Thanks. I caught the last game from the 3-ball on. Clutch runout for Shane at hill-hill.
The International 9-Ball Open
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Thanks. I caught the last game from the 3-ball on. Clutch runout for Shane at hill-hill.
The heart of a champion!
Everyone needs to go back and look at the line scores for all of Skyler’s matches. Damned impressive! Outside of his loss, closest match was vs Toastie at 11-6!!!
Yeah, some great playing for sure. Can't wait to see how he does on Saturday.
Shane was given the choice of either waiting to play on the TV table (perhaps for an hour or so) or playing Sanchez-Ruiz immediately after his hill-hill victory over Orcollo.
Shane chose to play immediately on the non-TV table. Ruiz agreed, so I put them on a non-TV table which could be shown on the stream with fixed cameras.
That was the only way to handle the situation.
Shane chose to play immediately on the non-TV table. Ruiz agreed, so I put them on a non-TV table which could be shown on the stream with fixed cameras.
That was the only way to handle the situation.
Yes, correctly handled for sure!
So... it's stuff like this last pointless scratch from SVB, that has cost him two world championships... Just no reason for that kinda tomfoolery letting a guy get back in the match..
Point well taken, Russ. The scratch on the break at the most elite level is probably something like a foul at the beginning of a track race in that, for your own fault, it means you don't even get to show what you've got in that rack/race. In nine ball, against champions, a scratch on the break is an instant loss.
I had a unique experience at the 2012 London Olympics. I was at the Stadium watching track and field events and, just by chance, the fellow sitting next to me was a former track coach at the University of Missouri and we hit it off, chatting from time to time during the events. A fellow fouled at the start of the 200 meter dash and was disqualified. I, quite casually, commented that it was bad luck that the guy had come all the way from Asia and would not even get to run after so much preparation. The track coach, assertively, disagreed, telling me just how much time sprinters invest in practicing their start and that the mistake committed on the big stage was inexcusable.
Similarly, SVB practices his break more than any player ever did, so a scratch on the break in a big moment of a big match in a premier event is inexcusable.
Shane is “almost” scratching A Lot. His cut break sends the CB twice across the table and directly toward the lower corner pocket. Most of the time the CB runs into 1-2 balls that are clustered next to the corner. But sometimes those 1-2 balls are not there and it’s straight into the drink.
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I hear you on this, but the way these guys are breaking, there is a scratch waiting to happen on every break. The cue ball often returns right into all of the other balls in the pack, which could create a carom off into a pocket, or the cue ball doesn’t touch any balls and is dangerously close to scratching the side pocket every time. It seems like maybe the odds of a scratch is about 15%.
Freddie <~~~ amazed there aren’t more
balance
It's a tough game. Players have to find a balance between playing too tight and too loose. Fail to value each inning and you have no chance at these levels. But at some point trying extremely hard to avoid mistakes leads to a lack of trust and flow that can result in more mistakes.
I think SVB used to play tighter 10 years ago and I feel he made less errors. But I think he flows better now. He has loosened up just a little. And this has allowed his high gear to flourish and his talent to come through in clutch situations time and again. Instead of focusing on playing technically error free, he seems to let himself rise to his peak performance. Sure he makes some mistakes, but for each 'careless' mistake he makes he wins multiple games from spots that most pros couldn't. I think SVB has the perfect balance which is why he is the number one player in the world.
It's a tough game. Players have to find a balance between playing too tight and too loose. Fail to value each inning and you have no chance at these levels. But at some point trying extremely hard to avoid mistakes leads to a lack of trust and flow that can result in more mistakes.
I think SVB used to play tighter 10 years ago and I feel he made less errors. But I think he flows better now. He has loosened up just a little. And this has allowed his high gear to flourish and his talent to come through in clutch situations time and again. Instead of focusing on playing technically error free, he seems to let himself rise to his peak performance. Sure he makes some mistakes, but for each 'careless' mistake he makes he wins multiple games from spots that most pros couldn't. I think SVB has the perfect balance which is why he is the number one player in the world.
Great analysis here! You can't be afraid to fail if you want to play your best game. You've got to let yourself go and shoot the shot you see, even knowing the degree of difficulty involved. Shane has mastered that emotion, letting it all hang out time and time again. By doing this, he has overcome the fear factor inherent in all of us.
It will be interesting to see if he can do this in the short races during the MC, where every inning is magnified. That is the internal struggle he will face in December and I for one would like to see him keep playing the same way and let the results speak for themselves. Just go for it like he did in that last rack against Dennis at hill-hill. Very few players would have gotten out from where he did, especially against an opponent like Dennis, who you know will kill you if he gets a chance.
We're both encouraged now, Chris. Two Americans in the final four, along with two Taiwanese players. Our two guys have both outlasted Europe and the Philippines, no small feat.
Does anyone know what the prize money breakdown is? I haven't seen it anywhere.
First prize 40,000. A total payout was estimated at 162,000 but it was likely based on a full field of 128. I think they got just 117, so probably more like 150,000. Second, third, and fourth place payouts I haven't seen.
First prize 40,000. Second, third, and fourth place payouts I haven't seen.
Taiwanese players
1 thing I noticed about the Taiwanese players is that they perform like robots. They always shoot the right shot, always have an angle and when every shot looks routine it was like a robot showing to no emotion and performing almost perfect execution rack after rack. I was definately impressed, but all entertained like you are watching guys like Earl or Alex perform with fire and passion. who would you rather watch play a emotionless robot or a real gun slinger?
1 thing I noticed about the Taiwanese players is that they perform like robots. They always shoot the right shot, always have an angle and when every shot looks routine it was like a robot showing to no emotion and performing almost perfect execution rack after rack. I was definately impressed, but all entertained like you are watching guys like Earl or Alex perform with fire and passion. who would you rather watch play a emotionless robot or a real gun slinger?
Keeping your emotions in check and being emotionless are not the same thing. I like watching great pool, and you can't be inspired to compete and play at this level if you are emotionless.
I think the correct size of the field (coming from Accu-Stats) was 112 players. There seems to be some confusion from the 113 players shown on the flow chart. Maybe someone they drew for had not paid their entry and did not show up. That's always the danger of accepting call-in entries, even from well known players.