Are the brackets up anywhere? Bueller? Bueller?
SBE / Valley Forge 2010 - RESULTS
- Thread starter dirtypool40
- Start date
It has allways been like this.
The super billiards open amatuer division is made up of strong players. I have played in this tournament six years, though not since 2004. I cashed one year and got $300 back. There is probably 100 players with an APA skill rating of 6 or 7. They stand no chance. About 60 players who are entered have a chance on winning. I thing it was 2004 that John Brumback came in second. He was no amatuer even back then. Jason Kirkwood owned this and several other amatuer tournaments for years. Players come from all over the world to play at the expo. It's a lot of fun and great action. My only question is why is the amatuer only paying $5,000. This tournament started out with 200 players and paid $5,000 for first. But pool is a business and Allen puts on a great event, deserves to make a living.
Corvette Scott
www.AtlanticCityPokerMan.com
The super billiards open amatuer division is made up of strong players. I have played in this tournament six years, though not since 2004. I cashed one year and got $300 back. There is probably 100 players with an APA skill rating of 6 or 7. They stand no chance. About 60 players who are entered have a chance on winning. I thing it was 2004 that John Brumback came in second. He was no amatuer even back then. Jason Kirkwood owned this and several other amatuer tournaments for years. Players come from all over the world to play at the expo. It's a lot of fun and great action. My only question is why is the amatuer only paying $5,000. This tournament started out with 200 players and paid $5,000 for first. But pool is a business and Allen puts on a great event, deserves to make a living.
Corvette Scott
www.AtlanticCityPokerMan.com
There is no way that 60 players have a chance to win this tournament. If I can pick 20 players I am pretty sure I can pick the winner. The allure of the tournament is you can go real deep and make a good payday by not having to beat alot of open players. The players listed in this thread are in no way amateur players. Like someone else stated they travel across the country playing pool. A true amateur player will not win this tournament until a criteria is developed to determine a true amateur status. Myself and two of my friends play about the same speed. We are definitely below the top regional pros. Last year two of us were in the top 16, this year the other player was in the top 16. None of use had a chance to win the tournament, becuase in the top 16 you must beat 4 players that play just under pro level to win.
Matt Clatterbuck being allowed to play is a huge mystery to me. He wins the Pro-am beating Dennis Hatch, Tyler Edey and others and is allowed to play in the open amatuer the next year? All these top regional players upset top pro every year. Most of these players do not work but play pool for a living. I know that Allen does not look at every entry, and even if he did it would be at his discretion. Some organization needs to develop a criteria for amateur players.
It looks like the future in pool is amature tournaments, look at the predator tour, gambler tour, greater soutern tour, they all have amature tournaments that draw larger fields than any other open regional tour stop.
If pool cannot develop a way to decide these ratings chaos will continue to reign and these tours will fall to the wayside eliminating a great way to foster interest and revenue to our game.
Ron Frank Jr plays here locally and him and Clatterbuck match up alot at his pool room.Last year it was Larry Smith knocking Ron out in the final 8 so Ron's almost there
Congraduts To Ron Frank!
master9baller
Banned
Sbe
I was in the mix on the gambling tables all week at the SBE and saw 2 players who stood out above the rest. Jason Kirkwood and Matt Clatterbuck were amazing on the 7 foot tables. I was as impressed by them as I have been watching any top pro who is in dead punch of a 9 foot table. I watched Clatterbuck take apart Oscar Dominguez who definately didn't have the feel for the tables that his oponent had. These 2 guys take bar box pool to levels I have never seen before. The position play and safety play were as good as left the CB or OB in the spot one would have put them with BIH. I was very impressed with both of them.
The third person who really impressed me was Shane Winters from Rochester NY. He stepped up on the big money $100 table and won 7-8 games straight against Kirkwood, Saez, Manny Chau and others. I made at least $350 on him alone that night. Whoever was there on Friday night to watch the action and side betting was sure to be amazed. Literally the most fun I've had watching pool.
Do these guys deserve what they get out of pool? I say yes because they have certainly invested some serious time and effort to become so talented. Besides how can you regulate who's pro and who's not? How could you ever handicap a tournament drawing 800+ players from around the country?
I was in the mix on the gambling tables all week at the SBE and saw 2 players who stood out above the rest. Jason Kirkwood and Matt Clatterbuck were amazing on the 7 foot tables. I was as impressed by them as I have been watching any top pro who is in dead punch of a 9 foot table. I watched Clatterbuck take apart Oscar Dominguez who definately didn't have the feel for the tables that his oponent had. These 2 guys take bar box pool to levels I have never seen before. The position play and safety play were as good as left the CB or OB in the spot one would have put them with BIH. I was very impressed with both of them.
The third person who really impressed me was Shane Winters from Rochester NY. He stepped up on the big money $100 table and won 7-8 games straight against Kirkwood, Saez, Manny Chau and others. I made at least $350 on him alone that night. Whoever was there on Friday night to watch the action and side betting was sure to be amazed. Literally the most fun I've had watching pool.
Do these guys deserve what they get out of pool? I say yes because they have certainly invested some serious time and effort to become so talented. Besides how can you regulate who's pro and who's not? How could you ever handicap a tournament drawing 800+ players from around the country?
I saw him and didn't know that was Dee Adkins.
Is he ok?
He's not confined to it for life is he?
Koop - hoping the answers are yes and no.
Ron Frank Jr plays here locally and him and Clatterbuck match up alot at his pool room.Last year it was Larry Smith knocking Ron out in the final 8 so Ron's almost there
I'm proud to call Ron my friend. There is no one else in the pool world who I would lose money to and still offer to treat them to dinner or a drink.
If I wasn't going to win the tournament I was hoping he would. Good run Ron!
-ERIC
I have read all the posts on this thread and will dare to speak on Matt's behalf as he is a "friend of a friend".
I agree that he is a barbox champion, and that he has taken down some major scores against professionals over the years, but he is not a professional. By that I mean he does not play pool for a living. He drives a UPS truck full-time.
He does play well enough to get staked and will travel when he can (money and time permitting) to gamble.
I was also there when John Morra dismantled him at Q-Masters last year, and was also there when Neils Feijen took him apart in the same room. Yes, he crushed Wiseman in a head-set that same week, but I believe it was the year before Wiseman beat him in Detroit for even more cash.
My point is this: He does not play for a living so he is not a pro.
We should not punish him just because he plays very well.
Regarding the others for whom pool is their only source of income, they should not be allowed to play in the Open, regardless of their previous winnings and pedigree.
But it all leads back to the governing bodies of men's professional pool. Unless they can clearly define and maintain a standard by which someone is defined as a pro we are always going to have this.
I lost to Mike Dechaine in the Wed Warm-Up one round before the cash, and I am a lowly C-player. But I view it as being able to match up with a pro for only $50...and with alternating breaks on a barbox in a short race to 3 I like my chances vs playing him "normally". But that's just me.
The SBE has been in existence for quite some time and they seem to have a sizeable staff to organize and run it, so maybe it's time Allen Hopkins digs a little deeper to decide who should be allowed to play or not.
Looking at it in an economical view i.e. supply and demand. It seems that it is very successful event, filling up the fields even with the great players entered. Seems to me, if people are upset with the field not being "amateur" then they wouldn't show up to play instead of having a waiting list. So why change it, if you are Allen Hopkins?
I don't see what all the fuss is about.
If you can break and run out, you have a chance against ANYONE.
It is alternate break, so you will undoubtedly get your chances. It's not like you are going to be glued to your chair while they run out the set unless you miss a lot and your break sucks, in which case, you don't deserve to win in the first place.
If you are mad because your skills don't match up with those who have worked on their game more then you.
GO PRACTICE and stop whining already. No one is forcing you to play in the expo, and if you are looking for a handout tournament where a chump can win in a field of 800+ players, you need to wake up from that pipe dream or quit pool.
If you can break and run out, you have a chance against ANYONE.
It is alternate break, so you will undoubtedly get your chances. It's not like you are going to be glued to your chair while they run out the set unless you miss a lot and your break sucks, in which case, you don't deserve to win in the first place.
If you are mad because your skills don't match up with those who have worked on their game more then you.
GO PRACTICE and stop whining already. No one is forcing you to play in the expo, and if you are looking for a handout tournament where a chump can win in a field of 800+ players, you need to wake up from that pipe dream or quit pool.
What he said.
Let 'em all in!!
Everyone should stop biatching and get over it. Would I rather meet up with Matt or Manny or Shorty or AFTER I've made it to the money round? Well DUH!! Of course I would. But I relish the chance to play those guys. I can run out on a bar table so I have a chance. I was down there gambling on the 3 tables beside the $100 table for 3 straight nights playing with players I'm pretty sure where better than me--> Mhet Vergara, Bucky Souvanthong, Dave Krenzel etc. But I end up winning about $200 and that's cool with me. I'm a 51 yr old father of girls that are 7 and 11 and I play once a week in the TAP league where I am a 7. I just like to play. Imagine how I felt when Mhet Vergara, out of the clear blue, tells me "my game is NICE!". Made me feel like a million dollars. BTW I was the tall older guy sometimes wearing the backward Steelers cap, Sidney Crosby shirt, shorts etc. I had a friggin' blast both gambling and in both Amateur Open and Seniors tourneys-->unfortunately I didn't cash in either this year. See ya next year fellow Pool-Aholics. Can't wait! :thumbup:
Everyone should stop biatching and get over it. Would I rather meet up with Matt or Manny or Shorty or AFTER I've made it to the money round? Well DUH!! Of course I would. But I relish the chance to play those guys. I can run out on a bar table so I have a chance. I was down there gambling on the 3 tables beside the $100 table for 3 straight nights playing with players I'm pretty sure where better than me--> Mhet Vergara, Bucky Souvanthong, Dave Krenzel etc. But I end up winning about $200 and that's cool with me. I'm a 51 yr old father of girls that are 7 and 11 and I play once a week in the TAP league where I am a 7. I just like to play. Imagine how I felt when Mhet Vergara, out of the clear blue, tells me "my game is NICE!". Made me feel like a million dollars. BTW I was the tall older guy sometimes wearing the backward Steelers cap, Sidney Crosby shirt, shorts etc. I had a friggin' blast both gambling and in both Amateur Open and Seniors tourneys-->unfortunately I didn't cash in either this year. See ya next year fellow Pool-Aholics. Can't wait! :thumbup: