Ralf Souquet - WOW

Roy Steffensen

Roy Steffensen

locksmith
Silver Member
For those of you who missed the match between Mika Immonen and Ralf Souquet, for the hot seat at Turning Stone, I feel pity for you.

Ralf totally outplayed Mika. He put up a clinic. It was impressive.

Hopefully we will get a re-match in 2 hours. Mika will now play the winner of the Hatch/Putnam match in the semifinal.
 
Ralf is a monster, when I read the AZB headline of the TSC news update saying "looks like Mika is the man to beat" and then looked and saw his opponent in the A finals I was a little amused, because if Mika was the man to beat then the guy who will do it as often as not was playing him next.

I have heaps of respect for Mika's game, I think he is the best of the younger generation players, but Ralph has been beating up on that whole generation for over a decade and his game is just as deadly as ever. Ralph is the best front running player I have ever seen, when he is on and gets control of a match just break your cue and shake his hand because I don't think I have ever seen someone able to break his control over the table at that point.

I have seen players with better strokes then Ralph, I think there are players with better knowledge of the game then Ralph, but I dont think I have ever seen a player with as much mental toughness or focus as Ralph.
 
Celtic said:
I think there are players with better knowledge of the game then Ralph.
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On this point I must disagree. I have never seen a player with better knowledge of the game than Ralf. His combination of impeccable pattern play and superhuman tactical judgment and execution are what make him so special, and they are all about knowledge.

I think it is this special blend of offensive and defensive conceptualization skills explains why he owns the most complete playing resume of any player in the era where winning the toughest titles has meant besting the greatest of America, Europe and Asia. In an era where winning the biggest titles has been much, much, much, tougher than ever before, somehow ----

Ralf Souquet has won the World 8-ball championship
Ralf Souquet has won the World 9-Ball Championship
Ralf Souquet has won the Sands Regency 9-ball Championship
Ralf Souquet has won the US Open 9-ball Championship
Ralf Souquet has won the US Open 14.1 Championship
Ralf Souquet has won the BCA Open 9-ball Championship
Ralf Souquet has won the Derby City Classic 9-ball Championship

Some of these, Ralf has won multiple times. The bigger the stage, the better Ralf plays, and nobody plays with greater knowledge.
 
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Ralf is a monster and should never be underestimated.

I look forward to a possible rematch (the Mika/Hatch match continues as planned (its 4-2 for Mika right now)
 
nathandumoulin said:
Ralf is a monster and should never be underestimated.

I look forward to a possible rematch (the Mika/Hatch match continues as planned (its 4-2 for Mika right now)
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Yeah, would be fun. Ralf and Mika were 1st and 2nd in the 2008 Player of the Year poll in Billiards Digest, and rightfully so. When it comes to nine ball, I think Ralf, Mika, and Van Boening have separated themselves from the rest, and all the big titles go through them these days.
 
sjm said:
On this point I must disagree. I have never seen a player with better knowledge of the game than Ralf.
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I should clarify what I meant by "knowledge". There are aspects of the game that I do not see Ralph having the level of knowledge of another player. One such area would be multi-rail kicking, which I dont think anyone has the level of knowledge that Reyes has shown me over the years of seeing that guy play. There are things that Reyes does that boggle his peers, fellow professional pool players.

Of course part of the reason for this is that Reyes has a very different upbringing in pool and plays everything, including 1-pocket which is going to make you learn shots never even dreamed of in 9-ball.

Like for instance, watch this shot, to even dream up something like this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_yuUgEpEyg&NR=1

He actually stunned the cue ball up and hooks the guy behind the pack, he almost made the flipping thing. You have a guy in Danny D who is a world class pool player in his own right with a gigaton of experience and knowledge and he cannot even call Reyes' next actions because the guy is just out there with his knowledge and ability to invent new ways to win.

Not taking anything away from most every other pro player in the world but there is a level of knowledge that Reyes has that warps most top players and it comes from the fact that Efren has played every game out there and learned all the shots for each of those games, invented quite afew of his own, and then if he has to can draw upon those in any game.

Souquet has a control that is second to none, and that takes alot of knowledge. But Reyes has a knowledge to take moments where he is completely out of control, in a bad spot, and then turn it around to suddenly have his opponent looking even worse. With regards to kicking knowledge on kick/safties I cannot think of another player in the world at the same level of Reyes. He pratically forced a paradigm shift on kicking when he came to America.
 
Celtic said:
I should clarify what I meant by "knowledge". There are aspects of the game that I do not see Ralph having the level of knowledge of another player. One such area would be multi-rail kicking, which I dont think anyone has the level of knowledge that Reyes has shown me over the years of seeing that guy play. There are things that Reyes does that boggle his peers, fellow professional pool players.

Of course part of the reason for this is that Reyes has a very different upbringing in pool and plays everything, including 1-pocket which is going to make you learn shots never even dreamed of in 9-ball.

Like for instance, watch this shot, to even dream up something like this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_yuUgEpEyg&NR=1

He actually stunned the cue ball up and hooks the guy behind the pack, he almost made the flipping thing. You have a guy in Danny D who is a world class pool player in his own right with a gigaton of experience and knowledge and he cannot even call Reyes' next actions because the guy is just out there with his knowledge and ability to invent new ways to win.

Not taking anything away from most every other pro player in the world but there is a level of knowledge that Reyes has that warps most top players and it comes from the fact that Efren has played every game out there and learned all the shots for each of those games, invented quite afew of his own, and then if he has to can draw upon those in any game.

Souquet has a control that is second to none, and that takes alot of knowledge. But Reyes has a knowledge to take moments where he is completely out of control, in a bad spot, and then turn it around to suddenly have his opponent looking even worse. With regards to kicking knowledge on kick/safties I cannot think of another player in the world at the same level of Reyes. He pratically forced a paradigm shift on kicking when he came to America.
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OK, thanks for clarifying. Granted, Efren's got Ralf beat in certain branches of knowledge. Still, on balnace, I'll stick with the suggestion that, considering the whole package of knowledge, Ralf is on a par with any human being that has ever played the game. As we all know, Efren is not human, but instead superhuman!
 
My friend who doesn't play pool seriously, described Ralf as an automaton when he saw him play. No disrespect intended, it's just that he is so deliberate and everything he does is exactly as he intends.
 
Watching Ralf practice...

Through acquaintances with a friend I had the rare opportunity very recently to watch Ralf practice up close. When he cleared the table I was only too happy to re-rack for him to keep practicing. Needless to say I scrutinized his *every* move...hoping to pick up valuable tidbits here and there.

Ralf is a true gentleman and a fine ambassador to this beautiful game.
 
I had the pleasure of drawing Ralph in the second round of the Reno Open about 4 or 5 years ago. I have never played anyone with such a complete game. Thunderous break and plenty of stroke when he needs it.
 
Ralf may be the best tournament player of the last 15 years. There are a few guys on the other side of the Pacific who can make life tough even for Ralf. You know who I'm talking about. They live in the Philippines and Taiwan.

Over here Mika and Shane have been the best for a while. Johnny is still right there too. I'm trying to watch the finals but I can't get the feed. Ralf will probably win it anyway, even without my help. :)
 
To me Ralph plays the game the way it ought to be played. He is deliberate, but I don't think he is super-slow. He does not take shots for granted, he plays superb position. I wish the American players played the way Ralph does. It shows a lot of respect for the game. In terms of emotion, I remember watching Ralph in Charlotte, where he won the Camel tournament. This might have been back in 1999. He controlled his emotions throughout, with the idea that this helps him play his best. But when he won I recall that he fell down on his knees he was so happy. By the way, when did he win the world 9-ball? I think he has come in 2nd one or twice, but when did he win?
 
What will Ralf have to do from here on out to put himself at the same level as Efren? Not playing one pocket is of course a huge gap, but Ralf has won SO many major tournements that I wonder what he needs to accomplish now to be considered as good as anyone who has played the game.
 
The Kaiser

jay helfert said:
Ralf may be the best tournament player of the last 15 years. There are a few guys on the other side of the Pacific who can make life tough even for Ralf. You know who I'm talking about. They live in the Philippines and Taiwan.

Over here Mika and Shane have been the best for a while. Johnny is still right there too. I'm trying to watch the finals but I can't get the feed. Ralf will probably win it anyway, even without my help. :)
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It was one of the best match in live view (stream).you pick good bets Roy
Good luck
 
bud green said:
What will Ralf have to do from here on out to put himself at the same level as Efren? Not playing one pocket is of course a huge gap, but Ralf has won SO many major tournements that I wonder what he needs to accomplish now to be considered as good as anyone who has played the game.
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He's well on his way to a HOF career.
 
jay helfert said:
He's well on his way to a HOF career.
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Agreed -

I posted earlier that I was really impressed when I got to watch him play at the DCC. He has a flawless stroke and always seems to be in control of his game.

Congrats on another big win for Ralf. He is the model of what a professional pool player should be.

BTW - I think I had him on the Vbookie too. How do I check my balance?
 
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