[mosta]

read robert byrne's books Period. do you play position? how is your cueball control? you should be doing all sorts of exercises. don't bother playing in bars. you need a table to yourself, a full-sized table, in good condition, wth good equipment. find a poolhall or a college gameroom if you are a student. do you own or have access to a cue with quality leather tip, which you can dress and maintain. if not, don't bother. practice 10-20 hours a week. even then, I think any random (or self-selecting) person hads a much better chance of winning a $10,000 buy-in poker tourney than ever, say, running 50 in straight pool. don't even call yourself a pool player till you expect to run out a bar table of 8-ball. aside from the shot after the break, there's really not a missable shot on a 3X6 table of 8-ball.