Mike Gulyassy - B&J (NFS)

Personal cue from my own collection. Not for sale. Display only.

Some cues come and go over the years. Others quietly become part of your life story. This Mike Gulyassy Jump Break is one of those cues for me.

Before I got this cue, I was constantly changing break cues and buying almost every break cue and break & jump cue available on the market, always searching for something better. But once I got this Mike Gulyassy, I was finally set.

I got this cue back when I was in college at Purdue from a very good friend of mine, former professional pool player Dick Weaver. At the time, I was completely obsessed with cues and pool. I was practicing constantly, traveling for tournaments, and spending almost every extra dollar I had around the game.

Back then, around 16 years ago, I paid $1,200 for this cue — which was serious money for a college student. To put that into perspective, during that time you could have bought a used Gina 5-pointer for only a few hundred dollars more, and you could have bought a used Southwest 6-pointer for about another thousand on top. That alone says a lot about how respected Mike Gulyassy’s jump break cues already were among serious players back then.

What made this cue even more special was that Dick never really wanted to sell it in the first place. Dick always had big cues for sale, but he constantly told people this particular cue was a keeper and that he would probably never let it go.

It all started during a practice session at the pool room. That night, Dick just could not make a ball on the break, while I was consistently making two or three balls almost every time using this cue. After playing for a while, he suddenly looked at me and joked that maybe he did not deserve this cue anymore.

That single moment completely started my obsession with this cue.

From that day on, I chased Dick for this cue for months. Every time I saw him, I would ask about it again, hoping one day he might finally let it go.

About two months later, I won a tournament and took home exactly $1,200 after nearly 15 hours of playing. Right after the tournament ended, Dick walked into the pool room. I still remember pulling out every dollar I had just won and practically begging him for the cue. Looking back now, it probably was not the smartest financial decision for a college kid — but at the time, it felt like I had finally earned something I truly wanted.

What makes this cue special to me is that it survived every chapter afterward.

After graduating from Purdue, I moved to Los Angeles and stepped away from pool for many years. Like many of us who grow older and busier with life, business, and responsibilities, I eventually sold almost all of my cues over time. But somehow, I never sold this one. No matter what happened, this cue always stayed with me.

Over the years, I later had Mike build me two additional shafts for it, including one of his newest patented carbon fiber BOMB Break & Jump shafts. Even after all these years, the cue still represents exactly what made Mike Gulyassy’s work so respected — explosive power, incredible energy transfer, and elite-level performance that helped redefine what a true jump break cue could be.

To me, this cue represents an era when pool was still purely about passion. Long training sessions, road trips, college tournaments, saving every dollar for cues, and spending endless hours chasing improvement. Every time I look at it, it brings me back to those years immediately.

I should also be receiving a few brand new Mike Gulyassy Break Jump cues soon. If you would like to own one of the best Break Jump cues ever made, stay tuned.