World Pool Championships 2025, July 21-26, Jeddah
- Thread starter Bob Jewett
- Start date
going by day form he may be favorite. but then there's nerves and the fact that he hasn't played a 250k final before..
Stop it
billiards_watch
Well-known member
I like Biado.
billiards_watch
Well-known member
When is the final?
No, at the majors they play in front of packed houses in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Orlando, Norfolk, London and Hanoi, too.
They are used to small crowds at the lesser events, but the small crowd in Jeddah, a city of 3,000,000 is, quite simply, embarrassing and if you think the players don't care, you are badly mistaken.
No player of this generation feeds off a big crowd more than Jayson Shaw. The fact that a) his last two major titles came in front of huge crowds in Norfolk (2022 International), Hanoi (2023 Hanoi Open) and b) he always thrives at the Mosconi in front of a huge crowd tells you all you need to know.
I hate to see these great players toiling in obscurity. I have to keep reminding myself that this really is a major championship.
They are playing now, a bit ago race to 15 Biado was up 3/2. This link didn't work, pic froze.
g0ds gReeN
Active member
Biado 4-2 atm
It is not late yet to express my worries about Gorst, as even when he opened with 2-0 I was thinking that the semis might have had some strong impact on both finalists, but with opposite outcome.
Fedor had to go through a grinder with Kledio, while for Karlo the semi was basically a walk in the park.
Gorst is of course an athlete, but who knows how much was left in the tank after his sf win.
Fedor had to go through a grinder with Kledio, while for Karlo the semi was basically a walk in the park.
Gorst is of course an athlete, but who knows how much was left in the tank after his sf win.
True, at this very event they finally started paying attention. At least to YouTube feeds (mostly rom Vietnam, lol)
On a side note, I don't think payments support the game. Comes from one who used to acquire MR stream from one of the Mosconi Cup, when all of a sudden they decided to offer that. Was $5 for full event access back then
The issue is not whether players would prefer to play in a packed house. They would, and so would we fans.
It’s just not going to happen in Jedda. That’s the reality. So I don’t see any purpose to constant complaining even though I agree 100%. I don’t like to see these players toil in obscurity, either.
In any case, I would contend the money is more than enough to motivate the players, and it is. I can see them feeling the pressure. And I can feel the tension thru my TV even without fans.
If I were a player, given how little money they earn, I’d rather get a shot at winning $250,000 before a sparse crowd than win $30,000 (now $50,000) before a fuller house. It can be a life-changing sum for a pool player.
Let’s be realistic too. Only the Mosconi and Hanoi regularly get big crowds. The U.S. Open does pretty good, too.
I am just going to enjoy watching the players play and not worry or fret about things I can’t control. MR signed a 10-year deal with Saudi Arabia to host the WPC.