jbart65 said:

I was going to write about this, but my posts were long enough. Besides, this is the only Predator event held in tandem with a huge amateur event, and it mostly encompasses the U.S., not the entire pool world. Still, a great thing for Predator.

I know I am a relative newbie to the game, but I am less of a fan of the fast and loose heritage of 9 ball.

I've watched tons of old matches. They are entertaining. Yet I think the older version of the game is too easy for today's pros. They are more precise shooters, imo, and have adapted surprisingly quickly to 4-inch pockets. So I prefer the WNT approach by and large. I think there is more strategy involved and more chances for players to turn the tide.

I know this subject has been debated endlessly and I am not trying to open a can of worms. It's really a matter of opinion or preference, but I personally find 9-ball matches between top WNT pros quite riveting. The margin for error is exceedingly thin.

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jbart65 said:

When the PLP was on, for instance, I mostly watched it instead of the Las Vegas event. Other fans watched the Las Vegas event.

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jbart65 said:

Oh, I have. I have. I didn't do all my research and ignore Karim. I scoured for everything he has said publicly the last five years.

Frankly, I haven't found him or Frazer very forthcoming.

To be clear, I don't think Predator is trying to put the WNT out of business. Not at all. Doesn't hurt Predator at all when its top players play and do well in WNT events, as you note.

But I also don't think Predator cares much what happens to the WNT. The company is doing what is in its own best interests.

Even if Karim says he doesn't think Predator is a competitor to the WNT, of course it is. Whenever they have clashing big events, they are competing for viewers and sponsors. Predator and WNT have clashes this year with the PLP, Florida Open and partially the Mosconi.

When the PLP was on, for instance, I mostly watched it instead of the Las Vegas event. Other fans watched the Las Vegas event.

Predator also appears to have boxed out or squeezed Matchroom in Vietnam. It scheduled an event in Bali that conflicted with the WNT Hanoi Open last year, and it would happen again this year if WNT held another in Hanoi. Once Predator realized what a jewel Vietnam was - thanks to MR - it rushed right in.

If both sides keep expanding, they will inevitably have more scheduling clashes. Predator has avoided putting events on around the time of the WPC and US Opens, but it's encroached on the Mosconi the past two years. I find that ... very curious.

Both entities are drawing money from the same narrow pool of sponsors, by and large. None of them have really deep pockets like advertisers for traditional sports. So I consider the money pool available to pro billiards as a partial zero-sum game. What one side gets is not available to others.

If the two sides cooperated more, there is definitely room for both. But the more they clash, the more something has to give, or change.

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Shooter1 said:

I need to get an extension but want to know more about how it attaches to a Schon cue. I have the longer heavier weight bolt, the bumper, and the screw that holds the bumper in place. As is, the cue is weighted perfectly the way I like it.

In this configuration, how does the extension attach to the butt of the cue? I can only imagine you would have to remove the bumper and screw, and the extension would thread into the end of the weight bolt?

I do not want to alter the current weight of the butt when the extension is not in place. I envision an extension that may have a press fit bumper that had a center hole in it that would allow the extension to thread through the bumper, into the weight bolt?

What's a good method to get an extension on my cue and hopefully not disturb it's current weight when the extension is not in use? I'm aware of the "slip on" extensions but would prefer to have something that feels a bit more seamless when installed.

Thanks for the replies.

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sjm said:

This is the primary difference between Predator and Matchroom The events Predator produces is for the benefit of the amateurs, whose events they invariably partner with. Predator's involvement with pro pool has always kept their brand in the spotlight with the amateurs, which means sales.

At the recent Las Vegas Open, I was told that there were over 11,000 amateurs present participating in the bar table events played that same week in the same grand ballroom as the pros. The pro event, having free admission, not only reinforced that many of the top pros are choosing Predator, but kept Predator relevant in the minds of every amateur. Predator had sales reps and booths in the arena, too. It's pure speculation on my part, but I'll bet Predator sold a lot of product during the Las Vegas Open. Pro pool is a vehicle to bolster the sales of Predator products, and every indication is that this strategy has been a great success. Predator is selling product much more than entertainment.

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sjm said:

I also think that the use of 4" pockets in Matchroom events has robbed the game of its fast of loose heritage and, strangely enough, has made 9ball feel a lot more like 10ball than in the past.

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