Thank you. So they are just over a month apart. It might have been better if they were only two weeks apart. We will see.
WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP (6-10 June2021) Champion $50K
- Thread starter spartan
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It isn't that hard when they play a major event on bucket pockets, with a mediocre field of players.it's a month between them, but on the upside you have plenty of time to find other things MR to complain about.
We agree on this. From past experience I've found that putting events close together and within easy travel distance is advantageous for both events. For years we would schedule the Hard Times Jamboree either the week before or the week after the Sands tournament Usually there would be one more more other preliminary events added that were also on the West Coast or Vegas.
OUCH
i certainly liked the WPM tables, which were tighter than any big time american pool tournament that i can remember. these pockets were larger, but i'm a fan of facts rather than feelings. what were their size? and how much does it differ from earlier world championships? from the US Open? i know the answers but prefer to see them provided by the critics.
the mediocre field of players was hardly their fault, as you well know. so the alternative is no tournament..?
SilentLurker
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Yet despite the "easiest field in recent times" and "bucket pockets", even playing in such favourable conditions, Shane couldn't even make the semis.
I'm not too old to remember when the excuse for him not winning was that it wasn't winner breaks.
Just maybe its too much expectation and far too many missed chances/mental scarring now?
Besides which the non US players are younger and have no fear of him.
I'm not too old to remember when the excuse for him not winning was that it wasn't winner breaks.
Just maybe its too much expectation and far too many missed chances/mental scarring now?
Besides which the non US players are younger and have no fear of him.
Actually, the many events played at Hard Times poolroom in California over the years always featured tables tighter than those at the WPM.
You're right, though, for as a rule tables found at American events usually feature pockets looser than the 2021 WPM but tighter than the 2021 WPC.
The easier pockets are the exact reason SVB did not make it to the finals.
No
It was because he missed more shots than his opponent, and also his opponent got a few more lucky rolls.
Nothing to do with pocket size.
something_pool
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I agree that Shane played terribly in his match against Oliver. But he only missed one more ball than his opponent (8 compared to 7), and when he missed, he left a shot more than his opponent. And as others have noted, many of Oliver's balls were not pocketed cleanly -- on tighter tables, they would have been misses. So while Shane's sub-par play is mostly to blame for his loss, the pocket sizes absolutely were a factor as well.
Out of curiosity, was this a legit world championship event sanctioned by the WPA or a bogus one in name only like those straight pool titles?
Shane missed one more shot than Oliver, but Oliver sank a lot more balls.
something_pool
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True. That's mostly because he figured out the break before Shane and got on a roll. However, if some of his near-misses had been actual misses, that could have allowed Shane to get on a roll. The match could very well have gone either way if the table played more difficult.
Legit, I'm pretty sure. The event met all WPA criteria for sanctioning, and the fact that many member federations were not able to send so many of their best because of the pandemic would in no way invalidate Matchroom's attempt at applying the appropriate invitation guidelines. That said, I'm not certain. Bob Jewett would know for sure.
Well said. Shane deserved to lose because, as he himself offered, he played bad, but the equipment in use definitely compromised his chances a bit, and this would have continued to be the case had he gone on to the quarterfinals. What makes your analysis correct is that Shane's eight misses would not have been penalized as much if his opponent had to complete his runouts on a tougher table.
All of that said, one must wonder how Shane missed eight balls on a bucket table in a race to eleven.
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The event is listed on https://wpapool.com/ so I am sure it is legit
Most of the misses that I recall were really long shots from on or near the rail. I don't recall Shane missing any super easy shots, unless anyone chimes in to correct me. After Oliver missed, many times Shane was either hooked, or he had a really long, tough shot. But I will admit, some of those tough shots he normally would have made anyway.
