Joe Rogan Experience #1917 - Fedor Gorst

Joe Rogan hosts professional pool player Fedor Gorst, who started with Russian Pyramid as a child before switching to pool and rising to elite status. They trace his path from Moscow pool rooms to European tours, the Derby City Classic, and relocating to the United States after Russian athletes were banned following February 2022. The conversation dives deep into pool culture: gambling, hustling, the role of coaches, equipment like cues and shafts, and the influence of Filipino and Russian players. Rogan shares vivid stories from his own years around New York and LA pool halls, including drug-fueled action players, and they discuss whether pool is finally having a resurgence through streaming and events like the Mosconi Cup.

• Fedor's biggest single-day gambling win was $51,000 from one player in a rising one-pocket session.
  00:06:24
• Fedor's father passed away when he was 13, during a financially tough period for the family.
  00:24:37
• A stranger, Mike Nikolai, offered to sponsor Fedor's whole career the day after Fedor lost three sets to him.
  00:25:43
• Fedor believes he was excluded from the European Mosconi Cup team purely because he is Russian.
  00:32:26
• Efren Reyes first hustled American tournaments under the fake name Caesar Morales before revealing his identity.
  01:50:32
• Rogan describes a heroin-addicted New York player ('Water Dog') who couldn't miss while high but couldn't play sober.
  01:27:30
• Tony Annigoni, the subject of 'Playing Off the Rail,' died by suicide jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.
  01:53:39

• Russian Pyramid is played on a 12-foot table with pockets nearly the exact size of the ball.
  00:08:32
• Jason Shaw broke the world straight-pool high run record, running past 700 balls despite not being a straight-pool specialist.
  01:09:56
• Player Nick van den Berg reportedly trained his stroke fundamentals through hypnosis with his eyes closed.
  01:02:08
• Beta blockers, which suppress adrenaline and nerves, are considered a performance-enhancing risk in pool.
  01:02:40
• Rogan saw a player use cocaine on his fingers instead of cue powder during an action match.
  01:25:57
• Champion Willie Hoppe reportedly wouldn't even drive a car on match days to avoid straining his arms.
  00:50:07
• In the Philippines, even a bartender who barely plays can run multiple racks of nine-ball.
  01:15:37
• Fedor played pool non-stop for six months straight in U.S. bars and small events to stay in stroke.
  01:44:14
• Mosconi Cup one-on-one matches are short race-to-five alternate-break sets, but there are eleven of them.
  02:06:09

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