Famous Pool Players

If this is your first time to play pool or pocket billiards, you will definitely need some motivation. Although for some people playing pool is quite easy, you will still need to develop the right skills and attitude in order to be a good pool player.



Among the famous pool or billiards players are Raymond Ceulemans, Minnesota Fats, Willie Hoppe, and Walter Albert Lindrum. If you want to know more about these top players, read on.



Raymond Ceulemans



He was a Belgian player born in Lierre Belgium in 1937. Ceulemans played different games like straight billiards, balkline, and cushion caroms. He dominated this sport way back in the 1960's up to the 1970's. He can earn 2,000 points on the average for each turn for every tournament. King Albert knighted him in 2002 and he is in the Billiards Hall of Fame.



Minnesota Fats



He contributed great efforts in making billiards popular. During his time, Fats often made televised appearances. Many pool fans look up to him as a smooth-talking, cocky pool hustler. His real name is Rudolf Walter Wanderone Jr. he learned to play pool at a very early age and he played for money. He was called by many nicknames including Minnesota Fats because of his weight of 250 lbs.



There was a movie entitled "The Hustler" and Wanderone claimed that the story was based on his life as a pool player but the writer denied his claims. Wanderone capitalized on the popularity of the movie and later used the nickname Minnesota Fats to his advantage. In 1984, he was included in the Billiards Hall of Fame.



Willie Hoppe



He was born in Hudson New York and played different billiard games such as balkline and cushion caroms. He won many championships in balkline and he actually set world records during his time.



Walter Albert Lindrum



He is famous for playing English billiards which is a combination of pocket play and carom games. He was born in Australia and won his world titles in two consecutive years (1933-34). He retired undefeated and soon his nephew followed his footsteps and won a snooker championship in 1952.



Those are four of the most famous pool and billiard players. Their lives as pool players can truly inspire would-be pool players. If you only put your heart to it, have the right attitude, and develop the needed skills, you can become a very good pool player.