Tony Chohan - Part 4 (Derby City, Game Tight and the Legacy of a One Pocket Legend)

Mike Gonzalez 0:13

Let's take you back to perhaps more pleasant memories. And so uh in 2022, as we mentioned, you won the one the uh the U.S. Open again. This is 15 years after you won the the first US Open one pocket championship. Which victory meant more to you?

Tony Chohan 0:31

Well, obviously the 2007 one because of my grandmother, if you know. So the 2022 is just you know, I believe it was that there was a hiatus for the one pocket, and that's kind of why it took so long to I don't even think there was that many events in between 2007-2022 uh for various reasons whatsoever. But um, yeah, I mean definitely 2007 meant more. I mean, you know, like you said, I was kind of reeling off some victories from like 2021 and 22 and 23. So it was like I was just I was trying to do my best impression of SVB and went and went a back-to-back event as much as I could, right? But I just enjoyed being I was playing, I was able to play in an event, the events were paying decent, and and that's the fun part, you know, is like when you're able to actually go from event to event and and actually start to make a few dollars and and see that there's some money in it, that's what makes you a little more hungrier, right? That it's not getting all eaten up by just expenses that you know you you don't want to book a win this week for $10,000 and you spent $2,500 to get there, so now you profited $7,500, and then next week you go to another event and you spent $2,500. Well, there you go. You know, you're only up $5,000 now, let's just say, right? If you don't do good in it, it's no good, right? But if you do do good in it, well now you're you know doubling up your bankroll every time, right? You're doubling it up, doubling it up, and you're able to keep going. So it's funner when there's more events in a row because it gets gets you to start playing your best pool also, right? Because you're feeling in stroke, you're in competitiveness also, right?

Mark Wilson 2:08

You also won Buffalo's in the International Open in 2022. Was that the best sustained stretch a pool you have ever played?

Tony Chohan 2:18

Um not that I could I mean I can't say it's the best stretch of pool. I just think that certain events just bring me to I mean when it comes to one pocket and I know that there's a decent size payout, I just make myself I don't know, I just make myself know that I have to win. It's like I feel like I'm supposed to win, and if I don't win, I feel like I'm disappointed, right? Because I feel like I'm supposed to be the guy that's supposed to be right there at the final two or three every time. And if I don't, then I feel like I'm letting myself down. And if I don't get there, I feel like it's because my head was somewhere else or I just played bad, one or the other, right? There's no in between. It's it's a it's a mentality thing for me. Once I lock in and I just know, like, you know, like here's the difference like Texas opens going on in a few days. I'm not feeling the greatest, but last year, or I shouldn't say last year, but let's say they did the same type of Texas Open event, but they did it in February, I want to say, and that was one of my first events coming back off of that first surgery. And I just wanted to play, man. I wanted to play bad, and I wanted to, you know, I I didn't even really care about the whim so much. I just wanted to play good and I wanted to play hard, right? And I was right I was right there in the finals, and really I had fetter beat. I had to beat him twice, I beat him the first set, and the second set was hill hill. I had to stretch for a ball, and because of where the stretch was, I had to stretch for my stomach. Well, that's where I had all the pads and everything. I couldn't stretch, and as soon as I stretched, I overcut the ball, so I lose the match from there. But you know, it's kind of just one of those things, right? It's you know, it just it just happened. But so this event, this event pays good, right? Like they have 20,000 added money. Every entry fee is a thousand dollars. I got over 30 players in the event. That's gonna be that's that's good payouts, right? That's gonna be first place, should be at least $15,000, right? Uh Calcutta money will be up there. It'll be probably $15,000 for first in the Calcutta at least. So there's good money in it. Like now that makes me want to play, right? Because you can actually make some decent money. I'm not interested in playing events where it pays two, three thousand dollars. Not unless that's somewhere close to me. Then yeah, I'm gonna go, but you can't travel to them, right? Because it's too hard. So yeah, yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 4:37

Well, going into that derby in 2023, I mean, you had won pretty much everything, right? Uh, but you hadn't won the Derby. And so uh here you're down two to one to Jonathan Pinneger in the final. You fight back to Hill Hill, and you finally win the Derby City. When that last ball disappeared, what did that championship mean to you?

Tony Chohan 4:58

It was definitely the one thing that's been avoiding me for my whole career, right? So it's kind of like it was the one last thing that I just had to win, you know what I mean? Like I was like, and I've gotten down to the final four quite a few times, and then it's just I end up losing or something, you know, and I'm just like, man, I'm like, dang, man. Then when he's got me down and I'm kind of annoyed from playing him just because a little bit of the antics and stuff, right? And I'm thinking to myself, well shit, man, it's just not meant to be or whatever, right? And then he left me a little error, and I was like, no, you better get up and you better start trying to you better try to win. Like, you know, you know, and and he and you could tell the whole room, man, like the whole room wanted to see me win. They just didn't want to see him win. It was just one of those things that's like the whole room wants to see you win. So you're carrying the whole room of all the fans because they want to see you win because they know you, you know, and and they feel like I deserve to be up there, and I feel like I deserve to be up there, and and if I'm not, then I don't feel like I'm up there with the elite if I don't get my banner up there, you know, because that's kind of like what the banner is kind of like one of those things that's always gonna be there for the rest of your life, you know, and you always be able to look up and be like, Yeah, I did win it at least once, you know what I mean? But yeah, you know, so it's kind of just one of those things, it's just uh you know, you just you a lot of final twos and threes and a lot of events, and it's just you know, just finally, you know, win, you know what I mean? So right, yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 6:23

Yeah, well you're you your fans know this, our listeners may not know it, but uh you weren't a one trick pony that year either. You finished second in the all-around.

Tony Chohan 6:31

Yeah, and you know what's crazy is I should have won the all-around, right? So good story about that is is so I I think I don't know, I finish high in the banks and then I get I win the the one pocket or whatever, and Fedder loses his first match in the um like the first or second round in the nine ball. Well, I get all the way down to the final ten players in the nine ball, right? But I'm dead tired because I just won the one pocket and I gotta play matches at two in the morning now. Yeah. So I'm like, man, and I and I kind of had Roland beat too, but Roland was like soft breaking me, and he was just making the wing ball and running out. And I'm thinking to myself, you asshole, like just come on, man. Just play serious. Don't don't do the soft break to me, you know what I mean? And I don't want to call people out on it, you know what I mean? Because I'm like, I'm already kind of happy just from the win from the from the one pocket that I'm not really thinking about you know this part, but I'm like, at the same time. So, anyways, long story short, Fedder loses like first or second round. Well, now he's gotta win, he's gotta get like he's gotta he's gotta basically win the nine ball to beat me. And he's only got one lifeline the rest of the way. Well, he has to beat this is his draws like the rest of the way, right? He has to be like Shaw, SVB twice, Alex, Filler. I mean, these are the draws that he has to win to get through, like, and not one of those guys could have knocked him out from there. Like, I'm thinking to myself, like, when are you guys gonna do your job? Like, I mean, I'm like, oh my god, like this is ridiculous, right? And I'm still thinking that I still have a chance, and and he like if I think if he would have got like third, I I would have win the uh win it, you know. But yeah, you know, so yeah, that was my one time to try to actually get it there, you know. So yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 8:19

All right, Tony, let's talk about uh game tight, a little bit about uh what led you to uh to to produce the book and what you hope to accomplish from it. But before I do, I have to ask you, because you talked earlier about sharing your secrets and people seeing your shots, and you know, should you hide something? Did you hide anything in the book or did you share it all?

Tony Chohan 8:41

I I mean I still hid some things because I can't give it all away, right? I can't because I go and give people lessons and stuff like that. So that's more or less for for some of the people that do want to get the lessons also, right? And I also want to do another one later on down the line, you know what I mean? So I don't want to just have one book, I want to give them uh sequel, you know what I mean? So give them something to work on first and then go a little bit more advanced later on. Because the problem is most people want to always think that they can do something, but they don't they're not at that skill level to do that, so they need to learn the few things first before they can go move on.

Mike Gonzalez 9:18

Yeah, okay, okay. So uh uh GameTight uh asks students to understand why a decision is right rather than simply memorize a shot. Does teaching force you to explain things that for decades you simply were just feeling?

Tony Chohan 9:34

Um Yeah, but I mean I think more or less for me for the teaching is is going by uh person by person, right? Because every person needs something different, right? So most of the time I'm doing one-on-one lessons, sometimes I'm doing clinics. Um it's a basis, you know. If I do clinics, I'm working more on certain certain things for strokes, fundamentals. Um and then if they're a little bit more advanced, let's say, then I can go into shot selections and different things like that. So it's all about skill levels, let's say, at the end of the day first, right? Because you're not gonna go teach a 400 speed Fargo player something that a 650 guy could barely do, let's say, right? So it's kind of like you kind of pick and choose what what you teach certain people. You want to teach them you want them to get better first on their foundation before they go move on.

Mike Gonzalez 10:26

Okay, so when you envision then uh game tight to one pocket volume one, let's say, you already had in mind a strategy that, hey, yeah, this is gonna be more the basics, and I'll have an advanced version come out later if if uh if I can do it.

Tony Chohan 10:40

I mean, I wouldn't say that we were anticipating doing another one, but at the same time, I didn't want to give away everything just in case there was another book. Yeah. So it was kind of like, and my friend, um, the guy that's really behind the book, and he's the brains behind it because I could have never thought about doing QR codes and all that stuff. Like this is an advanced book. It's not it's a book like no other. It's not a you know, you can read there's stories, there's uh there's diagrams, there's solutions, there's questions, but there's also the QR code that when you hit the QR code, it'll show you me shooting the shot and how to shoot it, you know. So it kind of gives you all the aspects instead of just looking at a black and white and understanding, you know, because some of these books, they just don't, they're not giving you the whole rundown or it's harder, you know, people, it's just we're getting too advanced in technology to not use it, right? To the extent that it needs to be. So it was really cool. Like, you know, my friend's the guy that could knew how to do the QR codes, and it was kind of his idea uh to do the book, and he's like, listen, he's like, You got the name, you're the face, you know, if you want to do it, I'm willing to uh help. I was like, well, let's do it then, you know what I mean? So we spent about a year doing it before it finally got published, and that's you know, kind of just took the time and efforts of both of us to do it, really, you know, and it was just kind of like it was cool to do it. It's also something that forever will be out there, you know, and and can help people, let's just say, in general.

Mike Gonzalez 12:13

Yeah, yeah. Well, good luck with that. Uh, and for our listeners, if you're interested in learning or developing your one pocket game, it's called Game Tight One Pocket, Tony. And where do they find it again? They can go to GameTightOnepocket.com. There you go. There you go. So uh we at the outset brought up your Hall of Fame induction recently into the One Pocket Hall of Fame. Take us through that night. It was at Buffalo's, was it not?

Tony Chohan 12:39

Yes, it was.

Mike Gonzalez 12:40

Yeah.

Tony Chohan 12:41

Um, so it was kind of uh told to me maybe a a few prior months ahead of time, but I just didn't really uh, you know, grasp it all, you know, and and it kind of just, you know, the last I think it was the last couple nights before the um finals or where, you know, that we did the induction or whatever. You know, it's just I mean, I'm just grateful in general, you know, that you know, I was inducted and just kind of, you know, sets me in stone to be with the other elites and be recognized and everything like that. And you know, just appreciative in general, you know, people are willing to stick me with those with the rest of the greats, let's just say.

Mike Gonzalez 13:22

Yeah. You when you examine the uh your legacy as a player and you start looking at some of these new guys coming around, you mentioned some of the young guys, uh Feder is an example, who probably plays a little bit more one pocket perhaps than a guy like uh filler. Uh what are these new players doing differently than uh the guys uh from your era and before in terms of how they approach the game of one pocket? They just shoot straight.

Tony Chohan 13:49

They just do everything straight. You know, they're just they're just robots, right? Like they do they make very less errors, let's just say, right? Because they're just very mechanically inclined. They're everything they do is just correct foundation-wise, and they're just great players in general, right? I mean, look at Filler, I mean, hardly ever plays, right? But I mean, when he shoots at a shot, it's he's confirmed to be somewhere close and the cue ball's in the right place. And you nobody can say he's shooting the wrong shot or the right shot because both things happen in the right pace and the outcome's good, right? So that's all that matters at the end of the day.

Mike Gonzalez 14:30

Yeah, so I I guess I would imply from that then that they're good offensive players because they don't miss very often. What about the strategic side?

Tony Chohan 14:40

Well, they got great cue balls, right? So the when you have a great cue ball, that's nine-tenths of the game. Right. You know, nine-tenths of the game is a great cue ball, so without a cue ball, you don't really have nothing else.

Mark Wilson 14:53

Gotcha. When you when you think about uh the top one pocket players, excluding yourself, who who would you really say that that was an influence or you admire or um an up or now?

Tony Chohan 15:07

No, uh in the past. Uh Warren Costanza was really. Because even till this day, I mean I could tell you shots that I've seen him shoot that very few people ever even try to even think about or or or even think about shooting realistically. So it just shows me that guys still don't think outside the box. Right? They don't still still still don't see certain types of shots.

Mark Wilson 15:33

I know I broadcast some of your matches and I I've watched you and you be in a bind and kick at a ball that's a diamond up from the end rail towards your pocket, eight diamonds down. And like if you miss it, if you miss hit that, you're really in a bad way. If you hit it good and and you hit it like you think you're gonna get it close, uh you made it both times, I've seen you shoot it, but I don't see any other one pocket players ever kick at a ball like that.

Tony Chohan 15:59

Where it's naked. I'm playing close, like I'm playing percentages, I'm playing statistically to be in the right frame of the side of the ball that I'm shooting at, right? So if I I know what speed, I know how the ball's gonna react off the table, off the off the rail, and I just feel that right at the end of the day, you know, it's it's a a few things that I always teach when I'm teaching is is your speed, your English, and your angle. If you mess up one thing, all three things mess up. So if you don't realize when you commit to something, you gotta have all three of those things together.

Mark Wilson 16:39

Uh tell us something about when you played Efred along the way. Surely you played him a number of times.

Tony Chohan 16:44

Well, one of the good stories is way back when I was young, so when I was about 18, 19, it was probably the first time I went to Derby when it was at the old uh executive west, and we were in the final four at that time. And um it was me and Efran playing each other, and Corey and someone else was playing each other. And so Efren, um, I've got Efren two to one. And there's two balls on the table. I should beat him, right? He like sells out, like he he leaves me a shot. All I gotta do is kind of like draw my ball and get back on this other ball a little up table, right? Well, don't worry. I short stroked it and don't worry. I you know what I mean. I I dogged it. So, anyways, he wins that game is two to two. And on the Hill Hill game, he puts me in a trap, he's got a ball in his hole, and he's got me surrounded. I can't even take a foul, and I can't even kick out of it. Like, that's how good it was. Like, I was actually like, I don't even know how he put the cue ball in there now that I think about it, because it's like it was like it was stuck in there, and you could look three you could look four different ways, and I think there was only one avenue that you could go, and even that avenue was closed off because there was a ball in the way of kicking at it, you know. So it was just it was just kind of one of those things, but yeah, if I could ever take back a uh uh you know a match, that would probably be one of them, let's say. And then we played once, like we had a gambling match one time actually in Huntsville. Matter of fact, you know, we were talking about going down there, and um, but it was um we played a set, I it wasn't for a lot, but it was maybe four or five thousand dollars. But it was in the latter stages of his you know career, let's say, so not when it was prime prime. He was still good, and I can't say what he isn't still good because I mean heck, I mean he got in the final three of the 2023 derby, so it wasn't like he's still not playing good, but this was like 2016-ish or something like that, that we played a set, and I ended up beating him. You know, I I don't take victories from when I don't feel that they were in their best shape, let's say, right? You know, I feel like I was supposed to win, so I don't feel like I beat Efren really. I feel like I beat Efren the third, you know, or whatever, you know.

Mike Gonzalez 19:05

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mark Wilson 19:07

You still gotta play great to beat him, though. He's not an easy guy to beat at all, even in his weakened state. You know, yesterday was his birthday, he turned 72. How about Preeka? Did did you ever have any time with Preeka?

Tony Chohan 19:19

Yeah, so me and Preeka, so him being from California, he would come up to Sacramento once in a while for the events. And I'm gonna tell you what, Preeka was Preeka was that guy, you know what I mean? Like Preeka was the guy that people don't never talk about him and as much as they should. But that man, I mean, I watched him do some things that uh it made sense every time he did a lot of things, right? And people don't realize it, but man, he he really could play all games and and he played it at a high level. I mean, I really see you know, he you know the leader of the invasion, right? It was host, you know. So at the end of the day, um had a coup we had a couple little battles w when I was younger, but it was kind of like I don't know, we would want to play, but it was like sometimes he wouldn't want to play, and I'd be like, Man, come on, Prika, just let's just play, man. You know, I I tried to play him for whatever I could, and sometimes we'd play and sometimes we wouldn't. But you know, it would be like he would give me like eight seven playing one pocket or something when I was younger, and and I think I beat him once and he beat me once, and it was just kind of like he I don't know. Who was kind of in his older stages too, so it was kind of like, you know, it's kind of like he, you know, I mean I get it because I'm feel like I'm getting in my later later stages, and I feel like I don't want to play sometimes. And I'm like, you know, unless it's beefy enough, I'm like, oh boy.

Mark Wilson 20:38

Yeah. Well, it's kind of a Pariko is a guy, like you said, is overlooked because uh I was around it, and he should definitely be named top five during the camel tour stages, you know, and but a lot of people just don't mention him or think about him anymore, but he was all that, and um and uh he he was super confident and he always talked in a high-pitched voice. No one can beat me. Uh Mike Siegel got heart like chicken. And then he'd get up and beat him.

Tony Chohan 21:05

You know, like okay, that's what I that's what I like about him more than anything is the fact that he did talk. You know what I mean? That's even better.

Mike Gonzalez 21:12

Yeah. He's a character. Yeah. Some great memories. Uh Tony, this next section we're going to go into before we get into our final questions. Uh, we've uh uh we've called Allie's Rapid Rack. And uh uh you know it's it's meant to be a rapid series of questions, answers, just quick hitting things. Uh some of our guests haven't been so rapid with their responses, but we'll see how you do. Allie?

Allison Fisher 21:38

It doesn't have to be that rapid. You take your time. A lot of them do. So all right, welcome to Allie's Rapid Rack, Tony. So here's the first question. Sacramento on your lens.

Tony Chohan 21:50

Sacramento.

Allison Fisher 21:52

Hard times or buffaloes.

Tony Chohan 21:55

Buffaloes.

Allison Fisher 21:57

Fire at your hole or move. Eight now or win a one hour moving battle. Eight now US Open or Derby City?

Tony Chohan 22:13

Derby City.

Allison Fisher 22:15

Two thousand and seven Tony or two thousand and twenty-two Tony?

Tony Chohan 22:21

Two thousand and seven.

Allison Fisher 22:24

Most creative one pocket player other than yourself. Best gambler you have ever known. Dennis toughest opponent when both of you are playing your best.

Tony Chohan 22:39

I guess Shane.

Allison Fisher 22:41

Or Alex Every Rare is in one word.

Tony Chohan 22:48

The magician.

Allison Fisher 22:50

Two words are Dennis or Colo in one word.

Tony Chohan 22:56

Straight shooter.

Allison Fisher 22:59

Tony Chohan in one word.

Tony Chohan 23:03

Creative.

Allison Fisher 23:06

One player from any era you wish you could play a long one pocket set against. Ronnie Allen Who wins a long set? Twenty-five-year-old T-Rex or Tony today.

Tony Chohan 23:20

Tony today.

Allison Fisher 23:23

Paul in one word. Most hours you've ever played without stopping.

Tony Chohan 23:33

Thirty-eight hours.

Allison Fisher 23:35

Wow. A shot you still hate shooting.

Tony Chohan 23:39

Straight in jacked up long rail.

Allison Fisher 23:44

Most underrated one pocket skill. Player whose one pocket game is most underrated.

Tony Chohan 23:54

That's a tough one. Um underrated, huh? I'm drawing a blank.

Allison Fisher 24:04

That's okay. Yeah, you can pass. Yeah, pass. Can heart be taught? Yes or no?

Tony Chohan 24:11

No. That's cool.

Allison Fisher 24:14

One title you would love to win one more time.

Tony Chohan 24:19

Derby and Buffalo.

Allison Fisher 24:23

And then maybe one more, one more is uh a question I always like. Any rule change? What's the rule you would change in a game?

Tony Chohan 24:33

No jump cues.

Allison Fisher 24:36

There you go. Well, thank you for joining us on Legends of the Cue. And I think Mark has another question.

Mark Wilson 24:40

I do. Yeah. Um before we go into the final questions, talk about the you know, the updated tournament one pocket rules. How do you feel about that? And what do you think uh would would be the appropriate change?

Tony Chohan 24:55

Um I think you just gotta allow one pocket to be played the way it's supposed to be played. Um you know, the rack, you know, if you make a ball on the break and you re-rack, okay. I mean, that's one rule change I can okay with, but anything else other than that, I feel like you start changing the game. It's just like nine ball. They change the game so many different ways. Just leave it the way it was supposed to be meant to be played. You're not you know, that's the problem with pool is they keep thinking they're gonna get one million uh people watching because they take away the jump cue or or because they, you know, I mean, people don't come to watch pool that don't play pool, right? It's just one of those things. It's not like, you know, people don't watch golf that don't golf, right? Do they? I don't think so. You know, so you're gonna get the audience you're gonna get no matter what, but you're gonna get it in the numbers of the people that actually do what they, you know, that enjoy the game. So I think just they have to understand that, you know, it's just hard to get outsiders to come in and do something that, you know, hasn't been done in 40 years and doesn't look like it's gonna happen now. So yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 26:05

Yeah. Uh I've got one other question and then we'll get into the three final questions that we've asked each of the previous 29 guests we've had on the show. So it's always interesting to compare and contrast the responses. But uh, what would 45-year-old Tony want to whisper into 16-year-old Tony's ear ahead and Reno? Why didn't you stay in school and become a lawyer, a doctor?

Allison Fisher 26:32

Hey, that's not the first time we haven't heard that, right?

Mike Gonzalez 26:37

Yeah, yeah, that sounds familiar. Allie, uh, why don't you go ahead? We'll give you the first question.

Allison Fisher 26:42

All right, Tony. If you knew when you were 20 what you know now, what would you have done differently?

Tony Chohan 26:48

I would have invested my money in my winnings when I won uh appropriately. Or saved appropriately. Really invested. If you win money, you need to invest it. You don't need to hold on to it. You don't need to put it in a bank, you need to just keep sticking it into something. And just act like you're broke.

Mike Gonzalez 27:11

All right, second question. We're gonna give you one career mulligan, one shot to do over somewhere where it might have made a difference. Where are you taking that one shot? Meaning like if I would have switched? No, if you you you you missed one somewhere that was important in an important part of a match. Is there if there's one shot you could have a do-over? Can you think of one that would have really made a difference in a in a tournament? Or or in a gamble for that matter?

Tony Chohan 27:43

I'm sure I'm sure there's many, but I mean the one that comes across is probably the one at Buffalo's this year playing Justin Hall. And I just uh we played for a while and I just was so tired and I just couldn't even I couldn't even shoot in a straight in ball at the end. It was just crazy. It was just kind of like humidity and a little bit of being weary and just in general, just you know, lackadaisical, let's say. Yeah. Okay, fair enough.

Mike Gonzalez 28:11

Mark Wilson will give you the final question.

Mark Wilson 28:14

How would Tony Shohan like to be remembered? Just as that guy that liked to compete. Well, I think that kind of sums it up, and it's been a pleasure having you on. I really uh loved your candor and your positivity about all the hardships you've endured and what you brought, you know, the uh how you changed the game of one pocket.

Tony Chohan 28:41

So thank you, Tony. No, I appreciate you guys having me and thank you all for everything.

Allison Fisher 28:48

Thank you, Tony. Thanks for joining us and sharing on Legends of the Cuew, and I hope your surgeries go well. Thank you.

Mike Gonzalez 28:54

Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, Tony, we've been looking forward to this for a while. We really appreciate uh you sharing your story and adding your story to a lot of pool greats here on Legends of the Q. We sure appreciate it. Thank you.

Allison Fisher 29:08

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