The final episode brings the drama home. With the number climbing, the pressure building, and history within reach, John Schmidt and Bob Keller take us through the closing stages of the 820 run and the decisions that still linger in the mind afterward. This is where the discussion turns to the final racks, the unconventional moments, the nerve required to keep going, and the emotional reality of coming so close to even bigger numbers. John reflects on the shots he would and would not choose in match play, the calm that comes from having lived in these positions before, and the strange mix of satisfaction and agony that can follow a run of this magnitude.

Bob adds an invaluable witness perspective, including how he tracked the run, how they used simple visual markers to measure progress, and when it became obvious that something special was unfolding. Together, they show that the late stages of a great run are not just about execution. They are about trust, rhythm, composure, and the ability to keep your decision-making intact while the number grows heavier with every rack.

The result is a fitting finale to a remarkable series. It is part postgame, part confession, part masterclass, and part love letter to straight pool itself. Above all, it captures what Legends of the Cue does best: preserving the stories behind the shots, in the voices of the people who lived them.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

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Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a cue sports history podcast featuring interviews with Hall of Fame members, world champions, and influential figures from across the world of cue sports—including pocket billiards, snooker, and carom disciplines such as three-cushion billiards. We highlight the people, places, and moments that have shaped the game—celebrating iconic players, memorable events, historic venues, and the brands that helped define generations of play. With a focus on the positive spirit of the sport, our goal is to create a rich, engaging, and timeless archive of stories that fans can enjoy now and for years to come.

Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher and Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, Legends of the Cue brings these stories to life—told in the voices of the game’s greatest figures.

Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

In part four, the series shifts into the pure mechanics of greatness. This is where John Schmidt and Bob Keller begin unpacking the actual run in a way straight pool lovers will savor. They discuss break balls, key balls, rack patterns, cue-ball precision, manufacturing insurance balls, and the many little recovery shots that separate a big run from a broken one. What becomes clear very quickly is that 820 was not a clean, carefree stroll. It was a living, breathing puzzle solved one rack at a time by a player with extraordinary knowledge of the game.

John makes one of the most telling points of the entire interview when he says that the right way to judge a huge run is not just by the final number, but by how many shots in it would still make sense in a real match. That standard matters to him. Bob, meanwhile, highlights how often John had to create break balls, rescue awkward situations, and trust his cue-ball control under constant pressure. Their back-and-forth becomes both technical and dramatic, because every pattern has consequence and every decision carries risk.

For serious students of straight pool, this episode is a gold mine. For casual listeners, it is a chance to hear a master explain his craft in plain language. By the time this installment ends, you will understand why 820 is not just a number. It is a blueprint of elite problem-solving on a pool table.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a cue sports history podcast featuring interviews with Hall of Fame members, world champions, and influential figures from across the world of cue sports—including pocket billiards, snooker, and carom disciplines such as three-cushion billiards. We highlight the people, places, and moments that have shaped the game—celebrating iconic players, memorable events, historic venues, and the brands that helped define generations of play. With a focus on the positive spirit of the sport, our goal is to create a rich, engaging, and timeless archive of stories that fans can enjoy now and for years to come.

Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher and Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, Legends of the Cue brings these stories to life—told in the voices of the game’s greatest figures.

Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

Part three gets inside John Schmidt’s head, and it may be the most revealing episode of the series. John talks candidly about self-doubt, aging, criticism, pride, and the internal switch he flips when it is time to chase a giant number. He explains that for him, straight pool is no longer about trying harder or focusing harder. It is about seeing the game so clearly that entire racks begin to unfold almost automatically. Bob Keller confirms that point in unforgettable fashion, saying there are only a few players he has ever seen who can read a rack at that level, and that John is one of them.

The conversation also explores what separates players who flirt with big runs from those who can survive the emotional grind of repeated failure. John talks about missing a ball, not blinking, and getting right back into the next inning. He describes why experience matters more than pure shot-making and why, at 52, he may actually understand the game better than the younger version of himself ever did. It is a fascinating look at how mastery evolves.

There is humor, honesty, and vulnerability throughout, but the central theme is unmistakable: the run started long before 820. It started with the ability to withstand disappointment, block out noise, and keep coming back. If you have ever wondered what elite cue-sport confidence really sounds like, this episode gives you a rare and deeply human answer.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a cue sports history podcast featuring interviews with Hall of Fame members, world champions, and influential figures from across the world of cue sports—including pocket billiards, snooker, and carom disciplines such as three-cushion billiards. We highlight the people, places, and moments that have shaped the game—celebrating iconic players, memorable events, historic venues, and the brands that helped define generations of play. With a focus on the positive spirit of the sport, our goal is to create a rich, engaging, and timeless archive of stories that fans can enjoy now and for years to come.

Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher and Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, Legends of the Cue brings these stories to life—told in the voices of the game’s greatest figures.

Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

What does it really take to run 820 balls? In part two, John Schmidt and Bob Keller pull back the curtain on the conditions, equipment, routines, and tiny details that made this historic straight pool run possible. This is the laboratory episode. John walks us through the Gold Crown table, legal five-inch pockets, Simonis cloth, Predator Arcos balls, modern chalk, donut rings, polished balls, fatigue mats, Hoka shoes, and even the nutritional routine that helped him feel stronger and fresher than he expected. He makes it clear that in a high-run attempt, nothing is random. Every edge matters.

John also explains why the modern game has changed. He contrasts his 626 attempt years earlier with this run, describing how template-style racking, cleaner equipment, and a better understanding of break shots opened up new possibilities. Bob adds valuable insight on ball-per-inning average, the stat he believes reveals John’s true greatness. Their discussion makes a fascinating point: the high run gets the headlines, but consistency may tell the deeper story.

There is also a wonderful amount of humor here, because this is still John Schmidt. He talks about Bitcoin, COVID, protein powder, chalk skids, and why a 200-ball runner is the only kind of man he wants racking for him when something serious is on the line. By the end of this episode, listeners will understand that 820 was not luck, and it was not magic. It was preparation meeting obsession, with every possible variable pushed in the right direction.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a cue sports history podcast featuring interviews with Hall of Fame members, world champions, and influential figures from across the world of cue sports—including pocket billiards, snooker, and carom disciplines such as three-cushion billiards. We highlight the people, places, and moments that have shaped the game—celebrating iconic players, memorable events, historic venues, and the brands that helped define generations of play. With a focus on the positive spirit of the sport, our goal is to create a rich, engaging, and timeless archive of stories that fans can enjoy now and for years to come.

Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher and Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, Legends of the Cue brings these stories to life—told in the voices of the game’s greatest figures.

Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

On this special five-part series of Legends of the Cue, we welcome straight pool great John Schmidt back to the show after his stunning 820-ball run, with Bob Keller joining us as the man behind the camera, the rack, and the support system that helped make it happen. In this opening episode, John explains why this run almost never happened at all. After the emotional weight of his 626, the backlash that followed, and Jayson Shaw’s run past his number, John says there were many days he wished he had never played straight pool in the first place. Then came the table, the setup, the dry Wyoming air, and the feeling that he owed it to himself to find out what was still possible.

John shares the doubts that crept in as he got older, the surprising role Bob played in getting him to believe again, and why this attempt felt so different from his earlier chase. This time there were no announcements, no pressure campaign, and no desire to prove anything to the world. Instead, it became a private test of pride, endurance, and unfinished business. Along the way, Mark Wilson and Allison Fisher help frame just how rare an 800-ball run really is, and why straight pool remains one of the purest measures of cueing excellence.

This episode sets the emotional foundation for the entire series: the frustration, the motivation, the friendship, and the quiet belief that one more great run might still be in there. Before the balls ever started falling, the real battle had already begun.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a cue sports history podcast featuring interviews with Hall of Fame members, world champions, and influential figures from across the world of cue sports—including pocket billiards, snooker, and carom disciplines such as three-cushion billiards. We highlight the people, places, and moments that have shaped the game—celebrating iconic players, memorable events, historic venues, and the brands that helped define generations of play. With a focus on the positive spirit of the sport, our goal is to create a rich, engaging, and timeless archive of stories that fans can enjoy now and for years to come.

Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher and Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, Legends of the Cue brings these stories to life—told in the voices of the game’s greatest figures.

Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

In the final installment of our five-part conversation with snooker great Shaun Murphy, the story turns deeply personal, powerfully honest, and wonderfully reflective. This is the chapter where victories, setbacks, self-doubt, and resilience all come into sharper focus as Shaun looks back on what it meant to validate that unforgettable first world title — and what it has cost, and taught, him to keep chasing greatness ever since.

Shaun speaks candidly about the pressure of avoiding the “one-hit wonder” label, the imposter syndrome that lingered long after his biggest breakthrough, and the relief that came with proving to himself that he belonged among the game’s elite. He shares the story of that dramatic 2008 UK Championship win, the strange mix of calm and chaos that can define the biggest moments, and the hard-earned confidence that only comes from surviving them.

But this episode goes far beyond trophies and titles. In one of the most revealing conversations of the entire series, Shaun opens up about the private struggles that fans rarely see — divorce, distance from his children, grief, emotional strain, therapy, and the challenge of performing at the highest level while life off the table is anything but settled. His reflections on mental health, masculinity, vulnerability, and the loneliness of individual sport are honest, compassionate, and deeply human.

There is perspective here, too. Shaun talks about finding help, learning to separate self-worth from results, and recognizing that the human being behind the cue matters more than any scoreboard ever will. He also looks ahead with the same belief that has always driven him, knowing that his story is still being written.

Part 5 is a fitting finale — insightful, moving, courageous, and the perfect closing chapter to the life story of one of snooker’s most gifted and compelling champions.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a cue sports history podcast featuring interviews with Hall of Fame members, world champions, and influential figures from across the world of cue sports—including pocket billiards, snooker, and carom disciplines such as three-cushion billiards. We highlight the people, places, and moments that have shaped the game—celebrating iconic players, memorable events, historic venues, and the brands that helped define generations of play. With a focus on the positive spirit of the sport, our goal is to create a rich, engaging, and timeless archive of stories that fans can enjoy now and for years to come.

Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher and Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, Legends of the Cue brings these stories to life—told in the voices of the game’s greatest figures.

Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

In Part 4 of our five-part conversation with snooker great Shaun Murphy, the story reaches one of its most dramatic and defining chapters: the 2005 World Championship. Shaun takes us inside the moment his career—and his life—changed forever, from the brink of walking away from the game to lifting the sport’s biggest trophy just weeks later. It is an extraordinary account of doubt, resilience, timing, and belief, made even more powerful by the role his mother played in convincing him to take one last chance.

Shaun vividly relives that unforgettable run at the Crucible, from qualifying and beating some of the sport’s biggest names to the tension, fear, and adrenaline of walking into snooker’s most iconic arena. His description of the Crucible Theatre is as personal as it is powerful: not just a venue, but a place of pilgrimage, pressure, memory, and meaning. For snooker fans, this episode offers a rare inside look at what that stage feels like when everything is on the line.

But this chapter is about more than trophies and turning points. Shaun also reflects on how the game has changed, the demands of a modern professional schedule, and the importance of having the right support around you. He speaks warmly and honestly about his fiancée Jo, the sacrifices she has made, the life they now share on the road, and the way relationships, content, sponsorship, and team dynamics have become part of a top player’s world.

There is humor here too, including a brilliant story about a mistimed fan interaction that derailed his planned proposal. Part 4 is funny, revealing, deeply human, and filled with the emotion of a life transformed—on the table, behind the scenes, and far beyond the spotlight.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a cue sports history podcast featuring interviews with Hall of Fame members, world champions, and influential figures from across the world of cue sports—including pocket billiards, snooker, and carom disciplines such as three-cushion billiards. We highlight the people, places, and moments that have shaped the game—celebrating iconic players, memorable events, historic venues, and the brands that helped define generations of play. With a focus on the positive spirit of the sport, our goal is to create a rich, engaging, and timeless archive of stories that fans can enjoy now and for years to come.

Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher and Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, Legends of the Cue brings these stories to life—told in the voices of the game’s greatest figures.

Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

In Part 3 of our five-part conversation with snooker great Shaun Murphy, the story moves into the years when talent had to become a profession and ambition had to survive reality. Shaun reflects on the early certainty that snooker was never simply a dream, but the only plan. There was no fallback, no second option, and no diluted ambition. From the time he made his first century as a boy, he believed this would be his life.

This episode explores the difficult transition from gifted junior to hardened professional, and Shaun speaks with refreshing honesty about how unprepared he was for the tactical demands of the top level. He could score, attack, and thrill, but he had not yet learned the darker arts of match play — the safety, strategy, and patience that separate a dangerous talent from a true champion. His account of those early professional lessons is insightful, self-aware, and full of perspective for fans of both snooker and pool.

Along the way, Shaun shares terrific stories about seeking advice from the best players he could find, including a young Allison Fisher, and about the unforgettable education he received simply by being around great players and great events. He also offers a fascinating look at what it means to win snooker’s Triple Crown, why those BBC majors still carry such weight, and why joining that exclusive club remains one of the proudest achievements of his career.

The episode also dives into the magic of century breaks and 147s, the relationship between player and crowd, and the charitable purpose Shaun has attached to his scoring feats. Part 3 is a wonderful blend of humor, candor, and high-level insight — a chapter about growing up in the game, learning how to win, and still believing that the best may be yet to come.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a cue sports history podcast featuring interviews with Hall of Fame members, world champions, and influential figures from across the world of cue sports—including pocket billiards, snooker, and carom disciplines such as three-cushion billiards. We highlight the people, places, and moments that have shaped the game—celebrating iconic players, memorable events, historic venues, and the brands that helped define generations of play. With a focus on the positive spirit of the sport, our goal is to create a rich, engaging, and timeless archive of stories that fans can enjoy now and for years to come.

Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher and Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, Legends of the Cue brings these stories to life—told in the voices of the game’s greatest figures.

Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”