D A R R E N A P P L E TO N V S M I K A I M M O N E N
Appleton vsImmonen IN FIRST ACCU STATS ARENA RULES MATCH
By Geoff Conway - Contributing writer for AZ Billiards Photo courtesy of Karl Kantrowitz
AT
8:00 pm on Friday the 6th of April at Sandcastle Billiards in Edison NJ, we saw the first in the series of the Arena Rules DVD Collection. This match will long be remembered for the thrilling result that the packed crowd surrounding the Accu-Stats Simonis Arena, witnessed in this PPV exhibition match between consecutive US Open Champions Darren Appleton vs. Mika Immonen. (Darren won in 2010 and 2011 and Mika in 2008 and 2009.) One of the unique formats of the Arena Rules, is that the player in control of the table after the break, must push out or request that his opponent push out. (Generally the player in control of the table will make his opponent push out.) These rules are the brainchild of Pat Fleming, the owner of Accu-Stats Video Productions, who certainly had a smile on his face at the end of the evening when the match got to hill-hill at 12-12. However, the match was anything but close early, as Darren just could not seem to get in stroke early on, and after quite a few uncharacteristic misses, soon found himself down 7-1, in this race to 13 match. (Another of the unique Arena Rules is the Sudden, Sudden death, early hill-hill finish. Which puts the match on the hill at 9-9, 10-10, 11-11 and 12-12.)
Darren seemed to get a giddy up in his step as he clawed his way back to 8-6. But Mika soon stretched his lead to 12-7. At this point in the proceedings, it looked as though Mika had the win in the bag, yet immediately he seemed to stall. This in conjunction with Darren, really appearing to come to terms with the push out rule and becoming less threatened by the three large 30 second shot clocks that are very prominently placed around the arena, helped Darren to win five consecutive games; to put the match on the hill at 12-12, much to the pleasure of the cheering VIP spectators around the arena and the eight deep crowd behind them. Needless to say the crowd went crazy, as Darren sunk the final 10 ball to win this exciting match 13-12. This first event in the Arena Rules Collection was certainly a home run for both Accu-Stats and Sandcastle Billiards and it was appreciated by the PPV audience who love hill-hill matches. More Arena Rules matches are planned at Sandcastle Billiards; the new home of the Accu-Stats Simonis Arena. Watch out for future dates and match ups. NOTE: Due to the excitement and great play witnessed in the above match between Darren Appleton vs Mika Immonen, Accu-Stats has been inundated with requests from fans to be able to watch the above Arena Rules DVD Collection Match. To accommodate this request before it comes out in DVD, Accu-Stats are making it available on PPV for $5:95 for a limited time only by going to: www.accu-stats.com
Tribute to
Grady ‘The Professor’ Mathews Article & Photos courtesy of OnePocket.org
January 3, 1943 - April 18, 2012
A bearded 'Professor' photographed at one of the Red's tournaments in '83 or '84 Photo courtesy Bill Porter
They called him ‘The Professor”,
but
they could just as aptly have called him Mr. One Pocket. It is hard to imagine a model for contributing more to the game of One Pocket than exhibited over the career of Grady Mathews; he has truly been an ambassador to the game. Born January 3, 1943 in San Antonio, Texas, when Grady was a teenager his family moved to San Mateo, California, just about 25 miles outside of the pool Mecca of San Francisco. Grady was a good natural athlete, but once he got started with pool, that is where he turned his attention. He proved to be an adept student of pool, especially the game of One Pocket, honing his skills at fabled Cochran’s in San Francisco in the early 1960’s before he took to the road. Just about every great player of that era made appearances at Cochran’s. As Grady tells it, “You had guys there at Cochran’s like ‘Bananas’ Rodriguez. ‘Mexican Phil’ was another one. Those two guys couldn’t run a lot of balls, but boy could they play One Pocket! The young guys like me and Rich Marques and Ronnie Barber and Denny Searcy and ‘One Eyed Hank’; we’d kick shots around, trying different ways to do things. We learned pretty quickly as young people are wont to do. I don’t think you could find a better learning facility than Cochran’s.” Grady actually worked at Cochran’s for a while, until it became clear he could make more money playing pool than he could working. In the late 60’s, Grady moved to Texas and ended up at another great action room, Le Cue in Houston, frequented by such greats as Jack ‘Jersey Red’ Breit, Danny Jones and ‘Connecticut’Johnny Vevis, the winner of inaugural Johnston City One Pocket tournament. In 1975 Grady opened his own poolroom in Denver, CO, which he ran for seven years. It was during this time that Grady’s One Pocket game really matured. It was also during this time that he recalls first starting to take notes about the Grady with tournament winner Ed Kelly photo courtesy Dennis Wilson
Grady competing in 1981
Photo courtesy Billie Billing
nuances and details of One Pocket – the kind of studying that may have contributed to his moniker, ‘The Professor’. Those notes certainly contributed to his wealth of knowledge about the game, and over the years Grady really developed his role as teacher, including many years of regular magazine columns, eleven instructional videos on the game, hundreds of exhibitions, clinics and private lessons all over the US – mostly featuring One Pocket. As a tournament player, Grady topped very tough fields to win four major One Pocket tournaments: • 1983 Red’s Open One Pocket • 1984 Sid Mann’s World One Pocket • 1985 Red’s Open One Pocket • 1995 Olathe, KS Legends of One Pocket As a One Pocket tournament promoter Grady brought fans of the game 19 major One Pocket tournaments spanning twenty years, including his gold standard, Legends of One Pocket. The “Super”One Pocket tournament he and his good friend Richie Florence promoted in 1993 (won by Ed Kelly) featured what to this day is the highest purse for a One Pocket event. Many of his Legends of One Pocket tournaments were filmed by Accu-stats featuring excellent expert commentary, leading to a wide distribution of One Pocket knowledge to a whole new generation of players and fans. All of this adds up to why Grady was the top vote-getter for our very first One Pocket Hall of Fameelection back in 2004. He was the ideal candidate -- a great player, great teacher and tireless promoter of the game. Yes, he is ‘The Professor’, but you could also call him ‘Mr. One Pocket.’
Thank you, Grady Mathews, for your unsurpassed contribution to the legacy of pool, and especially One Pocket.
In his role of Master of Ceremonies for the One Pocket Hall of Fame,Grady congratulates inductee and old friend Billy Incardona
Brandon Shuff (Photo courtesy of Jeff Smith)
Action Pool Tour
By Skip Maloney
Shuff double dips Reynolds to take Action Pool Tour stop
Brandon Shuff won five straight on the loss side to meet and defeat Tour Director Ozzy Reynolds twice in the finals of the Action Pool Tour stop on the weekend of April 14-15. The event, drew 40 entrants to Break Time in Salisbury, MD. Shuff was challenged immediately at this event, surviving a double hill battle versus Chris Garrett in the opening round of play. He went on to defeat Mike Mcnaughton 9-5, and then got caught up in a second double hill battle; this time, against Brett Stottlemyer. At double hill, Stottlemyer actually sunk the 9-ball, but the cue ball traveled multiple rails, and hung in a pocket, before dropping in to essentially give Shuff the victory. Shuff then ran right into Brian Deska and a third straight double hill match that sent him to the loss side. Deska moved on to face Reynolds among the winners' side final four. Joining them were Fred Scott and Danny Bell. Reynolds downed Deska 9-7, and moved into the hot seat match against Bell, who'd defeated Scott 9-6. Reynolds survived a double hill match against Bell, and for the first time since April of 2011 on the Great Southern Billiard Tour, he was in the hot seat. Deska moved over to face Kevin West, who'd defeated Jeremy Perkins 9-6 and Paul Helms 9-2. Scott picked up Shuff, who, following his defeat at the hands of Deska, had defeated Josh Brothers 9-3 and Derek Schwager 9-1. Shuff downed Scott 9-5 and was denied a quarterfinal re-match against Deska, when West
defeated him 9-3. Shuff defeated West 9-7 in those quarterfinals, and followed that with a 9-6 win over Bell in the semifinals. In the opening set of the true double elimination finals, Reynolds appeared to be on his way to a single set victory. Shuff took the opening game, but Reynolds ran four straight, including two break and runs to take an early 4-1 lead. They traded racks to 6-3, and Reynolds added another to stretch his lead to four games at 7-3. Shuff won two in a row to narrow that lead to two games, and Reynolds won the 13th rack to reach the hill first. Shuff came back to win four straight and force a second set. Reynolds opened the second set with a win, but Shuff came back to break and run the second rack and add five more for a commanding 6-1 lead. Reynolds took the next game, but it proved to be his last. Shuff won three in a row to win the second set. Cheryl Sporleder claimed the 8-entrant Second Chance Tournament title on Sunday, defeating her husband, Sean Sporleder twice to do it. He'd defeated her in the hot seat match 5-2, and she'd gone on to shut out Paul Oh in the semifinals. She returned to double dip him in the finals.
Action Pool Tour Stop results
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Brandon Shuff Ozzy Reynolds Danny Bell Kevin West
$800 $500 $350 $250
5th 7th
Brian Deska Fred Scott Paul Helms Derek Schwager
$150 $150 $100 $100
Manny Chau
DOMINATES in Houston
O
On April 14th-15th, 2012, the Lone Star Tour boasted 32 Open division players and 50 Amateur division players at Bogies Billiards 1k added Lone Star 9-ball event. Tour regulars included Jerald “Top Water” Jackson, Dave Ramirez, Riley Lemons, Robert Odom, Danny Lee, and many more. Among the Amateur competitors were Natalie Smith, Barbara Black, Lana Kopsie, and Loretta Lindgren who competed for “top lady” prize money. Also, DeAndrea McQuirter became the first lady this year to compete in the Open division of the Lone Star Tour and will be the only female ranked in the Open standings. We hope more ladies will come out to test their skills! At the close of Saturday’s action, 8 players from the Open and 12 players from the Amateur divisions were brought back for Sunday’s competition. In the Open division, Manny Chau breezed through his bracket to meet Jason Watson for the hot seat. After losing 9-5 to Chau in the final 4 winners’ side, Steve Lenz ousted Brent Thomas 7-5 while Chase Rudder eliminated Jeff Chauncey who finished a respectable 5th. Rudder bested Lenz 7-0 while Chau secured the hot seat over Watson 9-4. Rudder made quick work of Watson, 7-0, for a rematch with Chau who
OPEN 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th-6th 7th-8th
Manny Chau Chase Rudder Jason Watson Steve Lenz Brent Thomas, Jeff Chauncey Robert Demetro, Rick Castillo
$440 $310/$350 $230/$175 $100/$50 $70 ea. $40 ea.
bested him earlier, 9-8. At 8-8, Chau broke and ran the table to secure the first set, and the undefeated victory. In the Amateur division final 8 winners’ side, it was Sonny Demetro over Chuck Adams 7-4, Junior Jueco ousted Jonathan Poon 7-3, Steve Lindgren over Herman Campusano 7-3 and Joey Torres bested Rich Rodriguez 7-4. The next round of winners saw Torres beat Lindgren 7-1 and Jueco squeeze by Demetro 7-6. Jueco then overcame Torres for the hot seat, 7-3. On the west side, Wendell Moser made a huge comeback winning 7 consecutive matches after losing his second round to Rick Castillo. He was stopped short by Brent Thomas who had the most incredible run of 9 consecutive winning matches after losing his second round match to Anthony Clark. Thomas met Jueco in the final and took the first set 7-5. In overtime, Thomas was down 4-3 when Jueco broke and made 3 balls on the break. Jueco ran the last rack and ended Thomas’ run, 5-3. Congratulations to Natalie Smith who earned “top lady”
and Joey Torres who captured the Junior tournament with John Romero, runner-up. Many thanks go out to Bogies Billiards and staff for hosting a fine event, as well as Jerald Jackson, Chuck Adams, BCA referee Derrell Montgomery and especially Carl Miller for their Tour assistance. The Tour would like to acknowledge its official cue, Poison by Predator www.poisonbilliards.com, and official rack www.delta-13.com, along with www.poolwebsites. com, APA of North Harris County, Gulf Coast Billiards www. gulfcoastbilliards.biz, and www.Pool-Trax.net. The Lone Star Tour T shirts were a huge hit! You can only purchase these T’s during an official tour event. The next Lone Star event is June 16th-17th, 2012, at Houston’s Sports Bar, 1942 FM 1960 West, Houston, Texas 77090, 281-580-7777. The Poison by Predator Tour (www.pxptour.com) invites for the June 2nd event are going out, so check your email; 50 invited amateur players, 1 day, 1k added!
RESULTS AMATEUR 1st Junior Jueco 2nd Brent Thomas 3rd Joey Torres 4th Wendell Moser 5th-6th Sonny Demetro, Steve Lindgren 7th-8th Chase Rudder, Jonathan Poon
$500/$600 $350/$400 $230/$325 $100/$100 $70 ea. $40 ea.
9th-12th Herman Campusano, Rich Rodriguez, Chuck Adams, Rick Castillo $25 ea. TOP LADY Natalie Smith
$80
JUNIORS 1st Joey Torres 2nd John Romero
$50 $25
KEITH DIAZ Keith Diaz wins his first Tri-State event
The tournament was an A/D Class 9 Ball with $1000 Added, held at EastSide Billiards in Mahattan, N.Y. Keith's undefeated tournament trail, included wins over Jim Ireland 6 - 2; Javier Colayco 6 - 5; Yomaylin Feliz 6 - 3; Luis Lopez 6 - 4, Pat Mareno 7 - 6; Koka Davladze 7 - 3 for the Hot Seat, awaiting the final match. While Keith was busy going through the win side, Rajesh Vannala was blazing his own trail through the one loss side. After 7 wins on loss side for a total of 10 wins, Raj faced Keith in the Finals. Unfortunately, due to the late hour the match could not be run. As undefeated player, Keith took 1st place and Raj a well deserved 2nd. Third place finisher Koka Davladze and forth place Pat Mareno deserve special recognition for their solid performance. The next Tri-State event is a $1000 Added A/D at Cue Bar & Billiards in Bayside, NY on Sunday, April 22, 2012. Please provide a thank you to Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Ron Tarr Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics for their sponsorship leading to this event.
WINNERS’ SIDE FINAL FOUR PLAYER
Ron Gabia Pat Mareno
PLAYER
WINNER
SCORE
Koka Davladze Keith Diaz
Koka Davladze Keith Diaz
7 - 4 7 - 6
PLAYER
WINNER
SCORE
Keith Diaz
Keith Diaz
7 - 3
PLAYER
WINNER
LOSER (9-12)
Varum Juneja Rajesh Vannala Luis Jimenez Chris Decaprio
Varum Juneja Rajesh Vannala Luis Jimenez Chris Decaprio
Raphael Dabreo Rhio Anne Flores Tom Mcmanamon Luis Lopez
HOT SEAT MATCH PLAYER
Koka Davladze
ONE-LOSS SIDE FINAL EIGHT PLAYER
Raphael Dabreo Rhio Anne Flores Tom Mcmanamon Luis Lopez
SCORE
7-6 7-4 6-1 6-4
ONE-LOSS SIDE FINAL SIX PLAYER
Varum Juneja Luis Jimenez
PLAYER
WINNER
LOSER (7-8)
Rajesh Vannala Chris Decaprio
Rajesh Vannala Chris Decaprio
Varum Juneja Luis Jimenez
PLAYER
WINNER
LOSER (5-6)
Rajesh Vannala Pat Mareno
Rajesh Vannala Pat Mareno
Ron Gabia Chris Decaprio
PLAYER
WINNER
LOSER (4)
Rajesh Vannala Rajesh Vannala
Rajesh Vannala Rajesh Vannala
Pat Mareno Koka Davladze
SCORE
7-4 6-3
ONE-LOSS SIDE FINAL FOUR PLAYER
Ron Gabia Chris Decaprio
SCORE
7-5 6-4
QUARTERFINAL PLAYER
Pat Mareno Koka Davladze
SCORE
9-6 7-6
FINAL PLAYER
Rajesh Vannala
PLAYER
WINNER
LOSER (2)
Keith Diaz
Keith Diaz
Rajesh Vannala
SCORE
Split
Payouts 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th - 6th 7th - 8th 9th - 12th
$810 $540 $330 $210 $130/ea. $100/ea. $70/ea.
Northern Quest Resort & Casino
8-Ball Tournament
$5,000 Added Money
Open and Master Events Include: Scotch Doubles Men’s and Women’s Singles Women’s & Men’s/Mixed Teams
April 19-22, 2012 Four Bears Casino & Lodge New Town, North Dakota
Entry Deadline : April 19th @ 5 pm Central Time Mens Division: $10,000 Added
Womens Division: $3000 Added
Mens Calcutta – Top 32 Cash Only – 100% Payback
Women’s Calcutta – Top 8 Cash Only – 100% Payback
INFO
$60 Entry • Race to 7 • Alternate Break First 128 Players Paid Starts April 20th at 6 pm Entry Deadline April 19th at 5pm
SEND ENTRyS TO: 4 Bears 8-Ball Classic Box 745 New Town, ND 58763
$40 Entry • Race to 5 • Alternate Break First 64 Players Paid Starts April 20th Entry Deadline April 19th at 5pm
FOR ROOMS OR MORE INFO: Call Ray @ 701-421-0604 Or Bill @ 701-421-1305 Or Go To www.4bearsclassic.com
9-Ball Tournament
$3000 Added $50 Entry Fee Race to 9 Alternate Break Starts April 19th at 5pm
SE Open By Skip Maloney, AzB Staff
KENNEDY WINS OPEN, SINGLETARY WINS AMATEUR EVENT ON SE OPEN 9-BALL TOUR TOMMY KENNEDY CAME FROM THE LOSS SIDE OF AN OPEN EVENT ON HIS OWN SOUTHEAST OPEN 9-BALL TOUR ON SATURDAY, APRIL 14, AND DEFEATED HOT SEAT OCCUPANT, DENNY SINGLETARY, IN THE FINALS. SINGLETARY WOULD GO ON, THE NEXT DAY, TO WIN THE TOUR STOP’S AMATEUR EVENT. THE $1,000-ADDED EVENTS ($500 EACH), HOSTED BY ZINGALE’S BILLIARDS IN TALLAHASSEE, FL DREW 25 (OPEN)
prize for being the oldest player in the Amateur event. Two women - Tracie Majors and Jessica Fincher - split a $50 prize as top finishers in the Amateur tourney, while 11-year-old Landon Harris picked up $25 as the top finishing junior. Tour director Tommy Kennedy thanked Mike Zingale and his staff for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Tiger Products, Mueller Recreational Products, David Adams, Ed Cabrera, Simonis Cloth, Cliff Manning of Manning Custom Cues, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, and Harris Cue Company.
AND 19 (AMATEUR) ENTRANTS. While the Open event featured Kennedy's return from the loss side to win, the Amateur event featured some headline matchups, outside the realm of its top winners. First among these was a 5th/6th place match between room owner Mike Zingale and his father, Jim. The other story was about 11-year-old Landon Harris, who, though finishing in the four-way tie for 9th, turned a few heads with back-to-back, double hill victories against much older opponents (Brandon Posey and Dylan Clark). The seeds for the Zingale family match in the Amateur event were sown among the winners' side final four, when son, Mike, was sent west by Singletary 6-3. J.R. Rossman, in the meantime, who had been eliminated by Kennedy in the Open event the day before, faced and defeated Huyen (pronounced "win") Cam 6-1. In the hot seat match, Singletary and Rossman battled to double hill before Rossman prevailed to deny Singletary his second hot seat occupancy of the weekend. Cam moved to the loss side and picked up Joe Davis, while Mike Zingale ran into his father, Jim. Davis defeated Cam 5-2, and the younger Zingale defeated the elder Zingale by the same score. Davis then dropped the younger Zingale into fourth place in a double hill match, only to be dropped himself into third place by Singletary, whose 5-1 victory put him into the finals for the second time. He won it this time, defeating Rossman 9-4 to capture the Amateur title. It was a set of three, 7-5 victories among the final four winners that left Singletary in the hot seat in the Open event on Saturday. Kennedy was sent west by Jimmy Garza, Singletary sent Stoney Stone over, and finally, in the hot seat battle, Singletary sent Garza to the semifinals. Kennedy moved over and picked up Rossman, while Stone drew Arthur Hynh. Kennedy and Stone picked up where they'd left off, defeating Rossman 6-2 and Hynh 6-4, and turning to face each other in the quarterfinals. Kennedy finished Stone's day 6-4, and then in a 'vengeance is sweet' moment completely shut out the man who'd sent him to the loss side (Garza) in the semifinals. He completed his three-match, loss-side winning streak with a 9-6 win in the finals that secured the event title. Ashleigh Harrel picked up $50 as the top female finisher in the Open event, and John Amiss picked up $50, as well, as the oldest player in the event. The elder Zingale won a $50
SE OPEN 9-BALL TOUR STOP Place
Player
Prize
1st
Tommy Kennedy
$480
2nd
Denny Singletary
$350
3rd
Jimmy Garza
$250
4th
Stoney Stone
$150
5th
Arthur Hynh
$100
JR Rossman
$100
SE Open 9-Ball Tour Amateur Event Place
Player
Prize
1st
Denny Singletary
$400
2nd
JR Rossman
$325
3rd
Joe Davis
$225
4th
Mike Zingale
$150
COLUMNIST
Allan P. Sand What is a
pre-shot routine? A pre-shot routine means exactly that - all of the little activities you do from bending
over the table up through the final forward stroke to hit the cue ball. When you perform these steps properly, you get consistently good shooting results. When you skip individual actions, or are not attentive, you get poor results.
Allan P. Sand
Allan Sand is a pocket billiards instructor, qualified by the PBIA (Professional Billiards Instructor Association) and ACS (American Cue Sports). He teaches players how to become the “Intelligent Shooter” (thinking before shooting). He instills the love of winning for players at all levels and coaches “A” players on strategies and tactics. He has played the Green Game for more than 50 years – all over the US, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand. He now resides in Santa Clara, CA, and keeps his skills sharpened on a 5x10 Saunier & Wilhelm 1938 table with double-shimmed pockets. He has written many instruction books on how to play smart, including the philosophical aspects of the game (Art of War versus the Art of Pool), sharking (Psychology of Losing), defensive play (Safety Toolbox), position control (Cue Ball Control, Advanced Cue Ball Control), and practicing (Drills & Exercises). He is now producing videos that each focus on a specific aspect of the game. Currently four are available. For more information and details, go to www.billiardgods. com. The books (ebook & printed) are available worldwide on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Google Books.
You want most of the elements of the pre-shot routine to be part of a semi-automatic checklist. A perfect example is using a hammer and nail. When first learning, a lot of little actions are consciously done, one after the other. The consequences of not doing so are painful. After a few thousand nails, most of these become routine. The more experienced players have their routines so automated that absolutely no thought goes into the actual setup for the shot. The only thoughts that do cross their mind are related to the tactical considerations. A thinking player compares the results of his shot to his intentions. Any variation between actuality and the plan are mentally reviewed. Mental modifications are done to ensure the next opportunity matches his intentions. Too much thought about all the muscles involved leads to brain overload. Consciously thinking through all of the necessary adjustments turns a 10 second shot into two minutes. Some people cannot let the back brain take over common actions. When you first start including a pre-shot routine into your playing habits, a basic checklist helps: 1. On making the shot choice, lay the stick onto the aiming line. 2. Step forward and bend down into your shooting position. 3. Verify that the stick is on the aiming line. 4. Do the practice strokes while imagining the correct speed. 5. Stroke the shot with follow-through. 6. Observe the results and compare the reality to your intentions. Vow to make the necessary adjustments in future similar shots. Eventually, over thousands of shots, this routine becomes, well, routine. You make the shot decisions and the next time you notice anything, you are either considering the next shot or heading to your chair. And this is the way it should be. However, when your game is not following the expected routine and you become aware that something is slightly off, you have to go back to your fundamentals. The pre-shot routine is generally the first to be re-examined. Follow the above process, step by step, with full attention to your movements. Try to identify what you unconsciously changed. It could be that you stopped putting the stick onto the aiming line, or you shuffle your feet into position instead of stepping forward into position. You could even have eliminated the imaging of your stroke before committing yourself to the shot. Whatever it was, firmly put it back into your routine. This will get your game back on track.
EST COAST TIGERMWEN'S TO UR WO
®
3rd sary r e v i Ann
Bison Billiards Williamsville, NY 716-632-0281
9-Ball Tournament
April 28th $1000 Added Guaranteed
A – B bracket will be used A shooters race to 8, winners and losers B shooters race to 6, winners and losers Entry fee- A $65.00 / B $50.00 Doors open at 11am –registration and free practice Player auction at 12:30pm
Tournament starts promptly at 1:30pm Paying ¼ of the field-prize fund and 1/8th – auction $5.00 off for Jr.’s, Sr.’s, and Bison league players Cue stick raffle.(Predator and Poison) Great food served all day. 20 types of cold beer
www.bisonbilliards.com Or Friend us on face book
716-632-0281
OTBnTV LIVE www.otbntv.com
MCMOA Montana State Championships April 19th-22nd 2012 Billings, Montana Live Streaming www.OTBnTV.com www.facebook.com/OTBnTV
All 32 players
My Experience at the
East Coast WPBA Regional Tour Article & Photos By: Janis Sessions
It was like a dream come true when I found out that I was eligible to play for the East Coast WPBA Tour. I have been waiting for this opportunity and when I received an email from Mimi McAndrews, Director of Flamingo Tours; “I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!” I’m like, “WOW, I FINALLY MADE IT!!!”
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and I can’t be thinking about what my chances are of winning. I worked hard to finally make it this far and I will give it my best shot. After learning that I will be attending the tour, I immediately booked a flight and made reservations. Luckily, three other Flamingo Tour players were also going to the tournament: Kelly Cavanaugh, Melissa Durkins and Elenor Freeman aka “Jane”. It felt good to know that my fellow players will
Becky in the front and her sister in the back. Enjoying lunch at This is Bob and Janice the owners of 150 N Billiards and Darts billiard place. Becky was our director.
be joining me and we can support each other. Jane and I booked the same flight and shared a hotel room together. Finally, April 13th arrives and Jane and I flew to Mooresville NC. The event was held at place called 150 n Out Billiards & Darts. After we settled in our hotel, we went to check out the facility. The place was fantastic and the whole setup was what every pool player dream of: great layout of the tables, spacious and the
Meg (Second Place) My (Winner)
4 for the Flamingo Tour (Kelly, Jane, Janis and Melissa)
tables play fast. I met Bob and Janice, who were the owners of the place. They said that they did their homework first on how they wanted the place to look like. They did a phenomenal job of planning this and they have a great staff and people. Check out their website at www.150noutbilliardsanddarts.com. That night during practice, we met some of the players like Shanna Lewis who was playing at the J. Pechauer Tour. Some of the ladies whom I met over the years were playing at the Miss Cues Regional Tour. After practice, we head back to our hotel to rest up because tomorrow is the “Big Day”. Saturday, April 14th was tournament day. There were a total of 32 players. 4 boards with a round robin format having 8 players on each board. Jane, Kelly, Melissa and I (Flamingo Tour players) was placed separately on each board. The match began at 10:00 am. We are playing 6 rounds and a race to 5. What’s nice about this format is that we have the opportunity to play all the players on your board. This allows players to play a lot of pool time. On my board I played against: Teruko Cucculelli, Cheryl Pritchard, Kathy Friend, Nicole Vincent, Kia Sidbury, Christina Hansen and Buffy Jolie. I met Kia’s husband and daughter who also enjoy shooting pool. Another thing I have in common with her is that we share the same faith in our Lord, which was “super neat”. That day, it was nice to see family and friends coming out to support us. The last round was held on Sunday. All the players return to see who receives the cash prize and who makes it to the Final 8. The Final 8 players will play a race to 9, single elimination match. I won 22 games out of a total of 57 games. One match won over Cheryl P., another match was double hill with Buffy Jolie. Both players made it to the Final 8. I was pleased with how I played. It was a great experience and I got to meet players who came from Chicago, Pennsville, Maryland and North Carolina. From our Flamingo Tour players, Kelly Cavanaugh and Melissa Durkins got in the money and finished 13th place. Congrats to both of them. Kelly had the toughest round having to play Janet Atwell, Megan Smith and My-Hahn Lac.
FINAL 8 PLAYERS WERE: Buffy Jolie vs. Shanna Lewis Megan Smith vs. Lisa Cossette Braiana Miller vs. Cheryl Pritchard Eugenia Gyftopoulos vs. My-Hanh Lac During the Final 8 match, there were some pretty amazing safety plays and winning shots like combo on the 9-ball. There were players who brought out there jump cue sticks. FINAL 4 PLAYERS WERE: Buffy Jolie vs Megan Smith Braiana Miller vs. My-Hanh Lac Smith and Lac played strong to finish their matches as they both advance to the final round to compete for the East Coast Regional Tour Championship. FINAL 2 PLAYERS WERE: Megan Smith vs. My-Hanh Lac The matches played at the final round were at a WPBA level of play. Lac had the lead and had a very nice break and run. Smith returned with her own break and run. Sometimes the players will get the ‘hangers’, those balls that just won’t go in. When that happens, it just drives you crazy. The score ended up with a double hill match. Smith was about to take it home but had one of those ‘hangers’ which left the 8-ball for Lac to clean-up and win the final match. Great game! I hope the WPBA will keep these events going. I want thank Becky Todd for all the hard work that she did along with her sister who helped out as well as Robin Kelly for making this an amazing 2-day tour. Also, thanks to Bob and Janice for hosting this event and for putting together a fantastic billiard room. But most of all, thanks to friends and family for supporting and encouraging me via text messages. I will definitely be taking more lessons from my coach, Harvey Mason. What I got out of this whole experience is to keep practicing, stay focused and most of all, have fun playing pool.
April Issues 2012 T H E
P O O L
P L A Y E R S
B E S T
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The Break goes to the states in RED, the Western United States www.thebreakmagazine.com
Stroke Magazine goes to the states in BLUE, the Eastern Time Zone United States www.strokemagazine.net
Rackem Magazine goes to the states in WHITE, the Central United States www.rackemmag.com
Western United States Pool Tournaments Tournaments in RED are advertisers
Click on the MAP link to get directions to each location Apr 19 Apr 20-22 Apr 20-22 Apr 20-22 Apr 21-22 Apr 21-22 Apr 21-22 Apr 25-27 Apr 27-29 Apr 27 Apr 28-29 Apr 28-29 May 4-6 May 5 May 6 May 6 May 12 May 12 May 9-20 May 10-13 May 14-19 May 23-27 Jun 2 Jun 3 Jun 3 Jun 9 Jun 23-24 Jun 23-24 Jul 20-22 Jul 20-22 Jul 20-22 Jul 20-22
Billings, MT Billings, MT Twin Falls, ID Twin Falls, ID Everett, WA Mtn View, CA Mtn View, CA Mtn View, CA Mtn View, CA Pocatello, ID Pocatello, ID Salem, OR Bellflower, CA Pocatello, ID Portland, OR Albany, OR Salem, OR Belgrade, MT Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV Spokane, WA Pocatello, ID Portland, OR Albany, OR Salem, OR Everett, WA San Jose, CA Tunica, MS Tunica, MS Tunica, MS Tunica, MS
MCMOA MCMOA Pocket Pocket Soundview TWCWT CA Billiard Club CA Billiard Club CA Billiard Club Pocket Pocket NWPA Hard Times The Pocket Sam’s Billiards Ma’s Tavern The Cue Ball Hub Bar BCAPL CSI CSI Casino Tour The Pocket Sam’s Billiards Ma’s Tavern The Cue Ball Soundview TWCWT CSI CSI CSI CSI
(406) 208-3506 (406) 208-3506 (208) 733-9676 (208) 733-9676 (425) 259-3383 (510) 504-0241 (650) 965-3100 (650) 965-3100 (650) 965-3100 (208) 233-1841 (208) 233-1841 (206) 920-1936 (562) 867-7733 (208) 233-1841 (503) 282-8266 (541) 928-4055 (503) 362-9740 (406) 388-1811 (702) 719-7665 (702) 719-7665 (702) 719-7665
State 8-Ball 4-person Team $200/team Call State 8-Ball Singles M/W Qual. at bars Call Open 9-Ball Men & Women $40M/$35W Call Open 8-Ball Men & Women $50M/$40W Call 4 person team - 2 masters max $200 $500 Calif St Champ -2 WPBA Qual Call $1,000 One Pocket - DE $40 $400 Guar One Pocket $125 $4,000 10-Ball $125 $10,000 9 Ball $30 Call 8-Ball Open (Remember Salmon) $50 $1,000 1st guar 9-Ball at The Cue Ball Call $500 Guar 10 Ball Open $125 (incl g.f.) $5,000 w/96 8-Ball Scotch Doubles-Hdcp $25+$15 g.f. Call Straight Pool $15 Scotch Doubles Co-ed $5/person Call 9-Ball So. Willamette Valley players $10 $200 Mixed Doubles $20/team $200 min. BCAPL Nationals Varies $800,000 payout U S Open One Pocket Call $10,000 Guar U S Open 10-Ball Call $25,000 Guar www.westernbca.org 8-Ball Open & Master Events Varies $5,000 (208) 233-1841 8-Ball Scotch Doubles-Hdcp $25+$15 g.f. Call (503) 282-8266 Straight Pool $15 (541) 928-4055 Scotch Doubles Co-ed $5/person Call (503) 362-9740 9-Ball So. Willamette Valley players $10 $200 (425) 259-3383 3 person team - 1 master-1 open-1 woman $150 Call (510) 861-0829 9-Ball Stop #2 Call Call (702) 719-7665 8-Ball - Men’s Open Division $50+$25 fees $3,000-1st w/64 (702) 719-7665 8-Ball - Women’s Division $50+$25 fees $500-1st w/16 (702) 719-7665 8-Ball - Men’s Sr (55+) Division $50+$25 fees $1,000-1st w/32 (702) 719-7665 8-Ball - Juniors Division FREE (w/8) Prizes-Entry
6:00PM 7:00PM 6:00PM 11:00AM Call Call 1:00PM Call Call Call Call Call 10:00AM 11:00AM 11:00AM 2:00PM 10:00AM 11:00AM Call Call Call Online 11:00AM 11:00AM 2:00PM 10:00AM Call Call Noon Noon Noon Noon
MAP
Jul 21-22
Reno, NV
TWCWT
(510) 861-0829
9-Ball Stop #3
Call
Call
MAP
CSI CSI CSI CSI BCAPL
(702) 719-7665 (702) 719-7665 (702) 719-7665 (702) 719-7665 playbca.com
9-Ball - Men’s Open Division $50+$25 fees 9-Ball - Women’s Division $50+$25 fees 9-Ball - Men’s Sr (55+) Division $50+$25 fees 9-Ball - Juniors Division FREE (w/8) Southwest Regionals Varies
$3,000-1st w/64 $500-1st w/16 $1,000-1st w/32 Prizes-Entry $6,000
Noon Noon Noon Noon Online
MAP
Jul 23-25 Jul 23-25 Jul 23-25 Jul 23-25
Tunica, MS Tunica, MS Tunica, MS Tunica, MS Aug 30-Sep 3 Scottsdale, AZ
Call
Add your Pool Tournament at NO COST Send your pool tournament info to opm@onthebreaknews.com
MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP MAP
MAP
MAP
Central United States Pool Tournaments Tournaments in RED are advertisers
Click on the MAP link to get directions to each location New Town, ND
Four Bears Casino
(701) 421-0604
8-Ball Classic Men division
Apr 19-22
New Town, ND
Four Bears Casino
(701) 421-0604
8-Ball Classic Women division $40
$3,000 w/64
5PM
Apr 19
Billings, MT
MCMOA
(406) 208-3506
State 8-Ball 4-person Team
$200/team
Call
6:00PM
Apr 20-22
Billings, MT
MCMOA
(406) 208-3506
State 8-Ball Singles M/W
Qual. at bars
Call
7:00PM
Apr 21
Muscatine, IA
Krug’z Pool Hall
(563) 263-7665
Skippy Cup
Call
Call
Call
MAP
Apr 21
Sedalia, MO
Sharky’s Billiards
(660) 826-5855 9-Ball
$25+$10 g.f. Call
Noon
MAP
Apr 21
Oshkosh, WI
Varsity Club
(920) 651-0806 8-Ball - Lucasi Tour
$40
$1,000
Call
MAP
Apr 21
Green Bay, WI
The Bar on Lime Kiln
(920) 609-2611 WI handicapped 8-Ball
$20
$400 w/32
Noon
Apr 21
West Salem, WI
Breakers
(608) 786-9999
Open 8-Ball
$25
Call
9AM
Apr 21-22
Three Lakes, WI
Oneida Village Inn
(715) 546-3373
Women’s Inv. Traveling Tourney $100/team
Call
10:30AM
Apr 25-27
Mtn View, CA
CA Billiard Club
(650) 965-3100
One Pocket
$125
$4,000
Call
Apr 27-29
Mtn View, CA
CA Billiard Club
(650) 965-3100
10-Ball
$125
$10,000
Call
Apr 28
Muscatine, IA
Krug’z Pool Hall
(563) 263-7665
Skippy Cup
Call
Call
Call
MAP
May 9-20
Las Vegas, NV
BCAPL
(702) 719-7665
BCAPL Nationals
Varies
$800,000 payout Call
MAP
May 10-13
Las Vegas, NV
CSI
(702) 719-7665
U S Open One Pocket
Call
$10,000 Guar
Call
May 14-19
Las Vegas, NV
BCAPL
(702) 719-7665
U S Open 10-Ball
Call
$25,000 Guar
Call
Jul 20-22
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
8-Ball - Men’s Open Division
$50+$25 fees $3,000-1st w/64 Noon
Jul 20-22
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
8-Ball - Women’s Division
$50+$25 fees $500-1st w/16
Jul 20-22
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
8-Ball - Men’s Sr (55+) Division $50+$25 fees $1,000-1st w/32 Noon
Jul 20-22
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
8-Ball - Juniors Division
FREE (w/8)
Jul 23-25
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
9-Ball - Men’s Open Division
$50+$25 fees $3,000-1st w/64 Noon
Jul 23-25
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
9-Ball - Women’s Division
$50+$25 fees $500-1st w/16
Jul 23-25
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
9-Ball - Men’s Sr (55+) Division $50+$25 fees $1,000-1st w/32 Noon
Jul 23-25
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
9-Ball - Juniors Division
FREE (w/8)
Prizes-Entry
Noon
BCAPL
playbca.com
Southwest Regionals
Varies
$6,000
Online
Aug 30-Sep 3 Scottsdale, AZ
$60
$10,000 w/128 5PM
MAP
Apr 19-22
Prizes-Entry
MAP
MAP
Noon MAP
Noon
Noon
Add your Pool Tournament at NO COST Send your pool tournament info to opm@onthebreaknews.com
MAP
MAP
Eastern Time Zone U.S. Pool Tournaments
Tournaments in RED are advertisers
Click on the MAP link to get directions to each location Apr 19-22
New Town, ND
Four Bears Casino
(701) 421-0604
8-Ball Classic Men div
$60
$10,000 w/128 5PM
Apr 19-22
New Town, ND
Four Bears Casino
(701) 421-0604
8-Ball Classic Women div
$40
$3,000 w/64
5PM
Apr 19-22
Columbus, OH
All Star Sports Facility
(614) 989-0680
7th Annual Ohio State BCAPL Varies
$1,764
Call
MAP
Apr 19
Billings, MT
MCMOA
(406) 208-3506
State 8-Ball 4-person Team
$200/team
Call
6:00PM
MAP
Apr 20-22
Billings, MT
MCMOA
(406) 208-3506
State 8-Ball Singles M/W
Qual. at bars Call
7:00PM
Apr 21-22
Vero Beach, FL
Cunningham’s Billiards
(772) 562-1171
Poison Pool Tour
Call
$2,000
Call
Apr 21-22
N. Syracuse, NY
Salt City Billiards
(315) 454-8643
CNY Tour-Handicap Races
$30-$80
Call
Noon
Apr 21-22
Norristown, PA
Markleys Billiards
(610) 278-1595
JPNEW Tour
Call
$500
Call
Apr 21
Greensboro, NC
Gate City Billiards
(336) 301-5873
NC State Junior 9-Ball-BEF Qual. $20
Call
Noon
Apr 22
Bayside, NY
Cue Bar
(718) 631-2646
Tri State Tour
Call
$1,000
Call
Apr 22
Providence, RI
Snooker Sports Bar
(401) 351-7665
Ride the 9 Tour
Call
Call
Call
Apr 25-27
Mtn View, CA
CA Billiard Club
(650) 965-3100
One Pocket
$125
$4,000
Call
Apr 27-29
Mtn View, CA
CA Billiard Club
(650) 965-3100
10-Ball
$125
$10,000
Call
Apr 28
Buffalo, NY
Bison Billiards
(716) 632-0281
9-Ball 3rd Anniversary
A-$65/B-$50
$1,000
11AM
Apr 28
Brooklyn, NY
Gotham City Billiards
(718) 714-1002
Tri State Tour
Call
$1,500
Call
May 5
Greensboro, NC
Gate City Billiards
(336) 856-8800
Carolina Senior Challenge
$40
Call
Noon
May 5
E Rutherford, NJ
Castle Billiards
(201) 933-6007
Tri State Tour
Call
$500
Call
May 12
Staten Island, NY
Port Richmond Billiard Club
(718) 727-0800
Tri State Tour
Call
$750
Call
May 9-20
Las Vegas, NV
BCAPL
(702) 719-7665
BCAPL Nationals
Varies
$800,000 payout Call
May 10-13
Las Vegas, NV
CSI
(702) 719-7665
U S Open One Pocket
Call
$10,000 Guar
Call
May 14-19
Las Vegas, NV
BCAPL
(702) 719-7665
U S Open 10-Ball
Call
$25,000 Guar
Call
Jul 20-22
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
8-Ball - Men’s Open Division
$50+$25 fees $3,000-1st w/64 Noon
Jul 20-22
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
8-Ball - Women’s Division
$50+$25 fees $500-1st w/16
Jul 20-22
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
8-Ball - Men’s Sr (55+) Division $50+$25 fees $1,000-1st w/32 Noon
Jul 20-22
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
8-Ball - Juniors Division
FREE (w/8)
Jul 23-25
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
9-Ball - Men’s Open Division
$50+$25 fees $3,000-1st w/64 Noon
Jul 23-25
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
9-Ball - Women’s Division
$50+$25 fees $500-1st w/16
Jul 23-25
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
9-Ball - Men’s Sr (55+) Division $50+$25 fees $1,000-1st w/32 Noon
Jul 23-25
Tunica, MS
CSI
(702) 719-7665
9-Ball - Juniors Division
FREE (w/8)
Prizes-Entry
Noon
Aug 17-19
Glen Burnie, MD
Big Daddy’s Billiards
(410) 757-3488
MD State 14-1 Straight Pool
Varies
Call
6PM
MAP
BCAPL
playbca.com
Southwest Regionals
Varies
$6,000
Online
MAP
Aug 30-Sep 3 Scottsdale, AZ
Prizes-Entry
MAP
MAP
MAP
MAP
MAP
MAP
Noon MAP
Noon
Noon
Add your Pool Tournament at NO COST Send your pool tournament info to opm@onthebreaknews.com
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