Mark Tad?
- Thread starter thebigdog
- Start date
I have a neighbor (I live near St Louis) who was a champion level foosball player in the 80s/90s. (I didn't even know that was a thing, but apparently it was) and my neighbor was a state champion, and had come close to winning some kind of world championship.
Anyway, he had no idea I played pool, and all I knew about him was that he owns a business and is extremely religious, and straight laced. A really nice man. Well, we got to talking about pool and he started sharing some of his history. Apparently he was much wilder in his younger years (who wasn't). Back in the day Mark Tadd came to St Louis gambling with everyone, at everything. Well, the pool room owner called my neighbor, to sneak him in and bust Mark playing foosball. Which he did easily but, they became really good friends.
My neighbor said that he would drive Mark around and they'd go on road trips. He said that he was in amazement at just how talented Mark was at everything he tried. He had a real core belief in himself too. But also, that he was simple person and wasn't flashy. He liked wearing plain t-shirts and nothing fancy. But loved gambling and was really good at it (pool or poker). He said for a short time they were really good friends. He did try to catch up with Mark years later, but Mark is elusive.
Anyway, he had no idea I played pool, and all I knew about him was that he owns a business and is extremely religious, and straight laced. A really nice man. Well, we got to talking about pool and he started sharing some of his history. Apparently he was much wilder in his younger years (who wasn't). Back in the day Mark Tadd came to St Louis gambling with everyone, at everything. Well, the pool room owner called my neighbor, to sneak him in and bust Mark playing foosball. Which he did easily but, they became really good friends.
My neighbor said that he would drive Mark around and they'd go on road trips. He said that he was in amazement at just how talented Mark was at everything he tried. He had a real core belief in himself too. But also, that he was simple person and wasn't flashy. He liked wearing plain t-shirts and nothing fancy. But loved gambling and was really good at it (pool or poker). He said for a short time they were really good friends. He did try to catch up with Mark years later, but Mark is elusive.
My neighbor, who was friends with Mark, said Mark was a great poker player. He said while on the road Mark would sniff out a poker game...and usually come back to the room flush after busting it. He said he was always amazed at that. The guy was a killer.
The last time I saw Mark Tadd was at Derby City 2010-2015. I’d have to go back and look at footage from those years.
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The best player you've ever seen..?You mean live..?He was a good player but nowhere near the speed of pools elite.
I think that’s a bit of a simplistic take on Mark’s game. He wasn’t JUST a threat to beat anyone. he did beat just about everyone, regularly. The fact that he didn’t grind out five day tournaments doesn’t mean he couldn’t win them. It just means he wasn’t interested in living on the hamster wheel, making money for tour promoters. Mark wasn’t about running marathons for others. He walk in and snap off the best player in the room on the regular. There wasn’t much if anything to knock about his game.
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Different goals, different priorities. I’m not knocking any of the legends who ran marathons. Some could match up for the cash, some not so much, but however they built their legacies, on tour or off, they earned every bit of it.
It’s just different strokes for different folks. Tournament life wasn’t the only path to greatness. And you won’t catch me discrediting any of them I just recognize there was more than one way to be the best in the room… and it wasn’t always the guy you’d expect. That’s a fact.
I'm just saying the name Mark Tadd never really comes up in conversation of the best players tournament or money games.
If he was that great of a player there would be confirmed stories of his matchups and their outcome.I don't even know if he beat
everyone on a regular basis.I mean, I haven't heard that he beat Buddy, Earl or Efren once let alone regularly...his speed reminds me
of that of George Sansouci, who beat a lot of top players but was never elite either.
If he was that great of a player there would be confirmed stories of his matchups and their outcome.I don't even know if he beat
everyone on a regular basis.I mean, I haven't heard that he beat Buddy, Earl or Efren once let alone regularly...his speed reminds me
of that of George Sansouci, who beat a lot of top players but was never elite either.