Maybe the pressure of knowing he had to win for the guys to collect on the bet got to Mike, because it’s not like he was a banger or something- I think he won the us open 9 ball once
Mike LeBron betting scandal?
- Thread starter benjaminwah
- Start date
Maybe the pressure of knowing he had to win for the guys to collect on the bet got to Mike, because it’s not like he was a banger or something- I think he won the us open 9 ball once
And don’t forget buddy’s position play where he almost scratched in the side pocket, twice.
Maybe the 8 ball does not like Buddy :grin:
https://youtu.be/_y12sL1oR2s?t=38
https://youtu.be/_y12sL1oR2s?t=400
https://youtu.be/_y12sL1oR2s?t=38
https://youtu.be/_y12sL1oR2s?t=400
Correct, all they care about is that if there is a line , enough people will bet both sides , they take the vig and couldn't care less what happens. But if it's always one sided , they want no part of it , rightfully so.
Buddy's position play is usually great.. he was TRYING to scratch in the side,
the first time it hit the point, Buddy smiling. Now that combo.. I mean come
on, man.. Buddy should be drilling that blindfolded.
And Lebron looking around nervously... that's not just pressure.
What a dump job.
I knew there was a possibility for something like this when I saw the line they put up. It was something like 3-1 to 6-1 for seven of the eight players and 20-1 for Lebron. Mike Lebron was a very good player and certainly capable of beating any of these other players in a single elimination format. The fact the the book put up such a bad line contributed to making this happen. They inadvertently provided the opportunity for bad things to take place.
Of the seven other players, one of them refused to participate in the outcome. I'm pretty sure that was Earl. I know Hopkins was not involved either but he may not have played in it that year. After that the promoter Matt Braun cracked down hard on all the players and put a stop to any future shenanigans.
The guy who ran the book (I think it was Jimmy Vaccaro) told me there were only eleven tickets sold on Lebron for $200 each (200 was the max bet allowed). So they paid out a total of $44,000 on his win (they had also sold many more tickets on the other seven players so that mitigated their loss). He said it wasn't a big loss for the casino but they wouldn't be making a line in the future on the Challenge of Champions and they never did.
This hasn't stopped the English books from making lines on the Mosconi Cup and World Pool Masters, and unfortunately there may have been some shady stuff that happened there as well in past years on a couple of individual matches. None of this can be proven, only that there has been suspect betting patterns on a couple of matches, the same way it happened on the pro snooker tour.
Of the seven other players, one of them refused to participate in the outcome. I'm pretty sure that was Earl. I know Hopkins was not involved either but he may not have played in it that year. After that the promoter Matt Braun cracked down hard on all the players and put a stop to any future shenanigans.
The guy who ran the book (I think it was Jimmy Vaccaro) told me there were only eleven tickets sold on Lebron for $200 each (200 was the max bet allowed). So they paid out a total of $44,000 on his win (they had also sold many more tickets on the other seven players so that mitigated their loss). He said it wasn't a big loss for the casino but they wouldn't be making a line in the future on the Challenge of Champions and they never did.
This hasn't stopped the English books from making lines on the Mosconi Cup and World Pool Masters, and unfortunately there may have been some shady stuff that happened there as well in past years on a couple of individual matches. None of this can be proven, only that there has been suspect betting patterns on a couple of matches, the same way it happened on the pro snooker tour.
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Yeah, the English don't put up with that stuff at all. Stephen Lee found that out when he got a 10 year ban for allegedly throwing a snooker match, on a few shots that weren't even that obviously thrown. I've heard there are a few US players Matchroom will not allow in future US Mosconi Cup teams, for questionable shenanigans in the past.
That first one was even worse than the combo. Why didn't he just intentionally mess up his position on a previous shot so he wouldn't have to dog such a hanger?
inexperience!
I am pretty sure Buddy was a greenhorn when it came to dumping!(grin)
Hard to believe some of these guys bought into this crap. I don't doubt it is true but I thought they had more class. The never ending feast or famine of pool was apparently too much temptation. They would have been far smarter to select a player with smaller odds and bet more. They may have vastly overestimated how many bets were being placed and thought their bets would be less obvious too.
Hu
I am pretty sure Buddy was a greenhorn when it came to dumping!(grin)
Hard to believe some of these guys bought into this crap. I don't doubt it is true but I thought they had more class. The never ending feast or famine of pool was apparently too much temptation. They would have been far smarter to select a player with smaller odds and bet more. They may have vastly overestimated how many bets were being placed and thought their bets would be less obvious too.
Hu
In the 8-7 game, When pocketing the 7-ball, Buddy just barely missed scratching in the side, so he had no choice but to do what he did on the 8-ball shot. Then, after Mike badly missed the 8-ball and left it hanging in front of the side pocket, Buddy then had no option but to run out to take the match to the hill-hill game.
If you're going to call these guys out on cheating, then what about the ones who are in the HOF who spent their entire careers competing under the influence of drugs that gave them courage and stamina? As I think of who they are, I bet they would've fallen apart without thier little helpers. Yet we idolize them.
At least those guys were "trying to make a ball", not trying to "miss one".
Alcohol is considered to be a "drug", too.
Is everybody who ever drank a beer during a match some sort of cheater?
Coffee and sodas have caffiene in them. Should you not be able to drink one before playing?
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Because he didn't trust the other guy in running 3 balls. lol
Funny thing is, he looked like he was concerned he didn't leave a much easier leave . He left him jacked up.
Well said.
This forum recently had to come to grips with this very issue due to the positive drug test of Mario He that caused him to disqualify himself from Mosconi Cup play.
To my recollection, most on this forum were sympathetic to Mario He's unfortunate plight and felt that the price he paid was excessive. I was among those that felt the punishment fit the crime, but the point is that even today, the pool community is still pretty divided on the matter of substance use as it relates to competition.
That said, though, match fixing is a much more serious matter than the alleged use of performance enhancing drugs. In criminal court, the former is prosecuted with far greater severity than the latter with good reason.
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The entire world is, and always has been, a pig sty. :sorry:
Idolize is a strong word.
If everyone is drug tested and it’s in the rules, it’s cheating.
Not sure what this has to do with dumping, collective dumping, or the
price of rice in Siam?
I don't idolize ANY pool player...in the world...living or dead.
They made a few balls more than most people...SO WHAT?
That is why I don't care who wins ANY pool game...unless I'm the one playing it.
People who bet on the players in this pool tournament were idiots.
I can count on my fingers the number of times I've bet on other pool matches in my life.
The only pool player I trust 100% is ME.