Mosconi cup 2014

[rdsalt]

Agreed snooker and 9 ball are totally different games, but I think most people would agree snooker is much more skillfull with smaller balls and smaller pockets on a larger table. Plenty of snooker players could play 9 ball to a good standard but I think it would be much harder to go from pool to snooker. But don't think 9 ball is a breeze, having to get position on only 1 ball every shot on fast napless cloth is not as easy as these guys make it look, its not like snooker where you have a choice of reds or colours if your position goes a bit wrong. Obviously the pockets are totally different to snooker especially the middles as they are pretty much cut straight rather than at an angle, you see the ball hit the rail well before the corner pocket and it still drops which would never haven on a snooker or English pool table, but most of the time this is deliberate use of the rail to get the best angle for position rather than because they played a bad shot when aiming to pot the ball into the middle of the pocket.

[billabong]

Agreed snooker and 9 ball are totally different games, but I think most people would agree snooker is much more skillfull with smaller balls and smaller pockets on a larger table. Plenty of snooker players could play 9 ball to a good standard but I think it would be much harder to go from pool to snooker. But don't think 9 ball is a breeze, having to get position on only 1 ball every shot on fast napless cloth is not as easy as these guys make it look, its not like snooker where you have a choice of reds or colours if your position goes a bit wrong. Obviously the pockets are totally different to snooker especially the middles as they are pretty much cut straight rather than at an angle, you see the ball hit the rail well before the corner pocket and it still drops which would never haven on a snooker or English pool table, but most of the time this is deliberate use of the rail to get the best angle for position rather than because they played a bad shot when aiming to pot the ball into the middle of the pocket.

Probably summed it up better than what I had written. Lowering the skill level from snooker just makes it

all the harder to beat the other guy on a consistant basis, but some can do this.

Some other guys like Reyes produce some stunning shot-making that other players don't even think about. .

He is / was pretty handy at 3 cushion billiards as well by all accounts.

[billabong]

The other thing that makes the Mosconi cup than other 9 ball comps, is

the whole team thing, and the unique pressure it brings to bear.

Probably closest parrallel is the Ryder cup in golf vs open tournament play.

You get guys that respond better to one pressure than the other.

Is there a place for a Ryder/Mosconi cup event at snooker ?

Maybe UK vs REST OF THE WORLD, event ?


I'm sure the boss man has already thought through this one though eh ?

[jonny66]

Did there not used to be a snooker world cup thing on TV? I think at that point it was more like a five nations competition, before the "Asian invasion"

[rdsalt]

Yes the team thing and the camaraderie makes it much more exciting, and as you say the pressure playing for a whole team rather than yourself and every team member watching every shot is different to what the players are used to. I just dont know if you could get the same atmosphere at a similar snooker event.

[ace man]

...having to get position on only 1 ball every shot on fast napless cloth is not as easy as these guys make it look, its not like snooker where you have a choice of reds or colours if your position goes a bit wrong. Obviously the pockets are totally different to snooker especially the middles as they are pretty much cut straight rather than at an angle, you see the ball hit the rail well before the corner pocket and it still drops which would never haven on a snooker or English pool table, but most of the time this is deliberate use of the rail to get the best angle for position rather than because they played a bad shot when aiming to pot the ball into the middle of the pocket.

I have played this game for years prior to snooker. And you are right, transition to more difficult snooker game is brutally difficult, but well worth it...made me a better pool player as well. There is a way to play 9b position with minimum risk. Yes, there is one ball on, but there are usually multiple pockets available, proper areas which can be quite large...etc. Sort of similar to playing for choice of reds when you prefer one red.
Those balls that just barely drop in...they were played with a margin for error on that particular side of the pocket...usually long rail. Players deliberately cheat the pocket as it is called only when they really have to. But believe me, a few pots like that when you just barely get away with it, will not make you feel very confident. However, they will frustrate your opponent...

[Siz]

....In the cases where you saw the ball hit a foot from the pocket, think how much the cue ball would have
been different, if the player, aiming a foot from the cushion for the pot, had played it badly, and hit the center
of the pocket...

This is a good point that snooker players often miss (but billiards don't).

If you do not hit the balls accurately, then you can expect trouble. You may not miss the pot in pool (or the in-off in billiards); but your speed control will be all over the place.

[jonny66]

This is actually something that Steve Davis struggled with when he played 9 ball, he didn't really see all the shots available because his brain was so wired to shooting straight for the pocket from all the years of snooker. In fact I think the reason most snooker pros that tried their hand at 9 ball didn't do so well was just that they didn't have all the shots that a 9 ball player has available to them. Mainly jump shots, bank shots and the break, how long does your average snooker player spend practising those?

[golferson123]

tried to play both games for a spell, too hard. easy to dismiss 9ball big bags,ect its never been about the size of the bags its just a different craft.very enjoyable to watch

[Siz]

This is actually something that Steve Davis struggled with when he played 9 ball, he didn't really see all the shots available because his brain was so wired to shooting straight for the pocket from all the years of snooker. In fact I think the reason most snooker pros that tried their hand at 9 ball didn't do so well was just that they didn't have all the shots that a 9 ball player has available to them. Mainly jump shots, bank shots and the break, how long does your average snooker player spend practising those?

Yes. What I found interesting watching Steve Davis play pool years ago was how straight he left himself on the next ball compared with the pool specialists. Snooker players just love their stuns and the 3/4 ball angle! Makes a lot of sense when you have a big area to play in. But the 9/10 ball players playing on a small area with a fast cloth like to leave themselves closer to half-ball angles and let the cb run off the rails.

The main reason why snooker pros don't turn to pool is that the money is not there. Davis and others have dabbled but have not spent nearly enough time to learn the additional skills they need (with some notable exceptions like Alison Fisher). There is a temptation for pool players to go the other way, but they know that technically it would be hugely challenging.

[HIPPY147]

Watching the Mosconi cup this year a lot of Pressure the USA team has been under lot of missed shots think Europe will win it
Darren Appleton v Shane Van Boening are best matches so far both great players

[bingo]

As a pure spectator who is still fairly new to snooker, I find pool quite boring.

Whereas snooker is much more exciting and seemingly more skillful in my humble opinion

[rdsalt]

As a pure spectator who is still fairly new to snooker, I find pool quite boring.

Whereas snooker is much more exciting and seemingly more skillful in my humble opinion

I would have thought that's unusual, but I'm maybe totally wrong, I would have thought most people who are just spectators would find pool more exciting as the frames are quicker and there are less safety battles. I enjoy watching both but I know a few snooker players who will never watch it on TV as they think its too boring. Would agree that snooker is more skillful and a good close match is good to watch as there is more chance of the players making mistakes and missing balls on a snooker table.

USA really needed to win last nights session to have any hope of winning, really cant see a USA 6-0 whitewash tonight.

[jonny66]

Depends on the game really, in this format with the shot clock I find it much more interesting than snooker to watch. Straight pool can be fairly dull. If you watch some of the bar box 8-ball games on youtube they're incredibly slow, because there's so little space to manoeuvre the cue ball they spend about 5 minutes picking out every shot.

[itsnoteasy]

First time I have watched a bit of this and I have quite enjoyed it.