Playing Off the Rail: A Pool Hustler's Journey | 
 enlarge | Author: David Mccumber
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $5.49
You Save: $9.46 (63%)
New (29) Used (21) from $1.63
Avg. Customer Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 328586
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.4 x 1.1
ISBN: 0380729237
Dewey Decimal Number: 794.72092
EAN: 9780380729234
ASIN: 0380729237
Publication Date: April 1, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Publisher's Overstock, Excellent Condition, may have remainder mark
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Product Description
At the age of 17, David McCumber was stricken with "road fever" that irresistible call to the itinerant life of a professional gambler. Twenty-two years later, he got the chance to follow that dream-not as a player but as the "stakehorse" (financial backer) for Tony Annigoni, a non-smoking, macrobiotic-eating "Renaissance Pool Hustler," student of Eastern religion, and master of the pure green-felt poetry of the dead stroke." With $27,000 in David's pocket they took off together on an astonishing four-month odyssey across America-traveling from seedy, hole-in-the-wall billiard parlors to high-class snooker rooms to high-tension pro tourneys, from Seattle to Miami and back again-exploring a shady twilight subculture and uniquely American mythos, in search of serious money, local glory...and the perfect hustle.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 Takes one back to the "good old days".... July 12, 2008
Having found this book in a WSJ review on the top 5 gambling books, I elected to order. I had spent two high school years in "small town america" in the 60's, where one of the major local activities was "Drew's pool hall". Looking back, I see alot of similarities in McCumber's book. The "stale cigar smoke, the stale aspirations of old men,the rebellious 8th graders slouched eating slim jims"....and the 9 ball table at the front near the bar where all the real action was.
What other game gives you colorfull names like Bucktooth (the "Tooth"), Kamikazie Bob, Waterdog, among many others?
McCumber takes us on a whirlwind tour of the U.S. and Canada with one pool player (hustler?) and one money staker, McCumber himself. The locations and pool games are timeless and one has to wonder if this tradition continues today.
 Fun...eye opening June 3, 2008
A bit draggy at first but its well worth sticking with for all the action later. As hilarious as the betting is outragious its an eye opening experience for the non-gambler.
Some fine shots May 5, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Very enjoyable read. Well-written, moves along, lots of good humor mixed with a longing for the glory days of the great pool rooms and the legendary hustlers, some of whom make appearances here.
Certainly one of the great pool books but not as amusing as Fat's autobiography, which is so funny it's in a league of its own.
Still, McCumber has some great moments, and this is well worth the time if you've ever thought you knew how to shoot some pool.
a wonderful escape February 17, 2008
This was a blast to read, very difficult to put down.
I laughed out loud, I felt I was traveling right there with them-- a very cool book I highly recommend.
Fun Read December 22, 2007
If you like to see inside the pool hustle scene this book will take you there, Has it's share of humor and some parts that are eye opening. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it. Some of the characters will stay with you and when you're in a pool room you will pick them out of the crowd. I think anyone who loves this game would like to go on the road and win big money. David Mccumber does a good job of fulfilling that fantasy.
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