http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSM1mvMypWU
Where is it? Is it completely gone from our world? I don’t think so; it’s just very rare to see…
I’m in a random pool hall, I just walked in and nobody knows me, there is a young guy running a million balls on a Pro Diamond, I ask for a game…”I’ll call a guy, I know somebody”, I tell him I am not looking to make anybody’s rent payment I just want to play, I like cheap one pocket…20 a game, I would even play for 5 or 10, I just want to play…”I can’t right now, but I will call a guy”. I wait around about 90 mins., hit some on the Diamond, getting the feel of the table, when finally this kid shows up. He is about 20 years my junior, breaks out a SW, and says to me he will play some one pocket for 100 a game but he wants to get 10-7. I just laugh. I tell him I am just wanting to play cheap, and we can play even. He comes back with “cheap is not worth the time, and I don’t know you so I need 10-7”. I laugh again and tell him FU, I don’t know you either, and since they got you on speed dial you should give me 10-7. He refuses, then proceeds to walk around, talking to everybody that will listen, while watching me practice…this goes on for another hour. Finally he comes over and starts whining about needing something…I told him he’s right…he needs some HEART! I tell him that kids like him is the reason I quit playing for 10 years. It seems everybody wants the stone cold nuts before they risk a dime. He finally relents and says he can play but for no less than 50, I lose 4 games right off the bat. He is a great shot maker, but a poor mover. I feel like I should beat him if I tighten up and quit leaving him risk/reward shots because he keeps making them! It’s his break, I am stuck 200, and I ask him if he wants to double the bet. He agrees, I change my tactics, and I beat him 6 out of 7…let the flood gates open, the crying starts and he wants 10-7 again. I did not run over this kid, all those games were very close, usually coming down to the last 2 balls. Needless to say we never could agree on a spot, and that makes me a “F’ng Hustler”.
I was never a hustler. When I grew up, the way I learned to play is I practiced a million hours and would play ANYBODY. I walked into pool halls from Michigan to Texas, from Tennessee to Wyoming and pretty much all the states in between. I would walk straight up to the counter, request a rack of balls and ask who the best player in the room was. Then I went and respectfully asked him to play. We gambled but it wasn’t huge but it did allow us to keep score I NEVER beat them…I was never the best, but I always learned something to make me better. I always learned who the next player down the rung was and then I would go play them…usually within a few matches I knew where I was on the food chain. This enabled me to adjust my wagering accordingly so that the trip wasn’t a complete bust.
I was exposed to the stigma and derision from my family due to my choices growing up. It is up to us to change the way pool is viewed. We have to make sure up and comers realize that pool; 99.9 % of the time is a PASSION, not a livelihood. Just look at the number of broke champions out there! Show a little heart and some class. Be willing to bet smaller to help educate, or better yet to learn. I once had 20 dollars to my name and I ran into a certified champion, and he played me one-pocket for 1.00 a game. FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME! Certainly not because he needed my last 20.
We all know that the vast majority of us will not get rich playing pool. But if we are lucky we can help mold the way our industry is looked at, help to build champions whose CORE beliefs are Honesty and Integrity. We could learn a lot from the PGA and its affiliates. If you are fortunate enough to be able to play this game I hope you have the same types of memories and experiences that kept me coming back. Along the way I have lost thousands, but I would not trade it in a second. There was a Professor, the Magician, The Rocket, The Cannon, Banks, Bugs, The Freezer, Shorty’s, and more “Little _ _ _’s” than I can count. All great players. All enriched my life, even if not my wallet…
Where is it? Is it completely gone from our world? I don’t think so; it’s just very rare to see…
I’m in a random pool hall, I just walked in and nobody knows me, there is a young guy running a million balls on a Pro Diamond, I ask for a game…”I’ll call a guy, I know somebody”, I tell him I am not looking to make anybody’s rent payment I just want to play, I like cheap one pocket…20 a game, I would even play for 5 or 10, I just want to play…”I can’t right now, but I will call a guy”. I wait around about 90 mins., hit some on the Diamond, getting the feel of the table, when finally this kid shows up. He is about 20 years my junior, breaks out a SW, and says to me he will play some one pocket for 100 a game but he wants to get 10-7. I just laugh. I tell him I am just wanting to play cheap, and we can play even. He comes back with “cheap is not worth the time, and I don’t know you so I need 10-7”. I laugh again and tell him FU, I don’t know you either, and since they got you on speed dial you should give me 10-7. He refuses, then proceeds to walk around, talking to everybody that will listen, while watching me practice…this goes on for another hour. Finally he comes over and starts whining about needing something…I told him he’s right…he needs some HEART! I tell him that kids like him is the reason I quit playing for 10 years. It seems everybody wants the stone cold nuts before they risk a dime. He finally relents and says he can play but for no less than 50, I lose 4 games right off the bat. He is a great shot maker, but a poor mover. I feel like I should beat him if I tighten up and quit leaving him risk/reward shots because he keeps making them! It’s his break, I am stuck 200, and I ask him if he wants to double the bet. He agrees, I change my tactics, and I beat him 6 out of 7…let the flood gates open, the crying starts and he wants 10-7 again. I did not run over this kid, all those games were very close, usually coming down to the last 2 balls. Needless to say we never could agree on a spot, and that makes me a “F’ng Hustler”.
I was never a hustler. When I grew up, the way I learned to play is I practiced a million hours and would play ANYBODY. I walked into pool halls from Michigan to Texas, from Tennessee to Wyoming and pretty much all the states in between. I would walk straight up to the counter, request a rack of balls and ask who the best player in the room was. Then I went and respectfully asked him to play. We gambled but it wasn’t huge but it did allow us to keep score I NEVER beat them…I was never the best, but I always learned something to make me better. I always learned who the next player down the rung was and then I would go play them…usually within a few matches I knew where I was on the food chain. This enabled me to adjust my wagering accordingly so that the trip wasn’t a complete bust.
I was exposed to the stigma and derision from my family due to my choices growing up. It is up to us to change the way pool is viewed. We have to make sure up and comers realize that pool; 99.9 % of the time is a PASSION, not a livelihood. Just look at the number of broke champions out there! Show a little heart and some class. Be willing to bet smaller to help educate, or better yet to learn. I once had 20 dollars to my name and I ran into a certified champion, and he played me one-pocket for 1.00 a game. FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME! Certainly not because he needed my last 20.
We all know that the vast majority of us will not get rich playing pool. But if we are lucky we can help mold the way our industry is looked at, help to build champions whose CORE beliefs are Honesty and Integrity. We could learn a lot from the PGA and its affiliates. If you are fortunate enough to be able to play this game I hope you have the same types of memories and experiences that kept me coming back. Along the way I have lost thousands, but I would not trade it in a second. There was a Professor, the Magician, The Rocket, The Cannon, Banks, Bugs, The Freezer, Shorty’s, and more “Little _ _ _’s” than I can count. All great players. All enriched my life, even if not my wallet…
