Dennis and Shane are clearly the two best players here, among a couple of dozen champions. Even their peers consider them the two best. That said, it doesn't mean they will win everything (although Shane believes he should win every tournament he plays in). Dennis had lukewarm performances in the Ten Ball and 9-Ball before claiming the One Pocket title, thanks to TWO wins over Shane.
Shane's performance here this week is nothing short of amazing, 21 wins in a row before his first loss to Dennis. He could qiite possibly win all three USBT events and get a second in the One Pocket. Either Skyler or Thorsten must beat him twice to win the 9-Ball title and Shane feels that bar table Eight Ball is his best game. The only problem I see is that the Eight Ball is short races to five. Even with alternate breaks, there are many players here who can have a perfect match. In this field one mistake can easily cost you a match.
If Shane does somehow manage to win the 9-Ball and Eight Ball titles, that would mean over 20K in winnings this week! $4,250 for the Ten Ball and $3,800 for the One Pocket already. The 9-Ball is worth $5,000 and the Eight Ball $6,000 more. Add to that the $2,000 for best all around player and you have 21K. Not a bad week for our young American hero. He needs the money since he is soon closing on another four-plex in Sioux Falls. Shane is a pretty smart young man, planning well for his future away from the game.
P.S. One Caveat. Shane is NOT the best pool player in the world, sorry to inform you. He is definitely one of the best, but no less than Dennis Orcollo tells me (again) that there are several Chinese players who are equally as good as either he or Shane.