Behind the scenes on Friday

JAM

JAM

I am the storm
Silver Member
I just walked in and checked out the matches. The mood is tense. After every good shot made by a player, the audience applauds. Each match is being watched intensely.

Gabe Owen's cornerman is Johnny Archer. Today, Gabe is wearing a beautiful royal purple shirt. With his blond locks and him being so tall in stature, he's quite a handsome young man. Gabe's mom Kathy and stepdad are here pulling him in.

Marcus Chamat's cornerman is a friend of Keith's who knows Marcus well from California. His name is Todd. He arrived here yesterday. Marcus seems very relaxed. I spoke to him about how he's doing, and he's as calm as a cucumber. He's always smiling and remains positive. He said the last match, he was having a little trouble with his break, but he ended up winning it. Marcus said that all the tables play the same, with the exception of the TV table which breaks and plays differently than the others due to the overhead TV lights.

Interestingly, I spoke to one of the MANY referees here named Shuman. I hadn't thought about how grueling this schedule is on them. He said they're on their feet the whole day, while at least the players get to sit down between shots. Comfortable shoes are a must. He was wearing Rockports, which seems to be a popular brand of shoes here not only by the referees, but the players too. Shuman retired recently from the Federal Government. He used to be a player himself. Thought the referees do go through trainning, Shuman said that having the experience of playing competitively is necessary.

At the beginning of the tournament, there was one referee for every six tables. Now, of course, due to the fact that there are only 18 players left, each one is watched closely. I like the fact that all players are treated equal on the IPT tournament trail. Yesterday when Gabe Owen was playing Efren Reyes, Efren was deducted a one game penalty which could have cost him that match. When the referee yells out "LAG" at the designated match time, if the player is not present, there is no grace period. Their opponents are given a game. Efren lost to Gabe yesterday, 8 to 6.

Just a little smut from behind the scenes here in Vegas. :p

JAM
 
Larry Nevel is playing Luat right now, and the score is 6 to 6. While on break, I chatted with Larry, and he said he hasn't been able to get a ball within 8 inches of the pocket on his breaks today (kind of kidding, I guess).

Most of the players who are known as power breakers are experiencnig difficulty breaking, each one hoping to find that sweet sopt.

That's about it for now.

JAM
 
Efren Reyes vs. Evgeny Stalev are on a bathroom break at the time of this right. The score is hill-hill.

JAM
 
JAM said:
Efren Reyes vs. Evgeny Stalev are on a bathroom break at the time of this right. The score is hill-hill.

JAM
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#1 or #2

Inquiring minds need to know
 
Tonight at 9:00 p.m., they're shooting several players on the infamous "strip" here in Vegas. They had to seek a permit to do so. The players have been asked to wear black, looking like gunslingers.

Last night, we checked out the Rio once more. I tell you what, Vegas might be a nice place to visit, but I sure as heck wouldn't want to live here. There are so many folks who are down on their luck, dead busted, and when they see a friend who has a pocket full of cash, they follow them around like the piped piper, hoping to get a little bone. It's kind of like an accepted norm here.

I met one fellow who said he only had 20 bucks to his name, 20 bucks that Keith gave him, and that in 2 days, he had to pay his weekly rent of $114. If he doesn't get the money, he's out on the street. This man was in his sixties, and I sure felt sorry for him. He was a friend of Keith's from years gone by. We gave him the 20 bucks that he said he would hold onto it with dear life throught the night as he followed us around at the Rio, hoping we'd make a big score.

I couldn't wait to get out of the Rio and get back to the Venetian and get to sleep. I don't mind gambling, but it's definitely not my passion. As we walked past this older gentleman getting ready to leave, he was sitting at a slot machine, gambling with the 20 bucks that he said earlier he would never spent. Gambling is one addiction, I'm sure glad I never acquired a taste for. Thing is, Keith has been in the same boat as this gentleman when he lived here in Vegas, and I've seen a lot of things here that sadden me.

Harry Platis is in town, and he played in a $1,000 qualifier for the World Poker Tournament at the Rio, which begins today, a $10-million purse with a $10,000 entry fee. There are 8,000-plus players in total. Harry begins his match tomorrow on the poker schedule, but the rest begin today.

JAM
 
JAM said:
Efren Reyes vs. Evgeny Stalev are on a bathroom break at the time of this right. The score is hill-hill.

JAM
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I would definitely check out that deciding rack, they don't call it the thrill on the hill for nothing!
 
Matlock is behind 7 to 5 on the TV table, playing Daryl Peach.

The other TV table match, Appleton beat Hann.

JAM
 
sniper said:
I would definitely check out that deciding rack, they don't call it the thrill on the hill for nothing!
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Orcollo beats Souquet.

Efren missed a shot against The Russian, who is currently at the table on the hill-hill. I hear applause, but I'm not sure who came out on top.

Larry Nevel got beat, but he's still in this fight to the finish.

Larry Nevel and Dave Matlock have done well, both competing here at IPT qualifier players.

JAM
 
JAM said:
Efren Reyes vs. Evgeny Stalev are on a bathroom break at the time of this right. The score is hill-hill.

JAM
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If Efren loses this frame he wont make it...
 
Marcus Chamat from Sweden defeats Riko Dikks (sp), 8 to 5.

Jeff Abernathy is Larry Nevel's cornerman.

Call Efren the comeback kid. He was down 7 to 6 against the Russian, and he ended up coming out on top. If he lost, he would have not advanced, according to the rail.

JAM
 
JAM said:
Marcus Chamat from Sweden defeats Riko Dikks (sp), 8 to 5.

Jeff Abernathy is Larry Nevel's cornerman.

Call Efren the comeback kid. He was down 7 to 6 against the Russian, and he ended up coming out on top. If he lost, he would have not advanced, according to the rail.

JAM
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Doh! Efren had my heart pounding! I am glad he came through though. ;) :D
 
Wow, what a day! Lots of upsets and lots of victories.

Here's a little hearsay that came my way. Next IPT event in Reno, the last-place finisher was supposed to receive $5,000. However, due to the forfeits and no-shows at this event, the IPT has amended the payouts.

From now on, the payouts will be based on the player's ranking and percentage from this event and the next one. This rule has been changed so that players will see the importance of playing every single match.

So, depending on the ranking, a last-place finisher could receive more than $5,000, but if he doesn't show up for a match, then he may receive considerably less than the original $5,000.

What do y'all think about that?

JAM
 
JAM said:
Wow, what a day! Lots of upsets and lots of victories.

Here's a little hearsay that came my way. Next IPT event in Reno, the last-place finisher was supposed to receive $5,000. However, due to the forfeits and no-shows at this event, the IPT has amended the payouts.

From now on, the payouts will be based on the player's ranking and percentage from this event and the next one. This rule has been changed so that players will see the importance of playing every single match.

So, depending on the ranking, a last-place finisher could receive more than $5,000, but if he doesn't show up for a match, then he may receive considerably less than the original $5,000.

What do y'all think about that?
JAM
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If done right it could be quite interesting. I don't understand about the no-shows however. Given the number of players who want to play in the IPT it seems to me that they have plenty of people on call who are hoping for no-shows. They started the tournament with 200 players.

I imagine that no one would want to miss one of these events unless they had a really good reason. Ronnie is about the only one I can think of who might pass because he doesn't need the money and he probably has to play more than he does in a snooker tournament.

I think addressing the forfeits is a bigger issue than the no-shows.

John
 
As I approached this one of six computers here at Cyber Cafe in the venue site, Evgeny Stalev was posting on a forum in Russian that looks very much like AzBilliards. Of course, I couldn't read a word of it. :D

He said he missed a couple of shots last match with Efren, and that Efren made two extraordinary shots to get out. He said he's getting ready to play Luat, gave me a smile and a wink, and is taking no prisoners. Time will tell.

Out in the hallway, I saw Francisco Bustamante and Alex Pagulayan sitting down alone, each staring out into space. I sat down with them and smoked a cigarette and gave them each a pep talk. Alex, in particular, was so bummed out, very sad. I told him that he can still advance if he wins his next two rounds. I reminded him that they go by the rankings of his play during the whole tournament in case there is a tie, and he said he played GOOD the whole event. All of a sudden, a James Brown tune came on, and Alex was on his feet dancing to the beat. What a kid!

Liljon was huddled with Greg Sullivan of Diamond Billiards, asking about having a Diamond table brought to his home. Everyone realizes now the importance of how practicing on like equipment as the tournament, and I'd imagine that Greg Sullivan is going to be a very busy man next month. BTW, Greg Sullivan will be in Verona, NY in a few short weeks to set up the equipment for the Joss Turning Stone event, and so will I.

JAM
 
onepocketchump said:
If done right it could be quite interesting. I don't understand about the no-shows however. Given the number of players who want to play in the IPT it seems to me that they have plenty of people on call who are hoping for no-shows. They started the tournament with 200 players.

I imagine that no one would want to miss one of these events unless they had a really good reason. Ronnie is about the only one I can think of who might pass because he doesn't need the money and he probably has to play more than he does in a snooker tournament.

I think addressing the forfeits is a bigger issue than the no-shows.

John
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I think, and I may be wrong, they are hoping that this new rule will make every single player want to play in ALL of their matches, as opposed to skipping a match at the end of the round because of no hope to advance.

JAM
 
How can the rail know who wouldn't advance when there are still two rounds to play. Efren had one and so did Stalev when they played with three rounds to go. I think the groups are so tight that anything less than four wins is not guaranteed to get through. I think we will see a lot of 2 and three win ties where percentage determines who advances.

John
 
onepocketchump said:
How can the rail know who wouldn't advance when there are still two rounds to play. Efren had one and so did Stalev when they played with three rounds to go. I think the groups are so tight that anything less than four wins is not guaranteed to get through. I think we will see a lot of 2 and three win ties where percentage determines who advances.

John
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I agree, and I think the players must realize that when there is a tie, the previous tournament play will figure in to who advances. For instance, if a player loses two rounds and wins the next two rounds, if he is tied and has a better tournament performance on the percentages, then he will advance. Never give up the ship!

JAM
 
Yeah, I can see a bunch of Diamond tables being sold to players. Allison had one installed and Kelly wants to get the IPT cloth on her Brunswick. Kelly is so fired up about the IPT that she plans to have the cloth changed EVERY tournament from Simonis for the WPBA to Gorina for the IPT. How strong is that! Now we are going to see table mechanics who are busy changing cloth every month. :-))

John
 
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