| Born | (1968-04-14)14 April 1968 (age 57) Queens, New York, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Sport country |  United States |
| Nickname | "The Magic Man" |
| Tournament wins | |
| World Champion | Artistic Pool (2007,2011,2012,2013) |
| AndySegal.com | |
Andy Segal (born April 14, 1968), nicknamed "the Magic Man",[1] is atrick-shotpool champion fromHuntington, New York. He began as a professionalnine-ball player in the 1990s, and was a regular on the Camel Pro Billiard Tour before switching to trick-shot competition in 2002. A full-time pro player since 2007, Segal holds four world records inartistic billiards. He is known for his television competition appearances onESPN, and has won many such events, including Trick Shot Magic (2009, 2010 & 2014), the World Cup of Trick Shots (2006, 2008 & 2009), theWPA World Artistic Pool Championship (2007, 2011, 2012 & 2013), and the Masters Artistic Pool Championship (2005, 2007 & 2009).[2][3] Segal also performs trick shot exhibitions all over the world, and in films and television.
Andy Segal was born and raised inQueens, New York. He attendedStuyvesant High School inNew York City. He was an active member of the debating team, and towards the end of his high school years, became interested in pool.
After high school, he attendedCarnegie Mellon University, where he studied math and computer science. While there, he spent some time teaching at theUniversity of Pittsburgh Billiards Club, where he met his girlfriend and future wife Kimberly Segal. On September 2, 1995, the two were married and less than four years later had their daughter Jessica. They moved to Huntington, where they currently reside.
Segal is also asleight of hand magician, and trains weekly atmixed martial arts.
In 1991, Segal graduated from university and went on to workin Wall Street in theIT department ofMerrill Lynch. After about a year and a half, he started working forSony Music, but then moved back into the financial world only one year later. Eventually he found himself back in Wall Street, working forStandard & Poor's. Segal was currently working there when theSeptember 11 attacks occurred.
In 2005, Segal switched to a company closer to his home inLong Island, and started working forAdecco. He spent about two years there before he decided to go into pool full-time.
While working full-time in the computer field, Segal spend his evenings and weekends playing pool at Amsterdam Billiards inNew York City. A few of the top players were from that area, and he worked with and learned from two of them,Tony Robles andGeorge "Ginky" San Souci.[4] He was an active player on theCamel Pro Billiard Tour, playingeight-ball, nine-ball, andten-ball. He was also a regular on the Tri-State Tour and theJoss Tour. During these tournaments, he would often perform for players and spectators, doing trick-shot exhibitions andmagic. Segal also performed at private parties around the New York City area, and while working with Blatt Billiards, performed a public exhibition atGrand Central Terminal. He met the great trick shot artistMike Massey, and by the early 2000s, Segal was concentrating more on trick shots than nine-ball.
In 2002, Segal began playing in formal trick-shot competition, after being invited to complete in the titular 2003 North American Artistic Pool Championship was held (in October 2002 due to scheduling issues) at Hippo's Billiards in Utica, New York; Segal finished 4th,[5] but stayed in thatcue sports discipline. That final-four finish earned him an invitation to the 2003 WPA World Artistic Pool Championships inKyiv, Ukraine. At that competition, Segal finished 5th overall, and won the gold medal in thebank/kick discipline, and tied withMike Massey for the gold in thejump discipline.[6]
In September 2003, Polish trick-shot artistBogdan Wołkowski injured his arm and had to drop out of the ESPNTrick Shot Magic tournament inBaltimore, Maryland. Six days before the event,Matt Braun, promoter and producer of that event, called Segal and asked if he could fill the open spot. Segal agreed, and spent those 6 days coming up with trick shots to use against the veterans like the then two-time world championMike Massey. Segal won his first-round match againstStefano Pelinga of Italy. He moved on to 2001 world championCharles Darling from Missouri. That match ended in a tie breaker; this requires both players to shoot the cue ball in an eight-cushion and land on or near a $100 bill; the closest player to the bill wins. Segal won, landing the cue ball about an inch away. In the finals, he ran up againstMike Massey, who handed him his only defeat and a second-place finish, in Segal's first televised event.[7]
Andy Segal's first major win came in 2004 at the Northeast Championship,[8] held atShooter's Billiards in Southington, Connecticut. Later that year, he won another 2004Las Vegas Artistic Pool Championship (hosted in conjunction with theAmerican Poolplayers Association's National Team Championship).[9] He also won the 2005,[10] 2007,[11] and 2009[12]Masters Artistic Pool Championship, held at theSuper Billiards Expo inKing of Prussia, Pennsylvania; and fourWPAWorld Trick Shot Champion titles (2007, 2011, 2012, 2013).[13] His first World Title in 2007 was inSt. Petersburg, Russia at the Lider Club. He beat Poland national champion Luke Szywala in the semi-finals and Argentina champion Sebastian Giumelli in the finals.[14] In 2011, the World Championship was held in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where he beat RomanianGabi Visoiu in the semi-finals and fellow American Jamey Gray in the finals.[15][citation needed] He successfully defended his title in 2012 when he beat Canadian Nick Nikolaidis for his third world title.[16][17]
Throughout his trick shot career, the one title that eluded him was Trick Shot Magic. In 2009, at the ESPN Zone at New York New York Casino in Las Vegas, Andy Segal captured that one as well, defeating Sebastian Giumelli from Argentina, a repeat of the 2007 World Championships.[18] He then went on to defend his title in 2010 at the Green Valley Ranch Casino in Henderson, Nevada, against former world champion Jamey Gray.[19]
In 2006, he was invited to play in the firstWorld Cup of Trick Shots, which matched up the best from the United States with the best from Europe. This event films every year in October atMohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. Segal has been the captain of Team USA for several years.
Segal is also the operator of New Jersey'sHudson County Pool League, a local franchise of the amateurAmerican Poolplayers Association.[20]
Segal holds four world records and has won over 50 trick shot discipline titles.[21]
Throughout his pool/billiard career, Andy Segal has worked in the television and film industry. He has done trick shots for various commercials, includingAT&T, All detergent, and a 12-week teaser series withKrysta Ayne onSpike TV called "Bikini Pool Shark".[22] In 2007, he booked a spot performing trick shots onGood Morning America with Chris Cuomo,[23] He also worked as the pool-related technical advisor on the 2009 filmSweet and Lowdown, starringWoody Allen,Sean Penn, andUma Thurman.[22] Segal was featured inNational Geographic Channel'sAmazing, and a documentary titledSpin Doctors: The Wondrous World of Artistic Pool filmed in 3D byComcast at the 2011 WPA World Championship.[24]
In 2011, Segal joined theScreen Actors Guild, and has appeared in one film,Sascha Baron Cohen'sThe Dictator, and several television shows:Pan Am,Person of Interest,Damages, andBoardwalk Empire. He has also appeared onGood Morning America to perform artistic pool tricks, in December 2007.[25]
He has filmed over 60 pool and trick-shot instructional videos for HowCast.com,[26] and more than 30 more for MonkeySee.com.[27]
Andy Segal, League Operator