Before Tony Chohan became “T-Rex,” a One Pocket Hall of Famer and one of the most feared action players in professional pool, he was a sports-loving kid growing up in Sacramento, California.

In Part 1 of this special four-part Legends of the Cue conversation, Tony takes us back to the beginning: his Sikh and Indian family roots, childhood in the 1980s and ’90s, and the unlikely path that led him from basketball courts and video games to the poolroom. He recalls discovering pool with his cousin Amar Kang, entering free local tournaments, learning on brutally tight Gold Crown tables, and becoming immersed in Sacramento’s rich pool culture.

Tony also paints a vivid picture of the rooms and characters that shaped him—including Great American Billiards, Warren “Monk” Costanza, Bucktooth and the road players who passed through Northern California. One unforgettable story finds a teenage Tony outside a professional tournament, cue in hand, hoping to get autographs from Efren Reyes and Johnny Archer.

This is the origin story of a future One Pocket legend: family, competition, curiosity, hustlers, smoky poolrooms and a teenager rapidly falling in love with cue sports.

For fans of pool history, One Pocket, professional billiards, road players and old-school poolroom culture, this episode captures a world that helped create one of the game’s most original champions.

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Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a cue sports history podcast featuring interviews with 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.

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