AZB: First off, congratulations on your win in Spain last month. Can you tell us a little bit about that tournament?
Nick: Sure, I went over there for the last tournament that I played in for the year. I went straight to Spain from Denver and Jeremy Jones and I roomed together in Spain. I got off to a good start and won my first match hill-hill against one of the Japanese players. I started out leading in that match. I was leading at one time 10-6 and he came back and got to the hill first 12-11. I won that one on the hill. And then I won the next round. In the third round I played Takahashi and I played real good. In the fourth round I think I played that Swedish player. In the fifth round I played Dieter Johns from West Germany. I played Jeremy in the finals. I played very consistent in that tournament. I played good almost every match. I made a few mistakes against Dieter Johns in the semifinals but outside of that, I didn't miss many balls in that tournament. I played pretty consistent all the way through.
AZB: You have been a top player in professional pool for over 25 years, while some of your contemporaries seem to be struggling to maintain that same level of consistency. To what do you contribute your longevity in this sport?
Nick:Well, I have always tried to be prepared when I go to tournaments. Naturally, over a period of time like that, your desire and will to win is going to be stronger than at other times. I think I have been able to consistently maintain that over a long period of time. I guess it is just mental self-discipline.
AZB: What first drew you to billiards when you were young?
Nick:Well, my dad bought a pool room when I was five years old. He took me down to the pool room right after he bought it and he lined up a shot, I will never forget it. Corner pocket. He said 'aim here about the middle diamond on the side rail and the cue ball will go in the side and that kind of fascinated me. I played off and on when I was growing up, especially in the winter time. When I went to college at Purdue, that was really when I got into the competitive part of the game. When I was a freshman, I didn't even know about the campus tournaments. One day in the second semester of my freshman year, I walked into the billiard room and a guy asked if I wanted to play for a couple bucks a game and I said 'OK'. I lost a couple dollars but not much. I was a little bit competitive and hadn't really played very much but I really believed I could beat this guy. I found out he was the campus champion and he went on to win the national collegiate championship. He was just a sophomore and I was a freshman. The next year in the campus tournament, I beat him. I had never played a game of straight pool until the second semester of my freshman year and I really liked it. That ACUI program was what really got me involved with the competitive play.
AZB:Compare the game of professional billiards 15-20 years ago to the game today. How has it changed and has it changed for the better?
Nick:I think it has changed in a lot of ways and mostly for the better because there is more money, especially compared to 20 years ago. There is a lot more money in the game today in terms of prize money, even though pool can't seem to attract any corporate sponsorship at this point of time and I think that is the only way the game can grow much from here.
AZB: You are very competitive in all the different games on a pool table. What game do you consider your best and why?
Nick:I really feel that I play most games pretty equal. I play 9-Ball, straight pool, one pocket. I think I am pretty consistent in all games including bank and 8-Ball. I won 7 world championships in 4 different games. I don't think any active players have won that many world championships and I don't think any players have won them in that many games and been that versatile.
As far as which game I like to play the best, I get asked that all the time and it is a hard question. I never quite know what to say. I like 9-Ball but I think I probably enjoy one pocket and straight pool a little bit more than the other games.
AZB: Why would that be?
Nick: There is a little more thinking in it. 9-Ball usually comes down to execution and the break shot. The break is most of the game, and the layout of the balls. There are usually not as many variables in shot selection as there are in straight pool and one-pocket. I think you bring out more of the all-around factors of the game, where 9-ball is kind of based on execution and the break shot. The break basically sets you up to win or lose the game.
AZB: In 1992 you were inducted in the BCA Hall of Fame. Tell me what that meant to you.
Nick: That was really an exciting time in my career. When I was inducted, a couple players that I followed when I was a young kid in college and just starting to play professionally was Jimmy Caras and Joe Balsis. Jimmy Caras and Joe uses to do a lot of exhibitions in those days and I probably saw both of their exhibitions 25 times each. I loved to watch them play and they were really 2 great players and they really had great exhibitions and they were really good ambassadors for the sport. I was real impressed with those 2 players, and then Mosconi was in there, Luther Lassiter was in there and he was also one of my favorites growing up because he won some of those Johnson City and Stardust tournaments back in the 60s. And he also won a lot of those straight pool tournaments. I think he won 3 or 4 of those straight pool world championships in New York which is quite an accomplishment. It was a kind of overwhelming feeling to think that you were on equal basis with those players. I had been admiring a lot of them for years.
AZB: Who do you think are the ambassadors of the game today?
Nick: I would think it is those players that get most of the publicity. I would say Johnny Archer, and Earl Strickland, Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamante. I would say they are some of the ambassadors.
AZB: Billiards Digest recently named their picks for the top 50 players of the century and you were picked number 14. Can you tell me your thoughts on this?
Nick:I really didn't pay much attention to it. You say I was 14th? I think for a poll like that to be accurate, you really need to talk to the players that compete against other players. I don't think that those are the people that really know how people play. I don't think it is very credible because I don't know how a girl can be rated higher than a guy that she can't beat. So, fifty greatest at what? I don't know what the requirements are for that list. It certainly doesn't seem to have a lot to do with playing ability.
AZB: We received a couple questions from the users of our site. The first was...
Hi Nick, I've been a fan of yours for years and I was just wondering, what is the deal with the gum. I don't think I have ever seen you playing without a wad of gum going in your mouth.
Nick: I just use it to relax and help to relieve the pressure when I play.
AZB: Another was...
Nick, I have watched the mechanics of some of the top players to try to pick up pointers on improving my game. Your mechanics are not exactly what the book teaches. How are you able to play so well and still play differently than way we are taught to play?
Nick:I don't know quite what he is referring to. I don't know if he is talking about grip, stance, stroke or what. I would guess that it would probably be stroke. I just go with what is natural for me. It seems like I have a little bit of a hitch in my stroke, but for some reason it keeps my right hand real relaxed where I stay away from trying to steer the ball. I'm not really recommending that for anybody else because it is nothing that I consciously try to do. It is just something that happens naturally.
AZB: Lastly, Tell me about your Nick's Edge products. What all is there and what makes them worth purchasing?
Nick: The Nick's Edge is a high tech burnishing film that is used to polish the shaft and clean off the surface dirt and oil. They are washable and reusable. The reason I came out with the product is because I like it so well that I use it everytime I play. I really like the product personally which is why I put it on the market. Also, at the BCA show last year, I introduced my own signature line of cues and cases on the market. I've been marketing those and they have been doing real good.
AZB: For people who want more information on this products, is there a number they can call or a distributor they can contact?
Nick: Yes, They can call me at my office at 270-926-4248
Nick Varner is definitely a leader in the sport of cuesports. He is highly respected and honored by most all of his peers. His understanding of cuesports and its world speaks volumes. Nick Varner was most greatly deserving to be honorably inducted into the 1992 BCA Hall of Fame and the One Pocket Hall of Fame in 2005. He is an 8 time World Champion in 4 different disciplines and over 80 professional championships that include numerous national titles. As a joyous new father and grandfather, Nick still competes with the best players in the world. Many have said, "Watch him and learn, he is the greatest of teachers".
