Flakeandrun said:

Think it's more politicized than simply a paycheck. But, yeah, there's a lot of pool to watch at the moment. Can't complain about that.

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straightline said:

<Stealing> is a universal pool word anyway.

My take is it's the elitism. More risk, higher pay. What's not to like?

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kingwang said:

Yes, poor word choice on my part. I meant it more as in "attracting". Unfortunately, I cannot edit the title now.

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skor said:

it won't last, it's just a small niche
Basically, wood is dead or rapidly dying, you can agree or not, you can hates it or not but that's the fact. Can't stop progress, those who try are left behind.
New comers to the game watch tournaments and see champions using the black shaft and that's what they'll buy.
Tradition? feel? whatever, these are old people excuses and sorry to say but old people don't last and they are not what motivate the industry.

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iusedtoberich said:

For sure! It actually seems even slimmer pickings than prior years, how is that even possible? I don't get it. Pool is booming. Local rooms are busy. Tournaments every night of the week. Action streams. It's almost as good as the late 90's in my area. Why haven't new pro-level players emerged in the past 10 years?

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Korsakoff said:

I’m remembering more of that sort of activity in the late 20th Century/early 21st Century. I see less people parking like that now and hear of less keying.

You’ll see nice or unique cars parked slightly further out but squarely in the space. Maybe those jealous/vengeful sorts are taking out their frustrations elsewhere.

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jay helfert said:

Hopeful I'm healthy enough to go to the Philippines Open in October. Pool has exploded here in the last few years. Many new rooms, lots and lots of money players, even more tournaments.

I watch a lot on streams here. So many new guys who are playing high level pool. I would estimate well over 50 who have never visited the States, that could win the big regional pro events. AJ and Januarta speed! They all play even and "upsets" abound.

Big money matches every night, mostly around the Manila rooms - 50 to 100,000P is average (per man). Well heeled backers too. Don't flinch for any bet! I've seen millions bet on a match (one million about 17K US).


Our "pros" with one or two exceptions would get swamped over here. Shane could get all the action he wants playing even! Gorst too.These guys are out to prove they are the best!

I live in Pool heaven here.

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iusedtoberich said:

I've never heard the expression "soft hands" in 30 years of watching pro pool matches. (or any other sport, actually). Did they just make it up, or adapt it from another sport?

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vintagecollectibles831 said:

Off topic, but has James Aranas been back in the US since he was deported awhile back? I know, very old news, but I can't remember exactly how old. Orcollo was deported too. Has he been back to the US, for any events?

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july9x said:

Robbie threw the US Open title away literally by playing this shoot, I mean what in the hell was he thinking, he was up 12-10 (race to 13) and got all the momentums, there are 20,169 other better ways to play this shoot, shake my head, his girl friend could have played a better shot than this, my goodness me!!!

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Patrick Johnson said:

That'd probably give you a little more power for the same stroke - one of the few objective cue benefits - which could be duplicated with a another cue and a slightly faster stroke.

pj
chgo

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jbart65 said:

Interesting FB comments from Duong Quoc Hoang:

ONE MONTH IN AMERICA. FIVE TOURNAMENTS.
Vice City Classic - 5th
Florida Open - 9th
Arizona Open - 17th
Phoenix Open - 17th
US Open - 33rd
Not the results I came here hoping for.
This month was a struggle for me, probably more mentally than physically.
There were days when I felt like I could play my best pool. And then there were days when I simply couldn’t find myself at the table. I tried to push harder, concentrate harder, fight harder… but sometimes, the harder I tried, the heavier everything became.
At some point, I could feel my mental health going downhill.
But when I looked around, I realized I wasn’t the only one.
Five tournaments in one month. Long matches, long days, flights, hotels, pressure, wins and losses. I saw many players exhausted too. Everyone was fighting their own battle, but everyone kept showing up, picking up their cue and trying again.
And I respect that.
There have been many discussions and different opinions surrounding tournaments and organizations during this period. As a player, however, I also want to acknowledge something: having this many tournaments available for us to compete in within one month does not happen by itself.
Behind every event are people working, organizing, investing, taking risks and trying to create opportunities for professional pool.
Things may not always be perfect. We may disagree. There will always be problems that need to be discussed and improved.
But this sport is still fighting to grow.
Promoters, organizations, sponsors, players, media and fans, everyone contributes something to that journey. I hope instead of spending too much energy fighting each other, we can find more ways to support each other, fix what needs to be fixed, and keep moving this game forward together.
As for me, I leave America without the result I wanted, but with many lessons I probably needed.
Thank you to everyone behind these five tournaments for giving us the opportunity to compete.

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