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Allen Hopkins Pro turn-out??
- Thread starter The Renfro
- Start date
The purse is probably the biggest reason to the big name players. The races are a big reason to the smaller named pro players.
The Pro event did get some of the stronger open/shortstop players in it as well. You wont see too many of them in this because of the chances of going 1 and done by drawing a Champion in the first round. As of right now they would have a good chance of that happening as there are some world beaters entered in this tourney.
Chances of them cashing would be slim and none. Imagine local short stop who plays good enough to snap off multiple local tour tournaments entering the pro tourney and drawing Francisco in the first round. Maybe he does get lucky and beat him one set. Now he has to do it again. No easy feat.
The Pro event did get some of the stronger open/shortstop players in it as well. You wont see too many of them in this because of the chances of going 1 and done by drawing a Champion in the first round. As of right now they would have a good chance of that happening as there are some world beaters entered in this tourney.
Chances of them cashing would be slim and none. Imagine local short stop who plays good enough to snap off multiple local tour tournaments entering the pro tourney and drawing Francisco in the first round. Maybe he does get lucky and beat him one set. Now he has to do it again. No easy feat.
Not sure my memory is totally accurate, but as I recall the ABP wants tournaments to be run under their guidelines, to have their "sanction".
I think that the ABP probably set their number much lower as a means of trying to get their influence into the smaller tournaments, not dreaming that Matchroom would drop the points race element. I'm sure they expected that in the old system, the tournies that wanted to be BCA events would have to keep the larger added monies.
Matchroom pulled the rug out from under them, and now they have to live with the deals that they initiated.
Player,
Think you missed my point. Allen was aware of the change in Matchroom requirements for the Mosconi. Why would he continue to add $25,000 to an event not sanctioned? Think it's cause and effect. Reduce the added money and change the format. What would one logically expect to happen? Doubt I will miss some of the "pro" players. Rather watch the 14.1 and three cushion events anyway.
Wonder if the entries will actually wind up being down once the event begins? Lots of players, kind of like my speed, might jump in thinking they would now have a chance to cash or win. Quick, name me twenty ABP players. OK, even ten!
Lyn
The funny thing is that the ABP doesnt really speak for many of the players. Ask the majority of ones on their list and they say they have no idea what the ABP is doing and they havent paid to be a part of it. The ABP in classic Charlie style just throws a bunch of names up and uses it as a PR tool. Now it seems in the one case where they actually did have a significant effect on an event it was to get the added cut by two thirds.
But hey its an officially sanctioned ABP event with full ABP points. So they have that going for them. You really couldn't make this stuff up if you tried. If Allen was going to cut the added anyway (and its 100% his right to do as he sees fit) then the ABP shouldn't have touched it with a ten foot poll. Why associate your brand with lowered added money? Just keep quiet. The players who want to play are going to play regardless of any make believe points.
I guess in the end it doesn't really matter because outside of ten or twenty people here no one else knows or cares about any of this.
It's just like the Swanee tournament that just finsihed up - they have been running/advertising it the same for years. $5,000 added and in small print is the $4,000 in green fees taken out of the prize pool. Anyone could do the math from the previous years payouts and see what it was/is. But on Facebook, I am sure you read a few of the Pros complaining as if they didn't realize what the true added money was to the prize pool. To use your job analogy, it would be like going to work for GM and not realizing that they are going to take out union dues, taxes, health insurance and leave you with 40% of what you really earned.
It always amuses me when I see players year after year at the same events who are shocked....shocked I tell you...at how the tournament payouts work. I'm all "Didnt we do this last year....and the last five years before that?"
People ask me why TAR doesnt do the Derby anymore. Its because the numbers don't work out. I don't just keep going back every year saying "Wow this sucks." like its something new.
I understand, and believe me, I'm the last one that thinks pro pool should be a charity. I'm also not a fan boy of the ABP, but I'm not sure they are the reason the added money was reduced. It's not like they said they wouldn't play for more, it's just a stated minimum. It seems more like they put that number out there to be more inclusive for US tournaments that just don't have the kind of money available for BCA recognition. I don't think the ABP stated minimum implies players will support any event that provides $7,500 added. It's always been the case that any event regardless of the amount added is attended based on every player's assessment of it's economic feasibility. Look at the meager attendance of WC events by US players.
So I guess I'm just looking at the reduced added as what it appears, the reality of being able to put on a tournament that makes economic sense rather than Allen using it as an excuse to put $17,500 more in his pocket. If that's what he's thinking then he deserves whatever happens. But I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, and for now accept the notion he'd rather offer reduced money and be able to deliver on his promises, unlike some people we know.
But yes, I don't begrudge a player for making a decision not to attend if it doesn't make economic sense.
I can't get all that riled about pro pool anyway; it hardly even exists. More and more it seems apparent the format developed by you at TAR is the true future.
The entry fee is 500 to the tourney. Why not jack up the the entry fee to something with a little more meat on the bone instead of worrying about the added money. Make it 2000. 64 players at 2000 a clip. Do the math. That should entice the top players to come out. If they wanna complain about expenses and every thing else I don't know what to tell them. Promotors have to add the money without knowing what the handle is gonna be so they are taking chances just like every body else. And they aren't doing it for nothing either.
That would be a sure way to kill the entire pro tournament: $2000 entry free. :grin:
I think, and I may be wrong, that the ABP seems to benefit one pro player more than the others. As far as I'm concerned, the ABP is a dead fish in the water. They should remove themselves from the negotiating activities before he starts to stink.
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Have a one day tourney 32 players 10,000 entry fee single elimination. That way a player can get a 300 plane ticket, a 60 dollar hotel fee, and spend 30 on food. Now they can't complain about expenses and have a shot at a 320,000 prize pool. Case closed.
I don't know whose ideas and line of thinking is worse - yours or the ABP.
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I don't know how many pros you know, but most of the ones I know would have trouble coughing up $2,000 for an entry fee. Because of that, there would be no $300,000 purse. Most pros who would pay a high entry fee, with the exception of one or two, would be getting staked or asking for a backers committee on a forum like AzBilliards, which in John Schmidt's case was a very happy ending when he won the U.S. Open being backed by a few members of this forum. That was actually pretty cool.
About 5 or 6 years ago, subject to check, a group came out with a $1-million pool tournament. They advertised it late, and everybody was paranoid to send in their entry fees to this unknown entity. The whole operation folded like a lawn chair before it could gain any steam.
Anyway, that's my take on it.
You don't think 64 players in the country or world could get staked or go 50/50 or any kind of piece meal to put together 2000? That's a shame. The pool players want bigger payouts than have higher entry fees. Players who don't wanna put up 2000 grand well maybe they can do a satellite tourney or something. Do a mini tournament 10 players for 200 bucks winner gets into the main tournament. Where there's a will there's a way.