China 8 ball Invitational Brackets?

[Colin Colenso]

Potts has rarely played snooker for more than fun.

I first came across him in 2000, when he won the Junior English 8 ball World Championships. He turned pro at pool under 18 IIRC.

You're kinda right, he's actually 3 time UK 8 ball World Champ, but infers he has pretty good snooker skills.

From his blog:

The fundamentals and concept of Chinese 8-Ball is perfect for me, and the rules are the best I’ve ever played. Any element of luck is completely eliminated, you have to call all your shots so you can’t get away with flukes. The better player will, 95 per cent of the time, win through. I loved it.

It’s played on a 9x5ft snooker table, with the same template and pockets as a snooker table, but with nine-ball American pool balls. It is very difficult to play, the balls are especially tight down the rails, and you need a good skill level at both snooker and pool. You need a good technique but also a good eight-ball brain, and you need to know the eight-ball patterns and how to break.

You need the right equipment, too, a combination of a snooker and a nine-ball cue. I had one especially made, by Tony Wilshaw Cues, which has an 11.7 millimetre tip and a black, carbon-fibre ferrule.

I’m a decent snooker player so, with my pool background too, I was confident of doing well.

 

[voiceofreason]

You're kinda right, he's actually 3 time UK 8 ball World Champ, but infers he has pretty good snooker skills.

From his blog:

I'm kind of right? lol..

I know Gareth Potts. I've played him in matches. I know Darren Appleton, who has stayed at my house, as has Chris Melling. I know most of the top boys from the English blackball/8 ball game. I'm helping promote the IPA tour right now..

Stephen Hendry is a decent golfer. He plays off scratch. Is he a snooker player or a golfer?

Gary Lineker, the ex England footballer can make total clearances at snooker and I believe he has several breaks in the 140's. Is he a snooker player or a footballer? Does his "snooker background" help his football? Did it sorry?

Gary Lineker is also a scratch golfer btw..

I play snooker. Lots of pool players in the UK play snooker. For a change, for fun and to relax. That does not make us "snooker players".

Of course Potts plays snooker. Famously, he once played Mark Selby at Great Yarmouth (a mecca for pool in the UK) one frame for £100 and as the story goes, knowing he was up against it. broke the pack hard, potted a red and cleared up.

It is not the case that all UK based pool players "have snooker backgrounds". Frankly, I'm sick of reading it.

The only UK pool player with a genuine snooker background is Chris Melling who played on the snooker challenge tour for several years (the feeder tour to the main professional tour).

Edit - there are others of course who have also played snooker but him of the top top players mosconi cup team standard etc is what I meant..

 

[Colin Colenso]

I'm kind of right? lol..

I know Gareth Potts. I've played him in matches. I know Darren Appleton, who has stayed at my house, as has Chris Melling. I know most of the top boys from the English blackball/8 ball game. I'm helping promote the IPA tour right now..

Stephen Hendry is a decent golfer. He plays off scratch. Is he a snooker player or a golfer?

Gary Lineker, the ex England footballer can make total clearances at snooker and I believe he has several breaks in the 140's. Is he a snooker player or a footballer? Does his "snooker background" help his football? Did it sorry?

Gary Lineker is also a scratch golfer btw..

I play snooker. Lots of pool players in the UK play snooker. For a change, for fun and to relax. That does not make us "snooker players".

Of course Potts plays snooker. Famously, he once played Mark Selby at Great Yarmouth (a mecca for pool in the UK) one frame for £100 and as the story goes, knowing he was up against it. broke the pack hard, potted a red and cleared up.

It is not the case that all UK based pool players "have snooker backgrounds". Frankly, I'm sick of reading it.

The only UK pool player with a genuine snooker background is Chris Melling who played on the snooker challenge tour for several years (the feeder tour to the main professional tour).

Edit - there are others of course who have also played snooker but him of the top top players mosconi cup team standard etc is what I meant..

Didn't mean to seem arrogant or assuming there VoiceofReason.

Glad you expanded. I've played both snooker and UK 8 ball myself, along with acquaintances Johl Younger, Quinten and Neil Robertson. Hard to draw the line sometimes though once a tour snooker player, I guess that dominates.. many have backgrounds in both games.

I used to play half my practice on the snooker table for UK pool, though without actually working on break building or safety, just for pot and positional drills. I'm guessing Gareth has done quite a bit of that kind of thing, while not focusing on being a snooker specialist.

I've not seen his name come up in US pool events, not that I follow the Euro goings on a lot, but his excellence with the 2'1/4" balls is far beyond what one would expect from a predominant blackball player.

 

[JB Cases]

Gareth Potts is a beast and Chinese 8 ball is without a doubt one of the toughest games on the planet because of the equipment.

Potts is a master of the tangent line. When he plays he is extremely careful to map out the cue ball path using the tangent line which leads to level of precision required.

 

[Colin Colenso]

Gareth Potts is a beast and Chinese 8 ball is without a doubt one of the toughest games on the planet because of the equipment.

Potts is a master of the tangent line. When he plays he is extremely careful to map out the cue ball path using the tangent line which leads to level of precision required.

When most English origin players take up US pool, they tend to look to fuller line pots, 3/4 to full ball, to create shape that way, due to the inherent accuracy required on pots. They have to learn to play more for thinner angles and using IE and OE more to let the weight of shot affect position more in US table games.

On those tight pockets with big balls, seems Potts' way is what is required.

 

[voiceofreason]

I used to play half my practice on the snooker table for UK pool, though without actually working on break building or safety, just for pot and positional drills. I'm guessing Gareth has done quite a bit of that kind of thing, while not focusing on being a snooker specialist.

I'm pretty much the same to be honest.

I can make pots on the snooker table (say blue off its spot with the white on the yellow spot about 8 in 10) but can't build breaks because I don't play it enough and frankly it bores me anyway.

WRT Gareth and indeed any sportsmen, it is entirely possible to play something for a bit of fun and for a change, after all, we all play pool for fun and all have other jobs, why can a pool player not play snooker for fun?

 

[jay helfert]

Anyone know the payouts on this event?