Thorsten Hohmann comes back from a 6-0 deficit to knock off Kledio Kaci.

No league
No women
You can only play for money, $100 a set minimum

Positively Ralf said:

I was talking to an older coworker who followed pro pool on TV in the 80s and 90s and it is really fun always talking to him. He followed the game pretty hardcore and even went out to some non TV tournaments like the big ones out in California.

Anyways, he mentioned Jose Parica. He told me that he feels that Efren's star power, how everyone loved him and how much the TV executives always preferred him over others due to ratings overshadowed how much better Parica was than Efren. Now dont get him wrong, he knows TV is about entertainment and outside of Strickland, it was hard to find a better showman for the game than Efren.

So my question is for all of you who watched both at their best, was Parica considered the better player between he and Efren? Or is this the case of my coworker just liking Parica's game more?

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It depends on the game. I think Parica was a slightly better nineball player and Efren was a better player at everything else. Parica played the best match of nineball I've ever seen in person at the 03 swannee. Started with a 6 pack, broke, played safe got bih, ran out, and broke and ran 2 more to win the set 9-0.

Jaden

I'm a big advocate of getting the amateur or non elite players more chances to compete. It'd be cool if pool players could enter a tournament with the same outlook as amateur poker players. I think aggressive shot clocks help level the playing field and offer a more watchable product by reducing overtly slow play and adding drama. Tournaments based on Fargo are also nice to allow for a more open competition. Adding gambling options on matches would also be huge. Even if it's just on the last few matches of a tournament. Something on a micro-stat level like PrizePicks would also be awesome.

Best cash offer

hello said:

I'm just saying the name Mark Tadd never really comes up in conversation of the best players tournament or money games.
If he was that great of a player there would be confirmed stories of his matchups and their outcome.I don't even know if he beat
everyone on a regular basis.I mean, I haven't heard that he beat Buddy, Earl or Efren once let alone regularly...his speed reminds me
of that of George Sansouci, who beat a lot of top players but was never elite either.

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I don’t know what your take is that would qualify a player as elite in your mind. I’m also not going to, as someone else so aptly put it, tear a player down, but since you equate Mark’s speed to that of Ginky, here’s something to think about. Ginky didn’t pick up a cue until he was almost 19. 6 years later he was named Billiard Digests pro rookie of the year. In a nine month stretch from late ‘98 into ‘99 he won the Camel Pro Charlotte 10 ball championship, the BCA Open 9 ball championship, and National Straight Pool Championship. Then the 2000 Derby City Classic 9-ball. Sadly an injury shortly after this stretch derailed his game and career. In 2009 he ran 343 balls in 14:1 at Slates, 10 years after that accident that took his best game. While his career was short, he was elite and he was a friend I’d never disparage. Having said that, Mark was a LOT faster than Ginky, Mark wasn’t elite, he was freaking intergalactic, and more unnerving was, he made it look effortless, at times almost seeming disinterested, bored with it. There was a point that he’d play anybody for the cash, and no one had to like it.

Texas Carom Club said:

... Why cant there be 20 dollar ones?

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Maybe the room is waiting for someone to volunteer to run them. Maybe the room is not willing to donate the table time. Maybe no one wants to play just for bragging rights.

Have you tried volunteering to run one?

As long as the balls are cleaned the same for everyone, it shouldn't matter. Everyone is playing under the same conditions and will need to adjust accordingly.
Individual players tampering with the equipment is entirely different though.

I'd love to see a cue stroking machine that can deliver a human like stroke that's ULTRA repeatable, consistent, accurate and minutely adjustable. A machine that could send a ball around the table and have it stop in the SAME place. Imagine being able to precisely evaluate and quantify cue deflection, 'power transfer', effect of different tips, chalks, cleaning liquids, etc. instead of relying on various manufacturer's marketing claims. Dr. Dave does a fantastic job measuring these things, but he's only human.