Filipinos Losing It?

Roy Steffensen said:
The Filipinos are probably just as good as they were a few years ago, they just happen to play less events...

This is what I posted about the poolscene in Manila in another thread, and is probably some of the answer.

"Not much to tell about talents. To be honest, things have changed, dramatically it seems like, since my first visit here in February 2007.

In 2007 there were lots of tournaments going on around the world, with the biggest of them, the 2006 and 2007 World 9-ball going in Manila, plus many other tournaments. In 2008 there were two billiard organisations here who put up maybe dozens of national tournaments with $10000 first prize, and during these years Philippines sent many players to international events.

This attracted lots of players and lots of backers, and much money was changing hands in the poolhalls.

Since 2006 the IPT died, World 9-ball quit, the World Ten Ball in Manila stiffed/delayed payments, US Open changed the payouts during a tournament, pool got bad rep it seems like, cause now there are very few top players around playing the game from day to day like before. Fewer Filipinos is also sent to international events. Even Efren skipped US Open and DCC two years ago.

In 2007 Django, Efren, Alcano, Orcullo, Gomez, De Luna etc were all at One Side, playing eachohter for 10 000 - 200 000 pesos a match. Those matches doesn't excist anymore, or are atleast very rare to happen.

Now the players who are just below these guys plays all the time, for 500-5000 pesos a match, and sometimes 15000-25000. The top guns stay away, and most of the backers have moved on. Maybe they practise on daytime, but the days of daily moneymatches between worldchamps seems to be gone.

It is still more than enough challenges for anyone who wants, there are lines of players eager to take on any white guy arriving, but I have to admit it was more fun playing moneymatches when you had players as Efren, Django and Alcano doing the same on the table next to you.

I will still recommend One Side and Manila for anyone who would like to improve their game, I'm just saying it is not what it used to be, and that I'm happy I was here three times during 2007 and 2008, when it most likely was at it's best.

Both pooladdict and Jay Helfert have been here a lot since 2006, so I would like their inputs on this. Maybe I have the wrong impression."
Click to expand...

Roy, the big games have moved to Hermes, a new sports bar in Quezon City, owned by "Bugsy" Mariano, one of the main backers of pool talent over there. A couple of the other money men who supported top players have dropped out of the pool scene for one reason or another. Manny Paquiao was one of them who gave a lot of support to several players and put big money in action on a regular basis. He found religion and gave up gambling altogether (at least for now).

You can still get a game at One Side and I did see Bustie in there a couple of weeks ago, but it isn't the same as before. The big games are at Hermes now. As far as the rest of the pool scene, not much has changed. There are dozens of small rooms where an unknown player will step up and challenge you. I played a couple of matches for anywhere from 300p a game to 3000p a set while I was there. Sadly I won the small games and lost the big ones. But no "real" money was involved. 3000p is about $70.

I spent far more time this trip with my daughter and her family. Their home (really a small shack) was consumed by flames in a massive fire last month (that devastated about 80 similar structures) and they had been living from place to place until I got there. Five small children died in the blaze, which is not that uncommon over there. When there are frequent blackouts, people resort to lighting candles at night. In one small home, the people fell asleep and the candles caught the house on fire. Three children died in that house alone.

I found out that my daughter and her family got out just in time, with the flames reaching the house next door to them. Her mother would only tell me that it was very hot when they ran outside to escape. I was so thankful that my Jalo was alive I set about finding her a safer home to live in, looking at apartment buildings in Pasay. I found a brand new building where one bedroom units were renting for 6,500p (less than $160) a month.

Now she has a real home with a kitchen and bathroom. Her mother and aunt are in the process of furnishing it with my help. While I was there we bought small pads that they sleep on, a one burner gas stove to cook on, a chest of drawers and a television with a DVD player (that made them all the happiest). Oh, and a small wading pool for Jalo and her cousins and friends to play in, which she refused to get out of.

Sometimes real life gets in the way of pool and this time that's what happened. I am thankful to have my daughter alive, it was a close call. I don't know how I would have felt if the outcome had been different. I don't like to think about that. Anyway I wasn't going to post this story on here while I was over there, but something prompted me too now. All's well now so that's the good news. Thanks :smile:
 
Last edited:
I thought Alex was playing more poker than pool. When you consider you can make more money in a month sitting at home in your underwear playing online poker than you can make in a year playing pool i can't really blame him.
 
Look at the recent results in major events in Asia. Chris Melling wins there, Hohman and Souquet both win there. Everybody has an opinion, and mine is that the top 5 Europeans are underdogs to nobody.
 
poolcuemaster said:
Shane is the man of the year and can be for many years to come so drop all of that euro crap, just ask mika (euro's best) how much he will play Shane for. And the next time Busti plays Shane I'll open the window betting on Shane.--Leonard
Click to expand...

People love being all over Shane's metaphorical nuts on here, it makes me like him less which it shouldn't because he has earned everything he gets.
People need to stop with the ridiculous threads that and posts that are overkill to the max.

1. Busty is overall a winner on Shane and he is like 100 years old... wouldn't even wanna imagine what it would look like in Busty's prime.
2. Shane is playing unreal but the whole idea people had with would he beat efren or buddy or earl in their prime, Even johnny in his prime would have probably steam rolled him.
3. The kid is gonna break some records because he is great... but geez relax with the SVB worshiping lol.. he has yet to beat orcullo and yes shane beat mika for the $ but he frequently gets wrecked by mika in tournaments.
4. His overall game is super solid but his top gear is probably not even top 10 in the world.

JMO but wow everytime anyone posts anything it's always like.... I agree that efren has a cool moustache but SHANE blah blah
I like the color purple but SVB.

anyways I feel better now but seriously there are prob 10 other guys in the world who play 100% equal to Shane on any given day.

so ya you should open the betting windows hes playing a guy who is 15 years past his prime.
 
Pretty easy to attack someone behind a keyboard....

Well, he's appreciated so much, because he's the next generation of great players which we used to have a herd of , and he's obviously been raised properly. Our wasted landscape of great young talent over the past 10 yrs does not show the same type of committment, it's just so nice to see a player who's predictable, & who works so hard at getting better and does. He may not be a natural like Earl (not many are) or a Picasso like Efren, but hard work goes a loooooooooooooooooong way. Jeff Carter was a great example of that. Wonder how good Jesse Bollman would of been if he committed himself to pool like Shane, J.B. he's a natural.
 
Last edited:
Island Drive said:
Pretty easy to attack someone behind a keyboard....

Well, he's appreciated so much, because he's the next generation of great players which we used to have a herd of , and he's obviously been raised properly. Our wasted landscape of great young talent over the past 10 yrs does not show the same type of committment, it's just so nice to see a player who's predictable, & who works so hard at getting better and does. He may not be a natural like Earl (not many are) or a Picasso like Efren, but hard work goes a loooooooooooooooooong way. Jeff Carter was a great example of that. Wonder how good Jesse Bollman would of been if he committed himself to pool like Shane, J.B. he's a natural.
Click to expand...

which is why I said the guy earned everything he got, I agree 100% he works hard and plays great but like geez, people are just goin way overboard with the posts of him beating people like Buddy Hall who could have probably given shane the 8 in his prime. He is not even for sure the best player in the world today, Top 5 for sure, so I don't know where these idea's of him being one of the best who ever lived came from, that's a BIG statement to make.

Ya he is the best american pool player today but not by very much at all, If Rodney, Corey or a handful of others put in the hard work they would probably be a 50/50 bet instead of the 45/55 underdogs they probably are now.

Yes I am aware Shane destroyed Corey last time they played to 100 I am just saying that maybe people are hyping the SVB legacy a little too much.
 
Or maybe they don't have a multiple entry visa? People are generally shocked when they start to learn the truth of our immigration policies concerning 3rd world visitors. Unless they are US green card holders they aren't going to come and go as they please. Not to play pool.
 
jay helfert said:
Roy, the big games have moved to Hermes, a new sports bar in Quezon City, owned by "Bugsy" Mariano, one of the main backers of pool talent over there. A couple of the other money men who supported top players have dropped out of the pool scene for one reason or another. Manny Paquiao was one of them who gave a lot of support to several players and put big money in action on a regular basis. He found religion and gave up gambling altogether (at least for now).

You can still get a game at One Side and I did see Bustie in there a couple of weeks ago, but it isn't the same as before. The big games are at Hermes now. As far as the rest of the pool scene, not much has changed. There are dozens of small rooms where an unknown player will step up and challenge you. I played a couple of matches for anywhere from 300p a game to 3000p a set while I was there. Sadly I won the small games and lost the big ones. But no "real" money was involved. 3000p is about $70.

I spent far more time this trip with my daughter and her family. Their home (really a small shack) was consumed by flames in a massive fire last month (that devastated about 80 similar structures) and they had been living from place to place until I got there. Five small children died in the blaze, which is not that uncommon over there. When there are frequent blackouts, people resort to lighting candles at night. In one small home, the people fell asleep and the candles caught the house on fire. Three children died in that house alone.

I found out that my daughter and her family got out just in time, with the flames reaching the house next door to them. Her mother would only tell me that it was very hot when they ran outside to escape. I was so thankful that my Jalo was alive I set about finding her a safer home to live in, looking at apartment buildings in Pasay. I found a brand new building where one bedroom units were renting for 6,500p (less than $160) a month.

Now she has a real home with a kitchen and bathroom. Her mother and aunt are in the process of furnishing it with my help. While I was there we bought small pads that they sleep on, a one burner gas stove to cook on, a chest of drawers and a television with a DVD player (that made them all the happiest). Oh, and a small wading pool for Jalo and her cousins and friends to play in, which she refused to get out of.

Sometimes real life gets in the way of pool and this time that's what happened. I am thankful to have my daughter alive, it was a close call. I don't know how I would have felt if the outcome had been different. I don't like to think about that. Anyway I wasn't going to post this story on here while I was over there, but something prompted me too now. All's well now so that's the good news. Thanks :smile:
Click to expand...

That's a real scary and heart-warming story, Jay! Filipinos everywhere thank you for everything you do even for this one family. The impact is tremendous.:thumbup:

And yes, sometimes real life gets in the way of pool. I hate when that happens! ;);)
 
Mole Eye said:
Look at the recent results in major events in Asia. Chris Melling wins there, Hohman and Souquet both win there. Everybody has an opinion, and mine is that the top 5 Europeans are underdogs to nobody.
Click to expand...

I was thinking more along these lines myself...the Europeans and the Chinese seem to have kicked it up a notch lately.

Could be a combination of all the opinions expressed, really....

OR MAYBE, JUST MAYBE,...

they'relyinglowforawhiletoscrewwiththeodds-makersandwhentheygetitlowenoughBAM!
 
Last edited:
Renegade said:
That's a real scary and heart-warming story, Jay! Filipinos everywhere thank you for everything you do even for this one family. The impact is tremendous.:thumbup:

And yes, sometimes real life gets in the way of pool. I hate when that happens! ;);)
Click to expand...

I would flip/flop your above statement. Pool is real, "all the time."
 
jay helfert said:
Roy, the big games have moved to Hermes, a new sports bar in Quezon City, owned by "Bugsy" Mariano, one of the main backers of pool talent over there. A couple of the other money men who supported top players have dropped out of the pool scene for one reason or another. Manny Paquiao was one of them who gave a lot of support to several players and put big money in action on a regular basis. He found religion and gave up gambling altogether (at least for now).

You can still get a game at One Side and I did see Bustie in there a couple of weeks ago, but it isn't the same as before. The big games are at Hermes now. As far as the rest of the pool scene, not much has changed. There are dozens of small rooms where an unknown player will step up and challenge you. I played a couple of matches for anywhere from 300p a game to 3000p a set while I was there. Sadly I won the small games and lost the big ones. But no "real" money was involved. 3000p is about $70.

I spent far more time this trip with my daughter and her family. Their home (really a small shack) was consumed by flames in a massive fire last month (that devastated about 80 similar structures) and they had been living from place to place until I got there. Five small children died in the blaze, which is not that uncommon over there. When there are frequent blackouts, people resort to lighting candles at night. In one small home, the people fell asleep and the candles caught the house on fire. Three children died in that house alone.

I found out that my daughter and her family got out just in time, with the flames reaching the house next door to them. Her mother would only tell me that it was very hot when they ran outside to escape. I was so thankful that my Jalo was alive I set about finding her a safer home to live in, looking at apartment buildings in Pasay. I found a brand new building where one bedroom units were renting for 6,500p (less than $160) a month.

Now she has a real home with a kitchen and bathroom. Her mother and aunt are in the process of furnishing it with my help. While I was there we bought small pads that they sleep on, a one burner gas stove to cook on, a chest of drawers and a television with a DVD player (that made them all the happiest). Oh, and a small wading pool for Jalo and her cousins and friends to play in, which she refused to get out of.

Sometimes real life gets in the way of pool and this time that's what happened. I am thankful to have my daughter alive, it was a close call. I don't know how I would have felt if the outcome had been different. I don't like to think about that. Anyway I wasn't going to post this story on here while I was over there, but something prompted me too now. All's well now so that's the good news. Thanks :smile:
Click to expand...

One day when Jalo is old enough to travel on her own, perhaps her travels will take her to the United States. Your posts in this forum about her early life may be some of the most treasured chronicles that she may ever discover. I'm sure that in future years, she will be informed about this forum and your posts and she will read them regardless of whether her travels takes her to the United States.
 
Does anyone really believe that any European player can beat SVB in a all around format. Like banks, one hole, straight, 8 ball , and 10 ball get real. Europeans are so good I never see them winning in banks or one hole and if im wrong show me. Not only is SVB good at these games on a big table how many want some even at any game on the bar box.
 
denzy said:
Does anyone really believe that any European player can beat SVB in a all around format. Like banks, one hole, straight, 8 ball , and 10 ball get real. Europeans are so good I never see them winning in banks or one hole and if im wrong show me. Not only is SVB good at these games on a big table how many want some even at any game on the bar box.
Click to expand...

omg SHANE, SHANE omg omg omg SHANE SVB SVB. SVB SHANE...... all of these guys are top flight pros and yeh I think there are alot of Europeans that can beat him in an all around format. Do I think any of them are favorite to do so? Probably not but he definitely wouldn't be stealing.

You think when Rodney catches a gear and is free stroking he can't just steamroll shane, or any of the other top american pros. Is shane playing better than them right now? yes, is he a huge favorite against any top pro.... definitely not.

He might be a 5% favorite and it isn't because of his fantastic play, it is because of his break. They can all pot balls and play shape as good as him, some of them can do it better. Ex -Alex.

The guy plays some god damn good pool, but seriously everyone needs to get off of his cyber nuts.
 
jay helfert said:
I just watched the great Yang get destroyed in back to back weeks by Carlo Biado and Francisco. Both the Pinoy players put the pressure on early and never let up. I think he left Manila gasping for air.
Click to expand...

I think Yang went through a lost period after he lost interest for the game.

Can you give more details on his level at the moment?

I think Wu could be a better choice at the moment.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top