Colin/Asian AZBers!
- Thread starter lewdo26
- Start date
I was wondering the exact same thing. From what I see and hear, the Taiwanese are 9ball machines. They're trained at an early age in the game of 9ball, and not much else. I don't know how much creativity is a factor in their game, because we only see them play 9ball. Maybe the shift in 8ball will give the dominance back to the Filipinos...or maybe back to the Americans 
. But who knows, maybe the Taiwanese will surprise us, but they first have to be given the chance. Too bad we won't know in 2006.
. But who knows, maybe the Taiwanese will surprise us, but they first have to be given the chance. Too bad we won't know in 2006.
I play in China.
Everyone plays eightball. Lots of pool halls and cheap.
Sometimes rotation pool, from 1 to 15.
Seems Shanghai has nineball but its pretty unknown everywhere else.
The rules are uniquely chinese but its definitely eightball.
Theres definitely a pool culture here.
Some people, thats what they do, hang out and shoot pool everyday.
Snooker tables take up too much space, I guess.
Theres a plethora of talent as well.
You'll never see it, they won't get outside their city.
Its kinda cool, cause you only pay for the games you lose and in american currency its like five cents for that game. But then exchange rates and airfares.
So a pool session is pretty cheap.
Plus being a lao wei, a foreigner, somehow you represent the western world and everyone wants to play you though you'll be pitted against their best every other time.
Chinese are alright.
Straight shooters. Good character.
Everyone plays eightball. Lots of pool halls and cheap.
Sometimes rotation pool, from 1 to 15.
Seems Shanghai has nineball but its pretty unknown everywhere else.
The rules are uniquely chinese but its definitely eightball.
Theres definitely a pool culture here.
Some people, thats what they do, hang out and shoot pool everyday.
Snooker tables take up too much space, I guess.
Theres a plethora of talent as well.
You'll never see it, they won't get outside their city.
Its kinda cool, cause you only pay for the games you lose and in american currency its like five cents for that game. But then exchange rates and airfares.
So a pool session is pretty cheap.
Plus being a lao wei, a foreigner, somehow you represent the western world and everyone wants to play you though you'll be pitted against their best every other time.
Chinese are alright.
Straight shooters. Good character.
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BlackDragon said:
Hey Blackdragon,
Where is Jiamusi?
In answer to the original question:
Taiwanese play little 8-ball as I understand. They used to be mostly 14.1 players and now 9-ball is the main game.
In China, snooker is still the most popular game but pool is taking over in major cities. Most play 8 ball, the good players practice 9-ball hoping one day they'll make some money out of the game.
Very few leagues or tourneys on the mainland. But Chinese snooker players are rapidly making their mark on world snooker and soon enough there will be a flood of pool players from here I expect.
The men have had even less international experience than female players Pan Xiao Ting 3rd World Champs and Zhou Meng Meng (World Junior Champ). A local guy Fu Jianbo, who will play Ralf Souquet tomorrow played in the San Miguel Hong Kong event last year and lost his 2nd round 9-8 to Efren, dogging a shot to win the match I was told.
It's still a blurry picture here in Mainland China, but with the small successes already, and an estimated 50 million regular cueists, it could be a dominant pool nation in 10 years.
Where is Jiamusi? Sometimes, I wonder too.
Its in north China. Heilongjiang province. (River of the Black Dragon)
I've visited your site and I admire the nineball bar scene in Shanghai.
I've shot on tables in Korea. The only time I have on that sort of table, coming from Australia. Interesting. Big pockets and big balls.
I prefer eightball.
I'm not American.
Eightball is the underground sport of Australia.
Well, the 'pub' recreation for the blue collars.
Nineball seems like a team game to me.
Both players going for the same balls.
How strange.
Australians like the 'us' and 'them' more clearly defined.
Its in north China. Heilongjiang province. (River of the Black Dragon)
I've visited your site and I admire the nineball bar scene in Shanghai.
I've shot on tables in Korea. The only time I have on that sort of table, coming from Australia. Interesting. Big pockets and big balls.
I prefer eightball.
I'm not American.
Eightball is the underground sport of Australia.
Well, the 'pub' recreation for the blue collars.
Nineball seems like a team game to me.
Both players going for the same balls.
How strange.
Australians like the 'us' and 'them' more clearly defined.
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Hey mate,BlackDragon said:
I checked your site and left a message there.
I'm also an Aussie, from Geelong. Also spent a few years on the Gold Coast, playing English style 8-ball mostly.
I've met a couple of people from Heilongjiang (one of the four dragon named rivers
), they were very nice people. Though I understand the northern Chinese can be a bit agressive.Getting off topic I guess
Anyway, be sure to let me know next time you come through Shanghai. We'll have a bash!
Pools been around in China. i stayed in tai san from 88-89 and it was my first time really playing pool. we played rotation on Messed up tables with pot holes in them.. cue balls that are no longer round.. dead rails.. ripped cloth.. straight up wooden pool sticks with some kinda soft tip. almost imposible to draw the ball or get any ball movement. but some players was still able to run out by the time they got to the six or seven ball. those players would do well if they had a decent table and a decent pool stick.
8 Ball is almost never played in Taiwan. However, that doesn't mean some Taiwanese players aren't good at the game. Hsia beat Efren to win the gold at the Asian Games in 8 Ball. 8 Ball has its intricacies, but I'm sure good pool players can learn to play the game quite easily given enough practice.
8-ball and 14-1 are both also very popular in taiwan, but taiwan hardly held the big 8-ball tours.
Not only 9-ball but also 8-ball, taiwanese are both the dominators in asia. They have defeated Takahashi and Efren Reyes to win 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal at 8-ball singles in asian games (1998 in Bangkok and 2002 in Pusan). They were also good at money games, and Alex Pagulayan have ever said he never won any money game in taiwan after he won the 2004 WPC title. However, it's a pity that it only WPC can interest them.
Not only 9-ball but also 8-ball, taiwanese are both the dominators in asia. They have defeated Takahashi and Efren Reyes to win 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal at 8-ball singles in asian games (1998 in Bangkok and 2002 in Pusan). They were also good at money games, and Alex Pagulayan have ever said he never won any money game in taiwan after he won the 2004 WPC title. However, it's a pity that it only WPC can interest them.
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Thanks for the local insights Juan.Juan said:
Good to hear 8-ball is more popular and developed than I thought in Taiwan.
Colin Colenso said:
For what it's worth, I just got back from a trip to Hong Kong and got to play a couple of times at a small PH (recomended by BlowFish, whom I unfortunately missed out on meeting) that has GCIVs, along with TV balls and measles cbs, no less. So they were very much set up for 9 ball ... didn't see any serious 8 ball played, though.