[WPA / Joy Billiards] Heyball World Investment

MattPoland

MattPoland

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=879029200248398

WPA is announcing 8 international Heyball tournaments as part of a tour named "From China with Love"

6MM in prize money over 3 years. Equal payouts for men and women.
  • Heyball World Junior Championships
  • Heyball African Open
  • Heyball American Open
  • Heyball Asian Open
  • Heyball European Open
  • Heyball Oceania Open
  • Heyball World Championship
  • Champion of Champions
And starting in 2026 (every 4 years)
  • Heyball World Cup
It wasn't mentioned in the press conference but it was listed in the FB post.
  • National champions for 64 countries
The campaign will also include a campaign for Heyball to participate in the 2032 Brisbon Australia Olympics.
 
Still has to be the dumbest name for a game. I'd be pissed if i was Chinese because it seems like a racist dig at them not pronouncing 'Eight-ball' well. Tough game but boring as hell to watch.
 
I think this yields a lot of questions. I assume the American Open is less likely to be focused on USA and more generically targeted at the combined continents North America and South America. But perhaps they'll be looking at the BCA for coordinating this side of the world.

I also saw Ian Anderson in the audience which isn't surprising but also makes me wonder about his role with the WPA. I have a feeling he's more involved than their website might suggest.

And I wonder about the 6MM investment. Is it truly dedicated to prize money? Is that purely money added? Or is it estimated prize funds including player entry fees? Or could that investment also include logistics like securing venues, tables, and other expenses?
 
MattPoland said:
I also saw Ian Anderson in the audience which isn't surprising but also makes me wonder about his role with the WPA. I have a feeling he's more involved than their website might suggest.
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My guess is that Ian Anderson has jumped into the pie because Barry Hearn could already have some fingers in it. We'll see....
 
garczar said:
Still has to be the dumbest name for a game. I'd be pissed if i was Chinese because it seems like a racist dig at them not pronouncing 'Eight-ball' well. Tough game but boring as hell to watch.
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A witty and hilarious observation.
Had not occurred to me...
 
Any game that is so slow that it has a time clock needs some rule changes. They could throw a billion at it and i don't think it would ever get all that popular. It will never fly in the U.S. Hell, people can't make balls on barboxes with buckets much less on 9ft tables with snooker pockets.
 
I also wonder if the timing of the press conference was a coincidence to overlap with the Mosconi Cup which would either be unfortunate timing for their sake, or would be a very futile attempt at detracting attention from Matchroom. But I'm probably just being dramatic even entertaining that.
 
garczar said:
Still has to be the dumbest name for a game. I'd be pissed if i was Chinese because it seems like a racist dig at them not pronouncing 'Eight-ball' well. Tough game but boring as hell to watch.
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Heyball is Chinglish. But it's not Chinglish for "8-ball", it's Chinglish for "Blackball". "Hey" is how they say "black".
 
MattPoland said:
Heyball is Chinglish. But it's not Chinglish for "8-ball", it's Chinglish for "Blackball". "Hey" is how they say "black".
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I was told it came from the Chinese phonetic of 'Eight-ball'. They say it as 'heyball'. Either way the name is dumb as hell and the game is about as exciting as watching ice melt. I tried to sweat it a few times and never lasted 30min. Tough game? Yes but tough does NOT always equate to entertaining to watch.
 
garczar said:
Any game that is so slow that it has a time clock needs some rule changes. They could throw a billion at it and i don't think it would ever get all that popular. It will never fly in the U.S. Hell, people can't make balls on barboxes with buckets much less on 9ft tables with snooker pockets.
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they can throw all the money they want at it but it's a game that can only be played by professionals. bangers lose interest within minutes.

for pros i think the game makes some sense, 8-ball played by top pros is usually too easy. but because heyball is so tough the play is also slow. only melling and wu jiaqing are entertaining to watch, imo. i watch the occasional match involving melling.
 
skogstokig said:
they can throw all the money they want at it but it's a game that can only be played by professionals. bangers lose interest within minutes.

for pros i think the game makes some sense, 8-ball played by top pros is usually too easy. but because heyball is so tough the play is also slow. only melling and wu jiaqing are entertaining to watch, imo. i watch the occasional match involving melling.
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what's crazy to me is how many Chinese 'bangers' play the game. i've read numbers like 100million play it on a fairly regular basis. must be some strong fkng players in china.
 
garczar said:
what's crazy to me is how many Chinese 'bangers' play the game. i've read numbers like 100million play it on a fairly regular basis. must be some strong fkng players in china.
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100 million might include players playing heyball rules on tables with western cut pockets, that was common in Fujian province at least.
 
Justaneng said:
100 million might include players playing heyball rules on tables with western cut pockets, that was common in Fujian province at least.
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dude i have no clue, just repeating what i've read about chinese pool. never been there and if i'm lucky i never will.
 
garczar said:
I was told it came from the Chinese phonetic of 'Eight-ball'. They say it as 'heyball'. Either way the name is dumb as hell and the game is about as exciting as watching ice melt. I tried to sweat it a few times and never lasted 30min. Tough game? Yes but tough does NOT always equate to entertaining to watch.
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My daughter is in a Chinese immersion school. So that helps a tiny bit for me on the topic. Either way, it definitely lands on English speaking ears very stupid sounding. I've not been able to bring myself to watch any of it. But then again I've not seen any broadcasts commentated in English with production values of merit. I know I'm approaching this from an American perspective, e.g. those tables look dumb, the rules are stupid, nobody plays that, just do regular 8-ball/9-ball/10-ball/1P on a Diamond. I'm not eager to change. I could if they got all the players, money, production value, etc. But like everyone else, I don't think for a second they'll really establish a foothold of popularity outside Asia. Maybe baby progress but nothing to really take hold.
 
Cameron Smith said:
I’d say it’s also the only way they can compete with matchroom. Setting aside that it’s basically a totally different game.
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I don't see many, if any, MR pool regulars jumping ship to play this. Maybe a couple of their big events but not full time.
 
garczar said:
I don't see many, if any, MR pool regulars jumping ship to play this. Maybe a couple of their big events but not full time.
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big money will probably draw a couple players from both snooker and pool, that's just the way it goes. i know johann chua plays in some of these events, and that's not only because of his chinese ancestry. albin ouschan has placed 2nd or 3rd in one. corey seems to play quite often
 
This is such bad timing, it looks like a reaction to keep up with Matchroom.

Heyball is a win for Asian players it allows them to travel under the watchful eye of big brother.

Those open events better sell rice and other Asian culture based foods.
 
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