You don’t have to be a world class pool player to make a living playing pool. There are tons of ways to make money as long you have drive, ambition and treat pool playing like a business.
Keep in mind that to even consider playing pool for a living, you must have some skill in the game above the general population. Most larger cities have ratings systems in place to help lower-skilled players win tournaments. Rating systems are widely taken advantage of no matter the system and no matter the city. Most cities will make you the highest rated player for your first tournament and then lower you when they see you are not a hustler. So make sure your first time out you put on a show so they make you the lowest rated player. From here you will be able to get into more tournaments that top players can’t get in, and if you are in a tournament with top players, they will have to “give you weight” (a handicap). If you play just good enough to win, you probably won’t get raised.
While putting up $5 to win $100 in a tournament is always appealing, I like gambling and putting up $1,000 to double my money. It is a way better choice when you know you have no chance at losing. Losing $5 in a tournament doesn’t matter if you get action that pays more than the tournament did. Pool players always like free money, so if they think you are free money because of your great acting, you are in a great spot to make money for a long time.
Being on a schedule will also help you make money. If every day you were to wake up and treat playing pool like a job, you would create better opportunities for yourself. If people think that you are “free money” and you are always at the pool hall between noon and 5 p.m., they will be at the pool hall between noon and 5 p.m. to play you.
Create a spreadsheet or document that lists your income on a daily basis. Make sure to include things like table time, tournament entry fees and new cue tips on a separate sheet. You will begin to see patterns in your weekly earnings and can then distinguish what needs to be done on those bad days to make more money.
The average salary you want to make depends on you. If you want to make enough money to support a family of 5, look somewhere else. Some players make a great living playing pool. On a good month, I average around $1,400 per month after all other (pool related) expenses. On a bad month, I may be in the negative. I try not to have bad months, but of course, as with any business, you will have your ups and downs.
Plan your week in advance. You also need to know where you are going to play every day so you can create a win/loss ratio for each tournament. If every Monday you lose more than you win, you might look into going to a different tournament on Mondays or find someone to gamble on Mondays to make up for it.
If you follow the advice given, your annual earnings should be over $15,000 a year or higher depending on your style of play, personal drive, and your geographical location. There are players out there that make earnings over $100,000 a year, but don’t expect to make this just starting out.
Your pool game can be as good as gold, don’t spend it all in one place.
