Premier League Pool: a LOT of equal talent

[Monti]

My takeaway from watching the Premier League Pool streaming is that there is not a player that is head-and-shoulders above any other player. The talent seems to be fairly equal. It is of my opinion that some of the players that have been held in high esteem of late have come down to earth and are playing no better than any other of the top pros.

Who has been watching and what are your opinions of the league/tournament overall?

Maniac

I don’t agree at all. It seems to me the opposite. Even with short races that leave it open to some luck, the recognised best Filler, Svb and Shaw
have all be there or thereabouts top 3

I think the fact of playing so many games has taken most of the luck out of it

I think this format is great with the exception that maybe at the last 6 stage it should be race to 7 and the race to 9 in the single elimination section?

 

[Swighey]

Semi-retired. Still plays some in St.Louis but not a lot.

This is a real shame. He had a prickly attitude that rubbed people up the wrong way, and an attitude to others that maybe doesn't fit with the modern day pros' TV profile, but he can play. Always came across to me as excuse filled, but on the cusp of getting out there and beating the world. I can see it now, 40 years from now the equivalent of a minor TV channel filling space - the best pool player ever not to make it and where he ended up. Anyway, it's never too late.

 

[mikepage]

Anyone know the reason? The last time I remember anyone burning out like this at that young an age was Michael Coltrain.

I don't know if it's so sudden. The first time I met Justin was a little over a decade ago, when everybody else was at Derby City and he drove up to my few-thousand-added 8-Ball event instead. Then when Darren Appleton was really trying to get a pro-pool pump primed in NYC, Justin didn't show up. I think maybe this particular grind is just not his thing.

Talking more generally here and not about Justin in particular, when you see top players with a what's-in-it-for-me filter or whose approach to choosing events is maximizing an expected return THIS weekend, you're seeing people who are feeling particularly unempowered and are failing to appreciate a significant collective action problem.

 

[mikepage]

My takeaway from watching the Premier League Pool streaming is that there is not a player that is head-and-shoulders above any other player. The talent seems to be fairly equal. It is of my opinion that some of the players that have been held in high esteem of late have come down to earth and are playing no better than any other of the top pros.
[...]

The top 6 have all played about 200 games, and they more or less have faced common opposition with an average rating of about 805.
So someone close to 50%, like Kazakis at 50.8%, is performing close to 805. Works out to about 810 for Kazakis
The nest 4 (SVB, Shaw, Ouschan, and Woodward) are all within 9 points, performing from 825 to 834
Filler is out there at 854.

If you translate these scores into them having each played a race to 100 against an 805 opponent, their scores would look like

Filler 100 to 71
Ouschan 100 to 82
Van Boening 100 to 83
Shaw. 100 to 85
Woodward 100 to 87
Kazakis 100 to 97

Whatever she said, it worked!

 

[sjm]

Anyone know the reason? The last time I remember anyone burning out like this at that young an age was Michael Coltrain.

Not a good comparison. Coltrain, a very talented cueist, had an unfortunate issue that depleted some of his skills, which led to his disappearance from the serious tournament scene.

Can a player burn out at a young age? I think the better example is Jean Balukas. Many were shocked when the GOAT (at that time without question) retired at age 29, but the truth is that she had been a serious player by the age of five, so if you take it all into account, her burnout becomes less surprising. She'd had enough.

 

[sjm]

The top 6 have all played about 200 games, and they more or less have faced common opposition with an average rating of about 805.
So someone close to 50%, like Kazakis at 50.8%, is performing close to 805. Works out to about 810 for Kazakis
The nest 4 (SVB, Shaw, Ouschan, and Woodward) are all within 9 points, performing from 825 to 834
Filler is out there at 854.

If you translate these scores into them having each played a race to 100 against an 805 opponent, their scores would look like

Filler 100 to 71
Ouschan 100 to 82
Van Boening 100 to 83
Shaw. 100 to 85
Woodward 100 to 87
Kazakis 100 to 97

Whatever she said, it worked!View attachment 630093

Josh and Pia are a perfect couple, and the unswerving support Pia offers him at all times keep him both loose and well-grounded. She's his secret weapon!

 

[pwd72s]

The top 6 have all played about 200 games, and they more or less have faced common opposition with an average rating of about 805.
So someone close to 50%, like Kazakis at 50.8%, is performing close to 805. Works out to about 810 for Kazakis
The nest 4 (SVB, Shaw, Ouschan, and Woodward) are all within 9 points, performing from 825 to 834
Filler is out there at 854.

If you translate these scores into them having each played a race to 100 against an 805 opponent, their scores would look like

Filler 100 to 71
Ouschan 100 to 82
Van Boening 100 to 83
Shaw. 100 to 85
Woodward 100 to 87
Kazakis 100 to 97

Whatever she said, it worked!View attachment 630093

If any pic needs a "caption this"...it's this one.

 

[soyale]

Talking more generally here and not about Justin in particular, when you see top players with a what's-in-it-for-me filter or whose approach to choosing events is maximizing an expected return THIS weekend, you're seeing people who are feeling particularly unempowered and are failing to appreciate a significant collective action problem.

can you expand on this a bit? i’m actually in a similar situation with my career path (not pocket billiards) and i would like to hear more.

it gets really, really difficult to keep doing a thing when you no longer love it, despite how “good” or “great” your ability may be.

I dont think “F@ck you/pay me” is the right attitude but what are you supposed to do when your hemorrhaging money for a passion project that doesn’t make you happy?