Keith McCready - Part 4 (Playing Life on the Edge)
In the riveting conclusion of our four-part Legends of the Cue series with Keith “El Diablo” McCready, the legendary shot-maker and showman opens up about the artistry, heart, and hard lessons behind his unforgettable career. From his early days hustling in rough-and-tumble pool halls to his fearless showdowns with icons like Efren Reyes, Keith reflects on the fearless attitude and creative flair that made him both a crowd favorite and a feared opponent.
Joined by co-hosts Mike Gonzalez, Mark Wilson, and Allison Fisher, Keith takes listeners inside his singular approach to the game — the “twisting” of balls, the mastery of cue-ball speeds, and the instinctive genius that made his play “poetry in motion.” He shares candid reflections on learning through combat, staying out of his comfort zone, and how he found magic not through mechanics, but through pure feel.
Off the table, McCready speaks with honesty and humor about his journey through triumphs and turbulence — from the high-stakes gambling life to lessons learned from age, injury, and self-discovery. In his unmistakable style, Keith reveals what he would and wouldn’t change, the one “mulligan” he might take, and how he wants to be remembered: as an entertainer, a fighter, and one of the best “for the money.”
It’s Keith McCready unfiltered — colorful, insightful, and full of soul. A true original whose stories, passion, and spirit capture what makes the greats of the game timeless.
Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.
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Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463
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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