When Snooker ruled the roost in Thailand

[ThaiCitizen]

I used to go to the Thailand Masters re the mid 90’s in the Novotel when I remember James Wattana winning it.

Coming from Scotland, they all knew Steve Davis, I have a great photo of us both but not posting it.

He was a boring, unfriendly guy unlike Tony Drago and Jimmy White were a real crack and we got drunk together  and some interesting stories there that I could sued for. LB’s and Charlie.

Wattana was so big here, I assumed that Chaeng Wattana was named after him. Then his father got shot!

[ThaiCitizen]

Stephen Hendry I mean!

[Stupooey]

"There are only three sports - hunting, shooting and fishing. Everything else is just games".  Anon

[Andrew Dwyer]

Joe Johnson was a surprise winner in 1986 , and coming from my hometown was a big hit with the locals.

Rumour has it that he had his winning final copied on video tape but his son taped He-man over it !! [emoji23]

[Moonlover]

2 hours ago, possum1931 said:

You mean an overmuscled monkeyman Trans.

No Possum. Sorry but you're off the mark again. Eddie Charlton was not only a professional snooker player, he was also a champion surfer, a good cricket player and hey, guess what, a senior grade footballer! Right up your street wouldn't you say?

[Andrew Dwyer]

Ray Reardon was the one I was trying to remember...... nickname Dracula !!

[SiSePuede419]

4 hours ago, transam said:

Think some folk don't understand how difficult the game/sport is because they have never played it...Just think whacking balls around....WRONG...

My dad owned a bar and I would play billards there on the day we cleaned the joint.  I was probably 12 years old.  

 

Difficult?  I wouldn't call something a 12 year old can do difficult.  Doing brain surgery or designing a computer chip is difficult.  12 year olds can't do those things. ?

[Andrew Dwyer]

My dad owned a bar and I would play billards there on the day we cleaned the joint.  I was probably 12 years old.  
 
Difficult?  I wouldn't call something a 12 year old can do difficult.  Doing brain surgery or designing a computer chip is difficult.  12 year olds can't do those things. [emoji16]

Sure you weren't playing Carambola das tres bandas ?
I played it once and after about 3 games ( and 3 great losses ! ) I still didn't have a clue how to play it !

[bannork]

6 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Sure you weren't playing Carambola das tres bandas ?
I played it once and after about 3 games ( and 3 great losses ! ) I still didn't have a clue how to play it !

A full size snooker table is a million miles away from a pub sized one.

[Andrew Dwyer]

A full size snooker table is a million miles away from a pub sized one.

Was I disputing that ?

[bannork]

2 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Was I disputing that ?

Sorry Andrew,, my comment was aimed at Si Se Puede419 , my error.

[MyFriend You]

9 hours ago, champers said:

Sorry to disagree Possum, but nearly all the top professionals are fit and train to stay that way. There is a very good living to be made at the top of the game and the overweight, heavy drinkers and smokers are mostly a thing of the past. 

That said, a sport played whilst wearing a suit doesn't really seem like a sport to some people. I would say it is more of a sport than darts, which may not be saying much.

He's got Snooker mixed up with 8 Ball in any Nana Bar with a pool table - played after a half dozen beers, under rules not known anywhere on the planet 'cept Thailand.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Sorry Andrew,, my comment was aimed at Si Se Puede419 , my error.

Ok , I apologise for reacting with hostility, something I learned from TV [emoji51]

[bannork]

1 minute ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Ok , I apologise for reacting with hostility, something I learned from TV

You weren't hostile by any means,.

On this thread all any of us can ask for is a break.

Preferably of 144 points.

[Andrew Dwyer]

You weren't hostile by any means,.
On this thread all any of us can ask for is a break.
Preferably of 144 points.

Maybe you mean 147 ?

Although, I admit I googled that number before writing this and was surprised to read that the actual max break is 155 , never been done in a recognised ( professional ) competition , up to now max is 148 .

155 is achieved if you are snookered on all 15 reds you are awarded a free ball which means you can pot a further black and red ( 8 more points).

I think my max break is 18 on a snooker table ☹️

I'm better at snooker on my iPad though [emoji51]

[Grubster]

9 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Would you like to add dominoes and cards, then there's a game of Snakes and Ladders. You want to describe them as sports?.

Snooker requires nerves of steel and most of all extremely good eye hand coordination, little different than cards. What about Bowling, shooting, Archery? Sports, maybe not, I don't know.

[champers]

2 hours ago, Grubster said:

Snooker requires nerves of steel and most of all extremely good eye hand coordination, little different than cards. What about Bowling, shooting, Archery? Sports, maybe not, I don't know.

Archery and shooting are in the Olympics. Bowls is in the Commonwealth games (flat green lawn bowls).

[Grubster]

4 minutes ago, champers said:

Archery and shooting are in the Olympics. Bowls is in the Commonwealth games (flat green lawn bowls).

Very true, do you need to be athletic to pull a trigger?

[transam]

11 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

My dad owned a bar and I would play billards there on the day we cleaned the joint.  I was probably 12 years old.  

 

Difficult?  I wouldn't call something a 12 year old can do difficult.  Doing brain surgery or designing a computer chip is difficult.  12 year olds can't do those things. ?

If it is that easy, and zillions of folk worldwide play it, how come the same players stay at the top of the tree for years until their special touch declines....?

[Moonlover]

18 hours ago, transam said:

Plus Bill Werbeniuk..

Well, I will hand this one to Possum. If he was basing his image regarding snooker on this guy, or one similar, he'd have found the perfect role model!

 

'Big Bill' drank six pints before each match and one pint per frame during the match! He once claimed that he'd managed to claim the cost of the pre-match drinks as a 'tax deductible expense' because it helped to calm his nerves!

 

Long story short, career end in 1991, went bankrupt, died of heart failure in 2003 aged 56! Don't go there folks.

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2017 by Moonlover

[transam]

3 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Well, I will hand this one to Possum. If he was basing his image regarding snooker on this guy, or one similar, he'd have found the perfect role model!

 

Six pints before each match and one pint per frame during the match! He once claimed that he'd managed to claim the cost of the pre-match drinks as a 'tax deductible expense' because it helped to calm his nerves!

 

Long story short, career end in 1991, went bankrupt, died of heart failure in 2003 aged 56! Don't go there folks.

 

 

 

Anyone can go bankrupt, and a tea teatotaler can pop off at 56...

[Moonlover]

2 hours ago, transam said:

Anyone can go bankrupt, and a tea teatotaler can pop off at 56...

I think the modern term is a 'risk assessment' transam. Or more commonly, 'You pays your money, you take your chances'.

 

Me, I tend to ere on the side of safety nowadays. I don't think 'Big Bill' ever did.

 

Anyway, each to his own eh.

[transam]

3 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

I think the modern term is a 'risk assessment' transam. Or more commonly, 'You pays your money, you take your chances'.

 

Me, I tend to ere on the side of safety nowadays. I don't think 'Big Bill' ever did.

 

Anyway, each to his own eh.

My ex UK wife took care of me losing my "planned" future...

[Andrew Dwyer]

Snooker in the eighties was a little boring, Steve Davis ruling the roost ( a bit like Schumacher's run at F1 ), Terry Griffiths and Dennis Taylor falling asleep at the table !!

But then you had the excitement of whether Alex Higgins was going to throw it all away on one risky shot or Jimmy White was going to trip up over his shoelaces running round the table !!
Or John Virgo breaking the monotony with a couple of impressions of his colleagues.
Or whether Bill Werbinek was gonna down his pint in one !

Haven't watched snooker for years now but get the impression there's not too many characters in the game these days ?

[StreetCowboy]

14 hours ago, transam said:

If it is that easy, and zillions of folk worldwide play it, how come the same players stay at the top of the tree for years until their special touch declines....?

Brain surgery's not difficult.  Successful brain surgery is difficult.

[StreetCowboy]

On 3/12/2017 at 10:08 PM, Andrew Dwyer said:

Maybe you mean 147 ?

Although, I admit I googled that number before writing this and was surprised to read that the actual max break is 155 , never been done in a recognised ( professional ) competition , up to now max is 148 .

155 is achieved if you are snookered on all 15 reds you are awarded a free ball which means you can pot a further black and red ( 8 more points).

I think my max break is 18 on a snooker table ☹️

I'm better at snooker on my iPad though

How do you pot a further red? Surely there's only so many reds and they are not respotted?  Or do you get a "free ball" and pot any ball as a red, that ball then being respotted?

 

SC

[Andrew Dwyer]

How do you pot a further red? Surely there's only so many reds and they are not respotted?  Or do you get a "free ball" and pot any ball as a red, that ball then being respotted?

 

SC

Sorry I didn't explain it all that well.

If you are snookered on all 15 reds you get a free ball and can pot any ball which counts as a red ( so a green, yellow, pink etc all count 1 point) , that ball is then respotted and you go for a colour ( I.e. Black for 7 points) then continue with the 15 reds and colours as normal, therefore an additional 8 points is available to make 155.

So , yes you were right !

Needless to say not easy ! [emoji51]

[StreetCowboy]

3 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Sorry I didn't explain it all that well.

If you are snookered on all 15 reds you get a free ball and can pot any ball which counts as a red ( so a green, yellow, pink etc all count 1 point) , that ball is then respotted and you go for a colour ( I.e. Black for 7 points) then continue with the 15 reds and colours as normal, therefore an additional 8 points is available to make 155.

So , yes you were right !

Needless to say not easy !

The hardest part would be getting snookered on 15 reds.

[StreetCowboy]

Just now, StreetCowboy said:

The hardest part would be getting snookered on 15 reds.

Bytheway, Poolwise, I've found that most pubs in Thailand play "quick pub" rules.  Two shots on any foul, two shots carry, free ball on a foul, any pocket for the black, foul on the black loses.

 

That's the norm, when you pay by the game, winner stays on, in my experience.  It's always worth clarifying before the break, though

 

SC

[Andrew Dwyer]

The hardest part would be getting snookered on 15 reds.

Thinking about it, that's exactly what they are trying to do on the opening shots by brushing lightly against the reds so as not to disturb them and leave the white tight up behind the yellow, green or brown.

I would either miss all the reds or break open the pack leaving my opponent a head start !

Think I'll stick to snooker on the iPad ![emoji51]