The latest issue of SPM Billiards Magazine, Issue 47, is now out, featuring Mike Panozzo! It was a real honor to interview such an iconic figure in the world of billiards! Mike will be joing the great at the BCA Hall of Fame on November 29th, 2024, the evening before the Mosconi Begins! Be sure to read Keith Shaner’s article on Fedor Gorst, “The Ghost Rises Again!”
So much is going on in the billiard community! Fedor Gorst won the World Pool Championship, and Denis Grabe is the new champion of the Maldives Open 10-Ball Championship 2024!
In the women’s 2024 WPBA Soaring Eagle Masters, Champion Chieh-Yu Chou or Rita Chou dominated the field, with Kristina Tkach placing 2nd! Congratulations to both women!
In other news, Fedor Gorst proposed to Kristina Tkach!
The next Big Matchroom event will be the European Open, which will take place from August 6–11 in Fulda, Germany. It will be exciting to see who will win the trophy! The US Pool Championship is scheduled for August 19–24, just two weeks after the European Open. The excitement is still in the air!
I hope everyone had a safe 4th of July! Keep hitting those balls and having fun.
Till next time!
Keep Growing the Sport we all Love!
BILLIARD NEWS
THREE COMMON STROKE FLAWS
Perhaps the most important aspect of a player’s game is the ability to deliver a straight, smooth stroke on demand. Without a good stroke, it’s virtually impossible to deliver the tip through the cue ball with precision and accuracy. A good stroke is characterized by a perfect pendulum motion. As the stroke finishes and the grip hand goes up, a player’s tip should go down.
It’s important to note that you need to have your grip hand at 90-95 degrees when the tip is in the “set” position (when the tip is almost touching the cue ball and you are getting ready to shoot). Striking the cue ball when your grip hand is pointed straight to the floor is essential because this is the most level your stroke will ever be. If you strike the cue ball when your grip hand is less than 90 degrees, the tip is already on its way down towards the felt.
Three common flaws can prohibit you from delivering a perfect pendulum stroke. In this month’s article, we will address all three.
1. NOT FINISHING YOUR STROKE: The most common reason a player’s tip may not reach the felt is that they may not be finishing their stroke. After winning a pro tournament in the 1980’s Mike Sigel had a bruise on his chest. When asked where the bruise came from Mike explained it was from finishing his stroke perfectly on every shot. Finishing your stroke high may result in you hitting your chest. Just don’t hit it as hard as Mike!
2. ELBOW DROP: If your elbow drops, it’s very common for the tip to either finish fairly level or with an upward motion. Usually, this is a result of poor stroke mechanics. However, many of today’s players are now emphasizing elbow drop and finishing with a more level delivery. In most circumstances, this is not the norm. Unless you are playing at or near the pro level, stick with the perfect pendulum motion. Work on your elbow drop so that your tip finishes on the felt.
3. THE DEATH GRIP: Believe it or not, gripping the cue stick too tightly can also cause your tip not to reach the felt. If this is the case, I recommend that you practice gripping the cue with the index finger and thumb only. Do this for about 3 weeks and learn the correct cue action. Once you learn the correct stroking motion, then add two more fingers, but not the pinky. The pinky finger is normally the culprit for causing a twisted motion or crooked stroke. Leave the pinky finger off the cue if you want to shoot straight.
Don’t fall victim to any of the stroke flaws mentioned above. When you finish your stroke, always ask yourself, “Where’s my tip?” Always finish with your tip touching the felt, or at the very least, it should be heading in a downward direction. If your tip is not heading down, ask yourself why. Most likely It’s from one of the reasons mentioned above. Eliminate all three stroke flaws from your game, and your accuracy will improve significantly.
Anthony Beeler is the current Billiards Instructor of the Decade and is a former BCAPL National Champion. He has numerous “Top 25” national finishes and is the primary author of the ACS National Billiards Instructor’s Manual. He has also authored the book Unstoppable! Positive Thinking for Pool Players. Anthony currently has the highest established Fargo Rating of any Master Instructor. He has won over 300 tournaments and has defeated numerous professional players in tournament competitions.
IMPROVING YOUR STROKE WITH ANTHONY BEELER
8 BALL VS. ROTATION GAMES
What intrigues me the most about 8 Ball is the fact that you have - options. Options on which ball you shoot, 3,6,9,10, ball, and 15 ball rotation. In these games, the table depicts the ball you shoot.
Those who know me know that I’m no great follower of orders. I don’t answer to no man, and I do things my way, the way I choose. 8-ball requires you to think ahead. I play a lot of 9 and 10-ball to prepare for 8-ball. It’s good practice for your cue ball control and position play. 9-ball is for the fast and lose players.
It’s great for when the bars are packed, the side of the table is lined up with quarters and you’re trying to make some fast money, but never forget the luck factor. 9-ball or even cheesy 10-ball is often won by an early out because of luck.
We all get good and bad rolls, but when your opponent gets all the good rolls, you could lose a lot of money—and fast! If I’m not mistaken, Jason Shaw still holds the world record straight pool run of 726 or around there, so how hard is it to run 9 or 10 balls?
In 8 ball, you generally have traffic 7 of your opponent’s balls plus yours. In 9 or 10-ball, there’s usually no congestion, providing the tables break well.
I cut my teeth on a Bigfoot 5 × 10 and didn’t even see a bar table until I was old enough to go into bars. My first impression was it was a kiddy table!
I get negative bull$hit regarding my playing on the 7-footer all the time. Get the news! What size table I play on is of no concern to me.
In my opinion, “a 9-foot table is the easiest table to play on, with less congestion, and the angles are the same. I very seldom even look at the pocket anyway; I know the angles by heart; I only study the tiny spot on the object ball that I need to make contact with.
I’ll be playing out of 6th Street Tavern here in Las Animas, Colorado, until We Move.
Walk Softly, But Shoot a Good Stick!! Until Next Time!
~ “White Wolf
SPECIAL DELIVERY POOL SCHOOL IS OPEN
In my 25 years of teaching pool, there is one truth that applies to every pool player I have ever met. Without an effective delivery system, all the knowledge in the world is not going to make you a better player. The number one thing your pool game must have is a stroke that moves the cue stick forward in a STRAIGHT LINE. Anything less, and your ability to deliver the cue ball to the precise spot on the table to achieve a successful shot is greatly diminished. Even the slightest movement off your aim line can result in an unwanted spin on the cue ball that can cause it to move off its intended path. You can learn how to use the
diamonds to set up 4 or 5 rail banks, the most accurate aiming system ever conceived, or how to draw the cue ball a mile. But if your cue isn’t moving straight, you won’t be able to execute any of that effectively.
Developing a straight pool stroke can be challenging, but it doesn’t need to be difficult. In pool school, we break down our stroke into a series of simple steps designed to ensure your cue always moves forward in a straight line. The first step is to make sure you are properly aligned to the shot. In addition to having your cue on the shot line, you must have all of the parts of your body that are part of your stroke on the same line. In the diagram, you can see how the head, shoulder, elbow, and bridge hand are all in alignment with the cue stick and aim line. This alignment is critical to having a truly straight stroke. By not having all these components in alignment, it becomes much more difficult to move the cue stick in a straight line.
Once you have your alignment correct, it’s time to begin your shooting routine. Get your tip within a halfinch of the cue ball. Your bridge hand should be about 8 inches from the cue ball, your grip (Cradle) hand should be directly below your elbow, and your cue stick should be as near level as possible. Perform your warm-up strokes to verify your contact point. When completed, you should be in the proper SET position. If everything feels right, it’s time to execute your shot. Moving only your forearm from the elbow to your hand, bring your hand back in a slow, smooth motion until the ferrule re-reaches your bridge. At this point, there should be a short PAUSE to allow a smooth transition from your triceps to your biceps. A half-second pause is usually sufficient.
The final step in the process is to FINISH your stroke. With your eyes locked on your target, and again using only the part of your arm from your elbow (do not allow your elbow to drop or move sideways), let your hand move forward until your cradle hand comes to a natural stop at your home (FINISH) position. Don’t focus on hitting the ball. Focus on finishing your stroke. Your cue stick weighs 3 times the weight of the ball. It will move the ball out ahead of your cue in less than 2/1000 of a second. A straight stroke ensures accurate delivery of the cue ball to its intended target.
If you’re still not sure, find a qualified SPF instructor to conduct a video stroke analysis with you. The impact on your game will be very evident. Until next time
Steve Jennings ACS/PBIA Master Instructor
ALWAYS A GREAT TIME AT THE
STEVE RAU PRO BILLIARDS BOOTH
BY STEVE OF STEVE RAU PRO BILLIARDS, MANAGER OF “KWIKFIRE” KELLY FISHER AND WEI WEI “THE WAVE” -WEI TZU CHIEN
I have said it before and I will say it again, “Kelly and Wei Wei are champions on the table and in life. I am very thrilled to be a part of their lives and storied careers.”
The thought of being at a booth for hours and hours over days and days sounds daunting to some, but not me! I really look forward to it. I have made some new friends from several of the vendors I met in 2023 and 2024 and some of the amateur and pro pool players, too.
I can sincerely say what a great time we’ve had from the last two events we have been to. Starting in Las Vegas at the Westgate Resort and Casino for the VNEA World Pool Championships and going to Mount Pleasant, MI, for the WPBA Masters at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort. I am looking forward to the tournament coming up next week at the WPA JOY Heyball Open in Illinois, July 8th-
11th, too. 64 men and 64 women will be battling it out for the $116,000-dollar total prize fund. I hope to see our fans and supporters come out to cheer Kelly and Wei Wei on!
I have been busy but having a great time meeting all the Kelly Fisher and Wei Tzu Chien fans from around the world. It truly is a delight for me when people come to our booth and share some of their favorite memories from over the years, from when they met Kelly or Wei Wei or remember a great shot in a tournament that the girls made that really impressed them. I love it when students of Kelly and Wei Wei, who attended our coaching academies,
STEVE RAU
come up to me and tell me they cannot believe how much the girl’s instruction positively changed their game. Even since the VNEA World Pool Championships in May, I have received feedback from a couple of the students who applied what they were taught to their game and went on to win tournaments that they were in. That fires me up! The students can’t wait for another opportunity to be trained by Kelly and Wei Wei. In Mount Pleasant, MI, at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort, I had the husband of one of the students come up to me and say emphatically about his wife, “Ever since she was trained by Kelly and Wei Wei, Helen has advanced further and further into tournaments every single time.” He added, “I think she is going to
win this tournament too. The money invested has been well worth it.” I had another person reach out to me who is very committed to improving his game and asked if there was going to be an opportunity for him to get further instruction from Kelly and Wei Wei for himself and a couple of his friends. These questions make me happy. I think it’s because I am very proud of how Kelly and Wei Wei treat every single person with the utmost respect. I have said it before and I will say it again, “Kelly and Wei Wei are champions on the table and in life. I am very thrilled to be a part of their lives and storied careers.”
WEI WEI “THE WAVE”- WEI TZU CHIEN, STEVE RAU AND KELLY “KWIKFIRE” FISHER
PHOTO BY CORBY DAYHOFF OF SERVITUDE PHOTOGRAPHY
At the WPBA Masters, I had some friends travel to Mount Pleasant, MI, to see our booth, and for some of them, it was their first opportunity to see me work with the girls directly and for them to meet Kelly and Wei Wei for the first time. I really enjoyed that. Sharon Bramer is 85 years old, cannot drive herself but caught a ride from a friend to come see us. It made my day. My brother-in-law Eric Anderson, who has always been a great supporter of mine, came and helped me for two days, and my good friend Lee Lamrock and his wife Angie not only came up to see us, but then I put them to work in our booth too. I needed help and they stepped up in big ways. Mike Wiltse and Gregg Elliott from the VNEA came to see our booth and to cheer on Kelly and Wei Wei too. Bill Bailey, who is the station manager at 103.9 The Fox, and his wife drove to Mount Pleasant, MI, to meet Kelly and Wei Wei too. Larry Holton, who invented Bridge-Mate, came to our booth too. He and I signed a contract several weeks ago and are now business partners. We are seeing great success in the
Bridge-Mate sales around the world. If you would like to order a Bridge-Mate contact me at steverau@ hotmail.com. We will ship it out ASAP. This invention has helped so many players with disabilities and really has a great shot at eliminating the need for a traditional bridge.
It seems that on a daily basis, family and friends ask me how the girls are doing and where they are traveling next. I just love how we have this built-in family of supporters who genuinely care about the three of us. They want us to succeed just as much as we want to.
At our booth, we debuted some new pool cues with the “Kwikfire” and “The Wave” logos etched in them, and boy, were they a big hit. I nearly sold out of the cues and will need to order more for the JOY Heyball tournament. There was a young lady there that is a huge Kelly Fisher fan. Her Dad bought her a cue, and you should have seen how happy she was
that she met Kelly and that Kelly autographed it. I sold out of Kelly’s most popular 8x10 photo. I will order more of those, too. It’s a great problem to have. We sincerely appreciate the moral and financial support we receive. Something new I helped the WPBA with at our booth is the debut of the new photo booth. Fans could sign up to take a picture with a pro player of their choice and then receive an 8.5x11 full-color photo that would then be autographed by the pro. We sold a PVC protective holder for the photo too. The total
price for everything was $35. It was a big hit. Jasmin Ouschan, Allison Fisher, Kelly Fisher, Wei Wei, and Savannah Easton were the most sought-after photos from the fans. It was great to see the fans’ eyes light up when they received their autographed photo. The quality was top-notch and something that they will keep forever. You can see Wei Wei showing some love toward her fan and Allison Fisher filling out a birthday card to another fan.
We also received some online orders. One customer requested that a photo be taken of the girls signing their official logo’ ed cue balls. He was so excited
when I messaged him those photos, and this week, he sent me a picture back with the cue balls on display. It was a great addition to his collection.
That is why I titled this article “Always A Great Time At The Steve Rau Pro Billiards Booth.” We really do have a great time meeting and connecting with everyone. Many of the amateur players will come and report to me on how they are playing, knowing that I will be on their side, cheering them on to victory. Special thanks to SPM Billiards Magazine. We appreciate all of the work you do!
ALLISON FISHER AND HER FAN FROM THE PHOTO BOOTH PHOTO PROVIDED BY STEVE RAU
ABOVE - STEVE RAU WITH LARRY HOLTON OF THE BRIDGEMATE PHOTO PROVIDED BY
BELOW
STEVE RAU
- WEI WEI, ANGIE LAMROCK, LEE LAMRFOCK AND KELLY PHOTO BY STEVE RAU
ORDER
ONLINE
OF WEI WEI OF WEI WEI SIGNING BALL
PHOTO PROVIDED BY STEVE RAU
ONLINE ORDER OF KELLY FISHER WITH SIGNED BALL
PHOTO PROVIDED BY STEVE RAU
WEI WEI WITH HER PHOTO BOOTHFRIEND
PHOTO PROVIDED BY STEVE RAU
GREAT EXPECTATIONSA TALE OF TWO RACKSBALANCING EXPECTATIONS IN YOUR GAME
Every sportsperson has been there at one point or another, and it can be difficult to understand as a player why you are experiencing it or why it can happen time and time again.
Practice has been great, just the way you wanted it. Others say they have seen how well you have been performing and playing, adding that they are sure a big win is coming, and you feel it yourself.
The excitement of expectation builds, and you feel that this is now your chance to show everyone what you are capable of and put on a show. Your selfbelief and confidence are high, and you imagine how well you are going to play. The draw confirms that this should be a golden opportunity, and you can’t wait to get started.
Then, suddenly, everything seems to come crashing down. Your opponent plays better than expected, your own shots aren’t as accurate as you’d imagined, and even fortune seems against you, favouring your adversary. Before you know it, you’re facing the complete opposite of what you had expected to achieve, and as the shadows close around, defeat seems an uncomfortable inevitability.
In the world of cue sports, a player’s expectations can prove to be a double-edged sword; a healthy level can motivate and fuel the path to success, however expectations can also, especially if
unrealistic, increase stress, pressure, and feelings of anxiety, crippling our performance and stifling enjoyment.
When working with players, I constantly find myself talking about balance and the importance of finding it across many areas, none more so than when talking about balancing expectations.
I also find myself constantly speaking of cycles and spirals. These are important concepts for understanding the mental side of performance and both our positive and negative behaviours because they reflect how our thoughts, emotions, and actions can influence each other within a reinforcing loop. One of the most important aspects of a player’s armory is consistency, which can be gained from a positive cycle.
When we can imagine or think of ourselves in a confident upward spiral, our self-belief and confidence can feed into many helpful areas. These can include an increased ability to ignore distractions, helping to create a mental state that supports concentration and focus, enabling us to see the table more clearly and to concentrate purely on the shot in front of us.
Great Expectations
Positive expectations can greatly help reduce overthinking, allowing for smoother technique execution and a more natural process execution, translating into more consistent performance in all
areas of play.
An increased sense of enjoyment and motivation can be felt, which also greatly helps support resilience when challenged with setbacks. Because we believe success can be achieved or isn’t that far away, and our hard work is rewarded, we have a strengthened drive to keep building and improving.
All of these things fostered by having balanced and properly managed expectations can then help to bridge the gap towards playing in “The Zone” that magical place where we all like to be and where everything seems to come so easy.
The Big Expectation:
In contrast, negative, unrealistic, or unhelpful expectations that may be solely connected to results or self-limiting beliefs can feed and increase stress and pressure, even if this isn’t felt or recognised to start with.
This is especially true when we are provided with evidence that we may not perform as we expected or when negative expectations seem to be confirmed by missed shots, poor positional play, fouls, and ball runs.
The fear of not living up to expectations can evolve into performance anxiety, low mood, lack of motivation, and a drain of determination. This can quickly lead to tight cuing, feeling shaky, heightened self-awareness of how we feel, and spiraling downward with missed opportunities and frustration.
Suddenly, the fun and enjoyment can disappear from the sport, where everything seems increasingly difficult, where we can be encouraged to give up easily when faced with setbacks and led to search our technique for faults and answers.
However, overall, the line between helpful and harmful expectations is thin. This is where the concept of self-fulfilling prophecies comes in.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
A particular effect of expectation is the “selffulfilling prophecy.” This phenomenon occurs when a belief becomes reality simply because the person holding the belief behaves in ways that make it come true.
For instance, a player may enter a match or tournament feeling out of form and expecting to lose. This may be confirmed by such things as a practice routine or drill that wasn’t completed as planned, a friendly match that was lost when a win had been expected, or a fault or change in equipment that encourages concern.
During this time, we can easily miss or ignore the positive things that we have been doing that would help us develop a more helpful mindset. This negative expectation may mean that the player has a low mood, a slight change in self-belief and motivation, and decreased concentration simply because they do not believe they can perform as they would like.
A resulting loss only confirms and validates the negative thoughts originally had. These are more likely to be remembered as we think of them more vividly than what we do well or our wins. This creates a negative cycle that’s difficult to break out of and can easily go on to affect future mood and performances.
To avoid falling prey to negative self-fulfilling prophecies, we need to develop strategies for managing our expectations.
Balancing Expectation
When Expectation is finely tuned and balanced, it can be a hugely powerful tool for managing the stress and pressure we may otherwise experience. It can greatly fuel motivation to improve our abilities, helping us approach everything we do with a calm and positive mindset and leading us to often deal with setbacks with steely determination and positivity, allowing us to reset quickly.
Installing a plan and a performance pathway that helps a player to concentrate on their process and technique instead of the value and outcomes of what they are ultimately aiming to achieve can dramatically reduce performance anxiety, working to reduce pressure and stress.
It’s important for us to have our bigger long-term goals, and these should be set. However, as with any journey, the focus should then be brought back to the smaller stages, the first steps of that path, and to smaller targets that will help us reach that final destination.
SMART goals are always a good and well-known
method of achieving this. Breaking down those long-term goals into Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and time-bound elements provides us with a map to success, broken down into bite-size chunks that are easier to manage. As we achieve the short goals, we gain an important sense of accomplishment that helps us build confidence, morale, and self-belief.
Once we have our smaller manageable targets in place, we can then concentrate on our approach to practice sessions and matches, knowing that every opportunity is one to learn from, and we can make a conscious effort to look after our self-talk, acknowledge the things that we do well and to celebrate our achievements no matter how small.
We can add other skills, such as Breathing techniques to help us maintain control and calmness and visualization to rehearse successful performances and positive reactions to setbacks.
From this, we have formulated a plan that allows us to maintain a clear mind and direct our focus to where it should be placed, such as our technique, shot process, and the basics of getting that ball in that pocket. Accepting that nothing is perfect, looking to enjoy the challenge of competition, and appreciating the shots that we get right and play well helps us to play to the best of our ability.
Big expectations will often disappoint, whereas Great expectations will embrace the journey, not just the destination.
www.mattandrewsmentoring.org
REMEMBERING RICHARD
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY WRITERE” ELLIOTT WEST
Life is a precious commodity where the light can be extinguished at any moment. In this world that brings joy and upset, it is essential to grab friendship with both hands and never let it go. That particular moment came when I first met Richard Barnicoat. A man with the natural ability to make you roar with laughter summed up the definition of generosity. His presence helped make the world better—someone with natural talent as a hospital radio DJ, boxing coach and snooker referee. The pints flowed when Richard was in your company, and you were guaranteed an intellectual conversation. His dry wit was second to none.
Second to None
I first met Richard over five years ago at a snooker exhibition. We warmed to each other immediately and soon became the Bert and Ernie of the snooker, sharing a hotel room several times when there were not enough rooms available. However, this soon stopped when he got fed up with my loud snoring. On the second occasion, I got up to use the toilet at night and couldn’t open the bathroom door. Pushing the door, I found Richard asleep on his mattress on the bathroom floor. When I asked him why he was sleeping there, he shouted at me that he would never share a room with me again as my snoring was bloody awful! From then on, it became our standard joke.
Richard was a meticulous snooker referee, always turning up early for an exhibition to display his trusted digital scoreboard and his trusted case of snooker balls. With his suit ready to trot, he always made the slightly phased amateurs comfortable before they took on their snooker heroes. Richard worked with a long list of professional and former players: Ken Doherty, Dennis Taylor, Steve Davis, Jimmy White, Cliff Thorburn, Stuart Bingham, Jimmy Robertson, Judd Trump, Mark Williams and Tony Drago. However, he did like to get involved in the banter of the match talk and could be known to occasionally lose count of the score or re-spot the wrong ball—a comedy of errors that the featured players used to shrug in the fun of the evening.
I was very honoured when Richard asked me to interview him several weeks ago, but sadly, I was going on holiday, and when I returned, we never got to do it as he was transferred from A&E to a hospice. So I hope this piece goes some way to making up for this. Although we never got to do his Q&A session about his life. Richard had a very stoic approach to his cancer diagnosis and carried out multiple sessions of chemotherapy treatment to try to curtail the aggressive cancer that he had. Despite leaving him weak, tired and unable to eat, he still achieved some items on his bucket list.
One moving moment was when he travelled to this year’s World Championship at the Crucible in Sheffield. Catching up with players and friends, he was given a well-deserved round of applause when he was arranged to walk out onto the stage from behind the red curtain, announced by the snooker MC, Rob Walker. Richard knew his days were numbered, but he was amazingly upbeat on our last phone call. They were telling me that he had been to the funeral directors and planned out his service and funeral arrangements.
The Fight
Richard’s brave battle against cancer is another example of his extraordinary character. A battle that he fought until the very end. It must have been an extreme struggle, but you would never have guessed so from his demeanour. The fact that he met friends and went out for meals shows the true bravery of this man, who was messaging me until almost the end. Although I knew the day would eventually come, I wasn’t expecting that his life would be drawing to an end when I returned from my holiday in Corfu. His passing leaves a deep void in my life and someone who I will dearly miss calling and seeing. I will raise a glass for you, Richard, and I will see you one day on the other side of life. Until then, you will remain in my fondest memories. Adieu but not farewell, my dear friend.
Elliott West has a blog titled Snooker Loopy which he created and is inspired by his love of the game spanning over 32 years. Check out his website! It is full of great articles. https://greenbaize1972.com
Explaining Aiming Part 3Fractional Aiming
Welcome back. In issue 45, we covered important terms to understand when aiming a shot, followed by our discussion of the ghost ball in issue 46. In issue 47, we begin to cover the most common system used among stronger players. Fractional aiming is the process of splitting the object ball into different fractions and aligning the center (or edge) of the cue ball with that particular fraction the player has found on the object ball.
Traditional fractional aiming has the object ball split up into four primary areas. Those areas are classified as a full ball hit, a quarter ball hit, a half ball hit, and a three-quarter ball hit.
Photo courtesy of FargoBilliards
The above photo shows fractional aiming in its common form. To the reader, the photo illustrates how the cue ball will overlap the object ball at the locations of a three-quarter ball hit, a half-ball hit, and a quarterball hit. A full ball hit (not illustrated) is a straight-in shot. If viewed directly behind the cue ball, the cue ball will eclipse the object ball completely. Notice the image shows how each aiming location gets thinner on the object ball; this is how many players identify where to aim to drive the object ball toward the pocket.
The information discussed so far even umbrellas and other major aiming systems such as Center to Edge and any form of shaft aiming. When any player talks about systems, it is difficult for players to exclude numbers from those systems (not impossible). Instructors over the years have used numbers, letters, fingers, and parts of the shaft to determine the basic information discussed in this article. However, the major differences in entering the shot, as well as vision intelligence, are what make each aiming system unique to its creator.
Fractional aiming is the foundation for all aiming systems that move beyond the simplicity of the ghost ball. In my opinion, where the ghost ball could be deemed a generic aiming system for the beginning player, fractional aiming can really begin to shape a beginning player into aiming effectively.
The image below illustrates three core shots on the pool table that players see frequently and often do not associate with fractional aiming.
Each shot above represents a range of shots we commonly see on the pool table. As an instructor and player, I use these core shots often to help distinguish the relationship between the object ball and the pocket. This knowledge helps me keep my accuracy near the pocket, within the darker color that surrounds
the pocket in the image above.
Pros of Fractional Aiming
- The player is learning how to associate angles within shots and connections with the pocket.
- More accurate than the ghost ball.
- Gives the player a relationship that can be seen with the eye.
- Helps teach the player how to aim using the center part of the cue ball.
Cons of Fractional Aiming
- If the player selects the wrong fraction, the player will be way off target.
- Does not take Collision Induced Throw (CIT) into account.
- Does not take English (sidespin) into account.
G1’s Advice
Fractional aiming is a great start for any pool player on the journey to improvement. I recommend some form of a system to help the player become consistent. Fractional aiming is always a great start.
Next issue I am going to discuss CTE Pro One, and my experiences with it. Stay tuned!
G1 BILLIARD ACADEMY
DThe Basics of Running Out an 8 Ball Rack
id you ever forget to remember? It’s not a trick question! I’m really guilty of this, and I want to come clean in this new season. I promise Not To Forget To Remember. Here’s what happened. I got an email from a reader who, in so many words, asked me to please come down out of the clouds and write a few lessons for the more beginner-level 8 and 9 ball players. I didn’t just blow it off, but then again, I usually plan my lessons well in advance.
This month, I’m responding to the letter asking me to please write on a more beginner level so they could learn how to get better at pool. To all you less than ex-pert level players, please forgive me for forgetting to remember that you’re out there too. This lesson and more of my overall lessons will never again forget to include you.
Okay, let’s get started. When it comes to rotation games, you don’t have to pick which ball to shoot at. Every rotation game requires you to always shoot at the lowest-numbered ball on the table. 8 Ball, however gives you the option of picking more than one solid or striped ball to shoot at. Picking the wrong shot can often be the very thing that costs you the game.
This drill comes from my Cue Ball Speed and Position Control Drills book. It focuses on the beginner level of ball selection. It will also help build your skills for cue ball speed and position planning accuracy to run out an 8-Ball rack.
1. Place striped object balls 9-15 in front of each pocket and at the center of the table as shown on the table. 2. Set the solid object balls 1-8 on the string lines in between the diamonds also, as shown above.
3. Start with Ball In Hand from any point on the table to shoot your first striped ball.
4. Make any striped ball in its pocket and the center striped ball in the pocket of your choice.
5. Avoid hitting any of the solid balls, but you may drive the cue ball or an object ball to a rail to pocket that ball.
6. After the stripes are pocketed without missing, make the eight ball. You can switch out the striped balls for solid balls to mix it up a little.
7. If you miss or hit another ball, reset the entire table and start over.
Attempt this drill ten times during your practice session. Don’t give up or become discouraged. Work hard to complete it. Soon, you’ll see your ball count per rack will increase, and in time you’ll be counting successful racks completed. You’ll also note that doing this drill will increase your skill level after just one month.
When you can do my drills 7 out of 10 times, you’ll beat 70% of the players you meet.
Please subscribe to DITV to get all 54 of the Cue Ball Speed and Position Control Drills and so much more.
To find more drills from The Drill Instructor, go to www.thedrillinstructor.us check them out today.
The Man of The Hour
Mike Panozzo
“One of my first assignments was to go down to southern Illinois and spend a couple of days with Minnesota Fats at his house.”
Everyone in the billiard world knows of Mike Panozzo and Billiards Digest! But how much do you know? Panozzo is a 66-year-old native Chicagoan born and raised. Mike Panozzo, Shane Van Boening, and Mark Griffin were recently named the 2024 BCA Hall of Fame Inductees! On November 29, 2024, the three greats will be inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame, joining the greats of the Pool Industry!
I had the liberty of talking with Mike Panozzo while he was driving to the airport, and we had quite a conversation! I have a lot of respect and admiration for Mike Panozzo! From a journalist’s standpoint, I cannot think of a better man to be inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame, joining many notable pool players!
MIKE PANOZZO IN SAUDI AT WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO BY TAKA WU FOR MATCHROOM
MIKE PANOZZO
PHOTO BY ERWIN DIONISIO
Mike Panozzo, a journalism major from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, has always wanted to be a sportswriter-type journalist after graduating from journalism school.
After graduating, Panozzo spent the whole summer sending out resumes and looking for a job. Finally, he came across an advertisement for an editor position at a small magazine publishing company in downtown Chicago. The company was Luby Publishing, and it published a bowling magazine, Bowlers Journal, and a billiard magazine, Billiards Digest, which was about to celebrate its second anniversary. The owner was looking for an editor for Billiards Digest. Panozzo applied and got to go in for an interview.
Panozzo explained, “He gave me an assignment to see if I could write a little bit. It was to interview a woman bowler. So, I went out and did that, and I wrote that article and turned it in. He offered me the job. I started in about August of 1980 when I was 22, and I never left.”
Mort Luby Jr., a third-generation publisher of Bowlers Journal, owned Luby Publishing at that time. The Bowler’s Journal magazine is still around. Bowler’s Journal is the oldest monthly sports magazine in America.
Mort’s grandfather, Dave Luby, started the magazine in 1913, and then his father, Mort Luby Sr., took it over in the 40s. Mort Luby Junior took it over in the late 1950s and owned the company until he retired. Panozzo and his business partner Keith Hamilton bought Luby Publishing in 1994; Hamilton also worked as a business manager for the company.
Throughout the 40s, fifties, ‘60s, and into the ‘70s, there was no Billiards Digest. It was known as Bowlers Journal & Billiard Review. Every issue was about bowling, but they always devoted about six or seven pages to billiards because, back then, there was a very close tie between billiards and bowling from a manufacturing standpoint. Brunswick, AMF, and companies like that all have bowling centers, and every bowling center has a billiard room. Because the magazine sold its ads to people in the bowling industry, there were also billiard products so that they could advertise their billiard products.
They were also writing and doing billiards coverage. In the late 70s, the billiard industry people said they wanted their own magazine, and the bowling industry people said, we don’t like sharing our magazine with the billiard people. So, in 1978, Luby Publishing decided to split the magazine off and start a billiard magazine called Billiards Digest. Billiards Digest is now 46 years old and will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2028.
Here are some of the questions that Mike answered for me.
Did the magazine always follow the same style that it does now?
In the early days, we covered a lot of industry in the magazine. We wrote about the manufacturers and distributors, not only about the manufacturers but also about room owners and retail store owners, players, and tournaments. It was a cross between a consumer magazine and a business magazine.
So, that’s the same as it was with the bowling magazine. That was Luby’s formula for having a magazine that went from the high-end consumer to the real avid fan. And also to the businesses, because in many cases in bowling and billiards, the real hard-core enthusiast was usually somehow involved in business, which broadened the pie for potential advertisers.
What are some of your most significant accomplishments?
Keeping Billiards Digest alive and relevant for the 44 years that. I’ve been there, and it is a major accomplishment. Maintaining a high-quality level and some integrity is my greatest accomplishment, which I’m most proud of.
As far as other accomplishments, I’ve never really been all that big on whether I did this or I did that; I am just trying to do the best I can with the magazine and outside the magazine to help players, to help the industry, and to Increase visibility for the sport. Whatever I could do in those areas, that’s what I want to do, whether serving on industry boards, creating things for the media association, or taking over the Hall of Fame banquet. It’s not about getting a pat on the back or the great things you did there. They were just important things somebody had to do to get things done.
How many employees does the magazine have?
When the business was publishing a couple of bowlers and billiards magazines, it had 17 employees. Now, everything is remote, so we’re all over the place. We don’t have an office. There are currently only about four full-time employees and many contractors. They’re all contracted out, whether they are writers, business help, accounting, or Circulation.
Tell me about Luby Publishing and the variety of magazines it owns.
Luby Publishing owned a magazine called Billiards Retailer. There was also Bowlers Journal, a center magazine called Bowling Center Management, and a bowling pro shop magazine called Pro Shop Operator. We had all those under Luby Publishing, and many of the employees shared duties between the different magazines, shared overhead, and so on.
During the pandemic, we sold the two bowling magazines. We sold the Bowlers Journal to the big membership group for bowling. And we sold the Bowling Center Magazine to the Bowling Proprietors Association. We sold those two off in 2020, so now Luby Publishing is just Billiards Digest, and we publish a buyer’s catalog for the bowling business and run the Illinois Bowling Proprietors Association.
In the past, bowling and billiards went hand in hand. Do you remember going to a bowling alley as a kid? They always had a large pool playing area, a popular hangout spot for everyone! As kids, we would hang out and play pool. The brick-and-mortar bowling retail stores sold billiard products like cues, balls, bags, and accessory kits. There has always been a connection between these two industries. Even though we’d often see pool tables in bowling alleys, we may only have realized the business tie-in between them if we were familiar with the industry. It was a natural fit for businesses to offer bowling and billiards.
I asked Mike Panozzo what his goals are going forward. Panozzo explained, “Retirement. I love the billiard industry, all the people, and being part of it. And I want to stay part of it for as long as I’m lucid. At some point, I would like to pull back time-wise and let somebody else run a magazine, and I can be an occasional writer or contributor. At some point in the next couple of years, I’ll start cutting back on the day-to-day, but I’ll always be a part of the industry.”
Who is your favorite player now?
I’m a journalist. I can’t have a favorite player! And realistically, there are way too many players I enjoyspending time with and rooting for. There are just so many! I am a huge Fedor Gorst fan, a huge of Josh Filler and Wiktor Zielinski. I have always been a Shane Van Boening and a Ko Brothers fan. There are just way too many, and that’s just the men. With the women, I have been friends with Allison since she first started playing, and Kelly’s great, all the way down to the Savannas and the Sofia’s. That’s what keeps you in the game and keeps you interested. That’s what’s kept me yearning. Kids come up, and there is a new story; you’ll be around them, experiencing their enthusiasm and drive. There are so many good players it’s hard to sustain a level when everybody’s always at your heels. One of the stables is Efren Reyes. He’s of a different class. He has legend status.
What are some other things you enjoy doing?
I like to cook and make cocktails, and I try to exercise as much as I can. I work out with a group of people at the gym four days a week. I used to play basketball and tennis a lot, but I don’t do much of that anymore. I also like to explore new places.
What is your favorite place you’ve been to?
Anywhere in Italy.
Do you have kids? Are you married? I’ve been married for 42 years. We don’t have any kids.
Luby Publishing is like your baby. Yeah. Billiards Digest is like my child.
Do you play pool now?
I never really have time to play and work at billiards all day. I don’t go home, have dinner, grab a cue, and go out for the night. And when I’m at tournaments for players, the last thing they want to do is play with me when the tournaments are over. So, I don’t get that many chances to play. I enjoy it. I want to play more and would like to play better. But I never got the time to devote to it.
What is one of your most memorable stories?
That’s a tough one. One of my first assignments was to go down to southern Illinois and spend a couple of days with Minnesota Fats at his house. It was like hanging out with him and seeing if you could get underneath the surface a little bit from all the bluster he was known for. I thought I was up to the task, and
MIKE PANOZZO WITH WIKTOR ZIELINSKI AT THE WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO BY TAKAIMAGES FOR MATCHROOM
I was no match; I wanted to run out of there after about three hours.
Why?
Well, if you’ve ever listened to Fats or watched any videos of him, you could ask him about anything, and all of a sudden, it’s going to turn into a story about him going to China and robbing some guy out of all his money, and he’s the best Whistler in the world and the best card player in the world. And it just goes on and on and on. After a while, your head starts spinning, and you want to run out of there like your hair is on fire. Fats lived in his own mind. He could go on and on and keep talking.
How old was Fats when you when you interviewed him?
That’s a good question. This would have been probably 1982. Minnesota Fats was probably 70ish.
Tell me about one of your hardest interviews:
Some interviews are hard because the subject just isn’t into it or just refuses to open up. The most difficult interview for me personally was with Jeanette after her cancer diagnosis. I’ve known her since she first came up, and we became good friends. I wasn’t ready to interview a close friend who was going through that.
Funniest Interview:
I don’t know if it was the funniest, but I always laugh when I think back to an interview I did with JoAnn Mason Parker in the early ’90s. She was talking about her goals, and she said she wanted to win the World 9-Ball Championship because it etched your name in the history books. And she referred to German player Franziska Stark, who won a year or so earlier, saying, “Look at Franziska Stark. She may be the worst women’s world champion ever, but her name is still in the record book.” Not surprisingly, Franziska saw the interview and, a few months later, drew JoAnn at the U.S. Open. She didn’t say a single word, but she went out and absolutely drilled JoAnn on the table. It’s one of my favorite stories!
It was truly inspiring to have a conversation with Mike Panozzo. I deeply admire and respect him! Mike
MIKE PANOZZO WITH MINNESOTA FATS 1982 PHOTO BY MORT LUBY JR.
started his career right out of college and excelled so much that he ended up owning the magazine after his boss retired! How many people can achieve such success and own a best-selling billiard magazine?
Mike has talked with and interviewed many of the greats in billiards and watched the sport grow at a prime time with many of the greats like Willie Mosconi, Allen Hopkins, Minnesota Fats, Buddy Hall, Jeanette Lee, Efren Reyes, and so many more! These are the names that I think of, and Efren is in a category all on his own in Legend status! But what other sport can have all these great players in the BCA Hall of Fame? To rise up and sit with these greats is an immeasurable honor!
Mike will be inducted before his favorite tournament, the Mosconi Cup, begins. The BCA Hall of Fame will be held on November 29th, 2024, the evening before the Mosconi Cup begins on November 30 -December 3, 2024, at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida!
Cheers and hats off to you, Mike Panozzo. You are an inspiration to me and others!
MIKE PANOZZO WITH LEGEND EFREN REYES 2020 PHOTO BY JP PARMENTIE
THE GHOST RISES AGAIN
This year’s World Pool Championship was incredibly exciting. This was the first year of the new deal with Saudi Arabia and it marked the first WNT event that had a million-dollar prize fund. The winner was awarded $250,000 dollars with the runner-up getting $100,000. Everyone who qualified for the final stage received prize money. It had an impressive 128-player field with the very best from around the world. The format was the now familiar doubleelimination with races to 9 until the final 64 players were determined, and then it was single elimination with races to 11 until the finals with a race to 15.
The World Pool Championship for nine-ball is the most prestigious title in pool. It is the most soughtafter title, equivalent to the days of Greenleaf and the World 14.1 Championship. This year’s event put a huge stamp on that fact. This year was notable not only for the prestige and prize money but also for the intensity and dramatic matches that we witnessed!
Fedor Gorst, a former winner of the title in 2019, emerged as champion once again as he and runner-up Eklent Kaci had one of the most intense finishes of all time. Fedor was born in Moscow in 2000. He started with an interest, of course, in the
FEDOR GORST WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO BY TAKAIMAGES FOR MATCHROOM MULTI SPORT
Russian Pyramid but soon switched to pool around the age of twelve, and by fourteen, he was a member of the Russian National Team. In 2015, he won the Pupil Division in 14.1 at the European Championship and then won his first Euro-Tour title in 2018. A year later, he became the second youngest World Champion in history, defeating the great JL Chang.
While he has still been winning events like the DCC in 2022, he has been rather quiet for the past year or so as he transitioned to living in the United States and is trying to go through the long process to gain citizenship. There was some controversy over him playing as a US player, but I think except for the occasional wink-wink, that has settled down. He has also changed sponsors and equipment and went through a period of adjustment there as well. 2024 started off well as he won his first World Pool Masters title with a 13-12 victory over Joshua Filler. Now he is World Champion again.
His route to the title got off to a very rocky start, as he lost his first match 9-3 to Mustafa Alnar. He then managed to squeak past Luong Dunc Thien, a fine player from Vietnam, 9-7. He next faced Filipino star Kyle Amoroto and won a hill-hill thriller 9-8, making the 64-man cut.
In the first stage, many great players, like Albin Ouschan and Sky Woodward, fell out early. The first round of the final stage left defending champion Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz in the stands, along with Alex Pagulayan,
ALEX PAGULAYAN WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO BY TAKAIMAGES
Ko Pin Yi, and recent UK winner Robbie Capito. Fedor again won a close match with Ameer Ali, 11-9.
Next, Fedor clinched an 11-10 victory over Chang Yu Lung, while Filler was winning his match 11-1 over Oscar Dominguez, Shane Van Boening defeated Alexander Kazakis 11-7, David Alcaide took down Jayson Shaw 11-8, and Kaci knocked out BJ Ussery 11-4. They all seemed to be playing in a much better rhythm than Gorst has shown so far, but he was still in it, fighting and grinding like any great player should. One thing I have said time and time again, there are no easy outs in major events anymore. The talent pool is too deep for anyone to think they can cruise through to the final four. It just doesn’t happen.
The round of sixteen seemed to change the script on this event as SVB fell to the outstanding Wojciech Szewczyk, Johann Chua, one of the Philippines’ best, sent last year’s second-place finisher Mohammad Soufi home, and Anton Raga, another Filipino star, stopped the strong run of Joshua Filler, while another countryman Jeff Ignacio ended the hopes of David Alcaide. Fedor Gorst had an 11-9 win over Chris Melling end the popular star’s chances at the title.
With eight players left, the heat was on, and Johann Chua came out with a strong 11-3 dusting of Dang Jin Hu. Eklent Kaci finished off Jeff Ignacio 11-7. Wojciech Szewczyk stopped the talented Wiktor Zielinski. Fedor Gorst began to awaken as he came out with a big win, defeating Anton Raga, who many people thought might emerge as a finalist, 11-4.
In the semifinals, Kaci faced Chua, and Gorst stepped in against Szewczyk. Kaci had the first break, and after a safety exchange, he made a two-four combination and ran out to take the first game. A scratch by
JOHANN CHUA AT WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO BY TAKAIMAGES FOR MATCHROOM MULTI SPORT
Kaci in game two leads Chua to even up the match at 1-1. Kaci had a rare miss and seemed to lose a bit of focus in the next game as Chua took the lead 2-1. Kaci made an excellent safe to secure ball-in-hand and tie it up 2-2. However, he scratched off his break in the very next rack, and Chua downed the early nine-ball to quickly retake the lead. Another scratch, this time by Chua, gave Kaci an opportunity to stop this match from getting away, but a position error and a miss put Chua back at the table. The pressure was obvious with the errors we were seeing, and Chua seemed to be making the most of his opportunities as he built his lead up to 6-2.
Rack 9 gave Kaci a ray of hope, and he sliced in a thin two-ball to make it 6-3. In rack ten, Kaci made a great jump shot and a lockup safe to gain another one, and the score stood at 6-4. Kaci continued to make smart decisions and chipped away at the lead until he eventually overtook Chua to lead 7-6. The weight of it all seemed to finally start taking a toll on Chua as he made uncharacteristic errors, allowing Kaci to keep control of the match. Kaci looked to be thriving on the pressure as he continued to win nine racks in a row to defeat Chua 11-6 and become first to the finals. It was an incredible comeback under some of the heaviest pressure one can feel.
Gorst and Szewczyk came out exchanging racks at 1-1, but again, the pressure was evident as Wojciech had an early scratch in game 3 as he let the cue ball get a little loose, and Fedor took the early 2-1 lead. Szewczyk quickly tied it back up at 2-2 as Fedor’s break couldn’t stay consistent. The errors in this match were not as obvious as in the first semifinal, but position errors plagued both players and were another indication of the pressure and intensity of the match. Szewczyk managed to get a two-game lead at 4-2 but Fedor made a gritty shot leading to the out to get back to within one game. Another nice out by Fedor evened the match back up at 4-4. With the match at 6-6, Fedor made a terrific jump shot on the two-ball and went on to win the next three games to lead 9-6. Wojciech looked to be out in rack sixteen, but another error forced him
to play safe on the 8-ball. Fedor jumped to a safe, and Wojciech missed the bank, hanging the 8-ball. Gorst stretched the lead to 10-6. Szewczyk managed to win the next two games, but he couldn’t gain any sustainable momentum and Gorst closed the match out at 11-8.
So, the finals saw Fedor Gorst, former World NineBall Champion, against Eklent Kaci, who had never been past the semifinals. Kaci lost to Roland Garcia in 2017 and to Robbie Capito in 2018. Kaci has held World Ten-Ball Championship titles, winning in 2021 and 2023.
Kaci, a 25-year-old Albanian from Lac has been a sensation in his young career. He won the Albanian Snooker Championship despite not having played snooker. At the age of 14, he made the qualifying round in the European 10-Ball Championship. At the age of 18, he won the Aramith Masters.
Neither player was a stranger to the big moment. They have both played on Mosconi Cup teams, won world championships, and played in big matches. This year, however, it seemed different. Kaci, recovering from a horrible accident and injury that hit him just as he was surging forward on the world stage, looked like he was back in form and ready to take a run at the number one spot. Fedor Gorst a
young man with his feet in two worlds as his family remains in Russia as he has been transitioning to life in the United States along with his girlfriend Kristina Tkach. He was banned for a while because of the war between Russia and Ukraine and the travel restrictions around his applying for permanent resident status and taking steps toward citizenship.
They both fought their way through an incredibly talent field that held so many players that could win and even more that could stop you from winning. I think that is the part that people forget. The talent pool is so deep that anyone is capable of taking a match, and that can change so much in a tournament, especially in a format like this one. Then there is the prize money. The biggest the WNT has ever seen, along with the honor of the title and the fact that they are both reasserting themselves as elite players after some downtime. What better setting for a story could we have had here?
Gorst started off winning the first three racks as Kaci looked a little unfocused. Kaci, staying defensive and picking his spots, won the next game and managed to keep the match from getting too far out of hand. Gorst won the next rack to go up four games. Fedor was steady throughout the match, and Kaci continued to play a strong tactical game but seemed unable to get his break working to make any strong
EKLENT KACI WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO BY TAKAIMAGES FOR MATCHROOM MULTI SPORT
EKLENT KACI WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP 2024
PHOTO BY TAKAIMAGES FOR MATCHROOM MULTI SPORT
offensive attacks on the lead, and they continued to trade racks with Gorst maintaining the lead. When Fedor finally looked to be putting distance between the two, having his biggest lead at 8-3 and what looked to be a routine out, he missed a three-ball to the corner and allowed Kaci back to the table, where he made it 8-4. Gorst missed again on the six-ball when it looked to be out for him, and Kaci claimed another rack. In the next game, a good safe by Gorst was turned into an incredible jump bank by Kaci that eventually led to another slice off the lead to 8-6.
Fedor made it 9-6 with an early nine-ball carom. Kaci made another great cut in the next rack, and he looked to be out, but he missed position on the nine-ball and missed the cut, leaving Gorst a long cut of his own on the nine. Gorst had an opportunity to really take the fight out of Kaci but he missed the cut himself and gave Kaci renewed life at 9-7. Remember his semifinal match?
They exchanged racks back and forth for a short time until Fedor again moved ahead by four games at 13-9. With ball-in-hand in the next rack, Kaci went on a tear and won the next five racks to get to the hill first at 14-13. Breaking for the win, Kaci broke dry and let Fedor back in with a shot on the one-ball, and just like that, we were looking at a hill-hill final match!
Fedor broke for the match and downed the one-ball but had no good look at the two, and the rack stood wide open for whoever could gain control. Gorst called for an extension as he tried to find a spot to push out to. Fedor put the cue ball on the far end cushion leaving Kaci a very tough look at the two-ball but a chance if he could put it down and hold the cue ball for the three. Kaci passed it back, and Fedor played a safe, but Kaci could still see the two-ball. Kaci missed the cross-bank to the side pocket, and Fedor played another safe but poorly, and Kaci had a shot. Kaci dropped the two-ball and got a tough shot on the three. Kaci attempted a safe but scratched in the corner and gave ball-in-hand to Fedor. With only that one rack to play, Fedor Gorst stepped up and calmly ran out the rack to become the 2024 World Champion and take home the biggest first prize in the history of the World Nine-Ball Tour! The sheer joy and relief on his face was great to see as he hugged Kaci and celebrated on the table in front of the crowd. You could also see the exhaustion in him as all of the tension and pressure released at once, and it began to sink in that he had done it!
Congratulations, Fedor, on winning another World Championship and bringing us an incredible conclusion to an incredible week of pool. Also, congratulations to Eklent Kaci for a fine finish in a monster of an event. His time is coming, and that time is not far away. He has earned his way into the elite, and his ceiling is high. Thank you to all the players who fought their way through the most pressurized stage outside of the Mosconi Cup. Congratulations to Matchroom for putting on a first-class event and securing a well-deserved major payday for your players.
Finally, thank you to all the fans who travel to events, buy streams, and follow their favorite players online and in person. They stand and cheer the moments of victory, feel the pangs of defeat, and support the men and women who make this the greatest game in the world.
PIA FILLER
CARLO BIADO
KACI AND YAPP CONFIRMED FOR THE REYES CUP
The countdown starts for Team Asia vs Team Europe
Eklent Kaçi and Aloysius Yapp are the first players confirmed to star in the inaugural Reyes Cup, in partnership with Puyat Sports Inc. and Sky Sports as the broadcaster for the UK and Ireland. The Reyes Cup will follow the same four-day team format as the Mosconi Cup, pitting the best of Team Asia against Team Europe.
The 2024 World Pool Championship marked the initial cut-off stage for determining the first two players to qualify for both Team Asia and Team Europe.
The Albanian, Eklent Kaçi, was the first to qualify for Team Europe after finishing runner-up at the 2024 World Pool Championship, which moved him up to third in the World Nineball Tour (WNT) rankings.Kaçi said: “I’m thrilled to be part of the first-ever Reyes Cup. Competing at this level and representing Team Europe for the first time is an incredible honour, and I can’t wait to showcase my talent at this prestigious tournament.”After maintaining his position at 10th on the WNT rankings, the Singaporean, Aloysius Yapp became the first player to join Team Asia.Yapp said: “It’s an amazing feeling to be selected for Team Asia in the inaugural Reyes Cup. I am excited to compete against the best and bring my best game to the table. This tournament is going to be something special.”Qualification for the Reyes Cup will proceed in two more stages. One player for each team will be announced following the European Open in Fulda, Germany, and the US Open Pool Championship in Atlantic City, USA. These selections will be based on the 2024 one-year rankings for both Team Asia and Team Europe.
The inaugural Reyes Cup will be held in Manila, capital of the Philippines, in honour of pool’s greatest player and tournament namesake, Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes. A World Pool Championship and US Open Pool Championship winner, Reyes is widely regarded as the sport’s greatest-ever player, serving as inspiration for millions of pool fans across the globe.
The tournament will follow in the footsteps of the four-day team format of the Mosconi Cup, which celebrated its 30th anniversary at Alexandra Palace, London last December. Team Asia will be represented by the top-three ranked players from the World Nineball Rankings one-year list, with two additional wildcards selected by Team Asia captain. Fans are able to register for ticket alerts for the inaugural Reyes Cup here. Venue and ticket details to be announced in due course.
MarkWhite has started a great new show called Taom Time! He will be intervieewing all of taom billiards pro players! Be sure to check out his interviews!
In this episode of Taom Time, I chat with the 2015 World Snooker Champion Stuart Bingham. I found out where the nickname “Ball Run” came from. It’s not what I originally thought. Nine years after his World Title win, how did it feel to reach the semis again?
The Basildon boy does good talks about his adventures in the American and Chinese pool, and he gives us a tour of his snooker room museum and shows off his toilet with the world’s most expensive wallpaper!
Be sure to check out Mark White’s interview with Vilius Shulte and also Nathalie Rohmer!
WILLIAMS AND O’DONNELL JOIN POOL OF TALENT IN FINAL STAGES
Three-time world champion Mark Williams and Welsh Open runner-up Martin O’Donnell advanced to Stage 3 at the BetVictor Championship League Ranking edition on Monday night at the Mattioli Arena, Leicester, with two more players set to complete the line-up from Tuesday’s action.
The pair will join Long Zehuang, Dave Gilbert, Ali Carter and Scott Donaldson in the final day of action, available to watch in the UK and Ireland on Matchroom.live.
Group D
It was a tense start in both groups on Monday, with the first four matches in each being played to 2-2 draws. In the session opener, Mark Williams produced breaks of 90 and 87 in a tie with Stuart Carrington before a 130 to help go two ahead of Ben Woollaston, only for the Leicester native to fight back.
Woollaston took the advantage in the group with a 3-1 win in the penultimate fixture, meaning Williams
MARK WILLIAMS AT MATTOLI ARENA PHOTO BY ZHENG ZHAI
would have to win by three frames in the final group match to progress via frame difference. In pure Mark Williams style, the Welsh Potting Machine crafted a top break of 96 enroute to the 3-0 required and book passage to Wednesday’s decider.
Group H
Martin O’Donnell’s quest for a first career ranking title took a major boost as he topped Group H.
Following a similar trend of draws to Group D, O’Donnell would surrender a two-frame lead in his opener against Matthew Stevens. Brilliant breaks of 138 and 133 against World Championship runner-up Jake Jones contributed to another point taken in the second fixture as the table hung in the balance.
It came down to a crucial colours clearance in the finale frame against Ma Hailong that saw the Welsh Open finalist seize control for the first win in the group setting, Similarly to Table 1, either Jones or Stevens would require a 3-0 victory to leapfrog O’Donnell in the group decider, but another 2-2 draw for the pair ensured the 38-year-old O’Donnell would return for a chance at glory on Wednesday.
The Championship League is the first ranking event of the new season and was won last year by Shaun Murphy. The opening tournament of the season runs until July 3rd. In the first phase, 128 players are split into 32 groups of four, with those 32 group winners going through to the next round.
The tournament takes place over three stages, starting on Monday, 10 June. Winners’ Week will run from Friday 28, June concluding with Finals Day on Wednesday, 3 July. The eventual winner will also receive an invite into the 2024 Champion of Champions this November 11 to November 17 alongside the £20,000 firstplace prize.
Stage 2 culminates on Tuesday, 2nd July, with Welsh Open champion Gary Wilson taking on Ryan Day, Joe O’Connor and David Lilley live on Matchroom.live. Jackson Page, Robbie McGuigan, Alex Ursenbacher, and Michael White fight for the final Stage 3 spot on Table 2.
For details on how to watch, click here
Tight Pockets and the Death of Hero Shots
In 2007, I watched Shane Van Boening perform a shot that stunned everyone as he gambled in Florida. It’s shots like this that we will rarely see if the assault on pocket size continues. Players simply cannot risk a stingy pocket hanging the object ball while creating the magnificent position shots that have defined American pool for five decades.
Players think by tightening the pocket size they are taking sloppy, lucky shots out of the game. They do not realize this is bringing more safeties into the game, and that is bringing even more luck into the game. Mathematics be darned, they do not want their feelings hurt because (gasp) a player hit a ball a little rough! Never mind, players kick safe and often do not do what they wanted to do and still get lucky. No, no, as long as it wasn’t a ball hit a little poorly they can tolerate the lucky safety! Ridiculous.
My opponent hits a ball poorly, and it still goes in: I don’t care, get over it.
I know this allows me to go for more bank shots, more kick shots, more powerful shots, and I love that the pocket is not limiting my arsenal.
Please share this and stop tight pockets from ruining AMERICAN POOL!!
PLAYERS TODAY WOULD NOT DO THIS, but Super Shane did because the pocket was not 3.9.
T oday, we would see a ho-hum safety. Shane elevated and pounded this in!
