MrEleganza
Member
So I'm trying to dabble as much as I can as a spectator in all of the cue sports that are popular in multiple continents. Broadly speaking, that means, to me: pool, snooker and caroms. (I know pyramid is popular in Russia and countries with a strong Russian influence, but not really anywhere else to my knowledge).
So I started to wonder: what countries are good at one of these three disciplines, and what countries have a strong presence in two or even all three of these disciplines?
Then the question became: how can I start to answer that question?
That THAT question became more crystallized: how can I start to answer that question in a way that isn't going to take more time than I am willing to spend on it?
The answer to THAT question is: by comparing top 100 ranking lists for me in pool (using Fargo Rate), Snooker using this, and 3-cushion caroms using this.
I made the threshold for "good in that cue sport" to = "has at least two players ranked in the top 100."
Here are my findings:
Pool specialists (multiple top 100 players in pool only):
Finland
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Russia
Taiwan
Canada
Snooker specialists (multiple top 100 players in snooker only):
Australia
China
Hong Kong
India
Ireland
Pakistan
Thailand
Turkey
Caroms specialists (multiple top 100 players in 3-cushion only)
Colombia
Denmark
Ecuador
France
Jordan
Lebanon
Portugal
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Good at both pool and carom (multiple top 100 in both sports)
Austria
Germany
Greece
Japan
Netherlands
Spain
USA
Vietnam
Good at both snooker and caroms (multiple top 100 in both sports):
Belgium
Egypt
Good at both snooker and pool (multiple top 100 in both sports):
UK
Good at all three disciplines (multiple in 100 in all three):
None
NOTES:
*I was hoping at least one country would make it in all three disciplines, but it is sort of interesting that none did. This means that the greatest all-around country will need to be decided using different criteria and/or by debate.
*I was pretty shocked that my country, USA, qualified in caroms (with not just 2 guys in the top 100, but 3). Thought for sure they would be pool-only.
*Germany might be the closest to proficiency in all three, as they qualify in caroms and pool and also have a legit top 100 snooker player (a lot of players are t-99 in the snooker rankings because they won regional quallies to get on tour, but the German is 77th).
*I know a ton more about pool than caroms and snooker, so I can say better which countries have some decent pool players that didn't make the pool list or a multiple discipline list that still have very good pool players: Estonia, Albania, Portugal, Hong Kong, and especially China.
*This leads me to my next point, which is that my methodology is obviously EXTREMELY flawed. Let me count the ways: it doesn't factor in women. It doesn't factor in any discipline of caroms besides 3-cushion. I think a country with 4-5 people ranked 101-200 has just as much of an argument as one that has 2 in the top 100. That's just off the top of my head.
*You are very welcome, if you wish, to improve upon, comment on, or rebut my methodology using data as best you see fit.
*You are very welcome, if you wish , to improve upon, comment on, or rebut my results using anecdotes and unquantified observations. I'm ultimately just trying to start an interesting conversation.
*If you want to break down the UK, it would be: England: Snooker and pool. Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, snooker only, at least until Jayson Shaw can get a fellow Scot into the top 100.
*Continental Europe is sort of interesting. Lots of strength all around in pool and caroms, but only Belgium making the grade in snooker. That, along with aforementioned Germany, would make them a prime candidate for "best at all 3" but they have no pool players in the top 100 and no entries in the Spanish Open last week. Italy is absent from all three lists, and I believe they are mostly about 5-pin and goriziana. They do have the #2 ranked 3-cushion player but no one else in the top 100.
*5-pin itself should probably be included here, since if Wikipedia is to be believed it's popular not just in Italy but Argentina too as well as several other European countries. I made a cursory search for 5-pin rankings but came up empty.
*What are they playing in these countries? Other, unmentioned notable countries to make none of the lists:
-Brazil (they have 1 top 100 snooker player)
-South Africa (JJ Faul is a touring pool pro)
-Indonesia (4th in world population)
-New Zealand
-Chile
So I started to wonder: what countries are good at one of these three disciplines, and what countries have a strong presence in two or even all three of these disciplines?
Then the question became: how can I start to answer that question?
That THAT question became more crystallized: how can I start to answer that question in a way that isn't going to take more time than I am willing to spend on it?
The answer to THAT question is: by comparing top 100 ranking lists for me in pool (using Fargo Rate), Snooker using this, and 3-cushion caroms using this.
I made the threshold for "good in that cue sport" to = "has at least two players ranked in the top 100."
Here are my findings:
Pool specialists (multiple top 100 players in pool only):
Finland
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Russia
Taiwan
Canada
Snooker specialists (multiple top 100 players in snooker only):
Australia
China
Hong Kong
India
Ireland
Pakistan
Thailand
Turkey
Caroms specialists (multiple top 100 players in 3-cushion only)
Colombia
Denmark
Ecuador
France
Jordan
Lebanon
Portugal
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Good at both pool and carom (multiple top 100 in both sports)
Austria
Germany
Greece
Japan
Netherlands
Spain
USA
Vietnam
Good at both snooker and caroms (multiple top 100 in both sports):
Belgium
Egypt
Good at both snooker and pool (multiple top 100 in both sports):
UK
Good at all three disciplines (multiple in 100 in all three):
None
NOTES:
*I was hoping at least one country would make it in all three disciplines, but it is sort of interesting that none did. This means that the greatest all-around country will need to be decided using different criteria and/or by debate.
*I was pretty shocked that my country, USA, qualified in caroms (with not just 2 guys in the top 100, but 3). Thought for sure they would be pool-only.
*Germany might be the closest to proficiency in all three, as they qualify in caroms and pool and also have a legit top 100 snooker player (a lot of players are t-99 in the snooker rankings because they won regional quallies to get on tour, but the German is 77th).
*I know a ton more about pool than caroms and snooker, so I can say better which countries have some decent pool players that didn't make the pool list or a multiple discipline list that still have very good pool players: Estonia, Albania, Portugal, Hong Kong, and especially China.
*This leads me to my next point, which is that my methodology is obviously EXTREMELY flawed. Let me count the ways: it doesn't factor in women. It doesn't factor in any discipline of caroms besides 3-cushion. I think a country with 4-5 people ranked 101-200 has just as much of an argument as one that has 2 in the top 100. That's just off the top of my head.
*You are very welcome, if you wish, to improve upon, comment on, or rebut my methodology using data as best you see fit.
*You are very welcome, if you wish , to improve upon, comment on, or rebut my results using anecdotes and unquantified observations. I'm ultimately just trying to start an interesting conversation.
*If you want to break down the UK, it would be: England: Snooker and pool. Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, snooker only, at least until Jayson Shaw can get a fellow Scot into the top 100.
*Continental Europe is sort of interesting. Lots of strength all around in pool and caroms, but only Belgium making the grade in snooker. That, along with aforementioned Germany, would make them a prime candidate for "best at all 3" but they have no pool players in the top 100 and no entries in the Spanish Open last week. Italy is absent from all three lists, and I believe they are mostly about 5-pin and goriziana. They do have the #2 ranked 3-cushion player but no one else in the top 100.
*5-pin itself should probably be included here, since if Wikipedia is to be believed it's popular not just in Italy but Argentina too as well as several other European countries. I made a cursory search for 5-pin rankings but came up empty.
*What are they playing in these countries? Other, unmentioned notable countries to make none of the lists:
-Brazil (they have 1 top 100 snooker player)
-South Africa (JJ Faul is a touring pool pro)
-Indonesia (4th in world population)
-New Zealand
-Chile
