Yes, it is surprising. I am not familiar with many Eastern Europeans that have made any kind of mark on the world stage. Educate me. Who are the ones to watch among the Eastern Europeans?
EUROPEAN OPEN 2026, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, March 10-15
- Thread starter jbart65
- Start date
Not sure I have an "American" point of view. I didn't know anything at all about pro pool five years ago! None. Nada. Zippo. Didn't even know who Efren or SVB were.
I have looked at Fargoes of unseeded players in past WNT Open events, but aside from the Philippines, I don't think I ever noticed so many high-level local players.
The US Open, for instance, doesn't have that many truly talented amateur Americans in it.
Filler had 5 B&Rs on 8 breaks, including a 4-pack (with a 9 on the break). But the bum missed 3 shots!
Yes, he'll have to tidy things up, LOL.
You've come a long way! Now you are among the most knowledgeable fans of pro pool.
The field makes me wonder just how wise it was to schedule this immediately after the EPBF championships. I know the thinking is likely that having this tournament both shortly after and not too far away (sub-2-hour flight) from the previous event is supposed to make it more enticing for players to also enter, but it may actually be seen by the players as too much, too soon. Especially with the EPBF coming so soon after Vegas. This part of the calendar is probably just a little too crowded.
Did someone say crowded?
There's 5 events in the month of August. And literally nothing else until the MC in November. Mind-boggling
Well, that's all they've announced so far. There's likely to be others. But, yeah, I'd say that's a little bit crowded.
The 'majors' should be obvious (i.e. what is major, what is not) and separated from each other on the calendar. The other ranking events can fill in as needed.
It's apparent this is a tough juggling act and something of a work in progress, but it would be good for everyone if they can nail down what constitutes their handful of most important/prestigious events, demonstrate that with clear messaging and elevated prize money, and let players figure out which other events fit their schedules.
It's apparent this is a tough juggling act and something of a work in progress, but it would be good for everyone if they can nail down what constitutes their handful of most important/prestigious events, demonstrate that with clear messaging and elevated prize money, and let players figure out which other events fit their schedules.
And safe.Helluva shot
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Does he scream a lot at home?
An amusing moment came at the 2025 US Open 9ball when Jonas Souto let out a Sanderson-esque shout upon beating him in the knockout stages.
jbart was talking about eastern european 700's, and while they may not make a mark on the world stage (these are hobby players and semi-pros) they are plentiful. i would think poland alone has well over a hundred. if you take east europe from the north all down to greece, you could fill this field with 700+ players, with or without established ratings
filler against the field isn't a crazy bet when he's this in stroke..
We are all aware of the Polish contingent, but Poland is not in Eastern Europe.
Hah. I have, as my wife says, an addictive personality. When I take an interest in something, I chew it over like a barking-mad dog. That's how I became a master gardener, excellent home brewer, handy woodworker, lover of jazz and classical, connoisseur of fine wines and whiskies ...
I've loved pool since I was a kid and my dad bought me a table, but I got married and lost touch with the game. Didn't get back into the game until my own kids were grown decades later and we stuck inside during the pandemic. I bought a 7-foot table.
Wish I had gotten back into pool earlier. I know so much about the game now. I can almost always tell exactly how a pro will run out. I know exactly what I should do when I am at the table and playing myself. But I just can't execute like I want.
So ... got to live vicariously through the pros!
WNT already has the Philippines Open and Reyes scheduled for mid- to late October.
Big question to me is whether the Peri takes place again. Even if Hanoi is dropped, Peri would fill a big hole. The event seemed to be a big success last year, the prize fund as just as big as Hanoi and the field was tougher.
There will also be satellite WNT events in the fall run by different promoters.
I doubt MR scheduled its European Open to piggyback on the EPBF event. It doesn't seem like Predator and MR communicate much, if at all, and MR in particular has had trouble pinning down calendar dates for its big events.
The European Open wasn't announced until late January. Matchroom indicated last year it would hold the event in Sarajevo for the second year in a row, but for some reason it could not pin down an actual date until just a few months ago. Home come? I don't know. Maybe the Sarajevo location holds a lot of other events.
In any case, I think the conflict was simply due to late scheduling and lack of communication.
The pool calendar is more crowded than ever. Both MR and Predator are creating more events. Lots of independent promotors are getting involved - some tying themselves to the WNT. Heyball in really big now in Asia and siphoning away some top talent. Ultimate Pool is growing in the US.
Skyler Woodward and Tyler Styer skipped the European Open to play in an Ultimate Shootout event in Iowa this week. I think the Ultimate event was scheduled before the European Open and the two players (along with Bergman) had already committed.
I don't think players will complain much. The more options they have, the better.
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