The pool world needs Alex Pagulayan

Alex is very enjoyable to watch and surely has a heart like a lion. In my experience I have never seen more money and pure gamble than the 'Chicken Fighters'! I made some good money at the fights but only because my partner was knowledgeable. You bet on the handlers and owners, not the chickens. They would bring in briefcases full of cash and ship it!
 
I keep looking for him to show up at a final table somewhere, but to no avail. Too bad, he would be an instant star on the poker scene.
 
Yes we do need the lion,he and Shane are are great for pool just as TAR is,there are more than just those 3,but the almighty ego of some of the top players ,put themselves on a pedestal and could care less what the fans want to see.
 
Alex P

hangemhigh said:
I keep looking for him to show up at a final table somewhere, but to no avail. Too bad, he would be an instant star on the poker scene.
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Tap, Tap, Tap.

He has such a great personality that he's an attraction to any sport he participates in. He would be hilarious to watch on a final table match. Sure hope he makes it to the US Open. The pool world won't be the same without him in it.
 
he might be the hardest man in the world to beat for the $$$,

He told me at dinner, "pool is in my blood-I will awalys play, poker is good now and easier but I'm still a pool player"


he knows exactly who he is and where he is at in life, he aint ever gonna be Phil Ivey. He is pleaty young to play pool, look at Papperika he is 60 or 61 and is still a monster.

Alex isnt gonna make a bad move for Alex-he knows when he comes back to pool that he is among the kings and also has a huge fan base. He digs that, and he dosent have that in poker. he will be back.


He is very very smart and intouch with himself,
 
Alex the mighty

I believe he will find time to play the two games with equal attention and be great at both of them. He will probably return to mostly pool once he gets a taste of the poker tournament trail.
 
I would love to say Alex will be back, but...

You'll probably only see him @ Derby City (free room and board and entry fees for life) and the occasional big tournament.

He could still finish @ the "bottom end" in poker and still make enough to support his family and stake himself. Besides, if no one knows him, it's all the better for his backroom action.

Heck, Chris Bartram bounces back and forth, so poker can't be treating these guys all THAT bad!!! :D

Still, I wish Alex all the best in life and whatever endeavor he chooses or chooses him.
 
Alex plays mostly cash games in poker, as opposed to tournaments. They are two different breeds of cat and take different skills to do well. In poker I like to say that it's 50% skill and 50% luck. You can't control the luck so you better master that other 50% if you want to have a chance. A good player will say, "I want to play good so I give myself a chance to get lucky." When you fully understand that comment you will begin to grasp the realities of poker.

Even though poker is a relatively simple game to learn the basics, there is a learning curve to developing the skills to be a winning player. Some acquire those skills quicker than others. And some never do. A couple of pool players have done quite well at poker. John Hennigan and Nick Schulman come to mind. Even Steve Davis (a very smart man) has cashed in the main event of the World Series.

Yours truly has three final tables at the World Series, results that I'm very proud of. I'd like to get a few more if I am fortunate enough. I still feel on top of my game, but it takes big bucks to compete in these events. Try $1,000 and up per tournament. I just spent $4,500 at the World Series competing in three events. I cashed in the last one. I would have liked to play more, but I am limited with my time and money. Like the Dodgers, all I can say is, "Maybe next year." :)
 
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What does it actually take to support a family in the philippines? Seems to me a player at his level could snap off the big tournaments in the states or big action, then take that money back home and live a great life. I can see where US players say "there's no money in pool", but money goes much further over there, no?
 
cleary said:
What does it actually take to support a family in the philippines? Seems to me a player at his level could snap off the big tournaments in the states or big action, then take that money back home and live a great life. I can see where US players say "there's no money in pool", but money goes much further over there, no?
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Bobby Hunter said that a decent wage in P.I. is around $200 a month. With $10,000 a year you could live well to their standard. Surely Alex can make that; hell, he can make that in a day. I heard that he gets down on the poker table their and it costs him a lot.

I guess having that vice is a real bit*h sometimes.
 
cleary said:
What does it actually take to support a family in the philippines? Seems to me a player at his level could snap off the big tournaments in the states or big action, then take that money back home and live a great life. I can see where US players say "there's no money in pool", but money goes much further over there, no?
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Anthony my friend, you have no clue about the mind set of a top player/gambler like Alex. Sorry to be so blunt. I will tell you this, it isn't about supporting a family or living comfortably either. Alex is chasing that ever elusive "big score" which never seems to be enough when it does come.

He probably has had enough money several times to kick back and enjoy a modest life style, but that's not where he's at by any means. Alex is a dream chaser and an inveterate gambler, who wants to play in the biggest game he can. Whether it's pool, poker or fighting cocks. He's chasing a thrill as much as anything else. It's like a drug and you can't get enough.

For most of us "normal" people, you could retire successfully in the Philippines with a hundred grand. A nice apartment is $200 a month, and you can live good on much less than a thousand a month. That's why so many retired military guys live there. They can do it on their small pensions, where they couldn't do that here.

Alex is so far removed from the above mind set, that I don't think he could even relate to it in any way. I'm sure that he helps out Phoebe and the kids (who live in Hawaii) when he can. But from what I've heard he is deep in debt. It's not easy to dig your way out of that hole. You need to make that "one big score." ;)
 
Can't agree more with this thread... Alex is (was) pool's no. 1 competition entertainer... I think a casino room style TV pool comp. may be the answer in the long run as far as raising audience figures is concerned... a casino 'feel' could really bring the game on with poker players and sports celebs thrown in the ring sitting at round tables sipping chardonnay... :) just my take anyway.
 
jay helfert said:
Anthony my friend, you have no clue about the mind set of a top player/gambler like Alex. Sorry to be so blunt. I will tell you this, it isn't about supporting a family or living comfortably either. Alex is chasing that ever elusive "big score" which never seems to be enough when it does come.

He probably has had enough money several times to kick back and enjoy a modest life style, but that's not where he's at by any means. Alex is a dream chaser and an inveterate gambler, who wants to play in the biggest game he can. Whether it's pool, poker or fighting cocks. He's chasing a thrill as much as anything else. It's like a drug and you can't get enough.

For most of us "normal" people, you could retire successfully in the Philippines with a hundred grand. A nice apartment is $200 a month, and you can live good on much less than a thousand a month. That's why so many retired military guys live there. They can do it on their small pensions, where they couldn't do that here.

Alex is so far removed from the above mind set, that I don't think he could even relate to it in any way. I'm sure that he helps out Phoebe and the kids (who live in Hawaii) when he can. But from what I've heard he is deep in debt. It's not easy to dig your way out of that hole. You need to make that "one big score." ;)
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Wow, sounds grim. I remember even when he won the World Pool Championship, the large prize fund was already spent from gambling debt.
 
jay helfert said:
Anthony my friend, you have no clue about the mind set of a top player/gambler like Alex. Sorry to be so blunt. I will tell you this, it isn't about supporting a family or living comfortably either. Alex is chasing that ever elusive "big score" which never seems to be enough when it does come.

He probably has had enough money several times to kick back and enjoy a modest life style, but that's not where he's at by any means. Alex is a dream chaser and an inveterate gambler, who wants to play in the biggest game he can. Whether it's pool, poker or fighting cocks. He's chasing a thrill as much as anything else. It's like a drug and you can't get enough.

For most of us "normal" people, you could retire successfully in the Philippines with a hundred grand. A nice apartment is $200 a month, and you can live good on much less than a thousand a month. That's why so many retired military guys live there. They can do it on their small pensions, where they couldn't do that here.

Alex is so far removed from the above mind set, that I don't think he could even relate to it in any way. I'm sure that he helps out Phoebe and the kids (who live in Hawaii) when he can. But from what I've heard he is deep in debt. It's not easy to dig your way out of that hole. You need to make that "one big score." ;)
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HAHAHA, I must really look like an Anthony!

You live by the sword, you die by the sword I guess.

Well, like others, I hope Alex finds his way back to pool. He's a great player and always fun to watch.
 
I have been into cockfighting my whole life and am proud to say that at the moment it is what i do for a living. My father has also been involved in it since the 70's and one thing that remains consitent through out the years is that the high rollers never last. The swings in cockfighting are brutal and will make poker look easy. With the exceptions of those from wealthy families, corrupt government officials or gambling lords, many of the high rollers go broke after a couple of seasons and disappear from the scene. Its a very dangerous place for a degen. gambler because there are money lenders all over the place and it is so easy to get credit. especially for someone like alex cause he is known as a billiard champ. There are also many hustlers who are ready to take advantage of begginers.

I always used to see Efren and Django at the fights. Django more often but Alex only seemed to start going this past year because the big cockpit had a poker game in the back.

I am dont know much about the billiard scene over here aside from what is televised but I would imagine it would be hard for alex to get a backer when everyone knows he is in big debt to the card room owned by a powerful Governor and a cockpit owned by the number one Gambling Lord (numbers) in the country. Its just too hard to trust somebody like that or expect 100% play from a guy with that much pressure on him.
 
cuetechasaurus said:
I think it is an absolute shame for pool that Alex quit and plays only poker now. He has the best personality, he is great for TV, and I think he has more heart than anyone in the world. I also think he is in the top 5 best players in the world when he is playing.

Chime in here if you think Alex is one of the best things to ever happen to pool, and that you'd like to see him back playing!

Either way, I wish the best to him, and whatever path he chooses in life. He can be great at anything he wants to be great at.
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Well said,definately one of my favorites to watch, but I understand he needs to do what he has to,but yes It's a shame the money in the sport does not allow him to make what he deserves. Alex has so much talent and is a pleasure to watch play the game.
 
Stated here that Alex will be playing

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=189666

Please find attached Guinness World Series of Pool factsheet, Players entry rules conditions and entry waiver form. I would appreciate you can forward to the related association to submit players entry by April 30th to Ms Jaime Chan at Jaime.Chan@espnstar.com . FYI, we have selected and confirmed the following international players to be seeded as organisers invited players.

1. Mika Immonen (Finland, Current world number 1)

2. Ralf Souquet (Germany, Current world number 2)

3. Ricky Yang ( Indonesia, Current world number 5)

4. Thorsten Hohmann (Germany, current World number 6)

5. Neils Feijen (Holland, Current World number 7)

6. Shane Van Boening (USA, Current world number 11)

7. Johnny Archer (USA, 2005 Mosconi Cup winning team Captain)

8. Alex Pagulayan (Philippines, 2008 World Pool Masters Champion)
 
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cleary said:
HAHAHA, I must really look like an Anthony!

You live by the sword, you die by the sword I guess.

Well, like others, I hope Alex finds his way back to pool. He's a great player and always fun to watch.
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That goes for your cousin Andrew too! :thumbup:
 
Forget about pool. Alex will ruin his whole life if he continues to do what he's doing. That's for sure.

If he could get back into serious pool and somehow accept that he will never be rich, he'll do just fine. Why can't pool champion like Alex realize that money and wealth isn't everything? Why can't he be satisfied with being great pool champion who earns enough money to make a decent living? He can certainly make more money per year than a regular 9 to 5 job. He can be paid (ok sum of money, not great) for doing something that he loves. How many people in the world can say that? People always say that there's no money in pool. Well, for champions like him there is...certainly enough to make a decent living.

What if he indeed wins a 'big score' in poker? How long will that last? A month? A year? Then what?

Somebody please get his head straight and get him back to full time pool. ASAP.
 
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