Race to 100 betting $20,000 of your own money. Who would you pick??

[Celtic]

Since this we're dealing in hypotheticals and fantasies, can it be anyone from any time in history? If so, Harold Worst or 1980's Jose Parica.

Neither of those guys time warped into the present would have a prayer against Yang Chin Shun circa ~2002-2008 or so in a match like that. He would run over them with huge packages.

One thing pretty clear when you watch old pool matches is that the old time pros did not break as well as the premier players of today. Even guys from the past like Earl who broke hard did not show the extreme control of guys like Ko, SVB, or Yang when it came to hammering the rack and squatting the rock dead in the center of the table every time.

 

[Celtic]

Johnny was a straight shooter of the highest order, for sure, but...

Efrens kicking and creativity with the cb has him in a league alone in the 80s and 90s.

Efren was the best post break shooter in the game but he has no prayer in this format against the best player/breaker combos. SVB drilled Alex in their long sets in the later stages of TAR and it was due to the break. SVB missed more balls and Alex won most of the safety battles but when SVB won games he put packages out there and when Alex won games he broke dry.

To win a match like this against the worlds best the player is going to need a phenomenal break to go along with a world class game.

 

[jay helfert]

Neither of those guys time warped into the present would have a prayer against Yang Chin Shun circa ~2002-2008 or so in a match like that. He would run over them with huge packages.

One thing pretty clear when you watch old pool matches is that the old time pros did not break as well as the premier players of today. Even guys from the past like Earl who broke hard did not show the extreme control of guys like Ko, SVB, or Yang when it came to hammering the rack and squatting the rock dead in the center of the table every time.

No question that for a few years Yang was the best money player alive. He could make any shot (after endless deliberation) and run out from spots where everyone else was playing safe. Then Wu came along and played a speed better!

All that said, the Parica I saw in the 80's and 90's was the best money player I ever watched play 9-Ball or Ten Ball. He just played flawless pool rack after rack, running out with cool efficiency. Nothing perturbed him and he had a burning desire to destroy his opponents. His break was pretty solid for such a small man and he controlled it well, keeping the cue ball in play for a shot at the one nearly every rack. He beat EVERYBODY for the cash for at least fifteen years and the young Yang had opportunities to play Parica and chose not to.

In tournaments, Earl played much like Jose, and put together packages (big ones!) in every match he played. He was by far the greatest tournament 9-Ball player I ever saw. He made the 9' Gold Crown look like a bar table. No one else had that capacity to minimize the game of 9-Ball. I don't think even Yang could have stood up to what Earl was capable of in his prime. No one else could either. Earl ran off those racks so fast it would make your head spin! Earl was a master of the break shot as well, practicing it for 15 or 20 minutes prior to every match, just to figure out the best break on that particular table. He was no dummy.

As good as Earl was in tournaments (and gambling) he was no match against Parica for the cash. Jose destroyed him the one time they played (it was Ten Ball to negate Earl's powerful break). He busted Earl's backers in Dallas in a two day session in the mid 80's. Jose beat everyone else he faced on that trip (giving up spots to our best players) and the legend was born.

 

[GoldenFlash]

Pool room detectives never see it coming.....

The reality is that there are only a few top players who would or have dumped a match. I know of less than a handful that have done it. They will go nameless on here. Most good players do not want to ruin their reputation for fear of losing backers. A pool player is only as good as his backer.

The main reason you don't know more than "less than a handful" is because they're so good at what they do.
They keep on fooling you...and you never have a clue.

 

[jackpot]

The main reason you don't know more than "less than a handful" is because they're so good at what they do.
They keep on fooling you...and you never have a clue.

The APA players need to watch these these pro;s so that they can get better at UD
(undetected dump). But it's not dumping it's "sandbagging" and anyway these are
the good guys of pool and our hope for the future.
jack

 

[Black-Balled]

Efren was the best post break shooter in the game but he has no prayer in this format against the best player/breaker combos. SVB drilled Alex in their long sets in the later stages of TAR and it was due to the break. SVB missed more balls and Alex won most of the safety battles but when SVB won games he put packages out there and when Alex won games he broke dry.

To win a match like this against the worlds best the player is going to need a phenomenal break to go along with a world class game.

You have removed my nugget from its context and given it the appearance it meant something other than it did (at its initial appearance).

 

[Ak Guy]

Depends

Shane, Chang, Ko, Alex, and Wu, are great players, but no one has a better history of winning a 10 Ball race to 100 then Shane.

Shaw has not proven to be in heir league based on the last 5 years and time will be the test on whether he has what it takes to be consistent year after year. So far his discipline is questionable to me.

With the rest of them, they are all so good that it would depend on who showed up for the match as they are all capable of winning against any one on any given day.

I'm sure Shane could put up his own money and I have a hard time picturing him ever dumping for a mere 20,000 bucks.

 

[ribdoner]

was[/I] a top player in the New York City area that was so well known as a dump artist that Mack trucks wanted to name a new model of dump truck after him.

does he sleep with the fishes

 

[measureman]

does he sleep with the fishes

It was an attempt at humor.
And he does sleep with the fish.

 

[Lonestar_jim]

Nobody, because they will all dump.
I'd have a better chance to play myself. At least i would try and not dump.

Amen brother. I would lose, but honorably.

 

[book collector]

Just a fun hypothetical question here. Here is the situation. If you could personally pick one player from the entire world to race to 100 playing 10 ball on a 9ft Diamond with $20,000 of your own money on the line, who would you pick to be your player?

Think of all the top players to choose from: SVB, Jayson Shaw, Dennis Orcollo, Johann Chua, Ko Pin Yi, Chang Jun Lin, Darren Appleton, Ruslan Chinahov, Neils Feijen, etc.

Who would your pick be?

It would be a tough one for me and I have watched all of these players and many other players on this level play countless times.

If I was betting $20,000 of my own money today, I would pick Ko Pin Yi!!! Love the way he plays. Has a huge break, almost never makes mistakes and is one of the few players that seems to have Shane's number of the last few years.

I'd be curious to see everybody else's pick.

Chris Bartrum

 

[JB Cases]

No question that for a few years Yang was the best money player alive. He could make any shot (after endless deliberation) and run out from spots where everyone else was playing safe. Then Wu came along and played a speed better!

All that said, the Parica I saw in the 80's and 90's was the best money player I ever watched play 9-Ball or Ten Ball. He just played flawless pool rack after rack, running out with cool efficiency. Nothing perturbed him and he had a burning desire to destroy his opponents. His break was pretty solid for such a small man and he controlled it well, keeping the cue ball in play for a shot at the one nearly every rack. He beat EVERYBODY for the cash for at least fifteen years and the young Yang had opportunities to play Parica and chose not to.

In tournaments, Earl played much like Jose, and put together packages (big ones!) in every match he played. He was by far the greatest tournament 9-Ball player I ever saw. He made the 9' Gold Crown look like a bar table. No one else had that capacity to minimize the game of 9-Ball. I don't think even Yang could have stood up to what Earl was capable of in his prime. No one else could either. Earl ran off those racks so fast it would make your head spin! Earl was a master of the break shot as well, practicing it for 15 or 20 minutes prior to every match, just to figure out the best break on that particular table. He was no dummy.

As good as Earl was in tournaments (and gambling) he was no match against Parica for the cash. Jose destroyed him the one time they played (it was Ten Ball to negate Earl's powerful break). He busted Earl's backers in Dallas in a two day session in the mid 80's. Jose beat everyone else he faced on that trip (giving up spots to our best players) and the legend was born.

FWIW Rodney told me he was the only one who beat Parica back then playing 15 ahead. He said Parica drilled everyone else in that game.

 

[JB Cases]

I would choose an old time player named Don Willis.
Few will even know him, but he and Buck Bozeman were the best I ever saw when it came to making them balls for the gelt.
I've seen Shane pooch it, Mosconi pooch it, Grady pooch it, and I've seen Alex P. with cue ball in hand on the 8 and not get out.
Willis NEVER had the "dog" bite him in the keetser.

My favorite Don Willis story is when there was a big tournament and all the players were asked to fill out a resume so they could be announced with their titles. Don didn't want to do it as he preferred to stay relatively unknown.

The tournament promoter insisted and Don says, show me the stack of resumes. He picks out one that has a long list of titles on it and scrawls across the top, "I beat him".

The next favorite is Don describing his killer instinct....he said he would imagine the potato in the corner and the corn in the side because you can't tell the landlord that you overcut the room rent.

 

[PoolBum]

All that said, the Parica I saw in the 80's and 90's was the best money player I ever watched play 9-Ball or Ten Ball. He just played flawless pool rack after rack, running out with cool efficiency. Nothing perturbed him and he had a burning desire to destroy his opponents. His break was pretty solid for such a small man and he controlled it well, keeping the cue ball in play for a shot at the one nearly every rack. He beat EVERYBODY for the cash for at least fifteen years and the young Yang had opportunities to play Parica and chose not to.

Given how great a money player Parica was, I'm curious Jay whether you have an opinion as to why he did not enjoy the same level of tournament success that Earl, Sigel, or Buddy Hall did?

I'm not saying he didn't win his share of tournaments; it's just that, given that he was the best money player in the world at 9-ball or 10-ball I'm curious why he didn't have the same level of tournament success as those guys did.

 

[eddieindetroit]

Pagulayan.

 

[Rico]

the greatist

If this is only todays players Shane and Alex are there with anyone. In the late80,s Parica for the cash was a monster. Nick went to PI. and ran over Efren.early to mid 80,s bet against Buddy i dont think so.Go back to Wimpy.

 

[jayburger]

#1 is 100% correct. I have personally ask many pro pool players if they have ever dumped a backer or ever would. Every single one of them said absolutely not. So there you have it.

Lol you mean they didn,t say " yeah i dump every now and then when my money is a little low" lol what do you think they would say. I hope you are just being funny,surely you aren,t serious.

 

[pwd72s]

If it was me playing somebody of my choosing in a race to 100 for $20,000???

I'd choose Stevie Wonder.

I wouldn't bet $20,000 on anyone. Hell, I wouldn't bet $20 on anyone.

 

[Taxi]

Since this we're dealing in hypotheticals and fantasies, can it be anyone from any time in history? If so, Harold Worst or 1980's Jose Parica.

If you can go back in time, Buddy Hall without any question. For the cash he's the all time 9 ball king.

 

[alstl]

Two questions:

1 - Do I have to post in advance?

2 - Is there a window in the men's room I can climb out of if it looks like I'm going to lose?