I am a bit late to the party, but here is my take on what happened in the Matchroom European Open Final in Fulda. You also asked how I did in the tournament: I lost my first match against Emil André Gangflot 7:9. It was a really intense and close match. I could and should have taken it to hill hill, but I played a poor safety and lost control in the last rack. Because of that, he gained control in the safety exchange and eventually won the rack and the match. Nevertheless, I was still happy with my performance. In my second match against Rob Hart, I played a bit worse, but it was still good enough to win 8:3 and advance to the next round, where I faced Garzia, a player who was unknown to me. I left two or three key shots hanging over the pocket, and he took full advantage, defeating me 8:1 in no time. I just couldn't focus and get into the match. When you're feeling confident, the pockets are very makeable. However, if you miss a couple of shots, it really starts to affect your mindset, and the pockets seem as if you can't sink a single ball anymore. Aside from the tables, playing in a Matchroom event is an entirely different experience. The atmosphere, the players, and the professionalism make you truly cherish it. Unfortunately, I only have one opportunity a year because I am not traveling around the world to participate in tournaments. All of these factors combined make it quite challenging to perform at my best. Nevertheless, the experience has motivated me to work on my game again and compete more. Over the last few months, I haven't been practicing or playing much, and I've even lost some of my passion for the game. This happened because I was solely focused on my KZread channel. Balancing being a pool coach and KZreadr demands so much time that I can't practice, play, and compete as frequently as I'd like. Nonetheless, I am a pool player who strives to improve, so I need to find the right balance. Once again, shoutout to everyone I met there! The next major international tournament will be the Derby City Classic. See you there!

@suoppi

9 ай бұрын

Good job Sharivari! We were rooting you in the matchroom live stream chat. Was fun to follow scores of your games while watching the live action from the official stream. :)

@Sharivari

9 ай бұрын

You guys are awesome!

@PoolProblems

9 ай бұрын

VLOG from tournaments would be cool!

@thisismyoutlet

9 ай бұрын

Should have just cut the 6 and been on the 7 in same pocket

@KVY_MAJOR

9 ай бұрын

​@@thisismyoutlethope to see you on the TV Tables one day

Such a good video, I love all your prep work, and the analysis

Amazing video! Can you also show different approaches to the previous rack where he decided to play the safety with the 2 ball. Can you do like a test/demo how to get position for the 4 ball if he decided to pocket the 2 ball?

Great explanation, thanks for breaking it down so well!

Thanks for the analysis. The trials you made are instructive as to the (high) possibility of the 7-ball being available for continued play (shoot or play safe) byAnton. It was instructive for me, I will model this analysis of other situations that might (would) come up in my own play :-) Your conclusion as to how to play the shot is similar (same) to Darren Appletons's, by the way.

The kid was amazing. The shots on the 3 and the 5 before the 6 were unreal considering the situation. The 3 especially. He jumped up as he stroked it, but still put it in the middle of the pocket and got all the way back up for the 4. I agree with you, all he needed to do was hit the 6 harder. The pool gods are cruel. Rattled that 6 right out on him.

It was heartbreaking but he has nothing to be ashamed of. He played with a lot of heart and David has so much experience in these situations. When Efren Reyes first came on the scene he couldn't buy a tournament. He should be proud of what he accomplished and build on that experience. To get to where he got is remarkable in itself. I think he will win a lot of tournaments before it's over! David deserves all his Wins too, and you really couldn't ask for a nicer better human being! That also applies to both of them. Like the old saying goes you just have to pay your dues and your time will come. He needs to just regroup and think about next time and stay positive. I love your program and your personality. And I wish you areat deal of success, whatever that means to you personally! Peace!!

Billiards is so exciting to me!! Congrats to all the players for making it even to this level!!🎉

I don't have time right now to read all comments, so I don't know if someone already suggested this: Sharivari, please make a video of safety options for this same shot.

Good observation.

Nice analysis. I wonder how successful you might have been with trying to pocket the 6 ball in the side pocket directly.

@ThePrufessa

9 ай бұрын

That's what I was looking at. Just shoot it straight into the pocket with pocket speed let the cue ball roll past the 7.

@vincephan344

9 ай бұрын

I tried it, angle looks easy but very tough to pocket it, kept hitting the corner of pocket and wont drop. Carom shot was the way to go, he just had to hit it with more speed like this guy @@ThePrufessa

@cry_now_laugh_later

9 ай бұрын

That’s a tough cut, especially under the pressure. He should’ve made that carom he might’ve been a bit careless.

@dervish816

9 ай бұрын

If Raga was just trying to pot the 6, I believe he would surely made it. But thats the problem, he was also looking at position for the 7 given the position of the cue ball after his shot.

@henma1

9 ай бұрын

Darren Appleton spoke about that. At home or standard pool hall tables, that would have been a fine idea. However, the tables at the EU Open have very tight pockets. On top of that, it’s hill-hill in the finals, you’re shaking everywhere, the shot is partially blind, and it’s not straight in, so you know that some amount of throw may come into play. The carom is the higher probability shot.

Hey Sharivari I watched this match live and when he got to this shot I thought he was going to cut the six in the side and leave the seven in the same pocket. Thats the way I would have gone.

Should have shown the other route with the 6 in the side as well. Thank you for the analysis!!

If you see clips on how Anton played in this tournament. You could tell he went super agressive

Nice analysis...nagmamadali lang c Raga very exited🥰 Maybe next time may pagkakataon pa laban lang n God bless💖🙏

@Angelo-ix9to

9 ай бұрын

39 seconds per rack lng. Ilang beses na nga sya umabot sa last 5 seconds eh

I think cutting 6 to the side pocket very slowly at pocket speed with some right english and follow is much less risky than any of the combo alternative. At pocket speed cue ball will travel behind the 7 for the same pocket. And the right english would help the 6 ball (which will have a little left english on it) go into the pocket from the cushion.

Love the wall change at 4:42 … 🤣

@Sharivari

9 ай бұрын

Haha, was already waiting for someone to notice :D

Sometimes the struggles is what makes a player better. And win more in the future.

Classic case of trying to do too many things with one shot.

Very good scenario

Can you not shoot the 6 ball to the side pocket directly? Am not sure if the angle is workable though..

Seen so much controversy over this shot, no one is raga, he chose the shot he was most comfortable with. There’s no right or wrong answer in pool, he got to the finals for a reason.

taking a good look on Efren's picture while listening to your video.... lol

Thanks for vindicating Raga's shot decision. A Filipino fan/subscriber here.

@rayb1966

9 ай бұрын

Raga is crooked, he threw it for the big betting money. Wake up if you can’t see it.

@jamesdavis8731

9 ай бұрын

@@rayb1966 How does that tinfoil hat you were every day feel in the hot weather? My goodness.

Again Congrats to my Countryman Anton Raga🎉

I love that he has a picture of Efren Reyes in his wall, the goat.

Poor fella he is gonna remember that one shot and not all the other great shots he made!

Thst shot was so wild that if it was snooker they would be looking at the betting patterns for this game

The bottom english he put on cue ball made the 6 go forward (bottom english on cue transferrs into object ball putting english like hitting top english into it) just a bit which made the miss. If he would of hit same speed with center english or even a half tip of high english above center of cue ball, the 6 still would of went down with how hard he hit and seven still would end up about the same position.

What about hitting the cue ball with low draw english into the 6 ball and not having the 6 ball go off the 7 to the side pocket but clear in the side poster as the cue ball drifts to the right to position for the 7 in the same pocket???

@Sharivari

9 ай бұрын

The shot becomes too missable that way.

I just watched the video and the question was posted in my pool group and our analysis is spot on because my exact response was the same as well as the david alcaide vs kazakis match ! I know i am truly learning

I saw Efren, I press LIKE :)

I was gonna comment on The Goat on your wall, but man, why ja have to cover it? -one of your fans from The Philippines

you have a point there.. for that situation, the best decision is to concentrate on pocketing the 6 and not to worry much on the 7.m 👍

@handpayquester2645

9 ай бұрын

Easier said than done

@totoydevastator8231

8 ай бұрын

@@handpayquester2645 u really just don't get the vlogger's point here. he's not criticizing the player or claiming that he's someone better. He's giving his analysis for everyone to learn coz u don't get to see that kind of shot often

@handpayquester2645

8 ай бұрын

@@totoydevastator8231 I did not say that he criticizes the player, what I meant is you can’t think or execute a shot well when you’re under pressure and not much time left.

Enjoyed it, thank you. I'd have just rolled it into the middle (not off the ball.)

He played great all tournament … definitely made the correct choice on the 6 ball … just didn’t execute … unfortunately it happens

Thats the main Problem,he wanted to control the 7 and the white. With that beeing said for me its simple, just slowly Hit the 6 ball on the side pocket, at least you are controlling 1 ball and not 3 balls

Mee to it really breaks my heart when he failed to make the 6..it ruins all his hardwok.❤

Unrelated but could you please make a video on dealing with performance anxiety? I play decently well on league nights with strangers, but with friends and family I lose the ability to score a straight in shot with ball in hand 2 inches away from the pocket. Completely lose confidence in trying to play position and can’t play at the level I usually do.

@Sharivari

8 ай бұрын

Mental game on KZread is difficult, because it won't be watched a lot. However, I have a couple of videos about that on my Patreon page: patreon.com/Sharivari

I have commented on this shot on a number of videos. A number of my friends and I set this shot up over 50 times. We probably made the shot and had a decent shot on the 7 about 85 to 90 percent of the time. The problem with him missing was NOT the speed he hit the shot at, it was he didn't quite get enough of the 7 ball. This idea, perpetuated by some very good players, that he didn't hit the shot hard enough is just plain wrong. He just barely missed the 7 where he needed to actually hit it. If he hits the 7 about a 1/16 of an inch thicker he makes the shot and almost for sure has at least a decent shot on the seven left.

@Sharivari

9 ай бұрын

Yes, he also hit it a bit too thin. That's why in my recreations I was also aiming thicker on the seven. But you have to keep in mind, the cloth of those tables plays different. So if it works with the soft speed and a thick hit on a regular table from the pool hall, doesn't mean it will also work on the TV table.

@xnoitulos

9 ай бұрын

^^This. Besides trying to control the 7 ball, he hit the 6 dead straight when it needed a little cut on the 6 to hit the 7 in the right spot. I think he avoided this because it would've brought the cue ball close to the rail.

@jamesdavis8731

9 ай бұрын

@@Sharivari I agree the conditions are different and we may not have set up the shot EXACTLY as it was in the match, but we were either dead on or extremely close. When you look at how he hit it - he did not hit it softly. He didn't really thump it, but he didn't totally baby it. When we were recreating the shot the main issue was not the speed (as long as we hit it with decent speed) it was where we hit the seven that mattered. Either way, a tough loss for Raga. My main point is that the shot does not have to be hit really hard in order to make it and by not hitting it REALLY hard the seven can be better controlled. This morning we set it all back up and instead of trying for the carom, we tried the combo and it was actually a bit easier to make the combo and have MUCH easier position on the six. I think many have overlooked the combo part of it. I still think the carom was the best play, for most, but the combo is looking pretty enticing after shooting it this morning.

Make percentage on slow rolling into the center pocket must be at least 80%? Surely?

Is the efren photo on the background edited? It was not there during the middle part of the video. Lol.

@Sharivari

9 ай бұрын

You found an easteregg 😀

Geht die 6 nicht direkt in die Mitteltasche? es scheint so und ich dachte immer, warum nicht direkt spielen damit die weiße Kugel in Tischmitte läuft für Stellunf auf 7...?

@Sharivari

9 ай бұрын

Die Mitteltaschen sind aus dem Winkel sehr, sehr eng. Ich hab selbst auf den Tischen gespielt und hätte mich nie getraut die 6 direkt auf Mitte zu spielen. Lochen ist über den Kiss deutlich garantierter.

of course Raga knows, it's just like shooting penalty in a final and nerves come in.

An other possibility.. he could of done the 6 to 7 combo to sink the 7 then shoot for the 6 again

It's easy to play arm chair quarterback...but I really do not see any scenario where I do not try to roll the 6 into the side pocket. It looks fairly straight forward and the shape is natural for the 7. 🤷🤷

Thank you for the overview. The shot choice was good, just didn’t execute. I would have just shot the 6 into into the side pocket without the carom.

@rayb1966

9 ай бұрын

Without a doubt, if you look at it, it definitely goes in the side clean. It was a sellout for the big betting money and screw the glory and the tiny, in comparison to the side betting action. 🤑

@billpii6314

9 ай бұрын

Yesh it didn't look that hard and where would the 7 end up if the 6 had even gone in?

@Sharivari

9 ай бұрын

Believe me, you don't want to slow roll the six ball into that kind of side pocket. And you don't want to shoot hard either. I've played on those tables myself and have talked with other players about the pockets and especially the side pockets. It's not an option here. The only exception would be if you're close to straight into the side, where you can see the line of aim much better.

@egomana9329

9 ай бұрын

@@rayb1966 isa pang tangang comment. Di lahat kagaya mong mukhang pera 😂

Shoot it clean in the side cue ball goes 3 rails for the 7 in the side

Why not try and kill the cue ball on the 6 and cut it in the center, float out for the 7 same pocket?

Me parese que la bola 6 se podia embocar sola en el bolsillo del medio.

What happened to the Efren Reyes photo on the wall... 🤔😆

I would aimed the 6 in the side and let the cue ball go. If you miss the 6 is behind the 7 with the cue ball on on the long rail, maybe even the short rail. So if you make it 7 in the same pocket. If you miss its safe.

@juliussagusay4262

9 ай бұрын

We have the same analysis… that was the easiest and natural thing to do but Raga decided to “showboat” or make a magical shot (like Efren usually does) . The thing is there’s only one magician in billiards and NO one can ever duplicate what the “GOAT Efren” does!

Raga is a future superstar.

He thought about the next shot too much. Happens from the pros to the beginners. Tough break and hopefully lesson learned.

Of course he didn’t play the right shot- why? Cos he couldn’t control his mind at that key moment as a result his mind was in the future and overthinking things. So therefore not in the zone. This prevented him from thinking clearly as he wasn’t in the moment and that caused him to play a shot differently to what he usually would… the key is being able to hold focus and stay in the zone in these moments. You can do that with the MindShift tool. He also had a chance on the 2.

It's funny to how they jerk up at some shots, defying all good practice on execution, and still hit so much better than anyone else.

@mozhigh

9 ай бұрын

classic pinoy style

@jamesdavis8731

9 ай бұрын

Yes, you would not teach someone to jump up like he does, but it works for him. He is a brilliant shot maker, but maybe this time it cost him.

I’m very confused why you didn’t explain why shooting the 6 into the side straight up wasn’t the better option…because that was the controversy behind this shot.

@Sharivari

8 ай бұрын

Will come with the next video!

Why not sink 6 in middle pocket without touching 7?

Why not roll the 6 in the side without kissing off the seven? It’s a tough cut but you also would be in decent position on the correct side of the 7 for the 8. If you miss the 6, at least you’ll probably leave distance. I’m not nearly as good as you or Raga so maybe I’m missing something.

@csgexec

9 ай бұрын

Sorry. I just read the last comment, which is asking the same thing.

Why not attempt to pocket at the side? It's makeable.

hindi ka nag iisip talaga sa tira 6😭🤕😵😵😭

He'll be even more heartbroken if he sees this video 😅

I just don’t understand why he didn’t hit it harder. Always better to hit harder than softer there’s even a little buffer

Thanks for the upload, 1. The six was slightly higher, because in your setup it cuts into the side easily. 2. All my pinoy friends are convinced that he bet on his loss and threw the match for bigger money, because of the strange safe on 2 ball and then a very trivial miss on the 6 and the more I look the more I tend to believe it :).

@egomana9329

9 ай бұрын

No. 2 point ay para sa utak ng tanga. Di lahat kagaya mo na mukhang pera. 😂

@hyun-kookchoi6349

9 ай бұрын

2. doesn't make sense, because being on the hill he could have won accidentally. If you bet on yourself to lose you don't get on the hill^^

@Krushard

9 ай бұрын

@@hyun-kookchoi6349 Stakes must be higher this way, no? If you just let him lead than you're not a favorite anymore and profits are diminished.

@hyun-kookchoi6349

9 ай бұрын

@@Krushard …hmm no^^ before match, odds were high enough for him winning (around 100 places apart). Plus, hill hill matches in billards tend to book as 1:1 in odds. Well actually I‘m asian too and was rooting for him, but him hustling seems totally unlikely. Especially missing the 6 kiss shot that way (hitting edges of center pocket) would be way way harder than making it regularly. As a player myself you pretty much never can miss that way intentionally. Not going for the pot on the 2 was a mental error.

@jamesdavis8731

9 ай бұрын

well your Pinoy friends are wrong! LMAO. That literally makes no sense. If you are going to throw the match you certainly don't allow yourself to win 12 games and then make two questionable shots. Come on, use some basic common sense. Hilarious.

He didn’t shoot the wrong shot he just hit it too hard

I woulda played the combination or cut it in...any little chalk dust could throw that ball off on a carom...but I dont play at that level, its an easy shot for no money

Anton is way too talented to play a careless shot like that on hill hill.... I'm one of the people who were rooting for him,he just need to relax on shots like that and make sure.

I would’ve just combo’d 7 all the way down. Think long, think wrong. Just cause I have a calculator doesn’t mean I need to use it to figure out what 1+1 is.

So unfortunate raga got straight on the 4 after a tough 3. If there was any shot he needed an angle on, it was the 4

Safety on that shot isn’t to tough to play either. I would’ve played safe and left him kick at it for the 🧀!

The bottom line is Anton showed rookie aggressiveness. He could have played a safety shot.

Coolbeans my friend is doing fine

Shoot 6 in side. If missed nothing there.

@JoeDmode

9 ай бұрын

Really difficult shot to take. Clearance is way too small due to angle, with the 4in holes its way harder, plus pressure and time constraint.. that was still the best option but just poor execution

@shneewawhoo

9 ай бұрын

@@JoeDmode Side pockets aren't 4 inches and will take a lot more than you think. Why complicate an easy shot?

Look at hes face.he very nervous😂😂😂

Would of shot the 6 in the side then then 7 same side... no combo

He should pocket that ball , which he can do it ...

If it went it would have bee the shot of the year. But it didn't.

I think there's nothing wrong for being aggressive missing shots is unexpected anton always doing that shots here in Phi so for anton being rookie in european league and whitewashing Ko Pin Yi with 10-0 with 7 break n run so for us that's outstanding performance and wake up call to the Champs not to take a risk with this guy specially in Money Game😁😁😁 that even some pro player here in Phi playing with him Handicap😁😁😁 except Dennis Orcollo and carlo biado and as per tatay Efren advice to his boys NO GUTS NO GLORY so for Anton d Dragon someday he will become a Champion for sure😊😊😊

Raga did the right choice in shooting the 6 to 7 ball combination, but made the wrong speed.

@jamesdavis8731

9 ай бұрын

The speed was ok. Yes, it could have been harder. But the main thing is hitting a bit more of the seven. If he had hit a bit more of the seven then at the speed he hit it the six would have still gone in.

@dominadorchan8171

9 ай бұрын

@@jamesdavis8731 If you have the background in carom game, you will find that hitting more of the 6 ball at the low speed that Anton Raga applied will cause the object ball to move forward some more. It will not even touch the edge of the side pocket because of the follow effect of the shot.

@jamesdavis8731

9 ай бұрын

@@dominadorchan8171 no. If he hit the ball at the speed he did, but hit a tiny bit more of the seven he would have made the shot. We set this shot up and made it a vast majority of the time without hitting it really hard. The six did not have to travel far. If you see where the six hit the side of the pocket, all it would have taken was a bit more of a hit on the seven ball (a TINY bit fuller) at the same speed and the ball goes in.

@dominadorchan8171

9 ай бұрын

@@jamesdavis8731 I know what I saw and I have my own analysis of the situation so I'm not going to argue with you some more. Even Jeremy Jones and his partner commentator were surprised and commented that Raga did not apply more speed on that particular shot reason why he missed.

@jamesdavis8731

9 ай бұрын

@@dominadorchan8171 It doesn't matter. If the speed was more, yes, it would have gone. But he could have still hit it at the speed he did and make the shot IF IF IF - he hit more of the seven. If you understand caroms then you should know that in this case hitting the seven a bit fuller, at the same speed, would have made the shot. Many people have shown this shot is not hard to make hitting it at the speed he hit it - IF you hit a bit more of the seven. Just because Jeremy Jones says something doesn't make it right. Set the shot up for yourself and see. Raga did not baby the shot, he hit it at decent speed - he just hit it a bit thin. No need to argue more. The point is that if you don't hit that shot really hard you can still make it by hitting more of the seven. That is where Raga most likely made his mistake. He is a very experienced player and I highly doubt he didn't know how hard he should hit it - he just didn't hit enough of the seven.

I also want to give credit to Alcaide, who wasn’t ranked in the top 20. He played a great tournament as well.

Raga only had 30sec to execute 🤷 and you have all the time to practice and analyze that shot he made 🤷 thats it make right.

@Sharivari

7 ай бұрын

Yea .. that's what I said.

right shot. wrong execution. 2 world champions already confirmed this.

I laugh every time when players play a safety and the other player comes back to beat them.

wow another filiino featured in your channel

Not the wrong shot but the wrong execution.

@Gauntlet7575

9 ай бұрын

Not to mention the leave on the 7 ball would just b natural ... use top or center right English and the cue ball should be left in a good position to make the 7

I am going to disagree. At such a high skill level, directly potting 6 in the side, leaves an open table for easy position on the 7. In my opinion he would have had more options.

He should have shot it directly to the pocket

Raga ,like pagulayan. Careless player

Anton did the right decision but there is no luck in balls..

If efren reyes did that shot its very easy man.

All are crying he did sell that out. Lol. Go play in a normal Tournament and reach it to finals. Guess not all of you will reach it. Maybe 2%. So stop criticizing him.

Your re-enactment set up is all wrong. In the match video the side-pocket-7-ball intersects the short rail at 1.7 diamond. In your reenactment you clearly have the side-pocket-7-ball intersecting at 2.3 diamond. A good rule of thumb is 2.0 is makeable but tight, 1.7 is plausibly makeable but likely to miss, and 2.3 is something you shouldn't miss.

@johannregalado8861

5 ай бұрын

I believe he's compensating for the fact that his pockets are bigger, you have to remember matchroom pockets are ridiculously small so instead of setting up the balls using the diamonds he's using his pockets

@l8tbloomer

5 ай бұрын

Considering tournament pockets are tighter then his placement is even worse. He made the non-carom even easier. The shot he made was way way easier than the shot Raga faced. Look at the overheads again.@@johannregalado8861

Careless player

Dami chance anton binanga mn

I am more bothered on the decor changes happened to your wall. It changed 4 times during the entire video.🤣

@Sharivari

8 ай бұрын

Hahaha 😂

😅😅😅 if he made that shot the rank 114 was the champion

He could also play safety, what a legend

1st wow

People lost their money when Raga lost

Why not just cut it in