Matchroom WNT Premier League Pool (PLP) 18-25 March2024, Connecticut, $100K Prize Fund

[MattPoland]

The colors of the event are drab but with the commentary, I got drawn into every match I watched. I connected to each one as their own storyline. They had a few camera angles to switch between to keep it fresh.

 

[iusedtoberich]

What's the count?

 

[Monti]

I like the event. It’s way better than the 10 ball that meant a few lucky rolls and you could be out. This one makes the cream rise to the top

 

[kitsap]

After the dust settled on Wednesday 2024/03/20

RW = Racks Won RL = Racks Lost RD = Rack Differential (RW-RL)

 

[skogstokig]

I agree on the format but it's sure as hell better than the spot shot fiesta we see in the Cue Sports events. Yea, a race to five isn't that great but there are so many matches that eventually the cream will rise to the top.

I don't care what their Fargo rating is. Look at the results so far. The "unknowns" are getting beaten like a rented mule. That's got to be a David Alcaide impostor. I've never seen him play this badly.

he was a last minute substitute for niels, maybe he's a bit lagged. jet lag may play a part for the pinoy boys and dang as well but if so it's their own poor planning. most of the other non-US players have been in the US for almost a month.

this format is not my favorite, but it's an interesting combination of short race concentration and stamina. much less downtime for the players compared to other formats.

 

[SBC]

Maybe you didn't hear about the format, but each player gets to play a minimum of 75 games to see if they advance to the next round. Probably more like 100 to 120 games. I think that's enough.

Still short races....multiple coin flips doesn't make it better.

Anybody can win in a race to 4 and 5 alternating break. That's more true the better the players.

You rather play a weaker player for $1,000 in a 5 sets to 3 or one to 13?

 

[SBC]

Very cool they held it in Jason Shaw's room.

It's interesting to see these guys being more cordial as more money and opportunities are created.

 

[kling&allen]

I like this format a lot. Round robin of every pair of player. Races to 5 each match. Every single match counts for the entire event. Every single game counts for the entire event.

I think the winner at this event will far and away be the best player "this week", and may even be the best legit player of the whole bunch.

I'm watching sporadically on youtube with a fixed camera. How is the DAZN production? Is it exciting? Or boring?

Matchroom’s coverage had been good with their typical high level of commentary.

 

[Atorontopoolplayer]

Still short races....multiple coin flips doesn't make it better.

Anybody can win in a race to 4 and 5 alternating break. That's more true the better the players.

You rather play a weaker player for $1,000 in a 5 sets to 3 or one to 13?

I'd rather play 15 races to 5 than one to 9 though for sure

 

[spartan]

Still short races....multiple coin flips doesn't make it better.

Anybody can win in a race to 4 and 5 alternating break. That's more true the better the players.

You rather play a weaker player for $1,000 in a 5 sets to 3 or one to 13?

One to 13 is same as best of 25 races to 1. If you prefer one race to 13, you actually prefer many many short races to 1

 

[skip100]

 

[spartan]

Day 4 Lineup
After 3 days, 9 matches poor Alcaide is only player without a win. He probably holds record for longest losing streak in this event . Can he get monkey off his back ?
Today he has tough matches against Zielinski, Mario He, Filler. Tomorrow he plays SVB, Gorst, Nguyen Anh Tuan
Looks like his best chance of winning a match is against his last opponent tomorrow, newbie minnow Anh Tuan.

 

[jokrswylde]

Watching this Filler/He free match on YT. I tried to look at it objectively and, man, pool must be the most boring thing in the world to watch for the casual fan. Sure, we all on here love it, and a good commentary team helps, but to grow the sport like everyone seems to want to do, the product has to be more exciting for casual and even non fans. Imagine trying to get a teenager to watch?

The monotonous clacking of balls, quiet as a morgue, save for the occasional polite golf clap, absolutely no excitement. I am not saying every tourney has to be as hype as the MC, but this would be brutal for a mass audience. Even golf has the "Get in the hole" yelled after the ball is struck...I absolutely get it is a free stream without commentary, but I can't imagine any new player/fan stumbling on this stream and thinking to themselves "heck, yeah, I gotta buy that stream" or "going to one of these tourneys would be so fun!"

Rant off...

 

[mikepage]

[...]

You rather play a weaker player for $1,000 in a 5 sets to 3 or one to 13?

The crossover between best of 3 races to 3 and a straight set is a straight set to 10.
The better player should be indifferent between these two.

With a race to 9, the better player should prefer the short sets; race to 11 the other way.

 

[Atorontopoolplayer]

Watching this Filler/He free match on YT. I tried to look at it objectively and, man, pool must be the most boring thing in the world to watch for the casual fan. Sure, we all on here love it, and a good commentary team helps, but to grow the sport like everyone seems to want to do, the product has to be more exciting for casual and even non fans. Imagine trying to get a teenager to watch?

The monotonous clacking of balls, quiet as a morgue, save for the occasional polite golf clap, absolutely no excitement. I am not saying every tourney has to be as hype as the MC, but this would be brutal for a mass audience. Even golf has the "Get in the hole" yelled after the ball is struck...I absolutely get it is a free stream without commentary, but I can't imagine any new player/fan stumbling on this stream and thinking to themselves "heck, yeah, I gotta buy that stream" or "going to one of these tourneys would be so fun!"

Rant off...

Yeah they definitely need an event like this with arena seating and energy, Hanoi should be the model going forwards

 

[skip100]

Watching this Filler/He free match on YT. I tried to look at it objectively and, man, pool must be the most boring thing in the world to watch for the casual fan. Sure, we all on here love it, and a good commentary team helps, but to grow the sport like everyone seems to want to do, the product has to be more exciting for casual and even non fans. Imagine trying to get a teenager to watch?

The monotonous clacking of balls, quiet as a morgue, save for the occasional polite golf clap, absolutely no excitement. I am not saying every tourney has to be as hype as the MC, but this would be brutal for a mass audience. Even golf has the "Get in the hole" yelled after the ball is struck...I absolutely get it is a free stream without commentary, but I can't imagine any new player/fan stumbling on this stream and thinking to themselves "heck, yeah, I gotta buy that stream" or "going to one of these tourneys would be so fun!"

Rant off...

Group play for an event like this is a niche product for nerds. The same could be said about the early rounds of any pool tournament. Hopefully the final stages have some more excitement.

 

[jokrswylde]

I think it is more about the players than the setting. Earthquake would have the whole venue fixated. So would Earl. We need characters in pool. We need interaction with the crowd, we need players to show emotion...The closest we have is Filler, but during most of the match he is a robot running rack after rack. Just a bit more entertainment with the sport, IMO

 

[jokrswylde]

Group play for an event like this is a niche product for nerds. The same could be said about the early rounds of any pool tournament. Hopefully the final stages have some more excitement.

I get it, I'm just noting how this is the product being put out for mass consumption(free), and I would just be worried it would turn potential fans off, rather than bring them in...

 

[SBC]

The crossover between best of 3 races to 3 and a straight set is a straight set to 10.
The better player should be indifferent between these two.

With a race to 9, the better player should prefer the short sets; race to 11 the other way.

Longer race always favors the better player.

 

[skip100]

Shane just came back from 3-0 down against KPC to win 5-3.