San Diego pool player goes from friendly game to national champion

What started as a friendly challenge to a game of pool, turned into Nayan Tamrakar’s journey to amateur championship pool player.

“We literally were going in to have fun and challenge each other,” he said of the day in 2012 when he walked into the now-closed Lou Jones Inn, down the street from the Adams Avenue Recreation Center, where they had been playing basketball. “Later, as I continued to test my skills, I met someone that posed a challenge. After spending numerous quarters trying to beat him, I realized then I wanted to do what he could do, which was ‘run out!,’” a pool term that means one player makes all of their shots before the other player gets a turn.

Tamrakar, 34, is a competitor and was determined to get better. Despite working in his family’s retail store selling goods from Nepal, Bali, India and other Southeast Asian countries, he carved out time to watch YouTube videos to improve his skills, he took advice from other players, practiced alone for hours, and worked on drills day and night. His parents were skeptical — how could he possibly build a future and provide for himself playing this game? Earlier this month, he answered them by winning the 2024 American Pool Association 8-Ball Classic Pool Championship in Las Vegas. He played through 6,000 other players from North America in qualifying for the tournament, advancing to the national finals among 1,000 other players. Competing in the organization’s purple tier (its highest skill level), he won cash and prizes totaling $15,000 — and knocked away any lingering doubts about his ability and future in the sport. Today, he lives in the College Area, and he plays pool part time while working odd jobs with friends. He took some time to talk about his road to national champion and how it feels to finally win.

Q: Why do you love this sport? What is it about billiards that appeals to you in a way that other sports don’t?

A: I love this sport because it’s challenging. You always have to think; not only think, but think two to three steps ahead. It’s quite similar to chess in that it sharpens my brain.

Q: What channels on YouTube were most helpful to you when you were starting out? What skills did you learn from those videos that you still use today?

A: There wasn’t a specific channel at the time, but finding videos on drills to do and tips on how to improve your game. Also, spending time watching tournaments, matches, and learning from the competitors. I still use a stop, follow, and draw drill [a stop shot is when the cue ball stops immediately after hitting the object ball; a follow shot hits the cue ball above its center, causing top spin that makes it continue to roll after hitting the object ball; and a draw shot hits the cue ball below its center with enough force to make it spin backward after hitting the object ball, according to the American Poolplayers Association ].

What I love about College Area...

I can be at a pool table in many directions, all within 10 minutes, lol.

Q: What are some typical pool playing drills that you’ve worked on?

A: Stop shot. Essentially, the idea is to shoot the cue ball into the object ball and make the cue ball replace where the object was. Basically, stopping. For a follow shot, you must hit the cue ball with anything above middle ball and it will allow the cue ball to continue forward after connecting with the object ball. A draw shot is where you shoot below middle of the cue ball, creating reverse spin prior to making contact with the object ball, allowing the cue ball to travel backward after making contact with the object ball. Also, practicing shooting the cue ball located against the rail with the object ball being anywhere. The purpose is to get comfortable having to shoot off the rail. The last thing is to work on any shot you are having trouble with.

Q: At what point did you know you wanted to pursue an amateur billiard career? What made you want to do this competitively?

A: I can’t recall, specifically. Maybe when I finally became a skill level 7 (the highest skill level in 8-ball classic individual play), but I’ve always been competitive in any sport that I’ve played.

Q: What has it taken to build this amateur career?

A: It takes a lot of time, dedication, and practice; spending some coin for the right cue/cues; but most importantly, table time. I’ve spent numerous hours on drills, watching YouTube videos, and at tournaments.

Q: What did your family say when you first told them that this was what you wanted to do? How did they respond?

A: Well, my parents didn’t really support my choice of playing pool in the beginning. They would have rather had me in their store, helping them run their business. They didn’t believe that pool could provide a viable income. Now, they are beginning to see how good I have become and how it can be monetized and they’re supportive.

Q: What did you have to do, or to tell yourself, to overcome the doubts that they had?

A: Prove to them and myself that I can make an income by just playing pool, which definitely took work, time, and effort, but now we can see the results.

Q: What did it take for you to prove them wrong? At what point did they realize they were wrong and that you were good enough to compete in this sport?

A: It took me winning the APA 8-Ball Classic Pool Championship this year. … It really began to open their eyes!

Q: This was your third time competing in a national competition for single players; what did you learn and apply from your previous competitions that helped you to succeed in this one? What do you think was different this time around?

A: I improved as a player since my previous visits, which took many practice sessions and matches to gain said improvement. Also, learning how to play smarter made a huge difference this time around.

Q: Can you walk us through your training for this latest championship where you won first place?

A: I practiced every day. I would try not to overdo it, but repetition was important. There also has to be balance because there is something to be said about practicing too much — you don’t want to burn yourself out. I trained primarily at On Cue, my home away from home. I mostly trained alone, but also practiced with other players.

Q: Do you have your own pool table at home?

A: Yes, but it is more for practicing shots as it isn’t in a room that allows me to play full games. It is a 7-foot Olhausen with drop pockets. I really don’t practice at home, as it’s my roommate’s. I also generally practice on 9-foot tables, and we definitely don’t have room for one of those at our house.

Q: How does it feel to win first place at nationals, to have accomplished a goal like this?

A: It feels great to win! No words can describe the feeling of getting first in such a huge tournament. My hard work and dedication have finally paid off. I can finally say I accomplished one of my goals.

Q: What’s been challenging about developing yourself as an amateur pool player?

A: I am blessed being in San Diego. I can’t say there have been a lot of challenges, at this time — my community and my friends support me, I am fairly close to numerous places to play and practice, and I have the time on my hands to get it done.

Q: What’s been rewarding about it?

A: The $15,000, the fame that I have been given, and the continual support from my friends and family.

Q: What has this journey in amateur pool playing taught you about yourself?

A: I am a very humble player. Win or lose, it’s all part of the journey. With practice, time, and effort, I can achieve anything.

Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

A: Don’t eat too much before your matches.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: Well, my nickname is “Snacks,” as I am usually found having something to nibble on, lying around. Believe it or not, though, I have been told that I can be a picky eater.

Q: Please describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: I wake up and go play pool and hang out with my friends and girlfriend, Kim, and maybe find a fun tournament to play in, or find some good eats around wherever we are at the time.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune .