A Lifelong Passion for Pool

My purpose is to promote Straight Pool.

My goal is to help players improve and score their first Century run.

Close up of Bob Keller with a pool cue bent over a pool table shooting a shot

Old time 1987 photo of a young Bob Keller shooting pool on a pool table

The Beginning

Bit by the pool bug at 18 years old, I knew I would be a pool player all of my days. Learning pool fundamentals and the intricacies of the variety of games provides endless challenges and fun.

Bowling alley Loung Billiards neon sign on exterior of old time brick buildling

My pool player journey began in 1980 on Brunswick Gold Crowns at a bowling alley.

Bob Keller playing pool on Valley 7ft pool table during national championships

Practiced Straight Pool on 9-footers during the day, played 8-ball on 7-footers at night.

Bob Keller and friends posing with pool cues in front of a pool table during a local pool tournament

A regular on the Denver tournament scene playing 9-ball, 10-ball and One-Pocket.

Bob Keller posing with teammates and trophies at BCA Pool League World Championships

Playing Vegas teams and singles.

My first golden Charlie!

Teaching Pool

Straight Pool always remained my passion, earning many 1st Place finishes in the Denver Straight Pool league, a league high run of 99 and over a dozen personal Centuries. After a multi-year break from pool, a league clinic evolved into my book, A Shortstop On Straight Pool with David Sheesley (league director) . March 14, 2021 marked my start on Youtube with Rack of the Week #1.

Group portrait image of Bob Keller with David Sheesley with pro pool player and Straight Pool expert John Schmidt

A 2019 Straight Pool clinic with John Schmidt and David Sheesley. Honored that John wrote the forward to A Shortstop On Straight Pool.

Thumbnail image for Rack of the Week video instruction series 1, pool balls on pool table

Shortstop On Pool on Youtube in 2021.

The first Rack-of-the-Week series pool instruction video.

Learning Pool

My return to pool in 2019 was on my terms, no more small table leagues or 9-ball. I wanted to learn to play my best and that meant doing it right. My first lesson with Mark Wilson opened my eyes to the demanding and precise world of high-performance pool. Lessons with Jerry Briesath and Straight Pool coaching with John Schmidt contributed to accumulating 35 centuries by 2025.

Montage image of professional billiard instructor Jerry Briesath teaching Bob Keller at a pool table

An invaluable personal lesson with Jerry Briesath.

Portrain image of Bob Keller with professional pool player and Straight Pool expert Bob Keller after Johns 820 ball run

John Schmidt explaining the finer points of end patterns. A photo just after John's new personal high run of 820 balls (I was racking).

The Right Way

Working with John Schmidt evolved my understanding of Straight Pool like I never knew possible. Since working with John I have added over 30 more Centuries in only 10 months. My Rack-of-the-Week series now numbers over 270 videos. And Shortstop On Pool on Youtube has over 60,000 subscribers.

Screenshot from The Right Way online video Straight Pool course.

Bob Keller playing pool during 206 ball run with statistics and date text on screen

The beginning of my personal best high run of 206.

Shortstop On Pool

ShortstopOnPool is dedicated to helping pool players think, see, and execute the game at a higher level.

Founded by Bob Keller, ShortstopOnPool focuses on practical, real-world instruction rooted in experience, disciplined fundamentals and knowledge learned from elite USA instructors. The goal is simple: help players improve faster by understanding why things work—not just what to do.

Learn Straight Pool

Screenshot of Youtube channel Shortstop On Pool homepage

Shortstop On Pool on Youtube