I am an IPT member (for now), and I have watched about all of the matches in the video library. Here's my opinion about them.
Bustamante - Played great. He is an 'Uncrowned Champion'. His break is good, not the hardest, IMO, but the best form and most consistent of all players. I catch a little mental thing going on with him though when he plays Efren.
HillBilly - Breaks real real hard, but I don't think he is all that good at reading racks, and his runout skills were in question a couple of times.
He was breaking with an Xbreaker, probably one modified with a leather tip.
Danny & Drago match - This match has a little bit of everything in it. Good runs, a few nail biting misses, drama, and a killer ending. Tony made
some runs look so simple, but his speed also worked against him a few times.
Mika - Mika is one of the most consistent players except when he has a bad turn, which isn't often. He made a few 'funny' runs as far as sequence, to me, but still got there in style, being perfect on shape the last 4 balls every game. He has the playing edge over Corey, but there matches are good to watch. When Mika started out with Niels, I sensed apprehension in Mika, like he knew he had to bring his best game against him, and had to break well, which he did. Mika's lifestyle and dedication are an inspiration to the sport.
Corey - He did not play up to his potential, made some bad errors in round 4 and 5. It was obvious he was having a hard time focusing, like he wanted to, but just wasn't able to. He did not break well, perhaps from trying to read the rack too much.
Karl Boyes - Played a match where he looked real good, but looked outclassed when he played Bustamante, maybe just a bad match. Had a great tournament, and I liked the slightly different we get from the good
English 8 ballers.
Rodney - Was playing well in his matches. He was hitting on all cylinders, few mistakes. I could see him as a favorite in the US Open as he is playing well.
Efren - What can you say about Efren that hasn't been said before? I like to study his game looking for tidbits of experience and wisdom in his shooting. He finds a way to win. His shots seem very logical to me, his accuracy is famous, as are his kick shots. Very good cue ball control.
Orcollo - I will catch some flak here. He looked like a smart good player, but I did not see anything outstanding about his play. If he robs Efren for the cash, I would have to see it to believe it. All his matches in the library, he loses, so maybe those are the best to evaluate him by. He looked like a Filapino Nick Varner to me, in his style and method of play.
Oliver Ortmann - Played very well. Good solid player. Very good thought processes on runouts, executes well. When his break is working, he can beat anyone. Before Souquet, there is Oliver, and still is.
These were just my thoughts and opinions from watching all the matches in the Video Library.
Bustamante - Played great. He is an 'Uncrowned Champion'. His break is good, not the hardest, IMO, but the best form and most consistent of all players. I catch a little mental thing going on with him though when he plays Efren.
HillBilly - Breaks real real hard, but I don't think he is all that good at reading racks, and his runout skills were in question a couple of times.
He was breaking with an Xbreaker, probably one modified with a leather tip.
Danny & Drago match - This match has a little bit of everything in it. Good runs, a few nail biting misses, drama, and a killer ending. Tony made
some runs look so simple, but his speed also worked against him a few times.
Mika - Mika is one of the most consistent players except when he has a bad turn, which isn't often. He made a few 'funny' runs as far as sequence, to me, but still got there in style, being perfect on shape the last 4 balls every game. He has the playing edge over Corey, but there matches are good to watch. When Mika started out with Niels, I sensed apprehension in Mika, like he knew he had to bring his best game against him, and had to break well, which he did. Mika's lifestyle and dedication are an inspiration to the sport.
Corey - He did not play up to his potential, made some bad errors in round 4 and 5. It was obvious he was having a hard time focusing, like he wanted to, but just wasn't able to. He did not break well, perhaps from trying to read the rack too much.
Karl Boyes - Played a match where he looked real good, but looked outclassed when he played Bustamante, maybe just a bad match. Had a great tournament, and I liked the slightly different we get from the good
English 8 ballers.
Rodney - Was playing well in his matches. He was hitting on all cylinders, few mistakes. I could see him as a favorite in the US Open as he is playing well.
Efren - What can you say about Efren that hasn't been said before? I like to study his game looking for tidbits of experience and wisdom in his shooting. He finds a way to win. His shots seem very logical to me, his accuracy is famous, as are his kick shots. Very good cue ball control.
Orcollo - I will catch some flak here. He looked like a smart good player, but I did not see anything outstanding about his play. If he robs Efren for the cash, I would have to see it to believe it. All his matches in the library, he loses, so maybe those are the best to evaluate him by. He looked like a Filapino Nick Varner to me, in his style and method of play.
Oliver Ortmann - Played very well. Good solid player. Very good thought processes on runouts, executes well. When his break is working, he can beat anyone. Before Souquet, there is Oliver, and still is.
These were just my thoughts and opinions from watching all the matches in the Video Library.
