Though Billiards games and variations have a long western history dating back hundreds of years, the modern game is most often played in bars, or in pool halls which tend many times to be just a step away from a bar scene. There is a lot of smoking and drinking occurring in these arenas, along with a deafening level of loud music being played. These bar and bar-like scenes where billiards games are played also often attract a certain level of unsavory persons. A professional billiards player is not only good at their game, but often has to, in effect, be a fairly tough person, given the places they must play.

In the movie the Color of Money, Tom Cruise plays a young and super talented pool player, who is respected by his competitors, especially when they realize his skill level. His mentor, however, instructs him in how to be a hustler, in order to make money playing billiards. This movie reflects a realistic side of up and coming talented pool players trying to make money at their game; that they, until they make it big, must be very close to being hustlers. Most people are not going to throw their money away and play a pool player that they cannot beat.

It has been theorized that since pool is in many ways a game of finesse, that women would tend to be better billiard players than men. Though since pool is most often a bar related game, more men tend to play. A woman who wins in pool against other players has likely spent a fair amount of time in bars, and often gets the sexist remark when they win: “You’re pretty good for a girl”. These societal gender realities of the game of pool undoubtedly spill into the world of professional players.

The game of professional billiards contains a large number of competitors, and only a small number of tournaments and prizes. The competition is fierce. Those who manage to make it to a professional status have been known to have often spent many hours of practice at their game, such as one famous pool player who would spend eight straight hours playing when she was a child. The level of skill of those who come to obtain professional status is due to the work ethic they contain, the talent they have, the mindset to continuously do well, and the toughness that this required for the environment the player finds themselves in.