Marty Carey Interview

By Brian Pauley

Pool is a sport that all ages can enjoy. You have people that start playing very young, while others don’t pick up a cue until later in life. The Allen Hopkins Super Billiards Expo proves this. On one table, there could be two juniors playing a tournament match, and the next table has two senior players playing a match. That aspect makes our sport as good as we know it to be. Our sport, just like others, encounters innovation. Over the last ten years, we have seen so much innovation in cues that sometimes it’s tough to keep up. Some innovations are just gimmicks and fizzle off. Some innovations, however, make an impact and stand the test of time. One such innovation in the pool world is the Marty Carey Jump Cue. The Marty Carey Jump Cue is the most famous jump cue designed for close jumps. The design and technology of the cue allows players to get the cue ball up very quickly. Even gaps of a chalk cube or less can be cleared with the right technique. This cue is used by many professional artistic pool players as there are some close jumps in the current artistic pool program. In the hands of the right people, the cue ball can do so magic. In the hands of “The Bloodshark”

Theo Mihellis, it’s a World Record. Theo Mihellis uses the Marty Carey Jump Cue in competition and is the current Guinness World Record holder of the highest jump pot of a billiard ball at 31 inches! Theo jumped over a bar 31 inches off the table and pocketed the ball. Thanks to a commercial on ESPN, Marty’s cue is the most well-known short- distance jump cue.

Aside from creating the Marty Carey jump cue, Marty competed in many pro-ranking artistic pool tournaments. Marty was always in the mix and always did well in the jump discipline. Marty does have one world discipline title to his name in the 2018 World Follow title. Marty retired from active competition after the 2019 World Artistic Pool Championship after many years on the road for events. All of his accomplishments over the years in pool earned him enshrinement into the New England Pool and Billiards Hall of Fame. I got the opportunity to interview “The Farmer” himself who competed well into his 60s.

How were you first introduced to pool?

My older brother and his friends (High Schoolers) would go to the poolroom every day after school. I wanted to go with them but was only 13 years old in 1965 and not allowed inside. The owner told my brother if I got a note from my father, he’d allow me in. So, I conveniently wrote my own note, signed my father’s name and Bingo...I was allowed in!!!

What got you into Artistic Pool?

I idolized Norm Webber, who was a well-known champion in New England doing trick shots. I went to a few of his shows, which stuck with me for years. In 2010 I retired from work and decided to give trick shots a try and joined the tour.

Everyone in Artistic Pool has a nickname. How/where did you get yours?

The nickname “Farmer” came from Norm Webber, who was the original Farmer. I asked him if I could use that name myself because he knew I grew things, and the name fit perfectly.

How did you start doing a trick-shot show? What is your favorite part of doing shows?

I started doing shows to challenge myself with all the different shots, but also I enjoyed the showmanship it involved. Very satisfying!

What are some of your favorite trick shots to perform and why?

Two of my favorite shots are “just showing off” and “the window shot.” Always ended my shows with “just showing off.”

How did the Marty Carey Jump Cue come to be?

The Jump cue evolved in 2013 at a UTS Masters event in Philadelphia when I matched up against Andy Seagal, and he did the high bar jump shot. Well, I stepped to the table with a standard jump cue and didn’t know how I was ever going to elevate the cueball up and over the 13” rack and make the 8-ball in the corner. Well, it didn’t happen, and Andy Sigel asked me why I didn’t have a Dr. Popper for that shot. At that time, I had never heard of it. It was the only jump cue around for those types of jumps. I had some ideas to improve on the design, so I decided to build one for myself. After using it for the first time at an event, Abram Diaz and several others asked me to build them one too. After that, it just took off like wildfire.

Your cue was advertised during ESPN’s Trick Shot Magic. How did that happen, and what was the result from that?

I was approached by Frank Del Pizzo about being a sponsor for Trick Shot Magic because he heard about my jump cue being in such high demand. He offered me a 2-minute spot for three straight weeks before Christmas for $8500! He claimed my target audience would be USA and Canada, of 1-2 million viewers. My first reaction was I’d never get that money back because it was so expensive. Well, after the video came out, I had so many calls every day that I couldn’t keep up, so I hired an answering service out of Seattle. Everyday I’d get a list of all the numbers who had called in. My first thought was that they were going to ask all kinds of different questions about the cue etc. But after returning a couple of calls, they were all sales! Every one of them would offer their credit card numbers! I got ALL my money back in 6 weeks, and from then on, it was crazy notoriety everywhere I went. The mileage I got from that sponsorship went on for years to come.

Could you have imagined the success of the cue when you first started?

Absolutely not! I only built that jump cue for me to use in trick shots but it took off like mad and I had to learn how to handle all the demands that came with it.

You and your cue are staples at billiards expos. What are some of the most common stories from people who have never seen your cue and then jumping with it?

Watching the persons jaw drop after seeing how easy and close I could jump with it. Then within 3 minutes the person would do it themselves which usually ended up a sale.

What is your favorite accomplishment from competing in Artistic Pool?

My greatest achievement from trick shots came from winning the Classic Cup VII in Lake City, Florida, in 2013 against three other finalists; Mark Dimick, Mike Massey, and Steve Markle. I made 9 out of 10 shots on the first attempt in the finals to mathematically close them out! Also, in 2013 I got inducted into the New England Pool and Billiards Hall of Fame!

Being in a Hall of Fame is a big deal. How did this come to be?

Tom Mcgonagle contacted me in California and offered the induction to me but said there was one stipulation. I had to make an appearance dressed in my tournament attire, vest and all, and prepare a speech.

Who were some of the pool players that you looked up to? Both regular pool and Artistic Pool.

Regular pool I idolized Allen Hopkins and trick shots I idolized Norm Webber, and later on Mike Massey, of course!

What is your favorite regular pool game to play and why?

My favorite pool game has always been 9-ball because it’s fast and I liked the format. I first learned pool playing rotation, bottle pool and straight pool. My high run is 87.

What is your least favorite regular pool game to play, and why?

That’s easy. I never liked 8-ball because I was a runout player. I would run all my balls and not have a shot on the 8-ball, which usually resulted in a loss. Also, 1-pocket is too slow a pace for me, I wanna shoot balls in the pocket!

If you could play any player, living or deceased, in any game, who would that be?

SVB in 9 ball because he is the best of them all.

Where do you see the future of the Marty Carey Jump Cue?

The future of my jump cue is coming to an end. My physical and mental stability has declined noticeably over the last ten years, and I’m not able to keep up with the scheduling, building hundreds of cues a year, and the grueling 10 hours a day for ten straight days of trade shows. I NEVER intended to have a business with it, but because it took off so well, I had all I could do to keep up with the sales. People would send me money into my account, and I always felt obligated to fulfill their wishes. In fact, the year I went on ESPN with it was my biggest year, 88k! With a minimum of 3 shows a year for ten straight years, I attended over 30 shows and never lost money on any shows. It was always profitable.