for some kind of jump, break or playing cue...."The TADDPOLE". (My fee is 30% on all future sales) :D
 
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Your dead on Drivermaker. I paid Allen Hopkins several thousand dollars for trade show booths for our cue makers association. Can't believe I forgot him. Even Archer has invested in business outside of pool that makes him his main living also. George Breedlove is another example. Tommy Kennedy runs a tour to suppliment his winnings. The list could go on and on about top players who make it elsewhere. Lori Jon Jones and Jean Balukas are two women who have billiard businesses. Steve Mizerak is another. They all could or do make money in tournaments, but not easily a good living.
 
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