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Lukas Verner wins WNT Ranking Event

sjm
vintagecollectibles831 said:
I will probably look like an idiot for asking, but I wonder why Matchroom only looks at WNT events. I wonder how many WNT events are in the US, annually. Players must need a lot of travel expenses, if they have to fly all over the world to play in WNT events, if many are international. Sorry for the dumb questions. Thanks.
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Last year, there were Matchroom ranking events in

Philadelphia PA
Jacksonville FL
Seattle, WA
Atlantic City, NJ
Orlando FL
Raleigh, NC
Front Royal VA
Roanoke VA
Boston MA
Wallingford CT

Ten opportunities in the US to earn WNT rankings points, including two WNT majors, made it easy to chase down a Mosconi spot in 2025 without ever leaving US soil.

In 2026, it will be even easier as a new US based, Matchroom major has been added to the calendar, namely the Arizona Open.
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Lukas Verner wins WNT Ranking Event

skor
sjm said:
Bergman was one of the top three American players ten years ago, along with SVB and Dechaine.

Still, he, more or less, feel off the face of the earth as far as competing at the rotation pool majors, and that includes the ones played in the United States. As you rightly note, the reason he has always offered is that he does not like to travel, and that's a legitimate reason. Nonetheless, that decision, like all others, comes with consequences, and one of them is reduced access to sponsorship.

I'm not sure what you base the "he's still one of the best US players" comment on, as he has no noteworthy results at rotation pool in recent years. If he has those skills, let him show them. He has missed every single major championship in the four-year history of the WNT tour. There were about ten WNT ranking events in the United States last year (probably more this year) and he missed them all. To this point of 2026, he has yet to play in a WNT ranking event. Let's see if he plays at Super Billiards Expo, a WNT ranking event that starts this Thursday in Pennsylvania.

Scott Frost has been selling Justin Bergman for Mosconi inclusion like snake oil, but there's no evidence that Justin has any interest in demonstrating that he cares to qualify on points. If he is given a wild card that is not based on performance in rotation pool events, it will be yet another stain on the already embarrassing Mosconi Cup wild card selection process for Team USA, further proof that Team USA selection is about politics, not about playing excellence.

Also worth noting is that Justin has never played in an event having the Matchroom break, and the only way he will learn it is by playing in some WNT ranking events. As is his every right, he has shown no inclination to prepare himself for WNT play, so on what basis are any of us to take his Mosconi Cup candidacy seriously?

I like Justin a lot and consider him a friend. I'm rooting hard for him to recapture the magic of ten years ago, and we know that he is capable of outstanding play. I will not, however, go as far as saying that just because I am a fan of his, I want him to get a Mosconi Cup spot whether he earns it or not.
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10 years is a lot of time and at his age, he'll never be as good as he was. and even if he have like 2-3 good years in him, he need those to get to top form in the WNT arena.
The past can not be the future, Justin is not the answer for American pool on the international arena
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Low English

BilliardsAbout
Brookeland Bill said:
I getting more out of my game using low English on stop shots, draw and even position on shots that are at various angles. I don’t fully understand why unless I’m eliminating a loot ov variables that affect my contact with the object ball.
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Dead center on the axis is great for practice; for improved accuracy, aiming slightly low (or slightly high) is often even better for actual play.
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Lukas Verner wins WNT Ranking Event

sjm
vintagecollectibles831 said:
Is it possible that some of the best players in the US do not have the money or backing to play in all of the WNT events? Bergman for example. He does not have a big sponsor, like Cuetec, who might pay for his travel expenses. I might be wrong though. I do not know. He might still not like to travel much though, and that might be the case with Bergman. He is still one of the best US players though, right? And, why does Fedor have the right to play on the US Mosconi Cup team?
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Bergman was one of the top three American players ten years ago, along with SVB and Dechaine.

Still, he, more or less, fell off the face of the earth as far as competing at the rotation pool majors, and that includes the ones played in the United States. As you rightly note, the reason he has always offered is that he does not like to travel, and that's a legitimate reason. Nonetheless, that decision, like all others, comes with consequences, and one of them is reduced access to sponsorship.

I'm not sure what you base the "he's still one of the best US players" comment on, as he has no noteworthy results at rotation pool in recent years. If he has those skills, let him show them. He has missed every single major championship in the four-year history of the WNT tour. There were about ten WNT ranking events in the United States last year (probably more this year) and he missed them all. To this point of 2026, he has yet to play in a WNT ranking event. Let's see if he plays at Super Billiards Expo, a WNT ranking event that starts this Thursday in Pennsylvania.

Scott Frost has been selling Justin Bergman for Mosconi inclusion like snake oil, but there's no evidence that Justin has any interest in demonstrating that he cares to qualify on points. If he is given a wild card that is not based on performance in rotation pool events, it will be yet another stain on the already embarrassing Mosconi Cup wild card selection process for Team USA, further proof that Team USA selection is about politics, not about playing excellence.

Also worth noting is that Justin has never played in an event having the Matchroom break, and the only way he will learn it is by playing in some WNT ranking events. As is his every right, he has shown no inclination to prepare himself for WNT play, so on what basis are any of us to take his Mosconi Cup candidacy seriously?

I like Justin a lot and consider him a friend. I'm rooting hard for him to recapture the magic of ten years ago, and we know that he is capable of outstanding play. I will not, however, go as far as saying that just because I am a fan of his, I want him to get a Mosconi Cup spot whether he earns it or not.
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Testing Kicks and Banks on Diamond Brand Tables, and How to Adjust Aiming

dr_dave
jbart65 said:
That said, my own very limited tests on Diamonds shows they bank fairly normally. Once I come across a Diamond that banks or kicks short, I'll report back.
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Based on my experience (and the video), you must think all other table brands kick and bank long (or you don’t really care much or you are good at adjusting quickly and subconsciously).
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Low English

H
Brookeland Bill said:
I getting more out of my game using low English on stop shots, draw and even position on shots that are at various angles. I don’t fully understand why unless I’m eliminating a loot ov variables that affect my contact with the object ball.
Click to expand...
If you are saying that you are cueing low-CENTER on those shots, then it's possible that you are striking truer on the centerline, so the cueball doesn't squirt, and therefore strike the target ball in an unintended place. Aiming low on the cueball brings you closer to where it sits on the cloth, so the visual naturally falls better on the centerline, and so hopefully that informs your cue alignment. I believe I've seen posts where some have mentioned that professional players will do their waggles aiming low, specifically to better align to the center, so it's not like I'm the only one with this belief. :) :unsure:

Also, in my experience, using bottom/draw on cuts usually requires cutting slightly more (thinner). So also *guessing* that you might normally aim a little overcut, and the draw compensates for that and brings you onto the expected line/hit.
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Testing Kicks and Banks on Diamond Brand Tables, and How to Adjust Aiming

J
Badpenguin said:
You can't possibly duplicate the exact same stroke, speed, and tip placement during every shot, nor control the environment, so these tests are anecdotal at best. Get a robot that can duplicate exact conditions for every shot.
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I test out every table I play on. So do a lot of other players. Some basic tests can quickly give me a feel for any table, assuming no big change in room conditions during the day. I wouldn't do these tests if they didn't tell me anything.

That said, my own very limited tests on Diamonds shows they bank fairly normally. Once I come across a Diamond that banks or kicks short, I'll report back.
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Lukas Verner wins WNT Ranking Event

J
vintagecollectibles831 said:
Fedor, for example, got a spot on the team that he should not even have had a right to get, leaving other real American top players to the sidelines. He was, and still is not an American. That is a fact.
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This is a fair point and it's been hotly debated before, but the die has been cast. MR will be vindicated to some extent if/when Fedor becomes a citizen. Gotta say, though, Fedor acts ands thinks more like an American than many native-born people I know. He's is very attuned to our culture.

At any rate, the U.S. has no more six legit Mosconi players, if I include Hohmann. Only three of them, SVB, Gorst and Woodward, would have a chance to make a European team.

Then there's another handful of very borderline candidates, and that is being generous.

Lukas would be the youngest of the lot. His recent WNT win was his best ever. Let's see if he can build on that.

I've said before, the U.S. has lost the past two years more due to tactical, strategic or mental errors than other causes. They can hang with Europe in shotmaking, but not if they don't give themselves a chance by playing smarter. They need an edge simply due to the obvious though not insurmountable talent gap.
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