2025 Reyes Cup, Oct 16-19, Manilla. Team Asia vs Team World
- Thread starter jbart65
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It has been an exhibition from the very beginning
sudocrushms
Well-known member
Rub the head for good luck!
This is an absolute bloodbath. That's all i have to take away from today.
i don't think even filler, in his current form, would make enough difference. asia wins anyway. we got some respite with the pandemic, but now they're back with force. before the pandemic and back 20+ years, almost every year had an asian world championship finalist
My question is are they going to play this in the Philippines every year or rotate to the ‘rest of the world’? If not it seems like a big advantage to team Asia.
Yes, it is an exhibition. But I've watched enough Mosconis/Reyes to know the players are trying hard most of the time. They are doing their best.
That's part of the reason there's a lot of mistakes in these invitationals. The players are more nervous. They are playing under more pressure. They are worried about disappointing and letting down their teammates.
This is why I love these events. The pressure is bigger than in any major, especially at the Mosconi with the big, loud crowds. It's easier to play for oneself than to play for a team.
Yes, there is pressure when playing just for yourself. There is lots of pressure in the final stages of a big major. But it's different. With team events, you really get a true sense of who really handles the pressure and who struggles with it. Just look at how FSR cracked.
To me, it's like the playoffs in any other sport. The game is the same, but the atmosphere is very different.
And make no mistake. Exhibition or not, fans are paying attention. Other players are paying attention. Sponsors paying attention.
The Mosconi has made and broken reputations in a way unlike any other event in pro pool.
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Eventually, I think the event should rotate. But not anytime soon - it has to become bigger.
What I would like to see next is the Reyes in other locations in Asia. Just not convinced Filipino fans will turn out. I know the isle produces tons of great players, but the players seem to outnumber true fans.
I would not be surprised in the least if MR moves the event to Vietnam. Not permanently, but as a change of pace.
sudocrushms
Well-known member
Nope. I think they were cooked from the moment they announced the roster for ROW. I just didn't think they were going to be served well-done.
Well said.
I agree with a lot of this, especially as it pertains to reputation and brand building, but I think there's much less pressure in events like this in which the loser's get paid quite a bit. Also, at the Mosconi and the Reyes, Matchroom foots the bill for all player expenses, so every participant clears a significant sum.
Contrastingly, in tournaments, players foot their own bills, and if they don't perform, they don't get paid. That's real pressure.
Even the elite sometimes fail to cover their expenses. For example:
Josh made just over $2,000 at the World 10ball. Surely, that doesn't pay for a trip to Vietnam.
Fedor made just $1,000 at the Florida Open. That does not cover expenses.
SVB made just $2,000 at the European Open. No way that pays his expenses to Bosnia.
In tournaments, sometimes you LOSE money, and for the top players, tournaments are where they earn most of their income.
By the time they get to the Mosconi or Reyes Cup, players have, generally, already had a good year in competition and are guaranteed significant money just for showing up. The money made at these events is icing on the cake for a pool year well played.
Let's not compare these invitational team events to the "perform or don't get paid" world of tournament pool. That's real pressure.
This is a good point. i think Shaw is the type of player who feeds off of the rowdy crowd. It looks to me as if we have one team who is playing as if it means something to them, and the ROW team playing as if they are playing in a pro-bowl/all-star type game. To be sure, I don't doubt team ROW wants to win, it just does not seem like it is everything to them.
We've had this conversation before, so I will keep it short. I evaluate players two ways. Stats and wins. And the eye test.
Based on stats and wins, you are entirely correct. Other players have better resumes than Chua and should be ranked higher.
What my eye test over the past few years tells me is something different. Personal opinion.
Good points, sjm, but I still disagree to some extent.
Yes, having to pay your own way is real pressure. But look at FSR. I have never seen him crack in a big major like he has at the Mosconi two years ago. Or the Reyes this year especially.
Doesn't matter that he is guaranteed $10,000 and had all his expenses paid to Manilla. He looks as fragile as ever out there. It's been brutal.
And Fedor? That shirt foul will be long remembered. Maybe more so than any other mistake he has made.
8intheside
Well-known member
Aren’t they sponsored? Seems like they should have their travel and tournament fees paid.
the guys in those examples are. but they're top dogs. mid tier players don't have the same kind of deal with cuetec as shane does, probably not even close
It's your every right to use the eye test. One thing we have in common is that we are both Chua fans.
Potential and performance, however, are two very different matters. Perhaps one day Chua will produce the performances of which you obviously believe him capable. I still see him as underdeveloped in defensive and tactical skills relative to the top few.
I'd like to see Chua start winning some majors at the expense of the top few players in the world. Yapp has shown us in 2025 that consistently excellent cueing can bring even the very best to their knees, as he bested Gorst in the 2025 World 9ball final, topped Filler in the 2025 US Open 9ball quarterfinal, and topped SVB in the Florida Open final, in each case with truly exquisite play.
Perhaps 2026 will be the one in which Chua reaches the next level of performance. I think it would make both of us very happy.
They have sponsorships that puts money in their pockets, and for the elite, that money more than covers their participation expenses, but no, their expenses are not paid for them other than at these Matchroom team events.Aren’t they sponsored? Seems like they should have their travel and tournament fees paid.
The problem is that everyone is playing for "funsies".
They all will get paid, win or lose.
They all have the physical ability to win, but they don't all have the same mental mindset.
FWIW, the amount of money difference between winning and losing means a lot more to someone living in the Philippines than it does someone living in the Western world.
They are more focused.
They all will get paid, win or lose.
They all have the physical ability to win, but they don't all have the same mental mindset.
FWIW, the amount of money difference between winning and losing means a lot more to someone living in the Philippines than it does someone living in the Western world.
They are more focused.