Keith McCready - Part 2 ("Earthquake” in Action)
In this second installment of Legends of the Cue featuring the incomparable Keith “Earthquake” McCready, the stories get wilder, the stakes higher, and the characters larger than life. With his trademark wit and fearless honesty, Keith takes us deep into the gritty underworld of American pool during its most colorful era — where the lights never dimmed, the games never stopped, and the money was always on the line.
From marathon gambling sessions at California’s legendary Billiard Palace to encounters with icons like Minnesota Fats, Ronnie Allen, and Danny DiLiberto, McCready recalls a time when skill, nerve, and street smarts were the only currencies that mattered. He shares how his early years were a “mini-laboratory” for learning to play under relentless pressure — and the sometimes-questionable methods players used to keep going for days on end.
Listeners will hear Keith’s hilarious and heartbreaking tales of triumph and trouble: falling asleep under pool tables with cash in his pockets, only to wake up robbed; being “jarred” mid-match by opponents looking for an edge; and hustling through the West Coast’s roughest rooms armed with nothing but talent and charm.
Co-hosts Mike Gonzalez, Allison Fisher, and Mark Wilson bring warmth and insight as they guide Keith through these vivid memories — from his friendship with the greats to the challenges of vision loss that ended his playing days far too soon.
Equal parts humor, danger, and heart, this episode captures the essence of a man who lived pool at full throttle and left an indelible mark on the game.
🎱 Join us for Part 2 of “Earthquake” Keith McCready — the stories only he could tell, from a life lived at the edge of the table.
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Music by Lyrium.
About
"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”
Pool Professional
Keith “Earthquake” McCready, also known to many fans as “El Diablo”, is one of pool’s most unforgettable originals: a fearless shot-maker, a born entertainer, and a road-seasoned money player whose life story feels like it was written for the movies… because, in a way, it was. Born on April 9, 1957, in Elmhurst, Illinois, McCready’s early years became a collision of natural talent, turbulence, and survival, with pool providing both a refuge and a proving ground.
In the four-part Legends of the Cue conversation, Keith’s beginnings come through as equal parts gritty and mythic: a kid learning to navigate grown-up environments far too young, discovering that a cue, a table, and a fearless heart could open doors, or start fires. The story traces his move to Southern California and the formative years that followed: the childhood runouts, the early gambling, and the immersion into a West Coast poolroom culture that was as much apprenticeship as it was trial-by-combat. By the time most kids were worrying about school and sports, Keith was learning to compete under pressure, to read people as well as angles, and to understand that in certain rooms the score wasn’t the only thing being wagered.
Part of what makes McCready’s story so compelling is that it’s not a tidy rise, it’s a raw one. He describes a life shaped by loss and instability, and he talks openly about how pool became an anchor during times when not much else felt steady. In those early years, he encountered larger-than-life characters and influences who left permanent marks on his approach to the g…Read More