Where would Fedor be without the jump cue?
He is so good with it that it is definitely an edge over the competition.
If jump cues are banned tomorrow, I don’t think that he would stay at the top

Biado is going with a softish break that’s working well for him.

sjm said:

No, at the majors they play in front of packed houses in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Orlando, Norfolk, London and Hanoi, too.

They are used to small crowds at the lesser events, but the small crowd in Jeddah, a city of 3,000,000 is, quite simply, embarrassing and if you think the players don't care, you are badly mistaken.

No player of this generation feeds off a big crowd more than Jayson Shaw. The fact that a) his last two major titles came in front of huge crowds in Norfolk (2022 International), Hanoi (2023 Hanoi Open) and b) he always thrives at the Mosconi in front of a huge crowd tells you all you need to know.

I hate to see these great players toiling in obscurity. I have to keep reminding myself that this really is a major championship.

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The issue is not whether players would prefer to play in a packed house. They would, and so would we fans.

It’s just not going to happen in Jedda. That’s the reality. So I don’t see any purpose to constant complaining even though I agree 100%. I don’t like to see these players toil in obscurity, either.

In any case, I would contend the money is more than enough to motivate the players, and it is. I can see them feeling the pressure. And I can feel the tension thru my TV even without fans.

If I were a player, given how little money they earn, I’d rather get a shot at winning $250,000 before a sparse crowd than win $30,000 (now $50,000) before a fuller house. It can be a life-changing sum for a pool player.

Let’s be realistic too. Only the Mosconi and Hanoi regularly get big crowds. The U.S. Open does pretty good, too.

I am just going to enjoy watching the players play and not worry or fret about things I can’t control. MR signed a 10-year deal with Saudi Arabia to host the WPC.

SA96 said:

Matchroom have got pretty good at shutting down illegal streams.

If people want to watch this game, they should be paying for it and supporting the game.

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True, at this very event they finally started paying attention. At least to YouTube feeds (mostly rom Vietnam, lol)

On a side note, I don't think payments support the game. Comes from one who used to acquire MR stream from one of the Mosconi Cup, when all of a sudden they decided to offer that. Was $5 for full event access back then

It is not late yet to express my worries about Gorst, as even when he opened with 2-0 I was thinking that the semis might have had some strong impact on both finalists, but with opposite outcome.

Fedor had to go through a grinder with Kledio, while for Karlo the semi was basically a walk in the park.
Gorst is of course an athlete, but who knows how much was left in the tank after his sf win.

Matchroom have got pretty good at shutting down illegal streams.

If people want to watch this game, they should be paying for it and supporting the game.

billiards_watch said:

When is the final?

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They are playing now, a bit ago race to 15 Biado was up 3/2. This link didn't work, pic froze. Login to view embedded media

Picture BB blowing his grits.

Chopdoc said:

Interesting. I saw the policy criticized.

There are many contributing factors here.

We could also talk about the relative work ethic between the various generations.

I just want my cue. I am aware that the longer it takes the more likely something will go wrong.

Talking about it here is pool related and meant to be a bit amusing as well as stimulate some conversation about the issue as it relates to the cues.

I certainly don't want it to turn into something else.

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Hopefully it's a successful road player.
If it shows up with any extra cash I might mail out a couple of my good shooters.

Gorst confidences dropped somehow

jbart65 said:

I am not worried about the crowd. The players have played in empty arenas before, but they know people are watching on TV and they know what is at stake.

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No, at the majors they play in front of packed houses in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Orlando, Norfolk, London and Hanoi, too.

They are used to small crowds at the lesser events, but the small crowd in Jeddah, a city of 3,000,000 is, quite simply, embarrassing and if you think the players don't care, you are badly mistaken.

No player of this generation feeds off a big crowd more than Jayson Shaw. The fact that a) his last two major titles came in front of huge crowds in Norfolk (2022 International), Hanoi (2023 Hanoi Open) and b) he always thrives at the Mosconi in front of a huge crowd tells you all you need to know.

I hate to see these great players toiling in obscurity. I have to keep reminding myself that this really is a major championship.

Gorst is still young, he can win it some other time, Go Biado

It seems Biado uses predator cues ... maybe chalk too

A cue I had waited for a long time (7 years total) was shipped from Ohio to Illinois via USPS Priority. It was scanned being accepted at a small post office and departing for the Cincinnati distribution center. Nothing on tracking after that. I had to go through various levels of missing mail searches. After about 3 1/2 weeks is showed up in Cincinnati. It still took about a week to work its way to Illinois.
I was pretty worried, the time from getting the specs down to completion was a year. I was like a kid, I didn’t want to wait another year for the next Christmas. Worked out, just a bit of a stressor!
I don’t think my cue went on the road, it was in extended stay Cincinnati.