SSCam Season 3/11 Group Preds Div B

Division B

Welcome back for the 3rd season of the year in division B. Last season was pretty solid with Matt being the winner over AJ in finals. Lucky for everyone here those players have moved up to div A and we'll have a new winner this time around. This field is stronger than it has been all year so we should see some pretty good pool. Good luck to everyone and read on if you dare find out how we rank you within your group!

Group A

Thanks - Pat is back in the competition after taking a season off to work out the kinks in his cam. Last time around was in the first season of the year where he was fairly impressive grabbing 2 wins against quality opponents. While he didn't make the playoffs 2 wins is pretty close and this group isn't the most challenging in the world. Pat should win at least a set, maybe two and possibly a trip to the playoffs.

UN_NATURAL - Trey hasn't been seen around these parts in .. well actually he's never been in div B. After a few lackluster runs in div A Trey is going to try his hand against some weaker competition and he'll be a favourite from the start to be the winner in this tournament. While his shooting and finishing can sometimes be inconsistent, Trey can still be a very strong player and should be able to escape this grouping relatively unscathed.

dfan4u22 - Lets all welcome John to the show. John is actually the only player in this group who hasn't played in sscam before. We always get a few of those every season and the track record hasn't been that great for most. This is definitely a great place to play to try to improve and get some good competition but until you've seen it.. you might not be ready. Having said that a set win isn't out of the realm of possibility and would be a good result for this season.

doriebarnes84 - Dorie is hoping this season means 3rd times a charm. After doing so well on her first try, getting the #1 seed, last season was the complete opposite with some bad losses and missing out on the playoffs altogether. Which season was a more accurate reflection on Dorie's skill level? Well anyone can have a bad stretch of sets so I won't be counting her out as of yet anyways. I've seen her struggling and seeming to get down after losses in trnys in AMU and that can be deadly in sets. I think Dorie is still probably in the top 3 in this group but the playoffs are going to require some good play.

G_O_D99 - Well here we have Rich again going for another kick at the can. Rich, while having a lot of interlg and cam experience has not had very much success in sscam and would love to see a trip to the playoffs finally. Last season's win/loss record might have been a bit deceiving coming out of a tough group. If Rich is playing on top of his game and can somehow control his easier shots instead of using some pretty wild power he can stay with most of these players. Might come down to a few flips of the coin to determine his fate here.

xl_bankqueen_lx - By now Kerry is no stranger to this competition. She's had three successful group stages in row that have seen her land in the playoffs in each of the past 3 seasons, including one run all the way to the finals. Kerry will be looking to have a slightly better group stage here to avoid having to play against top seeds until later in playoffs. I think Kerry might be a step behind Trey in skill but she's probably going to be the second best player in this group.

Pecking Order - 1.Trey 2.Kerry 3.Dorie 4.Pat 5.Rich 6.John

Group B

lethal.corpse - Rom is playing in his second sscam here. Last season went ok with one set win and not really getting blown out by some more experienced players. Seems to be a fairly average player, don't really hear too much from him in amu. Hopefully for him he picked up some tricks since the last time because this group is full of vets. Might even be tough to duplicate that one set win here as I don't really see an advantage against any of these opponents.

PxYxRxO - Well here's DJ who's been in just about every season in the last two years. Last season in particular was supposed to be his breakthrough in the playoffs after another successful group stage and the #3 seed. After a 1st round upset this upcoming season will now be the one where that breakthrough happens.... maybe. In this group I have DJ as a lock to come in either first or second depending on how the set with Krazy goes. Will have to pay attention in these sets though as there aren't really any walkovers.

binder.william - William is back in pool right on time to participate in another sscam. This is a pretty tough prediction as he's been away for quite a while from pool. If I recall correctly William held his own against pretty good competition the last time he played. This group is fairly wide open and I think he'll definitely keep all his sets close and have a decent chance to qualify for playoffs.

krazyycue - So apparently this is someone hiding who has a name that rhymes with Malozzy. Anyways since that's the only way I can predict I'll go with that and say that this is our favourite for this particular group. Croz has a pretty decent track record and usually does pretty well in 8brcam's div B as a playoff contender. Not sure if hiding makes you play any better but if it does he shouldn't really have much trouble besides maybe DJ. Should be a lock for the playoffs.

n00bsquad_tigress - Well I really don't have a ton to say about Maria. She sure does seem to know a lot of good players. Had to do a little research into other competitions and I was actually not able to find one set win from perusing 8brcam and mcc's last seasons. Hopefully its not rude to bring that up but on the bright side the competition may not be quite as stiff this time around.

Maria definitely gets lots of practice in with good players so its probably a matter of time before she starts pulling off some crazy stuff. One or two set wins are a possibility here but I don't see her in the playoffs.

_White_Rabbit - Chrissie is back again after probably underachieving two seasons in a row. She never seems to get blown out against anyone so it's probably only a matter of time before those losses turn into wins. This is a pretty good group for Chrissie and I think her biggest challenge for the last playoff spot should be against William. Hopefully she'll also be able to not have to wait until the last second to scramble and get sets in to not be rushed at all. I think in previous seasons Chrissie's groups were set up better for her but I just feel like she's overdue to perform and grab 3 wins this season.

Pecking Order - 1.Krazy 2.DJ 3.Chrissie 4.Will 5.Maria 6.Rom

Group C

TheGreatOne14 - Good to see Rahul back in the competition with a brand new id. Rahul has been in this competition many many times before and always seems to come up just short on a playoff spot. I haven't really seen or heard from him since the start of the year so hopefully he's not too rusty because he can't really afford any of that. This group is pretty tricky with 3 of the players having made the playoffs last season which doesn't bode all that well. Hoping Rahul can grab a set win or two here but once again the playoffs look to be too tough.

rubiiiiiiii - Moonie is coming off her best sscam season with a trip to the playoffs as well as a first round upset of DJ, making it to round two before losing to the eventual champion. It's possible that the interlg and cam experience is rubbing off as she's been getting regular playing time on ss teams. I think it might be the first time where I've seen Moonie as being one of the favourites in her group so we'll see if there's any pressure from that. I think she's becoming a more solid player with her shooting and english so look for that to continue here.

harmony.fitzgerald - Here is another brand new player in the competition. I really don't know a whole lot about this player other than the fact that she looked fairly impressive in a couple tourney games where we played. She's been able to win a few tournaments in her short time in the league which usually requires some skill. Hard to tell where she ends up in the standing of this group.. I wouldn't be surprised by some success but I think more likely we see one or two set wins tops.

Top__Dawg__ - Sterlo is coming off a very shaky season that saw him go from a semi-finalist to only grabbing 2 wins in the group stage, followed by a first round playoff exit. Sterlo has definitely played a ton of pool and he's managed to somehow pry his way into having good players race him for fun but it really never seems like there is much improvement. Sure being a playoff player is good but he definitely wants more. This group is once again a good opportunity to show that he can play well consistently and grab a good seed going into the playoffs. Should be fighting with Eddie and Moon for top spot.

snowmanbody - In Snow we have the great enigma. He's definitely a player who was actively trying to get better at some point not too long ago. Not too sure how that quest is going but sscam hasn't been all that kind. In a bright spot, last season's only set win came against Moon if that means anything. If he is able to knock her off again then there's a great chance to sneak into the playoffs here. At this point though Snow is going to need at least one upset win to do it.

FastEddieTheEvilPsycho - Introducing another one of our serious contenders for the title here we have Eddie. Last season Eddie's record was second best after the group stage and he took that success into the semi-finals round. Once again the competition shouldn't look all that tough in this group from Eddie's point of view and another undefeated record wouldn't be too surprising. Sterlo did play him tough in the playoffs so look for that to possibly be a good set.

Pecking Order - 1.Eddie 2.Sterlo 3.Moon 4.Snow 5.Harmony 6.Rahul

Group D

ll_pool_hustler_ll - John is making his 3rd appearance in the competition. Unlike his first season last one ended up with just one win and missing the playoffs. John is always one of the first people to ask me about the competition and the fact that he's getting all his sets played consistently can only help his cause. I've noticed a little better play from meetings in trnys so hopefully that play can be consistent here in sets. Should be able to compete in most of the sets and has an ok chance to make playoffs

n00bsquad_wolverine - Well right now I feel as if Naveen is leeching off the noobsquad name. Some of them are good right? Naveen is possibly the #1 keener around the competition right now so hopefully he's been paying attention to the right things with his game and will be ready to compete here. Last season Naveen only played 3 of the sets, all of which were losses to experienced players so its hard to tell where he really places. He'd definitely benefit from playing all his sets but I think he'll be in the hunt for a playoff spot here.

PSYCHOJASON - It would take me a while to count the number of times Jason has participated in this competition because I can't remember the last time he wasn't in. Jason has evolved from a consistent doormat to being a consistent playoff participant with appearances in the last 2-3 seasons. The only problem it appears would be that the strong play tends to drop off when that pressure time comes. I'm sure he'll be eager to advance a little further here and I can say with almost certainty that the group stage won't trouble him too much.

ultimate_p00l_perfecti0n - Always fun to do a prediction on a player you've really never seen play before. Maybe the most interesting bit of information is that last season's div B champ Matt did vouch for him and said he was a good player. His stats in the lg are fairly tame winning slightly more games than he loses. He's definitely the wild card in this group, unfortunately I can't pick him over any of the players that have already proved their quality.

n0_0b - Musti is another player who is back for one of many seasons in sscam. Another opportunity for a chase at that elusive div B title. Musti has been one of the best players in div B over the last couple seasons. His problem like many lies with maintaining that level of play in the sets that matter in the playoffs. Musti is on quite a nice little run in wcp right now which usually involves a very quality field so as long as he's focused for these sets he should be able to cruise into the playoffs yet again.

Blondey_ - Dawn got a taste of cam comps last season and after a pretty successful run she's back for more. I think Dawn will be receiving a much stiffer test than the previous season in the group stages. We should find out what kind of a player she is as there won't really be as many easy games with these players. Her only losses last season came against a semi finalist and the champ so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and place her into the playoffs again.

Pecking Order - 1.Musti 2.Jason 3.Dawn 4.Naveen 5.John 6.Justin

Group E

MoThErNaTuRe13 - Another first timer here and another player I've actually never seen play. I sort of get the impression that Cyn has been around pool for a while so that always helps. Within the league she has a pretty average record losing more games than she wins. This group is actually pretty tough and winning just one of the sets I think would be a good result.

shelle4461 - Pretty sure Shelle has participated in every single sscam since the competition started years ago and over that time she's definitely improved tons. Last season she managed to qualify for playoffs where she lost to Sacha in the first round. This is probably the toughest group in div B so making it back there is going to be tough. She's going to need to upset at least one of these players to crack the top 3 and make sure that she handles her business against the newer players. There's always a chance at a wildcard spot with 2 wins but I think she'll need 3 and that will be hard.

dark_tranquillity_666_l_l - Here's another first timer in the competition. No one will be caught off guard in this group though because he's been doing quite well in tournaments in the room. Kevin is a player that seems like he has a distinct advantage over most players with his strategy. Pretty much he's willing to be patient and wait for his opportunities to finish easy tables. While he asked for div B I have a sneaking suspicion that he might actually be worthy of the higher division. Only one way to find out, its always hard to say how games will translate to set play but I think Kevin will do very well in the group stage.

x0sweetkisses0x - Jenni is another player who has improved greatly since she first started playing in cam competitions. She's at a point where she expects to be in these playoffs and is hoping to make a good run in them. While this is definitely a challenging group Jenni is becoming a really good shotmaker and her ability to consistently finish up the open tables is what makes the difference for her. Her sets will probably be close but I think she'll win at least 3 of them to advance.

lndiangangsta - Niks is the 3rd player in this group who participated in the playoffs last season. Niks' playoff appearance might have been the most overrated of last season as he only advanced after getting a dq win in the group stage as well as in the first round of those playoffs. Hard to really tell what kind of game he'll bring to the competition this time as this will be challenging. I think Niks mostly just needs to be careful and make sure that he plays all his sets and takes them all seriously to grab a spot in the next round

baby_merta - I have nothing but good things to say about Amy as he plays about as much pool as anyone in this competition. The exposure to all the quality within the lg of SS has done him some good and his english and shooting have improved to far beyond what we might have been used to before. Definitely seen Amy taking on race challenges with good players at times and doing ok. With everything being official here we'll see how that league success translates when playing sets.

Pecking Order - 1.Kevin 2.Jenni 3.Niks 4.Shelle 5.Amy 6.Cyn

Group F

lawbubba - Bubba is back in the competition and he swears he'll play this time which is a relief. As evidence he's already actually played a set against Sacha which resulted in a loss which isn't a huge surprise. Bubba is definitely a good shooter and if he times things right in these games he can surprise some of these players. He's almost got to play perfect to win against the top players but if things get messy he's got the ability to come out with some wins.

Sacha98 - Introducing Sacha.... oh you know him already? Yeah the guy might be in the room playing tournaments more than anyone else in the league. I'm not sure that playing 5 games a time is the best way to actually improve the finer points of your game but it seems to work ok... sometimes for him. Pretty easy prediction to make here considering Sacha has already beaten Bubba and Drew but he only needs one more win to guarantee a playoff spot and should now be looking for a high seed. The success of his tournament will be defined in that second round.

insaneKoRn - Well I wasn't really going to have much interesting to write about Drew other than the fact that he's lost almost exactly the same amount of games that he's won in the league. In a nice turn of events though he's played two sets already. With one win already in hand that changes the outlook for Drew and he might be thinking that the playoffs might be possible here. This group is pretty wide open but at the same time the remaining sets are all going to be a challenge. Probably still needs an upset win to advance.

en_dk - I could be mistaken but I think we're coming off one of Nigel's worst seasons in the competition where he missed the playoffs. That's probably mostly due to not having as much time to play anymore so hopefully that won't create conflict this time around. In this group that seemingly lacks experience Nigel stands out as one of the 2 or 3 who should know what they're doing in these games. I think Nigel should get back to business here and barely squeak into the playoffs in this group.

joredon - Does he really spell his name this way? Neat... yeah I'm reaching for things to talk about. Joredon is brand new in the competition and I'm interested to see how he does. Although I'm aware #1 rank doesn't really mean too much I've seen his name up there quite a few times lately in the league so he must be winning some games. He's already missed one opportunity with a loss against Drew so the climb to advance will be that much tougher from here on out. Should benefit from playing against the more experience players in this group though and hopefully learn some tricks.

stevie yo - One of the bigger disappointments from last season was the fact that Stevie wasn't able to compete in the playoffs after a pretty strong group stage. I think Stevie is one of the better players in this half of the competition and has a pretty good chance to go all the way. His only real challenge in this group will be Sacha again like last season. Will be important to play all sets to get a high playoff seed where the important games begin.

Pecking Order - 1.Stevie 2.Sacha 3.Nigel 4.Drew 5.Bubba 6.Joredon

SSCam Season 3/11 Group Preds Div A

Division A

Ok so after a very short break to get the prize tournament under way we're back in business with a third season of the year. Thanks to everyone who joined, I really like the look of the depth of players in Div A this season... playoff spots should be at a premium. To be eligible for sets you must have 2 trny games played within the past 7 days so make sure you're eligible as random checks will be made. Without further ado here's some writing about you folks that I hope you'll like... so far we have myself (Jon), Dante and Matt in on the div A preds.

Group A (D)

dwaechte - ahh, dan. you seem to be a hot/cold player. i've seen you upset quite a few pro players, and then i see you lose vs kerryanne. no, i'm not bashing that kerry is awful, she's quite good, but i think you're clearly better than her, and how you let players like that stomp you, i don't know. i think your down fall is your shot selection. if you play smarter, you'd be a fantastic player. you're already one of the up-and-coming players. you can run tables, saftey when you need to, and know how to use decent spin. all you need to focus on is shot selection. if you play like i know you can play, i say you'll finish 3rd, maybe battle against ben for 2nd.

xlx_skill_xlx - jordy is a fantastic player. i was always intimidated by you because i saw what you could do. but everytime i race you, you take a strong lead, then i come back and either win, or almost win. i don't know what it is. maybe you sit back and take it easy when you gain a big lead? i wouldn't do that here. on a skill level, i say you're better than everyone in this group, and over half the people in this whole competition. but this group can capitalize on a few mistakes. if you get into chill mode with a 3-0 lead, expect a comeback. play hard all the way through and you should take 1st.

i_always_own_you - shane, bro. you're too much of a bamf for yahoo pool. i don't know why you still play this game, but i also don't know why you're hated so damn much. lmao. i personally think it's funny, and i laugh at a lot of it. anyways, onto the prediction part. i honestly think everyone in this group has you beat on a skill level. you can keep it close with mike and chad, but i think that's it. if you can beat them, you still one extra win to make playoffs, and i don't think you'll get it. good luck man.

fhm_champion - ben. i know you're good. well, i know you were good, when i saw you play. i haven't seen you around the past seasons in any comp, so i'm not sure how your playing at them moment. but no one can just forget how to play pool, so you obviously still know what you're doing. i don't think this is a too hard of a group, going to battle jordy for 1st, and dan could upset you for 2nd place. finish your runs, and i think you'll whoop the others.

pot - hi, chad. you seem to get mad a lot? sort of like craigs replacement, since he went and got a life. congrats craig, if you read this. anyways, i'm getting sidetracked. you are pretty good no doubt, but like i said, when you get behind, you get into a fuck everyone mood, and only causes you to fall behind deeper. when you're down by three games, chill man, and just play like you would as if it were tied. i see you and mike battling for a wildcard spot. i'm not sure who to pick. either of you could get it. i'm going with mike, prove me wrong man.

lx_mike_xl - pretty cool dude most of the time. he's like a half noob player, half skilled player. you can make good shots man, but you mess up a lot of your runs by pool shot selection and fail cue control, such as shot power and english. nah, i'm not saying your bad, i actually think your one of the best players active in straightshots. i use to team with you often, and i don't team with straight up garbage pool players. definitely have potential of doing well in this group. you can do it, but i don't see it happening. like i said, going to fight chad for the wildcard spot, and i think you'll get it

Pecking Order - 1.Jordy 2.Ben 3.Dan 4.Mike 5.Chad 6.Shane

Group B

br0nz3 - While Scott was originally asking for div B I managed to trick him back into accepting a spot in div A. To be fair he's been there and done that in div B and has been consistently in the div A playoffs since then. It seems like Scott's biggest challenge is actually sticking around for the duration of the competition and getting his sets played. There is definitely room in this group to squeeze into a playoff spot but he'll need to beat some quality opponents. Still a good chance that Scott will be standing next round.

mvp_n00b - Another player who doesn't really get all his sets played usually in this competition. Steve actually hasn't been heard from too much in other competitions lately either. At one point not too long ago he was beating just about everyone and now it seems like he's either playing great or simply terrible. Another big factor is that he's a lot more prone to quitting or giving up when things get down. Steve is going to need to start out his sets well to have any chance... either that or find ways to stay positive while losing. On skill alone he should definitely be in the playoffs but he isn't a lock because of that stuff.

_Cue - Well luckily to bring some balance to this group, here we at least have someone who is known for playing their sets.... well at least last season. JD was able to qualify for the playoffs last season in a wildcard spot and turned that into a first round win. Definitely showing some pretty good potential to knock off good players although his game isn't quite as refined as you'd like at this point. Should be a dangerous player nevertheless and he can really knock off any of these players in a short set. JD could finish as high as 3rd or as low as 6th.

__God - This group is just chocked full of dudes rocking the undy apparently. Craig is most recently coming off a season where he won just enough to get in...including some archive wins and then was unable to participate in the playoffs. Craig has always been a strong performer in this competition and is one of the better players this time around once again. Should have a great battle with Matt for top spot in this group and a playoff spot should be expected even though the sets will all be tough.

boston.bruins2011 - Here we have the wildcard among all wildcards in Gary. This guy burst onto the scene in ss as one of the most dominant tourney players in recent memory and I was excited to see how that would translate to cam sets. While it wasn't a complete failure, playing only 3 of the 5 sets will not be a good strategy this time around. I get an odd feeling that this could be a breakout competition for Gary and that he could surprise a few people by grabbing a playoff spot here. I'm never like to make my picks too far out of the box though so I'm throwing him into the fight for the last playoff spot.

ta.lent - Matt has been one of the most consistent players in sscam in recent memory and is back to take it one step further here. Last season was Matt's second semi-finals appearance and he seems to be knocking at the door for a finals appearance and maybe even win the whole thing. Before looking ahead to that this group stage is definitely no cakewalk and this might be one of the more underrated groups. Can't guarantee that Matt will win his group like he usually does but he should be one of the 3 to move on.

Pecking Order - 1.Matt 2.Craig 3.Steve 4.Gary 5.Scott 6.JD

Group C (Lasko)

siccster - This guy can actually play pretty well sometimes from what I've seen using pretty good english and actually thinking the game reasonably well, but that said I really can't see him making it out of this group without a fair amount of luck. He had a pretty strong group stage last season finishing 3-2 but the problem is that he tends to take care of easier opponents with a good a mount of consistency but hasn't really shown that he has what it takes to pull off an upset against a better opponent which is just the kind of play that I think will land him in 4th place in this group.

X_STRIKE_X - Well, to say that Andy has been playing ypool for a long time would be a pretty huge understatement, this guy has been around pretty much since the dawn of time. Not really sure how his form is of late, hopefully he doesn't take literally 25 minutes per shot anymore but god only knows. I think his play will at least be good enough (if he's in any sort of good form for him) to get him a playoff spot in this group. He certainly takes his time and tends to take care of easier opponents well and doesn't make a lot of stupid mistakes so I think he'll have no problem making the playoffs out of this group coming in 2nd place.

eat_pinaples - First off gotta give props to Hope for signing up for division A, "hope"fully (ya I went there, what of it) she'll actually be able to play more than like two sets this season and actually show the ypool world what kinda game she has. There is no doubt in my mind that Hope has the skill to pull off some upsets in this group, she has certainly shown in the past that she can play with the best of 'em on occasion but sadly I think this group will be too powerful for her to win more than one or two sets. I'd look for her to finish pretty close to the bottom in 6th place.

adambuddy - Definitely glad to see AB back in the mix here. This man has proven himself to be one of the better players in ypool, he's been playing for a really long time and has been playing well fairly consistently over that time making playoffs in cam comps quite regularly through in my knowledge (I may be wrong) I don't think he's ever really made a deep run though I definitely do think he has the skill to take down the best players at the moment. I'm defeinitely looking for him to finish towards the top of this group in 3rd place.

ImThatGood - Well, I must admit I literally have no idea who this guy is but apparently he won div B last season which I guess is an achievement while at the same time not being one at all. I guess it would show that he's consistent at taking down less opponents which is definitely crucial in group stages but the problem here is that there aren't really any lesser opponents in this group. He's also at the top of the PRO mvp standings after one week not like that means anything but I'm just trying to think of stuff to fill space here. I'ma look for this guy to finish up in 5th place.

leafed_leafs - And that brings us to Jon AKA the current reigning champ of sscam by taking down mvp_sicc in the finals last season so huge props there man. Wehter or not Jon wins generally rests completely on what kind of game he brings. He can, at times, have one of the more overpowering run games out there right now making banks and other kinds of rediculous shots with a fair amount of consistency saving himself from bad leaves or bangs gone awry. However he can at times bring a pretty weak game as will happen with anyone who likes to run a lot of tables when the balls aren't rollin' their way. Either way, I definitely think he'll keep up his run from last season and take down 1st place in this group.

Group D

nish_is_my_name_choke_is_my_game - Nish is coming off a fairly strong season where he was able to beat a few quality opponents before finally falling in the playoffs. The challenge might be greater in some of the sets in this group but there are definitely wins available here. Nish at least has the advantage of knowing what he's going up against with Scott and Chris and will have a chance to slow them down. As for the rest of the group Nish has proven himself capable enough to possibly beat those guys out for the final playoff spot.

Sc0t_ - Hot off the presses I have a direct quote from Scott that said "ima play this shit this time". That must be referring to the previous two disappointing seasons where he literally lost to everyone and was seemingly pretty quick to give up at times. Hopefully a lack of focus can explain the previous two failures in this competition because most of the people here should know that in Scott you're dealing with one of the better players around. Assuming that we see the old Scott here.. taking down Chris wouldn't be out of the question but he'll at least sit solidly as the #2 contender for now.

mr_camtasia - Can anyone take out Chris? I used to know a guy who knew a guy for this job specifically but then he changed his phone number and that was the end of that. Chris is currently a semi-finalist in sscam's prize tournament where he's on quite a tear against some decent competition so far. Chris is a former champ in this tournament and no one would be surprised if he managed to do it again here. I'd say Scott is the only player who has a chance to beat Chris in a race here so he'll definitely be a lock for the playoffs and a top seed. Should finish the group stage 5-0.

TlNO_NICA - Well everyone always likes to talk about how Tino is such a nice guy. Personally if I were him I'd go on an internet rampage just so that people would start talking about something else. Tino hasn't been into the playoffs in a long time and unfortunately this group doesn't help out his chances at all. But as always when you have a player of Tino's quality who has been around forever and has seen all these players before you always have a chance. Tino has recently had a strong run in mcc's playoffs and he's going to need to keep that momentum going here to have a chance.

l2ack.em_up - Chris has had one really bad sscam season and one really good sscam season. Unfortunately his good one ended with no match being played at all as he missed the playoffs deadline last season. Chris was sitting pretty at 4-0 last season with some good good wins it was too bad the only loss was forfeited. This time around he's been tossed into an even better group than last time and 2-2 would actually look like a decent record. Chris definitely has a chance to fight for a 3rd playoff spot in this group but it won't be an easy fight at all.

sykology - Who else could really be in this group? Well to round out the 6 we have Brent who is always the consumate pro. Based on reputations alone heading into this competition Brent is the guy who I'd say is the favourite to take the 3rd seed. We know that Brent will definitely bring a high quality of play to most of his sets but the challenge here might be is there anyone else who can bring it even a little bit better. I think that if Brent respects the opponents that he's favoured over here he should be fine but it will be a fight for the last spot.

Pecking order - 1.Chris(mr_cam) 2.Scott 3.Brent 4.Nish 5.Chris(l2ack.) 6.Tino

Group E

complete - Well despite having a bit of a rough last season I had to ignore the request from John to play in div B mostly because I think he's too good to be there. Despite the poor showing last season John has had a lot of success in other competitions such as mcc where he was the top seed in the playoffs this past season. He's shown in those competitions that he's able to play a pretty good overall game and win fairly consistently. This group is probably even tougher than the one last season but there are some opportunities for wins. Playoffs will be tough but he should be in the fight.

TryMeGuy - Most of the time when I think of having to play Derrick I think of the fact that half the time I'm probably going to get a dq win because dude disappears consistently in the middle of competitions. Hopefully that will be enough of a poke to get one of the better players in the competition to play enough to have an impact on the final outcome. Derrick is mostly a run first guy who has great control and a creative arsenal of shots that isn't rivaled by many in the competition. I think he'll probably only fall short of first in this group because of a missed set or two.

ItsAJ - AJ is back in div A... easy wins for everyone! Just kidding of course. While AJ hasn't always had the most success in div A he is coming off a season where he crushed almost everyone in div B to get a little confidence boost. He's coming off an appearance in the prize tournament where he beat Craig and pushed Kenny into a 24 game set so those have to be positive signs. AJ has been around forever and it might be hard to believe that he can really improve that much but playing against the better competition definitely brings out better play in him so I think he'll be ready to at least compete in every set. I'd be surprised if he collected enough points to advance past here though.

R_ook - JT has done a pretty good job proving himself in this competition's group stage. He's routinely beaten strong players and has finished towards the top of the groups. Next step of course would be some playoff success as he has faltered there in the last couple seasons against opponents he probably should have taken advantage of. He seems to be able to master that sense of urgency in the group stage but the playoff pressure has been too much so far. JT is a pretty entertaining player to watch and his run game is air tight but this is a tough group and he's going to need to play well in almost every set to move on.

l1_stephen_1 - Where are all the easy players in this group..... next up is Stephen. Over most recent competitions Stephen has established himself as a pretty strong player and definitely a consistent playoff qualifier. I've never really been able to put a finger on what about his game I like but its hard to argue with the results. He's definitely still looking to make some kind of a breakthrough against better players in the playoffs but that should come in time. For now the focus is on making it out of this tough group and before any of the games are played I'm thinking that if Stephen can get his sets played he should move on.

trav_the_king - Well Trav has been doing a lot of good things lately, including winning mcc back to back and a deep run in 8brcam a couple seasons ago. Lately I've noticed just a little bit of a slump bowing out of some competitions against player I would have expected wins against anyways. It's easy to get distracted in sets when you don't really sense much of a threat from your opponent and having said that some focus would be wise here. If Trav cares and is playing well then he's going to finish in one of the top two spots in this group.

Pecking Order - 1.Trav 2.Derrick 3.Stephen 4.JT 5.John 6.AJ

Group F

n00bsquad_knight - Well we found out who this guy is in the last competition and he's back again to improve on the 1st round playoff exit. Stephen showed some pretty strong play coming out of a tough group winning more than half his sets. In a group that lacks proven talent he should be able to find his way back into the playoffs again. The key set to watch I think will be against David to see who can advance.

dx.hype - Well look who we have here. This guy might just be stuck here because of a strong performance 2 seasons ago. The strength of the competition actually got a little better since then and unfortunately Jack has not. I still have to admit that I'm surprised with his play at times and he does have the ability to get on a roll against the best of players at times. He's just too inconsistent really to finish high in this group.

l3_lvl_x - Always a really tough guy to predict because I really don't know how good he actually is. He's been a cam comp finalist on two seperate occasions, here and in mcc so some skill is definitely required. For whatever reason I figured he'd just start beating everyone but that hasn't exactly been the case. He's already got a loss to Pita which isn't the end of the world at all but it means that the rest of the sets are pretty important. I think he should get at least 2 set wins here but will that be enough to advance?

the_pool_professor - Here we have Kenny who is a former champ in the competition from last year. He's been off for a little while but has been back playing enough to regain some pretty good form. His only recent set results have been in sscam where he just barely managed to get past AJ in the second round. Everyone in this group is hoping that might be some indication of weakness but I seriously doubt it. Kenny vs Pita will be a great set but Kenny vs everyone else and you're going to see a difference in skill. Its really a toss up for the top two spots in the group but that still gets him into the playoffs.

o0_GoKu_0o - Sergio is back for another kick at the can. No clue how much Sergio is playing lately I haven't really seen his name popping up in very many places. He's had some pretty average performances in this competition missing the playoffs in his previous two attempts. Have to acknowledge that the guy has been around for a while and can definitely play at this level. There are wins available here but I think Sergio will be finishing towards last.

AzN_PrIdE_LuVa - Well before I start this prediction its probably nice to mention that he's already won his first two sets against Jack and David. Those aren't really much of a surprise considering its Pita. We haven't really had a chance to see Pita play a whole sscam in a while so this should be good to watch. When he's on his game he can be one of the best players around so he shouldn't have too much trouble with the rest of his sets. He really only needs one more win to make the playoffs but he'll be looking to take down Kenny for the top spot in the group. Should probably get 4 wins and a great playoff seeding at worst though.

Pecking Order - 1.Pita 2.Kenny 3.Stephen 4.David 5.Sergio 6.Jack

2011 Prize Tournament

Ok so after one gigantic delay of around 6 months the promise is finally fulfilled and what we have is a sweet little bracket including 22 players who have done exceptionally well in the previous 12 seasons of SSCam. First off I figure this is the bets place to post rules... there are no eligibility required.

Finals

#9 __Trav__ vs #2 mr_camtasia - Ok so even though its 9am on Monday morning I felt compelled to write this prediction right away just in case it were to get played in a hurry... like every other set in the last few days. Well a lot has happened over the past few days here with both these players. Starting with Trav getting his set in just past the deadline and knocking off Ant with a couple games to spare in the quarter-final round. That made him the player to beat on this side of the draw and he managed to take out Kenny comfortably just a day later. On the other hand Chris had been waiting for his semi-finals matchup for a few days and as soon as he found out his opponent he played and defeated Kevin in one of the closest sets so far in the tournament. Trav appears to be on fire with his game but this will be the ultimate heat check. It's one thing to beat Ant in an elimination set but to knock both Ant and Chris out in the same bracket will be tough. Obviously half of the feat is complete but I think Chris is probably less prone to have an off set and will be running lots of tables in a race to 9. Its hard to bet against Trav because of the great tournament he's having but it's even harder to bet against Chris because I've never seen him lose in this competition to anyone yet. Clearly two great players I but I think Chris will show that he is greater.

9-7 Chris

Semi-Finals

#9 __Trav__ vs #4 the_pool_professor - no pred

Result - 9-1 Trav

#2 mr_camtasia vs #6 aka_hero - no pred

Result - 10-8 Chris

Quarter-Finals

#1 underdogg_ vs #9 __Trav__ - Things are definitely heating up in this bracket as the first of our quarter-final matches has been set with Ant vs Trav. Ant's top seed means he hasn't really been tested much yet so far but with Trav he's facing a legitimate chance at a loss. This should be a really good set I expect it to be pretty competitive. Trav has definitely had quite a few great results lately but I haven't seen him be able to knock off Ant in a couple tries. Under normal circumstances I think I'd be leaning towards picking Trav for the upset just because I feel like he's overdue, but I think the money on the line will force Ant to play disciplined and even if its close he should win in the end.

9-7 Ant Result - 7-4 Trav

#4 the_pool_professor vs #5 black_stallion009 - Well so far between the two of these players there has only been one set won and it was a pretty shaky won by Kenny vs AJ. So pretty much its hard to tell how these guys are playing right now so we'll have to go mostly based off reputations. We've talked about Kenny already a bit... Irfan is also a former champ having won the season previous to Kenny's and has gained a solid reputation making deep runs in other competitions and knocking off top players while doing so. If Irfan goes unconscious and starts making runs appear out of nowhere he can't be stopped but the same could be really said for Kenny. I doubt his shaky performance against AJ really means too much as soon as the first table gets run in this one it'll be game on. Not much to pick really between these two guys but I just feel like Kenny's game could wear down Irfan a little bit over the long set.

8-6 Kenny Result - 7-3 Kenny

#2 mr_camtasia vs #7 l3_lvl_x - no pred

Result 7-4 Chris

Round 2

#1 underdogg_ vs #17 fv_arctic - Well for Chip's sake I hope his 7-4 win against Jack was well played and helped to shed a little rust because the next up is a nightmare at the best of times. Ant is the top seed in this tournament based on his two titles and two runner ups in a 4 season time frame. Ant actually has been dropping a few sets surprisingly in a couple competitions lately and I think the fact this is his only competition left going means maybe a little extra focus. Chip showed some good stuff by winning and advancing for this opportunity but another round in this tournament seems unlikely.

7-3 Ant Result - 7-3 Ant

#8 ta.lent vs #9 __Trav__ - Well if they have byes to round 2 then there's probably a good story behind it. Matt is a two time semi-finalist from the 4 seasons he's played including last season. Has absolutely crushed it in every group stage getting high seeding every time. Like I always say...Matt can keep up with anyone. Trav played a couple sscam seasons last year earning a #1 overall seed for the playoffs one time and losing a semi-final to Ant the other time. He's done great in competitions like MCC and 8brcam while he's been on sscam hiatus and those results have been pretty impressive. Not too sure really who is the favourite in this one but I think if things go bad then Matt has the mental edge so I'll say he moves on.

8-6 Matt Result - 8-6 Trav

#4 the_pool_professor vs #20 ItsAJ - Ok well first off going to have to recognize AJ for upsetting Craig. Wasn't watching too closely and Craig probably didn't shoot well but AJ wasn't his normal choking self to come away with some of those wins. No disrespect to Craig but AJ's next test is much tougher. Kenny was a winner when SSCam was just starting to get some better fields and was quite impressive doing so. AJ is going to need to shoot just as well against Kenny to have any kind of a chance here but I think Kenny just has too many shots and is too consistent to have much trouble here. He's already been back practicing a little bit and he really doesn't get rusty much anyways. I can almost guarantee this one won't be close.

7-3 Kenny Result - 12-10 Kenny

#2 mr_camtasia vs #18 m4tt_th3_p0ol_pl4y3r - Looking at the seeding really tells the story here. Matt might have had some familiarity with the likes of Nish but Chris is on another level. Chris earned this second seed by winning in probably the strongest field sscam has had taking out some big names including Ant in a final set that went extras. He's back playing ypool just on time to play in this tournament and I'm pretty sure he's in it to win it. Matt definitely showing some good stuff and potential to be a good div A player but Chris is arguably the best player because of his ability to hit spectacular shots while keeping things simple.

7-2 Chris Result - 7-0 Chris

#7 l3_lvl_x vs #10 hp_king22 - Here we have an up and comer against one of the better players to play in the competition. Hard to tell from the seeding but Don's semi-final run in the season he played last year was probably a little more impressive than David's finals appearance this year. Should be a great matchup because at this point David has seen a lot of good players and he seems to be hanging with them all. I've seen Don putting up some pretty good set results in other competitions so I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him come out with guns blazing on top form. Its too bad that one of these players has to lose so early but this competition is stacked and I'm going with Don.

7-4 Don Result - 7-0 David

#3 leafed_leafs vs #19 TlNO_NICA - I dont know much about Tino's game but from what I have heard while asking around, he's a solid complete player with no glaring weaknesses, much like Jon. I think this match will be close, but Jon is playing with a lot of confidence right now after winning sscam in grand fashion, taking out Ant in the finals. Combine that with some rust from Tino as he's only in Round 2 through a DQ and I think Jon wins this in a semi-close fashion.

7-4 Jon

#6 aka_hero vs #11 safdarbandali - Pretty good matchup here.. lets get into the story on these two guys. Kevin has played in a couple sscam seasons with his best being a runner-up finish in a very close finish last year. I personally think that Kevin is one of the better shooters out there. While he can be susceptible to an upset performance from an inferior player, most of the time he wins. Kevin might be the most creative player out there with some of the shots he can hit... you really never know its your shot until the miss actually occurs. Safdar has had some pretty good performances in sscam with a couple semi finals appearances to get here. Right now I think Safdar sort of tries to be the same kind of player as Kevin with his run first style but he really can't pull off all the same shots to finish off his runs. Safdar can definitely be very impressive at times and he won't be overwhelmed in this set but I think Kevin should have his eyes on the prize and manage to go at least past this test.

7-4 Kevin Result - 7-4 Kevin

Round 1

#16 dx.fanatic vs #17 fv_arctic - Ok so here is the first matchup. Jack is really lucky to be here. He's actually one of two players who managed to advance to the semi finals of the competition without playing a set. Having said that he did compete in div A and did manage to qualify for the playoffs which says a lot about how he's improved in his game and developed some kind of consistency. On the other hand we have Chip who was a div B champ to earn his ticket here. Chip never really belonged in div B and managed to impress in his followup div A season making the playoffs. This one is pretty tough to call mostly because I think Chip could have some rust but I think his overall game was much more solid and probably still is over Jack. I'm picking Chip to show us he still has it.

7-4 Chip Result - 7-4 Chip

#13 gg_7balled vs #20 ItsAJ - I thought about changing the seeding only because I figure the table banter for this matchup would be pretty pathetic. Speaking of another player who qualified without having to play a playoff set... here we have Craig. Ok well Craig probably would have qualified for this sooner or later he's no slouch. Craig can either be really good or just average making a lot of mistakes. Unfortunately for AJ he's prone to making those costly mistakes towards the ends of games quite a bit. AJ is just coming of his div B runner up season where he walked through the field until the finals where he took a seat. AJ really has nothing to lose in this set so I think he'll probably keep it close enough but Craig should pull away in the end.

7-5 Craig Result - 7-2 AJ

#12 Lewissss vs #21 king_hustler2002 - Battle of the rust is on here. Lewis has so nicely graced us with his presence taking up the 12th seed in this tournament. His only showing in the competition was a fairly solid semi-final appearance in one of the more competitive fields we've had. Not sure how much he's been playing lately... did see his name pop up in 8brcam but not sure all sets got played. He's proven over the years that he's always a solid opponent. On the other side we have King Ass Waxer who has been in the competition quite a few times. After coming up short in div A one season he went on to be the div B runner up to Hani last year. King definitely used to show us a while ago that he could hang with the big boys but who knows if that skill will still be there. This race will be a matter of who finds their stride first and I think that should be Lewis.

7-3 Lewis Result - Double DQ

#15 nish_is_my_name_choke_is_my_game vs #18 m4tt_th3_p0ol_pl4y3r - Here we have a solid matchup between the previous two div B winners. Matt is last season's div B champ and he managed to pull off the feat much to my surprise taking out some pretty good players along the way. For his one and only season in the competition the sample was a pretty good one. Nish was the div B winner from the first season this year and managed to follow that up with a div A playoff appearance in the previous season. In experience I would definitely have to give the edge to Nish just because he's been in important sets before so often in so many different competitions. I think in this matchup Nish will be giving that extra effort to make sure to avoid the choke.

7-5 Nish Result - 8-6 Matt

#10 hp_king22 vs #23 nick_ownzz - Hold up, we have a late entrant into the prize tournament. Always happy to make an exception in the rules for Nick who is a former champ in the competition. Haven't seen Nick play in a really long time but the last time we saw him consistently he was pretty impressive and really able to knock off top players when he was on his game. Don would be the favourite in this matchup either way I think but that doesn't necessarily mean he wins. Both of these players can get on a roll running not letting your opponent shoot is always a good strategy. Bit of a surprise last second matchup here and I guarantee that it'll be appreciated by any viewers. A Nick win wouldn't surprise me but I have to pick Don here.

7-5 Don Result - 7-5 Don

#14 sin-e vs #19 TlNO_NICA - In this matchup we have Ashton, who brought some new blood to the competition last season against Tino, who has probably been in every competition since we started. Last season Ash was very impressive with his run into the semi-finals before taking a pretty big loss there. In this bracket the competition should be quite a bit tougher to manage to get that deep anyways. On the other side we have Tino who is always a great competitor. His consistency isn't always that great but he definitely has a wide variety of shots and can do some damage when you're not expecting it. Tino's qualification for this tournament came a long time ago and he hasn't been back to the playoffs in a while so I think Ash should come out on top in this one.

7-4 Ashton Result - 7-5 Tino

#11 safdarbandali vs #22 xl_bankqueen_lx - Sorry to say but this is probably the most lopsided matchup of the first round. Kerry earned her qualification by being the runner up in div B in the first season of the year. She definitely showed some good stuff in that season, pulling off some good results against good opponents. Unfortunately after coming off a poor showing last season, the opponents get tougher x5 here. Safdar has always had strong showings in this competition consistently qualifying for div A playoffs. I know that after a little time off he's back playing quality pool again and that's bad news for Kerry. There's always the chance with Safdar that he gets into a slump with his running so Kerry could pick up a few wins and make it close but not sure that it's likely.

7-2 Safdar Result - 7-1 Safdar