Book Review: Pool Wars: On the Road to Hell and Back with the World's Greatest Money Players

While watching Darren Appleton and Dennis Orcollo battled it out on TAR 38, one of the commentators, Jay Helfert, mentioned he had a book about life as a pool player on the road back in the heyday of pool hustling in the 60's, 70's and 80's.  I enjoy hearing and reading about exciting pool stories, so I bought the book to check it out.

I found Jay's book on Amazon, but you can also find it on Jay's website.

The paperback version is about 160 pages of Jay's experiences travelling the country and beyond, playing for money on the road, owning a pool hall, and being a consultant on movies.  I enjoyed the stories Jay had to tell, although I didn't know many of the pool players he mentioned until he got further into the book.  I did know some of the players, though.  Legends like Minnesota Fats, Willie Mosconi, Luther Lassiter, and Cornbread Red.

Overall, I liked the book and the stories Jay had to tell.  During the commentary at TAR 38, he mentioned he might write another book of more stories from his experiences.  I hope he does, because this era of pool he lived is gone.  The internet, video, and smartphones have killed those days.

If you are a fan of pool hustling or want to know what life was like back in those days, pick up this book.  You won't regret it.