Snooker Road Players

Been trawling through the t'internet again and started looking at billiards sites with more seriousness.

Not billiards as in Geet Sethi, Mike Russell and Walter Lindrum type billiards, but BIG BAD US Billiards (pool) including 9-ball, 8-ball, straight, bank pool and 1-pocket.

Apart from the sheer diversity in differing techniques and skills needed for each game there is a common theme in almost all of the sites and blogs I've read.

Might I take this opportunity to point out that from a Northern Snooker Hero's perspective the games of 8-ball, 9-ball and straight appear to be easy on the surface, I myslef have run 60+ at stratight pool and broke and ran more racks at 9-ball than I care to rememebr, but I would be toast (see, I'm picking up the damn yankee patter too) if I were to play even an average player at any of the disciplines listed above.

Anyway I digress....

To get back to the subject of my post, the theme that seems to transcend all pool disciplines is one of gambling. I wouldn't go as far as saying hustling, but gambling is pretty prevelant throughout, imho. This aspect lead me to the notion of road players.

Road players, for the un-informed amongst us, are players who literally pack up their kit and nick off touring wherever seeking to arn a crust from their skills with the cue(stick).

Now one of the more entertaing sites I've read is Mike McCafferty's or Fast Mikie's Road Trip.

I have to admit i read this daily - in fact I need to read this site daily - it's that good. btw he seems to like my blog too!

Back to snooker.....

having played snooker for longer than I can remember I have never EVER come across a 'snooker road player'. Not one, not a dicky bird, not a sausage, nada, bada bing, bada boom.

Do they exist?

I know that there is a thriving gambling fraternity in both the UK 8-ball scene (especially in the North East it seems, but seeing as everyone in Newcastle / Durham / Middlesborough signs on the dole I can see why) and the 9-ball scene but none in snooker.

It can't be a culture thing as most of the leading pool players are failed snooker types - Marc Farnwsorth, Daryl Peach et al so it's roughly the same people just different games.

Why is this????? I need to know!!

Answers on a postcard to the usual address