PartyPoker Mosconi Cup 2009 – 9-Ball Pool in Las Vegas

2009 Mosconi Cup
United States v Europe
MGM Grand, Las Vegas
December 10th to 14th

It is time for the two continents to go  head  to head  again, as the elite American and European players come together in the “Ryder Cup of Pool”, the PartyPoker Mosconi Cup 2009. The tournament is for the exponents of the favoured 9 ball conventional form of pool, along with Scotch Double. The two, five-man teams will go head to head over the course of three days, playing a total of 21 matches in a race to accumulate 11 points. The Captain cannot use the same pairing of players more than once, and not all players have to compete in every round of the singles, which brings tactics into play. There has been one twist for this year, as opposing team captains, Alex Lely and Nick Varner, choose who the opposition player is, in the 5th and 7th singles matches.

Team USA consists of Jonny Archer, Oscar Dominquez, Shane Van Boening, Corey Deuel and Dennis Hatch. Team Europe consists of Mika Immonen, Ralf Souquet from Germany, Thorsten Hohmann from Germany, Darren Appleton from England and Niels Feijen from Holland. Europe will have on their side, the current best Pool player in the World, Mika Immonen, who has won back to back US Opens and is the World Champion at the 9 ball game. The PartyPoker Mosconi Cup 2009 is a world away from the gentlemanly conduct and atmosphere which is in practice at the Pukka Pies UK Championship of snooker. The Mosconi Cup, the brainchild of Matchroom Sports, has all the glitz and glamour and atmosphere of a darts tournament. Encouragement and team camaraderie are not just expected, they are a given.

The Europeans have had the upper hand in the PartyPoker Mosconi Cup for the past couple of years, and will look to hold onto to the title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, which starts on Thursday, December 10th and comes to its conclusion at whatever time on Sunday, December 14th.  This is the16th time the Mosconi Cup has been contested, and despite Europe’s recent resurgence, trail the Americans 10-4 (one tournament was tied) and so have a long way to catch back up. Last year’s Cup, which was held in Malta, was won convincingly by the Europeans, 11-5.

Not to dumb down the selection players for the teams, instead of going on merit, the American’s decided to do a “Mosconi Cup Idol” thing, where the general public got to vote  for who they wanted to see in the fifth position on the team. They voted in Dennis Hatch, while Europe did the sensible way of picking players who had earned their places throughout the season. Professional 9-ball pool is exciting, exhilarating and emotionally charged. There is no better way to get into the game and watch the plethora of pure talent that is on show at the PartyPoker Mosconi Cup 2009.

Europe to win: 8/13 at BetFred
United States to win: 13/8 at Stan James

Mika Immonen represents a great bet at 9/2 Boylesports to be the Top Combined Pots Scorer at the PartyPoker Mosconi Cup 2009.