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Both players had a few shocking misses. Still, seems like the only point of drama in pro 8-ball on big tables is whether the break goes in. I don't mind watching, but only to see how they run out. My playing partner likes to play a set of 8-ball each time we meet.

Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the bank finals, to me, was seeing the best players in the world badly miss some banks I've made plenty of times. Hah! I know. A new table and slick cloth. Fans and pressure. And many of the misses were played as two-way shots. I just thought: there's hope for...

If we shut down AZB, well poops, we wouldn't get any more of your insightful commentary either!

Which Predator case? Looking to get a new one and the Urbain seems like it would suit my needs. I also have Arco balls. My preferred set.

You make a good point. I do think $6 million sounds light. Very light, in fact. So I dug a little further. I imagine Predator makes most of its money from cues, though it is of course branching out. Let's say it only got revenue from cues. Predator would have to sell 6,000 cues worldwide, at a...

Looking at the top pros who travel the most, the list hasn’t changed a great deal since 2023. By and large, Europe leads the way. More than 80% of the top travelers are European. I wonder if some of these players, especially the Poles and Germans, get more government support than others. The...

Gorst's opinion is simply that, no question. Since Predator is private, no one outside the company knows how it is funding its tour. Private-market research suggests Predator's annual revenue is $5 million to $6 million a year. Operating profits are likely in the $500,000 to $1 million range...

The Men’s 8-ball Championship has 36 of the 72 players with 800 or better Fargos. Half the total. Nearly all these 36 typically appear at most major events sponsored by the WNT, WPA or Predator. Most of the Fargo 800 players who are missing are Filipinos - Chua, Raga, Roda, Ignacio, Regalario...

Banking week for sure! Visited Ashville, NC last week and saw two guys playing bank pool. I’ve never seen it played before live. No one at my local hall plays bank pool. (one pocket is big). The Predator bank pool tournament is also the first one I’ve ever watched. Read the rules beforehand so...

All true, sjm. I even doubt 50 players can make a sustainable living at the game. Not by pool itself. Most top pros, as you are aware, also offer paid lessons. A surprising number also own pool halls - Shaw, Feijin, Chua, Hoang and Pehlivanovic immediately come to mind. I don't see any reason...

Curious way to frame it. Under this view, any well known person who endorses any brand for any reason is a "pimp." I have no issue with celebrity endorsements, especially endorsements from pro pool players trying to make a living in a sport that pays very little. Most pros are not fulltime...

I had just assumed the formula was the same regardless of color, but some people claim colors can slightly change the formula. The green Taom might apply a touch easier. I can’t prove it, though.

I have three of his chalk holders. Best one I’ve tried and the only one I’ve ever really liked. He’s got some new products coming out such as tip shapers. He puts a lot of thought into his products.

In a semi-related note, the newest US Open ad from WNT shows Ko Pin Yi. If so, Ko Ping Chung is probably going to be there, too. The ad also shows Sky, SVB, Gorst, Filler, Yapp, Neuhausen, Hoang, Biado, Shaw and ... Atencio.

Needed more Taom V10, so picked up Dr V's chalk and a cube of Pagulayan. I use Taom for cleanliness - any properly applied chalk works fine in my experience. Dr V's Titlist chalk is clean, but not quite as clean as Taom. Titlist chalks dusts up a bit like Masters. Taom almost never does. The...

A few tidbits from Gorst on a recent webcast. *Says some kind of long race with Filler this year seems more likely than not. Filler has shown more interest after beating Fedor in Vegas. Doesn't think some players - like a Kaci - could drum up enough money and support to make a long race...

I played on Diamond Pro 7-footer and 9-footer over the weekend at Fat Cats in Ashville. Neither table banked or kicked short. They were spot on. By contrast, the GC I usually play on banks and kicks a bit short. I've played on a few other Diamond 7-footers that banked as usual. Really have...

By far the best performance by Lucas Fracasso-Verner. He beat Emil Gangflot, Szymon Kural and Naoyuki Oi in his final three matches. His win over Oi is imo his best ever. I watched LFV a lot last year and, frankly, didn't think he was ready for prime time. No real big wins in his career. This...

One great thing about the expansion of the Predator and WNT tours is the number of events in the U.S. Four of Predator's eight big multi-events this year are taking place in the U.S. - Las Vegas, St Louis, San Antonio and Jacksonville. Asked about this, the Predator tour director said: "We are...

No sport can truly thrive with lots of small independent promoters - that was the state of pro pool for years. Given the global nature of pool, there is definitely room for a few big entities such as WNT and Predator. Were they to cooperate more, it would benefit everyone. Some conflicts are...