My man Tang

jay helfert

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
Gold Member
Silver Member
Somebody should give a big congrats to Tang Hoa. Here is a guy who had to be convinced to even go to the Open this year after a four and a half year layoff from big time pool. He's been making a nice living playing poker (he's damn good).
He had heard about the IPT and was interested because of the big bucks. We talked about it and I felt that he needed to show his face at the Open to even be considered for the IPT. So he goes to the Open and just finishes tied for 5th with Charlie Williams. This is a guy who just picked up a new cue and started playing seriously again two weeks before the Open. TRUE!
And take a look at the guys he had to play. David G., Mika, Niels, Andreas.
He played great and hardly anyone has given him any credit for his achievement.
Tang has as much or more heart than anyone out there and I wouldn't be surprised to see him win an event on the IPT. That is if they invite him. Maybe a 5th in the Open will get their attention. I sure hope so. He certainly deserves the chance. If anything Tang is a better player today than ever, more mature and more focused.
Remember Tang finished as high as 8th on the season ending standings of the Camel Pro Tour, with all the top players competing. And as I reminded him on Saturday morning, take a look in the mirror. That guy looking back at you played in the Finals of the U.S. Open in 1998 (he lost to Buddy).
His comeback here, after such a long layoff, has to be a big story at this Open.
 
Poker sucks, he should come back to pool, especially with the IPT making the money alot more legit. Time to leave the game with gobs of luck and bad beats and start playing a game that requires loads of skill, and he has loads.
 
Congrats Tang Hoa!

jay helfert said:
Somebody should give a big congrats to Tang Hoa. Here is a guy who had to be convinced to even go to the Open this year after a four and a half year layoff from big time pool. He's been making a nice living playing poker (he's damn good).....
And take a look at the guys he had to play. David G., Mika, Niels, Andreas.
He played great and hardly anyone has given him any credit for his achievement.
Click to expand...

Well, let me be the second to congratulate him here! It is very impressive. I've not been following pool that closely until the last 3-4 years, and I never heard of him. So an "unknown" coming in and barrelling through a 256 man field is remarkable, especially considering he just picked up his stick again! Let's just say I think the IPT will know about him now.

It is funny how sometimes this happens (not often to this extent, though), that you haven't played in a long while, go to a tournament and everything seems so natural and you can't miss. I think an occasional hiatus can really help your game along.
 
Jay for the past few years since Tang took his break from pool, he would come around the local poolhall every once in a while and I would hit balls with him, or he would play the 15-ball rotation ghost. He would play in streaks and then quit for a few months. I first saw Tang back at Players 7 or 8 years ago, and he was one hell of a player, he could park the cueball in places that Efren would struggle to do. I am very glad to see him playing well again. I was rooting for him and Ernesto the whole way, I'm glad they both had high finishes.
 
Tang played at last years Open also. It was great to see him playin' good again
 
I got to hang w/ him a bit in Norfolk and you are all right. In addition to hittin'em real sporty, he is a real nice feller.
 
One better ...

Well, I hadn't had sex for 5 years, and when I finally got done,
she told me that I took 6th .... Not bad for laying off for 5 years ...
 
Tang is a great player, lot's of heart and tons of knowledge. He is a threat to win anything when he is motivated.
 
I watched Tang during a couple of his matches and not only is he a great player, but extremely nice with his crowd and opponent. I hope to see more of him. :)
 
Congradulations to Tang Hoa, great finish in US Open. Jay, congradulations to you as well in, a I read in Poker Player news paper on two of your finishes in tournaments in 2005, a 1st place in a CA tournament (commerce casino) and a 41st place in the WSOP.

If the IPT becomes a main stay in pool in the US, then many pool players can start making a living as a pool players....
 
I too really enjoyed watching him play. Every time he was playing this week, I made it a point to watch him. He is an outstanding player with an obvious, HUGE heart. He really played hard and he seemed to have a great attitude. Very Entertaining. Best of Luck to the Hoa...

JBK
 
Black-Balled said:
I got to hang w/ him a bit in Norfolk and you are all right. In addition to hittin'em real sporty, he is a real nice feller.
Click to expand...

Walt, he used to hang out with Efreb and company years ago in the West coast. Matter of fact, they used to stay at his place and he got a lot of help and tips from the group. I heard that he also used to play and practice with Petralba from Frisco.
 
Petralba is from LA area and Tang plays better than Danny does, I have never heard of them practicing together. It's true he used to practice with the Puyat team a lot, I believe he learned their aiming system too.

You should see Tang play snooker.
 
I've known Tang for a long time and always knew he'd be a great player someday. He practiced hard, still does, and when he commits to the game, he's tough to beat. He never gives up, no matter what the score is. I'm glad to hear he's doing so well outside of pool but I do hope that he gets back into the game because he has what it takes to be a champion. Peace, John.
 
Tang is a good guy too. Soft spoken, not like some champions you see who are arrogant and want to challenge and belittle anyone who beats them in a local tournament.
 
uwate said:
Tang is a good guy too. Soft spoken, not like some champions you see who are arrogant and want to challenge and belittle anyone who beats them in a local tournament.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't categorise him as soft-spoken. I thought he was charismatic and funny, especially when he asked his friend in the crowd for a couple of Jack and cokes! I enjoyed watching him on the TV table Saturday night when he was playing Earl, too... and listening to their friendly banter :)
 
poker??

hey tang great tourney my man.you are a very entertaining guy that is good for pool.i met you and you are a very highly explosive player. i like to watch guys like yourself that run through rack after rack making it seem very easy.
hey if you are looking for a good poker game let me know i got some hook ups at myrtle beach. how does $100-$200 a hand sound to ya?texas holdem. :D
 
Agreed... mostly.

I don't know Tang personally but I watch him in Santa Monica or in So cal tournaments when I get the chance. But I'm not sure how much heart he has.... at the Shooters tournament in Riverside last month, he left after losing in the first round. Good-bye pool, hello vegas! And apparently he's got a tad of a reputation for that... before it even happened people were joking about it, and lo and behold....

Regardless, I think all the So Cal guys are happy Tang did so well. I was talking with one of the managers of Hollywood Billiards who knew Tang when Tang wasn't even old enough to get into Hollywood, and he was so happy Tang was plowing through everyone. The guy's got style and a hell of a game, so I wish him all the best!
 
Celtic said:
Poker sucks, he should come back to pool, especially with the IPT making the money alot more legit. Time to leave the game with gobs of luck and bad beats and start playing a game that requires loads of skill, and he has loads.
Click to expand...


You won't get an argument from me and I got a final table at the World Series of Poker this year (event #10 - Limit Hold'em). Poker is about 50-75% luck and the rest skill. Pool is probably 80-90% skill and 10-20% luck.
 
beetle said:
Well, let me be the second to congratulate him here! It is very impressive. I've not been following pool that closely until the last 3-4 years, and I never heard of him. So an "unknown" coming in and barrelling through a 256 man field is remarkable, especially considering he just picked up his stick again! Let's just say I think the IPT will know about him now.

It is funny how sometimes this happens (not often to this extent, though), that you haven't played in a long while, go to a tournament and everything seems so natural and you can't miss. I think an occasional hiatus can really help your game along.
Click to expand...

Steve,
That's exactly what happened. Tang got on a roll and everything just fell into place. He played good and his opponents got a little tentative. He might have won the whole thing, but he began to have some self doubts about whether he deserved to win and that spelled doom. He actually led Alex 6-3 in their match and was running out and missed for 7-3. After that his game fell off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top