Riyadh Season 2025

Is that his age or his highest break this year Lats?

Cuetracker implies zero x 50+ breaks in 23 frames played this year and just two from 92 frames played last year (and then Zero from 56 frames the year before).

The lad playing Ding is 22, and if anything, looks slightly less promising than the teenager.

Long time no speak, mate.  Hope all's well?

All good thanks, hope the same is true of you too.

I've been around (mostly) but the BF snooker doom spiral (lack of liquidity and picture delays) has taken most of the shine off snooker betting for me, especially in-play. Had a few nice results (and a few poor ones) as a result of taking an opening position and then more or less having to hold it through to a conclusion - because I don't always have the time or the patience for tumbleweed markets that don't facilitate multiple entry & exit points.

I'd rather still be betting in-play and I see a lot of results (afterwards) that look like they may have been very conducive to my plays - but that's probably a bit of (after the event) confirmation-bias on my part. I think to myself, I'd have cleaned up there (and I bet Lats did!) - but I know that in reality liquidity may well have scuppered that or resulted in a lot of "near jackpots".

Always pleased to see you and a handful of others still at it - and enjoy reading your threads.

Glad to hear you're well.  All good here, too, ta.  I've got an income stream away from here now (couple of days most weeks, on average), that I'm loving (physically challenging, mentally challenging, requires some skill, and that provides actual in-person human interaction with people that I like!).  So the tumbleweed spiral hasn't hit me as hard as it might have, but this place sure has become excruciatingly frustrating over the last 8 or so months.  I've lost count of the number of great positions that I've held that just haven't paid out.  As you say, you have very little control over things these days, and I refuse to give it away (which might be a bit self-defeating, liquidity wise, I guess).  I have had two situations in that period where I have greatly benefited from the lack of other money, in fairness, but I would definitely have been better off had the opportunities to dive in and out existed more across the board.

The other income stream sounds like it's been very good for you in every respect Lats. Pleased for you about that.

I absolutely get your comment.... "and I refuse to give it away".

My frustration was/is, that I actually didn't/don't mind giving a little bit away sometimes (as the small price I was/am very willing to pay for smoothing out my variance, peace of mind, better use of my time, etc, etc) - but more often than not (nowadays) the lack of liquidity sees the "small price" I was/am willing to pay turning into an increasingly "bigger price" that wasn't/isn't really acceptable to me.

I think your tolerance of variance is greater than mine, that's a compliment, because it will make you a better overall (more % profitable) player than me on snooker markets  - but I know myself well and I prefer a steady drip, slowly filling my bucked, without any (or too much) spillage.

I'd guess you (quite rightly) choose to play accepting that you've got a constant small leak in your bucket but every now and then, the jet-wash kicks in! At least you've (to some extent) still got the option to play the way you choose. My preferred choice has kinda gone.

Off to do some long overdue leaf raking. I hope you get a jet-wash soon.

Thanks, mate. 

Yeah, likewise, I don't mind giving a little bit away (I'd always choose to improve my average odds in markets where I have no strong opinions) either, but, as you say, it's no longer about giving a little bit away.

I don't see how it ever improves, short of an Indian series being launched

Enjoy, mate.  All the best.

Not been watching.  Why is JB soooooooo short at 1-0?!?  Is Ding dying?!

Ah, that goes some way towards explaining it.

Few more in the arean than the other SAidu event a few months back.
Clapping every pot is a little over the top - but Nigel Bond said he's at the acadamy just around the corner - so maybe they don't get to see that many balls potted most days.

arena and Saudi*

Ton up - 1-0 Robbo

No mention so far of the table being on beer mats - according to JB last night - and whether they've done anything about it

Ton up - 2-0

3-0

Game Over - 4-0 Robbo

After the nice walk around for Kyren with Stephen before the match up and then gets duffed up

That's the 5th successive match now (from only 5 played) that has ended 4:0

The first couple (with the Saudi lads) were to be expected tbf - and BO7 is obviously always a bit of a lottery - but it would be nice to see even a whiff of the fragrant Winona, a smidgeon of competitiveness and/or a soupçon of drama.

Yes - would be nice

Hendry told us this one will be closer - so 4-0 odds shot right in after that.

Robbo loving the table - best he's played on this season.

Gutless Wonder20 Nov 25 15:23Joined: 08 Apr 03 | Topic/replies: 16,022 | Blogger: Gutless Wonder's blog
Hendry told us this one will be closer - so 4-0 odds shot right in after that.

GW - yes, I believe Hendry could derail a bullet-train - just by looking at it and casually commenting on how fast, straight and smooth it was going

Oh JohnBoy

Well done John - and Stephen -- 1-1

"very, very good Allen  - on top form around the black spot - great touch"  and misses - that's the Hendry we know

Couple miscues from JB these last few frames - Tubbs in with a decent chance

Game Over - 4-2 Tubbs - not a great watch - but at last a little competitive - 1.15 Higgins is gawn

"can't see any game going 4-0 tonight" from Stephen

Another 4-0 - 45 mins work for Judd

Smurph played well enough but Xintong just had too much - had big support in the crowd - GSM 4-2 Xintong

The Champ has been defeated - Neil nicks the winning frame on the black  - 4-1 Robbo

From 72 behind, great match

Tubbs gets the text from Hearn just in time.... reminding him of the difference between Sports-washing and White-washing.

The penny drops with Tubbs as Hearn clarifies that Sports-washing is absolutely OK for the game but constant Whitewashing could be more harmful. At the last minute Tubbs averts what would have been the 7th whitewash (from just 9 matches) and steals Frame 4.   

Both the people in the crowd that don't have their eyes glued to their phones prepare themselves for a thrilling come back - but it doesn't materialise, 4:1 to The Thunder.

What's this? 3-3 "we got one" as Janine from Ghostbusters would say

1.08 vs 1.16

Gets in front when it matters most - GSM Zhao 4-3

Most enjoyable GW.

But will BF get the market up for the Final before it starts? Could be a tall order.

Hardly fair on Zhao having him hang around for an interview and then asking him how he's going to spend his downtime - all 50 mins of it, FFS!

Credit where it's due. Market is now there

AND an LV link!

Nov 21, 2025 -- 12:08PM, The Management wrote:

Most enjoyable GW.But will BF get the market up for the Final before it starts? Could be a tall order.

Certainly was TM - hoping for more of the same this evening

Nov 21, 2025 -- 12:23PM, Latalomne wrote:

Hardly fair on Zhao having him hang around for an interview and then asking him how he's going to spend his downtime - all 50 mins of it, FFS!

- "downtime? - I'm not Shon "despicable treatment" Murty - just point me to the table and it's time get on with it"

Not seen every frame - have we been close to a maxi or was Tubbs earlier effort the best it's been?

Shocker from Neil

Judd had a pretty perfect table and then ran out of posi on the black and ended up taking brown or blue, can't remember which.  I've not seen much.

Think that was only on 41, though

Ah - cheers Lat - heard Tubbs saying about just smashing up the pack for 7 frames and see if one of them could get close

Paramount are in to buy Warner Discovery - the bosses of TNT - Paramount have now got the rights to the Champions League from 2027 -

BBC wrote about the Paramount/Champs League deal -- "But streaming does rely on supporters having a strong and reliable internet connection, and has a delay compared to traditional broadcasters." - might look at this 14-17 sec delay on the snooker/Rugby as the good old days if it's all on Paramount+ or similar

They shouldn't be allowed to buy the rights unless they guarantee pics within 5 secs of live  (ideally less than 2!)

"(ideally less than 2!)" -

Racing can manage it!  Surely it shouldn't be that hard to achieve.  *if you want to

Yeah - listening to Wimbledon say AGAIN this year how they throw people out courtsiding and have undercover spotters mingling in the crowd - shirly IBM/BBC or whoever is in control could get the pics nearer live and it wouldn't be worth most of these people bothering -but it never seems to happen

Anyway - 3-1 Xintong MSI

Nov 21, 2025 -- 2:30PM, Gutless Wonder wrote:

Yeah - listening to Wimbledon say AGAIN this year how they throw people out courtsiding and have undercover spotters mingling in the crowd  - shirly IBM/BBC or whoever is in control could get the pics nearer live and it wouldn't be worth most of these people bothering -but it never seems to happen

Exactly.

Time to Bullseye this event --

"Well, you've had a smashing day, you've won the trophy and £250K. But behind Eddie Hearn, there's the star prize, which tonight is $1 million dollars and a jetski. You can take the money and prizes, or you can gamble for the star prize - just get a 1 frame maxi. What do you want to do?

"Gamble, gamble shouts the audience"

GSM Xintong 5-2

"the best ball striker I've ever seen" says Stephen

On to the UK qualifiers we go

Just on delays in sport..(enjoy reading you guys stuff as Lat' knows)

TNT showing the ashes about 20 secs behind live, dab is about 4-5 secs minimum..
in 2005 channel 4 was about 2-3 secs max (LW radio about 1-2 secs)...sky tour coverage around 5-6 secs  ...then they started syncing SD (now gone) to HD which for some reason was nearer 10 and it all gets ever worse..sky not as bad as tnt but around 12-13 typically for coverage taken from another broadcaster..
I think discovery do it (and maybe sky as well, though a little less gratuitously) as they want streaming to 'feel' closer to their 'live'
offering but it's mental how bad it all is now..

Afternoon brentford - "but it's mental how bad it all is now." yes - the faster technology gets -the slower the tv pics As Lat said - if racing channels can get pics closer - the rest can.