STRAIGHT POOL FINAL: Shane Van Boening vs Billy Thorpe | 2019 US Open Straight Pool Championship

CSI presents the...2019 US Open Straight Pool Championship
May 27-29, 2019
Griff's Billiards
Las Vegas, NV
FINAL MATCH: Race to 150
Shane Van Boening vs Billy Thorpe
Event Sponsors/Affiliates
CueSports International, Cyclop Balls, Discount Custom Apparel, Griff's Billiards, JB Cases, Kamui, Predator, Simonis Cloth
CueSports International (CSI) is a global pool league and event leader comprised of three divisions: CSI leagues, CSI events and CSI media. CSI is also proud to help FargoRate become the universal pool player rating system for the entire world. For more information about CSI visit www.playcsipool.com.

[@MadsNordholm]

I love the vibe from these tournaments. The Matchroom events are very professional and the camera work is excellent, but there's a lot to be said in favour of the more laid back atmosphere of an event like this. And Billy is just such a wonderful person. Always smiling and joking even in defeat

[@LaVerdad65]

Lol u mean the guy who yelled fa--ot at rob saez while drunk?

[@gmanwaseverywhere2104]

Shane is just plain my hero. Superb player, quiet and humble and a great personal story behind all those attributes. Awesome.

[@gmanwaseverywhere2104]

@@franqueworren7323 Shane has no flair? That's just plain crazy talk, Franque. Just because you say he hasn't won the World 9 ball Championship? Shane has won "other" championships all over the world, in straight pool, bank pool, 8 ball, 10 ball AND 9 ball. He's won in virtually ALL game skills. He is one of the great player of all times. Period.

[@gmanwaseverywhere2104]

@@franqueworren7323 Hi Franque. I keep thinking of the old saying, "You can't win them all." But stiff? I don't know. Maybe I have a different view as I'm 76 and grew up with my maternal grandmother in our home, who was profoundly deaf. Her only hearing back then was very tinny, with the help of an antiquated cumbersome hearing aid with a battery much larger than a pack of cigarettes. So, I understand how a lifetime of hearing disability can shape one's actions in a way that other's perceptions of them might not be fully understood.

[@kingofrunescapepking]

@@franqueworren7323 Earl is a more accomplished 9-ball player with 3 world championships and 9 Mosconi Cup titles to Shane's 0 and 3 respectively, but Shane has won major titles in almost every other discipline whereas Earl's accomplishments on the table are almost exclusively in 9-ball

[@donaldhenak4585]

@@franqueworren7323 That should be Van not, "van" as you wrote it.

[@peytonglass745]

@@donaldhenak4585 what’s so funny is shane wouldn’t care, yet you do. worry about yourself donny boy

[@Blessed.2.Teach.4God]

While I do appreciate Shane more as a person and as a pool player, I love watching these 2... Dynamic Duo.

[@lesliemiller5980]

I see alot of these negative comments about straight pool. In the pool halls post world war 2. games of straight were played to 25 points for money. We still did this in the 60's and also rotation games with the full rack. Cribbage was played also for money, which you pocketed the 1-14, 2-13, 3-12, etc. for 1 point each and the 15 could be used for shape and spotted until last for a set point total like 25 points with several players in the game. If you made the 1 and missed the 14, the 1 came back to the spot. 9 ball developed as a pool hall money game that could have several players and also money on the 5 ball. The 9 ball could be made in combination any time and re-spotted on the rail behind the rack until last ball. Straight pool was the real pool game for us though, I don't ever remember playing 8 ball for anything but fun.

[@geeman509]

2 good friends having fun in the finals, what's better than that- awesome

[@mjb96bailey]

Dang one of the first to watch this. Nice . I love watching Shane play, especially against billy. They have great sportsmanship

[@ljsooted]

Matthew Bailey They are good friends

[@Isthislife2135]

Lol now its funny to read that after thorpe got dropped for being unsportsmanlike.

[@bigjerm210ify]

This didn’t age well

[@bennyriley101]

Yeah Shane van bonening, I cried like a baby with his story and winning his first championship! I love this sport and have plans to play in 2024 if I can get my legs back in shape guys, I'm in poor shape from an episode of health issues including cancer,diabetes, depression issues, and addiction issues as well but now all that's behind me as I have also done eye restoration protocol and got my vision back to 20/20 after doing organic caster oil 90 days with 1-2 DROPS in eyes 😍 and I can see real good again ! We will see what happens but it's always been a dream ever since I played Johnny Archer in early nineties in Memphis at the Rack off Lamar Ave! 🤪🤣🤣🤣🤣❤💯☝️ gratitude ☝️ unconditional love ❤️ compassion ☝️ ❤️ ty everybody for giving us the best 👌

[@michaelmccullar2982]

I wish the best for you

[@hey-its-me-bobby-D]

Thanks CSI, I sppreciate the post AND the Comentary. I will admit that watching these roatation players play straight pool kind makes it hard to predict what they are going to do.

[@fendermender65]

Tried to tune in. Turned it off when volume was set at 70 and could not hear commentary.

[@adamwilliams6704]

Sure wish they gave that 2nd commentator a working microphone ...

[@CHADKANDARIS]

i have been waiting for this match. Go boys

[@mikem3576]

Audio is always a problem!!!

[@johnlighthizer6729]

Enjoy listening to my friend Mitch Ellerman's commentary. Bee Well Bro! SVB was a machine in this match.

[@dsauce223]

Awesome to watch! Thanks for the post!

[@sobasicreviews3097]

Absolute domination.

[@AdamMurrayLive]

Can we get Mitch a microphone next time?

[@josephkane1723]

Great job commentary well done.

[@kevenbeene4585]

Awsome job. Congratulations

[@pittypatterputzzler5311]

I watched matches close to this in San Diego "Hard Times" or down on University there was a kid (13) in the early 1990th that killed one handed no rail, he would win most tournaments like this. It was his handicap or he could not enter the tournament. The good old times, my vision got bad, wish I could still push balls around.

[@kenbillingsley9239]

Beautiful match!

[@ncvander]

please master your audio and have it turned up! on all your videos the ads are so loud comparatively. I'll even do it for you.

[@the6thsenz955]

I hate ads

[@rickvassell8349]

Then go directly to end and do replay, no more ads. You're wecome.

[@TimmyP1955]

Turn up commentator #2!

[@stevestewart6287]

Sound levels are too low, can barely hear the announcers.

[@kingofcastlechaos]

The difference in audio between the commentators is friggin maddening. Nothing you can do about it of course, but I want to hear what they have to say and instead I'm skipping to the end of the match. Do better.

[@josephhepp3078]

Turn up the volume

[@blackstaticband]

The Machine

[@patriotfirst8922]

48:50 😂 “I got him right where I want him”

[@carlosornelas9259]

Good luck

[@chriscripplercruz1833]

How many finals they going to play each other in lol

[@Myrslokstok]

How much space of the table would 44 racks be, allmost a full table?

[@unclequack5445]

Right I seen Schmidt in a 9 ball match his high run for the whole match was 4 balls he 'allegedly' broke Willies record, you can edit and shop video easy these days Ive never heard of him winning nary a major event and out the blue he breaks Willies record? how so lucky all the sudden? nice editing John but if you really did GOOD for you sir.

[@trudaroof]

56:42 How can you commentate a match & not even mention this manufacturing of a break ball?

[@bman880]

Any one know what cue Van boening is using?

[@randynorman8700]

If I make a Ball on break in Straight pool. What ball do I shoot next?

[@Supreme_Soloist]

None, unless you called the shot that went in. If you did call it, you can shoot whatever you want.

[@quantumfixits7574]

WOW!...

[@Drew18000]

14:55 does that count as 2?

[@lewisplayspool]

Absolutely, two balls down = 2 pts to Shane

[@dsauce223]

As long as you pocket the ball you call in the pocket that you call, everything else that falls is your point after that.

[@yordanhere]

Love how commentator calls under an hour

[@dannypietersz7760]

45:10 no way :D

[@arpeemac]

Time to call Efren. 😀

[@CaptainOnePocket]

"You gotta be mindless when your shooting pool". - maybe that's why all my pool playing buddies are the way they are...

[@viktordolic3738]

I have a few questions: 1. What I should do when the last ball is on the racking point? 2. What I do when cue-ball goes in, should I move it anywhere and do I get negative points? 3. What happened when I got braking foul, what's happening then?

[@Dancindazed]

1. last ball touching the rack area gets put in the rack and you have a normal 15-ball rack 2. cue ball in the racking area gives you ball in hand behind the head string, you must shoot a ball that's in front of the head-string 3. in straight pool, the break shot has no difference in play to any other shot. A foul on the break is just like a foul on any other shot. Same goes for calling your shot, it has to be done on the break as well.

[@alanmorris4550]

EARL STRICKLAND calls the GAME O N L Y !!! We want to hear Analyses of 14.1 Dammit

[@Crazzilla]

He really went for the 3 ball combo and shot it in under 5 seconds lmao. Biily, you're good... but geez man. Calm tf down lol

[@mcanyon38]

They keep saying Shane ran 84 when it was actually 97

[@turneround8963]

I've never seen this format of pool before. What is this?

[@robdetuinman2]

It's called straight-pool or 14/1

[@elvyhull3067]

Yeah back in day

[@clayreardon9935]

This is a 9 foot table right?

[@elvyhull3067]

Love pool fun and awesome especially being pissed off by myself playing man had one in my basement fun

[@brjones27]

Cmon, why are combos so hard for pros to figure out?? It's just a shot, on a shot, on a shot. Damn.

[@AA-su5jn]

SVB!

[@lottery248]

back to the early time when straight pool was more popular than all others... years ago at high school's physical education lesson, one was talking about pool, yet no one talked about this before i brought it into the talk 😢

[@divided_and_conquered1854]

God damn he whooped that ass son....

[@5153flash]

What happens if the rack is in the way of last ball left? But the ball is outside of the actual rack? Do you move ball to re rack them and then put it back or is it a foul

[@justinthomas2899]

Pretty sure the ref would mark where the last ball was then move it and rack the balls then put the last ball back where it was.

[@FossilHuntersUSA]

The 15th ball would be put on the head spot, cue ball stay where it is, and the other 14 balls racked as normal

[@5153flash]

In all the matches I have never seen this happen. The last ball has been very close to hitting the rack upon re-rack but never had to be moved in order to rack

[@5153flash]

@@udokirchgener7981 Ya right? and where are them rules??

[@5153flash]

@@udokirchgener7981 So you went and found some standard WPA rules not for straight pool and listed it for me? Great,,now I wonder what rules they are playing under and if they have modified them? There are NO rules listed for any specific tournament other than the ones each player got when entering. The rules change all the time depending on the tourny and who is running it.

[@antonyendean1873]

Having watched a load of snooker finals, before coming to pool, this seem's a little mild and a rather strange venue, might I add.

[@starwarsROXmy]

Pool isn't quite as popular in the US to watch as snooker would be in England or the UK

[@donaldhenak4585]

it was an oldtime money game. no tv. 2 players cared.

[@pittypatterputzzler5311]

I could make the most impossible shots 9 out of 10 but my shape was all ways terrible. In bar tournaments that really got some people ducked off, It was pocket change back then 400 bux a month.

[@philmann3476]

I have no business criticizing a player like Van Boening, but what the hell was the idea behind shooting the long 9 instead of the easy 10 at 54:10? Sure, he was able to make the tough cut on the 4 -- after knocking the 5 out of the way -- but if he actually planned that as his next shot he is both phenomenally talented as well as a glutton for punishment.

[@DavidNYC83]

He was trying to break the stack.

[@scottbranson7872]

25:08 can anyone explain how this shot works?

[@lewisplayspool]

Stun shot, hitting the cue ball slightly below center at medium soft speed makes the cue ball slide along the tangent line. Same effect can be done for hitting center ball but harder.

[@slolerner7349]

Stun shot, as Lewis Chan says. But also "cheating the pocket". With the object ball so close to the hole you can shoot pretty far to the side and still make the shot. Also, it works because it's Shane Van Boening!

[@dsauce223]

Low, inside English, with a little bit of a punch stroke. You'll get the same result.

[@joncue0304]

Shame is one of the greatest, but Efren and Willie he ain't.

[@clicgear100]

Why are they hitting the rack at Mach speed every time lol? Learn to play this game.

[@elvyhull3067]

Anyone ever see them align into a pentacle because your crib was haunted and your g boy brings you tree

[@FallenMagus]

My lord can this man be stopped...

[@jayquan3307]

Shane was playing the combo to break open the stack, the 8 ball missed the stack however so it didn't work. That is why he played the combo.

[@photorailfan]

Sorry to say but these guys are NOT straight pool players. It's agonizing to watch nine ball players play straight pool.

[@rickvassell8349]

Bowling, golf and pool. 702 series, 76 and I beat Efren Reyes in the one and only game of 9 ball I played him.😄

[@oguzhan9424]

You have beaten Efren? Joke right?

[@rickvassell8349]

@@oguzhan9424 It's true 87 or 88.

[@josephhurdman5588]

Modern Pool balls are coloured wrongly: the 4 & 12 should be brown and the 7 and 15 should be pink. Not the other way round...

[@alanmorris4550]

SVB a GREAT GREAT PLAYER and announcer that cannot call HIS PLAY. HOLDING OUR GAME BACK. IT makes me sick to hear him talking about his ads instead of 100 and out.

[@MelbourneMaster]

When you place the balls in the triangle I always thought you *had* *to* place them full - half - full - half etc. If you can place them however you want, isnt that cheating? You can predict roughly where the outer balls will go to

[@richardgodines6409]

Makes no difference in this game every ball is worth one point

[@davezanko9051]

Solids and stripes have no relevance in straight pool, so the order doesn't matter for these racks. Alternating solids and stripes is a thing in 8-ball, though it's technically only the back two corners that require them to be opposite suits.

[@hda300]

Playing on these tables is so easy. I'm playing on english tables all the time , the pockets are over an inch smaller. Even with these balls being 1/4 of an inch bigger the pockets are still huge , over an inch bigger than an english table. A lot of the shot these guy are playing would not go down on an english table or a snooker table. I've played on one of these tables in the Philippines and I know someone that has one and the pocket design make it so easy to pot a ball after playing on an english table. I watched one of these guy play a shot up the table, the ball hit the side rail a foot before the pocket and it still went in, that wouldn't happen on an english table.

[@reedfoley9151]

Ken H apples to oranges you here it all the time from the brits yet greats Lille Ronnie and others struggle with the game it is all about what you are used ro

[@Dancindazed]

Bigger pockets makes pocketing balls easier, but it doesn't make beating your opponent easier. You still have another player you have to beat, who's playing on the same table you are.

[@hda300]

@@Dancindazed yes you are right, it's what you and your competitors are used to .I'm used to playing on tables with tighter pockets so when I played on these tables after over 40 years on an English table it was just so easy.

[@philmann3476]

@@Dancindazed Indeed. In fact, it's not really the other player you are playing against, it is yourself. Except perhaps with respect to playing safeties, the goal is to play perfectly yourself, not to interfere with your opponent. The player who comes closest to that wins. It's a matter of being the best that YOU can be, not keeping someone else from doing the same.

[@mattyfuture]

1000 ads to make the "exciting" game of straight pool even more exciting. Don't want to piss myself so I'm gonna leave (Plus I clicked this on accident and hate easy ass luck based games like this)

[@richardcerritelli9657]

no offense to straight pool fans out there but man that game sucks it is really hard to watch it's so boring I can see why not many people compete in it 9 ball 8 Ball and even one pocket more exciting lol that's saying something personally my favorite games 8 ball to play and 9-ball to watch and 10 ball but straight-pull it's just ridiculous how boring.

[@9BallBory]

Thats why this world has something called opinions, me personally i love 9/10ball to play but love watching straight pool

[@richardcerritelli9657]

@@9BallBory apparently most of the opinions agree with me that's why nobody watches it. The problem is at the pro level they are just to good One miss shot next guy runs 150 balls and out.

[@richardcerritelli9657]

I am not saying it's a bad game i like playing it but as a spectator i can't watch it but I love watching 9 10 and 8 ball.

[@9BallBory]

Thats the thing with opinions it doesnt matter which one has more people on their side, because its everyone opinion. And its actually very rare for even a pro to have a 100 ball run.

[@viktordolic1730]

What about Snooker and Karambol? :D

[@51Dss]

for a championship straight pool match this was pretty awful. Don't get me wrong - I recognize Shane is arguably the "best" player in the world right now but his straight pool game is woefully unconventional to put it kindly. I don't know who else was in the straight pool draw but it is just freakish that we end up with Shane and Billy playing for the title. If you're a true straight pool fan this match really wasn't much fun to watch.

[@stevesmith2171]

These guys make this game boring as hell.

[@user-nw4ln6gr5v]

STRAIGHT POOL is great, but have you ever tried gay pool? 😂