Efren, Cliff & Scott

[Trebor]

Respectively ....

Let's hypothetically say they were each in their 1P primes. Would any of them have the nuts against Tony Chohan of today? I don't think so. I think it would be gambling, especially with Scott & Cliff. Efren with is advanced knowledge of caroms and kicks could very well be a 8/7 favorite but even that is up for debate, imho!

Tony has a gear that is scary and something we haven't seen since Ronnie Allen.

 

[jrhendy]

Respectively ....

Let's hypothetically say they were each in their 1P primes. Would any of them have the nuts against Tony Chohan of today? I don't think so. I think it would be gambling, especially with Scott & Cliff. Efren with is advanced knowledge of caroms and kicks could very well be a 8/7 favorite but even that is up for debate, imho!

Tony has a gear that is scary and something we haven't seen since Ronnie Allen.

He also has something else that Ronnie had that got opponents on tilt. A disdain and lack of respect for whoever he is playing against, and he shows it in his demeanor at the table.

He showed it against SVB at CA Billiards and it affected Shane and he missed some key opportunities. He might not have won with the barrage Tony put on him anyway, but he was visibly upset. I don’t think Tony can get away with it against Dennis. We will see this week.

 

[jtompilot]

I don’t think Tony could beat Efren in his prime. IMO Tony is a little careless at times and just wasn’t punished for it in California.

 

[baby huey]

Efren had and has game. Alex, Dennis and Tony IMO would be underdogs to Efren. Of the three Dennis IMO, would have the least chance to beat Efren. It would be a toss up between Tony and Alex as to which could beat Efren in his prime. Their moving capabilities match Efren for the most part. If the balls got up table, Tony would be the favorite. I do not put Scott in this mix as I feel he comes up short on offense.

 

[cincy_kid]

I must say, the one hole Tony played in the WCS was pretty mind blowing, untouchable stuff, so his game went up a lot for me personally. I always had him pegged in the top 5, but now he is in my top 3 for sure (with Alex and Dennis). Obviously if he played like he did in Fremont, he would be #1 because no one could beat him if that was his game 100% of the time.

However, consistency is king, so we will have to see how he does against Dennis this time and in some upcoming tourneys. I hope he continues to do well because it is nice to have another top contender in the mix for our favorite game!

That being said I do not think anyone could beat the Magician in his prime.

 

[sneakynito]

However, consistency is king, so we will have to see how he does against Dennis this time

I don’t think Tony can get away with it against Dennis. We will see this week.

This week? Did i miss something?
Did they finally schedule the Dennis/Tony rematch?

 

[lll]

This week? Did i miss something?
Did they finally schedule the Dennis/Tony rematch?

......me too

 

[lll]

for food for thought
when tony played dennis the first time
he made incredible ie high risk high/ reward shots and won
when he played dennis the second time
those incredible shots were not going in and he lost

 

[cincy_kid]

I thought I had heard on the stream in the WCS that it was coming up but maybe I misunderstood.

 

[Jimmy B]

Think the Freezer ICe House Challenge is starting today....

 

[jrhendy]

This week? Did i miss something?
Did they finally schedule the Dennis/Tony rematch?

I believe they are both at Freezers and the one pocket starts today. Free stream by POV.

 

[jtompilot]

for food for thought
when tony played dennis the first time
he made incredible ie high risk high/ reward shots and won
when he played dennis the second time
those incredible shots were not going in and he lost

That’s also how he lost to Justin Hall at Buffallos. Tony’s banks just stopped going in the hole. He was up 4-2 and the bank closed.

 

[Henry]

No one has to beat Tony simply because he is fearless. He is no fear of losing or going broke. He is the favorite against anyone to make the really tough shot under pressure. And that is what one pocket really comes down to at that level. Tony might miss and the banks might stop going but he never dogs it and everyone else does. Tony bets his own he told a good friend of mine the first time he played Dennis he was all in he had partners and backers but he put up everything he had. Does Tony play one pocket better than all these guys? Probably not but he will win most of the time. The bigger the bet the more I like Tony. He is the kind of guy when you match up with him and you ask him for the nuts he makes you bet so high he has the nuts. There are not many fearless humans but Tony is one of them.

 

[baby huey]

Henry, good post. I think you got it right.

 

[LSJohn]

There are not many fearless humans but Tony is one of them.

When Cliff had his stroke in West Monroe at the Scotty Townsend Memorial Tournament, Tony was in conversation with several of the other pros and said, "Pool ain't shit." In the moment I assumed that he meant: compared to Cliff's recovery, etc. But I heard him later expand on that and he said, "Pool isn't who I am, it's just a game I play."

All of this to say I think Tony doesn't feel the pressure that some, maybe most, do.

We all care about the money if it gets big enough, but some of us, especially the ones who have put pool at the center of their lives, care more about winning and losing than about winning and losing money.

Tony seems to be on the other end of that.