Pool and Gambling from the Duchess Eyes

Pool and gambling always have been associated with one another. Obviously, not everyone is happy with it; pool associations prefer the term billiard and pool players insist on being referred to as sportspeople. For women pool players the battle is double: they do not only have to prove that pool players are as hard workers as any other athletes, they also do it in a masculine, often hostile, environment.

Take Allison Fisher for example. The leading 9-ball pool player talked with R.A. Dyer, the righteously appraised billiards writer, about maintaining the classy image of pool in the action packed and testosterone filled air of pool tournaments such as the Derby City Classic.

The gambling association of pool especially harms the sports when major sponsorships are called for, says the Duchess of Doom in the interview, and notes that almost every pool movie ever produced was dealing with pool hustling in fishy pool halls instead of playing respectable tournaments. Pool tournaments, she adds, is a much safer place for a girl who wants to improve her pool skills, than a pool room full of sharks where once you win you've got to have a body guard watching your back on your way home.

Allison Fisher "The Duchess of Doom" at the 2007 US Open final

Billiard and Muscles, Billiard vs. Golf

And more on the subject of billiard and muscles, this time I'll start with a quote of Richard Carrier, the sports columnist of Powhatan Today:

"…golfers actually have physical skill levels equal to that of billiard players. They both have the ability to make a ball curve, the ability to read the speed of the green/felt and good hand-eye coordination. The only difference is that, with the golfer, success is in the tools he uses and, more often than not, he who has the more expensive tools/toys wins. And billiard players cut down an insignificant number of trees."

And once again, billiard players get the upper hand; playing billiard requires you neither to build an iron body nor to spend tons of money on expensive equipment!

(Only Kidding; it is known that the billiard pros must have a Spartan training routine, which often requires a home pool table and that my friends isn't cheap at all! But seriously, the guy had a smart point, I couldn't say it any better.)

And speaking of golf and billiard, here's another analogy between the two types of sports:

"…snooker (and golf) are the easiest sports to fix. Both are individual sports often gambled upon and in both of them missing a shot does not have to look that obvious. But unlike golf players who’ve been practicing their sports on green grass among white collars, the natural habitats of snooker players are smoky billiards parlor swarming with dubious characters."

(from Play89 blog who comments to L A Odicean weblog)

Is Pool Bad for your Masculine Image?

Georgina Chang, the host presenter of the Guinness 9 Ball Tour on STAR Sports, writes to The Star Online about the low sex appeal of pool, especially when compared to more sweaty, muscular and masculine sports such as football, car racing and even swimming.

You must admit that her points are quite convincing. Pool players are not the typical alpha males, yet playing pool has some advantages to your self esteem.

On one hand, you don't have to look like this to play pool:

On the other hand, pool players get to wear suits and compete in air conditioned halls and they hardly ever face this kind of danger:

And to be serious for a moment, the level of concentration demanded from pool players is very high or in Chang's words: "They need a computer-like brain that works in lightning speed to compute and process the many permutations one can take to pocket a ball… under the pressure of just three minutes".

Snooker Players who Play 9Ball

I have recently noticed that many snooker players are also 9 ball players on top of many 9 ball players who were snooker players in the past.

For example, snooker champion Jimmy White who plays 9 ball in tournamnets and exhibitions who has been recently playing 9 ball pool at the online pool room play89. And Ronnie O'Sullivan, whom I read somewhere quit snooker in the favor of pro 9 ball. I'm sure there are other names which I can't recall right now.

I sure understand why people, especially snooker players, want to play 9 ball. Don't get me wrong,it is a great game. I'm just wandering if there are other reasons for these career changes.

Is 9 ball more challenging than snooker? Is it an inevitable move?

Is it something to do with money?

If you have any idea, please share with me.

Who's the best pool player in history?

Following the success of my previous post (0 comments and still counting) I hereby announce on the launch of a second discussion:
Who, in your opinion, is the best pool player of all times?
Feel free to overload my mailbox with answers and suggestions