Pool wars & Running the Table

SirFitzalot

SirFitzalot

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So in a the last few days I've read both of these books and wow! They are a fantastic read and it really makes me wish I'd grown up in the days before the internet. It truly gets the pool player in me fired up. I've finally started trying to make myself a better pool player by putting something on the line but as it stands I can't imagine putting that much on the line. Well, at least not yet. Hehehe. I'm curious what others have to say about these books or by all means make some recommendations for others worth reading also.

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I do a lot of bike riding, when the sun is out. Not uncommon to go out and put in 60, 90+ miles. People think that is nutty, almost to the point of saying it isn't possible.

Betting big money is kinda the same, IMO. Not like you just jump up one day and do it, one must get comfortable with it to do it.

That said, there are plenty of great players who have never Gambled for the big bucks. That's why there are books about it.
 
Dont believe everything you read in books either.

If you have been in pool rooms very long, most stories, have a kernal of truth, but usually it is embellished a little...;)

You dont have to live in a different time. There are opportunities out there.

Ken
 
The Internet and camera phones have made it a lot harder than before them for sure ,but it still can be done. Most of the guys and dolls that did it and the ones that do it now are "A" players on the BB and don't want to draw attention to themselves by playing for more than $5-$20 games in bars and sportsbars. They will play for up to $100-$200 a short set (race to5-7) if they are ahead with the guy or if they have played him before and beat him easily.

The reason not many have ever heard of them is because there not top players, never play in tournaments, hardly ever win more than $100 from anyone, move around a lot, and change how they dress and act when going back to a place they won a good weeks pay in. It's called staying under the radar and believe me, some are out there making a good weeks pay every week and having fun doing it.

What you need to start is to be able to do all the thing above, have at least a $1000 bankroll to start, not married, and make people like you from the start. Not many pay this kind of hustling any mind. You don't know them because they don't want you to know them. Johnnyt
 
That's going to be my next one. They don't have the kindle edition which makes reading it at work hard to do. Hehehe. I'm a machinist so I do have some down time.

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I know what you mean. I almost never read physical books anymore. I went to reread that one recently and was really surprised there was no kindle version.
 
SirFitzalot said:
So in a the last few days I've read both of these books and wow! They are a fantastic read and it really makes me wish I'd grown up in the days before the internet. It truly gets the pool player in me fired up. I've finally started trying to make myself a better pool player by putting something on the line but as it stands I can't imagine putting that much on the line. Well, at least not yet. Hehehe. I'm curious what others have to say about these books or by all means make some recommendations for others worth reading also.

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What is involved in betting money is, you have to be able to rationalize what you are doing. In other words if you are in the habit of playing for money or even hustling where you know you are the winner before you even start it is just how much you will win. Loses are not so devastating.

What I mean by that is, al lot of inexperienced players may hear a story of a player playing for a $1000.00 and losing may say, "If I ever did that I would never play for money again" or "I would never bet that much money if I lost I would be devastated".

That is not the case if you gamble on a regular basis even small amounts. It comes and goes, you know there are no guarantees as much as you may think you have the nuts. If you take a small lost, "So What, thats part of the money I won last night". You go out for breakfast and don't give it another thought. You don't live and die with every match. The one thing you can not do is play with money you know you will need. You can't bet the rent.

Even if you win, it is no fun "Believe me" when you are playing for money you can't afford. You have to have a bankroll just for playing pool that you manage. It is not for paying bills and not even needed. Always play within your comfort zone, don't let yourself get talked into anything you don't want to do.

The biggest difference between guys who play for $50. and guys who play for $1000. is, the $50 player may have a lock most of the time if he is a good player. He s fishing in a bigger pool with lots of weaker players who will get up and play. He can book a lot more predictable winners.

A guy betting a $1000 is certainly playing an equal or almost equal player. The outcome is not as predictable or certain even for a very good player.

So my advice to you if your want to get in the arena start playing for money.

Play with money you can afford to lose, but by no means be a sucker just because you can afford to lose it.

Stay in your comfort zone, don't get talked into anything you don't like. You don't have to be coward but certainly don't project any fears. You are the manager, make good games and that does not mean looking for a lock all the time.

Set aside a small bank roll you can play with and manage it. You will find it not at all stressful but fun playing. You will be surprised, that bankroll may begin to grow. And if it doesn't no big deal even if you were to over time lose it all you are playing a sport you enjoy. Hopefully when you recharge your bankroll you will have learned a thing or two and will be more successful next time. I once ran $100.00 bankroll into enough to walk in and buy myself a new car, cash.
 
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You picked a couple of good ones. A few of them are duds in my opinion,
but almost every pool book has gotten good reviews on AZ before.

If you enjoyed those, look into McGoorty - A Pool Room Hustler.
A lot of pool books are written by guys who are, well... pool players.
In other words "don't quit your day job".
Robert Byrne can actually write, in addition to play. All his books are great.
http://www.amazon.com/McGoorty-Pool-Hustler-Library-Larceny/dp/076791631X/

I personally am looking forward to trying Road Player soon:
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Player-Danny-Diliberto-Story/

Also, even if it's fiction, why not take a look at the original Color of Money and Hustler books?
http://www.amazon.com/Color-Money-Walter-Tevis/dp/1560254858/
http://www.amazon.com/Hustler-Walter-Tevis/dp/1560254734/

As for making yourself a better pool player by putting it on the line...
Yes and no.

It improves your ability to bring your A game (or at least your C game) in certain situations.
It improves your ability to not fall apart under pressure.
But it doesn't teach you whether you should hit this next shot with high left
or low right, or boost your cueball speed control, or make you a better shotmaker.

You get that stuff from practice, hours of playing, studying books and videos, and getting lessons.

Putting money on the line only means you are training yourself to play pool at your current level.
It will never actually make you better at pool. Except in the sense that you're spending hours
at the table, and if you spend hours at the table you're bound to improve at least a little.

To be honest, most people play a little worse than usual under pressure, even the guys
that have done it a lot and claim they "thrive" under pressure. I think playing for more
than you can afford to lose is foolish. But I'll admit it's interesting to me, to watch two guys
playing for an amount that they care about.
 
ArtOfTheCue said:
I know what you mean. I almost never read physical books anymore. I went to reread that one recently and was really surprised there was no kindle version.
Click to expand...

Drives me nuts that the color of money and the hustler are not on kindle.
 
My meaning behind a better player is exactly that. Shot making, position play and good defense aren't the same as what I'm seeking. I choke under pressure. I'd like to find ways to stop that. I played in the US Am qualifier at Premium Billiards in Syracuse, NY and went 0-2. Choked like crazy. One guy I beat on a normal basis and another I hadn't known before but have since become good friends with.
Choked badly on those matches...

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I wasn't a big fan of McGoorty. It's a shame, I really like Robert Byrne's other books and he's a really nice guy.

As far as falling apart under pressure, I used to have that problem and have gotten to the point where tournament pressure actually helps me play a bit above my usual level. Take my experience with a grain of salt, though - I'm only a C+ player, so not a worldbeater by any stretch of the imagination.

The thing that really helped me was putting myself into situations where I had other people counting on me. When my APA team goes to regionals (or playoffs, or even regular matches), and I'm the best guy on the team (as a weakish 6 - I'll break and run 2 racks or so a season in 8 ball), the buck stops here. If I choke, I take the whole team down with me, but if I crush it, I can turn the momentum around in a bad match. I found that I care more when I feel like I'm carrying (or letting down) my friends.

One day, you just realize that your "competition mode" is better than your usual game. And when that happens, it becomes your default competition mode, whether it's a team thing or you're on your own. You start to really like the jitters that you get when an important match is about to start because you know it means you're turning it on.
 
Yeah I need to get into bigger tourneys to maybe help that out a bit.

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Pushout said:
Why not?? You're the only one I've ever heard of who didn't like it.
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It's been a while, but if I remember right, I wasn't a fan of Byrne's writing style in a storytelling setting. It seemed like it kinda rambled, and I just couldn't get into it. I read the whole book, but it's one of the few in that vein I never wanted to go back and re-read.

SirFitz, it doesn't even have to be big tournaments. Check around and see what's going on locally. Play the little ones. Join a league (if you're not already playing one). The size of the event is much less important than putting yourself into what feels like serious competition on a regular basis.
 
McGoorty might be one of my favorite books of all time not just favorite pool books. It's one of very few books I've ever read that literally made me laugh out loud. I need to dig it out of storage and re-read it.
 
StraightPoolIU said:
McGoorty might be one of my favorite books of all time not just favorite pool books. It's one of very few books I've ever read that literally made me laugh out loud. I need to dig it out of storage and re-read it.
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McGoorty was a very good reads...one the best IMO. Johnnyt
 
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