Predator WPA World 8 Ball Championship 2023 (17-22 Oct 2023), Austria, Winner $75K

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So, after 2 days of play, the men's tournament field has been reduced from 96 players (actually a few less than that because of forfeits and withdrawals) to 32 players by playing 144 matches. If I am reading the schedule correctly, now they are going to take another 4 days to play the last 31 (single-elimination) matches. They will be playing those 31 matches in just 5 time slots over those 4 days:
Last 32 matches at 7:30 pm (local time) Thurs.​
Last 16 matches at 7:30 pm Friday​
Quarterfinal matches at 9:30 am Saturday​
Semifinal matches at 6:00 pm Saturday​
Final match at 6:30 pm Sunday​

Five different tournaments are being run concurrently there over the course of these next 4 days, with all of them ending with the Final matches on Sunday. Clearly, some people must like this schedule. I'm not one of them, although I can think of a number of possible reasons for doing it this way.
 
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I've seen this happen many times. If you take a really big swing on any shot, break or otherwise, you are in greater danger of "jumping up" on the shot, and even a whiff is possible. It happens to players of all levels, but it's pretty rare at pro level.
 
The only thing worse is when you hit your knuckle on the table during your break shot. Big Ouch!!
Watched a Chinese 8-ball pro dislocate his index finger pretty badly while trying to give them a good old wallop. Popped in back in, and went about his business :ROFLMAO:
 
In the artistic billiard competition (3-cushion, sort of) there is a shot that is called "The Jimmy" which is a full vertical masse with four rails or more in one corner. One player brought his stick out of his bridge hand before coming down full force. Blood all over the table. Be careful out there. Here's what it should look like -- you can imagine the power required

 
Down to last 32 single elimination
They rush at super speed to eliminate off 64 players over 2 days (with 32 players eliminated on Day 1). Then slow down to
snail's pace to eliminate 31 over 4 days (from October 19-22).
15x800+ remain in last 32
Very uneven draw. Bottom half with 10x800+ much stronger than top half with 5x800+
So In last 32, they redraw and rank again top 16 players based on WPA ranking which is different from MR methodology

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I wonder if it's just a chart error, or the player's actually advanced the way the chart showed? I'm surprised the players are not complaining.
That is problem with Jurassic double elimination (DE) system which is almost never used by most sports these days. Who plays who on losers side is bit easy to figure out for players observers -yes there are DE rules on who plays who on losers side but you have to be familiar with DE rules or read it up to check whether the chart is correct. So players don't bother to find out or double check as it is complicated.:LOL:

The group stage round robin table is more common for other sports- simple straightforward
 
Down to last 32 single elimination
They rush at super speed to eliminate off 64 players over 2 days (with 32 players eliminated on Day 1). Then slow down to
snail's pace to eliminate 31 over 4 days (from October 19-22).
15x800+ remain in last 32
Very uneven draw. Bottom half with 10x800+ much stronger than top half with 5x800+
So In last 32, they redraw and rank again top 16 players based on WPA ranking which is different from MR methodology

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svb - albin is a classic match up. chang jung lin vs chang yu lung is another good one, but a hard one for commentators
 
Anyone else get consistent stuttering on Pro Billiard TV's YouTube channel? Every match I try to watch has the same behavior, every few seconds, video hangs for .5-1 seconds, then continues. When I watch Matchroom matches, no stutter. I tried adjusting the bit rate, buffering, and still the same thing.
 
Down to last 32 single elimination
They rush at super speed to eliminate off 64 players over 2 days (with 32 players eliminated on Day 1). Then slow down to
snail's pace to eliminate 31 over 4 days (from October 19-22).
15x800+ remain in last 32
Very uneven draw. Bottom half with 10x800+ much stronger than top half with 5x800+
So In last 32, they redraw and rank again top 16 players based on WPA ranking which is different from MR methodology

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View attachment 723932
yes, looks like Filler will run through that top side...
Almost like the WPA is rewarding those players who stayed with them :oops:
 
So In last 32, they redraw and rank again top 16 players based on WPA ranking which is different from MR methodology
Seeding in this manner is incredibly unfair and, in my opinion, should be enough to disqualify a tournament from being eligible for WPA sanctioning, let alone designation as a world championship.

In a multi-stage event, Stage 2 seeds should be earned, and the methodology in use is a joke, even more so because of the already absurd WPA rankings, which are based mostly on 10-ball, and which include the newfangled race to four events that have scared away many of the elite. Jan Van Lierop is ranked higher than David Alcaide, who won a major this year and qualified for the Mosconi Cup. Might as well do the rankings by pulling numbers out of a hat.
 
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Anyone else get consistent stuttering on Pro Billiard TV's YouTube channel? Every match I try to watch has the same behavior, every few seconds, video hangs for .5-1 seconds, then continues. When I watch Matchroom matches, no stutter. I tried adjusting the bit rate, buffering, and still the same thing.

yes i get the same. resolution doesn't seem to matter. i've tried on android phone and ditto tablet. maybe works better on samsung tv
 
Some people here said that 8-ball is too easy for the pros.
I'm watching live with Alcaide, He, the Kaci brothers and 2 or 3 other matches right in front of me, and there is a lot of messed up positions, sneaky tactical play and hard fought runouts.
So yes, if the balls are rolling your way after the break, the pros make it look easy, but at least in my very subjective opinion, I saw more runouts in the recent 9ball tournaments than today.

On a side note:
Playing the TV table with shot clock is extra tough for the involved players. Shane just ran out a whole rack, while Alcaide, on the outside table with no shot clock, was still deciding over his opening shot.
 
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