Men's 2025 World 8-Ball Championship, Bali, Oct.7-13

skor said:
You could say that on 9ball and 10ball as well
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I disagree a bit here. In rotation games decision-making is straightforward on 95% shots and most of the time you only need to adjust your position play plan a bit according to the cueball. In 8-ball there are more shot selection choices, more replanning the patterns and risk-evaluation. Even on an open table players tend to eliminate risks by re-evaluating their original patterns, you often see even top players going for a certain pattern and then changing their minds because the cueball fell 4” off the intended position to enable highest runout percentage. Perpetual re-evaluation is heavy on shot clock.
 
mjantti said:
I disagree a bit here. In rotation games decision-making is straightforward on 95% shots and most of the time you only need to adjust your position play plan a bit according to the cueball. In 8-ball there are more shot selection choices, more replanning the patterns and risk-evaluation. Even on an open table players tend to eliminate risks by re-evaluating their original patterns, you often see even top players going for a certain pattern and then changing their minds because the cueball fell 4” off the intended position to enable highest runout percentage. Perpetual re-evaluation is heavy on shot clock.
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In all 3 games on a pro level, a good spread but dry break will lead to a loss.
A bad spread with a ball made will keep you on the table and in control, even if your next shot or one of the shots down the line will be a safe.
A good spread and a ball made is pretty much a run out in all three.

In the last World 10 ball championships, most players broke from the side even if it ended in a harder spread because the chance of making a ball was higher and less dangerous than a center break that gives a good spread but many times ends up dry.
 
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How bad is Kazakis?

Guy is so nervous....the only pro I see sharking himself. Blew at least 3 to 4 games.
 
SBC said:
Not because of nerves...
Kazakis is a head case.
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To be fair, Alex needed a few years to learn how to deal with the nerves. He always played poorly at the Mosconi and often struggled against the most elite players, especially SVB. I believe the turning point for Alex came when he shutout SVB in the 2021 World Pool Masters final. He, similarly, played very well in a losing effort vs SVB in the 2022 WPC semifinal. I think he has been a very self-assured pro ever since. Nice to see him enjoying such a fine year that places him in the Top 10 on the AZB money list.
 
sjm said:
To be fair, Alex needed a few years to learn how to deal with the nerves. He always played poorly at the Mosconi and often struggled against the most elite players, especially SVB. I believe the turning point for Alex came when he shutout SVB in the 2021 World Pool Masters final. He, similarly, played very well in a losing effort vs SVB in the 2022 WPC semifinal. I think he has been a very self-assured pro ever since. Nice to see him enjoying such a fine year that places him in the Top 10 on the AZB money list.
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I agree here with your reference to Alex handing a donut to Shane. Additionally, I think Alex is a prime example how far you can get by making everything as simple as possible. Because if his flow is not very fluent and he doesn't seem to be mentally effortless, his ability to simplify patterns and position play is something we can all hold exemplary. And he has recently learnt to push through even when nervous. Also after a couple of bad misses, he seems to be performing just fine to get over the line. Not all players can be cool under pressure like Shane for instance, but it doesn't mean they cannot win. It is surprising how many top pro players are shaking when you are able to check them out live. And they still can perform flawless.
 
mjantti said:
I agree here with your reference to Alex handing a donut to Shane. Additionally, I think Alex is a prime example how far you can get by making everything as simple as possible. Because if his flow is not very fluent and he doesn't seem to be mentally effortless, his ability to simplify patterns and position play is something we can all hold exemplary. And he has recently learnt to push through even when nervous. Also after a couple of bad misses, he seems to be performing just fine to get over the line. Not all players can be cool under pressure like Shane for instance, but it doesn't mean they cannot win. It is surprising how many top pro players are shaking when you are able to check them out live. And they still can perform flawless.
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I like Alex, but he is probably the pro I would most pick as “he can make any shot, but he can miss any shot”.
 
sjm said:
To be fair, Alex needed a few years to learn how to deal with the nerves. He always played poorly at the Mosconi and often struggled against the most elite players, especially SVB. I believe the turning point for Alex came when he shutout SVB in the 2021 World Pool Masters final. He, similarly, played very well in a losing effort vs SVB in the 2022 WPC semifinal. I think he has been a very self-assured pro ever since. Nice to see him enjoying such a fine year that places him in the Top 10 on the AZB money list.
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I like Alex, but if there's no clock he's unbearable to watch. He had a match on the TV-adjacent table earlier this year where the TV table played almost 2 rack while his table was still on the same BALL... Unreal. Commentators were even joking about it.
 
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