World Pool Masters 2019

JazzyJeff87

AzB Plutonium Member
Silver Member
Wonder what that was.


The stream tweaked out right as the buzzer went and alcaide was gonna bank the 6. Damn, back now though and I guess he got out.

So what happens if you don’t shoot before the clock runs out? BIH foul or just turn over the table?

Kazakis on the hill, alcaide on the penultimate rise
 
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BeiberLvr

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What a finals. Great shot by Alcaide there.

I think Kazakis will regret not banking the 9.
 

gxman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
First I thought he just missed the bank bad. Already locked up 12K, gotta go for it.
 

spartan

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Wow, what a final. Hill hill and down to final 9 ball to get to 9..
Alcaide has nerves of steel and is automatic selection for MC. Deserving winner because he had no easy opponents and performed at a high level consistently throughout all his matches compared to the other players.
 

BeiberLvr

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Def. I thought sure he would fire that in. You never want to go out like that

It was a great safety. Probably the best he could hope for in that situation, but if you're going to bank the 7 earlier, then you have to bank the 9 as well.
 

spartan

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
9 ball that Kazakis ducked

https://youtu.be/Ue6UKx2rbKc?t=6543


missed9.JPG
 

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
By my reckoning, playing safe here was just fine. I feel he's more than 70% to win from where he left Alcaide, and awfully few an make that bank better than three out of five, but David rose to the occasion with a truly magnificent shot. Give credit where credit's due here, but to chastise Kazakis for this decision is, in my view, unreasonable.

Even if he regrets the choice after the fact, it doesn't mean Kazakis played against the percentages. Great match for sure and a very memorable conclusion.

I can't even think of a more difficult shot on the nine ball executed at double hill of a final in an event having a world class field. Can you?
 
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pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
What a finals. Great shot by Alcaide there.

I think Kazakis will regret not banking the 9.

Alex had two significant failures....
...at 5-0 up, he banked a 3-ball and missed...he should’ve played in the side and drew into
the 7-ball for longer position on the next ball...it left him a good angle.

On the final 8-ball, he paid for a reluctance to spin...a softer shot with a bit of left gets
him out.
 

BeiberLvr

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
By my reckoning, playing safe here was just fine. I feel he's more than 70% to win from where he left Alcaide, and awfully few an make that bank better than three out of five, but David rose to the occasion with a truly magnificent shot. Give credit where credit's due here, but to chastise Kazakis for this decision is, in my view, unreasonable.

Even if he regrets the choice after the fact, it doesn't mean Kazakis played against the percentages. Great match for sure and a very memorable conclusion.

I can't even think of a more difficult shot on the nine ball executed at double hill of a final in an event having a world class field. Can you?

When you play the kind of safety that Alex played, the only real option you leave your opponent is to take on the bank. David isn't going to make that straight back every time, but he also isn't going to leave Alex a shot every time he misses. My point earlier was that Alex was willing to bank the 7 (when a safety was available), and therefore he should also be willing to bank the 9.

It's like in poker. You bluff the turn and get called. If a blank comes on the river, you almost have to bluff again otherwise there was no point in bluffing the turn.

As for your last question. The closest thing that comes to mind is the semi's of the 2016 US Open - SVB v Shaw. It wasn't double hill, but Shaw had a tough shot on the 8, and banked it straight back and got shape on the 9.
 

BRussell

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
By my reckoning, playing safe here was just fine. I feel he's more than 70% to win from where he left Alcaide, and awfully few an make that bank better than three out of five, but David rose to the occasion with a truly magnificent shot. Give credit where credit's due here, but to chastise Kazakis for this decision is, in my view, unreasonable.

Even if he regrets the choice after the fact, it doesn't mean Kazakis played against the percentages. Great match for sure and a very memorable conclusion.
Yeah I agree. It’s true you probably regret losing after playing a safety more than losing after taking a tough shot, but that doesn’t mean the tough shot maximizes the chance of winning. Probably the safety did, especially since the shot clock was dinging. He was a little unfortunate to leave Alcaide such a nice little banking angle. Either more straight across or a wider angle would have left a little tougher bank for him, though the one he made wasn’t easy either.
 

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
This is just me, but if I'd would have had that shot on the 9 that Alex had hill-hill....I'm going down firing at the hole. Unless the shot is just plain unmakeable I'm playing to win and not give my opponent another chance at the table. IMO, that bank on that 9-ball is at least a 50-50 proposition for a top-tier professional.

Maniac (not even a second-tier amateur)
 

Desmondp

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What was a bit of a disappointing tournament in terms of upset ended up having a cracking final !

Really good stuff

Both players deserved to win and lose
 
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