Intl Challenge of Champions: False Advertising

sjm

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
This will blow your mind. In today's press release on AZ billiards, the following statement appeared:

The International Challenge of Champions is widely considered the toughest tournament to win in professional billiards.

Allow me to correct this.

Though the field is usually pretty tough, there are few, if any, events having a world class field that are easier to win than the International Challenge of Champions, which requires just three wins in a format that increases the chances of the underdog in every match.

I wonder if, before today, anybody has ever contended that the International Challenge of Champions is considered the toughest tournament to win in professional pool.

In fact, it is probably not even the toughest tournament to win in Connecticutt in August. That would be the Joss Tour championship. This press release is, quite simply, false.

Nonetheless, the event at Mohegan Sun is a fine event that is highly recommended. I'm just not real big on false advertising.
 
sjm said:
This will blow your mind. In today's press release on AZ billiards, the following statement appeared:

The International Challenge of Champions is widely considered the toughest tournament to win in professional billiards.

Allow me to correct this.

Though the field is usually pretty tough, there are few, if any, events having a world class field that are easier to win than the International Challenge of Champions, which requires just three wins in a format that increases the chances of the underdog in every match.

I wonder if, before today, anybody has ever contended that the International Challenge of Champions is considered the toughest tournament to win in professional pool.

In fact, it is probably not even the toughest tournament to win in Connecticutt in August. That would be the Joss Tour championship. This press release is, quite simply, false.

Nonetheless, the event at Mohegan Sun is a fine event that is highly recommended. I'm just not real big on false advertising.
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I see what your saying SJM. But you do have to account for the fact that you can't luck the 9ball in on the break, or luck it in with a slop shot, you have to call it. And the players in this event are very tough. Anytime Efren Reyes is in the ending phase of a tournament, Wath out!

Would be nice If they could add more players but I understand they are probably under time restraints and it costs more money. I noticed they had 2 American players Deul and owen, so why not 2 from Every country at least. Souqet from Germany. Would be nice to see Bustamante out there too. What about Pagulayan from Canada.
Never head of these guys but not saying they are not good:

Alan Rolon, the 2004 Panamerican Champion and five-time Puerto Rico Champion, will represent South America.

Yoshihiro Kitatani, 2004 Tokyo Grand Prix Champion and Japan National Champion, will represent Japan.

They also said in the article, it was standing room only last year. Charge some admission and put the money towards getting more players!

I'm attending, anyone else gonna check it out? Looking forward to it!
 
christopheradam said:
I see what your saying SJM. But you do have to account for the fact that you can't luck the 9ball in on the break, or luck it in with a slop shot, you have to call it. And the players in this event are very tough. Anytime Efren Reyes is in the ending phase of a tournament, Wath out!

Would be nice If they could add more players but I understand they are probably under time restraints and it costs more money. I noticed they had 2 American players Deul and owen, so why not 2 from Every country at least. Souqet from Germany. Would be nice to see Bustamante out there too. What about Pagulayan from Canada.
Never head of these guys but not saying they are not good:

Alan Rolon, the 2004 Panamerican Champion and five-time Puerto Rico Champion, will represent South America.

Yoshihiro Kitatani, 2004 Tokyo Grand Prix Champion and Japan National Champion, will represent Japan.

They also said in the article, it was standing room only last year. Charge some admission and put the money towards getting more players!

I'm attending, anyone else gonna check it out? Looking forward to it!
Click to expand...

Know where you're coming from, but no world class tourney is easier to win. Beating Efren means splitting two race to five and then winning a sudden death rack. No matter who you are, that's a whole lot easier than getting to eleven before he does. And, of course, having to win just three matches just isn't that tough.

The format, I agree, eliminates some of the luck factor, but did you go to the women's event last November at Mohegan Sun? Lee hit a great break in the first set of the final at double hill, pocketing the nine. Unfortunately, the format said it had to be spotted, so the set wasn't over. Jeanette would have had a hanger on the one, but suddenly she was snookered behind the spotted nine. And, of course, Allison Fisher won the set and the event. That same format beat Lee in that first set.

I wish I could go, but my work schedule just doesn't allow it. I've been to six of them. Enjoy!
 
That toughest field sh*t is a joke. 8 players and that's it? Win three or four matches and you get 50K?

Even at the Hardtimes event which only had a fraction of the pros on tour, it was theoretically possible to play Manalo,Parica, Hall, Chohan,Hunter,etc... and that was just a relatively small tourney.

I'm guessing getting picked for this has its share of politics...a ton of champions would love to play for this amount of cash if they could get picked.

No US OPEN 14.1 for five years but they've got 50K to give to one guy for winning three or four matches. Isn't it race to five alternate break also? Gosh, I hope they use the Sardo too...

Good luck to the chosen few but I still have to think that the 50K would be better spent elsewhere.
 
Legally it can not be found as false advertisement.The word toughest is very subjective as opposed to the words biggest,largest.They can get away with an adjective like `toughest`.Cheers
Vagabond
 
vagabond said:
Legally it can not be found as false advertisement.The word toughest is very subjective as opposed to the words biggest,largest.They can get away with an adjective like `toughest`.Cheers
Vagabond
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Whether it constitutes false advertising under the law is irrelevant, because my post is not about the law.

The advertisement is false. If the writer simply stated that it's the toughest event to win in pool, it would amount to extreme, self-serving, delusion on the part of the person who wrote it.

But the statement "it is widely considered the toughest tournament to win in professional billiards" gives the false impression that this is the prevailing view, when it is a view that I suspect is not held by anybody alive other than those having a motive to promote such absurd nonsense.
 
sjm said:
The advertisement is false. .
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SJM,
Why, how could you think such a thing?? This is just a stupendous, terrific, unbelieveably colossal event. No event on earth (or any other planet in the 4 known galaxies) could possibly be tougher to win. Wimbledon?? Forget it, its nowhere close to the ICOC. U.S. Open at Pinehurst??? Nonsense, Campbell had a nice relaxing walk in the park compared to the brutal, intense conditions at the ICOC. Olympic decathlon??? Those guys are pansies compared to those players who survive the intense pressure cooker that is the ICOC. It is surely the Greatest Show on Earth.

Signed,
Phineas T. Barnum

P.S. - TASBEM
P.P.S. - Can you say "pool's equivalent of the Silly Season."
 
I totally agree, plus the field is not even that stunningly difficult alot of the time. Phil Riley was in it last year. Now he is not a terrible player, but I am sorry to say he is nowhere near the level of the top players in the world despite being one of Australia's best. Plus SJM is totally right, you need to win one single race to 5 and a sudden death case game to win a match, almost anyone can beat a pro in that format with a brief hot streak. I am no pro level player but I have beaten pro level players in a race to 5 where they basically never really get a chance due to the short set and afew good break and runs. On my best day I could feasably win the ICOC. On my best day I know sure as shit I would have no hope in hell of winning the WPC or the US Open or the BCA 9-ball. Way more top players and way more long sets where I would have to play at top form and the chances of keeping it up over the long haul like that? No prayer.

ICOC is as SJM said the easiest of all pro pool events to win. And if you can hook yourself behind a 9-ball that is respotted after you made it there needs to be a look at that boneheaded rule.
 
Perhaps they are using some sort of reverse logic. Maybe since it is so easy for anyone to win against anyone else and the fact that it's single elimination makes it so hard to not get beat, even if you're playing top level pool...lol.

I guess if this is correct they should say that the ICOC is the toughest tourney to not lose?!
 
sjm said:
Know where you're coming from, but no world class tourney is easier to win. Beating Efren means splitting two race to five and then winning a sudden death rack. No matter who you are, that's a whole lot easier than getting to eleven before he does. And, of course, having to win just three matches just isn't that tough.

The format, I agree, eliminates some of the luck factor, but did you go to the women's event last November at Mohegan Sun? Lee hit a great break in the first set of the final at double hill, pocketing the nine. Unfortunately, the format said it had to be spotted, so the set wasn't over. Jeanette would have had a hanger on the one, but suddenly she was snookered behind the spotted nine. And, of course, Allison Fisher won the set and the event. That same format beat Lee in that first set.

I wish I could go, but my work schedule just doesn't allow it. I've been to six of them. Enjoy!
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Maybe they mean it's harder for Efren to win?

Regas
 
I think that the World Pool Championships are the toughest to win or at very least amongst the toughest. Here are my reasons why:

1. First of all qualifying for this tournament is very tough.Read the very tough criteria here(link below) for even getting into this tournament.
http://www.worldpoolchampionships.com/qualification_system.asp
This tournament isn't based on a large money entry,you must be good in your region to get in.Really good.

2.Once you are in you must survive the group stages which means winning in most cases 4 matches out of seven just to make it to the knockout stage.

3. Once you get to the knockout stage you must win every single match thereafter to become world champion.There is no double knockout second chance factor(like most other tournaments) here of coming back on the one loss side.If you lose just one match, you are toast,goodnight ,asta la vista.
That makes every match, a pressure packed encounter.

You must go undeafeated against six opponents who are amongst the greatest players on the planet.Unlike most tournaments everyone is here for this one.The very greatest players from the Phillipines,Taiwan,Germany, The USA, the Netherlands etc etc are all here.



4. Other pressure factors are as follows:

- This is a nine day MARATHON that the eventual winner must endure and for most it takes place in a foriegn country that is very vocal for it's local players.

-This is one of the biggest prize payouts in pool with $75,000 going to the winner.

-To win this tournament you must win several long matches to 9,11 and then a grueling marathon to 17 in the finals.These longer races definitley reduce the fluke factor.

- Most of the latter matches that a champion will have to endure are played on the TV table in front of a large audience and a massive TV audience.A lot of players fold up like a cheap Walmart tent, under the TV lights.

-Finally:You are playing for the dream title that every pool player wants to be recognized as" The Champion of the World".The majority of pool players will tell you that this is THE tournament they'd rather win than any other.

In summary this is one pressure packed,grueling marathon against the greatest players on the planet. After the knockout stages, there is no easy match. Anyone can beat anyone and lose once and your out.

Since 1999 when the tournament went into the present modern day format, no-one has one back-to-back or repeated.This is one tough tournament to win.In my opinion, the toughest in all of modern day pool. RJ
 
sjm said:
Nonetheless, the event at Mohegan Sun is a fine event that is highly recommended. I'm just not real big on false advertising.
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i wouldn't call it false advertizing, just advertizing hype. they're not going to say,,,this one is good, but that joss championship is better,,,,go there,,,,,,,,NOW!
 
Williebetmore said:
SJM,
Why, how could you think such a thing?? This is just a stupendous, terrific, unbelieveably colossal event. No event on earth (or any other planet in the 4 known galaxies) could possibly be tougher to win. Wimbledon?? Forget it, its nowhere close to the ICOC. U.S. Open at Pinehurst??? Nonsense, Campbell had a nice relaxing walk in the park compared to the brutal, intense conditions at the ICOC. Olympic decathlon??? Those guys are pansies compared to those players who survive the intense pressure cooker that is the ICOC. It is surely the Greatest Show on Earth.

Signed,
Phineas T. Barnum

P.S. - TASBEM
P.P.S. - Can you say "pool's equivalent of the Silly Season."
Click to expand...

Finally, the voice of reason, LOL.
 
Icoc

The tournament is setup for champions. You have to have won a major already.

I am not exactly sure but here goes.
The WPC - US Open - European - Japan - Austrailian - South American - Canadian - Returning Champion - If they are availible.

Now as far as the tournament goes first round is a race to 7 alternate breaks (nothing out of the ordinary here except for calling the 9 and no 9 on the breaks it's spotted)

Second round which gets the better players head to head
2 races to 5 alternate breaks call the 9 and if you split one game play off

Finals same rules as second round.

It's a tough tournament to win the toughest not if you are already in. But getting in is a tough task.

Its not year after year Reyes - Bustamante - Strickland - Archer - there are so called guys who do not deserve from some people. They are the one who have done well - John Hosfall beat Ralph Souquet than Earl Strickland only to loose to Bustamante who would have had money on that.

Last Year here was the matchups

Immonen vs Pagulayan
Archer vs Engert
Hohmann vs Reilly
Bustamante vs Takenaka

Immonen vs Hohmann
Engert vs Takenaka

Engert vs Hohmann

Who had money on Engert ? he broke terrible no balls but did not miss or make any errors and won.


Best Match I ever saw was Chao vs Bustamante the sudden death for 50,000
Greatest final game ever.

For those who show up its free and packed and the pool is excellent

It is a different format which makes it unique
 
bruin70 said:
the mohican sun tourney has only one cash prize, and that's for the winner
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I don't believe that for one second.
These pros aren't going to fly there if they don't get any guarantees .
 
You don't have to be a genius to see that this event is a joke. It doesn't even qualify as a major title.
 
JoeyInCali said:
I don't believe that for one second.
These pros aren't going to fly there if they don't get any guarantees .
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It is winner take all, and has been ever since the inception of this event.
 
JoeyInCali said:
I don't believe that for one second.
These pros aren't going to fly there if they don't get any guarantees .
Click to expand...


it is a winner take all tourney. i believe that the mohegan sun and espn take care of the player's expenses.

and i think the winner does share some of his winnings, but that is solely on him.

VAP
 
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