The life of a pro

One thing that helped to make up my mind when I was in my 20s to focus on a non pool career was to go to a very large pool tournament. In my case it was the Willards International in Chicago in 1992. That tournament was 2 weeks long and the first week they held a eightball tourny that drew somewhere around 400 players. The nineball part of the tourny drew even more players and was played the second week.

During the two weeks I got to see first hand how pool players live and frankly, it wasnt inspiring. Maybe 1000 players were there and only a handful seemed like they were living well. Most of the players looked broke, drove beat up 100k+ mile cars, dressed like they shopped at goodwill and carried their life savings in the front pocket. I saw dozens of players who could beat me easily and yet these players were living very difficult lives, struggling to get by.

I don't know if I would be comfortable with the idea that I can't make my mortgage payment unless I can regularly beat Alcano/Bustamente/Souquet, etc.
 
Thanks for the responses fellas.

I am graduating May 5th with a biology degree and plan on going into one of the health professions. I am going to have some time off and I am going to work on my game like never before. I guess I can still play just not as much as I am going to want to............ time will tell...............

Eric.A.
 
UWPoolGod1 said:
On a side note: I will still continue to play golf as to one day play on the LPGA tour when someone successfully sues them to allow males to enter their events. I will even follow their dress code and wear a skirt. :D :D :D
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That will be quite a sight when you lean over to pick up your BALLS!
happy0173.gif
 
All I gotta say is you better invest in the stock market or come up with some other form of substantial side income.

Better yet, while we're on the subject of good career options, why not sell life insurance using the daily obituaries as your client list, or sponser research into time travel, or do PR for Michael Jackson, or why not invest half of your life savings in Natural Cures and the other half in the world's #1 professional pool tour? There are plenty of unsaturated markets out there that offer very promising career options. I'm just saying think about it ;)

Seriously though, I hope pool becomes popular again in my lifetime and pays out at least the same as other sports. It's sad to have to give up a dream in a fantastic sport just because the rest of the world doesn't recognize it.

Good luck in your venture.



Mitch.
 
After reading an article on Tiger Woods, I have developed my theory on how to persue a pool career. Tiger says he plans his year to peak for the majors, playing smaller events to keep in stroke but not enough to sap his mental and physical energy when the majors arrive so that he is peaking and give himself his best chance to win the ones he really wants to win.

So why can't shortstop to low end pro's do the same thing, practice everyday or ever other day for 2-4hrs, play one or two local weekly tournaments evey week, and one or two regional tournaments a month, slowly building towards a major, while working a day or evening job to pay the bills and using pool winnings to supplement tournament expenses, add some intermmitent gambling and I believe that a player could get very strong this way and not end up a broke pool pro.

Two great players that come to mind that did something like this are Babe Cranfield and Irving Crane and a couple of current players that come to mind are BJ Ussery, Joe Tucker and Cory Harper, all of wich can give a top pro all they can handle and always have a chance in any event they enter.

So your year could go something like this 3 months prep and U.S. Open in September, 3 months prep and Derby City in January and 3 months prep and say Viking or Joss tour championships depending on where you live etc.

Just my opinion

Bern

(I consider a Major a tournament anyone can enter not the UPA invitation only crap, pay your entry play the tourney).
 
Big Bad Bern said:
After reading an article on Tiger Woods, I have developed my theory on how to persue a pool career. Tiger says he plans his year to peak for the majors, playing smaller events to keep in stroke but not enough to sap his mental and physical energy when the majors arrive so that he is peaking and give himself his best chance to win the ones he really wants to win.

So why can't shortstop to low end pro's do the same thing, practice everyday or ever other day for 2-4hrs, play one or two local weekly tournaments evey week, and one or two regional tournaments a month, slowly building towards a major, while working a day or evening job to pay the bills and using pool winnings to supplement tournament expenses, add some intermmitent gambling and I believe that a player could get very strong this way and not end up a broke pool pro.

Two great players that come to mind that did something like this are Babe Cranfield and Irving Crane and a couple of current players that come to mind are BJ Ussery, Joe Tucker and Cory Harper, all of wich can give a top pro all they can handle and always have a chance in any event they enter.

So your year could go something like this 3 months prep and U.S. Open in September, 3 months prep and Derby City in January and 3 months prep and say Viking or Joss tour championships depending on where you live etc.
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This is all well and good until you get to the U.S. Open, win two matches, face Corey, he wins the lag, and puts a 6 pack on you. And then you kick the rest of the match.

The top pros have to be able to run a 5-6 pack almost at will, and that STILL ain't enough sometimes.

Plus, Babe Cranfield and Irving Crane played a game where the best almost always wins a match. And their tournaments were often round robin.

Modern pros have to play every single tournament they can get their hands on to earn even a $50,000 a year income.
I get what you're saying about holding a regular job and competing in specific events when you want to. It's a good theory, but you think your boss is going to let you take of a minimum of a month out of the year?

And do you really think someone can keep up a world class game and work a job 40 hours a week? Yeah, maybe a midtier pro level game, but not world class. In a game like 9 ball, where 2 dry breaks can be enough to lose a match, playing less than full time just ain't bringing home the money.

Russ
 
peaking is a good idea

Peaking for the major events is a good idea, even peaking for the bigger events you play if they are all small. However, if you hold down a full time job, play when you can, and peak for a "Major" and a pro plays forty hours a week more than you do and still peaks for a "Major" who do you think wins?

Peaking is a well known tactic. It isn't something that is going to let a part timer beat all of the pro's three or four times a year.

Hu



Big Bad Bern said:
After reading an article on Tiger Woods, I have developed my theory on how to persue a pool career. Tiger says he plans his year to peak for the majors, playing smaller events to keep in stroke but not enough to sap his mental and physical energy when the majors arrive so that he is peaking and give himself his best chance to win the ones he really wants to win.

So why can't shortstop to low end pro's do the same thing, practice everyday or ever other day for 2-4hrs, play one or two local weekly tournaments evey week, and one or two regional tournaments a month, slowly building towards a major, while working a day or evening job to pay the bills and using pool winnings to supplement tournament expenses, add some intermmitent gambling and I believe that a player could get very strong this way and not end up a broke pool pro.

Two great players that come to mind that did something like this are Babe Cranfield and Irving Crane and a couple of current players that come to mind are BJ Ussery, Joe Tucker and Cory Harper, all of wich can give a top pro all they can handle and always have a chance in any event they enter.

So your year could go something like this 3 months prep and U.S. Open in September, 3 months prep and Derby City in January and 3 months prep and say Viking or Joss tour championships depending on where you live etc.

Just my opinion

Bern

(I consider a Major a tournament anyone can enter not the UPA invitation only crap, pay your entry play the tourney).
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it's really a pisser

It sucks that the guys that are out there who work so
hard don't get the payouts they deserve .I mean I am sure
alot of em would be happy to get 1/2 of what a golf pro
makes .....geeeez .I was at a local tournament the other day
and watched the pay out and the winner did not get as
much as I made in two days (good days) repairing big screen
and plasma tvs ??? We all need to put our heads together
and get these guys larger payouts . I mean I love love love
this sport but these guys must have more love than me to
put the time and heart in they do and get peanuts :mad:
 
Big Bad Bern said:
After reading an article on Tiger Woods, I have developed my theory on how to persue a pool career. Tiger says he plans his year to peak for the majors, playing smaller events to keep in stroke but not enough to sap his mental and physical energy when the majors arrive so that he is peaking and give himself his best chance to win the ones he really wants to win.

So why can't shortstop to low end pro's do the same thing, practice everyday or ever other day for 2-4hrs, play one or two local weekly tournaments evey week, and one or two regional tournaments a month, slowly building towards a major, while working a day or evening job to pay the bills and using pool winnings to supplement tournament expenses, add some intermmitent gambling and I believe that a player could get very strong this way and not end up a broke pool pro.

Two great players that come to mind that did something like this are Babe Cranfield and Irving Crane and a couple of current players that come to mind are BJ Ussery, Joe Tucker and Cory Harper, all of wich can give a top pro all they can handle and always have a chance in any event they enter.

So your year could go something like this 3 months prep and U.S. Open in September, 3 months prep and Derby City in January and 3 months prep and say Viking or Joss tour championships depending on where you live etc.

Just my opinion

Bern

(I consider a Major a tournament anyone can enter not the UPA invitation only crap, pay your entry play the tourney).
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Excellent advice. Add to this what ironman said. Do you already have the big game to compete with the best out there. If not, it's hard to jump levels out on tour. Playing new cloth on the first day of a pro event, very little available practice time on the tables shared with 3 or 4 or 5 world beaters, playing one match a day against champions leaves little room for getting up to speed. Playing pool room and bar tournaments between can make it hard to adjust to the slippery rails at the main events.

Intense training at home or locally can be much more effective to build up to a world class level if you are able to stay motivated.

Pros adjust quickly to the new cloth but if you are trying to move your game up levels the changing cloth can make it nearly impossible imho. Time on the same table conditions lets you hone your game to a higher level much more quickly, then you can try adjusting to different conditions after you have the confidence you need.

Being able to aim the same way under greatly varying conditions is a major advantage, even though your stroke obviously has to adjust to make that possible.

And yeah, there's no money in it. If you don't consider yourself a threat to win the big tournaments (hard to do), then you need to get to that level unless another ipt comes along.

Congratulations on the biology degree.

unknownpro
 
It is all about funding

Couple of suggestions that might help. If you are graduating with a degree in biology then you have a head on your shoulders. There are a few options to consider. Create a job that is pool related. There are several that come to mind. Sell cues on the road. Own a pool hall and have a counter man run the hall when you are gone. Set up and run a few tournaments each year. Write about pool in a newsletter published on the web. Write a self published book / cd based on your experiences. Hook up with someone to take videos of your matches at tournaments (if allowed) and sell online. Come up with a new line of pool items that you could sell and or distribute. Let it be known that you give lessons on the road and develop a “workshop” for interested players. Get a job as a house pro with the stipulation that you will travel for tournaments. Obviously, the more of these ideas you can combine the more you earn.

Let's see. I'll buy 50% interest in a pool hall, run workshops and classes for kids, hold two tournaments a year and get on the list as a high school and college speaker / exhibitor. At my workshops there wil be cues and other items for sale. I set the whole show up so I can take it on the road and set up where some of the major tournaments are held. Just takes a little PR and some thinking to coordinate the whole shooting match. Oh yeah, you need a web site with a book / cd. It becomes your "office" If you do it right and incorporate your "business," much of your "work" is a tax write off. You will probably need help but do not get a "partner" get an "employee" so you stay in control.


In any case I have had a principle that has worked for most of my life. Whatever hobby / avocation I have taken up it has to pay for itself. This means if you want to go on the road you must have the money to support yourself on the road before you leave. When the money is gone you have to return to your “job” and for me that job involves creating the money so that I could do what I wanted to do. I am 63 and still have not decided what I want to do when I grow up – it is a great way to live. Because I am not “rich” I just have to find a way to fund it first. If you make money on the road, stay on the road. If you lose then you have to go home and make more money. Simple, effective and an enjoyable life.
 
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Russ Chewning said:
This is all well and good until you get to the U.S. Open, win two matches, face Corey, he wins the lag, and puts a 6 pack on you. And then you kick the rest of the match.

The top pros have to be able to run a 5-6 pack almost at will, and that STILL ain't enough sometimes.

Plus, Babe Cranfield and Irving Crane played a game where the best almost always wins a match. And their tournaments were often round robin.

Modern pros have to play every single tournament they can get their hands on to earn even a $50,000 a year income.
I get what you're saying about holding a regular job and competing in specific events when you want to. It's a good theory, but you think your boss is going to let you take of a minimum of a month out of the year?

And do you really think someone can keep up a world class game and work a job 40 hours a week? Yeah, maybe a midtier pro level game, but not world class. In a game like 9 ball, where 2 dry breaks can be enough to lose a match, playing less than full time just ain't bringing home the money.

Russ
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I would like to know how this works out for John Schmidt, George Breedlove, Shawn Putnam, and Danny Harriman, all of whom don't play every event they can enter and in George's case works 40 hrs a week and I don't think any of them could not win the U.S. Open ( as John did this year) and all have world class level games. And as far as your boss not letting you take time off, if you cut the dates close you would only need 2-3 weeks and most people get that after working for 3 to 4 years.

Bern
 
JoeW said:
In any case I have had a principle that has worked for most of my life. Whatever hobby / avocation I have taken up it has to pay for itself. ....... Simple, effective and an enjoyable life.
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I just got to ask: Are you celibate and sober?:D If not, tell us your money making strategies.:D :D
 
Big Bad Bern said:
I would like to know how this works out for John Schmidt, George Breedlove, Shawn Putnam, and Danny Harriman, all of whom don't play every event they can enter and in George's case works 40 hrs a week and I don't think any of them could not win the U.S. Open ( as John did this year) and all have world class level games. And as far as your boss not letting you take time off, if you cut the dates close you would only need 2-3 weeks and most people get that after working for 3 to 4 years.

Bern
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Where does George work and why? I always assumed (I guess maybe wrongly) that him and Lee were pretty well off between her sponserships, appearances, book deals, and winnings.
 
I believe Mr. Breedlove owns and operates a furniture business. I understand that it's very demanding, but he is still a force to be reckoned with everytime he gets near a pool table.
 
I rack balls said:
Thanks for the responses fellas.

I am graduating May 5th with a biology degree and plan on going into one of the health professions. I am going to have some time off and I am going to work on my game like never before. I guess I can still play just not as much as I am going to want to............ time will tell...............

Eric.A.
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Steve Mizerak became a world champion while a school teacher. Nick Varner graduated college. Irving Crane was a successful professional and a car salesman.

It IS possible to do both if you are dedicated and plan your life accordingly. My ex wife's father was a member of the US National Canoe team and they competed internationally. And he maintains a full time medical practice.

Your whole life lays ahead of you. You make of of what you want. If you decide to go on the road and test yourself then do it. You can always start over. People respect experience. The life lessons you will learn trying to become a pro will serve you throughout the rest of your life.

You might be good enough to hang with Archer and co. If so then great and you can probably eke out a decent living through your talent and your business savvy. If not then you will always have the satisfaction of knowing you gave it a shot and you don't have to have any regrets.

I made a decision when I was 19 that I wasn't going to pursue pool in a professional way. Why? Because all the great players around me were always broke and borrowing money from me every time I booked a winner. I never thought to ask anyone for a nickel that I didn't earn and I didn't want to become a world class player with no money. I don't regret for a moment the choice I made. I wouldn't tell anyone to do what I did though. I have had some fun road trips and gotten my thrills. If those road trips were to sustain myself or a family I am afraid that they wouldn't be very productive.

Now, I do however know a few players who have built a solid life as pros. They consistently finish well enough in tournaments to provide a decent income, they teach, and they have sponsorship deals that bring in some form of money or products they can turn into money. So it's definitely possible.

I say, go for it if you have the talent (I didn't at 19) and if you have the bankroll to sustain you for a while. Otherwise build a career that is there for you while you plan to terrorize the pro circuit as you can.
 
whitey2 said:
I have no idea how he plays, but I'm responding so you know I am not ignoring you! If I won 4 million, I'm not sure what new hobbies I'd take up. I'll probably never know. He looks to me like the type of person that was just in it for the money, so I'd assume he doesn't play pool anymore.
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things change when you come uo from nothing and make $$$, you go through different phases because there is more to chose from, but eventually you go back to what you loved before, and yes there are just as many problems when you have $$$, they are just different but life is hard. as a side note i hope you do win 4 million, thanks for the reply.
 
If you become a full time pool player in your youth, you have an excellent chance of starving.

If you find a job you like, are good at, save your money, you can take part in local and regional tournaments, and take have vacations to compete or take instruction from the best.

Then when you have made your pile and retire, you can wander and savour the pool halls of the world.

You could get work that allows you lots of time off, or is only seasonal. You could become your own boss.

If you would like to spend all year playing pool, become a corn farmer. Bush is pushing ethanol. The corn plants itself and then grows four feet a day while you practice your masse.:D
 
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Scaramouche said:
I just got to ask: Are you celibate and sober?:D If not, tell us your money making strategies.:D :D
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Nope, married and usually sober ;)

After four years in the US Marines I figured out just how lazy I was and got a Ph.D. in psychology then I retired to the University for the rest of my life. While there I found computers fascinating so I made lots of money writing software for psychologists and physicians when everyone else thought they were toys. There were other ventures too but no one wants to hear them.

A guy by the name of Terman studied a couple of hundred intellectually gifted people for their whole life. At the end of their lives he asked them what it was all about? How does one live a “good” life? Almost all (90%+) said that it is all about family. First you must be happy at home, wherever that is. After that you can be a pool champ, run a bank, be a physician, etc.

Without family support it is difficult to be successful and if you are successful it makes little difference.

In a weird way I support most of the posts directly above this one. What that suggests to me is that one's first "job" is the wife and kids -- if you haven't got one then get some. Your family needs to be on the paths that will make their lives good, and they must love and respect you, then you can be anything.

So that definitely needs to be taken into consideration – That one study changed my life and I am pleased to say I have five kids and eight grandchildren who all have good lives. I have a great wife and have loved every minute of it through the age of 63. I can't see things changing much in the future.

If anyone tells you that university professors "work" for a living they are lying. I "retired" and got paid for reading books at the age of 32. Now i am retired from being retired -- how cool is that!

I have played pool for over 40 years and had a GC III for 20 years. Now I find pool fascinating and spend far too much time at the table. To support my new "hobby" I will be creating a web site that emphasizes the science of psychology as it relates to playing pool. Turns out there are lots of things from sport psychology and other areas that can improve your time at the table. From the 25 odd books I have read there is quite a bit of little known information that can be brought together for the player. I do not need to make money anymore so that will not be the emphasis. But there could be a living in it.
 
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