So far the season has been great. Lots of sets have been played and the level of the competition is once again top notch. Should be an interesting stretch drive and with so many good players involved, unfortunately only the top performers will advance. $40 cash prize is still on the line here in div A. Here is le mid-season report.
Group A
The 3rd most active group. Leading the group is adambuddy with a nice 3-1 score against good players like Jon and Ashton. Second sin-e with a 2-2, not bad. And third Travis with a 2-1 which I think will get better later on this season. Leaving Shaun, Jon and Sergio. Who are not out, they still have a good chance of going in to playoff's but have to at least win the rest of their sets.
Two key sets to watch:
leeds_united14 vs __Trav__ - Trav has a 2-1 score and needs to beat Jon if he wants to secure his spot for playoff's. Jon has a 0-1 score with his only lost being to Adam. Jon needs to win this in order to have a good start in his group if he wants to make playoffs also. This will be a good set to watch since both players are good. Good luck you two.
adambuddy vs shaggymaniac - Adam is off with a 3-1 score, best score in the group leaving him with the lead. Adam will need to win this game to be rank 1 in the group if he wants to get a good seed. Shaun has a 0-1 score and needs to win this since Adam is the leading person. If Shaun loses, he might not have a good chance of making playoffs. Good luck you 2.
Group B
Only a third of the sets have been played so far in this group. Expect that to change pretty soon, as Stu has returned. Also with the addition of Kevin to the group, we should start to see how this group will turn out shortly. The early star in the group is Rocky who has jumped out to a 3-1 start. Besides that, no one is a lock for the playoffs. Ross and Stu are the other players in the group who have points so far. Expect Stu to challenge for first in the group. Scotty started out with a loss but he's definitely a good enough player to turn it around in this group despite the stiff competition. Tan is in a really tough spot but if he can catch fire like days of old there's an outside chance of making the playoffs.
Two key sets to watch:
zl_stu_lz vs sixohtwo - Unfortunately the only way this set will happen is if Kevin hasn't withdrawn before the opportunity arises. If we're talking purely about pool skills then Stu and Kevin are both previous 8brcam winners. Always exciting to see the best players go head to head. The loser in this set will probably still make the playoffs.
xlx_s_p_g_xlx vs sixohtwo - This set could be equally as entertaining as the first one mentioned. These guys don't really have safety in their vocabulary for the most part and that's because they're great runners. Having played both of these guys it's hard to pick. Kevin has titles, but Scotty definitely has what it takes to win here.
Group C
These guys must have been pretty excited about the start of a new season. Here we are, almost two weeks in, and there are only 3 sets remaining to be played. Luis hasn't disappointed so far, as he's clinched the group with a 4-1 record. Pita and Neo have essentially clinched playoff spots with their 3-2 records. All that's left to determine is will there be a wildcard, and who will it be. Dan and Hope are the two with a chance at pulling it off as they sit with 1-2 records after having played the toughest parts of their schedules. Aaron is out of the playoff picture, but he could still somewhat salvage his season by putting some points up.
Two key sets to watch:
dwaechte vs eat_pinaples - These are the two remaining players with a chance at making the playoffs, so it goes without saying this is a little important. Both players have this match and one remaining against Aaron so a win here wouldn't just keep them alive, but it would also not be a wild stretch to pick up a win against Aaron and his 0-3 record. Both players with in the playoffs last season but I have to give Dan the edge to come out alive here.
dwaechte vs ACE2022 - This set is pretty much only key for Dan. Aaron has already bowed out of the playoff race. Hopefully he takes some satisfaction in competing with a good player such as Dan so that we get a pretty good set here. Dan might also see this as being one of his easier sets, which would be a big mistake. Aaron is still a really good player and if Dan isn't doing his thing then there definitely could be a minor upset here.
Group D
Most of the sets have been played in this group but there are several positions up for grabs. Ben is up to his normal tricks, and has jumped out to a 3-0 record to lead the group. Fair to say his toughest two sets are remaining, but he's essentially in the playoffs already with 9 points. Second place, for now, goes to Roy. He's only got a higher point total because of his bonus point and he'll be hoping that'll somehow hold on to be good enough for playoffs. Derrick and Mike are both sitting on 6 points with sets remaining. David has a win, and still has a little hope if he can step his game up in his last two sets. Daz hasn't had any success at all so far, and is out of the playoffs at an 0-4 record.
Two key sets to watch:
fhm_champion vs SupaSolid - This should be a pretty good set. Hoping that Mike shows up with his normal form because if he's not running well against Ben then it might not be such a good set. Huge contrast in styles here. Ben can definitely shoot as well as most in div A, but his patience is hard to overcome. Both players will need to gauge their aggressiveness and make their moves at the right time.
l3_lvl_x vs poolist - Well apparently Derrick doesn't need much time to warm up. Hadn't seen him in a while but he's off to a 2-0 start. David doesn't really have a bad loss, but he's definitely in a hole at 1-2. His other set comes against Daz but he'll definitely sleep easier if he can beat Derrick. Last time these two met a couple seasons back and David actually did win. Should be a close set because both of these guys can seriously shoot.
Group E
This group is currently tied in last place as far as activity with only 4 sets having been played. JT is having his best season ever in the competition and is off to a great 3-0 start. The other win in the group is owned by Jordy who had a nice win against Conor. Conor is no longer in the group, but he's replaced by another shark in last season's champ Ant. Ant has won the competition more than anyone with 3 titles, so I don't see him having too much trouble in overcoming that 0-1 start. Niks and Stephen both picked up losses against JT and are very much still alive. Sukio is currently on an extension and should join the fray soon.
Two key sets to watch:
_Sugarhigh__ vs good-faith - JT has been a pleasant surprise so far this season. He won't have to stress over the playoffs this time around as he's already sitting on 9 points. But how good is he really playing? Great way to test that is to get in the ring with Ant. Ant will definitely be the favourite in this set but it'll be interesting to see if JT can give him a test or maybe even pull out a win.
xlx_skill_xlx vs stephenb_ - Two players who have 7 sets left to play between them. This should be one of the important ones as the second loss always puts a little more pressure on. Both guys seem to always do enough to make the playoffs in every competition. Stephen is probably under a little more pressure in this set because he still has to play Ant. Only reason I give Stephen the edge is because this should be his most important set. He should show up on form.
Group F
This group is very undetermined. Half the sets have been played, but only one player has more than a win to their name. Irfan is currently leading the group at 9 points with a 3-1 record. He still has to play Chris, so it's very possible that he'll relinquish the lead in this group. Preseason the favourite to win this group would have been Chris and he hasn't done anything to change that yet with a 1-0 start. Dan, Uriel and Andy are sitting on identical 1-1 records and they all have a pretty even chance of making a move from there. Cam is technically sitting in second place with 4 points, but he's finished all his sets and there's no way he'll move on to playoffs.
Two key sets to watch:
master vs mr_camtasia - Irfan is once again showing that he belongs among the contenders in div A. Returning to the competition after a little time off he's started out with a nice 3-1 record. A win here would grab him a high playoff seed but he's facing Chris. Chris pretty much never loses sets in this competition. He's only ever lost once in the playoffs before and usually goes undefeated in the groups. If it was anyone else, I might give Irfan a chance but this is Mr Camtasia.
HolyWarrior_ vs PRO_BOY - These guys were both in the playoffs last season and will be looking to avoid a second loss in this matchup. Both players also have to play Chris still, which makes it all the more important. Last season Andy beat Uriel in the group stage, in a close 5-4 score. Both these guys are really strong player but it's fair to say the loser will be on the ropes. Hopefully Andy and Uriel come with their A game.
Group G
The other group in the tie for last place in activity! Not something that I celebrate, personally, but something needs to be said. Brent is out to an early lead with a 2-0 record. Nice comeback season for him after he's tanked in the last couple. Still needs that 3rd win but you can't argue with that record. Dante is also looking to be in good position with his 1-0 record. Kevin (Kevins_Yahoo), started out with a great win against Alex, but since then he lost the next two and sits at 1-2. No one expected Alex to be at 0-2, but his game hasn't been on form so far this season. Kevin Cheng is one of the two new players to the group. He's a former 8brcam champ as well as being a former finalist in this competition in 2010, which makes him an instant contender for 1st place. Rich has also been added to this group. Not exactly sure that I've ever seen him in div A before but he does well enough in div B.
Two key sets to watch:
x_mirotic_x vs x_i_am_me_x - A matchup between two of the most talented players in the game. Obviously this is a must win for Alex with him being at 0-2. If Alex is going to come back from that hole then this is a must win. Not exactly the easiest challenge with a former 8brcam champ in the way. Both of these guys are prone to having their off days but expect to see some very good pool here.
_dante vs sykology - Dante and Brent are undefeated at this point. They haven't wrapped up playoff spots just yet but zero losses is a good way to start. This won't be the make of break set but obviously a win makes things a little easier. Brent is a little more of a surprise sitting at 2-0 while Dante is coming off his best cam comp performance where he made it to the 8brcam finals. Brent doesn't back down from any challenges, so should be interesting to see if he can keep this mini-run going.
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