Congratulations to Jamie for winning this month's tournament! Reclaiming his title from September's tournament, Jamie is definitely one to watch out for. Did I mention that he won the championship game with 7 shots off the break?! I took some time to ask him about how he became the amazing pool player he is today. Here's what he had to say:

Hey Jamie! When did you first start shooting pool?

I started shooting pool when I was 10 or 11 years old. A friend had a pool table in his basement. When I moved to the city, I had only played pool a handful of times in the last 20 years.

What got you back into it?

About 4 years ago, my roommate's boyfriend had a league game to play and asked me if I'd like to come to Soho Billiards and practice. We had some great games, and I had decided to give the league a try and didn't do so well. I still found that it was a lot of fun, so, I quit league and practiced everyday for about 3 years and got a lot better.

Who are some of your pool mentors?

I would say that Matt Aarvold is probably one of the most consistently good players I've ever played. He plays at The Abbey. Then there's Marcus, who bartends at the Ace Bar, a really nice, talented pool player. Marcus taught me how to make my game easier, how to see. I think that the reason I have come to love and respect the game has a lot to do with some of the people that I've met playing, and the idea that it can, and probably always has been a direct reflection of the way I've dealt with pressure. I know that probably sounds ridiculous, but getting better at pool has definitely helped me to find focus on the table and in my personal life as well.

Where is your favorite place to play?

My favorite place to shoot pool is The Abbey, usually around happy hour. I think some of the best pool players in the neighborhood show up there around that time.

Know any trick shots?

Don't really have any of those, none that i've practiced.

Why do you love coming to the Billiardsburg tournaments?

The tournaments are fun for me simply because I get to come and hang out on a Sunday afternoon, and really some great pool players are involved. Sunday + booze + friendly people + good pool = Fun!

And your drink of choice?

Jim Beam rocks!

Thanks for your time, Jamie! Congratulations again!