I loved snooker when I was a kid and used to practice beside Stephen everyday. Unfortunately all the clubs near me shut down and I gave the game up about 15 years ago and started playing pool regularly ever since. About a month ago I bought a set of snooker balls for my own pool table. Potted a black off the spot and went over to the pocket to retrieve it. As it's a pool table it comes out the same shoot as every other ball. Obviously muscle memory took over despite not playing snooker for 15 years and picking pool balls out the same place in that time. I ended up laughing at myself and have done it a few times since
As a naff amateur I need to work on that. I can either pot the ball and get a random cue ball or concentrate too much on the cue ball and miss the pot 😂
@@kx454 This was recorded at the Masters, so we can assume it's a practice table that's fitted to the official tournament standard in terms of pockets and cloth, whereas other players did the challenge on their personal tables.
yep and that last rest shot was against a bright sunny window, super difficult. i hate that when i come to a club and they have hugh windows without proper curtains
@@breakshot7451 In a room with no dedicated over table lighting, especially with just one single light source, I find it really difficult to aim the cue ball onto the object ball correctly. The angled shadows make it really hard to judge.
Definitely the best one yet. Mark Allen comes across as a down to earth top geezer. And the cannon practice is a fantastic tip.👍 Hope he wins world championship this year and gets the triple crown status he deserves.
That was another great watch. Allen, like him or not, is some player. That practice routine was phenomenal stuff. The cue ball control was astonishing. Thanks to Mark and to Stephen for a great watch!
My friend and I used to play a lot of FIFA together. Because of this we were able to talk constantly while playing it and still play well. When other friends came and played they couldn't cope with being talked to and trying to play at the same time. Good to see Stephen employing this knowledge to keep himself near the top of the scoreboard.
Great attempt with the Tough Table Challenge and great practice routine with the cannons! Along with Ronnie and Judd for the World Championship I'm tipping Mark this season!
I've watched every TTC and think this was my favourite. I think the talking adds an extra level. It's not just potting the balls. It's can you do it whilst being distracted.
It's not that we always get annoyed when you talk, Stephen. It's when you do it deliberately to mess up some shots that can ultimately end up beating your score.
Stephen's far beyond such infantile mindset, my child. He continues talking to help TikTok youngsters - with attention spans of gnat - to keep focussed on the video.
Stephen trying all the tricks in the book to put Mark off.💀 3:35 The cannon routine is great, its great for touch and feel, Judds approach to break building is why he has one of the worst cue balls on tour, had he had Marks cue ball he would have been 6-2 7-1 up this afternoon.
@@thewidowmaker4037 Not the very best positional player, agreed, but he still has a far better cue ball than most players in the top 16 in my opinion - there's only really Ronnie, Higgins, Allen and Ding who I'd say are clearly better positional players. Other top players at the moment - the likes of Selby, Williams, Robertson, Murphy - like Trump, are particularly strong in other areas of the game rather than specifically their cue ball. And to be honest, they're all still great positionally. Either way, Trump's highest level is ridiculous. Probably going to be the second player to make 1,000 career centuries, despite Higgins currently being ahead of him.
Sending you Best Wishes Steve, i’m at this moment watching you playing in the qualifiers for the Welsh Open,, Aaah man you just left the yellow over the pocket for Ross Muir to clear up. Not to…. Oh he’s just missed the brown.. nice snooker. What a pot.. ooh yeah great pot with the pink. NO you missed the black with a chuckle to follow. Your doing great… Ive got tickets for the Quarter Finals in Llandudno… hope to see you winning there.
Ahhh so close, a few too many unwanted kisses with the cue ball. I know you have lots of well wishers wanting to see a return of you to a major. All the best.
0:55 Only true fans know that it's part of the tough table challenge when he says, "People complain when I talk to the players while they're doing it" 😂
Hi Stephen, Can you speak on your recent loss (Welsh Open) and pull out of Barnsley in the previous qualifier. Just a fan that’s all and thought you should I’ve won 4 nil, the last ball seemed to get you. Your not far off & golf is boring in winter. Couple Potts your back in top 64 weout trying
HAVE YOU PLAYED SNOOKER PLUS? the game created by Joe Davis with the orange and purple balls? It may be fun for you to do a vid about it and show us how to play it.
The cannon practice routine was ace. Considering he puts the white back in the same spot every time, I’d like a bit of a guide on where hes hitting the cue ball on every shot there. 🤔
Stephen said he wouldn't talk here so as not to break up Allen's rhythm, but with Ronnie, he would not stop talking (neither would Ronnie himself, to be fair) and even WALKED RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE POCKET HE WAS SHOOTING INTO
It seems to me like the players who do well at the tough table challenge tend to be the players who are very in-form or in the middle of their season. Both John and Mark were in the middle of playing tournaments when they set their high scores. In contrast, if you look at good players that attempt the challenge in the off-season (Ronnie, Luca, Kyren) they tend to not do so well. Seems like form plays a big role in setting big scores.
Not just form, but being in or out of practice - if you've been preparing for a tournament then you're at a clear advantage as opposed to someone who's not touched their cue for a few weeks.
"I had to be in London on Saturday for something else..." Now there's a line that would've sounded far more ominous and suspicious in a Northern Irish accent 30-years-ago than it does today!
Stephen wrote that with a smile, obviously - keeping the suspense until Marc's use of the long rest & extension, when we definitely understood what the 'first' referred to. It's all in good spirit, classy banter if you will.
Did he mention my name? No Hahaha He mentioned the GOAT Ronnie O'Sullivan & Jimmy What an inflated ego for an average player that flopped when new talent emerged! The GOAT Ronnie STILL doing GOAT things! 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐
Stephen just randomly chalking his cue while Mark was playing shows what 40 years of snooker does to you 😂
I do the exact same when I’m watching someone else play snooker and I’ve only been playing 3 years 😂
First thing I noticed 😂 love it
I play pool and do a similar thing out of habit if my opponent is like on a long run...;)
I loved snooker when I was a kid and used to practice beside Stephen everyday. Unfortunately all the clubs near me shut down and I gave the game up about 15 years ago and started playing pool regularly ever since.
About a month ago I bought a set of snooker balls for my own pool table. Potted a black off the spot and went over to the pocket to retrieve it. As it's a pool table it comes out the same shoot as every other ball. Obviously muscle memory took over despite not playing snooker for 15 years and picking pool balls out the same place in that time. I ended up laughing at myself and have done it a few times since
That's fucking hilarious to think about.
That cannon practice is mightily impressive.
As a naff amateur I need to work on that. I can either pot the ball and get a random cue ball or concentrate too much on the cue ball and miss the pot 😂
Incredible
The tough table challenge was impressive, but the cannon routine was jaw-dropping. Sheer class and precision!
Mark is an absolute gent. And so great to watch. The World is waiting for him.
He's so good at those little stun shots. And gets so much action on the cue ball with that short cue action. So impressive.
87 is incredible! I guess we shouldn't be too surprised considering he'd just got a 147 in the Master's 👏
Impressive tough table challenge on a slow table in the dark! Great cannon routine. another superb video. thanks Steven & Mark
And he did it on a "real" table. Respect 👍!
Aye everything sounded heavy. 👍👏
What does that mean? (Asking from the States who loves cue sports)
@@kx454 This was recorded at the Masters, so we can assume it's a practice table that's fitted to the official tournament standard in terms of pockets and cloth, whereas other players did the challenge on their personal tables.
With the uneven lighting casting shadows up the table that break was incredible!
yep and that last rest shot was against a bright sunny window, super difficult. i hate that when i come to a club and they have hugh windows without proper curtains
@@breakshot7451 In a room with no dedicated over table lighting, especially with just one single light source, I find it really difficult to aim the cue ball onto the object ball correctly. The angled shadows make it really hard to judge.
Love him or hate him, Mark Allen is some player 🙌
People hate him?
Reanne Evans does 😅
I never used to like him. Don't know why
@@davidstevens3934 I think that's human. Sometimes you see people you just don't like for no reason.
i don't like him.
The cannon he played on the tough table challenge on the 3 reds below the the pink was perfect👌🏼
I have so much time for Mark Allen and for Stephen for that matter! What a great vid, the only trouble with it is that it isn't long enough!
Mark Allen seems a real nice bloke.
Love this series. Cheers Stephen!
superb from start to finish. What a nice bloke
Some phenomenal shots here. Blimey.
Love teh way Stephen is chalking up up all the time
Really like Mark and wish him all the best
Congrats on the tough table challenge & good luck in the world championships. Great interview
Fellow County Antrim one here I was willing that red in, good lad mark great post again stephen
I love the cannon routine. That will definitely become part of my daily practice.
very sympathic person .. its so good that stephen show us the other side of this players ,,,,,
Love this channel! Hendry is great!
Definitely the best one yet. Mark Allen comes across as a down to earth top geezer. And the cannon practice is a fantastic tip.👍
Hope he wins world championship this year and gets the triple crown status he deserves.
those cannons were insane.
Excellent once again.
Great lads Mark & Stephen
Another quality video, Mark Allen is some player👏
That was another great watch. Allen, like him or not, is some player. That practice routine was phenomenal stuff. The cue ball control was astonishing. Thanks to Mark and to Stephen for a great watch!
Such a nice, humble guy, and he looks so healthy nowadays. Big fan of him.
Keep going Stephen great channel!
Laughing at Highfields haircut is hilarious, although no mention of Jimmy.
It isn't Jimmy's real hair, so it's not a hairCUT ;)
My friend and I used to play a lot of FIFA together. Because of this we were able to talk constantly while playing it and still play well. When other friends came and played they couldn't cope with being talked to and trying to play at the same time. Good to see Stephen employing this knowledge to keep himself near the top of the scoreboard.
My god the cannon control bit was seriously impressive.
And thru the gap to the pink 😮
@@davidhale8034 amazing control.
Legends. Love this channel.
great episode as usual. TY
Great attempt with the Tough Table Challenge and great practice routine with the cannons! Along with Ronnie and Judd for the World Championship I'm tipping Mark this season!
I like that routine.. very interesting
‘Oho, Pat’s done ye!’ lol
😂😂😂
I loved this episode
I've watched every TTC and think this was my favourite.
I think the talking adds an extra level. It's not just potting the balls. It's can you do it whilst being distracted.
such delicate control over the white. Reminds me a bit of how Cliff Thorburn used to chip away at the pack when break building.
It's not that we always get annoyed when you talk, Stephen. It's when you do it deliberately to mess up some shots that can ultimately end up beating your score.
Stephen's far beyond such infantile mindset, my child. He continues talking to help TikTok youngsters - with attention spans of gnat - to keep focussed on the video.
By far the best performance sorry John even though Mark didn't pot that long red I'd still put him on top
Love it Mark and Stephen 👏👏👏
"Players hate it when I start talking." Then he continues talking!
Yeah that had me laughing. Then Hendry got guilty and gave him another go.
Says the same thing on every video now
Well it is an interview
Stephen Hendry is the GOAT. With the GOAT UA-cam page so he can do as he wishes 🐐
Funny coz he doesn't talk that much generally, unless he's critically bashing u!🤷🤷🤫😬💀💀💀
That's the most insane snooker room I've ever seen
Nice cue ball control!
I've always loved the way Mark Allen doesn't the wallop the ball he almost caresses it.
Mark seems like such a nice guy, would love to see successes continue
That is the best one yet, gelled really well together, Hendry should of taken him up on the third frame offer!
Stephen trying all the tricks in the book to put Mark off.💀 3:35 The cannon routine is great, its great for touch and feel, Judds approach to break building is why he has one of the worst cue balls on tour, had he had Marks cue ball he would have been 6-2 7-1 up this afternoon.
It can't be that bad as he has made the most centuries so far this season at 57, Ronnie is second on 38...
Compared to his rivals its poor, he's always chasing position. @@bonkersbeast
@@thewidowmaker4037 Not the very best positional player, agreed, but he still has a far better cue ball than most players in the top 16 in my opinion - there's only really Ronnie, Higgins, Allen and Ding who I'd say are clearly better positional players. Other top players at the moment - the likes of Selby, Williams, Robertson, Murphy - like Trump, are particularly strong in other areas of the game rather than specifically their cue ball. And to be honest, they're all still great positionally.
Either way, Trump's highest level is ridiculous. Probably going to be the second player to make 1,000 career centuries, despite Higgins currently being ahead of him.
@@thewidowmaker4037 Well either way it works for him. He's the greatest break builder in snooker history.
What are you talking about, Ronnie is the best break builder in history, i'm talking about Judd not Ronnie.@@bonkersbeast
A players player, fabulous talent
What a great guy Mark Allen 👍
A frame winning break spot on gent's 🖖🔝😉😎
Always liked Allen, love his sharp 'pistol' cue action. Glad he is realising more success recently
Sending you Best Wishes Steve, i’m at this moment watching you playing in the qualifiers for the Welsh Open,, Aaah man you just left the yellow over the pocket for Ross Muir to clear up. Not to…. Oh he’s just missed the brown.. nice snooker. What a pot.. ooh yeah great pot with the pink. NO you missed the black with a chuckle to follow. Your doing great… Ive got tickets for the Quarter Finals in Llandudno… hope to see you winning there.
Ahhh so close, a few too many unwanted kisses with the cue ball. I know you have lots of well wishers wanting to see a return of you to a major. All the best.
I enjoyed hearing Mark Allen. Also a great challenge performance.
Couldn't agree more re. Liam Highfield
Great content, geat video, thanks for the entertainment. Have a great week Stephen
0:55 Only true fans know that it's part of the tough table challenge when he says, "People complain when I talk to the players while they're doing it" 😂
Why this channel is not in the millions
Because most people on UA-cam ignore what true quality is about. Who cares about those people? I certainly don't.
Would love to get Selby on for the tough table challenge!
Nah I wouldn't watch a two hour long video.
@@sharkey9😂😂😂
Absolutely fascinating video!
Pat deserves a raise
Keep talking Stephen! Its a Show and we love the chats!
Hi Stephen,
Can you speak on your recent loss (Welsh Open) and pull out of Barnsley in the previous qualifier.
Just a fan that’s all and thought you should I’ve won 4 nil, the last ball seemed to get you.
Your not far off & golf is boring in winter. Couple Potts your back in top 64 weout trying
HAVE YOU PLAYED SNOOKER PLUS? the game created by Joe Davis with the orange and purple balls? It may be fun for you to do a vid about it and show us how to play it.
that's a very clever routine, same pot requires such control
great attempt, was this filmed before or after the maximum?
5:05 😳 shot, mate.
Ikr 👌
I love that they talk during the video, otherwise it will be like any other break in a professional match.
Thank you Stephen Hendry for these vids. I usually watch waiting for Sunday breakfast to be cooked
Very enjoyable.
I enjoyed the show very much. Mark allen is a great guest.
Wow, what great touch. That was more impressive than his tough table challenge score.
Great lad is Mark
The cannon practice routine was ace. Considering he puts the white back in the same spot every time, I’d like a bit of a guide on where hes hitting the cue ball on every shot there. 🤔
The hardest part isn't the table it's Hendry in your ear lol
Mark hit them really sweet!
Stephen said he wouldn't talk here so as not to break up Allen's rhythm, but with Ronnie, he would not stop talking (neither would Ronnie himself, to be fair) and even WALKED RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE POCKET HE WAS SHOOTING INTO
Amazing channel ,
Never been a mark allen fan but something has changed in the last few years. Seems a really decent guy.
Allen has lost a heap of weight. Well done sir. You're an inspiration.
It seems to me like the players who do well at the tough table challenge tend to be the players who are very in-form or in the middle of their season. Both John and Mark were in the middle of playing tournaments when they set their high scores.
In contrast, if you look at good players that attempt the challenge in the off-season (Ronnie, Luca, Kyren) they tend to not do so well. Seems like form plays a big role in setting big scores.
Of course it plays a massive part. Confidence in snooker is massive
Not just form, but being in or out of practice - if you've been preparing for a tournament then you're at a clear advantage as opposed to someone who's not touched their cue for a few weeks.
0:56 "people complain when i talk to players when they are doing it"
*Proceed to talk immediately*
I would like to see legendary ref Jan. Have a chat and see how good he is a snooker
It's a great idea, but Jan is struggling with health issues. I'm very worried about him ☹️
I love how Hendry is chalking his queue, though he's not playing. He may not even notice it.
gotta love hendry chalking up his cue lol
Really like that cannon routine
"I had to be in London on Saturday for something else..."
Now there's a line that would've sounded far more ominous and suspicious in a Northern Irish accent 30-years-ago than it does today!
Nice video, mark is just easy to listen to!
That really was a masterclass from Allen.
Hendry was once again interrupting his guest and then the woman walks across the room..grrr I felt he was robbed of that
If you reverse the table high value colours bulk end and low’s the other. Yellow black spot, green pink spot. Could you still break 100?
Incredible first in the tough table challenge? Stephen Hendry going for the click bait. That's what GOATS do 🐐
Stephen wrote that with a smile, obviously - keeping the suspense until Marc's use of the long rest & extension, when we definitely understood what the 'first' referred to. It's all in good spirit, classy banter if you will.
Did he mention my name? No Hahaha
He mentioned the GOAT Ronnie O'Sullivan & Jimmy
What an inflated ego for an average player that flopped when new talent emerged!
The GOAT Ronnie STILL doing GOAT things! 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐
Amazing cue control, never seems to get out of position that he has to do an exhibition shot.
Stephen's spotting is immaculate, sometimes two inches off 😂😂
Proper player..
Nice one Mark