I am not at all considering playing pool for a living but would like to get good enough to make a little extra cash for spending, anyway I was talking to a local pool player in Columbus Oh who is a hell of a player, his brother even better and he said there is no money in pool. I can understand where he is coming from. The competition at the pro level must be so great, it's hard for even the best players to win money. Lets just say for this threads sake that I am as good a player a Corey Deuel or SVB or maybe even Mika Immonen, even they don't win all the time. You would have to devote your entire life to pool to get that good, and that doesn't mean you will make money b/c there is always a better player. It seems that you would have to make cash winning tournaments, gambling and giving lessons and maybe some sponsorships thrown in. Is there anyone out there that is making a good living playing pool?
No money in pool?
- Thread starter AHWOSU86
- Start date
Most of the people you named makes a living playing pool! Hatch and Appleton and a lot of Phillipiens players also. Varner used to make a living playing pool now he makes a living involved with pool. But you are right you have to be a Champion to make a living once your known that is!
if you do not have sponsors to help with expenses, you are in for a really rude awakening. and, to get sponsors, you will have to prove you can hang with the big boys...and then you are still not guaranteed to make enough to live on. sad, but that is pool. it's never too late to take up golf:wink:
Making a living, and making a future are two different things. Break a leg, have a child, consider your child breaking a leg, turn 50 & watch your eyesight decline...
That's the kind of times for you to determine the difference between existing & making a living.
That's the kind of times for you to determine the difference between existing & making a living.
Playing chess makes more money.
Who was the local player?
Well said Mike.
Well said Chris.
There room at the top if your good enough.
Keep playing. You're in for a rude awakening. Becoming the best pool player requires just as much dedication, discipline, and hard work as becoming the best basketball player.
Even an average player can score on Kobe....
F that, I dunk on his bum ass!!!!! lol
um yea,,,, trying to make a few extra bucks, is like pulling teeth, unless your really good at hustlin........even then once your ratted out, you'll have to step up your game..... I mean when it comes to gambling everyone wants the world so the game is a lock......
Good luck with making a living at golf too....Sure the top 500 or so in the world make a good living (especially the top 100), but there are thousands of broke golf "pros" out there!! There are literally quite a few guys out there that have shot in the 50s (50s!!!!) that can't make or keep their card on the PGA tour (or even the Euro, Canadian, Nationwide, etc. lower paying tours). That'd be equivalent to guys who can run 300 balls in straight pool. MUCH more competition trying to make a living at golf.
The quality of play/talent of someone at the top of ANY pro sport really is inconceivable to most amateurs.....
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the underworld
My gosh, just think about tennis! Not only do you have to constantly sharpen your game skills but you have to stay in top physical shape.
Maybe the top 50 are the only ones we see in the tv tournaments. There is an underworld of wannabees playing in dirty tennis shoes and unwashed socks traveling the world trying to make it in the qualifying tournaments.
I don't see a pro sport where this underworld does not exist. We only are acutely aware of it in pool because we see it every day. Contrary to popular opinion, " There aint that much room at the top.":frown:
My gosh, just think about tennis! Not only do you have to constantly sharpen your game skills but you have to stay in top physical shape.
Maybe the top 50 are the only ones we see in the tv tournaments. There is an underworld of wannabees playing in dirty tennis shoes and unwashed socks traveling the world trying to make it in the qualifying tournaments.
I don't see a pro sport where this underworld does not exist. We only are acutely aware of it in pool because we see it every day. Contrary to popular opinion, " There aint that much room at the top.":frown:
Take up Golf, and get Sponsor like the TOP Touring Pros who make mega bucks from product endorsement, driver FREE NEW CARS, etc. BTW you will find the competition tough in Golf, or other Pro Sports where the rewards are great.
it's hard to make a buck doing it but when you do it's amazing!
i'll go you one further !
call it what you want. the shortstop or top amateur gets crucified. they can cash in tournaments but there are always some top pros looking to make a paycheck. don't blame them pro's though when they are scrambling to make a living. so that makes it hard to get the big prizes. then their action is normally knocked by pool detectives so they have to make a bad games or not play. then if they want to try the local handicapped events they have to fade huge amounts of weight or pro rated entry fee's or BOTH. where i play i am spotting the field of run out players 9-7 plus paying 100 to their 50 to do it.
and to top it all off the money is spread all over. b player bonus a player bonus girl player bonus. i have just about totally given up !!! :frown:
call it what you want. the shortstop or top amateur gets crucified. they can cash in tournaments but there are always some top pros looking to make a paycheck. don't blame them pro's though when they are scrambling to make a living. so that makes it hard to get the big prizes. then their action is normally knocked by pool detectives so they have to make a bad games or not play. then if they want to try the local handicapped events they have to fade huge amounts of weight or pro rated entry fee's or BOTH. where i play i am spotting the field of run out players 9-7 plus paying 100 to their 50 to do it.
and to top it all off the money is spread all over. b player bonus a player bonus girl player bonus. i have just about totally given up !!! :frown:
There is money to be made, the industry has never been as saturated with events as it is now. Is it easy, of course not and is not supposed to be easy. But though the money seems quite light, there has never been more money in pool than today.
Here though I think some are talking about pro's and some are talking about all the rest. IMO,
"all the rest" make the game what it is today. Not the pros's. There really are very few pro's in the game ves. "al the rest"!!
This game is tough and always very competitive and it will always be tough to make money at it. ALways has been, always will be!!
It doesn't matter how good you are, the biggest cash winners are likely guys that have hustled their dinner. You have to be good at matching up that way.
If one is going to strive to compete at the highest level for a paycheck, well that just isn't a good idea. Not too much air up there and there aren't too many that will be able to stand that high to begin with.