The most naturally talented pool players that you have ever known?

Donny Lutz said:
Sorry, but as I approach 73 my memory is a bit sketchy.

I have some good memories of Champion Billiards. And a few not so good, like being replaced there by a guy who I was told owed the owner some money and worked for free to pay off his debt. I did enjoy being Resident Instructor and BCA league director there for a year...
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Well as I said I didn't think so. As I grew a little older I'd occasionally frequent the Tuesday night tourney till it turned into a complete ghetto sis pool, about the time of side pockets, im sure ya know what I b talking about lol
 
Billy Steele

justinb386 said:
I am curious to hear some stories about the most talented players that you have ever known.

Players who got really good (like to a consistent A level) really quick (like within 6 months after the 1st time that they ever picked up a cue).

I met this pretty young player when I was living in Lexington KY (who was in his early 20's I am guessing), and he played really strong, and really consistent.

I asked him how long he had been playing, and he told me "about 6 months".

That just really shocked me, because I considered myself to be a naturally talented player (started playing when I was 14, and I got pretty good pretty fast, but not within 6 months).

It took me a couple of years to get to a pretty consistent A level, but that was just on my home pool room tables (which were 8 foot valleys, with pretty easy pockets).

I am also curious about players that you guys have known over the years that had almost no natural talent at all, but really loved the game, and really worked hard over years of a lot of practice (like 8 hours every night), and eventually got pretty good.

Any players like that that ever got to a very high skill level?

An old friend of mine was like that, and eventually he became a pretty decent B player (after what seemed like 1,000's of hours of drills and practice).

He would come in to the pool room every night, and shoot by himself for like 6-8 hours (shooting drills, and practicing shots that he was not good at).

It took him years, but he slowly got better and better.

Anyways, I would just like to hear some good stories about very naturally talented players, and other good players (that had practically no natural talent at all) that worked their way up (in skill level) slowly, and eventually became very good (maybe even solid A players).
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Billy Steele, who played out of LaCrosse, Wisconsin in the '70s and '80s.

I knew of him, but didn't get to know him till he was 20. I believe he started playing at age 12. I was told he ran 100 in 14-1 as a teenager, when he began supporting himself. He was pretty much self-taught.

Billy was a bit of an introvert, and I don't believe he got any formal instruction other than a little strategy from me when we became friends. He experimented endlessly in practice and kept copious notes on what he learned. He won a substantial amount of money on the road before he died of an unexpected illness at a very young age.
 
IMHO: Ronnie O'Sullivan, without question is one of the greatest talents to ever shoot billiards. His precision and fast playstyle is unmatched anywhere in the billiard world. Don't believe me, watch him play 9 ball, he makes it look absurdly easy. He would dominate every match he entered if he ever wanted to come over to the states and actually put effort into it. I also, might mention Mike Dechaine. Efren is a no-brainer. His creativity, consistency and temperament are unparalleled.I am sure people might disagree with me about Ronnie, but if you ever have some free time watch him play snooker sometime. O'Sullivan is an absolute monster. He's turning 40 this year and still in top form. Top form for snooker means something entirely different than in 9 or 10 ball. The tables are 12x6 feet and the pockets are 3inches wide, the rails are blunted making it harder to run balls down the rails. The margin for error on snooker pockets is less than an inch; the margin for error on a standard table over here is almost 2.5 inches, unless you're playing on a custom table. The table nap is thinner and less forgiving so your positioning has to be pinpoint everytime. People can try to argue with me about American style billiards talent vs snooker talent. But the only people who deny which takes more talent are people who havent ever played snooker on a 12x6 foot regulation table.
 
Billy Steele, he was a formidable player in that area.

Donny Lutz said:
Billy Steele, who played out of LaCrosse, Wisconsin in the '70s and '80s.

I knew of him, but didn't get to know him till he was 20. I believe he started playing at age 12. I was told he ran 100 in 14-1 as a teenager, when he began supporting himself. He was pretty much self-taught.

Billy was a bit of an introvert, and I don't believe he got any formal instruction other than a little strategy from me when we became friends. He experimented endlessly in practice and kept copious notes on what he learned. He won a substantial amount of money on the road before he died of an unexpected illness at a very young age.
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I remember Billy Steele, he was a formidable player in that area. Dalton Leong and I traveled all through Minnesota and Wisconsin back in 1983, there was a ton of action.

It seems like we saw Billy in Eau Claire Wisconsin, or maybe that was Gene "Perfect Aim," who was also one of the best players, especially on the bar box.

We did really well in Rochester Minn. playing a guy named Toby Dick, who also backed Greg Fix. Those were the days, we could find action in so many of those smaller towns. Then, after we scoured the smaller villages we would go to the bigger cities and try to parley our winnings. Sounds like a chapter out of medieval times. :)
 
Once a seasoned player gets adjusted, the pocket size isn't that much of a factor.

Zieglermt said:
IMHO: Ronnie O'Sullivan, without question is one of the greatest talents to ever shoot billiards. His precision and fast playstyle is unmatched anywhere in the billiard world. Don't believe me, watch him play 9 ball, he makes it look absurdly easy. He would dominate every match he entered if he ever wanted to come over to the states and actually put effort into it. I also, might mention Mike Dechaine. Efren is a no-brainer. His creativity, consistency and temperament are unparalleled.I am sure people might disagree with me about Ronnie, but if you ever have some free time watch him play snooker sometime. O'Sullivan is an absolute monster. He's turning 40 this year and still in top form. Top form for snooker means something entirely different than in 9 or 10 ball. The tables are 12x6 feet and the pockets are 3inches wide, the rails are blunted making it harder to run balls down the rails. The margin for error on snooker pockets is less than an inch; the margin for error on a standard table over here is almost 2.5 inches, unless you're playing on a custom table. The table nap is thinner and less forgiving so your positioning has to be pinpoint everytime. People can try to argue with me about American style billiards talent vs snooker talent. But the only people who deny which takes more talent are people who havent ever played snooker on a 12x6 foot regulation table.
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You're probably right about Ronnie.

I had a 6/12 table in my pool room for many years and it is challenging. The only thing that makes pool more difficult is it's played using the entire table more than snooker. I would say over 90% of the shots take place on the 6/6 half of the table.....would this be fair to say as an estimate?

Once a seasoned player gets adjusted, the pocket size isn't that much of a factor. Pool tables certainly have bigger pockets, however, the champions will hit the center most of the time anyway.

I did play Ronnie back in 1996, if he's just 40 that means he was 21 at the time. Seems like he was older than that, of course I was younger too and probably didn't think anything about it.
 
Billy, Toby, Geno and Greg

CJ Wiley said:
I remember Billy Steele, he was a formidable player in that area. Dalton Leong and I traveled all through Minnesota and Wisconsin back in 1983, there was a ton of action.

It seems like we saw Billy in Eau Claire Wisconsin, or maybe that was Gene "Perfect Aim," who was also one of the best players, especially on the bar box.

We did really well in Rochester Minn. playing a guy named Toby Dick, who also backed Greg Fix. Those were the days, we could find action in so many of those smaller towns. Then, after we scoured the smaller villages we would go to the bigger cities and try to parley our winnings. Sounds like a chapter out of medieval times. :)
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I managed to beat Toby Dick to win the trip to Vegas in the World Series of Pool. Also played Gene and Greg in tournaments, but didn't want to gamble much with them. Greg beat me in an ACUI qualifier, but I got a little revenge by running out in the final game of a team match on the way to the MOMA State title in '86.

Great memories.
 
I haven't read this whole thread, but I did not see Johnny Archer mentioned on the first few pages. He started playing when he was in his mid teens and and was playing pro level within a couple of years. By the time he was 18 he was above the middle of the field at pro events.

Bob McDonald formerly from Woodstock, GA was the fastest learner I got to watch from the beginning. It only took him several months to reach B+ level and start winning all kinds of tournaments.
 
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I think we see a common theme in this thread. All the pros mentioned became mid level pro level players within 2 or 3 years of picking up a stick. Then a few more years of seasoning playing with fellow pros put them at the top (archer, Daulton, Keith, Schmidt, Corey, etc.)

Then you have us average guys, whether we plateaued at C, B, or A level. Regardless of where we plateaued at, the path was similar as the pros. We reached roughly 80% of our final speed within 2 or 3 years of picking up a stick. Then, we gained the last few percentage points through seasoning and experience competing with our peers.

Nature vs Nurture :P
 
I need help with this name. First name maybe John. About 5'6'', 165 lbs. He was part owner of a 2 story pool hall/restaurant in downtown San Bernardino,CA,near the court house. Quick shooter. Well respected at Hard Times, LA, Cal.
 
I'd say that probably all the players near the top caught on quickly, were "naturals" at the game.

Then they honed it with countless hours of practice and play.
 
fan-tum said:
I need help with this name. First name maybe John. About 5'6'', 165 lbs. He was part owner of a 2 story pool hall/restaurant in downtown San Bernardino,CA,near the court house. Quick shooter. Well respected at Hard Times, LA, Cal.
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John Borba...?
 
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