SSCam Season 2/2011 Playoffs B

Welcome to the playoffs, congrats to everyone who is still alive and playing. This bracket is pretty competitive should be an interesting ride to see who comes away with the title. Following this season will be the prize tournament and the winner and runner up will be entered in to have a chance to win the cash prize. Good luck to everyone. Dante did half the preds along with myself, I marked the ones he did with a D.

Make sure to have 2 ss trny games played within 7 days BEFORE you play your sets.

Rd 1 Matchups

#1 ItsAJ vs #16 xl_bankqueen_lx - While AJ is still the favourite in this set he's been given no free pass by having to play against last season's runner up Kerry. AJ definitely showed that he'll be tough to stop in this bracket after steamrolling through the group stage winning close to 85% of his games. Kerry's season wasn't quite as good as the previous one and she scraped in with a wildcard spot after she won her last set on the last day of the competition. You could argue that Kerry is AJ's toughest opponent so far in this competition so we'll see how a little pressure might affect him. I don't really see AJ losing in the first round though.

7-4 AJ Result - 7-3 AJ

#8 n0_0b vs #9 _sexy_honey - Musti is pretty underrated in my opinion, I personally think he's a pretty good player. Unfortunately for him, Jenni is hands down one of the best female poolers currently playing, and this will be a great match up. Jenni definitely has the ability to take down the men in this competition, but you will have to put forth a great effort to win this first round. I think you will have better luck in this season's playoffs and go deep in the playoffs.

7-5 Jenni (D) Result - 7-2 Musti

#4 Sacha98 vs #13 shelle4461 - Sacha, you're really annoying, and I highly dislike you, but for a complete loser, you have decent pool skills. Nothing spectatular, but you know how to play. Shelle has played this game for a while, and she's always played roughly the same. That's neither bad, nor good. She's capable of playing better than she portrays, but she's also a good player. After missing the playoffs last year, this round one set won't help you get too far. I think Sacha will just outplay you and take the win.

7-4 Sacha (D) Result - 7-2 Sacha

#5 PSYCHOJASON vs #12 mindset_cue - Jason is back into the playoffs for the second time and will be looking to do a little better this time around. Last season was unlucky after getting matched up with Nish in his first match. It's not quite as tough a route to start off this time. Tanz did a good job by qualifying for the playoffs in his first time back in the competition in a while. Some of his results look pretty good but the quality of the group might have been a little questionable. Jason isn't really at a point where I'd guarantee him to win any playoff set but I think his chances are pretty good here and he could make a run at going deep.

7-5 Jason Result - 8-6 Tanz

#2 EddisS56 vs #15 Top__Dawg__ - Eddie, I think your game is improving. After losing so freaking much, all you can do is improve, right? Haha, just kidding man. I can see Sterlo pulling a few bangs to open up a couple of easy tables, but that's it. Eddie's game is more consistent than Sterlo's, and with than being said, Eddie will take the win.

7-3 Eddie (D) Result - 7-2 Eddie

#7 stevie yo vs #10 lndiangangsta - This could be a decent set. Stevie had a pretty good group stage only losing one set in one of the tougher groups. From the outset when Stevie got added to the comp I thought he'd be one of the players contending for the title. Niks had an ok group stage. Was in an inactive group and benefited from a dq win where tapes weren't sent. Niks isn't a stranger to good competition but I think Stevie is probably going to be too much to handle here.

7-4 Stevie Result - DQ win for Niks

#3 zl_noob_lz vs #13 rubiiiiiiii - DJ seems to have upped the level in his game with his second consecutive high seeding in the sscam playoffs. This season was his best going undefeated and grabbing the 3rd seed. Luckily for him there isn't a shark waiting in round one like last season with Nish. Moonie also had a pretty good season managing a couple set wins including knocking of last season's finalist Kerry. Her english and game strategy are definitely improving and she'll be a contender maybe in future seasons but this one is going to end in round 1.

7-5 DJ Result - 7-2 Moon

#6 Blondey_ vs #11 m4tt_th3_p0ol_pl4y3r - Two first timers having relatively successful seasons clash in this matchup. This was Dawn's first cam comp and she looked like a natural getting some good results with only one loss through the group stage. Matt was a late entrant and wasn't able to finish all sets but was good enough in the ones he did play. There's a definite possibility of an upset here for Matt but I think Dawn will play up to the level of her seeding and take care of business in a close set.

7-5 Dawn Result - 7-1 Matt

Rd 2 Matchups

#1 ItsAJ vs #8 n0_0b -

no prediction Result - 10-8 AJ

#4 Sacha98 vs #12 mindset_cue - Well after round one we've seen the depth of this div B playoff field and these two facing off in round 2 are a perfect example. Sacha is just coming off the severe beating of a head admin and Tanz just knocked off one of the more consistently good div B players in the last couple seasons. Sacha has definitely shown dominant stretches of play at times and seems to make fewer mistakes than before. Tanz definitely showed he's no slouch with the 14 game set win against Jason so I'd expect him to at least keep this one close too. I think Sacha definitely has something to prove here and will try to make sure he's on top of his game to advance to the next round.

7-5 Sacha Result - 7-0 Tanz

#2 EddieS56 vs # 10 lndiangangsta - Eddie is coming off of a pretty dominant set win against last season's semi-finalist Sterlo only losing 2 games. On the other side Niks got a pretty big break by not having to play Stevie who decided to go missing at the best part of the season. I'm not really too sure how these two playing styles clash or if there is much of a difference between them. I've seen Eddie's results as being stronger than Niks in this and other comps though so based on that consistency I give Eddie the edge to take this one and probably by a comfortable margin.

7-4 Eddie Result - 7-1 Eddie

#13 rubiiiiiiii vs #11 m4tt_th3_p0ol_pl4y3r - Well we have two upsets here. Or at least one upset with Moonie knocking off DJ. Matt steamrolled Dawn in the first round and is making a case to be taken seriously. Lucky for him he'll be up another relatively new player to cam comps again in the second round. Moon had a great result beating DJ in the first round showing that the playoff appearance was no fluke. While I was impressed with both results I think Matt's was a little more impressive and he'll be going into this set as a slight favourite. Moon definitely shouldn't be taken lightly though and you can be sure she'll put up a fight with her improving game.

7-4 Matt Result - 7-5 Matt

Semi-Finals

#1 ItsAJ vs #12 mindset_cue - Here we have a re-match from the group stage which had a very lopsided result. When the competition first started I thought Tanz might at least keep it close with AJ but that wasn't the case. Tanz has had some very impressive results upsetting both Jason and Sacha in the first two rounds while AJ is just coming off a close call vs Musti in the previous round. Maybe Tanz just had a bad day in the group stage and will be playing better where it really matters in the playoffs. This time around I don't see the result being a blowout but AJ should still come out on top over the course of a race to 9 for a place in the finals.

9-6 AJ

#2 Eddie56s vs #11 m4tt_th3_p0ol_pl4y3r - This set had actually already started and I believe was at 7-3 for Matt which I'd have to say is a bit of a surprise. Pretty easy to predict at this point that Matt is going to win only needing 2 more wins but I think Eddie might make it close and might have an outside chance at pulling the comeback. Going go have to go with the odds on this one though.

9-7 Matt

SSCam Season 2/2011 Playoffs A

Welcome and congrats to everyone who was able to earn a playoff spot after the SSCam group stage came to a close. There weren't all that many surprises as a lot of the names remaining in the competition are in similar positions as the previous season. Thanks for making the season successful playing sets and good luck. Following this season will be the prize tournament and this is the last chance to qualify by getting into the semi-finals or better. You guys get a break from my prediction monopoly..Dante did the bottom half of the bracket. Cam did most of the top half and I wrote David vs JD.

And just because I know people will see it here make sure to have a couple ss trny games played within 7 days BEFORE any playoff set. It'll be more strictly enforced in the playoffs.

Rd 1 Matchups

#16 l3_lvl_x vs #17 All the love in the world - This is a pretty interesting matchup in the first round. Both players are fairly lucky to have lasted past the group stage after moving on with losing records. David surprised everyone last season by lasting all the way into the finals before barely losing the title to Ant in the finals. I don't think too many people expected JD to make it out of the group stage but he's definitely shown that he's a good player with his results. Also he seems to be doing really well in "friendly" cam races, or at least I get masses on the subject fairly frequently. This one isn't the easiest to call but I'm going to have to go with David as his recent results have been impressive. By the way the winner gets Ant.

7-5 David Result - 8-6 JD

#13 chad. vs #20 R_ook - This will be a interesting match.. chad actually isnt a bad player.. hes a better timed player in my opinion.. and JT can be real good @ times.. when hes on form.. he will run tables like its his job.. and i think this will actually be a blow out.

7-2 JT Result - 7-5 Chad

#15 crazy_cananuck vs #18 br0nz3 - Jon, your game is crazyyy. You beat the greatest players, and then lose to a few weaklings. Not sure how's it been lately, but you're definitely a great player. Constantly in 8brcam playoffs proves your great enough to make your way through deep into the playoffs here. Last season you had an unlucky draw, and got creamed. Speaking of 8brcam, let's look at your opponent, fresh out of a 8brcam title. However, it was Division B. Scott needs to really pull off some rediculous shots in order to win this. I have to just say Jon is the better player here, and Jon will win.

7-4 Jon Result - DQ win for Jon

#14 l1_stephen_1 vs #19 n00bsquad_knight - Stephen, you've always been active in cam comps, and you always bring your game, but sometimes your game isn't always that great. You know how to play, you know what to do in tough situations, but I think you need to focus and concentrate a little bit more. And knight, before this started, I had no idea who you were. I thought you were gtap's long lost cousin the way you talked, but after seeing you play, you backed it up. You got some game, I'll give you that, but this set will be tough. I think Stephen is looking for revenge, and a unlucky bangs will cost you the set. However, if you play smart, I can see you capitalizing on his frequent mistakes. With that being said, I think Stephen will take the set.though it won't be easy. Good luck both

7-5 Stephen (l1_stephen_1) Result - 7-5 (l1_stephen_1)

Rd 2 Matchups

#1 underdogg_ vs #17 All the love in the world - Well congrats to JD for making it into the second round of the playoffs here. Unfortunately the next opponent might provide a little more of a challenge than in the previous round. With some top players you'll see them play down to their opponent's level but I don't think Ant really falls into that category very often. He likes to win and win big. Again it's a nice win for JD to setup this matchup but Ant won't be losing this early.

7-3 Ant Result - 7-2 Ant

#8 siccster vs #9 dwaechte - This will be a great matchup.. Dante has been playing really good lately.. hes definately in his prime right now.. and on the other hand... Dan has improved and is still improving alot.. this might just go down to the wire.. but i just see Dante going on a tear in this set..

7-3 Dante Result - 7-2 Dan

#4 l2ack.em_up vs #13 chad. - Chad surprised some by knocking off JT in round one. I don't really think it was that big of an upset because Chad has been getting some good results in a lot of different competitions lately. Chris had a solid season to give himself a pretty decent road in the playoffs. The #4 seed is impressive but he'll need to bring his A game to knock out Chad here. I've been noticing Chris seems to lean on his safety game a little more lately and that patience might prove key to pulling out the result here. I'm picking Chris to carry on with his success but either player could win this.

7-5 Chris Result - DQ win for Chad

#5 sin-e vs #12 n00bsquad_stallion - Ashhh. You and I go wayyy back, like back to when we were shit compared to how we play now. When I saw you play, I was really impressed. You definitely have improved, but there's ALWAYS room for improvement. Irfan has a tough game, but I've seen him lose a lot of sets frequently. Maybe if he focus's a little more, he can take Ash. But with the way Ash has been playing lately, I have to say he'll take the win.

8-6 Ash Result - 7-4 Ash

#2 pro.craig vs #15 crazy_cananuck - This is a great matchup with two excellent players. Both Jon and Craig have the ability to make it deep into playoffs but the question is who will win this set. Craig is best known for his running capabilities, and Jon is an excellent snooker player. However, Craig will be able to keep up with Jon’s snookers. After considering this, I would put Craig on top, but I looked back and saw that Jon has beat Craig 7-2 in the last SSCam Playoffs, which makes it harder to decide. Therefore, the winner is going to be whoever brings their game, and I am sure it will be much closer than last time. This set will probably go past 7, and I am going to give it to Craig just because I am sure he’s looking for revenge from last time.

8-6 Craig (by lx_mike_xl) Result - DQ win for Jon

#7 nxs_skills vs #10 nish_is_my_name_choke_is_my_game - Cameron. If only you put as much devotion in pool as you do making lame ass youtube videos. you'd be a professional. You can run tables back to back to back, or you can just miss the simplest shots. After you miss a few shots that you should have made, you go on scratched and not caring. If you do that in this set, you will lose. If Nish wants to win this set, I advise playing patiently and letting Cam mess up his runs, then finish up his hard work. However, I don't see you playing as defensingly as you need to, and I think Cam will just simply outplay you in this set and take it.

7-4 Cam Result - 7-4 Cam

#3 win-win-win vs #14 l1_stephen_1 - Well if these were old times Matt would probably be a 10-15 seed but being as that we're in the present yahoo pool recession we're talking about our #3 seed here. Last season unable to play in the playoffs we haven't seen Matt be able to match his semi-final performance from a few seasons ago yet. Stephen pulled out a pretty tough set against the other Stephen in round one winning by the mandatory 2 game margin. Lately Matt is contending with his all time best in arrogance so that probably means he has a little confidence in his game. Stephen on the other hand has been able to knock off top players before so there won't be any guarantee in this prediction. I'd be surprised if Matt doesn't take it solely based on the fact that he's probably guaranteeing the win himself.

7-5 Matt Result - 7-4 Matt

#6 ll_eskimo_ownage_ll vs #11 PRO_BOY - This will be a great match to watch.. petey is actually playing real well.. he did real well in wcp by beating a few good players.. had a ul set in semis but he definately impressed me... Uriel is pretty solid.. on the offensive side and the defensive side of things.. the obvious choice if i went by stats of everything to have uriel win this.. but im going with my upset pick.

7-5 Petey Result - DQ win for Petey

Rd 3 Matchups

#1 underdogg_ vs #9 dwaechte - This is a rematch from last season's playoffs where Ant took the win in a fairly lopsided result. Dan is a player who you're seeing pop up in just about every cam comp lately with some mixed results. It definitely takes a little time to adjust to playing sets when you first start out and he's probably got a better feel for what needs to be done than before. Unfortunately vs Ant it's sort of a trial by fire. Ant has won both this competition and the previous 8brcam title putting an end to any of the talk that he's falling off his game. Dan has definitely shown some good stuff with his results in this competition especially the Dante beatdown in the previous round but all I can really do here is predict that he'll lose by less this time.

7-4 Ant Result - 7-5 Ant

#13 chad. vs #5 sin-e - Chad essentially had a bye into the quarter-finals but will now face a tough test with Ashton. I don't really see Chad being blown out by anyone as he has a pretty solid overall game that is mostly a run first style. Haven't really seen Ash in comps much in the past but he's tearing things up right now in 8brcam's div A as well as some pretty good results so far in this competition. Haven't seen either of these players in this kind of position in a really quality field before so hopefully both players can bring some skill to this tilt. Ash is the hotter player right now and Chad isn't going to be the guy to cool him down with a spot in the semi-finals and prize tournament on the line.

7-4 Ash Result - 7-5 Ashton

#15 crazy_cananuck vs #7 nxs_skillz -

no pred Result - 7-4 Jon

#3 win-win-win vs #6 ll_eskimo_ownage_ll - Petey somehow avoided elimination in round 2 with the dq win but the road only gets tougher with Matt up next. It looks like Matt's strong play has continued into the playoffs with a good result against Stephen in the previous round. Petey does see Matt play a lot as they play together in doubles and at FR so familiarity might play a key role in this set. I'm not expecting Petey to come out as flatly as he did against Uriel but he'll definitely be the underdog once again in this matchup. With a spot in the final 4 on the line I'm expecting Matt to win one that might be closer than expected.

7-5 Matt Result - 7-4 Matt

Semi-Finals

#1 underdogg_ vs #5 sin-e - Well so far on this side of the bracket there haven't been too many huge surprises as two of the top seeds have advanced with a chance to play in the finals. So far in this competition Ant has been a one man wrecking crew without any set losses but apparently was pretty sloppy in his previous round. Ashton is coming off a fairly close set win against Chad which was to be expected. Not really too sure how Ash's playing style matches up against Ant but I imagine he'll have to be running pretty well and hoping for some luck. No point in really trying to get into too many mind games with Ant because his shot arsenal will pick you apart eventually. Might be Ant's toughest test so far in the competition and I'm thinking Ash will keep it close based on his recent results.

9-6 Ant Result - 9-2 Ant

#15 crazy_cananuck vs #3 win-win-win - Pretty interesting semi's matchup here as its 2 guys who IMO have pretty similar styles. Both like to run, both are pretty streaky players, and both feed off momentum. Speaking of momentum, they are playing directly after jon made an impressive comeback vs cam to go from 2-4 down to winning 7-4, so look for jon to come out of the gate strong, and hold off the charge from Matt to win.

9-6 Jon (by champ Chris) Result - 10-8 Jon

Finals

#1 underdogg_ vs #15 crazy_cananuck - Well, here it is, the SSCam Finals Match. Jon has been a good player for a long time. He's one of those players that when he's on, he matches the skill level of anyone he plays against and can take anyone in the game down. But this isnt "anyone" he's facing. He's playing arguably the best ypool player online right now, and easily one of the top 10 all time in Ant. Anthony has evolved from a bang-runner years ago to a fully capable pool player with pretty much every possible shot in his arsenal. If Jon brings his best game, he will take Ant to the limit and possibly even win. As much as I like Jon though, I cant give him this match, I dont think the upset will happen. I think Ant wins this about 75% of the time, but to re-iterate, if Jon brings his best game, this will be really tight. he will take Ant to the limit and possibly even win. As much as I like Jon though, I cant give him this match, I dont think the upset will happen. I think Ant wins this about 75% of the time, but to re-iterate, if Jon brings his best game, this will go far past just a Rt9.

9-6 Ant (by champ Chris)