Lance Tomlinson was always tall for his age. That’s how he was able to sneak into pool halls when he was 12.
“It was an interesting life,” he said. “I made a living at it until I was 17.”
Between games, Tomlinson worked a variety of jobs, including driving transports on ice roads in Yellowknife.
As Tomlinson traveled throughout North America, he played pool everywhere he went. He would put as much as $160 on one game, but he said he did it more for the pleasure of playing.
During his journeys, he dodged bullets in pool halls in Florida, made friends in Georgia, and challenged some of the country’s finest players.
“I just loved playing pool,” he said.
Tomlinson recalled spending some of his teenage years in Sudbury, attending Grade 9 at Sudbury High, and playing at a pool hall on Elm Street.
Now, 63-year-old Tomlinson has migrated from his birthplace in Toronto to Smooth Rock Falls, a small community about 100 kilometres north of Timmins.
Tomlinson doesn’t play pool anymore, but over the years, he acquired a lot of knowledge of the game. So much that he was able to write a book about it.
LT’s School of Pool was published by Xlibris Corporation on May 20. The guidebook examines what is required to improve one’s game, and how to win.
The idea of writing a book came to Tomlinson in 1996. He had just moved to North Bay, and after chatting with his mechanic, decided to join a local pool league.
His first season in the league wasn’t nearly as successful as he had hoped it would be. Coming out with an eighth place finish, Tomlinson said, “I realized I had forgotten so much about the game.”
That was when he decided to start writing down the pointers and tips he had used to win games before.
“If I applied what I knew, I could get my game back,” he said.
With some inspiration from a family member, Tomlinson went ahead with the book.
The 50-page publication features pool tips, tricks and even personal stories from Tomlinson.
He said in order to be successful in the pool hall, players need to know strategy and practise it.
The game of pool is like a game of chess. You have to keep your wits about yourself.
Lance Tomlinson,
author
“Most people don’t know how to go about practising on their own,” he said. According to Tomlinson, players have to actually work on certain techniques and shots, not just play games.
He said an ideal training facility is a six-by-12 foot pool table with small pockets.
After a player knows some strategies and how to apply them, they can think about winning games. Tomlinson said keeping a level head is the most important factor leading to a player’s success.
“Anger is what kills you in this game,” he said. “The game of pool is like a game of chess. You have to keep your wits about yourself.”
Knowing how the opponent plays helps, too.
“You have to know their game,” he said. “If you can’t make your shot, shoot your shot so he has the bad shot. You got to know the shots he doesn’t like.”
Practising good table etiquette is essential, too.
“It’s all in the conduct of the table,” Tomlinson said.
He said playing against inconsiderate players makes for a much more difficult game.
When an opponent is shooting, Tomlinson said to avoid walking around the table, or talking, which will distract them.
Now that he has retired from playing, Tomlinson said “it was fun while it lasted.”
For more information about LT’s School of Pool, visit www.xlibris.com
