TAR Efren vs Shane One Pocket

iusedtoberich

Verified Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2004
Messages
146
Efren played very well in the 8 ball. I think he played better than Shane, after the break.

One pocket should be a great match, especially if Efren shoots well again.
 

NH Steve

Administrator
Joined
Apr 25, 2004
Messages
12,281
From
New Hampshire
Efren played very well in the 8 ball. I think he played better than Shane, after the break.

One pocket should be a great match, especially if Efren shoots well again.
I agree -- Efren's break was way down from Shane's. Shane blasted the balls and they scattered everywhere, usually making one or two balls. Who ever shot after Shane's break might have run out every time. Efren used variations of the side-of-the-stack break and tended to bunch up balls along the rail on the side he broke from.

Efren was moving really well; he put on a few vintage Efren intricate run outs, where he had to constantly bump open balls.

I think he will play well in the One Pocket. He has been playing since a little before the "Make it Happen" event and this is a nice long race to 11. I'm looking forward to this for sure. I only went with the standard stream but I might try to upgrade to the HD for the One Pocket. I believe it is only 15/18 bucks a day depending on standard stream vs HD stream.
 

NH Steve

Administrator
Joined
Apr 25, 2004
Messages
12,281
From
New Hampshire
PS I did not sit and watch the entire 8-ball portion, but did either player ever attempt any safety?? I know at one point Efren masse'd a cut into the side pocket that was a phenomenal shot. I don't believe I saw any safeties. Both players missed now and then, with their focus apparently shifting a little too much to the cue ball. There was talk of "skidding" in the booth, but I did not see anything that looked like a skid.

We'll see some safeties tonight, lol!!
 

iusedtoberich

Verified Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2004
Messages
146
PS I did not sit and watch the entire 8-ball portion, but did either player ever attempt any safety?? I know at one point Efren masse'd a cut into the side pocket that was a phenomenal shot. I don't believe I saw any safeties. Both players missed now and then, with their focus apparently shifting a little too much to the cue ball. There was talk of "skidding" in the booth, but I did not see anything that looked like a skid.

We'll see some safeties tonight, lol!!

I think there was exactly one safety the whole match. I recall ken saying "and here is our first safety". This happened well into the match. I could have easily missed one after that, but in any case, at least 1 for sure, probably not many more after that.
 

NH Steve

Administrator
Joined
Apr 25, 2004
Messages
12,281
From
New Hampshire
Efren squeeked out hill-hill 11-10 in the One Pocket -- couldn't be much closer on this match!

There was some great One Pocket here, but I am also reminded of the saying, "Who makes the last mistake, loses" because there was a bit of that throughout this match.

The only weak part of this presentation frankly was the commentary, because neither commentator (Ken Schuman the TD and Bobby Cotton Leblanc) go very deep in their One Pocket thinking. Bobby was way overly obsessed with the fact that he had a bet on Efren on the match and it bordered on ridiculous how much he fretted over his bet when the momentum shifted to Shane here and there through the match.

But Efren still had some magic here and who knows how many more times we will see this kind of anywhere "near peak" Efren. We will certainly be seeing a lot more of Shane's One Pocket. Shane was very clear during the TAR "podcast" prior to this match about how much he likes One Pocket, and you just know he is going to keep working and working at it.
 

lfigueroa

Verified Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2004
Messages
2,493
A pretty amazing match all the way around.

Efren has so much knowledge and experience you just know he knows the right thing to do even though you can't always understand why he's doing it. Shane shot a good number of highly creative shots and really stretched what is conventionally done in many situations. You had some great safety play in the opening game, and some hyper-offensive play and great runouts in the mid and end games. I know I learned several shots that I'll be practicing next week.

It was also a good match because both players got a little weak at one point or another and it wasn't like watching two robots play, so that made it interesting too.

I thought the commentary was fine and Bobby didn't cross any imagined line rooting too strongly for one player or the other. He was just so into the match that I think he was rooting for whomever was at the table. It's was actually kinda funny to hear him sweat it. Having said that, I think for the aficionados, the commentary could have been a bit more sophisticated in terms of analyzing the layouts and possibilities, and when one of the players was getting a little too "jiggy with it." But for most viewers I think it was OK.

So, all-in-all, a tremendous match. I don't usually sit at a computer and watch pool, but we came home early and I asked me wife if I could watch instead of watching TV with her and, bless her heart, she said it was cool and thanked me for asking.

If you love or even just like 1pocket, this would be a match to see.

Lou Figueroa
 

NH Steve

Administrator
Joined
Apr 25, 2004
Messages
12,281
From
New Hampshire
I just watched the last few games that I missed when they were live last night (past my bedtime, lol). Shane got to the hill first at 10-8 and from there he had to miss several balls that made you just shake your head, plus at one point he had a totally unforced pocket scratch in the middle of running out the match. All that had to happen for Efren to sneak back in for the win.

Tonight they wrap up the all-around challenge with 10-ball. Efren still runs balls very well, and very creatively, but his break is so weak compared to Shane's I don't give Efren much chance -- probably results end up something like the 8-ball portion did, for the same reason.
 

Fatboy

Verified Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2007
Messages
678
From
Vegas & LA
No knock on SVB, but I think if they played 3-4 hours a day over a week Efren wins. He clearly gets tired and SVB dont, look at the session Efren was way up, and "Got Lucky" to win double hill. then the 10B Efren was drilling him until he ran out of gas, Its age. I dont think SVB is the player Efren is, he might be someday and is the best we got now, but if they played short sessions everyday until what ever race was established Efren still gets therer first, After 4 hours SVB drills him.
 
Top