I was born and raised in Southern California. My friends and family expected me to go to college and get an advanced degree. I slowly fell out of love with school life. I was a nerdy artistic type, and I was not athletic. I loved reading, drawing, and painting a great deal. My family did not have much money, so for the money, I started going to Los Angeles for modeling. Thanks to the modeling, I played my first game of Billiards. I fell in love with billiards instantly. I essentially quit caring about most everything, not billiard related. I was 14 when I fell in love with billiards. My life has revolved around billiards since.
Slowly but surely, with a great deal of help from many great people around me, I figured out how to make a living from the game I love. I sell billiard products, I do billiard exhibitions, and I teach billiards. I have some of the best students in the world. I have surrounded myself with wonderful and supportive people who also love billiards. Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.
Below is the list of the most commonly asked questions I get.
How do you make a living from billiards? In the exact same way most professional athletes do... Such as, endorsements, doing appearances, corporate exhibitions, lessons, and also products, there are over three hundred products that carry my name. DVD's Posters, billiard cues and so on, basically every billiard product you can think of, ranging from $5 bridge to an $1,100 billard cue.
Where are you from? I'm from California, however, I currently reside in Texas.
How did you become so great at trick shots? Practice and more practice.
Is it true that you know martial arts? Yes, I'm a certified Blackbelt instructor.
Is it true that you were a model? Yes, when I was very young and much thinner... However, I quit modeling after I fell in love with Billiards. Also, I like eating too much.
How old were you when you first played pool? I was 14 years old.
Was it hard to become a pro player? Yes, but anything worth having takes hard work and sacrifice.
Is it true that you were an artist? A painter? Yes, around the time I used to play snooker for money, my art was also being sold in art galleries.
Whats your ethnicity? Short answer, everything, or European. Yes, I sunburn... Longer answer, I'm, English, Scadanavian, French, Spanish, Italian and so on, pretty much name any Eurpoean ethnicity I have some in me.
Favorite pool game? Snooker.
Have you gambled at billiards? Gambling and playing for money are two different things. Yes, I have played many, many, money games. That said it was nothing like gambling since I knew I was going to win most the time. I knew the odds well, in other words, I was more like a casino.
Do you love hustling? Being a pool shark? Hustling and sharking means cheating people or misleading people. So, no... I never did that. I believe in beating people the old fashion way, by just playing better than them. I believe in hard work and practice, no false shortcuts. Also if I had to cheat people to do my job I would change profession.
Is it true that you can move, put and take apart pool tables by yourself? Even snooker tables? How many tables have you owned and moved? Yes, I greatly enjoy working on pool tables of any size. I have lost track of how many tables I have moved and owned, since I buy and sell several of them per year.
Where you always so athletic? No, I was fairly un-athletic when I was little. I grew out-out of it slowly, first with martial arts then later with billiards.
Do you ever teach pool? Yes, I teach many one on one lessons weekly, I also do several group clinics all over the country per year.
How do you not get nervous when you perform live on tv or trick shot exhibitions? I just breathe, bear down and let years of practice take over, again it comes down to practice and them more practice. So by the time, it comes up is a natural set of actions and movements.
You have worked with the best pool players in the world like Efren Reyes, Fransisco Bustamante, Mike Massey, Estefano Pelinga and CJ Wiley, doing exhibitions, clinics, instructional videos, how did you manage to so much when you were so young? You practice endlessly very hard and when opportunity calls, you answer. Unfortunately, opportunity comes disguised as hard work. You have to work on it, till the time comes, then you jump on the opportunity when it finally comes.
We understand you have directed and edited many instructional DVDs. What do you prefer directing or editing? Directing is way more fun and easier than editing. Sadly editing is harder but gets only a small fraction of the credit.
Favorite food? Chicken adobo.
You have worked with the best pool players in the world what sets them apart from the local pros or just a good local player? Three things hard work, second mindset and third people skills. As a general rule once you have acquired the skills to play well the differences come down to the mindset. The game becomes a lot more mental as you get better and better. Then the best of the best also tend to have to have good people skills. If you don't learn to deal with people well you will never reach full potential since people won't help you, and worse they may even go out of there way to impede your success, in favor of someone they do favor.
