Just thought I'd share some of my experiences and observations of the past few days. Great way to kill time before my favorite TV show starts!
I got to VF on Friday night around 09:30, and was immediately struck by the size of the convention center. I have heard many accounts of VF over the years, but this place is absolutely huge. I liked the way they had the tournaments well spread out and between levels, and I thought charging separately for the pro and amateur tournaments was a good move too. I say this because there is a lot of wandering around, aka free roaming in this place, and some areas (besides the pit and challenge tables) could easily become overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people.
The food was about what I expected...and yes...I indulged in one of those funnel cakes! I thought it was a great idea that they served alcohol too, and there was a decent supply of quick eats. Even if they did not have food at the place there are so many decent restaurants close by you could easily leave for a meal and not miss much.
I was also pleasantly suprised by the number of booths / vendors present. If you can't find what you need at one of these Expos, you simply aren't trying hard enough! I am accustomed to the US Open in Chesapeake, VA, which has about one quarter the # of vendors of VF...but to be fair the convention center is so huge the vendors have a *lot* more room to setup, etc.
What I liked best about VF was the diversity of pool choices available.
There are several amateur tournaments, second-chance tournaments, juniors, seniors, pro-am, minis...you name it. And if action is your thing...the pit is there, along with a more-than-healthy supply of gambling / side bets going on. This place easily gave Cuemasters in VA a run for its money, at least from what I saw. And let's not forget the autographing / photo opps with some of the pros...and let's throw in the artistic competition to round it off!
There was no 1P...but I didn't mind...there was more than enough action to satiate! I left on Sunday at 4:30pm, and did not go to bed before 5:00 a.m. on any night!
Regarding the action, here is what I saw and heard while there. Please keep in mind I only heard this while there, and while I did watch some of the matches, I did not ask the players involved or their backers the exact details of each. I only get to that level of involvement if I am playing or my money is on the table...otherwise it isn't any of my business...
So, don't slam me if I don't have every detail right.
Shane Van Boening vs. Pam Treadway
He was giving her the 5-out and the snaps in 10-ball. They were playing a head set, got back to even and then quit. Rumor has it she couldn't keep breaking because her stomach hurt (she had given birth to what I believe was her 2nd child only two or three days before) and Shane and crew did not agree to it. Later that night she played someone else, or maybe her new husband did, and lost.
Hennessy vs. Hatch
I saw the very end of this. They were racing to 15 and Hennessy was getting the last two. He played safe on the four, Hatch hit it and left Hennessy a table length stop shot. Well, Hennessy got lucky by missing the four in the bottom right corner and having it bank it in the top right. And to add pain, the CB stopped perfectly to play a combo on the 10-ball in the side for the win!
Pooky vs. Mark Painter
I believe they were playing a head set for a dime or more, not sure who won.
Jeanette Lee vs. the mysterious Puerto-Rican (twice)
I saw other posts on this so won't go into too many details...only to say it was my 1st. experience watching a female pro gamble for big money. I saw Yu Rum Cha (sp?) give Rachel Abbink the 7 in a race to 11 in 10-ball for a dime at last year's US Open, which was very cool. Jeannette conducted herself in the manner you would expect from a classy pro that has made a name for herself on the global stage. She was fun to watch, and I left before her second match was over, so I don't know who won. I just thought it was cool to be playing for 20 dimes, sign autographs, play the music you want to hear on your CD player at *your* booth, while your husband racked for you!
"Scooter"
This was my first exposure to this young man. I have been around pool for quite some time (over two decades) and have never seen anyone talk up action like this kid! And he was funny on occasion. Love him or hate him, he commands attention, and can easily control the tempo of a gambling situation. It was quite entertaining...even more so when Mark Painter got involved, and he can woof it up like no other I've seen. Scooter's buddies ran around the pool room all night and morning, constantly trying to get action started. Sometimes it was obnoxious, but mostly it was entertaining. One guy kept spitting chewing tobacco into his soda bottle, which was despicable, but...I am amongst pool players...so what can you do?
The challenge tables were interesting but there were too many people on the lists so I didn't bother.
I got into some light action myself and ended up breaking even so all in all it was a decent pool weekend for me.
Will definitely be back next year!
I got to VF on Friday night around 09:30, and was immediately struck by the size of the convention center. I have heard many accounts of VF over the years, but this place is absolutely huge. I liked the way they had the tournaments well spread out and between levels, and I thought charging separately for the pro and amateur tournaments was a good move too. I say this because there is a lot of wandering around, aka free roaming in this place, and some areas (besides the pit and challenge tables) could easily become overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people.
The food was about what I expected...and yes...I indulged in one of those funnel cakes! I thought it was a great idea that they served alcohol too, and there was a decent supply of quick eats. Even if they did not have food at the place there are so many decent restaurants close by you could easily leave for a meal and not miss much.
I was also pleasantly suprised by the number of booths / vendors present. If you can't find what you need at one of these Expos, you simply aren't trying hard enough! I am accustomed to the US Open in Chesapeake, VA, which has about one quarter the # of vendors of VF...but to be fair the convention center is so huge the vendors have a *lot* more room to setup, etc.
What I liked best about VF was the diversity of pool choices available.
There are several amateur tournaments, second-chance tournaments, juniors, seniors, pro-am, minis...you name it. And if action is your thing...the pit is there, along with a more-than-healthy supply of gambling / side bets going on. This place easily gave Cuemasters in VA a run for its money, at least from what I saw. And let's not forget the autographing / photo opps with some of the pros...and let's throw in the artistic competition to round it off!
There was no 1P...but I didn't mind...there was more than enough action to satiate! I left on Sunday at 4:30pm, and did not go to bed before 5:00 a.m. on any night!
Regarding the action, here is what I saw and heard while there. Please keep in mind I only heard this while there, and while I did watch some of the matches, I did not ask the players involved or their backers the exact details of each. I only get to that level of involvement if I am playing or my money is on the table...otherwise it isn't any of my business...
So, don't slam me if I don't have every detail right. Shane Van Boening vs. Pam Treadway
He was giving her the 5-out and the snaps in 10-ball. They were playing a head set, got back to even and then quit. Rumor has it she couldn't keep breaking because her stomach hurt (she had given birth to what I believe was her 2nd child only two or three days before) and Shane and crew did not agree to it. Later that night she played someone else, or maybe her new husband did, and lost.
Hennessy vs. Hatch
I saw the very end of this. They were racing to 15 and Hennessy was getting the last two. He played safe on the four, Hatch hit it and left Hennessy a table length stop shot. Well, Hennessy got lucky by missing the four in the bottom right corner and having it bank it in the top right. And to add pain, the CB stopped perfectly to play a combo on the 10-ball in the side for the win!
Pooky vs. Mark Painter
I believe they were playing a head set for a dime or more, not sure who won.
Jeanette Lee vs. the mysterious Puerto-Rican (twice)
I saw other posts on this so won't go into too many details...only to say it was my 1st. experience watching a female pro gamble for big money. I saw Yu Rum Cha (sp?) give Rachel Abbink the 7 in a race to 11 in 10-ball for a dime at last year's US Open, which was very cool. Jeannette conducted herself in the manner you would expect from a classy pro that has made a name for herself on the global stage. She was fun to watch, and I left before her second match was over, so I don't know who won. I just thought it was cool to be playing for 20 dimes, sign autographs, play the music you want to hear on your CD player at *your* booth, while your husband racked for you!
"Scooter"
This was my first exposure to this young man. I have been around pool for quite some time (over two decades) and have never seen anyone talk up action like this kid! And he was funny on occasion. Love him or hate him, he commands attention, and can easily control the tempo of a gambling situation. It was quite entertaining...even more so when Mark Painter got involved, and he can woof it up like no other I've seen. Scooter's buddies ran around the pool room all night and morning, constantly trying to get action started. Sometimes it was obnoxious, but mostly it was entertaining. One guy kept spitting chewing tobacco into his soda bottle, which was despicable, but...I am amongst pool players...so what can you do?
The challenge tables were interesting but there were too many people on the lists so I didn't bother.
I got into some light action myself and ended up breaking even so all in all it was a decent pool weekend for me.
Will definitely be back next year!
