The straight pool tournament
- Thread starter Grady
- Start date
Which tournament are you referring too Grady?
Grady said:
But isn't the whole point of this, for you to qualify so you can make a good showing in the tounament, to prove to them that you should have been invited? And of course, to set a standard to make them feel like they will have to invite you for next year? I'm sure if you qualify, and make a ood showing it should pay you pretty well.
Donovan said:My fault! I just saw the prize money. It is probably not worth trying to qualify.
I was surprised too. Shouldn't a world title offer at least $20 000 first prize?
Nevertheless I don't want to criticize too much because I admittedly don't know a whole lot about running tournaments.
Cameron Smith said:
Your absolutely right Cameron!........20k is a joke to offer "the world champ" let alone the WHOLE friggin prize fund being that amount or less. In 1965 the prize money was probably more than 20K....
Sorry people I get pissed when I see what money is offered towards straight pool. No wonder it isn't played any more...
Gerry
Gerry said:
Though I am certainly among those who lament the fact that straight pool has largely fallen out of the limelight, I think a first prize of $13,000 for this event is great! It's more than the Derby City Banks ($4,500) and Derby City One-Pocket ($6,200) first prizes combined, and I think most would agree that each of those is the premier event of the year in its discipline.
I recall attending the 1978 World Championship Straight Pool event in NYC. Champion Ray Martin earned a check of $4,000, and that was when straight pool was the premier pro game.
There's no joke, here. A kind and considerate pool enthusiast named Randy Goldwater has funded this wonderful event with his own money. Rather than poke fun at the size of the prize fund, why not celebrate the greatest straight pool field in a very long time.
I'm not poking fun at anyone!...I'm saying if you look at the size of the Billiard industry compared to the prize money the best of the best collect, it's a shame. Compare it to:
Bowling
Golf
Tennis
Poker
whatever, and see what their champions make.
I'm not slamming anyone, and it's great for someone to put up $$$ for an event, but it should not have to be that way when the huge billiard suppliers of this world could carry the weight. I can't imagine how much money Brunswick, Olhausen, Aramith, to name a few are worth, and some poor guy has to front the money for a 14.1 event, not to mention "world championship level"!....that's what I'm trying to say.
Gerry
Bowling
Golf
Tennis
Poker
whatever, and see what their champions make.
I'm not slamming anyone, and it's great for someone to put up $$$ for an event, but it should not have to be that way when the huge billiard suppliers of this world could carry the weight. I can't imagine how much money Brunswick, Olhausen, Aramith, to name a few are worth, and some poor guy has to front the money for a 14.1 event, not to mention "world championship level"!....that's what I'm trying to say.
Gerry
Gerry said:
Thanks for clarifying, Gerry, and I'm sorry if I misinterpreted you.
To clarify how I feel, there's a side of me that feels that those of us who love straight pool can maximize the likelihood that this event wil inject any life into straight pool by embracing it to the fullest.
Still, I do understand where you're coming from, and agree with a lot of what you say.
Other than the ones who get in through the qualifiers, who is the field?sjm said:
I remember 5 or 6 names being mentioned, but who are the rest?
Are the oldtimers like Rempe, West, Sigel, Varner, Hopkins invited? Is there a list somewhere?
I think I heard that Barouty and Lipsky were invited along with Hohmann, Schmidt. Engert? Feiejen? Pagulayan?Strickland? Nevels?
Inquiring minds would like to know.
Gerry said:No probs, I just get heated when it comes to the best game in the world!....no hard feelings
Gerry
Hey Gerry....I've got to correct your severe mental lapse here....
....as anyone who has reached the highest pinnacles of the glory that is the game of pool would know...The greatest game in the world is ONE POCKET !
ps, I'm thinking of telling Steve Booth about this, and until you come to your senses, maybe putting you on probation over at onepocket.org. ^_^
Cameron Smith said:
13,000 really rubbed me the wrong way too.
to the business savy, please correct me if i'm wrong. but isn't it likely that a companly (maybe someone like predator) could be making a ton of profits through advertisements etc at an event like this? to me, it seems like cue manufacturers etc are making tons of money in pool, but the people largely responsible for this (the players) get next to nothing. i'd love to hear any comments about this. in this case my immediate reaction is to blame dragon promotions, just not sure if they deserve it??
because....
i guess i'm just "seconding" gerry's comments here:
i think people forget that tournament excitement, player pressure, player concentration, player's will to win are all directly related to the prize fund. this prize fund really is a joke when you consider people will be making trips across the globe to compete. i just have this feeling that certain savy business men will make money off this event via advertising, i may be wrong however. if goldwater did in fact put up his own cash and isn't getting anything in return, that is to be commended of course, and i hope the evnt is a huge success. just seems to me like enough corperations are making sufficient money in pool to sponsor an event like this and put some money into it. again, knowledgable comments on this would be appreciated.
sjm said:
i guess i'm just "seconding" gerry's comments here:
i think people forget that tournament excitement, player pressure, player concentration, player's will to win are all directly related to the prize fund. this prize fund really is a joke when you consider people will be making trips across the globe to compete. i just have this feeling that certain savy business men will make money off this event via advertising, i may be wrong however. if goldwater did in fact put up his own cash and isn't getting anything in return, that is to be commended of course, and i hope the evnt is a huge success. just seems to me like enough corperations are making sufficient money in pool to sponsor an event like this and put some money into it. again, knowledgable comments on this would be appreciated.
Last edited:
I wasn't knocking the amount either. I was just stating that for Grady to fly all over and qualify and then even if he makes it to the tourney, it probably is not worth it to him. The prize money really isn't worth it to anyone who does not get invited and does not finish in the top 5 group.
On the UP side...14.1 is getting PLAYED!!! YEAH!!! I hope they video some of the matches!
On the UP side...14.1 is getting PLAYED!!! YEAH!!! I hope they video some of the matches!
enzo said:
That is the case. Goldwater is a very successful businessman with a great passion for straight pool and is funding this event for love of the game, not with any kind of profit motive. Upon learning this, Grady, very much to his credit, apologized to Randy for some very negative things he posted, and applauded him for being an able, willing and eager benfactor of straight pool.
I'm not that business savvy, but I imagine there will be about 500 or maybe 1000 spectators at the event (different people, some will come more than one day). Out of 1000 people, how many would buy at least the low-end Sneaky Pete Predator? How much would it cost for Predator to be there? Predator already sponsors a bunch of tournaments, and maybe they will this one, too.enzo said:
But I'm not sure how much you could ask them to put in, based on direct sales at the tournament.
Now if ESPN picked up the event....