Playing Off the Rail: A Pool Hustler's Journey

by David Mccumber

Release Date: 01 April, 1997

Edition: Paperback

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A Great Read

Tony Annigoni - house pro and part owner of the Q-Club in San Francisco. David McCumber - pool devotee and writer with some money to spare. These two go on the road across North America hustling games and looking for action. Annigoni plays and generally wins. McCumber bankrolls his bets and sweats on the sidelines taking the notes that turned into this book. McCumber's writing is strong, sometimes a bit too Hunter Thompsonish, but he loves the game and has a visceral sense of humor about the odyssey that could cost him a bundle. Annigoni is a great player, but the opponents are world class and life on the road in cheap hotels, late trains, and all night pool halls is a tiring exercise. This is a good book. Those who play a little pool will enjoy the tense action and will be able to follow the games closely. Those who just enjoy a book about a little-known facet of America's underbelly will be swept along. Those who liked "The Color of Money" will appreciate the reality check.

Playing off the Rail Review

Playing off the Rail, was a book about the the roadtrip of a Pool Hustler Tony Annigoni with his stakehorse David McCumber the author of the book. McCumber has the heart for playing but he knows deep down that he doesn't have the skill to become a successful road player. Therefore, with $27,000 in McCumbers pocket then go on the road traveling all over the United States from California to New York. Grabbing as much action (games) as they can in every city. They play lots of the greatest players in the world in some of the highest stakes games they have ever witnessed. They play with the best and are able to beat them many times and take loads of cash off each player they came across. Of course, with winning comes lots of losing but they wade through that continuing on the road. I really enjoyed this book it was written very well. The way McCumbers writes shoves you right into the heart and soul of the game keeping your attention at every turn and your heart pounding with $2,000 on the line with one shot. The book moves very well and it's defitnely one of the greatest books I have ever read on pool. I could relate to it at many parts of the book and I felt like many of the characters throughout the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves pool or even has a mild interest in pool or even if you have ever heard of pool. By the end, this book will have you interested in pool or at least have a renewed respect for it. I know I certainly do and whenever I was done reading a chapter it made me want to go out and play pool so much. Mad props to McCumber I look forward to the next pool book!