hmmmm.....
Which country is the best in the pool world?
- Thread starter bobson_215
- Start date
Two horse race, obviously, and after the WPC, it sure looked like Taiwan had overtaken the Philippines. Chao, Yang, Kuo, Wu, Chang and many others certainly make the Taiwanese a very strong contingent. then again, the Fillipinos weren't down for long, as they came 1, 2, 3 at the US Open with Pagulayan, Parica, and Bustamante.
My vote goes to Taiwan, but it's quite close between Taiwan and the Philippines.
My vote goes to Taiwan, but it's quite close between Taiwan and the Philippines.
sjm said:
Keep in mind that this event was held in their home country. This certainly had some effect.
Maybe we can get it moved to NC for next year so Earl can get his 7th. Who am I kidding?
Hmmm...
Just as expected... Philippines, Taiwan, USA, Germany, Netherlands, ...
anyway, i think Taiwan has overtaken the Philippines in 9 ball but Filipinos still dominate as a whole as Taiwanese players are limited to playing 9 ball. there should be representatives from taiwan in the US Open, the DCC, and other major events so we'll get the bigger picture.
Just as expected... Philippines, Taiwan, USA, Germany, Netherlands, ...
anyway, i think Taiwan has overtaken the Philippines in 9 ball but Filipinos still dominate as a whole as Taiwanese players are limited to playing 9 ball. there should be representatives from taiwan in the US Open, the DCC, and other major events so we'll get the bigger picture.
The United States is the BEST country in the pool world. This is why MANY pool players have moved to our soil to pursue their dreams on the tournament trail, one which is generally OPEN to players of all nationalities.
I spoke to Francisco Bustamante at the U.S. Open several weeks ago, and he said, without a doubt, the U.S. Open was the BEST event he had attended in recent times. He enjoys the atmosphere, the warm welcome to players of all nationalities, and the way the PEOPLE embrace pool players here in the States.
Last year at the Skins Billiards Championship, I asked Thorsten Hohmann about pool opportunities in Europe, and he said he did enjoy coming to the U.S. because there were more events for him to participate in where he could earn a decent living as a professional pool player, as there were not very many opportunities for him in Europe. He eventually moved to Florida and was welcomed with open arms.
Philippines, Taiwan, and the other Pacific-Islander countries overseas continue to have nationality-restricted tours/tournaments which sometimes prohibit Americans and others from participation.
So, in sum, my vote goes to the United States, the land of opportunity:
Give me your tired, your poor.
Your huddled masses of pros yearning to play pool,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shores.
Bring these, the pool players, tempest-tossed to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
JAM
I spoke to Francisco Bustamante at the U.S. Open several weeks ago, and he said, without a doubt, the U.S. Open was the BEST event he had attended in recent times. He enjoys the atmosphere, the warm welcome to players of all nationalities, and the way the PEOPLE embrace pool players here in the States.
Last year at the Skins Billiards Championship, I asked Thorsten Hohmann about pool opportunities in Europe, and he said he did enjoy coming to the U.S. because there were more events for him to participate in where he could earn a decent living as a professional pool player, as there were not very many opportunities for him in Europe. He eventually moved to Florida and was welcomed with open arms.
Philippines, Taiwan, and the other Pacific-Islander countries overseas continue to have nationality-restricted tours/tournaments which sometimes prohibit Americans and others from participation.
So, in sum, my vote goes to the United States, the land of opportunity:
Give me your tired, your poor.
Your huddled masses of pros yearning to play pool,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shores.
Bring these, the pool players, tempest-tossed to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
JAM
In the US they don't care that much about pool, young players have to pay $8 or $10 and hour to try to learn the game. In other countries they encourage improvement. I played in europe and they had in many places what they called "Train time" for a tokem amount like $1.00 an hour and in many places I did not pay at all to play be myself. Where are the next generation of US players to come from, they can't all have a father who owns a pool room. Pool cost too much for a young player to even practice.JAM said:The United States is the BEST country in the pool world. This is why MANY pool players have moved to our soil to pursue their dreams on the tournament trail, one which is generally OPEN to players of all nationalities.
I spoke to Francisco Bustamante at the U.S. Open several weeks ago, and he said, without a doubt, the U.S. Open was the BEST event he had attended in recent times. He enjoys the atmosphere, the warm welcome to players of all nationalities, and the way the PEOPLE embrace pool players here in the States.
Last year at the Skins Billiards Championship, I asked Thorsten Hohmann about pool opportunities in Europe, and he said he did enjoy coming to the U.S. because there were more events for him to participate in where he could earn a decent living as a professional pool player, as there were not very many opportunities for him in Europe. He eventually moved to Florida and was welcomed with open arms.
Philippines, Taiwan, and the other Pacific-Islander countries overseas continue to have nationality-restricted tours/tournaments which sometimes prohibit Americans and others from participation.
So, in sum, my vote goes to the United States, the land of opportunity:
Give me your tired, your poor.
Your huddled masses of pros yearning to play pool,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shores.
Bring these, the pool players, tempest-tossed to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
JAM
Last edited:
macguy said:
There are many pool rooms, at least in my neck of the woods, that offer FREE pool during the daytime hours. Q-Masters, the pool room nearby the U.S. Open, is one of these such pool rooms.
A couple of billiard parlors in my area also offer FREE pool if you order a sandwich during the daytime hours. Many local pool enthusiasts in my neck of the woods do take advantage of this.
I guess it depends on where you go in the U.S., but there are still some GREAT pool rooms in this country which do cater to their regulars and welcome new business by providing these offers of FREE pool.
As far as young players, I think I read on the AzBilliards Main Page that Laurance donated 2,500 bucks to BEF. I'm going to have to go back and read it again, but I think that is a fund geared towards young pool folk.
JAM
JAM said:There are many pool rooms, at least in my neck of the woods, that offer FREE pool during the daytime hours. Q-Masters, the pool room nearby the U.S. Open, is one of these such pool rooms.
A couple of billiard parlors in my area also offer FREE pool if you order a sandwich during the daytime hours. Many local pool enthusiasts in my neck of the woods do take advantage of this.
I guess it depends on where you go in the U.S., but there are still some GREAT pool rooms in this country which do cater to their regulars and welcome new business by providing these offers of FREE pool.
As far as young players, I think I read on the AzBilliards Main Page that Laurance donated 2,500 bucks to BEF. I'm going to have to go back and read it again, but I think that is a fund geared towards young pool folk.
JAM
I think in the US pool is just a business and the customers are just $ signs to the owners, they don't care about the sport or it's future. The foreign players themselves are different, they train like athletes where many of the US players just show up have a beer and see what happens, probably due more to the futility of it all then just laziness. I remember one year where Nick Varner stated he was going to really practice and put as much into his game as he could to see where it would go. In like two months he began to win everything and won almost every tournament he played in for like a year. It showed even a player like him had more in him then we were seeing. It is not so much who has the best players but who has the most dedicated players. The US just doesn't have them right now. If this IPT does put some money in the pockets of players you will see the spark come back and the US will be competing again. I think there may be players who we have never seen their best game, they may not know themselves how they can play till they have the right incentive. A love for the game can only go so far.