What comes to mind when you hear the words, "road player"? Do you have an image of Tom Cruise flipping his cue to "Werewolves of London" or Mars Callahan in his black "Hustler" t-shirt? Now, take every hustling stereotype that comes to mind and throw it out the window. I'd like to introduce you to Chris Bartram, modern day road player. He believes you don't have to be an obnoxious loudmouth to be a successful money player. Bartram is more about the action and less about the antics. He's a respectful gambler. He makes it known that he's here for the love of the game and the money, not for the drama.

Imagine playing one pool match in one day for the sum of, oh say, the average annual household income? Most people will never risk as much money gambling in their lifetime as what Bartram has played for in one match. When the stakes are high, you can usually find Bartram around. He welcomes the challenge. The 33-year-old road warrior turned tournament player has won over $75,000 and lost as much as $25,000 in a single session.

Bartram most recently defeated world champion Darren Appleton in a winner-take-all, race-to-100 TAR (TheActionReport.com) 10-ball match for $10,000. The now known road agent has traveled with the likes of other experienced stickmen such as Denver Barger, Brian Groce, Jason Klatt, Jason Kirkwood, Danny Basavich, "Strong Arm" John and Keith Bennett. In his interview, he shares his start, his recent transition from the road to the pit, and some exciting stories from his travels.

Life on the Road

Q: What's your favorite game to gamble?

A: 10-ball. I like banks too but I don't get to play it enough. I like gambling at banks.

Q: Have you ever slept in your car?

A: One time in Green Bay, I was by where the Packers play and there was a Green Bay game, I could not get a hotel anywhere. So, not because I was broke but because I couldn't get a room. Other than that, no.

Q: Now, you're not a big guy. Have you ever been afraid for your life after a big score?

A: Yeah, a couple times. Other than that, for all the gambling and traveling that I've done, that's about it. No fights, nothing like that.

Bartram recalls being robbed at gunpoint in Birmingham, AL while traveling with Rachael Abbink. He attempted to appease the robber with $1,000 from his one pocket when he heard, "No, no, you're the pool player who won all the money. If you don't give me all your money I'm gonna shoot both of you." Without hesitation, he handed over the $8,800 from his other pocket.

In the mid 90's while traveling with Corey Deuel and Dee Adkins through a rough part of Akron, OH, the young boys were followed for miles on the freeway by a car with an armed passenger. With no cell phones, in the pouring rain and with an empty fuel tank, they finally pulled over. Luckily, there were police officers at that exit that immediately followed after the mystery car.

The Right Game

Q: How important is setting up the right game?

A: Most of it's won before you start playing. Nowadays, it's not as much because all my games are tough action but before, for me and Denver, John, when we were somewhat unknown, that's all it was, was just making the right game. I like that. That's something I'm good at is talking to people. A lot of my road partners haven't been, like Jason Klatt, Denver, they don't talk to people. That's one of the good things. I was always good at that. And then we'd lay it down like I was the worst player and I've have to go and talk to people.

Q: How important is rack-your-own?

A: In 9-ball, rack-your-own, that's 99% of the game. In 10-ball, it's not such a big deal but I still prefer to play it but I like rack-your-own 10-ball. 9-ball, I'd rather rack for each other, in 9-ball, rack-your-own is huge.

Q: Which takes more endurance: money matches or tournament matches?

A: My opinion is money matches but a lot could be said for tournaments too because you have to sit around a lot. Like the Texas Open, I played in it, I ended up winning. The last day I was there, I got there at 9 in the morning and we finished at about 8 in the morning so I was pretty much in the place for 24 hours and a lot of people believe that's the reason I won it, because it took that long which favored me a little bit. I think, money matches. If you're playing, say, 15 ahead which is what I enjoy playing with no time limit, when you get to battling back and forth and some of those guys, it's easier for them to give up but that's not my style. You gotta have stamina because if you're down 6, 7, 8 games playing 15 ahead, if you start thinking about you're tired and you gotta get 24 more games ahead?. To me, I think money matches take more stamina.

Q: Is that why you prefer ahead sets, because you feel like you can outlast just about anyone?

A: I feel like I can. I believe that to be true. Plus, I just feel like if I'm playing you and you have me stuck 10, I feel like I can come back on you. In my mind, I feel like if I have you stuck 10, there's a slim chance you're gonna come back on me. I think that's why it favors me, cause I'm not a super high gear player so pretty much, I like when every game means the exact same thing. 9-9 in a race to 11, those two games mean so much more than the other two, but what I like is that every game means the same in an ahead set. Say, in a race-to-9, I break and run the first 8, and then I break and scratch and you three in a row, those games really didn't mean that much to me, you know? But, now playing in an ahead set, every one of those games meant the same, that's why I like the ahead sets.

The Transition

Q: How many days out of the year do you travel?

A: Now, not that much. Before, I think I was gone maybe 8 months out of the year when I used to travel the road a lot.

Q: What made you transition from money matches to tournament play?

A: Action dried up. People got to know me and I've been to just about every state, so?

Q: You're usually a pretty casual guy, shorts, Nautica shirt, is it tough for you to play in tournaments where you have to wear a collared shirt?

A: That's actually why I started wearing collared shirts now all the time, even when I'm not in tournament matches. I just started doing that about a year ago and that's because I used to not wear collared shirts so when I would shoot, I'd hit the button on my collar and it would drive the sh*t out of me so now, I started wearing collared shirts all the time to practice shooting with them because I play more tournaments than gambling now so yeah, that definitely was something I had to get used to.

Q: Your break has improved tremendously, what do you attribute that to?

A: Hard work. Back in the day, my break was my weakness and I just let it be that and didn't work on it but now, I really work on it. I don't play that much right now but say I go practice maybe two hours a day (which is about what I'd practice if I were practicing), I'll go break, if I break them bad even if I make a ball, if I hit them bad, I re-break. I re-break until I hit 'em good and then I run out with ball in hand and then I just re-break again but I break every time. Before, I used to just throw the balls out and run out. Now, I break, there's times where I might break five in a row and just re-break, re-break, until I'm comfortable with the way I'm breaking. But it's just mainly work, putting a lot of work in and getting your timing right.

Q: How has your weight loss helped you with your stamina?

A: I don't know because I haven't played that many gambling matches really since I've lost weight, but I notice in tournaments I'm able to start off a little faster. I'm really a slow starter. I think what it's from is when I was on the road a lot of the years I wasn't really trying to win. A lot of times, me and Danny used to call it the automatic stall. Even though you're really trying to win you're laying down a little bit, and I have a little bit of that in me even though I'm trying to win and it comes out in tournament matches where it's almost like I'm on the automatic stall, I'm not really 100% bearing down. It seems like I come out of the gate better than I used to since I lost the weight. I've always had good stamina as far as playing for days, but I don't think that's from fitness, I think that's heart, you know? You don't wanna quit, you don't wanna lose. That's what I attribute that being in shape.

Gambling Etiquette

Q: Have you ever played on air?

A: No... Nope. I had to think about it because I played before when I was young and we told the guy up front that he could hold our cues until we got money but that's not on air if you tell the guy what you're gonna do. I've never air-barreled nobody. That's one thing I can say and everyone can hear it. I'm happy about that.

Q: Is there such a thing as gambling etiquette?

A: I would never gamble on air. I would never shark anybody. When I miss, I sit down. I don't throw my cue. I don't say anything to the players. I feel like I'm pretty solid as far as gambling etiquette. My pet peeve is when people try to shark people, slam their cues and do things like that. I pretty much play like the Filipinos do. I just play. I don't say anything when I miss. I just sit down and that's about it. I don't play on air.

Q: Do you like to post?

A: Oh, of course, always. There are certain guys that can take it personally when you ask them to post but I would say 99% of the time I post.

Q: Do you prefer playing sets?

A: I love by-the-game or ahead sets but when I play by the game if I'm not playing somebody that I know is a gambler, I'll make them put up games but I like by-the-game.

Q: What if someone has you stuck and then they quit on you?

A: They quit winner? Oh, I hate that. I would never quit anybody winner. Now, when you start playing, if you let them know ahead of time, like say, 7 o'clock I gotta quit, that's cool because I know they gotta go. But, just out of the blue, I hate that.

Q: Do you usually play with your own bankroll?

A: Most of the time. What we do here lately is, say a TAR match for $10,000, I usually bet maybe 3 or 4. Then, my brother bets, my friends bet and then they throw me like 25%.

Q: How does such a quiet, reserved guy get so much action?

A: A little bit is that they just know and that I talk. I don't really chirp and yell but I'll match up and most people now that know me, they know that gambling with me, (1) they can make a score, (2) there's gonna be no problems, and (3) I'll play a tough game. I don't quit winner. Most people would want to gamble with me even though they know it's gonna be tough, they're not gonna fade any b.s., they'll get paid, I won't quit winner, so it's pretty easy for me to get action. And, I have a lot of games that people have never seen. Nowadays, not so much because I don't really go out and hustle but I have a lot of trick games, giving people the last six on a bar table which is really stealing but they don't know it. Spots they never got before, I give to people, so that's one way to get action, give someone a spot they've never gotten.

Life Before Pool

Bartram was born in Columbus, OH, and lived in Florida from age 4-15 before returning to Columbus. At 15, while living in Florida, as Bartram?s friends became interested in partying and other typical teen activities, he would ride his bike to the neighborhood pool hall. He brushed tables in exchange for pool time. Eventually, he would become a daily fixture there.

Q: Have you ever had a non-pool related job?

A: This is the best one! When I was 13, I wasn't even old enough to work; I worked at a sushi restaurant for like 3-4 weeks. That was pretty funny. I worked there but I still don't eat sushi to this day.

At 15, Bartram got a job as a dish washer and was playing pool on the side. He recalls, "that was pretty cool back then, washing dishes for minimum wage and playing $50 a game 8-ball on the bar table."

When I moved to Ohio, the pool hall by me you had to be 18 to get in but the one old guy, he was super old, Lou, he passed away, he was a h*ll of a guy, he would let me in when he was working. This guy Larry would come to work at 5 or 6 and kick me out every day. So, Lou would let me in early and I'd have to leave. So, I'm playin' this guy, Jimmy Justice. I used to play him $50/game 8-ball on the bar table. Meanwhile, I used to have to quit the guy to work all the time but I told him going into it.

As an adult, from '98 to '03, he sold cars for the largest Ford dealership in the country. During the busy months of June to November he worked 55 hours a week. In the slow season, it was all about pool.

Q: Do you think that the car salesman skill you learned helped you with your negotiating skills when it comes to setting up matches?

A: Oh yeah, oh yeah. I learned it more in the pool world and I brought it into cars, but it's helped me in both. Just talking to people and knowing how to make games, yeah, they both go hand in hand from the cars to the pool, sure.

Life Outside of Pool

Growing up as an athlete, Bartram played baseball and football. He was also quite the bowler. "I was really good at bowling but when I moved to Ohio I quit bowling."

Q: Were you ever as good of a bowler as you are a pool player?

A: I think I was better. I used to average 188 when I was 15 which was the high average for my age in Florida.

Bartram even won the State Championships for bowling while in high school.

Q: Did you gamble at bowling too?

A: No. That's the reason I went to pool cause there was no action in bowling.

Q: What other games do you gamble at?

A: Now? Golf. I'm actually not that good of a golfer but what I'm good at is that I play the same no matter how much the money is. In golf, a lot of players that are amateurs, they really can't take the heat. So, when I'm playing these guys like $10/hole and then we play $100/hole, I play the same and they usually don't. That's my specialty in golf is that I usually play the same no matter how much I'm playing for. It's kinda like that in pool too. I just bring my game and if it's good enough, it's good enough but I bring the same game just about every time.

Benefits of Gambling

Q: Do you ever get nervous anymore?

A: A: Yeah, I get nervous. Most of the time if it does happen, it's right before a match and after the first game or so and it's over. But yeah, everybody gets nervous, I think.

Q: A lot of people say you have to gamble to be a better player, do you agree with that theory?

A: I don't feel that way. Although, I think that's the best way to get good. You can go the tournament route but to get better you have to be playing with better players. It's a saying that a lot of people don't like to hear but, "you gotta pay your dues." Whether it's going to a $10 tournament with better players and you're not gonna win or gambling, I think the best way to get better is find a local good player that will play you cheap. Like me, when I'm at home, I get no action so I would give a guy trying to learn the last five, something big, for like, $5/game or $20/set. And if he really wants to get better at pool it would be worth it for him for sure. I think gambling, play as cheap as you can and play in a few weekly tournaments. Do both.

Bartram has played numerous TAR challenge matches, defeating top players such as John Schmidt, Rodney Morris, Mike Dechaine, and most recently, Darren Appleton. Bartram also has a 2007 U.S. Open One-Pocket match versus Tony Chohan available for purchase at TheActionReport.com. He's also a player representative for the new SpotClothing.com.