Bring in Cue or Not?

I have mentioned that I am helping raise money for local pool player, Dave Faver, who has throat cancer.  The funds have helped him stay in a hotel while he gets treatment.

I talk to him usually once a day to see how he's doing, and sometimes he shares pool stories.

Here is one of them:

He's been playing pool on the road since the 80s.  He said that back then and even 20 years later, he figured out it's just best when you get in a game while on the road, to play pool using the cuestick from the wall.

While he had his own cue stick in the car, obviously if you walk in with a cue, everyone thinks this stranger can play.  If you get a game, and then go outside to get your cue, then you'd be labeled a hustler before you even hit a ball.

It's kinda crazy all the things you had to think about and consider to get games back then (heck, maybe even today in some locations, right?) when you try to gamble in a town no one knows you, huh?

Don't Take Easy Outs For Granted

I was listening to two commentators talk about a game and their words hit me like a brick and I wanted to share them, because it was the EXACT reason for the importance of a pre-shot routine and non-laziness.

I hadn't watched any of this match except the very last game that someone shared on Facebook.  It was evidently a race-to-30 gambling match.  The player on 28 games breaks his 10-ball rack but doesn't make a ball.  His opponent is left with a really tough layout, and he is on game 29!

I am can only imagine what they were playing for, and I would guess in the $1,000s range, since it was streaming from the Derby tourney action room.

Anyway, as the player is running out this tough rack, the commentators share this information:

The player at the table had been messing up earlier in the match and getting out of line more on easy layouts.  One of the commentators even called it "Mickey Mouse" outs.  And the player was getting in more trouble with them, and those are the ones the commentators kept thinking he would run out on.

They went on to say the player "razzled and dazzled" and didn't take his time, and not only got out of line a lot on the easy layouts, but also missed a straight-in 10-ball earlier in the set.

This player, the commentators said, "bares down much harder on the tough ones [layout]."

And this out WAS a very tough layout and he DID get out.

It goes to show that you should put the same effort into all shots, matches, and games.

Don't get lazy, and don't presume a lot about the layout.  Walk around the table, don't rush your shots or 2-stroke your shots, and don't take any shots for granted.  That's what gets us in trouble.

And a pre-shot routine will help you realize that every shot is important; every shot deserves the same respect.  And you will be more successful.

Online Magazine Column!

One of the things I was excited about for 2017 that I broadly eluded to late last year in my blog, has come to fruition.  And, this is kind of a dream for me: Interviewing players for a billiard magazine!

Sure, I have interviewed a few people for my blog, but not many people come here or even know about this blog.  Further, I really wanted to showcase the personal side of certain players and being printed in a magazine would give them more exposure.

I am so excited!

And after I read the answers from my first sacrifice, err, interviewee, I was even more excited! Tony Sulsar was funny at times, gave some great tips, and reminisced about his Dad.  Tony really sealed the whole vision of this dream I am working on for others.

I am so happy about this coming to fruition!

I am now a columnist for Billiard Buzz!  It's an online magazine from AZBilliards.com.  Here is the January issue and a sneak peak of the interview with Tony:

http://www.azbilliards.com/buzz/8/

Right now I have plans in place to interview players who have overcome odds, but of course I will also interview players/people in the pool industry in general (if they say yes, lol).  Let's face it, they are interesting also.  Well, most of the time :)