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PBS Women's 9 Ball World Championship

J
The sets approach by Predator just doesn't excite me all that much. I applaud the company for trying something different, but I just can't cotton to it. Especially the early rounds.

I might like it a bit better if it was races to 5 in a best two of three sets. Races to four seem too short in a 2 of 3 format. As I stated in another thread, I find races of 3 out 5 sets too long.

Problem with long races, imo, is it's hard to fans to developing rooting interest in lots of players. You realistically can only watch so many matches and players if races are long.
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2026 WPA Predator Men's World 10 Ball Saigon

J
Poolmanis said:
AI Overview
Snooker is a popular television sport globally, reaching an estimated 1.5 to 1.8 billion cumulative viewers worldwide and maintaining a core fan base of about 500 million people, heavily driven by massive audiences in Asia and strong traditional viewership in the UK and Europe. [1]
Regional Television Popularity

[th]Region / Market[/th][th]Key Broadcasters[/th][th]Audience & Popularity Scale[/th] [td]China & Asia[/td][td]CCTV5, Douyin[/td][td]Accounts for over 50% of the global TV audience, with hundreds of millions tuning into major events and digital streaming platforms.[/td] [td]United Kingdom[/td][td]BBC, Channel 5, TNT Sports[/td][td]Considered a major staple of free-to-air and public television; the World Championship final regularly peaks at 3 to 4 million viewers domestically.[/td] [td]Europe[/td][td]Eurosport, Discovery[/td][td]Enjoys steady, dedicated viewership across countries like Belgium, Germany, and France, with pan-European audiences rising.[/td]
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Sorry, I don't believe those numbers for a second. A core fan base of 500 million people? Come now.

In any case, pro pool is not going to get much bigger with long or longer races and long matches.
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2026 WPA Predator Men's World 10 Ball Saigon

Poolmanis
AI Overview
Snooker is a popular television sport globally, reaching an estimated 1.5 to 1.8 billion cumulative viewers worldwide and maintaining a core fan base of about 500 million people, heavily driven by massive audiences in Asia and strong traditional viewership in the UK and Europe. [1]
Regional Television Popularity

[th]Region / Market[/th][th]Key Broadcasters[/th][th]Audience & Popularity Scale[/th] [td]China & Asia[/td][td]CCTV5, Douyin[/td][td]Accounts for over 50% of the global TV audience, with hundreds of millions tuning into major events and digital streaming platforms.[/td] [td]United Kingdom[/td][td]BBC, Channel 5, TNT Sports[/td][td]Considered a major staple of free-to-air and public television; the World Championship final regularly peaks at 3 to 4 million viewers domestically.[/td] [td]Europe[/td][td]Eurosport, Discovery[/td][td]Enjoys steady, dedicated viewership across countries like Belgium, Germany, and France, with pan-European audiences rising.[/td]



Matchroom is trying to do pool same as snooker earlier...
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Dennis "The Hatchetman" Hatch's personal cue made by Mike Gulyassy

Worminator
Here it is, and comes with a Mosconi Cup shirt signed by Dennis and a cue ball signed by Dennis and Mike Gulyassy.
The is a lot going on this this cue... scrimshaw, silver veneers, turquoise veneers, inlays, silver boxes, fancy ringwork, 5 shafts.
Definitely a piece of history here!

$5,950 Shipped
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2026 WPA Predator Men's World 10 Ball Saigon

J
Poolmanis said:
in snooker they play final to best of 35 and people like to watch...
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I don't think it's relevant. Snooker is only a big viewing sport in a few countries. Pool has the chance to be bigger globally, especially if the games are shorter imo. Not big, mind you, but bigger than it is.

Also, the U.S. market clearly is crucial for Matchroom. I doubt any casual American viewers will tune into best of 15s, never mind best of 35!
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One Pocket Rule

M
You are playing cue ball foul only. What is the rule for each situation:
1. You hit the cue ball. Nothing goes but you move a ball.
2. You hit the cue ball, nothing goes but you move 2 balls.
3. You hit the cue ball, nothing goes but you move a ball and that ball goes in a pocket. That pocket is not of either player.
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PBS Women's 9 Ball World Championship

sjm
jbart65 said:
Not sure this is possible. WNT rankings should be based strictly on 9 ball play. Excelling at 10 ball or 8 ball should have no bearing on 9 ball rankings.

The big question for WNT is, should its rankings include 9 ball events NOT sponsored by Matchroom. Tough one. The conditions might not be uniform, as they are with most WNT events.

WPA could, if it wanted, create a unified ranking system by including 8, 9 and 10 ball events. I am not sure what the incentive is. Predator doesn't hold many big 9 ball events. The company has chosen to focuse on 10 ball and 8 ball.
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Yup, well said. Agreed in full.
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PBS Women's 9 Ball World Championship

J
In an unrelated matter, I watched a new instructional video by Ko Ping Chung recently on pool stances. He just changed his to more of a snooker stance.

He explained the switch by noting the difference in traditional 9 ball and Chinese 9 ball. "When I used to play American 9 ball ..." Chung said.

Sure sounds like he's not coming back anytime soon, if at all. Be interesting to see if either of the Ko brothers gets invited to the WPM in Taipei in January. An effort to lure them back could even get a rejection.
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PBS Women's 9 Ball World Championship

J
sjm said:
Kristina won a minor WPBA event, not a WPA sanctioned major. Nonetheless, I agree 100% that these pairings don't make a lot of sense.

Our sport really needs a unified ranking system in both men's and women's pool but, in view of the fact that the rankings were one of the biggest areas of dispute between Matchroom and WPA in 2025, it's hard to imagine it happening anytime soon.
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Not sure this is possible. WNT rankings should be based strictly on 9 ball play. Excelling at 10 ball or 8 ball should have no bearing on 9 ball rankings.

The big question for WNT is, should its rankings include 9 ball events NOT sponsored by Matchroom. Tough one. The conditions might not be uniform, as they are with most WNT events.

WPA could, if it wanted, create a unified ranking system by including 8, 9 and 10 ball events. I am not sure what the incentive is. Predator doesn't hold many big 9 ball events. The company has chosen to focus on 10 ball and 8 ball.
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Gold Rush 8-Ptr: Ebony/Ebony w/ Pink Veneers & Inlays

timothysoong
Gold Rush 8-Pointer - Ebony into Ebony



- Cue Features
  • Ebony forearm
  • Ebony points (8-points)
  • 5 veneers (Purple/Black/Pink/Light Pink/Coral Pink)
  • Ebony buttsleeve
  • Juma inlays
  • Black Phenolic joint & buttcap
  • 3/8x10 Modified (Brass)
  • Embossed Cowhide leather wrap
  • 1B2S Matching Joint Protectors
  • Both shafts have been fitted with Caiden Fighter Medium + Pink Pads

- Weight & Shaft Thickness Specs
• Butt: 14.84oz
• Shaft 1: 3.97oz (12.5mm)
• Shaft 2: 3.94oz (13mm)

- Length Specifications
• Butt: 762mm
• Shaft 1: 762mm
• Shaft 2: 762mm

- Butt Thickness Specs
• Joint: 21.37mm
• Below Wrap: 31.21mm
• Buttcap: 32.08mm

- Overall Straightness: 96% Straight
Butt: 90%
Shaft 1: 100%
Shaft 2: 99%

- Overall Condition: Mint (99%)

Cue has never been chalked or played with — kept in brand new, mint condition.

That said, there are a few minor flaws worth noting:
The original leather wrap's seam isn't perfect, and there's one tiny finish flaw on the Shaft 01 joint protector.
(For the flaws mentioned above, please see last two pictures.)

Price: $3,075 OBRO shipped express worldwide

For inquiries, please send me a PM.

Thank you,
Tim












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2026 WPA Predator Men's World 10 Ball Saigon

Poolmanis
jbart65 said:
Race lengths have to be shorter to attract a modest increase in fans globally, not to mention any form of mainstream media.

Pool has to evolve from just satisfying the diehards or the players. That's the only way pro pool will find a somewhat bigger niche and deliver more prize money.

WNT commentators keep talking about speeding up the game. I suspect something is coming. A 25-second shot clock, perhaps. Shortening the first shot after the break from 60 seconds to 45 (my pref) or 30. No extensions, or only a handful of extensions to be used at any time in a full match.

Predator has already been experimenting with the set format.

I don't have a problem with race lengths being increased modestly during a tournament. Matchroom goes from race to 9 in the first stage - races to 8 on the losers side - to races to 10 in the knockout stage and races to 11 toward the finish.

I don't think any race should go beyond 13. Even 15 is too long. Why make the biggest event in pool a race to 15? It's type of event you want more fans to watch, but races to 15 make it harder.
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in snooker they play final to best of 35 and people like to watch...
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