Crane found it hard to make a living only by playing pool, even though he was very skilled. In 1957, he began working as a Cadillac salesman at a dealership in Rochester, New York. He continued there for 17 years. At Rochester's annual auto show his dealership's exhibit had a pool table. Crane would run balls while answering questions. Working at a regular job was not Crane's first choice. In an interview with Sports Illustrated in 1969, he said "If I had to make a choice between selling cars and playing pool, I'd choose pool... The only time I've ever been really happy is when I was at a pool table."