2010 December Inside POOL Magazine Premium by Inside POOL Magazine

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December 2010 Volume X, Issue 10 USA $3.95 Can. $5.95

U.S. Amateur

Champions Crowned Last-Minute

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HBO

Puts Tony Robles Into Play

Seminole Win For

Strickland Darren

Appleton First Brit to Conquer U.S. Open

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December Contents

On the Cover: "Dynamite" Darren Appleton became the first Brit to win the U.S. Open with his victory this year over two-time defending champion Mika Immonen in the finals. For the full story, please visit page 26.

n o i t c Instru

page 20

Featuresoardwalk

ck h a Sti t i W le op st) eat Pe t (Almo 10 B oing Straigh G knology ieces p r e t s c i a r 12 T ultiple-Ball M M t Workou l o o P ro 14 P tting Go Le Secrets o r P f o r he Yea nce 16 T eak Per forma eard B P ith The tomatic W g n i ank ” Au 18 B hree “Hanger, rsenal T A anks for Your B

page 30

ce to B les Into Play b o R y n 20 Advan o T s g n BO Show Bri New H d to Bits e ff u h e U.S. Open C th 6 in 2 W to d ton Thrille e Apple Buying Guid y a d li ry o H ’s 30 IP ther a Victo e g o T s g in tr arl S Mizerak e v te S 34 The Pe s im trickland Cla Earl S pionship U.S. Amateur Cham d e n w ro C ateurs 38 Top Am Divisions ’s n Champions e m o W d n r of Men’s a Winne ro Event P 1 1 0 2 to nce Adva 2 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

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s t n e m t r a Dep page 34

TV 6 Pool on ry iser Directo 8 Advert

e Month h t f o s r e y Pla ity.com

Commun 17 Billiard oundation F n o ti a c u Ed on 41 Billiard rs Associati e y la lp o o P an 44 Americ

l Roundup

na Regio ast 46 Northe ast 52 Southe l 57 Centra 61 Western 63 World

Columns 40 42 53 64

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Stripes Rules Recap Industry News Sudoku Puzzle zzle Crossword Pu

Publisher Advertising Sales Director JR Calvert Bill Perry publisher@insidepoolmag.com sales@insidepoolmag.com

Instruction Staff Johnny Archer, Freddy Bentivegna, Shannon Daulton, Bob Henning, Jason Lynch, Matt Sherman, Editor Feature Photo Credits Tom Simpson Sally P. Timko Craig Blankenhorn, Elrod Bowers, editor@insidepoolmag.com JR Calvert, Abbot Genser, HBO, Tony Robles Contributing Writers Graphic Artist Fred Agnir, Lea Andrews, Jose Laura Luzier E-mail Burgos, Tim Dunkley, art@insidepoolmag.com info@insidepoolmag.com Alison M. Fischer, Rob Johnson, Gerry Mayen, Ken Shuman Editorial Assistant Website Lea Andrews www.insidepoolmag.com Administrative Offices PO Box 972 Video Designer Toll Free Kittanning, PA 16201 Alvin Nelson 888-428-7665 4 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

InsidePOOL Magazine Volume X, Issue 10 (ISSN1547-3511) is published monthly except June and August by Spheragon Publishing, PO Box 972, Kittanning, PA 16201. Single copy price: $3.95 in U.S.A., $5.95 in Canada. Subscription prices: $19.99/yr in the U.S.A., $28/yr in Canada, $39/yr international. Periodicals postage at Kittanning, PA, and additional mailing offices. Submissions of manuscripts, illustrations, and/or photographs must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The publisher assumed no responsibility for unsolicited material. Reproduction of this magazine in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: InsidePOOL Magazine, PO Box 972, Kittanning, PA 16201.PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

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Instruction Going Straight (Almost) category of shots we frequently shoot is the A common “Not Quite Straight-ins.” True straight-in shots can be aimed in a totally objective way. Simply line up to the bottoms, centers, or tops of both the cue ball and the object ball. Some players, seeing that the balls are lined up “dead in the hole,” will ignore the OB in their aim and just aim the CB directly at the pocket.

< by Tom Simpson

side of both balls, pointing at the same place on both balls. Since the balls are close together (say 1 to 2 feet), CB squirt will not be a large factor in your aim. You’re going to spin this ball in. It takes a little practice to get a feel for it, but it comes down to this: The more sidespin, the slower the speed, and the dirtier the balls, the more “spin-induced throw” you’ll get. Try this shot for a few minutes. It will look wrong at first. Shoot it and see.

As we’ve all experienced, Not Quite Straight-in shots (let’s call them thicks for short) are not so straightforwardly aimed. For this category of shots, we’re aiming somewhere in the range of 1/16-inch to 1/4-inch to one side or the other of the center of the OB, cutting the CB somewhere in the range of 1 degree to 7 de-

Edge of Shaft Method: Here’s a way to aim one of the more common thicks that is difficult to judge. This one is sometimes referred to as a “1/8th-ball cut,” meaning it looks to the shooter as if they are slicing off 1/8th of the OB. It’s about a 7-degree cut angle and comes up all the time. While you might be good at recognizing the shot, it’s tough to accurately sight this aim.

“How do we cut just a little?”

A typical tip width is 13 millimeters (about a half-inch). A half tip is thus a quarter inch, or four sixteenths. Stay with me here. Line up your shaft so that the center of the shaft points through the vertical axis of the CB and the inside edge of the shaft points at the vertical axis of the OB. If the edge of your shaft aligns to the center of the OB, the center of the shaft (your aim line) points a half tip off center. That’s about four sixteenths of an inch of offset. Each sixteenth of offset adds about 1 1/2 degrees of cut, so depending upon your actual tip diameter and your accuracy of sighting and delivery, this very objective aiming alignment will produce about a 5- to 7-degree cut shot. You can, of course, start from this objective sighting and adjust slightly thicker or thinner as reality requires.

grees. We’re aiming very thick on the OB, but not quite full. How do we cut just a little? Pivot Method: Let’s start from the known and adjust from there. We know that if the shot is straight in, we could aim the center of our stick through the vertical center lines of both balls. If we use that (straight in) as our initial sighting for the shot and judge the true aim we need relative to that, we might gain more confidence and accuracy. For thicks, if you start from dead center on the OB, it’s easier to see how much you’re cutting. One way to use this is to line up to the shot as if it is actually straight in, settle into that aim, and visually project the center of your tip through the center of the OB. Now, very slightly pivot your tip to point just to the outside of the centerline on the OB. I’d like to emphasize that this pivot (in your bridge) is a small motion, pivoting your tip to point a little off the center of the OB. A good rule of thumb for thick cuts is that each sixteenth of an inch you cut, relative to the center of the OB, cuts the OB an additional 1 1/2 degrees. For example, aiming 1/8-inch off center yields about a 3-degree cut angle and aiming 1/4-inch off center cuts the ball about 6 degrees. Because the pivots are smaller, this technique tends to work better as the balls are farther apart. Parallel Shift Method: This technique for aiming thicks works well when CB and OB are closer together. Again, line up as if the shot is straight in, but then parallel shift your stick over to the outside of the shot. Your stick now points through the outside 10 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

Potential trouble: As cut angle approaches straight in, the effects of sidespin (spin-induced throw) increase. The most difficult thicks are those where the OB is halfway to the pocket. Useful insights: Thick cuts such as these are very forgiving of small aiming errors, as compared to thin cuts. And by sighting thicks relative to straight in, we can improve our confidence and our results. Thick is good.

Tom Simpson Tom Simpson is a Master Instructor in both the BCA and ACS Instructor Programs. He delivers his acclaimed 3-Day Weekend Intensive in 12 cities nationwide. As inventor of Elephant Practice Balls®, the Stroke Groover™, and the Ghostball Aim Trainer®, and authorized instructor for Secret Aiming Systems™, Tom’s innovations in training have helped thousands of players. Listen to an audio description of the Intensive, and read 35 instructional articles at www.NationalBilliardAcademy.com. Contact: Tom@PoolClinics.com.

< by Jason Lynch

Multiple-Ball Masterpieces

v v v

numerous balls in succession, it can be even more impressive. For this month, I have picked three multiple-ball shots that require speed and accuracy. The first is a creation from Nick Nikolaidas. Setup the shot as shown with a two-ball gap between the row of object balls and the butt of a cue. Hit the cue ball three rails around the table, and then fire the seven jump shots before the cue ball gets around the table. This shot has two important elements: a good speed on the cue that gives you time to hit the jump shots, and an accurate rapid-fire jump.

We can also blame Nick for the last shot this month. He played this shot against me at the Atlanta Billiards stop of the Ultimate Trick Shot Tour. He missed it and I made it—much to his chagrin. Take your time and hit the first three jump shots (the 1, 2, and 3 balls), then hit the 7, 8, and 9 around the table. You must rapid-fire jump the 4, 5, and 6 balls into the pocket before the 7, 8, and 9 get to the pocket.

v vv

one ball is sometimes difficult enough M aking for a trick shot artist, but when you can make

vv v

v v

4 1

The next shot I call “Around the World.” The one ball is approximately a ball’s width from the pocket cut. The other balls are placed as shown, with the 5 ball resting on a new piece of chalk. Hit the cue ball into the 1 ball with a half-ball hit, using a tip of right english and a medium-tofirm stroke. This shot is really for a 9-foot table, but if you move the 3 way out of the pocket along the foot rail, you can shoot this on a 7- or 8-foot table. 15

v 3 4

8 6

Jason Lynch

I had never seen this shot before and was as surprised as Nick when I made it. Though the match ended up with Nick edging me out on the last shot, I learned a great new trick shot to add to my arsenal, and I hope you enjoy adding it to yours as well. 14

Instruction

12 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

Jason Lynch grew up playing pool in Michigan. In his early twenties he started playing in the VNEA and placed as high as 16th in 8-ball and 9-ball. In 2005, he won the Michigan VNEA speed pool contest. He has also pocketed 11,100 and 12,011 balls in 24 hours as fundraisers for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. In 2007 he had his best finish to date, placing sixth at the Artistic Pool U.S. Open and winning the stroke category. Jason is ranked 14th in the world by the WPA. His sponsors are Shelti Pool Tables, Seybert’s Billiard Supply, McDermott Cue, and Leisure Elements. Visit his website at www.michigankid.com.

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Instruction

Letting Go go is one of the most beautiful of all human expeL etting riences. It is also one of the most difficult to consciously cause to happen. It requires trust, confidence, and courage. To let go, the self-conscious part of a person, the ego, needs to step aside and turn control over to the intuitive inner self. This can sometimes show up as a scary proposition. It may even seem to the person, at some level, as if he or she disappears. The natural result of letting go during a billiard match is the experience of being in dead stroke. Nothing exists in the awareness of the player except the table. He examines the layout and evaluates all the available options. He visualizes the different patterns in full color, chooses a shot with trust and confidence, and gets right down. The execution is effortless and automatic. In the entire process, there is no hesitation or dissension. There has been a tremendous amount of research in recent years on the different parts of the brain. Scientists have found that the two hemispheres, or sides, of the brain work differently and perform separate functions. The reason there is no dissension

“ The natural result of

letting go during a billiard match is the experience of being in dead stroke.”

in the experience of dead stroke is that the two hemispheres of the brain, the left brain and the right brain, are working together. Neither side is attempting to dominate the other. Left-brain functions are being handled by the left brain and right-brain functions are being handled by the right brain. Most people in the modern day world are left-brain dominant. They live most of the time from the perspective of the left hemisphere of the brain, which is associated with thinking, language, and self-identity. It is conceptual in nature and the home of understanding, reasoning, evaluation, and judgment. The leftbrain world is the world of time. When a pool player is operating from the left side of the brain, he shows up as the thinker—the person who is conscious of himself and his actions. From this perspective, there is a natural tendency to want to control the action. At the best, the player is able to analyze multiple options and make plans. At the worse, he’s like a good friend who talks too much. He knows exactly how it should be done and can tell you all about it. He is also the guy who beats you up when you miss! Think of the paradox: A billiard stroke encompasses the cooperation of millions of muscle cells, 14 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

< by Bob Henning

nerve endings, and synapses, yet the conscious thinking mind, which can only juggle about seven items at one time, wants to take control of it all! The right side of the brain, on the other hand, is intuitive in nature. It is associated with emotion, feelings, visualizations, and imagination. It is the source of creativity and all well-performed physical activity. It exists in the world of shapes and patterns and is sometimes thought of as the unconscious part of the mind. When a pool player is operating from the perspective of the right brain, he shows up as the player—the great performer. He is capable of executing a billiard stroke and can duplicate it over and over and over again—perfect every time. He is the product of millions of years of evolution and hours and hours of practice. The player can only be present when the person is not thinking. For most pool players, their best performances show up by accident. They can’t predict when they are going to play their best, because they don’t know when they will. They can play great one day and terrible the next and not know what caused one and what caused the other. It’s one of the most agonizing and painful mysteries of the game. When there is good communication and harmony between the two hemispheres of the brain, there is proper function. In other words, the left brain is free to control the left-brain activities and the right brain is free to control the right-brain activities. When communication and harmony between the hemispheres is disrupted, it is impossible to play pool at your best. There are two major conditions that inhibit open communication and prohibit the natural balance of left- and right-brain function. These two conditions are fear and ignorance. We’ll look at them in the next issue of InsidePOOL.

Good luck and good shootin’!

Bob Henning Bob Henning is the author of The Pro Book, widely considered to be the most advanced training resource for competitive pool players. It brings the latest techniques of the top coaches and trainers of all sports into pool. It is intended for those who wish to prepare physically, mentally, and psychologically for pool competition. Bob is also the author of “The Pro Book Video Series,” a complete, on-the-table training system, and he also released The Advanced Pro Book and The Stroke Zone: The Pool Player’s Guide to Dead Stroke. In addition, he has authored Cornbread Red, a biography of the colorful Billy Burge.

Play Play Video Video Play Play Video Video Play Play Video Video

Instruction

< by Matt Sherman

Peak Performance I

’ve had a blast—and many of you have blasted the rack better—over this year of pro secrets. I’d like to share a secret to high performance to close our year together. As I mentioned in the November issue, firefighting holds promise for a great game of pool. Firemen learn to quash natural instinct when calling to each other and those they rescue. Like me, if you saw a sudden blaze or a fiery explosion erupt into the air, under pressure you’d try to shout “Fire!” but a high squeal of sound would escape your lips. The reason is the more nervous and excited you are, the more likely an undirected shout is shrieked rather than projected at a comfortable pitch. But firefighters know to take a quick deep breath before issuing from deep in their belly a very loud and low pitched call of “Fiiiiiiirrrrrre!” that will carry a tremendous distance. Preachers use the same technique when blaring a loud and long sermon over a huge crowd. Learning to use adrenalin with directed force applies to expert billiards also. Here’s what I mean. Ever get pumped in an important tournament or league game, and when attempting a precise draw or follow stroke you send the cue ball much further than you had planned? Adrenalin kicked in, and somehow your arm propelled the cue ball a great distance. Frustration sets in. After all, you stroked the cue ball so well, you failed to gain position for the next shot!

The pros anticipate these peak performance times and use adrenalin to break the rack hard yet in a controlled fashion. They also use it to underplay the cue ball, anticipating a bit more roll if their nerves reach a fever pitch. Consider the accompanying diagram for an example. The triangular area represents position from where the cue ball can come to rest for an easy out. We pool teachers are shocked at how many skilled players roll the ball along Line A through the narrow neck of the shape zone, especially when the heat is on for the cash. The pro line for the cue ball, Line B, is toward the wide part of the shape zone for the 9 ball. I can aim for the spot where the cue ball is shown when under pressure. If I overshoot my target by a full 4 feet, the cue ball bounces off the end rail and comes back to rest at the same spot anyway! And since anywhere along that 4 feet makes for an easy out, experience has taught me to shut my mouth wherever the cue ball winds up along that path to keep my psychological edge over the opponent. Any final ball position along Line B looks like the cue ball went where I wanted it. A secret of peak performance lies in active relaxation, when you’re excited physically yet calmly focused mentally. Stop telling yourself to calm down when shooting pool under pressure. Allow your body to get excited instead. “Go for it” while relaxing your mind and enjoying (observing) the rush of physical performance. Active relaxation helps a top stadium singer belt out “O’er the land of the free!” without choking the last high note, the policeman or firefighter shout “Fire!” to be heard a quarter mile away, and the pro player sink five balls off a 9-ball rack while leaving the cue ball dead in the middle of the table. Excited, pumping adrenalin, but with a relaxed mouth and throat (or shooting arm over the pool table).

Matt Sherman

Line A

Matt “Quick Draw” Sherman has appeared dozens of times in major print media and popular TV channels promoting billiards and entertainment. He has taught hundreds of students and has directed pool leagues, pool tournaments, pool fundraisers, and pool adult ed courses. Sherman directs the University of Florida’s leagues, which have produced six national champions, and is the Guide to Pool & Billiards at About.com, one of the world’s most popular websites. He is the author of Picture Yourself Shooting Pool, available at Amazon.com as a book/DVD combo and also as an electronic book.

Line B

2 6

16 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010 10

Featured Member Q: What draws you to the game? A: Just Google my name, "Angela Sebree," and everything comes up

"pool" from my art to my tee-shirt designs. Pool is my sport! I love the challenge of the game, the sound of pool balls dropping in the pockets, the competition of the players I meet along the way, and the great feeling I get after a night of being in "The Zone." Â

Q: Tell us about a memorable moment in pool. A: One of my favorite and most memorable matches was in a tourney in

Wilmington, NC, where I was playing Wade Crane. Because of my gender and the fact that our match was hill -hill, quite a crowd had gathered to watch. I played some pretty darn good pool in that match, but Wade won in the end. After our match, Wade came over and complimented my skills. His comments felt sincere, and he had enjoyed our match as much as I did. The memorable part of that match isn't the fact that I lost but the fact that I had earned the respect of a really great pool player. Â

Q: What do you like about BilliardCommunity.com? A: I love BilliardCommunity.com. It's like a social network geared specifi-

cally for the pool community. You can post items for sale, find out about upcoming events, watch videos, create your own photo albums to share, and even get feedback about cues or other pool-related items. BilliardCommunity.com is simply what the name implies: a billiard community.

Send Angela a friend request today at BilliardCommunity.com.

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Three “Hanger,” Automatic Banks for Your Arsenal I

have diagrammed and will explain exactly how to score on three systematic bank “automatics.” Automatic banks are banks that lay perfectly on the “go” path. Just line up as if you were going to shoot a dead straightin shot, aim to hit the object ball full in the face, and then confidently pull the trigger with a firm stroke. Use no english, and make no adjustments. Do not use any significant draw or follow, either. Just expect consistent results. The absolute correct point to contact the cue ball is approximately 1/2 tip above or below dead center.

< by Freddy Bentivegna

This system is a jump off from the oft referred to 2-to-1 or mirror-bank angle. By now everyone should know that a bank following a 2-to-1 angle path will usually run about a quarterdiamond short of the intended pocket if hit with medium speed. In my first book, Banking With The Beard, I meticulously go over the many, many adjustments you can make that will pick up that missing quarter diamond. But here we have three positions that have simple solutions that require no special adjustments. You can secure some tasty results because you can easily recognize these angles when they come up. Diagram 3: “Go” path runs through Diamond 3 through Diamond 1 on the long rail.

Diagram 1: “Go” path runs through Diamond 1 through Diamond 2 on the long rail.

Instruction

v 1

4 6

7 1

2 10

The dead center of the cue ball will apply too much pure “slide.” That’s an effect that for most bank shots you want to avoid, as a sliding ball will magnify the slightest aiming error. There is a category of trick banks where I take advantage of slide to make the shots, but let’s save all that for another lesson down the road. Diagram 2: “Go” path runs through Diamond 2 through Diamond 1.5 on the long rail. 6

Once you can recognize these “perfect” angles, you can begin to look for parallel angles to shoot also. That’s for those ball positions that don’t fit exactly into the three reference angles that I have outlined in the diagrams. 11

The basic paths themselves are very easy to map out. The key, however, is to make sure the “go” path runs through the connecting diamonds (per the diagrams).

Freddy Bentivegna Chicago-born Freddy “The Beard” Bentivegna has been in the mainstream and the underbelly of pool for over 50 years. In 2005 Freddy was elected on the first ballot into the Bank Pool Hall of Fame. He has written two books and two popular DVDs on his specialty, bank pool. He is widely regarded as one of the premier experts on the game and science of banks.

v 2

3 6

18 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010 1

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Boardwalk Advance to

New HBO Show Brings Tony Robles Into Play by Sally P. Timko photos courtesy of HBO, Abbot Genser, Craig Blankenhorn, and Tony Robles

here’s no business like show business, as the saying goes, and at some point most of us have fantasized about being involved with it. Maybe you’ve wanted to be an actor, a starlet, a dolly grip. Maybe you’ve got a screenplay locked away in your desk drawer—or in your imagination. Or maybe what you’d really like to do is direct. Very few of us, though, actually pursue those dreams. But what many pool fans don’t realize about Tony Robles is that besides being a professional player and running the National Amateur Pool League, he has done a good deal of work in the film industry in New York over the years. In additional to being the technical consultant for commercials for a pharmaceutical company, Acuvue Contact Lenses, and Macy’s, he has worked on the set of “All My Children” and played a small role in the movie Turn the River, starring Famke Janssen. Last fall Robles received a phone call from Jessica Lee of “Boardwalk Empire’s” Bootleg Productions Inc. Lee was looking for a billiard consultant for the new show and wanted to know if he was interested. Robles reported to Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where the show was being filmed, and this fall audiences were able to see the fruits of his labor. 20 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

“Boardwalk Empire” is arguably the best thing to happen to cable television since “The Sopranos” went dark in 2007. Crime, graft, sex, and fascinating characters it offers in abundance. For all of its rich Prohibition-era trappings, though, the show also offers a rare glimpse for pool enthusiasts into the game’s history. The show, the brainchild of Martin Scorsese, is set in 1919 Atlantic City (post-Black Sox) and focuses mainly on Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, portrayed magnificently by Steve Buscemi, a political mover and shaker. But of equal importance in neighboring New York are Arnold Rothstein and Charles “Lucky” Luciano, gangsters in the very upper echelon of their powerful crime ring. Golden Globe nominee Michael Stuhlbarg portrays Rothstein, and Vincent Piazza plays the boyish yet lethal Luciano. Robles’ work in the series revolved around teaching Stuhlbarg and Piazza how to look and act natural during the scenes that required them to be playing pool. Luciano notches some time at the table in the series, but it was Rothstein who was the real pool shark between the two. In fact, there is a story that persists regarding Rothstein and his intense

interest in pool. Enemies of Rothstein brought in a ringer named Jack Conway to McGraw’s Billiard Parlor in Manhattan in 1911 to humiliate him. Rather than back down, though, Rothstein met the challenge head on. The match began on a Thursday evening, and after nonstop play for two days and nights, Rothstein was up $10,000. The owner finally interceded and shut the pool hall down, and it is this story that is said to be the inspiration for the first showdown between “Fast Eddie” Felson and Minnesota Fats in The Hustler. But in real life, neither actor had had much experience with shooting pool, and Robles had his work cut out for him. He was up for it, though. “It was my first experience for this type of show,” he recounted,” but I felt right at home because I’m used to this kind of work. Everyone involved in ‘Boardwalk Empire’ was very nice and trusted me one hundred percent when we were on the set. Michael Stuhlbarg and Vincent Piazza nailed every shot on the show. “First let me start by saying that both Michael and Vincent are very nice and respectful individuals. Michael and Vincent were very disciplined and determined to improve. I worked mostly with Michael as he had to shoot most of the shots. Our goal was to make Michael look like a classic player from

Michael Stuhlbarg, Tony Robles, and Timothy Van Patten on the set.

Practice session at Amsterdam Billiards with Vincent Piazza, Tony Robles, and Michael Stuhlbarg.

On the set with Vincent Piazza, Tony Robles, and Joseph Riccobene.

“

Do you know what the moral of this tale is?

“

December 2010 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 21

the 1920s—similar to Ralph Greenleaf tie. Not easy to do for a professional, let standing upright with a sidearm stroke.” alone a complete amateur. With that goal in mind, Robles met with both Stuhlbarg and Piazza at Amsterdam Billiards and Bar to prepare for the second episode of the show, called “The Ivory Tower,” in which Stuhlbarg, as Rothstein, relates a disquieting story to a character named Frankie Yale—all the while shooting pool and wearing a bow

“Episode nine was the first episode in which Michael got to shoot some shots,” Robles explained. “I set up a couple of simple two-, three-, and fourball shots for him, as well as some basic shots in front of the pocket, and he nailed every one.” Luciano brings in Yale to meet with Rothstein, who is methodically shooting pool (using a Predator AX-6, which was a gift from Robles to Stuhlbarg, who liked it so well he used it on the set). Without the flicker of an eyelash, Rothstein recounts this chilling story with an air reminiscent of fava beans and a nice Chianti: “There was a man once—I don’t recall his name—frequented the billiard parlors downtown. He made a comfortable living wagering whether he could swallow certain objects, billiard balls being his specialty. He’d pick a ball, take

22 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

it down his gullet to here, and regurgitate it back up. And one evening, I decided to challenge this man to a wager: ten thousand in cash for him to do the trick with the billiard ball of my choosing. Now, he knew I’d seen him do this a dozen times, so I can only surmise that he thought I was stupid. We laid down the cash, and I handed him the cue ball. He swallowed it down, it lodged in his throat, and he choked to death on the spot. What I knew and he didn’t was the cue ball was one-sixteenth of an inch larger than the other balls … just too large to swallow. Do you know what the moral of this tale is, Mr. Yale?”

“Don’t eat a cue ball?”

“The moral of the story is that if I cause a stranger to choke to death for my own amusement, what do you think I’ll do to you if you don’t tell me who ordered you to kill Colosimo?” Robles spent thirteen and a half hours on the set that day, making sure that everything was perfect while director Timothy Van Patten did the same, shooting the scene from various angles. Three and a half months later, he received another phone call from Jessica Lee asking if he was available to work on a complicated pool scene for the ninth episode, “Belle Femme.” “Michael had to shoot a couple of shots and then shoot a trick shot from a specific angle. I suggested a littleknown three-ball shot that requires you to shoot a combination, bank, and carom shot all at once to pocket all three balls in one shot in the same pocket,” Robles explained. “I worked with Michael for a week and a half at Amsterdam Billiards and Bar for about four to five hours a day. It was a tough shot to learn, and Michael became frustrated at times, but he continued to practice and by the fifth day, he started to make it seventy percent of the time. I was determined to help him master it, because this shot has never been on film and I was excited to see it become a reality! I also worked with Vincent on a couple of shots because he was playing Michael for five hundred a rack in that particular scene.”

InsidePOOL Speaks With Actor Michael Stulhbarg Arnold Rothstein (January 17, 1882-November 4, 1928) was born in New York City to a middleclass Jewish family and exhibited an early interest in mathematics and illegal businesses. While his brother studied to become a rabbi, Arnold opted to move to Manhattan and open a gambling casino. He purchased holdings in many speakeasies during Prohibition and also invested in a horseracing track in Maryland. He is perhaps most infamously known for allegedly fixing the 1919 World Series, which became known as the “Black Sox Scandal.” A millionaire by the age of 30, Rothstein was heavily involved in organized crime and was known as “The Brain,” “Mr. Big,” “The Man Uptown,” “The Fixer,” and “The Big Bankroll.” Cast as Rothstein in “Boardwalk Empire,” Michael Stuhlbarg hails from Long Beach, CA, but was graduated from Julliard School and remains in New York. He was nominated for a Tony Award for The Pillowman in 2005 and a Golden Globe Award for his leading role in the Coen brothers’ A Serious Man in 2009. Stuhlbarg’s Rothstein is a cold, rather austere character who never acts before calculating all the possibilities—and the possible benefits to himself. Stuhlbarg was kind enough to speak with InsidePOOL regarding his experiences with pool and representing such a legendary figure. IP: What kind of research did you do to get into the part of Arnold Rothstein, aka “The Brain”? MS: I found as many books as I could about his life, I found information online, I tried to see as many movies as I could. I asked a lot of questions, took down as much information as I could, and started from there. IP: What is the biggest challenge about playing Mr. Rothstein? MS: There’s a lot of information out there, and I feel a great responsibility to know as much as I can to make educated decisions about what he was like, what he might have been like. The biggest challenge is feeling responsible to honoring his memory. IP: Had you ever played pool before? MS: I played pool when I was a kid. I learned how to play pool when I was 12 or 13, but it had

been out of my life for many years, so when they asked me to polish up my pool game— it had been a long time since I had played. My father had a pool table in our house. He and some of his friends used to teach me. IP: What was the best thing and what was the worst thing about working with Tony? MS: There are so many good things about working with Tony. He was so patient with me. He set up a bunch of exercises for me to do, and I just practiced and worked hard. He gave me some wonderful tips in terms of thinking about the angles of pool, which I found to be helpful. It’s difficult. That’s the only downside. It’s a tough game. I used to play instinctually, and there’s a part of me that rebels if I have to use my mind too much. IP: The shots in the episode “The Ivory Tower” were fairly straightforward. But you had to do a very difficult trick shot in the ninth episode, “Belle Femme.” How did that turn out? MS: The camera was rolling, so I had to pretend that I do this kind of thing all the time. As soon as I made the shot, I felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders. I have a whole new respect for pool players. To be that methodical and that patient, you really have to get yourself into the zone. IP: Would you rather be a famous pool player or a crime kingpin? MS: That’s a tough one. I guess I’ll go with the pool player (laughs). I don’t want to break the law. IP: If there were a match between Vincent Piazza and yourself, who would win? MS: Vincent would probably win. We’ve played pool a lot together—he’s very good. So I no doubt think that he would win. IP: Will you be playing more pool in the future, do you think? MS: Well, I certainly enjoy it more now and have a whole new respect for it. Whenever I see a pool table, I go over and give it a try if there are not many people around.

December 2010 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 23

InsidePOOL Chats With Vincent Piazza Born Salvatore Lucania (November 24, 1897January 26, 1962) in Sicily, Italy, Charles Luciano is more commonly remembered as “Lucky.” At the age of ten he and his family relocated to New York City, and ten years later he was a driving force in the area’s crime scene. He was the first boss of the Luciano crime family, which later became the Genovese family. Luciano led a turbulent life full of dramatic highs and lows, and he has the unique distinction of being considered the father of the modern crime organization in America. The perfect foil to Michael Stuhlbarg’s coldhearted Rothstein character on the show is Vincent Piazza’s hot-headed Luciano. Piazza was born and raised in Queens, NY, and was originally a Division I ice hockey player for Villanova University in Philadelphia. When a shoulder injury ended his hockey career prematurely, he took up acting. He has been on The Sopranos, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, was featured in Rocket Science, and currently is performing on Off Broadway in The Science of Guilt. InsidePOOL was fortunate enough to chat with Piazza regarding the challenges of both playing such an iconic figure and learning pool into the bargain. IP: What sort of preparation did you do to get into the role of Lucky Luciano? VP: I found out I had the part in December 2008 and I had six or seven months on my hands, so I started reading. I kind of had a feeling that a biography would have some “taint,” so I read bios of other gangsters and tried to find the truth in them. I started with the books and tried to watch all the movies and started a cheat sheet and built a blueprint of his character. IP: Lucky Luciano is called by many the most influential and greatest gangster of them all. What was the biggest challenge about playing such an iconic figure? VP: Just being that. One of my friends called me up when he found out I had the role and said, Good luck. You’re playing the Abe Lincoln of gangsters. Not only is there a tremendous responsibility because he’s been portrayed so many times, there’s a lot of stereotypes and you have to hug the truth very tightly. It was daunting and challenging, and up to this point it seems that it’s been well-received. IP: Lucky Luciano is said to have gotten his nickname when he survived a brutal attack by three 24 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

men. Would you rather be lucky or good in pool? VP: I’d rather be good. I would definitely rather be good. Tony [Robles] and Mark [Finkelstein], these guys were trying to get us as confident and comfortable as possible, but you see what the good players are like, and I’d rather be good. Luck is unreliable. You can always come back to good—you don’t always get a chance to come back to lucky. IP: Had you played much pool before this? VP: I played some. My brother and I used to get into some heated battles. But I certainly wasn’t a seasoned player, and I certainly had no training with a cue. When I was growing up I used to watch Jimmy Mataya’s video and try to do the massé shots. He was great, a real character. IP: What inspired the writers to include playing pool in the two episodes? VP: It was one of Arnold Rothstein’s passions. I was always under the impression that Arnold was a master card player and loved vice games. There were big gambling stakes at pool, and he would go on these marathon games where he would play for all night. Also, I think it’s easy to depict a fancy card game. You get to see Rothstein in this beautiful billiard parlor—there’s something very elegant about the game that speaks to Rothstein’s character and my character’s ambitions. IP: What was the best thing and what was the worst thing about working with Tony? VP: The best thing was that he taught my more inside of an hour than I had learned in the previous fifteen years. The worst thing was that we only got to work for a day or two. I kind of got hooked on it. I would show up to Michael’s lessons because I got hooked on it. Tony was a real sweetheart—he was really great. IP: In a match between Michael Stuhlbarg and yourself, who would win? VP: I like Michael every time. Michael is a shark. Michael was hitting the trick shots cold, take after take. IP: Will you be playing more pool now? VP: I actually do, yeah. Every now and then on the weekend I’ll go out and shoot some pool with friends. Just holding a cue is different—there’s so many little things, nuances, that I now know that I wouldn’t have had before.

A problem arose when Jessica Lee informed Robles that the shoot for “Belle Femme” would be on March 18—while Robles would be in Valley Forge, PA, for the Super Billiards Expo. He enlisted the help of good friend BCA Master Instructor Mark Finkelstein, who came to Amsterdam Billiards for the final three days of practice with Stuhlbarg and Piazza to learn the shot so that he would be able to replace Robles on the set. Stuhlbarg telephoned Robles the morning of the shoot, nervous that he wouldn’t be able to make the shot under pressure on set. He asked if Robles would be able to make it that morning, but Robles was tied up with the professional tournament. All he could do was assure Stuhlbarg that he had complete faith in Finkelstein and that he was in good hands. Sixteen hours later, Robles received a text message from Finkelstein saying that Stuhlbarg nailed the shot on his third try. To put that into perspective, consider that “Just Showing Off,” the famous trick shot executed by Steve Mizerak in the 1976 Miller Lite commercial, required 191 takes to get right. Now that “Boardwalk Empire’s” first season is successfully behind it, only time will tell if billiards will play a part in Season Two. With Arnold Rothstein’s limited lifespan—he was murdered in 1928 after he suffered heavy losses in a high-stakes card game and didn’t quite pay his debts—it’s hard to predict if the show will require Robles’s services again. Robles said, “I don’t know what Season Two has in store as far as pool playing goes, but if they need me, I will be there!” Only one thing is certain in “Boardwalk Empire’s” world of risking everything on the turn of a card or the roll of the dice: Hiring Tony Robles to be the technical advisor was no gamble. It was a sure bet.

t’s not a common slang term in the U.S., but when Darren Appleton said he was “chuffed to bits” to have won the 35th U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships, it was pretty clear to all that he was delighted. And he deserved to be—he was the first Brit to win the prestigious title, and he also got to take home $40,000 as well.

CHUFFED TO BITS

ppleton A THRILLED TO WIN U.S. OPEN by Sally P. Timko

26 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

Corey Deuel won the U.S. Open in 2001 and was looking to add another trophy to his collection this year.

“Winning was just amazing. I am overjoyed and overwhelmed—it’s a great feeling. I’ve come a long way in the last few years and this win means so much after having such an average year. Now I’m in Mosconi, so it turns out to have been an amazing year!” Appleton exclaimed after the event. In an event full of firsts, Appleton was also the premier player to win a final match at the Open using the new “must win by two racks” rule implemented this year. This rule was used in all four matches on Saturday: quarterfinal, semifinal, hot seat, and final matches. “I think the new rule was good idea,” Appleton opined. “It gives the players little bit of breathing space, so for the players it’s great, but for me the most important question was, did the crowd like it? That’s the most important thing, and it seemed to come across well.”

Sweet 16 A few more things were different as well. October 17-23, 2010, saw a full field of 256 players competing at the Chesapeake Conference Center, 40 more than last year. As this year was the first that women were

allowed to participate in the Open, 16 of these players were ladies. With the Open a Mika Immonen was reaching for his third consecutive U.S. Open title mere week before the this year but was stopped by Darren Appleton and Corey Deuel. Yalin Women’s World 10-Ball Championship in Manila, many of the Warren Kiamco's intensity level during his hill-hill top ladies opted out of the Chesapeake quarterfinal match with Corey Deuel was enviable. event, including Jasmin Ouschan, Allison Fisher, Karen Corr, and Ga Young Kim. It was Jennifer Barretta who became the first women in history ever to win a match at the U.S. Open when she defeated David Ross 11-5 in the initial round. She was subsequently bested by Nigel Francis 11-4 and the U.K.’s Scott Higgens 11-5. But the $1,000 bonus awarded to the top female ended up going to Gerda Hofstatter of Austria. She won her firstround match against Holden Chin in a hill-hill thriller and then went on to face former world champion Daryl Peach, who sent her to the one-loss side 11-4. There she eliminated fellow female JoAnn Mason-Parker 11-4 and then John Timmermans 11-10 before being ousted herself by Adam Smith by a narrow 11-9 margin. December 2010 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 27

After a late loss to Ralf Souquet, "Rocket" Rodney Morris eliminated Germany's Thorsten Hohmann before falling victim to Corey Deuel.

Former Canadian junior star, Jason Klatt ended up in fifth place at this year's event after being eliminated by Corey Deuel. The 18-year-old Jesse Engel defeated two controversial Hall of Famers during his Open run--Mike Sigel and Earl Strickland. Spain's David Alcaide is one of the top players in Europe. He finished in fifth place after consecutive losses to Darren Appleton and Warren Kiamco at this year's U.S. Open.

by Appleton for the first time and was sent to the west side 11-8. After his defeat of Van Boening he matched up with Rodney Morris in the tournament’s final eight and ousted him in a tight 11-9 win to become the last American player standing. An 11-1 trouncing of Canada’s Jason Klatt put Deuel in a match against the final Filipino, Warren Kiamco, who had just buzzed through his match with David Alcaide of Spain 11-5. The rule change first came into play during this quarterfinal match-up. The score between Kiamco and Deuel seesawed to 10-all, then 11-all. Kiamco inched ahead to 12-11 when Deuel scratched on the break, but Deuel won the safety battle in the next rack to knot the score again. Deuel ended up with ball in hand to reach 13-12, and when he broke the following rack, the 1-9 combo lined up perfectly for a 14-12 victory.

Champions Rise and Fall No one was surprised to see defending champion Mika Immonen, who was in pursuit of his third consecutive championship, to go unchallenged through his matches, but it was a bit of a shock when Mike “Fireball” Dechaine upended 2007 champ Shane Van Boening 11-3 in the first round. Van Boening gamely went through nine opponents on the one-loss side before being eliminated at ninth place by Corey Deuel 11-8. Deuel had made it to the final eight undefeated when he was stopped in his tracks

28 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

While Deuel was scrapping his way through the B side, Appleton wasn’t exactly slacking. His road to the finals was arguably one of the harder ones in the tournament, with wins over Ronald Tutien, Zion Zvi, Ronnie Alcano, fellow countryman Jayson Shaw, Efren Reyes, David Alcaide, and Deuel putting him in the hot seat match against the only other undefeated player in the event: defending champ Immonen, who wanted nothing more than to put a third feather in his cap.

Racking up Problems The hot seat match started off equally, but Appleton began pulling ahead to go up to a daunting 7-2. Two errors and then a

break and run gave Immonen three racks, but then the Finn scratched on the break, and Appleton made it 8-5. They traded the next couple of racks, and then Immonen moved closer after an empty break by Appleton and then a break and run-out of his own, making it 9-8. A safety battle saw Appleton emerge victorious in the following rack, but Immonen grabbed the next game. Now at 10-9 in Appleton’s favor, Immonen executed a tough cut on the 4 ball but then hung the 7 ball. Unable to believe his luck, Appleton dropped the 7, the 8, let out a “Wooooo!” and Immonen conceded the 9. During the hot seat match, it became painfully obvious that tournament director Ken Shuman was having problems racking the balls to the satisfaction of both players. Disgusted with the inordinate amount of downtime they had been forced to wait between games, Immonen said during a post-match interview, “I hope we get the rack figured out better, because the rhythm—you’ve got to waste five minutes every time.” According to Shuman, the players were allowed to inspect the rack— but they could not touch it—and they were allowed one re-rack only if they were not satisfied. Then they had to accept the re-rack once Jay Helfert, Bill Stock, or Shuman declared it suitable. “Any extra time taken was to ensure the one ball was frozen to the second row and the nine was frozen to the two balls immediately behind it,” Shuman ex-

Jennifer "9MM" Barretta made pool history by being the first female player ever to win a match at the U.S. Open.

Gerda "G-Force" Hofstatter was the highest-finishing lady at the U.S. Open, for which she earned a $1,000 bonus. This year saw world champion Francisco Bustamante inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame.

plained. “After a week of play, there were small indentations in the cloth from all the breaking, and we simply had to work around it by finding the right place for the one ball to settle before pushing them up tight. It may have appeared to the audience there were major issues, but there really weren’t. Even Corey and Darren told me after the final that I did a good job for them. We just wanted to take our time and provide each player with the best possible rack.” But things only got worse for Immonen. After two such close matches, the semifinal match was a bit anticlimactic. Deuel was primed from his narrow victory over Kiamco, and though the first six games were split to make the score 3-all, that was where Immonen’s tournament ended. Deuel charged him for every mistake and also had a few break and run-outs to nudge the score up gradually to win 11-3. Though crestfallen to have missed his chance to make U.S. Open history (again), Immonen commented on his way out, “I hope you have a good game … I’m going to be back next year. Even though sometimes you lose, sometimes you win. I never give up.”

Hill-Hill Thriller No one could describe the final match as anything but a complete nail-biter. The score went back and forth to 4-all before a leader emerged. Appleton pulled ahead to 8-4 after a couple of misses by Deuel and a break and run-out. But Deuel got back in the match easily enough, and soon the score

was 9-8 Appleton. The finals were meant to be a race to 13, but with the winner needing to win by two racks, it was impossible to predict. The two fought back and forth, with Appleton maintaining a slight edge always. That is, until the score evened at 11 apiece. Then a break and run by Deuel gave him the advantage. But a dry break by Deuel restored parity, and then a break and run-out by Appleton gave him the edge at 13-12. A missed 2-7 combo gave the next rack to Deuel, but Appleton edged back up with a fantastic jump shot on the 4 ball. Up 14-13 and needing one last rack to win the $40,000 first-place prize, Appleton broke, and it looked as though nothing was going to drop at first, but the 8 ball slowly rolled into the side pocket. It was a fairly easy layout for Appleton, who nevertheless took his time sinking each ball. Another “Wooooo!” after the 7 ball, then he sank the 9 ball and fell to the floor, the 2010 U.S. Open 9-Ball Champion. “Darren just played really good—he pockets balls awesome, unbelievable,” averred Deuel. “But right there at the end it all came down to the breaks. I broke twice to try and keep it alive and didn’t make anything, and his last break there, it didn’t look as though anything was going to go, and then the eight ball kept rolling. But he really pocketed his balls awesome.” “I never really doubt myself in matches—I just worry and hope for chances,” an elated Appleton chuckled. “Thankfully they come to me at the right times.”

Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th/6th 7th/8th 9th/12th 13th/16th 17th/24th 25th/32nd 33rd/48th

Darren Appleton Corey Deuel Mika Immonen Warren Kiamco Jason Klatt David Alcaide Rodney Morris Ralf Souquet Shane Van Boening Thorsten Hohmann Francisco Bustamante Li-wen Lo Johnny Archer Charlie Williams Chris Melling Efren Reyes Roman Hybler Gabe Owen Jayson Shaw Huidji See Robb Saez Jesse Engel Nick Varner Tommy Kennedy Demetrius Jelatis Keith Bennett Rory Hendrickson Erik Hjorliefson Ronnie Alcano Daniel Heidrich Ramil Gallego Mike Davis Daryl Peach Mike Sigel Stan Tourangeau Manny Chau Eddie Little Michael Wong Marc Vidal Adam Smith Ricky Yang Jeremy Sossei Stevie Moore Chris Orme Raj Hundal Beau Runningen Earl Strickland Tommy Tokoph

$40,000 $15,000 $10,000 $8,000 $6,000 $4,500 $3,000

$2,000

$1,500

$1,250

$1,000

December 2010 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 29

Videos 2010 U.S. Open 9-Ball

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Bill Bauer at the 2010 US Open 9 Ball Shane Van Boening Vs Johnny Archer US Open 9 Ball 2010 Jason Klatt at the 2010 US Open 9 Ball Jesse Engel Interview US Open 9 Ball 2010 Corey Deuel vs Warren Kiamco US OPEN 2010 Semi Finals part 1 Corey Deuel Vs Warren Kiamco US Open 9 Ball 2010 part 2 2010 US OPEN 9 Ball Finals Darren Appleton Champion Darren Appleton Wins the 2010 US Open 9-Ball Corey Deuel vs Shane Van Boening US OPEN 2010 Rob Saez at the 2010 US Open 9 Ball Raj Hundal at the 2010 US Open 9 Ball Mika Immonen Final 4 U.S. Open 9-Ball 2010 US OPEN 9-Ball Interview with Badi Nazhat Brady Behrman US OPEN 9-Ball 2010 Interview Sarah Rousey Interview 2010 US OPEN 9-Ball US OPEN 9-Ball Championship 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Highlights Cover Girl Neslihan Gurel at the 2010 US Open 9 Ball Industry Ink Josey Custom Cues 2010 US OPEN 9 Ball Baram Lofty 2010 US Open Winners Side Interview Cover Girl Borana Andoni at the 2010 US OPEN 9 Ball Loree Jon Hasson at the 2010 US OPEN 9 Ball Ralph Eckert Whats in the Case US OPEN 2010 Mike "Fingers" Badsteubner Whats in the case? 2010 US Open 9 Ball Max Eberle Whats in the Case 2010 US Open 9 Ball

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> HolidayGuide IP’s

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The difference between Tiger Product’s original Ultra-X and the Ultra LD-X® is the front-end construction. The LD has balsa wood inside of it, making the front end much lighter, but the new Ultra LD-X® has more cue ball control, more spin with less squirt on extreme english. It still has the original ULTRA-X shaft solid feel and power. The standard for this shaft is a 15-inch pro taper, quarter-inch Saber-T® ferrule, and 12.75 millimeter Sniper tip with red fiber backing. The suggested retail price is $229. To order, please call Tiger Products at 800-584-4375, ask your local dealer, or visit www.tigerproducts.com.

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///Super Slippy Tip Tool

///French Quarter Danny

This multi-functioning tip tool features a tip trimmer, tip burnisher, tip dimpler, and two tip shapers for either a dime or nickel radius. Made from durable brass, the Super Slippy Tip Tool includes instructions for use. Its attractive design is complemented with a stylish leather case. To order, please contact CueSight at 800-6602572, or visit www.cuesight.com.

This 314-page action-packed book is about Danny Toussaint, a talented young pool player growing up in the French Quarter, and includes dramatic, true-to-life events that take place during Hurricane Katrina. In this riveting story filled with colorful characters, the author, Carlos Ledson Miller, shares a unique and exciting perspective into the world of high stakes pool, gambling, and life on the Gulf Coast. Margaret Barno, a book reviewer for the Galveston Daily News, says, “Your heart will skip a beat or two in French Quarter Danny.” To order, please contact Bebob Publishing at 888-33-BEBOB, or log onto www.bebobpublishing.com. The retail price is $19.95.

09 ///THE LONDON BRIDGE

The London Bridge is a unique new product that enables pool players to play shots close to the side rail, over clusters of balls, catering for every shot variation that comes up during a game. The most significant feature of the London Bridge is the rubber grommet that allows a house cue to be inserted into it, giving extremely good rigidity while making shots. It is endorsed by world champions Allison Fisher and Daryl Peach, who stress that all players should carry their own London Bridge in their case so that they are not at the mercy of what is available hanging on the side of the table. For ordering information, please log onto www.LondonBridgeBilliards.com.

///Billiard and Golf Game

Everyone who sees this wants to play it! The game is played by racking balls in a certain way, then keeping score by the number of "strokes" it takes to run the rack. Each "hole" is rated from par 3 to par 5. Up to four players can play at a time. The scoreboard is quite heavy and durable, weighing about 5 pounds. It measures a large 16 inches by 28 inches and is almost 1/2-inch thick. The dry-erase surface is simply wiped clean for the next game. "Billiard and Golf" comes with a white board marker and Velcro to attach the pen wherever is handy. To order, please contact CueSight at 800-660-2572, or log onto www.cuesight.com.

///Ulti-Mate Cue Tip Tool

Atlas Billiard Supplies’ Ulti-Mate Cue Tip Tool is five tools in one! Sharp metal teeth tap chalk into the cue tip and can be used to scuff a badly glazed cue tip. The shaper on the back shapes and scuffs the cue tip to a dime radius. The one on the front shapes and scuff the cue tip to a nickel radius. This tool also trims cue tip sides to within .01 inch of flush with the ferrule. It burnishes, hardens, and polishes cue tip sides exactly flush with the ferrule. To order, please call 800-CUESTIK, or log onto www.cuestik.com.

///Billiard Master Weapon

The Billiard Master Weapon, also known as the BAT II, can show you what the pros see that lets them play so well. It’s praised by world champions and was awarded the prestigious “Training Seal” by the BCA. The Billiard Master Weapon teaches you the scientific three-cut aiming system that the pros use. When using this product, you can actually visualize the cut and the path of the cue ball needed to pocket the ball. It takes the guesswork out of aiming. Even better, it’s easy to use and you’ll be seeing results in just a few tries. The more you practice, the more you’ll impress your friends. To help you get to the next level, each pack comes with a 74-page training manual that will take you to an advanced and higher level of play. Get it direct from the manufacturer for just $59.95, including shipping, at www.dsbat.com.

December 2010 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 31

> HolidayGuide IP’s

Buying

///Panther Jump/Break Cue

J&J America’s jump/break cues have been among the top-selling jump/break cues in the market for many years. This year, J & J introduces a high-quality, top-class jump/break cue for your game. The Panther jump/break cue features a high-tech comfort grip, a Uniloc joint, a stiff break shaft with a G-10 break cue tip, and custom finish. The suggested retail price is $195. To order, please contact J&J America at 562-229-9688, or visit www.jjcue.com for more details.

///G-Core and I-Shafts

///Pool Player Excuses Towel

This whimsical towel gives your favorite pool player an easy out with six excuses for why that ball didn’t drop. Adorned with original animal-themed cartoons, this 22-inch by 13-inch towel is made of lint-free flour sack material and has a hanging loop on the back. Retail price is $7.95, with 10% of the profits donated to the Humane Society. To order, please visit www.poolplayerexcuses.com.

Give the gift of accuracy and performance this year! McDermott G-Core and I-Shafts fit all major joint styles and come standard on 2010 G-Series Cues. The perfect gift for any player looking to take their game to the next level. 2010 G-Core shafts come standard on 2010 McDermott G-Series cues with a retail price of $245-$690. I-2 Shaft comes standard on G-Series cues over $700. The G-Core shaft is available from only $149, and McDermott I-Shafts start at $249. For more information, please go to www.mcdermottcue.com, or call 800-666-2283.

///Beat People With a Stick!

Just in time for the holidays, Tom Simpson is offering his new book, Beat People With a Stick! Tom is a master instructor, teaching at the National Billiard Academy. This high-quality, spiral-bound book offers ten years of Tom’s instruc…………………………………………… tional articles for pool players Beat People of all levels and retails for $36. With a Stick! Surprise your favorite pool - Over 100 One-Page Lessons player with one this holiday season. To order, please visit www.PoolClinics.com, e-mail Tom@PoolClinics.com, or call 614-975-8337. 10 Years of Tom Simpson’s Instructional Articles for Pool Players

///Break Speed

Turn your cell phone into a break speed measuring device with this new app! Break Speed uses sound to determine how fast the cue ball is traveling on the break. Using the tip hit and rack hit sounds, the application is able to automatically calculate speed. Break Speed provides measurements to within a hundredth of a mile per hour, with results available in seconds. Break Speed is currently available for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile phones. Visit MyBreakSpeed.com or your phone’s app store for more information. 32 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

……………………………………………

18 ///Wizard Cue Tip

17 ///Pneu Power Cue

Xtreme Billiards Gear, LLC, introduces the world's first pneumatically powered, point-and-shoot billiard cue. Throw away the rule book and create your own "Xtreme" cue sport games. These unique and collectible billiard cues are individually crafted from aircraft-grade aluminum and finished with a high-gloss, black anodizing process. Fully adjustable from break-shot power down to the finer, touch-shot power, the Pneu Power Cue adds an exciting new layer of fun to the world of cue sports. Gadget lovers on your list will thank you for years to come. The Pneu Power Cue is produced in very limited quantities and retails for $229. To order, please visit www.pneupowercues.com. Ask about deals on two or more.

J&J America introduces a new 11-layer laminated leather tip. The Wizard cue tip is 14 millimeters and comes in soft, medium, or hard. These cue tips control the ball well and are comparable to the top brand names such as Moori but are priced much lower. More and more cue makers and players use this tip now. The suggested retail price is $14, but the promotional price is just $9. For ordering information, please call J&J America at 562-229-9688, or log onto www.jjcue.com for details.

///Castillo Accessory Packages

///Accu-Stats Videos

It’s the perfect gift for as low as $10, featuring the world’s greatest pool players captured mano-a-mano. Accu-Stats offers you one-pocket, 8-ball, 9-ball, bank pool, straight pool, and three-cushion. Learn from Mika Immonen as he runs 150 and out on Mike Sigel at the World 14.1 Championships or watch him put a six-pack then a five-pack and out at the U.S. Open. View Efren Reyes as he dominates to reach the finals in all three disciplines at the Derby City Classic. And for you history buffs, how about the great “St. Louis” Louie Roberts in one-pocket action? Please call 800-8280397 for a free catalog, or download at www.AccuStats.com.

Just in time for the holidays, Castillo Leather Goods is offering their accessory packages. The standard package includes any regular leather or embossed three-piece chalk case, a cowhide leather 9 ball coin holder, a suede leather cue ball case, and a shaft burnisher. Normally $44, this is being offered for $25, which includes shipping costs. The deluxe package includes any exotic leather three-piece chalk case, a kidskin leather 8 or 9 ball coin holder, a cowhide leather cue ball case, and a shaft burnisher. This package is normally $49 but is being offered for $30, including shipping. To order, please send payment via PayPal to calego@sbcglobal.net, visit www.CastilloLeatherGoods.com, or call 773-491-0018.

///Bank That Don't Go—But Do!

After a 50-year stretch as a professional pool player, Freddy "The Beard" Bentivegna reveals the secrets that made him one of the most feared money players in the country. These discs explain game-busting shots previously known only to a handful of elite players. These shots solve bank pool and one-pocket positions that many good players consider "safe." This two-volume DVD set, “Banks That Don’t Go—But Do!” is a must-see for bankers and one-pocket players. To order, please call Freddy the Beard at 773-956-6280 or log onto www.bankingwiththebeard.com. The two-volume set spans 2 1/2 hours and retails for $49.95.

///Picture Yourself Shooting Pool: Step-by-Step

Instruction for Successful Pocket Billiards Picture yourself dazzling your friends with new and improved pool skills as you master cue ball movement and hone aiming and shooting. Picture Yourself Shooting Pool: Step-by-Step Instruction for Successful Pocket Billiards provides practical and accessible pool instruction to beginners up to expert players. Filled with full-color images and instruction on each new skill and strategy, the book includes a three-hour DVD that walks you through each tactic presented and includes bonus tricks and special shots. Available at outlets worldwide or write Billiards.Guide@About.com to receive a personally inscribed copy when you mention InsidePool’s 2010 Holiday Buying Guide. December 2010 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 33

ome of the toughest competitors in the pool world showed up to compete at the Seminole Pro Tour’s 2010 Steve Mizerak Championship, including all past winners from this season, but it was Earl “The Pearl” Strickland who took home the title. There were 71 players in attendance at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL, November 4-7, all vying for their share of the $50,000-added prize purse. Though play started on Thursday morning, the excitement began during the draw held at the players’ meeting the night before. The “luck of the draw” was not so lucky for some players, as some amazing matches were drawn right from the start. Ralf Souquet versus Corey Deuel, Gabe Owen against Ernesto Dominguez, and Donny Mills versus Dennis Hatch. Any of these early matches would have been worthy of being the finals, but the random draw played no favorites and the crowd got a special treat of seeing these remarkable matches in the opening round. All of the intriguing first-round pairings could have gone either way. The players were focused and shooting exceptionally well in hopes of claiming the top prize of $20,000. Deuel edged Souquet hill-hill to advance, going on to top Bill Dunsmore 9-3 to face the winner of the Mills/Hatch match. Mills also won his match hill-hill versus Hatch and set the stage for another classic match against Deuel. These two have faced each other numerous times this past Seminole Pro Tour season, with Deuel coming out victorious each time. This tournament was no different. Deuel topped Mills 9-5, sending him to the one-loss side to face Owen, who had lost his opening match 9-7 to Dominguez. Deuel’s next opponent was a surprise. Everyone at the Hard Rock Live venue studied the tournament chart and anticipated the potential match-up between defending cham-

Earl

The Pearl Strings Together a

Victory

34 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

pion Johnny Archer and Corey Deuel, Seminole Pro Tour Player of the Year, but Archer did not survive his previous match with Adam Smith, who sent Archer to the west side with a 9-7 victory, in the process crushing any chance of a Deuel/Archer face-off. Archer’s weekend did not get any better, as he fell in the bracket to face Owen. Owen took the match 9-7 and sent the defending champion home before even reaching the money rounds. Off of his big win, Owen then matched up with Mills, who was shooting extremely well and sent Owen home 9-7. Archer and Owen were not the only top pros to miss out of the money rounds. Team Europe Mosconi Cup member Souquet rebounded after his opening round loss to Deuel by besting Mel Rowe 9-0 and Zion Zvi 9-5, but he fell to South Florida local Randy Epperson 9-4. Another Mosconi Cup member from Team USA also faced an early exit. Rodney Morris, who won this tournament two years ago and finished as runner-up last year, did not cash this year. “Rocket” began the tournament with a win against Jeff Crawford but was then sent left by Strickland 9-2. He then notched a win against Gary Lutman 9-4 to set up a match against fellow Mosconi Cup teammate Hatch. Hatch reached an early lead and maintained it the length of the contest for a lopsided 9-3 win. Shawn Putnam played in three Seminole Pro Tour events this season and missed another tour stop that was played in his home room because of a nagging back injury. Putnam played well at all three tour stops he participated in this season but failed to win a tour stop. He began the tournament with a tough-fought win against Tommy Kennedy 9-7. Putnam then took out South Florida local Anthony Meglino 9-3. Putnam’s stroke was looking sharp, and he was breaking strong in his early wins. His next opponent was Shannon “The Cannon”

Shawn Putnam

Darren Appleton

Mika Immonen

Strickland

Claims Mizerak Championship by Gerry Mayen photos courtesy of Elrod Bowers December 2010 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 35

Tony Crosby

Corey Deuel Daulton, and his strong play continued by winning this match 9-5. Putnam then was paired with Thorsten Hohmann, and he won the lag and then the match 9-5. Putnam and Deuel, both of whom were riding hot streaks on the winners’ side of the bracket, played for a chance at the hot seat match. Putnam would not be denied as he jumped all over Deuel from the start, never giving Deuel a chance as he cruised to another victory 9-4. This set up a hot seat match against Strickland. Strickland began the tournament with a victory against Mike Barbagallo 9-5. He then sent Morris left 9-2. On the second day of the tournament, Strickland faced South Florida local player Pierre Palmeri and defeated him 9-2. He then faced arguably his biggest challenge to that point in Mika Immonen. Strickland trailed early but made some amazing outs and ran a couple of racks to take the lead and ultimately defeat Immonen 9-6. Strickland’s journey through the brackets did not get any easier as he then faced newly crowned U.S. Open champion Darren Appleton. This match was an instant classic. Both players shot magnificently, exhibiting break and run-outs and textbook safety play when needed. In the end it was Strickland who came out victorious hill-hill. This set the stage for a hot seat match between two players playing at the top of their game. Strickland was the one to con36 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

tinue his hot streak as he took down Putnam 9-5. This secured his spot in the finals, and he waited for the winner between Putnam and Appleton in the semifinal match. Appleton had defeated Immonen 9-4 in the quarterfinals to face Putnam. Putnam recovered from being sent to the one-loss by continuing to shoot the way that got him to this point. Appleton, though playing strong, was simply unable to capitalize on the few opportunities that Putnam gave him. Putnam proved to be too much for Appleton and got his chance to avenge his loss to Strickland for the championship. The stage was set up perfectly inside of Hard Rock Live, as the finals table shone bright for all of the television cameras to capture the epic match-up. Fans lined up outside of the venue waiting for the gates to open for a chance to see this spectacular match. Strickland won the lag and broke first. He was unable to run the rack, and Putnam was able to jump to an early 1-0 lead. Putnam continued to apply the heat and went up 2-0. A costly miss by Putnam gave a rack to Strickland 2-1. They exchanged racks, but Strickland finally caught up and tied the score at 4 and then again at 5. Putnam won the next rack to go up 6-5, and from there it turned into the Earl Strickland show. Strickland tied the match at 6 and then went on to win the next two racks. On the fourteenth rack, with the score 8-6, Strickland sank the 10 ball to go up 9-6. He threw both

hands in the air and yelled, “Finally, I did it!” He went to shake Putnam’s hand and congratulate him on a great match, only to have Putnam inform him that it was a race to 11, not 9. But Strickland did not let the embarrassing moment shake his psyche. He won the next two racks to officially win the 2010 Steve Mizerak Championship.

Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Earl Strickland Shawn Putnam Darren Appleton Mika Immonen Thorsten Hohmann Corey Deuel 7th Tony Crosby Dennis Hatch 9th Mike Dechaine Charlie Williams Donny Mills Pierre Palmeri 13th Max Eberle Adam Smith Mike Davis Shannon Daulton 17th Jeremy Sossei Shane Van Boening Stevie Moore Randy Epperson Ernesto Dominguez Justin Hall Robb Saez Louis Altes

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U.S. Am

Winner of Men’s and Women’s Divisions Advance to 2011 Pro Event by InsidePOOL staff

Raymond Linares

he top amateur pool players in the country came to Strokers Billiards in Tampa, FL, November 5-7 to compete for the coveted U.S. Amateur Championship title. This is one of the American Poolplayers Association’s premier events of the year, sponsored by Aramith, Action Cues, and Pool Dawg. Coming away with the women’s title was Amy Chen, while Raymond Linares took home the men’s division title.

Chen, of Norcross, GA, became the 2010 U.S. Amateur Women’s champion after defeating Kelly Cavanaugh of Orlando, FL, 9-8. This is Chen’s second U.S. Amateur Championship title after winning it back in 2008. The hill-hill battle was a nail-biter, much to the delight of a large audience of spectators.

Amy Chen

The match opened in the 8-ball set, with Cavanaugh taking the first game. Chen then took control of the set, winning the next five games for a 5-1 lead. The switch to the 9-ball set brought a change in the momentum, as Cavanaugh battled back winning the first five games and taking a 6-5 lead. Chen then took the next two games for a one-rack advantage. The two then traded games back and forth over the next three, leaving one game to decide the championship. In the ninth and final game, Chen perfectly executed a 3-9 combo to win the match, becoming only the second player in the women’s division to capture the title twice. Chen moves on to compete in the WPBA U.S. Open next year. Cavanaugh finished as the runner-up, and finishing in third place was Dana Aft of Atlanta, GA. Linares of Miami, FL, became the 2010 U.S. Amateur champion in the men’s division after an 11-7 victory over former champion David Rowell of Birmingham, AL. Also

the reigning Association of College Unions International (ACUI) champion, Linares went undefeated throughout the three-day tournament, his first U.S. Amateur Championship tournament. Linares saved perhaps his best play for the finals against Rowell. The match began in the 9-ball set, with Linares winning four of the first five games. Rowell closed the gap with wins in the next two, but Linares continued his surge and led 8-5 as the players switched to 8-ball. Rowell took the first game of the 8-ball set to pull within two, but Linares came right back to take the next two, putting himself on the hill. Rowell avoided elimination by winning the fourth game of the set, but Linares’ momentum was too much to overcome at that point as he put away the match 11-7. Linares moves on to compete in the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships next year. Rowell’s runner-up finish was his highest at a U.S. Amateur Championship since he won the event in 2000. Defending champion Brian Parks of Bakersfield, CA, finished in third place, losing only to both Linares and Rowell. Nicholas Conner of Portland, ME, finished in fourth, while Scott Ruttinger of Yulee, FL, and Richard Andrews of Harvest, AL, tied for fifth place. Preliminary qualifying rounds were held throughout the country in mid-September, with more than 1,500 players attempting to qualify. Chen and Linares competed with the nation’s most highly skilled amateur pool players, all of whom were vying for the U.S. Amateur Championship title. The men’s division consisted of 128 players, while the women’s division featured 30 players. As champions, Chen and Linares will return next year to defend their coveted titles.

David Rowell

Kelly Cavanaugh

Richard Andrews, Brian Parks, Raymond Linares, David Rowell, Nicholas Conner, Scott Ruttinger

38 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

Kelly Cavanaugh, Amy Chen, Dana Aft

Stripes

Rules Recap < by

Ken Shuman

2010 approaching its final days, let’s take a look back W ithat some of the rules and related issues that played a significant role in defining the year in professional and amateur pool. Last January at the Derby City Classic, Efren Reyes won his record fifth Master of the Table All-Around World Championship. He also holds a record five DCC one-pocket crowns to go with his pair of 9-ball titles. Next month two rules unique to the DCC will again be in effect courtesy of promoter Greg Sullivan: DCC Double-Hit Rule: When playing a shot where the object ball is frozen to or very close to the cue ball, players must elevate their cue approximately 45 degrees to stroke the shot. This will be considered a legal shot even though a double hit may occur (provided no other foul is committed). Because these situations come up very frequently in one pocket, the intent of Greg’s rule is to minimize the need to stop play and get an official to watch a hit. If you’ve been to the Horseshoe or the old Executive West, you know it can take several minutes for an official to get to your table. DCC Running Out the Set Rule: The 9-ball division plays a race to 7, winner breaks. Should either player run out the entire set without their opponent ever going to the table (other than to take the opening break shot), their opponent will have one opportunity to break and match the seven-rack run. If they do, the players will lag and play a one-game tiebreaker. In late February at the U.S. Bar Table Championships in Reno, promoter Cue Sports International (CSI) modified the break rules in all three divisions. In 8-ball, a scratch or foul on the break resulted in cue ball in hand anywhere, not just in the kitchen; in 9- and 10-ball you could not win on the break. You’d spot the 9 or 10 and continue your inning. It is very likely these will become permanent changes at this event. Early in the year the Billiard Congress of America announced that it would publish a 2011 edition of the World Pool-Billiard Association’s (WPA) World Standardized Rules to replace the existing 2008 version. Reviewing the new book revealed no changes except for one notable difference: The rules for 10-ball in the 2008 edition were called “Probationary World-Standardized Rules,” with a footnote stating that The World-Standardized 10-Ball Rules may be subject to change in 2009. And they did change. Effective January 1, 2009, the revised 10ball rules appeared on the WPA website and superseded what was in the book. However, when the 2011 edition was published, the updated 1/1/09 rules for 10-ball were not included. They simply reprinted the 2008 book and included the same disclaimer about the rules changing in 2009. The correct, current 10-ball rules are only available on the WPA website. Speaking of 10-ball, in May CSI’s inaugural U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship took place in Las Vegas. The most significant change at this event was the implementation of a “time penalty game procedure” if the players had not completed a predetermined number of games within a specific time period. We discussed this issue at length in the September “Stripes” column if you’d like to review the details of that procedure. 40 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

Defending all-around champion Efren Reyes won’t be exempt from the new rules at the Derby City Classic. Effective June 1, 2010, the BCA Pool League published the 20102011 edition of their rule book. The most noteworthy change they made was to the 8-ball break requirements. Rule 2.3 (4) now reads: “If you foul on a legal break and do not pocket the 8 Ball, your inning ends and any other pocketed balls remain pocketed. Your opponent receives ball in hand.” This represents a major change to the former rule which stipulated ball in hand in the kitchen if the breaker fouled. These are a few highlights of what the year gave us. As always, your rules knowledge should be kept current. I wish each of you a joyous holiday season and a safe, happy New Year.

Ken Shuman Ken Shuman of Sacramento, CA, is one of the country’s premier tournament directors. He is an accomplished professional referee and is considered an expert on the rules of play. Ken has officiated at World Championship events in the USA and the Philippines. He directs some of the major tournaments, including the Derby City Classic, the U.S. Bar Table Championship, CSI’s National Championship Series, the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Contact Ken at shucue@yahoo.com.

Billiard EducationJunior Foundation Player Profile Name: Jesse Engel Hometown: Columbia Heights, Minnesota Birth date: April 17, 1992 School you currently attend: Columbia Heights High School, graduate in 2010. I am currently taking a break from school to further my pool playing. At what age did you start playing pool? I started playing pool at 12 years old. Titles: 2010 BCA National Open Team champion, 2010 Wild West 8-Ball Shootout champion, 2010 Northern Lights Shootout 9-Ball champion, runner-up in the 8-ball at Northern Lights Shootout, 2009 and 2010 runner-up at BEF Junior National 9-Ball Championships, represented the U.S. at the 2009 and 2010 WPA World Junior 9-Ball Championships, and also many local tournaments Other notable awards: MVP for 2010 M-8 pool leagues master division

What kind of cue(s) do you use? Predator 5K1 shooting cue and a Predator BK2 break cue Left- or right-handed: I’m right-handed Favorite band/music: I’m open to anything that is playing. Hobbies: I obviously love to play pool and also enjoy playing poker. Memorable pool moment: Playing a nearly perfect set to 11 games against former champion Mike Sigel at the 2010 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships and winning 11-1 Favorite food: Anything Italian Goals—personal and/or career: As of now my goal is to work hard to become the best allaround pool player that I can be. Outside of pool I plan to further my education at a later time.

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Industry

News News

Max Eberle Offers Free Pool Mastery Video Boot Camp One year off the heels of releasing his acclaimed instructional DVD set (“Powerful Pool: World Class Fundamentals”), longtime professional player, artist, and author of the hit book Zen Pool, Awaken The Master Within, Max Eberle has created the first-ever online video course for instructing pool players delivered in daily increments via e-mail. It can be yours free at www.freepoolsecrets.com. Entitled “Max Eberle’s Free 8-Day Pool Mastery Boot Camp,” the videos give players of all levels information that they can implement right away to achieve higher levels on the pool table. Designed to give beginners and intermediate players information that they can use to find fast success, it also has actionable drills that top pros can implement to become even stronger and more consistent in their game.

• • • • • • • • •

Just some of the things you will learn at the Free Boot Camp: One thing to do with your bridge hand to dramatically improve your consistency Secrets of aiming—with and without spin How and when to find the stroking line (million-dollar tip) Master secrets of developing a great stroke How to generate more power, or hit softer How to keep your stroke as accurate as possible How to have a balanced, powerful, and winning set-up Winning strategy and principles of position play One of the most powerful drills to fine tune your stroke and game

Participating Venue Benefits

This exciting new format allows any venue with one or more pool tables to be linked into large city/state/national contest with no set-up cost. Use the Universal Challenge System as a qualifier to build large monthly tournaments. With the simple Challenge Card any player can play at any time and link that match into the monthly contest, requiring minimal management. Through the ProPool.com website, your patrons will be kept current on all the latest events and promotions at your establishment. ProPool. com offers a player networking system that is designed to drive new players to your events. Player Benefits Two players have the freedom and flexibility to schedule their matches anytime, anywhere, while still qualifying for a specific tournament. The $1 challenge fee is returned to the prize purse in the form of McDermott cues. Winning 5 challenge matches qualifies the player into the monthly tournament at their selected venue. The more matches delegated to their preferred tournament venue, the larger the prize pool gets. The player’s personal stats are recorded and updated every time they enter challenge match results. Network and challenge other/new players within the ProPool.com database.

Also free with the video boot camp are Max’s sometimes daily newsletter and Zen Pool Quotes. Free sign up for the boot camp is at www.freepoolsecrets.com.

Introducing “The Universal Challenge System” ProPool.com has announced it has finalized an unprecedented modern hybrid system for managing and organizing pool player competition. Leagues and tournaments require a lot of pre-planning and involvement to get enough players together at one time. This system only requires two players, one pool table, and The Challenge Card.The ProPool.com Universal Challenge System uses an unrestricted simple universal win-loss scorecard (The Challenge Card) to allow any two players to compete at their own schedule and delegate it to the host tournament. The match scores can be entered live online or later when Internet access is available. If Internet access is available at the venue, live scoring and a leader board can be utilized to display real-time stats. “This is a very exciting opportunity for McDermott Cue. Increasing the participation of billiards and driving the profitability of pool room operators is critical for the success of our industry,” said McDermott Cue Promotional Director Jayme Cernicka. “Providing players with the superior product value that McDermott Cue represents is just one of the key benefits of this program.”

McDermott Cue Participation

Every player match dollar entry fee is returned in 100% payback with McDermott cues. 42 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

Play Play Video Video

APA Player of the Month of the Month is Ronald Ryals Sr. from Baxley, GA. T heRyalsAPAis aPlayer member of the Southeast Georgia APA, playing on two

8-ball and two 9-ball teams. He’s been instrumental in the development of the Southeast Georgia APA, helping to build teams in two divisions in Baxley and driving over an hour each way to Hinesville, GA, to play in two Double Jeopardy divisions and help build teams in that area. “Ronald is a very good division representative,” said Southeast Georgia APA League Operator Joel Chue. “He loves APA so much that he even travels with me to Savannah, Georgia, where we’re in the process of getting league play started.” Ryals goes above and beyond—he juggles all of this along with his daily responsibilities as a husband and father. He’s currently a skill level 5 in 8-ball and a skill level 4 in 9-ball. Ryals has earned several APA patches, including the 8-on-the-break, Break and Run, and Rackless Night. “Ronald would be a great asset in any league operator’s area. My wife and I are very fortunate to have him in the Southeast Georgia APA and look forward to his continued efforts in the future,” Chue said.

The latest Cue Tattoo creation by Castillo Leather Goods!

Aztec Calendar Wrap

> >>

Regional Roundup “The Hatchet Man” Strikes Again Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour / Clifton Park, NY by Lea Andrews

Dennis Hatch, who missed the very Northern season opener of the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, dominated the second—which was closer to his neck of the woods—for yet another tour victory. Dennis Hatch Hatch was among the field of 32 vying for the cash at the $1,500-added main event, which was held October 9-10 at Trick Shot Billiards in Clifton Park, NY. Hatch stormed into the winners’ side final four, where he blew through Willie Oney 9-1, to reach the hot seat match. There he met Chance Chin, who’d just sent Jeff Smolen west 9-7. Unfortunately for Chin, Hatch marked up another 9-1 win to earn his spot in the finals. On the left side of the bracket, Bucky Souvanthong made his way past Angelo Hilton 9-5 and Ron Casanzio 9-4 to face Smolen, while Dave Grau took care of Sean Martin 9-4 and tour director Mike Zuglan 9-6 to meet up with Oney. Grau nailed his match 9-5, but Souvanthong came up a little short against Smolen, who advanced to the quarterfinal match against Grau 9-7. Looking for the rematch against Chin in the semifinals, Smolen held Grau to six games, leaving him behind in fourth. The semifinal rematch went Smolen’s way and then some—Chin landed in third 9-4. Riding the momentum of his vengeance, Smolen pushed the second set of the true double-elimination final match 9-6. But in the second set, Hatch, who’d had some uncharacteristic misses in the first set, left nothing to chance. After opening the set with five straight break and runs, Hatch went on to notch his first win of the season 9-2.

Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th

Dennis Hatch $1,000 Jeff Smolen $750 Chance Chin $550 Dave Grau $400 Bucky Souvanthong $250 Willie Oney Mike Zuglan $100 Ron Casanzio

Heal Helps Himself to Tri-State Title Tri-State Tour / New York City, NY by InsidePOOL Staff

Trevor Heal went undefeated at the October 9 stop on the TriState Tour, besting Yomaylin Feliz in the finals. The $750-added event was hosted by Eastside Billiards in New York City, Trevor Heal, Yomaylin Feliz, Teddy Lubis NY, and drew a field of 20. Heal and Feliz first faced off in the hot seat match—Heal had just whitewashed Teddy Lubis 7-0, while Feliz escaped a hill-hill battle with Paul Everton 7-6. Heal and Feliz went double-hill, and it was Heal who advanced to the finals to await an opponent. Once on the west side of the chart, Lubis and Everton rebounded, defeating John Stiles 7-4 and Wilfredo Albay 7-5, respectively. At that point they went on to the quarterfinal match to face each other, with Lubis advancing 7-3. But once in the semifinals Lubis found himself cut off from further advancement, as the awaiting Feliz was determined to earn a rematch with Heal Results: and eliminated Lubis 7-4. Trevor Heal $500 The final match was a close- 1st Yomaylin Feliz $250 ly contested one, but it was 2nd Teddy Lubis $150 Heal who came out the 9-7 3rd 4th Paul Everton $100 victor.

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46 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

< Four Winners Crowned on Ozone Olhausen Tour Ozone Olhausen Billiards Tour / Levittown, NY by Alison M. Fischer, NYCgrind.com

Jeremy Sossei, Manny Chau, Brandon Shuff, Daniel Smith

In an intense four-day, three-event tour stop, The Ozone Olhausen Billiards Tour headed to the newlyremodeled Cue Nine (formerly Leisure Time Billiards) in Levittown, NY, on Long Island the weekend of October 8-10.

In the headlining double-elimination 9-ball event, 33 players competed over Saturday and Sunday. In the winners’ side final four, Maryland’s-based Peruvian player Manny Chau faced off against Connecticut pro Jeremy Sossei. Sossei took a major lead on Chau, but after a few critical errors in the last racks, Chau came back to win double-hill 11-10. In the other final four match-up, Mike Dechaine kept control over his match against Shaun Wilkie to win 11-7. Dechaine and Chau then faced off in the hot seat match, where the two had a close battle until Chau pulled away to win 11-7.

$1,000-added one-pocket event kicked off Thursday night and finished up Friday night. The event’s format was a race to 3 on both sides of the chart and drew in 15 players. Daniel Smith went undefeated through the bottom half of the bracket, defeating Brandon Shuff 3-2, John Fargo 3-2, Manny Chau 3-2, and then Mike Dechaine 3-0 in the match for the hot seat. Smith claimed the title with a 5-3 finish against Dechaine in the finals. Brandon Shuff took home first place in Sunday’s $500-added 9-ball division by defeating Greg McAndrews 5-1, 5-3 in the finals. Shuff worked his way through the top half of the bracket and defeated Tony Sinacore 5-2, John Carioti 5-2, Gordan Rudelich 5-2, and Greg McAndrews in the match for the hot seat. The Ozone Olhausen Classic Billiard Tour’s 10-ball event kicked off Friday night with a race-to-4, single elimination format. Jeremy Sossei came through the bottom of the bracket to take the win, besting Robert Gassmann 4-0, Daniel Smith 4-1, Mike Dechaine 4-3, and Mike Janis 4-0.

Tanglao Takes Tri-State Title Tri-State Tour / Queens, NY by InsidePOOL Staff

In the comeback bracket, George “Ginky” SanSouci got busy grinding through a number of close-call matches, taking wins over Mhet Vergara 11-10, Brandon Shuff 11-8, Sossei 11-9and finally Wilkie 11-7 to earn a rematch against Dechaine in the live-streamed semifinal.

9-Ball Results: Dechainetook a 6-1 Manny Chau lead over SanSouci, who 1st George SanSouci then grinded back to win 2nd Mike Dechaine eight straight games to 3rd Shaun Wilkie take the lead 9-6. Dechaine 4th Jeremy Sossei won the next two, but San- 5th Greg Antonokos Souci reached the hill first Bobby Blackmore 10-8. After bringing the 7th Brandon Shuff score to double-hill, De- chaine broke in the case game and left SanSouci a One-Pocket Results: dead 2-9 combo, which he 1st Daniel Smith pocketed for the win. 2nd Mike Dechaine 3rd Manny Chau In the first set of the Michael Panzarella race-to-11 finals, both 4th players took some time to get comfortable. SanSouci Second 9-Ball Results: and Chau traded the lead a Brandon Shuff couple times, but SanSouci 1st Greg McAndrews found a groove to win the 2nd 3rd Nick Brucato set at 11-10. Moving onto 4th Bobby Blackmore the second set of the finals, the momentum shifted. Chau found his high gear 10-Ball Results: in the second set and won 1st Jeremy Sossei by a final score of 11-4. 2nd Mike Janis Mike Panzarella The Ozone Olhaus- 3rd

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Gail Glazebrook, Ramilo Tanglao, Alan Chan

Ramilo Tanglao snatched the Tri-State Tour’s title from the grasp of Gail Glazebrook, besting her in the finals to take the title October 16. The $750added event was hosted by Master Billiards in Queens, NY, and drew 18 C-D players.

Glazebrook went undefeated through the field to the finals, winning over Louie Alicea 7-5 in the winners’ side final four to advance to the hot seat match. There she faced off against Alan Chan, who was just through sending Tanglao to the one-loss side 6-2. The hot seat match was as close as close could be, but Glazebrook edged out Chan 6-5 to remain unscathed and send him west. On the left side of the chart, Tanglao rebounded quickly, meeting Sameer Mohamed and eking out a 6-5 victory. Tying for fifth place with Mohamed was Alicea, who was eliminated by Kapriel Delimelkonoglu 7-4. Tanglao and Delimelkonoglu collided in the quarterfinals, where Tanglao survived yet another hill-hill match to advance. Tanglao took two games for every one Chan took in their semifinal match as he sent Chan home in second place 6-3. In the finals Tanglao faced off against the unscathed Glazebrook, and though the match was even in the Results: beginning, slowly Tanglao Ramilo Tanglao $430 began to pull away until he 1st 2nd Gail Glazebrook $200 was able to claim the title 3rd Alan Chan $100 8-4.

en Classic Billiard Tour’s

December 2010 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 47

< Muller Fights Back to Win Predator Tour Stop Ozone Billiards Predator Tour / Lindenhurst, NY

Fighting their way through the left side of the chart, Mika “Iceman” Immonen first eliminated Shaun Wilkie 9-4 and then tournament director Mike Zuglan 9-7, while Jeremy Sossei ousted Brent Boemmels by Alison M. Fischer, NYCgrind.com 9-7 and Phil Davis 9-3. When Immonen and Sossei met, it was a hotly contested match, but the two-time U.S. Open champion was the one Though Justin who moved on 9-6. Muller had a tough loss on the winners’ side of But in the semifinal match, Immonen came face to face with the the chart, that didn’t Justin Muller, Borana Andoni, Brian Deska player who had sent him to the one-loss side—D’Alfonso. And this stop him from coming time the outcome was no different. D’Alfonso sent Immonen home back to win the Ozone Billiards Predator Tour event. The $700-added with third place with a 9-5 victory to advance to the finals. tournament was held October 23 and drew a field of 38 to Mr. Cue Billiards in Lindenhurst, NY. In the first set of the true double-elimination final match, D’Alfonso was in charge and easily handled Zvi 9-4. The second set, One of the tour’s top-performing ladies, Borana Andoni, drove though, was a different through the C/D winners’ bracket of the event, defeating Bryan RusOpen Results: ballgame. Zvi jumped out sell 7-5, King Victory 7-3, James Wendel 7-3, and Mike Harrington 7-2 to a commanding lead 1st Zion Zvi $1100 to move into the match for the hot seat. Meeting her there, from the from the start, and despite Tom D’Alfonso $750 A/B bracket, was Maryland player Brian Deska, who took wins over Ed 2nd a half-hearted comeback Mika Immonen $550 Culhane 7-3, Scott Murphy 7-2, Tony Sinacore 7-3, Juan Guzman 7-5, 3rd by D’Alfonso, it was too 4th Jeremy Sossei $400 and Muller 7-3 to follow up with a 7-5 win over Andoni in the winners’ little, too late, as Zvi won 5th Mike Badsteubner $250 bracket final. the match 9-6. Manny Chau Meanwhile, Muller was fighting his way through the west side of 7th Mike Zuglan $100 In the second chance the chart, notching wins over Guzman 7-2 and Harrington 7-4 to move Phil Davis event, which does not alon to the semifinals versus Andoni, where he proved triumphant 7-3. low pros to play, Bobby Second Chance Results: Blackmore lost his first Though Andoni took third place in this event, this finish moved match and then came back 1st Bobby Blackmore $300 her into the first-place position for the Female Player of the Year award, through the B side to win 2nd Mhet Vergara $200 followed by Diana Rojas and two sets in the finals over 3rd Brent Boemmels $100 Results: Gail Glazebrook. Vergara to take first place. 1st Justin Muller $750 After his win in the 2nd Brian Deska $550 semifinals, Muller faced the 3rd Borana Andoni $425 undefeated Deska in a late- 4th Mike Harrington $300 night match-up. Deska and 5th Juan Guzman $200 Muller had a long battle to Troy Deocharran meet at double-hill, where 7th Scott Simonetti $100 Muller won the case game Teddy Cook to come out the winner at 9-8.

Zvi Double-Dips D’Alfonso in Joss Thriller Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour / West Hempstead, NY by InsidePOOL Staff

Zion Zvi came back from a daunting loss in the double-elimination final match of the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour to defeat Tom D’Alfonso in the second and claim the title. The main event boasted a field of 32 players who came out to Raxx Pool Room in Zion Zvi West Hempstead, NY, Halloween weekend to vie for their share of the $3,500 prize fund. Zvi and D’Alfonso first collided in the hot seat match—Zvi had sent Mike Badsteubner to the one-loss side 9-5, while D’Alfonso bested Manny Chau 9-6. In their winners’ side finals battle, it was Zvi who delivered a 9-1 blow to D’Alfonso to await a final opponent.

48 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

< McManus 7-0, Bill Gallagher 7-1, Tascarella 7-2, and Scott Muphy 7-5. It all came to an end, though, when Miller ousted Brothers 7-4 to earn a rematch with Bonilla in the finals.

Gasper Foils Piersa’s Comeback Tri-State Tour / Edison, NJ by InsidePOOL Staff

Mike Gasper thwarted Robert Piersa’s expectations after a long trek through the one-loss side to defeat him in the finals and take the Tri-State Tour title October 30. The $750-added event was hosted by Sandcastle

Robert Piersa, Mike Gasper, Peter Brennan

Billiards in Edison, NJ, and drew a field of 44. Piersa suffered a first-round loss to Richard Mejia 7-4 and began his long trudge through the B side, while Gasper went through the winners’ side unchallenged. Gasper came out on top of his match with Scott Simonetti 7-3 to move on to the winners’ side final against Peter Brennan, who had just defeated Bernard Vogelsang 6-3. Taking two racks for every one of Brennan’s, Gasper claimed the hot seat 8-4. Eliminating Jeff Kerr 7-4, Piersa then faced Simonetti and won their match 7-5. Vogelsang ousted George Osipovitch 6-3 in fifth place, tying with Simonetti. In the quarterfinal match, it was all Piersa, who sent Vogelsang home in fourth place with a 9-4 win. Winning his tenth match of the event, Piersa went up against Brennan and triumphed by a narrow 8-6 margin. But he couldn’t manage the eleventh win. In the final match between Gasper and Piersa, it was Gasper who emerged the victor 7-4.

Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th

Mike Gasper Robert Piersa Peter Brennan Bernard Vogelsang Scott Simonetti George Osipovitch Jeff Kerr Glenn Andaya

$785 $510 $320 $190 $125 $95

Bonilla Nails Narrow Mezz Win Mezz Pro-Am Tour / Lindenhurst, NY by Jose Burgos

Oscar Bonilla escaped an onslaught by Mike Miller in the finals of the Mezz Pro-Am Mike Miller, Scott Murphy, Oscar Bonilla Tour to win the $1,000added event. Hosted by Mr. Cue Billiards in Lindenhurst, NY, the tour rolled in on October 31 to play. Bonilla went through the top half of the bracket unscathed, notching wins over Bill Gallagher 7-4 and Victor Nau 7-3. Leading the bottom was Miller with wins over Jose Burgos 7-3 Snooky 7-3, and Pete Tascarella Jr. 7-4. Bonilla and Miller met up in the hot seat match, and that saw Bonilla pull away with a 7-4 victory, sending Miller to the one-loss side. Results: Josh Brothers was making his move on the west side, eliminating Erin

1st 2nd 3rd

Oscar Bonilla Mike Miller Josh Brothers

In the final match, Miller had to defeat Bonilla twice to take the title. He managed an easy 7-4 victory in the first set, but in the second set, Bonilla pulled himself together and escaped with a 7-5 win and the title.

Winters Scores First Joss Win of the Season Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour / Yorkville, NY by Lea Andrews

Shane Winters, who took the spotlight away from Dennis Hatch a couple of times last season on the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, nabbed it for the first time this season at the second annual Al Conte Memorial Tournament. The $1,500-added main event, held November 6-7, drew a strong field of 39 to Hippo’s House of Billiards in Yorkville, NY. Winters got past Spencer Auigbelle 9-6 to reach the hot seat match against fellow tour hotshot Dave Grau, who’d blown past Chris Testa 9-2. Against Winters, though, Grau came up two racks shy and moved over to the semifinals 9-7. On the left side of the bracket, Jerry Crowe ousted Lyn Wechsler 9-6 and Willie Oney 9-4 to meet up with Auigbelle. Meanwhile, last week’s runner-up, Tom D’Alfonso, was striving for another trip to the finals. After taking care of Al Conte’s grandson, Victor Conte, 9-5, D’Alfonso whipped past Chance Chin 9-2 to greet Testa, who got the same 9-2 dose as Chin. D’Alfonso moved on to the quarterfinal match against Auigbelle, who’d had his own 9-2 win over Crowe. In keeping with the current theme, Auigbelle held D’Alfonso to two racks, planting him in fourth place and moving on to the semifinal match against Grau. Both of Winters’ victims fought hard for another go at him, but the hill-hill match ended ever so slightly in Auigbelle’s favor 9-8. In the beginning of the true double-elimination final match, Auigbelle and Winters traded games to make it 4-4, but Winters managed to mark up a few racks in a row to make it 7-4. Auigbelle rallied, taking the count to 7-6, and while Winters notched another to reach the hill, Auigbelle wasn’t far behind. It was too little, too late, though. With the score at 8-8, Auigbelle broke open the final rack, but nothing fell, leaving Winters free to run to the 9 and claim his first victory this season undefeated. In Sunday’s $500-added second chance non-pro event, Mike Donnelly reached the finals unscathed, but Dwight Dixon, who’d been on the west side Open Results: since his first-round loss, Shane Winters $1,100 kept up his own hot 1st Spencer Auigbelle $800 streak to put the two men 2nd on even ground. Dixon 3rd Dave Grau $600 pushed the second set of 4th Tom D‘Alfonso $400 the finals 3-1, but the sec- 5th Jerry Crowe $250 ond round went to Don- Chris Testa nelly, who earned his win 7th Willey Oney $150 3-2. Chance Chin

$450 $255 $150 December 2010 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 49

Smith Wins Women’s Maryland State 10-Ball Championship Mezz Women’s Tour / Frederick, MD by Jose Burgos

Brothers Busts Sigel for State Championship Mezz Pro-Am Tour / Frederick, MD by Jose Burgos

Megan Smith commanded the field at the Women’s Maryland State 10-Ball Championship November 6, defeating Briana Miller in the finals to take the title. The event was held at Champion Billiard Café in Frederick, MD, and drew players such as Denise Reeve, Patti Jakusz, Eugenia Gyfto-

Josh Brothers defeated Hall of Fame member Mike “The Mouth” Sigel in the finals of the Maryland State 10-Ball Championships November 6. The event was hosted by Champion Billiards Sports Café in Frederick, Josh Brothers, Mike Sigel MD, and drew a strong field, including Michael Wilson, Bob Madara, Adam Kielar, Matt Krah, Manny Chau, Bruce Nagle and Kevin West.

Miller took charge of the top half of the bracket, notching wins over Patti Jakusz 7-1 and Nicole Vincent 7-1. Shea led the bottom half, defeating Eugenia Gyftopoulos 7-4 and Smith 7-5. Miller and Shea then faced off for the hot seat in a match that saw Miller pull away late to win 7-4 and send Shea to the one-loss side.

It was Kielar who led the top half of the bracket, scoring victories over Brett Stottlemyer 7-5 and Kaloyan Rusanov 7-5. Kielar was then meant to play Brothers, who forfeited, so Kielar went on to the hot seat match. There he faced Sigel, who had already delivered Dan Madded 7-1, Jose Burgos 7-1, West 7-4, and Chau 7-6 to the west side of the chart.

Briana Miller, Megan Smith

poulos, Nicole Vincent, and Linda Shea.

Making her move on the west side, Smith went on to eliminate Jakusz 6-5 and Vincent 6-3 before encountering Shea again. Their match went hill-hill, but it was Smith who won this time. The final match was a single race to Results: 7 that saw Smith coming Megan Smith $300 away with a lopsided 7-2 1st 2nd Briana Miller $150 victory over Miller. 3rd Linda Shea $75

50 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

Sigel pulled away late in the hot seat match to earn a 7-4 victory, while Kielar went west to try a return trip to the finals. But Brothers was making his move, ousting Jose Burgos, Stottlemyer, and Krah. He then eliminated Kielar in the semifinals to reach Sigel. In the single race-to-7 finals, Sigel took an early 3-0 lead, but Brothers came back quickly to win the next six racks. In a counterattack, Sigel put another two games under his belt to make it 6-5, but Brothers put on a show during the last rack to win the Maryland State 10-Ball Championship.

Results: 1st Josh Brothers 2nd Mike Sigel 3rd Adam Kielar 4th Matt Krah 5th Brett Stottlemyer Manny Chau 7th Kevin West Ryan McCreesh

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Maryland State 10-Ball Championship Josh Brothers wins 2010 Maryland State 10 Ball Mike Sigel vs Josh Brothers in Finals Maryland State 10-Ball Championships Josh Brothers vs Adam Kielar at the Maryland State 10-Ball Championships Mike Sigel vs Adam Kielar at the Maryland State 10-Ball Championships Mike Sigel vs Manny Chau at the Maryland State 10-Ball Championships Matt Krah vs Manny Chau at the Maryland State 10-Ball Championships Megan Smith vs. Brianna Miller at Maryland State 10-Ball Championships Mike Wilson vs Kevin West at the Maryland State 10-Ball Championships Adam Kielar vs Brett Stottlemeyer at the Maryland State 10-Ball 1 Adam Kielar vs Brett Stottlemeyer at the Maryland State 10-Ball Brett Stottlemeyer vs Adam Kielar at Maryland State 10-Ball - pt 3 Ryan McCreesh vs Roger Riley at the Maryland State 10-Ball Championships Linda Shea vs. Brianna Miller at the Maryland State 10-Ball Championships Matt Krah vs Josh Brothers at the Maryland State 10-Ball Championships Mike Sigel vs Dan Madden at the Maryland State 10-Ball Championships

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> >>

opportunity for Davids to get on the board as she defeated her 9-0.

Regional Roundup Newman Notches Another GSBT Victory Great Southern Billiard Tour / Cornelius, NC by Lea Andrews

Josh Newman, who last won a Great Southern Billiard Tour in March at Kylie’s Sports Bar and Grill in Cornelius, NC, returned to the scene of the crime the weekend Shannon Daulton, Josh Newman, Chris Adams, of October 9-10 for a Jeff Peele repeat performance. Newman was the last man standing among the field of 25 at the $1,000-added event, which was sponsored by Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Delta-13, and Tiger Products. Newman rode a 7-3 win over fellow A-player Chris Turner into the hot seat match against last stop’s winner, AA-ranked B.J. Ussery, who’d just blown past Cliff Cribb 9-2. Managing to get ahead of Ussery, Newman claimed the hot seat 7-6. On the one-loss side, A-ranked Matt Reed ousted B-ranked Bob Ruffalo 7-1 and A-ranked Larry Faulk 7-3 to meet up with Turner. Meanwhile, A-ranked Chris Adams, who’d fallen in the first round to Reed, took care of B-ranked Jose Tovar 7-2 and Branked Art Colors 7-2 to face Cribb. Adams earned his spot in the quarterfinals 7-3, but he was denied a chance at a rematch with Reed, who’d fallen 7-5 to Turner and landed in fifth. Adams continued on his steady path through the field, planting Turner in fourth 7-2 and moving on to Ussery, who fell shy of his goal again and finished in third 7-5. In the true double- Results: elimination final match, 1st Josh Newman Adams forced the sec- 2nd Chris Adams ond set 7-2, but Newman 3rd B.J. Ussery already had his eyes on 4th Chris Turner the prize. The second set 5th Matt Reed went to Newman 7-3, his Cliff Cribb third tour win to date.

$500 $300 $200 $100 $55

Fisher Takes Season’s Second Kwikfire Title Kwikfire Tour / Monroe, NC by InsidePOOL Staff

Kelly “Kwikfire” Fisher bested Monica Webb 9-4 in the finals of the October 9-10 Kwikfire Tour, taking her second tour title of 2010. The $2,000-added event was hosted by Burrkat Billiards in Monroe, NC, and drew a strong field, including six top-sixteen WPBA pros. Returning for Sunday’s matches, Gerda Hofstatter squared off against Fisher in the winners’ side. Their match was close early on, but then Fisher pulled away to win 9-5. Webb played a nearly flawless match against Lisa Davids, leaving very little

52 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

On the one-loss side, Allison Fisher couldn’t find a groove against Lisa Davids, who capitalized nicely by taking a 4-1 lead, Allison Fisher, Kelly Fisher ultimately winning 7-4. Hofstatter and Line Kjorsvik were neck and neck for most of their match, but Kjorsvik pulled away late to win 9-7. The hot seat match between Fisher and Webb was close early on at 3-3, but then Fisher made quick work of a few racks and went ahead 8-3. Webb was able to get one more game before Fisher clinched it 9-4. In the quarterfinal match, Kjorsvik took down Davids 9-3 to advance to the semifinals. Now with three players remaining, Kjorsvik and Webb squared off, with Webb taking total control of Results: the match. Kjorsvik 1st Kelly Fisher $850 struggled to find any 2nd Monica Webb $600 rhythm and lost 9-1. In 3rd Line Kjorsvik $435 the finals, Fisher main- 4th Lisa Davids $300 tained her dominating 5th Gerda Hofstatter $190 form and never allowed Allison Fisher the match to get tense, 7th Belinda Calhoun $85 taking the title 9-4. Katie Cowan

Duggan Undefeated for Lucasi Win Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour / Virginia Beach, VA by InsidePOOL Staff

Bill Duggan went undefeated to take the October 9 stop of the Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour, winning over Dave Perry hill-hill in the final match. The $500-added event featured a 25player field in a double-elimination 9-ball format on 7-foot Valley bar boxes and was hosted by Inland Reef in Virginia Beach, VA. Duggan marched to the hot seat, including an A-side semifinals win over Jamie Smith 5-3 and an A-side finals win over Vern Steinke 5-4. Prior to his loss to Duggan, Steinke won his A-side semifinals match over Bill Mason 5-1. In the B-side round of eight, Perry eliminated Curt Stevenson at seventh place, where Ryan Urso joined Stevenson after a loss to Robert Klie 5-1. Mason recovered from his loss to Steinke to oust Robert Klie at fifth place 5-1, while Jamie Smith tied with Klie as a result of a loss to Perry 5-4. In the quarterfinals, Perry ousted Mason at fourth Results: place 5-0. Perry then 1st Bill Duggan $400 claimed a spot in the fi2nd Dave Perry $250 nals when he knocked 3rd Vern Steinke $150 Steinke into third place 4th Bill Mason $100 5-2. The tournament 5th Robert Klie $60 finals only lasted one Jamie Smith set, as the undefeated 7th Ryan Urso $30 Duggan clipped Perry Curt Stevenson 5-4 to claim the title.

< Towery Takes First GSBT Win Great Southern Billiard Tour / Conyers, GA by Lea Andrews

Adam Towery’s first win on the Great Southern Billiard Tour didn’t come easy--he had to get by past winner HorShannon Daulton, Adam Towery, Horace ace “Groundhog” Goodwin, Robert Phillips Godwin twice--but he nevertheless made it through unscathed. Towery and Godwin were among the field of 30 that arrived at Classic Billiards in Conyers, GA, the weekend of October 16-17 for the $1,500-added event, which was sponsored by Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Delta-13, and Tiger Products. A-ranked Towery sent B-ranked Trent Talbert west 9-3 to reach the hot seat match, where he met Godwin for the first time. Godwin, who’d taken care of fellow A player Jason Steman 9-5, pushed the hot seat match hill-hill, but he couldn’t mark up the final game. On the one-loss side, A-ranked Aaron Frady, one of Godwin’s earlier victims, shut out Dwayne Brown 9-0 to meet up with A-ranked John Maikke, who’d notched his own shutout win over Steve Owens. Against Frady, though, Maikke managed just three games to finish in seventh, sending Frady on to Talbert. Meanwhile, A-ranked Claude Marrier, who’d been edged out earlier by Maikke 9-8, ousted A-ranked Jeff Hooks 9-6 and B-ranked Dave Shadden 9-4 to face Steman. It was Steman who prevailed 9-7, advancing to the quarterfinals against Talbert, who’d planted Frady in fifth 7-6. Looking for another go at Godwin, Steman held Talbert to four games to earn his spot in the semifinals against Godwin. Once again, though, Steman fell short 9-5, allowing Godwin to get his own chance at revenge against Towery.

Parker started the day with a 7-4 win over Emily Wilmoth Broxson. Shelly Harrison, fresh off winning the Atlanta Billiards Expo amateur 9-ball tournaJoAnn Mason Parker, Amy Poulter, Chris ment, sent Parker to Ann Fields the one-loss side 7-5. Not to be stopped, though, Parker won her match against Jessica Barnes 7-2 to make it back to the final eight redraw. Parker had a revenge match in the single-elimination redraw as she matched up again against Harrison, this time winning 7-5. Parker went on to take the next match against Kelly Coyle 7-4, making it to the finals. This day was also good to relative newcomer Chris Ann Fields, who made it to the finals by defeating Robin Boggs 7-4 and top tour players Stephanie Mitchell 7-5, Helene Caukin 7-3, and Sabra MacArthur Beahn 7-3.

In the finals, Fields appeared to lose steam, and Parker quickly took a commanding Results: lead. With Parker up 5-1, 1st JoAnn Mason Parker $400 Fields scratched in the 2nd Chris Ann Fields $280 seventh rack, giving ball 3rd Kelly Coyle $185 in hand and the game Sabra MacArthur-Bean to Parker. Now on the 5th Amy Poulter $90 hill, Parker took the final Shelly Harrison game after a dry break by Kelly Cavanaugh Fields, winning the final Helene Caukin match 7-1.

SudoCue Puzzle When this SudoCue is solved, the letters in “Backswing” will appear in each row, column, and box—but only once, and not in any particular order. Answer available online at www.InsidePOOLmag.com.

In the true double-elimination final match, both players played well, just as they had in the hot seat match, but Towery was able to take advanResults: tage of a few dry breaks Adam Towery $800 by Godwin to widen the 1st Horace Godwin $500 gap a bit more this time 2nd Jason Steman $300 around. He earned his 3rd Trent Talbert $200 first Great Southern Bil- 4th 5th Claude Marrier $75 liard Tour victory in one Aaron Frady set, 9-6.

Parker Puts it to Breast Cancer Flamingo Billiards Tour / Stuart, FL by InsidePOOL Staff

JoAnn Mason Parker, having friends affected by breast cancer, was even more motivated to bring awareness to the cause, and she did so when she won the Flamingo Billiards Tour’s “Cues for the Cause” breast cancer fundraising event, held in conjunction with the American CueSports Alliance/Lucasi Hybrid AllAmerican Tour. It was a special event, as 23 players gathered at Amy’s Billiards in Stuart, FL, October 16. Courtesy of Sandy Brown December 2010 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 53

< Fishers Face off at Family Billiards Kwikfire Tour / Boone, NC by InsidePOOL Staff

Allison Fisher, Kelly Fisher

Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher had to play like the champion she is to get past the tough field in attendance at the October 16-17 Kwikfire Tour stop. The $2,000-added event attracted 16 players to Family Billiards in Boone, NC.

Six players remained coming into Sunday, with two on the winners’ side and four on the one-loss. Kim Shaw was paired against Katie Cowan; Kelly Fisher faced Leslie Furr; Buffy Jolie was challenged by Allison Fisher. Two of the three matches were one-sided, as A. Fisher and K. Fisher dominated their sets, while Cowan fell a little short in a hill-hill thriller against Shaw. The fourth-place match between K. Fisher and Shaw, who is moving back to England, saw Fisher jump ahead with a sizeable lead. But a few misfortunes saw Shaw get back in the match. Fisher handled the pressure, though, and steadily put the lid on Shaw’s tournament 9-7. With A. Fisher waiting in the hot seat, Jolie and K. Fisher squared off. Neither player seemed at ease, but after the score seesawed to 5-all, Fisher took the next two racks to go up to 7-5. Jolie, who was going to 7, missed a 9 ball and handed Fisher the hill, but Fisher scratched on a 2-9 combo, and Jolie made it double-hill. But the last break was Fisher’s, and she broke and ran out to win. This is the fourth time Allison and Kelly have met in the finals of a Kwikfire Tour event, and the results of those previous matches had Kelly winning 2-1, but Allison had a slight edge in games at 27-24. A close match was to be expected. That being said, though Kelly took the Results: first game, that was the Allison Fisher $900 last good opportunity 1st Kelly Fisher $600 she had. Allison gained a 2nd 3rd Buffy Jolie $400 6-1 lead, paused to allow 4th Kim Shaw $270 Kelly another game, and Katie Cowan $155 then recovered quickly 5th Leslie Furr and won the match 9-2.

Olinger On Top at Great Southern Event Great Southern Billiard Tour / Murfreesboro, TN by Lea Andrews

A lot of players took shots at Alex Olinger at the October 23-24 stop of the Great Southern BilShannon Daulton, Alex Olinger, Ryan Stone, liard Tour, but none April Dobbins could take him down. Olinger went undefeated through the $1,500-added event, which was held at Murfreesboro Billiard Club in Murfreesboro, TN, which drew a field of 31. A-ranked Olinger faced Hamilton Boss in the winners’ side final four, tossing him aside 9-5 to reach the hot seat match against B-ranked Steve Lagace, who’d gone hill-hill with AAranked Nick Hickerson. Another hill-hill match was in store for him against Olinger, but Lagace couldn’t mark up the final game and Olinger sat in the hot seat 9-6. On the left side of the bracket, one of Olinger’s earlier victims, AA-ranked Josh O’Neil, was trying to wade through the field to get back to him, ousting B-ranked Jamie Crouch 11-5 and AA-ranked Justin Cone along the way. Meanwhile, AAranked Ryan Stone, who’d fallen to Hickerson, took care of Branked junior player Billy Thorpe 11-3 and A-ranked Rick Powers 11-2 to meet up with Boss. Allowing Boss just one rack, Stone moved on to the quarterfinals against O’Neil, who’d taken care of Hickerson 11-4. But that was as far as O’Neil got on his quest for a rematch with Olinger—managing just five games against Stone, he finished in fourth. In the semifinal match against Lagace, Stone continued his hot streak, holding Lagace to five games to earn his spot in the finals against Olinger. But Olinger had been on a hot streak all weekend, and it was no different in the Results: true double-elimination 1st Alex Olinger $800 final match. No second 2nd Ryan Stone $550 match was needed— 3rd Steve Lagace $350 Olinger reached his goal 4th Josh O’Neil $160 first, earning his victory 5th Hamilton Boss $75 in one well-played 9-9 Nick Hickerson set.

Play Play Video Video 54 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

Richko and Davis Repeat Poison Wins Poison 9-Ball Tour / Orlando, FL by InsidePOOL Staff

Jason Richko and Mike Davis won their second Poison 9-Ball Tour victories of the season, having won the first at the tour’s opening event as well. Richko and Davis were among the field of 52 who Mike Davis gathered at Corner Pockets in Orlando, FL, the weekend of October 23-24 to take a shot at the $1,000-added prize fund.

The finals saw both players exhibiting strong pool, but Richko, however, proved to be too tough as he took down McBride 8-4 win to claim his second title of the season. The open division drew 26 players, but that did not indicate an easy ride for anyone, with the likes of Tommy Kennedy, Davis, Justin Hall, Jerry Calderon, and Tony Crosby in the field. Hall went onto capture the hot seat with wins over Calderon 7-5, George Saunders 7-2, Crosby 7-6, Han Berber 7-3, and then a hot seat win over Davis 7-6.

Amateur Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th

Jason Richko Brian McBride Nick Applebee Dan Lettau Anthony Meglino Walter Blacker John Stucky Jim Sandaler Jarred Schlauch Ben Diaz David Pencar Elvis Rodriguez

Jacksonville’s Nick Applebee was looking strong as he made his way to the hot seat match with wins over Ernie Medina, Nicole Winters, Jon Curtis, David Pencar, and then a 7-4 win over Dan Lettau to put himself in the winners’ side final. His opponent was Richko, who was looking to try and string back-to-back victories. Richko had notched wins over John Carver, John Stucky, Jesse Langston, Anthony Meglino, Walter Blacker, and finally scored a hill-hill victory over Nick Applebee to capture the hot seat.

Open Results:

On the one-loss side Brian McBride was looking strong after taking a 7-5 loss to Lettau. He went on to eliminate Ben Diaz, Jim Sandaler, and Blacker. A revenge win over Lettau was folled up with a semifinal victory over Applebee to set up the final match with Richko.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Mike Davis Justin Hall Tommy Kennedy Adam Wheeler Han Berber Anthony Meglino

$600 $400 $310 $210 $160 $110 $70

$580 $400 $300 $200 $70

After a 7-4 loss to Davis, Kennedy made his way back for a rematch with Davis with wins over Anthony Meglino 6-3 and Adam Wheeler 7-2. Davis, though, again proved to be too strong, leaving Kennedy in third place. The finals were a repeat performance from the first event with Davis taking Hall down 8-6, forcing the one-rack shootout. Hall won the lag and break, but Davis made short work of the rack by making a long-rail bank combination on the 9 to win his second event in a row.

November 2010 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 43

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Play Play Video Video

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w w w . L O N D O N B R I D G E B I L L I A R D S . c o m 56 InsidePOOL Magazine â&#x2014;&#x160; December 2010

Videos Ice Breakers

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Matches from Ice Breakers Earl Strickland vs Richie Ross at Ice Breakers Earl Strickland vs Jim Davis Ryan Ward vs Mike Mousie Mike Mousie vs Dan Bellew Mike Mousie vs Dan Bellew part 2 on the Come and Take it if You Can Tour Matches live streaming from Ice Breakers Mike Gulyassy vs Ryan Ward Earl Strickland vs Mike Blackwell Earl Strickland vs Ryan Ward in the Hot Seat Match Earl Strickland vs Matt Hojnowski Dan Bellew vs Mike Blackwell Earl Strickland Pool Trick Shots Earl Strickland vs Ryan Ward in the Finals

> >>

Brown Becomes Newest Lone Star Champ Lone Star Billiards Tour / Houston, TX by InsidePOOL Staff

Regional Roundup Ward Takes Gulyassy Icebreakers Event Come and Take It if You Want It / Youngstown, OH by InsidePOOL Staff

The 19-year-old Ryan Ward recovered from a defeat by Earl Strickland in the hot seat match to return to the finals and triumph over the Hall of Famer. Ward was one of 60 players who came Michael Gulyassy’s “Come and Take It if You Think You Can” tournament the weekend of October 9-10, which was hosted by Icebreakers Pool Hall in Youngstown, OH. Cleveland’s Ward has been playing Ryan Ward pool since he was 11 and won his first pool tournament at the age of 12. His trek to the finals included victories over Dav Desantis, James Paris, Dan D’Angelo, tournament promoter Gulyassy, and room owner Mike Mousie. That deposited him into the hot seat match, where he first encountered Strickland, who had notched wins over Matt Rutter, Richie Ross, Matt Hojo, Jim Davis, and Mike Blackwell. Strickland gave Ward two games on the wire, and it went double-hill before Strickland was able to send Ward to the one-loss side. Dan Bellew had been working his way through the west side of the chart, eliminating players such as Skip Shumate, Jay Brown, and Mike Blackwell to reach the semifinals. But he was disappointed in the outcome of his match against Ward, who only allowed him one game before ousting him 3-1. Now returning to face Strickland again, Ward was calm. “It wasn’t an easy win, of course,” he said laconically. Like the hot seat match, the finals went hill-hill. But this time it was Ward who walked away the winner, defeating Strickland by Results: the score of 5-4. 1st Ryan Ward As an extra added bonus, the “Michael Gulyassy Challenge” offered a Michael Gulyassy custom cue to the player who knocked Gulyassy out of the tournament. After Ward sent Gulyassy to the one-loss side, Gulyassy was eliminated by Jay Brown.

2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th

Earl Strickland Dan Bellew Mike Mousie Jim Davis Mike Blackwell Jay Brown T. Washington Dan D’Angelo Billy Tyler Skip Shumate Mike Gulyassy

Jason Brown became the newest addition to the Lone Star Billiards Tour’s winners with his victory in the open division of their October 9-10 stop. The event was hosted by Slick Willie’s Family Pool Hall in Houston, TX, where 66 entrants in four divisions played for over Jason Brown $5,000 in prize money. Saturday’s first three rounds of play yielded a new look for the winners’ side with APA champion Don Bullard versus Grady Cooper, Alex Cardenas versus North Carolina’s Brown, Danny Lee versus Andy Jethwa, and Victor “Champion” Rojas versus David Gutierrez. Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant found himself in unfamiliar territory when he was eliminated Saturday by Brown 9-6 and Marc Garza 7-4. On Sunday, Garza, Sonny Bosshamer, Blaine Barcus, and Rodney Stewart waited in the wings while the east side produced Bullard versus Brown, and Lee versus Rojas. Jethwa, Gutierrez, and Cardenas advanced on the left, along with Barcus, who was the only one of the original four who made it another round. On the east side, Bullard fell to Brown 9-3 and Lee bested Rojas 9-5. Ultimately it was Jethwa versus Gutierrez and Barcus versus Cardenas on the west side. Gutierrez bested Jethwa then Bullard to reach Rojas who was on a streak of his own. Rojas sent Gutierrez west earlier 9-8, but Gutierrez exacted his revenge 7-1. Meanwhile, Brown’s determination landed him in the hot seat 9-4 over Lee. Gutierrez made quick work of Lee but fell in the finals to the undefeated Brown 9-5.

Open Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th

Jason Brown David Gutierrez Danny Lee Victor Rojas Don Bullard Alex Cardenas Andy Jethwa Blaine Barcus Marc Garza Sonny Bosshamer Grady Cooper Rodney Stewart

$700 $460 $350 $230 $120 $80 $45

Ladies’ Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Ming Ng Belinda Lee Deanna Kniola Ricki Casper

$230 $150 $100 $50

There were 12 ladies who appeared in full force on Sunday. Tournament One-Pocket Results: $225 hopefuls included Ricki 1st David Gutierrez $100 Casper, Tisha Hay, Robyn 2nd Jason Brown Petrosino, Yvette Reyes, and former pros Deanna Juniors’ Results: Kniola and Ming Ng. It was 1st Robyn Petrosino $50 Ng over Kniola 7-6 for the 2nd Nicholas Calderaro $25 hot seat, and on the west side, Belinda Lee over Casper. Kniola finished a respectable third, while Ng took down Lee in the final 7-3. December 2010 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 57

Lampert Scores Back-to-Back OB Cues Wins OB Cues Ladies’ Tour / Round Rock, TX by InsidePOOL Staff

Amanda Lampert earned her second consecutive victory on the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour the weekend of October 9-10, defeating Lisa Marr in the finals. The tour’s eighth stop was hosted by Fast Eddie’s in Round Lisa Marr, Amanda Lampert Rock, TX, and drew 38 players to vie for the $2,000-added prize purse. Eight players returned for Sunday’s action. On the winners’ side, Lampert and Marr faced off for the first time in the event, with Lampert sending Marr to the west side of the chart 7-2 and moving on to face Michelle Cortez, who had just bested Helen Laiche 7-6, in the hot seat match. It was a lopsided affair, as Lampert whitewashed her opponent 7-0 to claim the winners’ side final. It looked that the finals would be a rematch of the hot seat match, as Cortez was ahead of Marr in the semifinals for a time. But the rolls left Cortez coming up short, and she was defeated 7-5. In the double-elimination finals, Marr had to defeat Lampert twice for the title. As the match progressed, it looked like Marr was trying her best to take it to a second set, as she held an early 4-1 lead. But Lampert kicked into gear to tie up the set Results: 4-all. It seemed Marr was 1st Amanda Lampert $750 going to force the second 2nd Lisa Marr $550 set when she took the 3rd Michelle Cortez $400 lead at 6-4, but Lampert 4th Orietta Strickland $270 once again dug deep to 5th Helen Laiche $150 Rachel Hurst make it hill-hill. When $100 Marr missed the 9 ball to 7th Kim Pierce Nancy French force a second set in the $60 final rack, Lampert had a 9th Alicia Stanley Jennifer Kraber clear shot and made it to Ashley Nandrasy take the title. Tara Williams

Bowman Bests Lucasi Field Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour / Clinton, IA by InsidePOOL Staff

Jesse Bowman escaped the clutches of Anthony Garcia in their hill-hill final match to emerge with the Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour’s title for their October 9 tournament. The $500-added event, hosted by Legend’s Sports Bar in Clinton, IA, featured 41 players in a double-elimination 8-ball format on 7-foot bar boxes. Bowman took down the A-side, completing his undefeated trek via wins over Scott Hargens in the winners’ side final four 7-3 and Cory Youngblut in the hot seat match 7-1. Youngblut had ear-

58 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

lier vanquished Will Kohl 4-4 in the semifinals just prior to his loss to Bowman. On the B-side Anthony Garcia and Mike Rohner eliminated John Gorsch 6-1 and John Sprague 4-3, reCory Youngblut, Jesse Bowman, Anthony Garcia spectively, at seventh place. In turn, in the next round Garcia won again by ousting Kohl 6-2, while Rohner was whitewashed by Hargens 6-0. Garcia then knocked out Hargens at fouirth place on Results: the hill 6-5, and Garcia’s 1st Jesse Bowman $350 run continued to the 2nd Anthony Garcia $245 finals when he bested 3rd Cory Youngblut $180 Youngblut at third place 4th Scott Hargens $125 by a 6-0 margin. The 5th Will Kohl $85 tournament finals be Mike Rohner tween Bowman and Gar7th John Gorsch $55 cia went only one set, John Sprague but it was a hill-hill set, 9th Ron Martin $35 as Bowman skimmed by Jason Totten Garcia 7-5 for the title. Jim Baker Aaron Weston

< Bryant and Garland Tops in Port Arthur Lone Star Billiards Tour / Port Arthur, TX by InsidePOOL Staff

“Slim but mighty” describes the field of 35 who converged on Crazy 8’s Family Pool Hall in Port Arthur, TX, the weekend of OcErnesto Bayaua, Charlie Bryant tober 16-17. Of the top players in attendance, Charlie Bryant took top honors in the $1,000-added open division, while Teresa Garland won the $350-added ladies’ event. Saturday’s action elicited high live-stream numbers while players fought to get in the money. Ernesto Bayaua, Billy Boo, Ryan Ellis, and Tony Nguyen remained active Sunday, while T.J Davis, Shane Harvey, Bryant, and John Newsome battled on the winners’ side. Harvey and Newsome were sent west while Bryant secured the winners’ side over Davis. Bayaua lost his first match of the event 9-7 to Nguyen but then defeated Chuck Pham 7-2, Kim White 7-6, Boo 7-1, Harvey 7-4, Newsome 7-5, and Davis 7-4. But he was stopped just short of the goal line by Bryant in the finals. The ladies’ event made for an exciting Sunday when Garland played for the hot seat against Stacy Decker and Marie Chhuon battled April Henley on the west side. Garland defeated Decker 7-2 and Chhuon eliminated Henley 5-1. Chhuon lost her first- Open Results: round match to Deck$590 er but ousted her the 1st Charlie Bryant $424 second time around. 2nd Ernesto Bayaua 3rd T.J. Davis $250 This pitted Chhuon 4th John Newsome $170 versus Garland in the $85 finals, and it was in- 5th Ryan Ellis Shane Harvey tense. The first set of 7th Tony Nguyen $43 the true double-elim Billy Boo ination match went to Chhuon 7-6, but Garland fought hard and Ladies’ Results: defeated Chhuon the 1st Teresa Garland $230 second set 5-1for her 2nd Marie Chhuon $150 $100 first big tournament 3rd Stacy Decker 4th April Henley $50 win.

Bryant Wins Inaugural Houston 10-Ball Event Lone Star Billiards Tour / Houston, TX

There were 64 players in the open 10-ball event, which played down to the final 16 by the second day. Sunday, Doug Young ousted Ernesto Bayaua 9-8, Lanny Herrin defeated Denis Strickland 9-2, Bryant dusted Nick Hood

Charlie Bryant, Ming Ng, Sylver Ochoa

9-6, and Sylver Ochoa bested Danny Roland 9-2. The one-loss side saw Jason Brown over Barry Strickland, Brent Thomas defeating Robert Demetro, Derek Fontenot escaping Larry Wilson, and Strickland eliminating John Newsome. Towards the end, Bryant captured the winners’ bracket 9-5 over Young, while Ochoa and Hood fought their way back. Ochoa eliminated Hood 7-3 and Young 7-6 but was halted by Bryant in the final match. The one-pocket event yielded 21 players with $600 added. Ochoa claimed the hot seat over Brown 3-2. Bryant then eliminated Brown but fell to Ochoa in the final 3-1. Ming Ng captured the ladies’ 9-ball event with 14 entrants, and Joey Torres snapped off the juniors’ 9-ball event.

Open Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th 13th

Charlie Bryant Sylver Ochoa Doug Young Nick Hood Lanny Herrin Denis Strickland Danny Roland Derek Fontenot Jason Brown Brent Thomas Ernesto Bayaua John Newsome Barry Strickland Robert Demetro Larry Wilson Richard Rodriguez

$980 $620 $420 $300 $230 $190 $110

$80

One-Pocket Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Sylver Ochoa Charlie Bryant Jason Brown Jerald Jackson Derek Fontenot Denis Strickland

$640 $450 $280 $120 $80

Ladies’ Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Ming Ng Terry Petrosino Kim Pierce Courtney Peters

$330 $240 $160 $80

Juniors’ Results: 1st Joey Torres 2nd Robyn Petrosino

$60 $30

by InsidePOOL Staff

Charlie Bryant scared away the competition at the inaugural Houston Classic, produced by the Lone Star Billiards Tour Halloween weekend. The event was hosted by Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar and drew 105 total entries and featured two days of non-stop action, as well as boasting $3,350 added with a payout totaling over $10,000.

December 2010 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 59

Davis Dominates Lucasi Field Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour / Cedar Rapids, IA

nal. The $1,350-added event was hosted by Skinny Bob’s Billiards in Austin, TX, and drew 52 entries.

by InsidePOOL Staff

Todd Davis went undefeated at the October 23 stop of the Lucasi Hybrid AllAmerican Tour, besting Scott Kitto in the final match to win the title. Second Avenue Todd Davis, Dennis Wolrab, Scott Kitto Corner Pocket hosted the $500-added event, which featured 32 players in a doubleelimination 8-ball format on 7-foot bar boxes. Davis, rated a “4” on a regional handicap system used, captured the A-side, scoring wins over Anthony Garcia in the semifinals 4-5 and Scott Hargens in the finals 4-5. Hargens had earlier dispatched Ken Miller 6-3 in the semifinals just prior to his loss to Davis. On the B-side Shane Kelly and Scott Kitto eliminated Jason Robison 6-2 and Nate Atkinson 7-1 respectively at seventh place. Kelly and Kitto continued their winning ways by ousting Garcia and Miller at fifth place by respective 6-5, 7-4 scores. Kitto then overwhelmed Kelly 7-1 to place Kelly in fourth place and followed up that win with a semi- Results: final dispatching of Har$400 gens by a 7-4 margin. 1st Todd Davis $250 The tournament finals 2nd Scott Kitto 3rd Scott Hargens $160 went one set, as the un4th Shane Kelly $100 defeated Davis made the 5th Ken Miller $70 best of his handicap to Anthony Garcia take the title match from 7th Jason Robison $45 Kitto 4-5. Nate Atkinson

Henson and Sanders Claim Lone Star Event Lone Star Billiards Tour / Austin, TX by InsidePOOL Staff

David Henson went undefeated through the Lone Star Billiards Tour’s November 6-7 event, defeating Brian Sanders in the fi-

Saturday’s main event produced few upsets and pitted Henson against Casey Crews and James Davis Sr. versus Jason Kim Sanders, Jen Kraber Hunt on the winners’ side for Sunday. On the one-loss side Doug Young faced off with John Neumann and Sanders met Drew McCoy. From the winners’ side emerged Henson versus Davis, while Hunt matched up with Sanders on the one-loss side. Henson claimed the hot seat 9-6, while Hunt fell prey to Sanders 7-4. Sanders ousted Davis 7-5 for a shot at Henson. Both men played a speedy final where Henson jumped to a 3-1 lead, then 5-2 over Sanders. The final score favored an undefeated Henson 9-7. The ladies’ event drew 17 players, including Jennifer Kraber, Nicole McDaniel, Kim Sanders, and Loretta Lindgren, who all made it to the final four Open Results: winners’ side. Kraber $680 defeated McDaniel and 1st David Henson 2nd Brian Sanders $480 Sanders bested Lindgren 3rd James Davis Sr. $290 for a Kraber versus Sand4th Jason Hunt $190 ers hot seat match. On 5th Doug Young $100 the west side it was Julia Casey Crews Rapp over Jasmine Bartz 7th David Neumann $45 5-4, while Sanders sent Drew McCoy Kraber west 7-4. Kraber advanced to meet Sand- Ladies’ Results: ers in the final. It was 6-3 $260 Sanders when Kraber 1st Kim Sanders 2nd Jennifer Kraber $180 came alive and made it 3rd Julia Rapp $110 hill-hill. In the final game 4th Jasmine Bartz $55 Kraber missed a crucial 7 ball that ultimately cost One-Pocket Results: her the set 7-6. 1st James Davis Sr. $260

>Upcoming Central Tournaments 12/3-5

Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour

JJ’s Billiards

Sioux Falls, SD

605-335-7637 $500

Open

12/11

Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour

Legends Sports Bar

Clinton, IA

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12/11-12 Lone Star Billiards Tour

Bogies Billiards and Games

Houston, TX

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12/11-12 BCW McDermott Cup

Claws Billiards

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12/18

8-Ball Tournament Bar Box

ME@CA’S Sports Bar

San Antonio, TX

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12/18

Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour

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1/14-16 Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour

8-Ball Sports Bar and Billiards

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614-436-2948 $1,500

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1/15

2nd Avenue Corner Pocket

Cedar Rapids, IA

319-366-0979 $500

Open

1/15-16 BCW Simonis 8-Ball Challenge

Legends Billiards

Waukegan, IL

847-599-7710 $1,500

Open

1/20-23 Lucasi ACS Midwest 8-Ball

Riverside Casino and Resort

Riverside, IA

920-662-1705 $10,000 Members

1/21-29 Derby City Classic

Horseshoe Casino and Hotel

Elizabeth, IN

812-288-7665 $50,000 Open

1/29-30 BCW McDermott Cue Classic

Outbreak Billiards

Racine, WI

262-638-0821 $1,000

Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour

60 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

Open

> >>

Regional Roundup Williams Wins Again on AWBT Arizona Women’s Billiards Tour / Phoenix, AZ by InsidePOOL Staff

age for the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships in Chesapeake, VA. Diep’s absence cost her second place in the point standings, as Sara Miller was able to capitalize and pass her by ten points. The significance of that exchange will only be fully realized if and when Miller receives an invitation to play in the WPBA Regional Tour Championships or a women’s pro event and Diep does not. Also capitalizing on this tournament’s slightly shrunken field was eventual runner-up Susan Wilbur. Wilbur started her weekend on a low note by suffering a 7-5 defeat to Claudia Justus. On the B side, however, she buckled down and dispatched Kathleen Lawless 7-5, Justus in a rematch 7-3, Sunny Griffin 7-5, and Susan Mello, to earn herself a spot in the finals against Williams.

Final eight

Susan Williams closed out the Arizona Women’s Billiards Tour’s season with her third first-place finish with her victory at the October 23-24 stop, also cementing her first-place standing in the rankings. The $300-added event was hosted by Bullshooters in Phoenix, AZ. This tournament was deprived the presence of second-place points leader Samm Diep, who was busy providing media cover-

Williams had a slightly easier time of it by first defeating Edwidge Cavanna 7-3, then Griffin 7-6, Justus 7-5, and finally Mello 7-0 to claim the hot seat. In the final match, Williams quickly took control and all but cruised to her first-place prize by the score of 9-4.

Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th

Susan Williams Susan Wilbur Susan Mello Sunny Griffin Jeri Engh Claudia Justus Edwidge Cavanna Kristie Ortega

$200 $140 $90 $60 $40 $25

>Upcoming Western Tournaments 1/26

Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour

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December 2010 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 61

> >>

Regional Roundup Evans Smashes Fisher’s Record

by Tim Dunkley Reanne Evans has smashed Kelly Fisher’s record of 69 consecutive matches won on the women’s snooker circuit. Two days after her twenty-fifth birthday, the six-time world champion extended her remarkable winning streak to 72 with victory in the East Anglian Championship at Cambridge Snooker Centre.

Reanne Evans Her last defeat was on March 1, 2008, when Maria Catalano clawed back a two-frame deficit to win 3-2 in the Connie Gough National final in Luton. Evans, from Dudley, West Midlands, passed Fisher’s total with a 3-0 quarterfinal win against Surrey ’s Marianne Williams. The world number one recalled playing the all-conquering Fisher many years ago and thinking, “That’s what I want to do.” “I’ve got there!” she said. “It’s nice to have the record.” The East Anglian Championship, the second leg on the World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association circuit, was Evans’ twentyfifth ranking title.

ollow F

“It was a bit scrappy at the beginning,” said Evans after a 3-0 win over Catalano, 28. “But then a couple of forties got me going. “She had a chance to go two to one, but she missed it and I cleared up. “I’m playing okay—not great, but solid. I’m not giving so many chances away.” It was the eighth time since the start of last season the pair have met in a WLBSA final. Evans said, “I think it’s more psychological now because she CAN play. You always get a bogey player.”

Jan Hughes

It was Catalano who ended Fisher’s record run in 2003. Jan Hughes, from St Neots, Cambs, defeated Tina OwenSevilton 2-0 in the Plate final. World number five Eva Palmius, from Isleham, Cambs, accounted for Williams in the seniors’ final. And 14-year-old Derby schoolgirl Hannah Jones, who has been called up for the England women’s team for the IBSF World Championships in Syria in December, claimed the junior title. The previous day, Evans, now a professional snooker player, lost 4-0 to Allister Carter in the second round of the fourth leg of the European Players Tour Championship in Gloucester.

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Across 1 You’d be singing this carol if you were riding in a one-horse open sleigh 4 “____ Christmas” is one of the most famous noels and was made popular by Bing Crosby 6 ____ the Snowman was a jolly, happy soul with a corncob pipe and a button nose 8 “A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight, walking in a winter ____” 12 “The ____ were hung by the chimney with care ...” 14 Dominick the ____ is a symbol of Christmas in Italy 15 Though Christmas ____ differs all over the world, the holiday spirit is the same everywhere 17 Being with one’s ____ and friends for the holidays is the most important part 18 Perry Como’s 1959 album, “Season’s ____,” offers ten classic Christmas carols 19 The three wise men were said to bring gold, ____, and myrhh as gifts 22 A winter festival initially a pagan religious festival that was absorbed into the Christian festival of Christmas 24 “____ Christmas” is just one of the many different names for Santa Claus 26 The ____ is a species of flowering plant indigenous to Mexicao and Central America) 30 “Hark! The ____ Angels Sing” 31 “Have Yourself a Merry Little ____” was originally sung by Judy Garland in “Meet Me in St. Louis” 33 The correct etiquette for kissing under the ____ states that once a couple has kissed, the man removes one berry and hands it to his partner. When the berries are gone, there is no more kissing permitted under that plant 34 Santa’s helpers in the workshop 35 Make sure to save your receipts when you buy ____ in case the recipients don’t like them Down 2 “God Rest Ye Merry, ____” is a traditional English carol 3 A holiday drink flavored with nutmeg and cin- namon (and occasionally liqueur) 4 As of the late 20th century, “Joy to the ____” was the most published Christmas hymn in North America 5 ____ is a bank and public holiday celebrated on December 26—but not in North America 7 The main character in “Miracle on 34th Street” 9 A must for tree-trimming parties 10 Originally written in Latin, the title of this song is “Adeste Fideles” 11 Slang for a crazy or eccentric person 13 Cartoonist Thomas Nast was one of the first to define the modern image of ____ 16 “It Came Upon the ____ Clear” was written by pastor Edmund Sears in 1849 20 Children send their letters to Santa here every year 21 ____ is a wonderful way to spread Christmas cheer 23 If you get a white Christmas this year, you might build one of these in your yard 25 This actor portrayed St. Nick in “The Santa Clause” 27 A ____ scene depicts the birth of Jesus as recounted by the gospels of Matthew and Luke 28 “____ We Have Heard on High” is based on a traditional French carol 29 These three ____ followed a star in the East 32 The principal character in the 1843 novel by Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol” 64 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ December 2010

H appy

olidays

Visit www.InsidePOOLmag.com for the answers to this puzzle.