mikepage said:

Yeah, we've mentioned expense/travel logistics for players from other continents. There is also overlapping schedule issues even within Europe. There are some pretty good players in the Eurotour event right now

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In a word having 71 players rated 800 Fargo or higher, I am no longer willing to deem anyone else a contender for the title at the majors. Every sub-800 player is a longshot and, yes, occasionally, a longshot comes in. To put it simply, Fargo 800 just isn't what it used to be.

Poland aside, the federations are, typically, letting their best cueists play at the WNT event (for Germany, Filler and Neuhausen, for Spain, Alcaide and FSR, for Austria, Ouschan, Lechner and He).

Inclusion of the listed players would, of course, have made the WNT field deeper, but, other than Szewczyk and Maciol, it would have not changed the title picture much.

This is not the first time that the EPBF European Championships overlapped with a WNT major, and it won't be the last.

iusedtoberich said:

... One guy on the FB Matchoom page even made a new thread asking for changing 9 ball to a called shot game due to this shot.

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Pongers nearly made the nine in the pocket he would have called if it had been call shot. I think he was playing the bank rather than the kick, though. Of course the speed was to increase the variety of possible shots.

I used to love bad positions in ring games. As long as I could hit the ball, anything was possible.

iusedtoberich said:

I'd also like to add that luck 9 ball rules led to this shot in the first place, and all the attention it has gathered.

Luck rules encourage aggressive play, 2 way shots, and luck itself. It's good for the game!

Stop trying to make pool more boring that it already is. One guy on the FB Matchoom page even made a new thread asking for changing 9 ball to a called shot game due to this shot.

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Trying to get the powers that be to change 9 ball to call shot is likely to go over like a loud fart in church. Besides, 10 ball is already the call shot rotation game to play if you want "more precision" in pool games.

jokrswylde said:

Not if that striped orange ball is actually the 14...

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I would assume the green striped ball on the left would be the 14 but I've been wrong before lol

Kris_b1104 said:

Well those 30/40 people actually attempted to win a US Open 9 ball (they actually get paid and win a trophy and potential sponsorship). Nobody is attempting to run 800 balls, so that comparison is not accurate.

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Yes but he did both

Bob Jewett said:

...snip... Making the sides smaller to match the shrinking corners makes shots from some angles to the sides impossible. ....snip....

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Right. Which is why I vaguely recall hearing about some side pockets on 4" corner pocket tables are actually bigger than 4.5", because otherwise they'd be simply too tough.

I don't know it as fact, just I remember hearing it somewhere.

I'd also like to add that luck 9 ball rules led to this shot in the first place, and all the attention it has gathered.

Luck rules encourage aggressive play, 2 way shots, and luck itself. It's good for the game!

Stop trying to make pool more boring that it already is. One guy on the FB Matchoom page even made a new thread asking for changing 9 ball to a called shot game due to this shot.

8intheside said:

I agree with you, but here’s the question. Is it harder to win a us open or run 820 balls?

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30/40 people have won US Open 9 ball championships
Only 2 people are in the 800 plus club.

iusedtoberich said:

I believe it's always been the side pockets are .5" larger than the corner pockets. This was in the old days of 5" corner pockets being standard, and 4.5" being about the tightest ever made.

In today's time of 4" corners, I think the sides might be more than .5" bigger, but I'm not sure.

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A half inch is the only rule I've heard. Making the sides smaller to match the shrinking corners makes shots from some angles to the sides impossible. That doesn't happen for corners -- harder but not impossible.

When checking out a new table, I like to see how close to the side rail the OB can get and still be makeable. Measure on the end rail how many diamonds out the ball is coming from. Less than one is an easy table.

Biloxi Boy said:

The only essential thing missing was GIRLS, but somehow we lived through it.

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That's funny. When I first met my wife I own a pool room at the time and she would come around all the time even before we got married. She asked me once and I think she was serious talking about the pool players she says are these guys all gay? Don't any of them ever have girlfriends or go out with girls.

sjm said:

interesting time to take a cheap shot at American pool. By dead money, do you mean like Manas at the PLP or even deader than that?

FYI, what is best for everyone, Americans included, is that as many highly skilled cueists as possible show up at every one of pool's majors. That's what makes the sport more exciting to watch and what makes it grow.

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Yeah, we've mentioned expense/travel logistics for players from other continents. There is also overlapping schedule issues even within Europe. There are some pretty good players in the Eurotour event right now

The only essential thing missing was GIRLS, but somehow we lived through it.

mjantti said:

Mr SLOW!

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Fixed that for you

He played great for sure, just have such a difficult time watching him!