Ask Me Anything: Jeanette Lee

The Black Widow has enjoyed a year equal to her celebrity: a turn on South Korea’s Dancing with the Stars (she didn’t win) and two hall-of-fame inductions. The second, into the BCA, takes place this month in Las Vegas.

What’s your cue worth?
I play with a Jacoby Custom Cue made by Dave Jacoby in Wisconsin. It’s worth about $3,500, made of ebony and ivory.

Top tournaments pay the winner around $10,000. How many people can actually make a living from billiards?

No pool player is making a good living solely on tournament winnings. I make most of my living doing corporate events, endorsements, trick-shot shows, and motivational speaking.

Where do you play in indy?

Two places. Brickyard Billiards, an all-ages, nonsmoking pool hall on West Washington Street, and John Wayne’s in Greenwood. Both have the best equipment, and a lot of really good players practice there.

How did you hustle guys in pool halls to make money when you were 18?

The fact that I’m a woman is the hustle. I could be No. 1 in the world, and some local guy would think, “I can beat her.”

Can you really walk into a bar and beat anyone there, playing left-handed?

Yes. My husband [pro billiards player George Breedlove] can beat almost anyone with one hand behind his back and the other not even leaning against the table.

This article appeared in the December 2013 issue.