I knew you might think this, because I wondered about it, too. After watching Chua for some time now, though, I think he takes on shots other won't take because he's so good at making them. Not because he has to to compensate for the weaker parts of his game.
Take thin cut shots. He has an uncanny ability to make them consistently, especially after another player thinks he has played a decent safety shot. In the PLP, for example, Chua made four very thin cut shots in a short sequence against SVB to help him win their round robin.
At first, Boyes and Frost were dumb-founded. They didn't think Chua would take on the first or second thin cut shot that he made. Then they just assumed he would take them - and make them.
After his fourth make, Boyes was absolutely flummoxed. He started rambling about whether Chua had special eyesight. Crazy.
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Chua is thus the opposite of Filler, the most economic player in pool.
Chua prefers his toughest shots to be the ones that get him great position on the next ball. The toughness is not so much in pocketing the ball, but in moving the CB around the table so much that he gets in position to finish an easy runout.
Most players don't like to move the CB too much, and for good reason. It increases the chance of getting out of line. Pool instructors often advise players not to move the CB too much. Chua goes against that idea more than any other player on the tour.
Risky? Yes. But it pays off most of the time.
Filler prefers to move the CB far less. He has said he prefers to take a longer but makeable shot rather than move the CB too much and risk getting out of line. He play this way because he is the straightest shooter in pool.
Difference in philosophy.
If I had the ability of a Filler or a Chua, I would play more like Filler. Chua takes more risks, but it comes at a price. Filler's more conservative approach is more consistent.
