Beyond Billiards: It’s more than a game…it’s about FAMILY

The satisfying crack of billiard balls colliding is followed almost immediately by the sound of laughter when the Cevallos family gathers for a game of pool.

Father and owner of Seguin Bar & Billiards, Manuel Cevallos, dreamed of sharing his love for the game with sons, but mother nature had other plans.

“My dad taught me how to play pool, and then I thought as soon as I have my first son, I’m going to teach him how to play pool,” said Manuel. “Well, I had a girl. And then another daughter and another and another and no sons.” 

When Marie, Nena, Ora, and Cheyenne came along, Manuel had no idea that they would become some of the best players in Seguin and the country. Back then, he was more worried about the impact the culture around pool might have on his girls.

“I had a pool table at the house, and they wanted to learn pool, and I’m like ‘I don’t know if I want ya’ll in bars’ and stuff like that,’ but they said ‘whats so bad about that’ why can’t we learn,” said Manuel. “So I started seeing a lot of women coming up in the sport and its neat when you see a woman beat a guy and play real good pool, so I thought why not and started teaching them how to play, and I didn’t know they were going to take it so serious or that it would lead to where it led.”

While Marie, the eldest, was the first to learn the game and excel, it took a back seat to career and family over time. For the youngest, Cheyenne, pool is life. She’s spent years perfecting her shots and has become her father’s equal and the Queen of the tables at Seguin Bar & Billiards.

“Cheyenne has beat the best of the best here in Seguin,” said Manuel. “And she competes with the best male pool players in Seguin. She really caught on and knows all the English. As a matter of fact, now I’ve learned stuff from her. I’ve made mistakes on the pool table and she’ll be like, ‘Dad, you hit the wrong English.’ She’s got everything measured out, and honestly, I learn from her now.”

At 25, Cheyenne is quiet with a humble, unassuming demeanor. It’s impossible to tell at a glance that she can run the table on players twice her age.

“I’ve just shown up and been like ‘hey can I play next?’ and they look at me and they’re like ‘yeah…sure,’” said Cheyenne. “Anywhere around here, like people that know me, they don’t play me.”

Word gets around when you’re good enough to rank 17 out of 269 teams at the National level in the Women’s World Pool Championships. In 2019, the four daughters formed the ‘Cevallos Sister Act,’ headed to Vegas, and did precisely that.

It was nothing like playing in Seguin.

“They’re all in hotels,” said Cheyenne. “But huge rooms, you can imagine, full of pool tables. Thousands of tables just lined up. It’s competition so everybody’s scoping out everybody. Once I started playing, they could kind of see that I was with them on the level of competition  and so then people started to talk to me. But facing that nervousness and then people watching, its not like a bar.”

Unlike a bar, competitive play is silent. No music is allowed, no talk or discussion is permitted, and players must adhere to strict rules and a dress code.

Despite all the glaring differences from their usual rounds of pool, Cheyenne and her sisters calmed their nerves by remembering their father’s lessons because it’s more than just a game –– it’s about family.

Ora, the self-proclaimed ‘worst’ of the sisters at pool, can still hold her own against most players but said it’s never been about pride for the girls, or their father.

“I know for him, especially, having all girls, he’s like nah, it’s not going to stop you,” said Ora. “He taught us to box and to be strong and stick up for ourselves, which is probably why we’re kind of obnoxious. It’s not just pool for him, or for us, its a family thing.” And that family thing led to Seguin Bar & Billiards, which the family owns and operates in Seguin. With Manuel behind the business side and Cheyenne managing the bar, they stay busy but still find plenty of time for a round of pool when things are slow.

With ongoing leagues and tournaments throughout the year, players in the community can come out and work on their skills with a group of like-minded individuals who love the game. But remember, if a short brunette in glasses comes asking for a match, think twice before feeding the sharks. There’s a good chance, she’ll run out the table.