Super Cup Day 3+4

Sorry, could not update last night. Wasn't much positive to report from my point of view anyways. I lost both matches to Chang and Morris and finished 6th in my group.

The Chang match on table one went back and forth. Ultimately I never got a shot after the break and that kept me from getting into a rythmn.

Rodney and I actually fought a nice battle. We both made some great outs with quiet some trickshots and he deserved to beat me. Rodney qualified for the quarterfinal but wasn't lucky at all in his match against Roberto Gomez and finished 5th.

Gomez went on to beat Fu double hill after Fu scratched on the break at 6:6 and is now waiting for his opponent in the final.

On the other side Ko Pin-Yi is slaughtering everybody. I witnessed the last rack against Wu Chia-Ching when Ko kicked a ball in, cut the next, then jumped, cut the eight and banked the nine in to win the match.

The semi final between Yang and Ko was a thriller. Ko ran rack after rack to climb the hill first with 6:2 and then missed a shot. Now it was all Yang catching up to 5:6.

I am sitting in my room and watching the rest of the match live on tv even though you won't notice by reading this...

Yang broke, made a ball, but the cueball and the 2-Ball ended up very close to each other. The only shot was a super tricky 2-9 combination and Yang missed. Ko came with some terrific shots, I mean brilliant shots and ran out the game !

Roberto Gomez and Ko Pin-Yi for the crowne !

Super Cup Day 2 (12.29.07)

For me Day number two was the reverse of day number one. I started with a fantastic match against Jeff De Luna from the Philippines. I closed the match with five break and runs 7:1.

Table two seems top break very easily. The corner ball went in every single time that I broke and the one ball travelled three rails in ideal position for the cueball which I controlled near the center of the table. But it wasn't only me running racks. Every match on table two that I watched - the same story - one break and run after another...



I was looking forward to play Wu Chia Ching again. I haven't beaten him in a long time but I guess I have to wait for my next chance to come. 3:0 for me when the match completely slipped away. I made a bunch of mistakes and he capitalized. It wasn't the best match from the both of us - final result: 4:7 for the youngster from Taiwan.

Our group is a tough call. Only Wu hasn't lost yet, the rest has 3:1 or 2:2 records. Tomorrow will decide who advances into the quarterfinals on monday.

I still have Chang Jung-Lin and Rodney Morris left to play. Jung-Lin stands 2:2, Rodney stands 3:1, it's going to be a nailbiter...

Finally !!! For general amusement here the link to the dance performance of Wu Chia Ching and Ko Pin-Yi

Wu - Ko DanceShow

And here is another one. The video that was made as an introduction for the SuperCup. I don't understand Mandarin, but I think they are making fun of the foreigners. Very funny ! Have to mention that all actors in this video are Taiwanese pro pool players.

SuperCup Clip

Let me know how you like it !

Super Cup Day 1 (12.28.07)

Day one finshed with a happy end for me. But let me start from the beginning...

It was me versus Fu Che Wei from Taiwan to start off the tournament as the first match of the day. Unfortunately it was all Fu and not me to correct my statement. I had my chance in the first rack after breaking the balls. I made a tricky combination but got hooked at the same time. I kicked, but left him a shot. 0:1 Next rack he came dry on the break but I missed an easy 5-Ball. 0:2 After that it was all Fu. 0:7 - have a nice day...

My second match of the day was also the last match of day number one against Japanese Hayato Hijikata. Hijikata had lost his first match 6:7, also to Fu Che-Wei so we both needed the win badly.

I started out great by running some racks and achieving a comfortable 5:0 lead. Maybe I didn't focus enough when I played the 3-Ball off the 8-Ball to clear the path for the 7-Ball. My draw came to short for position on the 4-Ball and I ended up losing that rack. The momentum shifted and I saw Hijikata with his powerbreak climbing all the way to the hill 5:6 but then he didn't make a ball on his sledgehammer-break. I ran the rack and finished the game with a 9-Ball on the break. Lucky me...

It's unbelievable how a game can swing from one side to the other. Back and forth...

The winner break race to 7 format is brutal. Especially on those kinda big pocket tables. I saw so many players stringing four and five-packs together today, it's ridiculous.

Afterwards I went to the local poolroom with Marcus and Rodney and I was introduced to a cool (for me) new game. It was Wu Chia Ching, Fu Che-Wei and Lu Hui-Chan playing the following carom-game on a pool table...

There are four balls on the table. The cueball, the yellow 1-Ball, the red 3-Ball and the red-striped 11-Ball.

First you gotta make a carom with the yellow and one of the red balls.
If accomplished you need next a carom with the two red balls.
And then you need to hit all three balls with one shot.
Only three good shots in a row would bring one point !

Let me give you an easy example how you could score (use the page arrow to see all 3 pages)...



Here some more of my Taiwanese pool images...



It's late already. Gotta go to sleep. Next opponents for me later today are Jeff De Luna and Wu Chia Ching. Stay tuned...

Super Cup

This years Super Cup takes place from December 28th till December 31th in Taoyuan / Taiwan. Taoyuan is approximately 45 minutes carride from capital Taipei City. 14 players from around the globe have been invited to compete at the TaiMall, one of the countless malls here in Taiwan.

I arrived in Taoyuan on the 26th after spending Christmas with my parents and family in my home city Fulda in Germany. It had been more than seven month without seeing my family and friends, so I was happy to get at least a few days to hang out with them. But job was calling...

I found out that there are over 4000 !!! poolrooms in Taiwan. There must be more than 60 000 pool tables in this country. No wonder Taiwanese players are the most feared competators in the world of pool...

The Super Cup started with a playermeeting and a press conference. Highlight no doubt was the dance performance of Wu Chia Ching and Ko Pin-Yi. I took a video, will try to upload it when I have a better connection. The two World Champions dancing with there cues on the stage to funky music - hillarious !





Let me list the invited players. Here we go:

Group A

Chang Jung Lin (Taiwan)
Thorsten Hohmann (Germany)
Wu Chia Ching (Taiwan)
Jeff De Luna (Philippines)
Rodney Morris (USA)
Fu Che Wei (Taiwan)
Hayato Hijikata (Japan)

Group B

Yang Ching Shun (Taiwan) defending champion
Lu Hui Chan (Taiwan) replaced Shane van Boening (got stuck in bad weather in US)
Ralf Souquet (Germany)
Roberto Gomez (Philippines)
Kuo Po Cheng (Taiwan)
Marcus Chamat (Sweden)
Ko Pin-Yi (Taiwan)



We are playing 9-Ball, race to seven, winner breaks. Two groups, round robin, the second and third place finisher of each group is qualified for the quarter final. The winner of each group is automatically seeded for the semi final...

My first match in on the 28th at Noon Taiwanese time against Fu Che Wei. All matches live on Taiwanese television. Keep your fingers crossed...

Steve Mizerak Championship

I made my decision to go to Hollywood and participate in the Steve Mizerak Championship, the final tournament of the Seminole Florida Pro Tour only two days prior to the event. I had long skype conversations with Mika whether we should go or not. I finally found a good deal, a straight flight for a reasonable price. I also convinced Mika to give it a shot. Interestingly he was the one to kick me out of the tournament....he should buy me dinner at least now that I think about it...

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is one of the most beautiful hotels I have stayed in. Located only 15minutes away from the Fort Lauderdale airport and 30 minutes from Miami beach. We had 83degrees Fahrenheit and I am looking back with a tear in my eye writing these lines...30degrees in New York City right now. I am freezing my butt off...

The arena, the Hard Rock Live hall with plenty of seating and 16 Diamond tables, a perfect venue for such an event. I wish more speactators would have shown up. I guess thats the major problem in pool. The organizers even provided the players with a nice lounge, comfortable chairs, free soda's and snacks.

The evening before the tournament there was a charity event with some sport celebrities. I could not make it but I heard it was nice and the Seminole's must have spent a lot of money on the buffet...

Stroke it ! Check out Tony's and Natalie's store !

The tournament was handled well by Kevin Pickard and Brenna Mello. The game was 10-Ball, race to 8, winner breaks.

I had a bye in the first round and then Angelina Paglia for my second match. I played horrible and she was supposed to beat me but I came through at the end. There were a bunch of girls participating and the Seminole's had added bonus money for the three best women finishers.

After another victory I had to face Mika next. I played well and beat him 8:4. My next match was with Nathan Rose and he didn't show up at first. Someone told him the wrong time so I was waiting for him to arrive. We started late, it wasn't my best match but I succeeded.

Final four on the winner side - wow - it has been a long time...

And then when I was just about to say: "Tap tap Thorsten. I am proud of you." - I dogged it.

I was having some problems with the tip of my cue and being too concerned I missed an easy 9-Ball in the first rack against Rodney. He cleared and ran the next three - score 0:4...

I made a good comeback with three runs on my side - score 4:4...

The match went back and forth with some mistakes on both sides. Rodney was the first to reach the hill but left me a shot. I cleared but came dry on the break at 7:7.

Twice Rodney missed position, at last he hooked himself, kicked but left me a shot at the 7-Ball. It was almost straight in with the cueball almost frozen to the rail. I was limited in my cueball control, made the 7-Ball, just passed the 8-Ball and ended up pretty straight on the 8-Ball with less than a chalk width distance (use page arrow to view 2 pages).



Usually the German pope would have made this shot with his scepter on one leg standing, singing a psalm in latin. But I rushed into the shot, happy that I wasn't tight up with the 8-Ball and.....fouled, by not even driving the ball to a rail.

Frustrated I conceded the match to Rodney, who thankful ended up winning the tournament...

In my last match I couldnt bounce back and saw Mika performing well against me.

One little thought I want to bring in here... Yes, I felt disappointed, angry with myself and frustrated. But you can always talk to me right after my match. I am very realistic and being to mad at myself and my environment won't change what just had happened. People say: "Well, you won't make the same mistake again." But I say: "No, I will make it again. It happened in the past and it will happen again." We are all humans and make mistakes. We just have to deal with it and accept it. I know I will celebrate great victories in the future. But I also know I will suffer from hard losses too. It's part of the game.

I know everybody is different. Some people you better leave alone for the rest of the day and thats fine. But if you see me dogging it in the future like a D+ player, just come over, put your arms around my shoulder and buy me a drink...
And in case I win another big title...let me buy you a drink...

I wanna take this opportunity to thank John DiTorro. He let me and Luciene stay in his room during the tournament. I saved a lot of money, it was super convenient and part of my little success. Also thanks to my new friend Hunter Lombardo. What a cool guy he is and talented. Hunter took us to his house in West Palm Beach and showed us around. We had a blast and I hope I can come back soon...

Here a few pics from my very first trip to Miami Beach. Thanks for the great day Neil and Monica !!!

The upcoming season has been scheduled already. I will try to play in as many Seminole Pro Tour stops as possible. Here is the schedule:



See you on tour...

All Japan Championship

First things first. Just arrived in Tokio, waiting for our connection flight to Osaka/Itami, Mika and I we had to had sushi ! Oishii des



Arrived in Japan the first thing you will notice is how clean, organized and strict this country is. Of all the places in Asia I have travelled to Japan reminds me of Germany the most. Once you have figured out how to read the bus schedule you better make sure if the bus leaves at 7.35 to be there ON TIME. One minute later and you will have to wait for the next one, no exceptions...

The taxi price is compared to what I had to pay the week before in the Philippines outrageous. 40 US $ from the airport to the hotel, in Manila it would have cost me less than 4 US $...

Japan is very organized. Even the birds follow certain "sitting on a pole rules"

And Japan is about food. I have never been interested in sushi until I met my girlfriend Luciene. She really got me into appreciating the Japanese cuisine. I love it
So, the All Japan Championship started with a playermeeting and - a buffet !



The All Japan Championship is the tournament with the longest history in the world of billiards. 40 years the event has been around !!! It was only my second appearance after 2003 when I finished in third place...

The venue, the hall of the New Archaic Hotel in Amagasaki has nothing spectacular to offer but tables organized and lined up in the center of the arena and seating for the spectators on the left and the right. The tournament director desk has evenything under control...



Unfortunately my tournament story is again - short. I would like to mention my opponents names, but I only saw the Japanese characters on the scoreboards and I didn't make the effort to draw it down.

Anyway, I was leading my first match 8:4 when I pretty much didn't get a chance again. He started running racks and leaving deadly safeties. The last clearance was excellent and I found myself after the first round on the loser side already...

After beating my next opponent the same old story from match number one happened again to me. I was winning 8:4, missed a railshot and had only one more visit with a three rail kickshot which I missed and the tournament was over for me...

The other two Euorpean did better. Mika and Ralf finished 3rd and 4th. Taiwanese Wu Chia Ching collected another title by winning the 40th edition of the All Japan Championships.

There is one interesting thing to mention: "The Draw" It was very obvious that the draw has been tweaked a bit. On every sheet the "foreigners" had to battle it out by themselves, while the other side was completely filled with Japanese players. Every single sheet, so there was a guaranteed Japanese player in the further round...

I started the post with food. So I want to end it with food as well...

Ever had Okonomiyaki Mr Neumann ?