Super billiards expo adding a Fargo limit for the amateur?

trob

trob

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
A friend text me today and told that they just announced that you now can’t play in the amateur at the expo unless you are below a 720 fargo and that if your between a 680 and 720 they will determine if you can play. I don’t have a problem with this per se. It makes sense. To many pro’s playing in the Amateur over the years that had no business being there. With no real pro tour in pool I understand the problem BUT why would you wait two weeks before the expo to do this. People have made plans. Gotten hotel rooms who may have not showed up now until friday if they knew they had to wait to the pro am to play. This should have happened 6 months a go.

Again I think it’s a good idea but the planning could have been a little bit better.
 
skip100 said:
730s can just play in the pro events where they belong. If they complain they will be getting robbed, well that’s what they were planning on doing to the amateur event…
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Exactly I agree… I just think Allen shouldn’t have waited until 2 weeks before the event but you’re totally correct . There are plenty of sponsored players in that tournament that are pro’s and I’m glad something is being done about it.
 
Not shocking, although I agree that the announcement should have come early.

I've often argued on the forum that 725 (or a bit higher) is about where pro speed begins in men's pool, so SBE is taking a pretty similar view.

That said, I do have sympathy for those in the 725 - 750 range, as most of them have pretty tough action in the pro event. It's nothing new, however, that it's more profitable to be a top amateur than a fringe pro.
 
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“That said, I do have empathy for those in the 725 - 750 range, as most of them have pretty tough action in the pro event. It's nothing new, however, that it's more profitable to be a top amateur than a fringe pro.”
The above quote from Stu points out the same problem APA has; though it appears Fargorate moves people up or down when the numbers indicate it. APA will keep someone a 7 hcp even after losing 20 or 30 straight matches to lower rated players. Please don’t start with sandbagging; you can’t help your team if you constantly lose on purpose. People get older, health issues crop up and their skill level drops. Their “Equalizer” system is flawed when it doesn’t take this situation into consideration. Rant over.
 
I'm too damn good for the Amateur events and I'm donating in the pro events what a wonderful place to be. I'll be at the cash table at SBE.
 
Players in that 700 Fargo range here in Wisconsin can actually do quite well in earnings. The Mad Apple has a weekly free streamed King of the Hill match every Friday night at 7 pm. I think you have to be over 600 to enter. There is I think, a minimum buy in of $500 per player, might be $250 though, not sure, but can go up from there if both players agree. Incoming player gets to choose the game, 8 ball, 9 ball, or 10 ball. In addition to this, King of the Hill players have the option for a free room at the adjoining motel which is really nice as some of the matches can go quite late. So, if you're good, you may not get rich, but if you keep winning for a while, this one match a week can really affect your income in a positive way. The person that has been the King for about 5 weeks now, is just incredible, and great to watch.
The Mad Apple really supports billiards with its free streaming, great streaming commentary, many leagues, weekly tournaments, and also three other free streamed matches every Sunday that also have minimum buy ins, but not to the extent of the King's match. The Sunday free streamed matches are, Queens with any Fargo, Jesters with 500 max Fargo, and knights with up to 600 Fargo. They also have an open 8 ball tournament every Sunday. They also do quite a bit to support the youth with free table time and coaching on Sunday mornings I think. Check them out at Mad Apple Xstream
 
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Allen has always allowed the TOP local and regional players. His cutoff was more of the “touring pros”. For example, Josh Brothers won it one year. And Allen knew him personally for a decade at least before he won.
 
I wonder if this was done because they have so few players registered for the pro event.

Additionally I am curious as to why no pro womens event this year. Seems the amateur events continue to grow and the pro events continue to shrink. Hopefully this is not the beginning of the end for me to attend the SBE. I have been to this event every year since 1999 and have always looked forward to it.
 
As long as those few players in that range just had their spots moved to the pro side, they can suck it up for one year imo.
The experience may be both fun and valuable.
I imagine many will choose to not attend next year due to the change, but at least they will know ahead of time.
I understand that when travel is involved, this becomes a much bigger deal and it is unfortunate for the players this year.

When I was coming up the big tournaments were open and 65% of the field knew they were big underdogs to cash and dead money to win.
We played in them anyway, with the pros in attendance playing us even or possible needing one extra game.
If lesser skilled players felt it was their right to win against better players, they played leagues.

GL to all members who are playing in it this year.
Post up your big wins.
 
The reality is the better you get at pool, the less action you get. Far as gambling you end up giving so much weight....then you beat them and they want the world. Same with handicapped tournaments, everybody wants the nuts. The days of everybody playing even, getting better over years and seeing the results of hard work....are long gone.


I do like that SBE let's the better players win once...then they are not allowed. Over the years I've seen alot of deserving players get to win.

That said there's still a bunch of killers who have yet to win it.
 
I like this idea, but they also need to add the matches to Fargo. They were added in 2019 only because Fargo had a booth there and they did it. I doubt all the matches played were entered. Expo didnt happen in 2020 or 2021 due to covid. In 2022 the matches were not entered.

I cashed both of those years and beat some pretty high fargo players in the process... yet here I am with a Fargo that is lower then what is should be and with not enough robustness to be established.

I'm fine with cruising under that radar, but with a rating system, I always liked having the advantage of knowing where I stand... especially if I have to be in it at all.

Edit to add. I agree... they should not have waited until 2 weeks before the event to announce that. If anything, it should be been announced at the 2022 event so people can prepare (dump) for 2023.
 
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Icon of Sin said:
I cashed both of those years and beat some pretty high fargo players in the process... yet here I am with a Fargo that is lower then what is should be and with not enough robustness to be established.
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Are you talking 100 or 200 games for robustness?
 
Kevin Lindstrom said:
I wonder if this was done because they have so few players registered for the pro event.

Additionally I am curious as to why no pro womens event this year. Seems the amateur events continue to grow and the pro events continue to shrink. Hopefully this is not the beginning of the end for me to attend the SBE. I have been to this event every year since 1999 and have always looked forward to it.
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Well I know rick isn’t playing the pro event this year because it went to single elimination. I’m not sure if that kept a lot Of other players away Also. The idea of a pro spending them money to travel and then losing in the first round may not be worth it anymore. With what’s going on with matchroom sports big events now maybe this tournament isn’t as big a deal as it once was.
 
Icon of Sin said:
I like this idea, but they also need to add the matches to Fargo. They were added in 2019 only because Fargo had a booth there and they did it. I doubt all the matches played were entered. Expo didnt happen in 2020 or 2021 due to covid. In 2022 the matches were not entered.

I cashed both of those years and beat some pretty high fargo players in the process... yet here I am with a Fargo that is lower then what is should be and with not enough robustness to be established.

I'm fine with cruising under that radar, but with a rating system, I always liked having the advantage of knowing where I stand... especially if I have to be in it at all.

Edit to add. I agree... they should not have waited until 2 weeks before the event to announce that. If anything, it should be been announced at the 2022 event so people can prepare (dump) for 2023.
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That's surprising that the scores for such a big event were not entered into Fargo.
 
I don’t think this has anything to do with getting more players in the pro event. The pro event has been dwindling its field for a decade. For whatever reasons, the pros have moved on.
 
Just saw SBE has a Pro Senior tourney on 9 footers....315 entry, 32 player.

Few killers in that.
16 so far
  1. Patrick Calvaresi – Monessen, PA
  2. Anthony Casagrande – Medford, NY
  3. Karen Corr – Philadlephia, PA
  4. David Daya – Mount Carmel, PA
  5. Richard Drew – Lansdale, PA
  6. Earl Herring –
  7. Bret Huth – MARICOPA, AZ
  8. Mika Immonen – New York, NY
  9. Tommy Kennedy – , FL
  10. Ken Kerner – Valley Cottage, NY
  11. Robert Lewis – Ledyard, CT
  12. Mike Massey –
  13. Rodney Morris – Acworth, GA
  14. Andre Pelletier – Quebec, Quebec
  15. David Pinkston – Newburgh, NY
  16. Dom Polo – Ocean View, NJ
 
skip100 said:
That's surprising that the scores for such a big event were not entered into Fargo.
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I thought so too, especially after they were entered in 2019. I found out later that it wasnt Expo workers entering them in 2019. From what I heard, it was the people working the Fargo booth.

I was honestly looking forward to seeing what it would have been after that event.

Being a family man, I don't get out to many Fargo rated events a year. Usually 1 (or 2 if I'm lucky) state tournaments and the Expo. My weekends are generally booked with family related activities (which in most cases I would rather be at anyway). I get out twice a week to the poolhall for some action and shoot at home on other nights.
 
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