Book · 1998 · Biography & Autobiography
Playing Off the Rail
A Pool Hustler's Journey
- mentions
- 8
- people
- 2
- podcast
- 1
- episodes
- 7
- recommendations
- 5
That's one of the great pool books. It's called Playing Off the Rail.
Joe Rogan · The Joe Rogan Experience · Aug 2025 Listen at 5:12 What they say about it
- Authored by Hunter S. Thompson's editor“David McCumber who was Hunter S. Thompson's editor”3
- Great book on pool“really good book on pool”2
The best things said about it
Playing Off the Rail is a great book by this guy David McCumber who was Hunter S. Thompson's editor.
Joe Rogan The Joe Rogan Experience · Mar 2026 There's a few really good books on pool, Playing Off the Rail another one, yeah, really good book on pool.
Where and when it comes up
Mentions per year
How it comes up
Why people recommend it
Playing Off the Rail by David McCumber is a nonfiction book that chronicles the romantic and demanding lifestyle of professional pool players traveling on the road to make a living. Joe Rogan repeatedly recommended and discussed the book on The Joe Rogan Experience during episodes with guests like Mark Normand, Mike Maxwell, Fedor Gorst, Tom Papa, Andrew Schulz, and Timothy Denevi. Rogan praised the work as one of the great books about pool, noting that it was written by David McCumber, who previously worked as Hunter S. Thompson's editor, and that it details the experiences of Rogan's late friend, professional pool player Tony Anagoni. Jeremy Jones also recommended the book on the podcast, observing that it captures the romanticized vision of individuals pursuing an unconventional and risky path to earn a living through the sport. The hosts and guests used the book to illustrate the high-stakes gambling culture, the realities of life on the road for traveling players, and the unique subculture surrounding professional pocket billiards.
Every mention
Joe Rogan He was in a book called Playing Off the Rail is a great book by this guy uh David McCumber who was Hunter S… 7
“He was in a book called Playing Off the Rail is a great book by this guy uh David McCumber who was Hunter S. Thompson's editor.”
“So David Mccumber, who is his editor, who also co-wrote a book with my friend Tony Anagoni, that's one of the great pool books. It's called Playing Off the Rail.”
“and when buddy hall was playing there's a great book uh it's not a great book but it's it's an interesting book um that um his uh Road uh guy that he would travel with wrote a book about him”
“well there was a great book uh called playing off the rail have you ever heard of that book uh-uh playing off the rail was a book by uh this guy David McCumber who at one point in time was Hunter S Thompson's editor”
“there's a book called playing off the rail and uh it's about my friend tony anagony and this guy david mccumber who was hunter s thompson's uh editor”
“there's one by David McCumber about my friend Tony Anna Gonia it's called playing off the rail”
“who's the author of playing off the rail google uh playing off the rail there's a guy who was a journalist what year do you think it was david mccumber”
Jeremy Jones he's a it's there's a few really good books on pool playing off the rails another one yeah really good book… 1
“he's a it's there's a few really good books on pool playing off the rails another one yeah really good book on pool and and uh Tony anigoni yeah Tony um but that that just romantic vision of this person doing like the craziest kind of way to make a living”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and you know like I said the those two books are great like depicting the Romantic aspect of it playing off the rail and running the table”