SJM Final Thoughts on the 2023 US Open

[sjm]

I haven't begun a thread in four months, but here goes. I attended all six days of the just completed US Open 9ball.

SJM – Closing Thoughts on the 2023 US Open
As I posted each day in the US Open thread, I’ll skip over the details of the play. Ko Ping Chung was amazing and was the most consistent runner of the table. The super-tight pockets didn’t seem to bother him at all. Well played. Now, let’s consider the rest of the show.

What About the Arena?

Days 1 to 4
On these days, all outer tables were in use along with the two stream tables. In general, everything was great. There was ample seating for practically any match you cared to watch, a good thing for me as I tended to move around the room catching a piece of as many matches as possible. The room was too cold, but I don’t think Matchroom has control over it, for casino hotels in America have cool air. The biggest negative from the vantage point of a fan in attendance was that the scores and player names, kept on an IPAD with small print, were hard to see. Another issue was that matches played on four-inch pockets without a shot clock can take forever, and many matches dragged on and on. Even some of the elite played a little scared, and tactically oriented matches were numerous.

Day 5
On Day five the primary arena was opened and the two stream tables were also in use. The superb setup, added to the first use of the shot clock brought on a wondrous day of world class pool.

Day 6
The primary arena was used for the two semis and the final and the drama was electrifying. As a fan, you never forget the final day of any Matchroom major. The setup is great, the match introductions are superb, the interviews are excellent and the vibe in the arena is something very special.

The Equipment and Officiating

The Diamond Tables
The tables played well. The rails were sliding a bit, but were consistent across the tables. English-oriented pattern play often gave way to stun-oriented patterns for those confident enough to hit the balls with pace. Diamond tables, quite simply, are the best and they befit a championship of this magnitude.

The Officiating
In my view, the officiating was consistently outstanding, with errors few and far between.

Are these Super-Tight Pockets Having the Desired Effect?
We’ve now seen these super-tight pockets for a full Matchroom season, and it is, perhaps, time to evaluate whether they are having the desired effect. If you watched the last day only, you might think that the players aren’t struggling at times with these conditions, but you’d be mistaken. The runouts aren’t coming easy, and the end-game is a bit more important than in the past. Matchroom wanted more back-and-forth play and they’ve got it, but I wonder whether this suits the game’s best interests. To me, four and a quarter inches is tight enough for the most elite players. From my vantage point, the shot-makers are forced to either be more conservative or pay a price for very aggressive play. For example, long banks are not very common on this kind of equipment.

I’m not 100% sold that this really tight equipment makes for more entertaining pool, nor am I convinced that tables need to be this tight to sort out the best. Super-tight pockets are slowing down matches more than is necessary. Now don’t get me wrong, for I love the pool I’m watching --- I just feel like it could be even better. Guess it’s it is all in the eye of the beholder.

Matchroom’s Effort In General
As usual, Matchroom’s production was first class. The tournament room was set up well, and all aspects of administration and security were handled with the excellence we’ve come to expect of Matchroom. Players and fans alike were made to feel very welcome. Emily herself is very hands on when it is necessary and makes a genuine effort to interact with her clientele. The renewal of the SVB Junior Open is a big deal, too. Matchroom understands that the kids are the future of pool and gives them a platform for honing and displaying their skills.

I also applaud Matchroom’s continued inclusion of Brady and Shannon, son and daughter of Barry Behrman, in the final day’s proceedings. Matchroom understands that what makes the US Open the most coveted title in pool is its history that dates to the mid-1970s. Brady and Shannon embody the spirit of their late father and seeing them always helps to frame the occasion.

Miscellaneous
I caught up at length with countless friends, players, fans, and others. I met a few AZers for the first time, most notably The_JV, who is a super nice guy. I also caught up with my old friend Ralph Eckert at length and congratulated him on his appointment as coach of Team Europe at the Mosconi.

I was pleased to have had a chance to meet Molina Mike for the first time and I gave him a lot of positive feedback about his podcast, encouraging him to stay the course. He’s a very positive force in our sport and I wished him well.

I won money in the casino, way more than I lost at Turning Stone! On one occasion, we had an “all pool” table in the casino when Albin Ouschan , Max Lechner, Mario He, and FSR sat down with me for a while, as Dennis Grabe and Omar Al Shaheen cheered us on from behind.

Conclusion
It was a great US Open, and watching the Ko brothers celebrate together after the final was unforgettable. They are great representatives for pool, and Ko Ping Chung has now won the most coveted title in pool. Thanks to all at Matchroom for a great week at Harrah’s in Atlantic City.

 

[AtLarge]

... I won money in the casino, way more than I lost at Turning Stone! On one occasion, we had an “all pool” table in the casino when Albin Ouschan , Max Lechner, Mario He, and FSR sat down with me for a while, as Dennis Grabe and Omar Al Shaheen cheered us on from behind. ...

Now wait a minute, sjm. You've written that your typical trip into a casino lasts about 10 minutes. We don't want you developing any addictions here.

 

[jtompilot]

I enjoyed your report. Thanks

 

[sjm]

Now wait a minute, sjm. You've written that your typical trip into a casino lasts about 10 minutes. We don't want you developing any addictions here.

LOL.

Yes, I was not true to my usual form. I went into the casino on three of the six nights, for probably a total of five hours. The US Open is unusual, however, in that the matches can end pretty early in the day compared to events like Derby City and Turning Stone. I rarely, if ever, gamble while matches are in progress. As the Mosconi's in London this year, my next gambling adventure won't be until 2024 Derby City.

Hope you enjoyed the US Open. It was a dandy!

 

[Rocket354]

Are these Super-Tight Pockets Having the Desired Effect?
We’ve now seen these super-tight pockets for a full Matchroom season, and it is, perhaps, time to evaluate whether they are having the desired effect. If you watched the last day only, you might think that the players aren’t struggling at times with these conditions, but you’d be mistaken. The runouts aren’t coming easy, and the end-game is a bit more important than in the past. Matchroom wanted more back-and-forth play and they’ve got it, but I wonder whether this suits the game’s best interests. To me, four and a quarter inches is tight enough for the most elite players. From my vantage point, the shot-makers are forced to either be more conservative or pay a price for very aggressive play. For example, long banks are not very common on this kind of equipment.

I’m not 100% sold that this really tight equipment makes for more entertaining pool, nor am I convinced that tables need to be this tight to sort out the best. Super-tight pockets are slowing down matches more than is necessary. Now don’t get me wrong, for I love the pool I’m watching, I just feel like it could be even better. Guess it’s it is all in the eye of the beholder.

Great writeup. I particularly agree with the above. I think 4.25" is the perfect medium. Looser pockets means watching rack after rack of bland, rote runouts. Tighter, though, means watching "scared" pool, and only getting relatively rare glimpses of all the weapons that are in a true professional's arsenal.

I did enjoy the (seemingly) increased number of safety battles. But, like you, I feel like the powers that be just took it one tick too far on the dial.

 

[straightline]

No matter the distance, angle, or pocket size, the ball remains at a constant 2.25". Something else must be wrong.

 

[skogstokig]

some pro players will take unnecessary long time no matter the conditions, just because they can. this needs to be addressed. if they can't have that many refs they need to figure out something else.

 

[Nick B]

Personally I could do without the "B-Team". Reminds me of drunken 45 minute speeches and bag pipe anthems. It would be better if a former winner put on the jacket.

 

[Guy Manges]

Stu as always... Guy

 

[DaWizard]

That feeling of emptiness when a big tournament had ended

 

[Island Drive]

Thx for the write up Stuart.

Didn't see you centered in too many screen shots.
I agree on 4 1/4''.

I'd mentioned and it's true, when too tight, it changes the game.

Players must be able to hit with confidence a ball mid rail just off the long rail, and have Their cue ball come 5 rails for shape.
Draw or follow.

Often in 9 ball, the shooter must go the other way around.
Pockets too tight remove this ''aggressiveness''.

 

[nmh2008]

Random question: is the area around the outer tables as dark as it appears on the stream? It looks so dark, with only the table lit up

 

[Cornerman]

Are these Super-Tight Pockets Having the Desired Effect?
We’ve now seen these super-tight pockets for a full Matchroom season, and it is, perhaps, time to evaluate whether they are having the desired effect. If you watched the last day only, you might think that the players aren’t struggling at times with these conditions, but you’d be mistaken. The runouts aren’t coming easy, and the end-game is a bit more important than in the past. Matchroom wanted more back-and-forth play and they’ve got it, but I wonder whether this suits the game’s best interests. To me, four and a quarter inches is tight enough for the most elite players. From my vantage point, the shot-makers are forced to either be more conservative or pay a price for very aggressive play. For example, long banks are not very common on this kind of equipment.

Great seeing you as always, Stu. On this topic, it will definitely be interesting to see going forward. As we discussed, some viewers may have only seen the finalists, especially Ko Ping-Chung, whose spectacular play will fool people to think the conditions were much easier than what 4" pockets are supposed to bring. That said, I got many reports from players that the outer tables were affected by the humidity, so the 4" pockets were playing brutally compared to the inside tables with all their lights. The players typically known for slow play were even slower (more meticulous) than normal. It often was very tough to watch. Some of my money was on JL Chang, yet I started internally rooting against him. I can deal with his slowness, but he was taking a minute on some stop shots. And that was on the inner tables! I can only imagine what his games were like on the outer table.

This is reminding me of watching early Bank Ring Games at Derby City where everyone was hanging balls due to the tightness of the tables (just pro cut Diamonds, IIRC), I thought that banking on those tables was just too tight and that bank pool should be on looser equipment. But somewhere around the time Jason Miller won the banks, that whole thought disappeared. Jason dominated those tables for bank pool like no other I had seen before, and now as far as anyone can remember, banking on a 4 1/2" pro cut Diamond is not a big deal. Will this same thought process happen with the 4" pockets and their tightness? Time will tell in short order.

Freddie <~~~ plays just as poorly on 5" pockets

 

[garczar]

Great report as always. My take on tight wickets in general is that all the wanna-be keyboard runout artists want their tables this tight as well. Hell, most of the people in the stream chats probably couldn't run five balls with bih on a barbox. For 90%+ of the pool world 4.5" corners are more than tight enough.

 

[Island Drive]

4.5 and broken in, dirty and with Humidity are Tough action with 860HR.
The nose of the cushion ''grabbing'' and inducing obj. ball rotation causes allot of ''hang ups''.

 

[mikemosconi]

Thanks for the write- ups- Great Job! I think for the pros, 4 1/4 on new cloth tables would be just enough. For most very good playing amateurs rotation and 8 ball on 4 1/2 on new cloth is just enough - for 14.1- a good amateur probably should look for 4 3/4 new cloth.

The general pool playing public - really belong on 4 3/4 to 5 inch pockets.

 

[jalapus logan]

4.5 and broken in, dirty and with Humidity are Tough action with 860HR.
The nose of the cushion ''grabbing'' and inducing obj. ball rotation causes allot of ''hang ups''.

Agree...I had just this playing experience Sat night.

 

[jalapus logan]

This is reminding me of watching early Bank Ring Games at Derby City where everyone was hanging balls due to the tightness of the tables (just pro cut Diamonds, IIRC), I thought that banking on those tables was just too tight and that bank pool should be on looser equipment. But somewhere around the time Jason Miller won the banks, that whole thought disappeared. Jason dominated those tables for bank pool like no other I had seen before, and now as far as anyone can remember, banking on a 4 1/2" pro cut Diamond is not a big deal. Will this same thought process happen with the 4" pockets and their tightness? Time will tell in short order.

Freddie <~~~ plays just as poorly on 5" pockets

Yeah, tight pockets won't do for bank pool. Or 14.1 IMHO. But I guess if the focus is on 9 ball only, the case for tighter pockets COULD be stronger, but I would still disagree in the end. Island Drive is right that we should not de-emphasize aggressive play. Again, IMO.

 

[The_JV]

I've always thoroughly enjoyed your insights about prior events. Now that I finally got to enjoy one as well I feel like I can actually add some extra detail.

What About the Arena?

Days 1 to 4
On these days, all outer tables were in use along with the two stream tables. In general, everything was great. There was ample seating for practically any match you cared to watch, a good thing for me as I tended to move around the room catching a piece of as many matches as possible. The room was too cold, but I don’t think Matchroom has control over it, for casino hotels in America have cool air. The biggest negative from the vantage point of a fan in attendance was that the scores and player names, kept on an IPAD with small print, were hard to see. Another issue was that matches played on four-inch pockets without a shot clock can take forever, and many matches dragged on and on. Even some of the elite played a little scared, and tactically oriented matches were numerous.

For at least one day I got to enjoy the Open as dead money...lol. On Sunday evening I was on the practice tables for the entire evening they allowed us to be on them (nearly 5hrs). The room at that time was cool but also damp. It was my first exposure to tables of that difficulty and it took a good amount of time to begin to feel comfortable.

The room opened to players at 9am on day 1. All but streamed tables were open for practice. However, priority was given to the players that had a 10am match. So once a player that was designated to a table showed up, it was theirs. Of course this only makes sense, but that pretty much put a fork in table time for anyone else. There were 6 practice tables for the other >200 players looking to get into stroke. The only other opportunity to get dedicated warm up time was prior to your scheduled match. Now despite the players booklet stating that you were granted 5mins. In reality the area refs clearly told you that was only 2mins. Generally that would be stretched into a full rack. It did not matter if you were left waiting for your opponent for an extend period of time. You got a single rack, period. I did speak to Emily about this afterward. My stance is that 2mins is not enough time to warm up. Maybe it is for the elite, or those that had the clout to park themselves at a practice table prior.

In reality, an extra 3mins wasn't going to help my game. However I would have preferred they stuck with the original criteria.

Day 5
On Day five the primary arena was opened and the two stream tables were also in use. The superb setup, added to the first use of the shot clock brought on a wondrous day of world class pool.

Day 6
The primary arena was used for the two semis and the final and the drama was electrifying. As a fan, you never forget the final day of any Matchroom major. The setup is great, the match introductions are superb, the interviews are excellent and the vibe in the arena is something very special.

Seeing the level of production MR employs is something to see. Simply incredible the amount they pour into these events. I'm confident witnessing one of these events would cork the most critical naysayers.

The Equipment and Officiating

The Diamond Tables
The tables played well. The rails were sliding a bit, but were consistent across the tables. English-oriented pattern play often gave way to stun-oriented patterns for those confident enough to hit the balls with pace. Diamond tables, quite simply, are the best and they befit a championship of this magnitude.

Nearly everyone I saw early on that attempted to kick at a ball were left scratching their heads. The rails banked true but the skidding wide after the fact was mind boggling. Even the likes of Alex P would stand in awe of the action the balls took off the rails. The only sure fire way to get a clean path off the rails were to punch at them hard. Bank shots were rare and from I saw/heard, only Billy Thorpe had a high success rate.

I'll save my thoughts on the pockets for the next section.

The Officiating
In my view, the officiating was consistently outstanding, with errors few and far between.

From a player's perspective (albeit a short exposure), the elite refs are so with reason. The general purpose area refs were ok but consistently non-attentive. Frequently players would need to flag them down merely because they were "off in space". I also witnessed some less than enthusiastic racking by these refs. Considering players were not allowed to inspect racks. I believe the refs should all be ensuring racks are tight. The elite refs (and a good portion of others) would dress the balls after racking. Others would shove them together and scurry back to their seats.

I don't know if the area refs were instructed to only "ref" if under request by the players. However I did witness several situations were refs were watching questionable circumstances from their chairs but did not engage to ensure a call could be made.

Are these Super-Tight Pockets Having the Desired Effect?
We’ve now seen these super-tight pockets for a full Matchroom season, and it is, perhaps, time to evaluate whether they are having the desired effect. If you watched the last day only, you might think that the players aren’t struggling at times with these conditions, but you’d be mistaken. The runouts aren’t coming easy, and the end-game is a bit more important than in the past. Matchroom wanted more back-and-forth play and they’ve got it, but I wonder whether this suits the game’s best interests. To me, four and a quarter inches is tight enough for the most elite players. From my vantage point, the shot-makers are forced to either be more conservative or pay a price for very aggressive play. For example, long banks are not very common on this kind of equipment.

I’m not 100% sold that this really tight equipment makes for more entertaining pool, nor am I convinced that tables need to be this tight to sort out the best. Super-tight pockets are slowing down matches more than is necessary. Now don’t get me wrong, for I love the pool I’m watching, I just feel like it could be even better. Guess it’s it is all in the eye of the beholder.

I practiced extensively on 4.25" pockets prior to the event. Mainly because I wasn't willing to make my home table tighter...lol. I know based on my misses that I would have faired better if they were using 4.25". Of course my opponents would have enjoyed it as well. Would it have made a difference in my personal 2 and out results...?..., nah probably not.

I spoke to Stu regarding the pockets and although I won't say he's wrong. I can say that as a first time player. I liked the challenge, although it was torture. I think an event of the USopen's stature should be decided on tough equipment. Did the pockets choke some of the life out of the game...?.., ya I guess. However it also kept players very honest, and low percentage banks for example were avoided.

Matchroom’s Effort In General
<snip>Emily herself is very hands on when it is necessary and makes a genuine effort to interact with her clientele.</snip>

I was extremely impressed with Emily. We didn't speak at much length, but she did seem to fully engage when I approached. The fact that she was willing to make the time to speak to me (random dead money) in of itself was notable. I did make an effort to watch the 'behind the scenes' activity and she seemed to always be in the mix and actively ensuring those who otherwise wouldn't have access/permissions, gained them at special moments. Chasing down and escorting the Ko brothers passed security so they could cheer on Chung when he entered the main arena sticks in my mind.

She's a pure class act.

Miscellaneous
I caught up at length with countless friends, players, fans, and others. I met a few AZers for the first time, most notably The_JV, who is a super nice guy.

Thanks Stu. Meeting you was number 2 on my to do list.

1. Win a rack at the USopen
2. Meet Stu
3. Speak with Emily

Conclusion
It was a great US Open, and watching the Ko brothers celebrate together after the final was unforgettable. They are great representatives for pool, and Ko Ping Chung has now won the most coveted title in pool. Thanks to all at Matchroom for a great week at Harrah’s in Atlantic City.

My only regret, was that I didn't make the time to watch more of Chung's matches prior to the semi's. There was so much great pool being played in the later stages that I was simply draw to different matches.

They also announced new date for the Open next year. August 19th, 2024 I believe. I would love to take part again, so hopefully I can make the first release and not hope for another wait list entry.

 

[maha]

soon the tighter pocket fad will end up in poolrooms and chase away more weak players trying to have fun and get better. it isnt the solution. just like making the basketball hoop smaller. who would want that.

change the games the way they play or make them different. have ten ball be the game for tournaments as that stops the constant run out from easy nine ball breaks.
get rid of those racks that make a ball on the break everytime a cinch. thats not pool.
banks are a big part of the skill of pool and too tight pockets changes the game to just shot making.