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Rack for February/March 2013 Issue 1 • Vol XIV

Europe Claims Third Mosconi Cup ☜Chris Melling MVP

6-7

Turning Stone Classic XX

J.O.B. Music City 9-Ball Open

Stars Rise at Space City 12/20 ☜Vivian Villarreal wins Ladies Open 9-Ball Body Lock Tips by “Doc” Rutter

BEF Jr National 9-Ball to Las Vegas

Dr. Cue Artistic Cup VI

☜Pelinga Inducted into Nat. Italian American Sports Hall of Fame 46

Pool Instructional…

Shoot the Ball into the Pocket…Tom Ross What Would a Sucker Do?…Jacqueline Karol Solving and Creating Problems…Robert Byrne Enjoying the Roll to the Max in 2013…Tom Rossman 2013 is the Year of the Pool Player…The Monk On, Over, and Around…Steve Markle Non-Trivial pursuits…Tom Simpson Bar Box 8-Ball…Marty Kaczmarowski DPM Universal Pocket & Carom Billiard Systems # 65… by Darrel Martineau Departments …

Places to Play National Tournament Directory

USBA Newsletter • 3-Cushion

Gentleman Dave wins in Savannah Medford Qualifier Hard Times Qualifier • Pedro Wins World Class Billiards President’s Desk Rushville Billiards host USBA Open Tournament • Ashby finishesFirst Edgie’s USBA Qualifier • Cuevas Qualifies Doral Billiards USBA Qualifier • Hallon Wins Upcoming USBA Tournaments Shots from a Master Play… Robert Byrne Rip’s Tips

4 PQB February/March

10 14 15 15 16 17 22 23 40 33-35 45 26 26 27 27 27 28 28 28 28 29 29

Paul Frankel Gary Tate Diana Hoppe Ricky Bryant

Contributing Writers Samm Diep • Tom Simpson • The Monk • Darrel Martineau • Tom Ross Robert Byrne • George Rippe • Conrad Burkman • Tom Rossman • Marty Kaczmarowski • Josh Gilmore • Jacqueline Karol SPECIAL AFFILIATIONS

APA, BCA, WPBA, USBA, AZBilliards.com, ACS, TAP PQB News is a bi-monthly publication dedicated to providing pool & 3-cushion news. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. Professor-Q-Ball is not responsible for claims made by it’s advertisers. All dates, times and added tournament money is subject to change without notice. All persons interested in submitting articles for publishing consideration, are welcomed.Material submitted becomes the property of Professor-Q-Ball. Submissions may be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All advertising, articles, and photos must be submitted by the 15th prior to the issue date to be considered for the following issue.

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Europe Claims Third Mosconi Cup

UROPE has retained the PartyPoker.com Mosconi Cup, defeating the USA 11-9 in front of a packed York Hall to make it three wins in row in the annual transatlantic team tussle. It was Holland’s Nick van den Berg who dropped the ﬁnal 9 ball of the four day event to spark wild scenes of celebration.

The Americans were on the floor after the Wednesday night, trailing 9-6 going to the final day but they dug deep and turned the tide as they won the first three matches to level it at 9-9 and make it anyone’s match. It was Chris Melling though, a deserving MVP, who stopped the rot with a confident 5-2 over Brandon Shuff and then Nick Van den Berg who closed out a dog fight with Mike Dechaine to win the final match for the Europeans. “That was by far the most thrilling Mosconi Cup win of all,” said a jubilant captain Johan Ruijsink. “They pulled out a big gun today and it was really hard work. I’m happy for the fans and the team; absolutely delighted and over the moon!” he added. Van den Berg was relieved to get the team over the line in what must rank as the greatest moment of his career. “I think my heartbeat was about 220 the whole match and Johan told me to calm down but it was almost impossible. That last shot, I had to break it open, but it worked out perfectly. That must be the most exciting match of my life but also I made a lot of mistakes but in the end I won.” All players had fired throughout the tournament and England’s Darren Appleton consolidated his position as a potential Mosconi Cup legend. “The emotion is amazing, it is all about the team. The Americans fought really hard today, showed a lot of heart but at 9-9 Melling played unbelievably and Nick at the end that was just a dog fight.

6 PQB February/March

Europe 11 – 9 USA Nikos Ekonomopoulos 3-5 Dennis Hatch Niels Feijen 1-5 Johnny Archer Darren Appleton 1-5 Shane Van Boening Chris Melling 5-2 Brandon Shuff Nick Van Den Berg 5-2 Mike Dechaine Chris Melling looked assured throughout and his MVP trophy was the result of three superb singles wins, “It has been unbelievable. It is a dream come true to win it once but to win it twice is just unbelievable. Wow! I cannot believe I have won the MVP. The first two days I started off very slowly, lost two 5-4s which I could have easily won but I came good at the end.” For Niels Feijen it was his fifth Mosconi Cup win and sweeter than the others, “This is the best, the heat was really on. We were up 9-6 and they came back and left us really nervous. Chris came out, started firing and then the pressure on Nick was unbelievable.” Finally, debutant Nikos Ekonomopoulos played a huge part as he took down America’s top player in his opening singles match to set the tone for days two and three, “It is very exciting, the atmosphere is very nice. I like it very much. We played very well, I think we deserved it but the USA also played very well.” The Americans started the evening three behind and first out was Dennis Hatch, playing in his third Mosconi Cup, and he needed to do something to stem the flow and give his side a chance and he did just that, beating Nick Economopoulos 5-3 to put his side within two of the Europeans. Hatch looked better than he had done at any point in the tournament in what was a scrappy match but he took advantage of some errors to claim the win. Johnny Archer continued to show the sort of form that has given him the record for Mosconi Cup appearances, as he took

fighting the nerves as well as Melling but like his team mates before, tried to stay focused and he stayed with the European in the early stages. Melling though started to come with his best in the latter stages and in the end there was only one man in it. His piece de resistance was in the final rack when, blocked behind the 8 ball, played a side rail kick shot to pocket the 6 ball in a move that would have done Efren Reyes proud. That set the stage for Nick Van den Berg to seal another glorious Mosconi Cup win for the Europeans. They will be returning to Las Vegas in December 2013 as they go for win No.4. Team Europe. l-r, Chris Melling, Nikos Ekonomopoulos, For the Americans it was more disappointment and Darren Appleton (MVP 2010), Niels Feijen (MVP 2011), Nick they have now won this tournament just once in the Van den Berg and the coach/captain Johan Ruijsink. past seven years. However, they can take some heart care of Niels Feijen 5-1 to give the European side an uneasy from the courage that they showed in the final day. feeling as their three point lead started to evaporated. “For the first three matches we were playing very well, we had The Georgia veteran was the definition of focus as he kept the momentum, and then we had a key match that could have everything out and played about as good as he could under the gone either way,” said skipper CJ Wiley. testing circumstances. In fact, Archer was unbeaten through“I cannot complain, the first three players did a fantastic job out the week – a stunning feat. and we just had a little hiccup on the fourth one but there is There was more American joy in the next as Shane Van next year. We have plans for them in the United States. I hope Boening did a number on Darren Appleton, running out a 5-1 they enjoy it, for one year.” to tie the Mosconi Cup up at 9 all. Finally, Johnny Archer summed up American feelings; The Englishman suffered a couple of bad rolls, but like “Firstly I would like to say I am very proud of my team, they Hatch and Archer before him, Van Boening was a picture of showed a lot of heart today. We were down and my hat is off to focus and determination. The South Dakotan ended the watch the European guys, they outplayed us for the week. with a spectacular table length combination bank shot on the The title sponsor of the Mosconi Cup is PartyPoker.com, 9 ball. He had run out of position and it was his only real tables are supplied by Diamond Billiards, balls by Aramith, option and it paid off in spades. Simonis 860 is the Official Cloth and Predator are the Official Finally it was Chris Melling who stopped the rot when he Cue, and chalk supplier. beat Brandon Shuff 5-2 to put Europe on the hill. Shuff was

Chris Melling, with the MVP trophy

Team USA l-r, Dennis Hatch (MVP 2009), Brandon Shuff , Shane Van Boening, Matchroom’s Barry Hearn, Mike Dechaine, Johnny Archer, captain CJ Wiley and Michaela Tabb (head referee).

Photo’s courtesy ©JP Parmentier Matchroom Sport

Joss North East Tour

Turning Stone Classic XX 9-Ball Open” Van Boening comes back from semifinals loss to defeat Archer by Skip Maloney AzB Staff

ou really couldn’t have asked for more in a 21st century pool tournament than the final group of 12 players, out of a full field of 128, who competed in Turning Stone XX, the $25,000-added Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour stop, hosted by the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY from January 1013. Among them were arguably the best player in the world right now (Shane Van Boening), along with three of his four Mosconi Cup teammates - Mike Dechaine, Johnny Archer and Dennis Hatch. Van Boening’s other Mosconi Cup teammate, Brandon Shuff, fell early, in a loss-side double hill battle versus Jason Klatt. Also among the final 12 were Warren Kiamco, Ronnie Alcano, Jayson Shaw (who’s won three events on this season’s Predator Tour), Corey Deuel, Thorsten Hohmann, Shaun Wilkie, and Jonathon Demet, the ‘dark horse’ player in the group, who’d been sent to the loss side from among the winners’ side final eight by the 12th player on the list, Karen Corr. In the end, it was Van Boening who prevailed, coming back from a defeat in the hot seat match at the hands of Archer, to take the Scorpion down in the finals. Both finished the tournament with 7-1 records. Van Boening won 65% of his games; 75-35, including two shutouts, one in his opening round against David Mills, and the other against Kiamco in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Archer won 58% of his games (68-49). Van Boening opened the proceedings with the shutout over Mills and then went through Willie Oney, Robb Saez, fellow Mosconi Cup teammate Mike Dechaine (9-7) and survived a double hill battle against Jayson Shaw, which moved him (Van Boening) among the winners’ side final four for the match against Kiamco. Archer opened up with a victory over Bob Cunningham, and then went through Manny Chau, fellow Mosconi Cup teammate Dennis Hatch (9-7), Ron Casanzio and Shaun Wilkie, which moved him into the other winners’ side semifinal against Karen Corr. Van Boening did his shutout number on Kiamco, as Archer was busy sending Corr west 9-4. Van Boening took an early 3-0 lead in the hot seat match that followed, but Johnny went on a run that put him out in front by four when he reached the hill. Van Boening came back to force a deciding 17th match, but Archer hung on to sit in the hot seat, having won what proved 8 PQB February/March

ShaneVan Boening, Mike Dechaine and Johnn Archer

Photo courtesy of Alison Fischer - NYCgrind.com”

to be his last match. Corr moved west to pick up Thorsten Hohmann, who’d survived two straight double hill duels versus Deuel, first, and then Jayson Shaw. Kiamco drew Dechaine, who’d eliminated Shaun Wilkie 9-4 and then, fellow Mosconi Cup teammate, Hatch 93. Hohmann put an end to Corr’s bid with a 9-5 win, and in the quarterfinals, faced Dechaine, who’d defeated Kiamco 9-7. Dechaine proved to be the third Mosconi Cup team member to go down, falling to Hohmann in those quarterfinals 9-7. Van Boening got his second crack at Archer with a 9-6 win over Hohmann in the semifinals. The final race-to-13 battle stayed close for a little while, but Van Boening took over once Archer had chalked up his fifth rack. Van Boening had a threepoint lead at the time, and he kept it going to the eight-point lead that gave Van Boening the title. Complete results with prize money amounts for the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour’s “Turning Stone Classic XX 9-Ball Open”. Total prize fund $41,400. 1st $8,000 Shane Van Boening 2nd $5,000 Johnny Archer 3rd $3,600 Thorsten Hohmann 4th $2,600 Mike Dechaine 5/6th $2,000 each - Warren Kiamco, Karen Corr 7/8th $1,600 each - Dennis Hatch, Jayson Shaw Second chance event on Sunday January 13, 2013 results are: 1st $500 Holden Chin 2nd $300 Kevin Ketz 3/4th $200 each John Babravich, Gregg McAndrews 5/8th $100 each Mark Creamer, Paul Rozonewski, Jay Plonski, Bruce Carroll

2013 Music City 9-Ball Open Nashville, Tennessee

For 26 years running, Nashville, Tennessee’s premier billiard club, JOB Billiard Club, hosted the 26th annual Music City Open 9-Ball Championships held January 16-20, 2013. Budweiser, Alex Brick Custom Cues, Diamond Billiard Products, Simonis Cloth, Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Accu-Rack at Outsvillie.com, and The Bigtruck Show/poolactiontv.com sponsored the event. This was the third year for JOB’s new owner, Ricky Gamble, as Jim Blaylock, previous owner, is still enjoying retirement, piloting his yacht around the country. Ricky still has, former WPBA Touring Pro, Peg Ledman as General Manager of the club and they are keeping the tradition alive for JOB’s. Two Hall of Famers were present for this event… Johnny Archer and Buddy Hall. Also, legendary player Bill Dunsmore entered this event. Legends and tradition are commonplace at JOB’s. Tournament Director Steve McDonald had a busy weekend as 108 open division players and 32 ladies division players showed up for the competition that was held on 7-foot Diamond Smart Tables with Simonis Cloth. With 28 Diamond Bar Tables, JOB’s provides the perfect venue for the event, as they can handle a large number of players with ease. And this was one of the strongest fields ever for this event in both the Open Division and the Ladies Division. This year all the action was covered via live streaming by Ray Hansen of PoolActionTv Productions. Action got kicked-off Wednesday night with a 9-ball, raceto-9, single elimination mini tournament. Won by Johnathan Pinegar. The main tournament format is 9-ball, race-to-11, double elimination in the Open Division and race-to-7 in the Ladies Division. This tournament has always been a full double elimination event. On Saturday night, JOB’s always has Midnight Madness at this tournament. This always proves to be a great event, as it drew in a expanded field of 16 players in a single elimination format, race-to-11, paid out first and second place. It was a $500 entry, so that makes $8,000 to the winners. This year Johnny Archer and Eric Durbin, won the Midnight Madness. In the Open Division it went the full two sets in the final with, Danny Smith defeating Larry Nevel. A raffle cue was given away just before the finals and the lucky winner of Alex Brick Custom Cue was Sam Zuaiter: When all said and done over a whopping $42,500 was paid out at this event.

top, Danny Smith middle, Larry Nevel bottom Nicole Keeney last year’s winner also

Open Division- 108 Players –Added by J.O.B’s $6,000 1st Danny Smith $4,000 2nd Larry Nevel $2,300 3rd Josh O’Neil $1,500 4th Joey GREY $1,000 5/6th Shannon Dalton, Eric DurbIn $700 ea 7/8th Johnny Archer, Johnathan Pinegar $400 ea Paid out 24 places Ladies Division – Full Field -32 Players Added by J.O.B’s $1,000 1st Nicole Keeney $1,000 2nd Liz Lovey $650 3rd Sharon Miller $450 4th Samantha Patton $280 5/6th Kim Housman, Jessica Mollinet $200 ea 7/8th Amy Jones, Christy Hardin $150 ea Mini 68 players 1st Johnathan Pinegar 2nd Nick Hickerson 3/4 Dwayne Hale John Gabriel

$470 $300 $165 $165

February/March PQB 9

Shoot the Ball into the Pocket by Tom Ross Contributing Writer

couple months ago, while out playing social pool with some friends, a shot came up that prompted me to coach my partner with the words, “On a shot like this, just make sure to shoot the ball into the pocket.” Since then, some of my friends continue to adduce those now-famous words as perhaps the most ridiculous remark they’ve ever heard. So I must work to live it down. The great majority of pool shots occur to us in one specific way and, as we play, we become “wired” to handle the most common challenge—shooting an object ball into a pocket by hitting a precise spot on it. But, there are a few common shots that do not come up enough for us to learn in play alone and must be practiced. One example is a shot where the object ball lies close enough to the pocket to give us some latitude regarding the point on the ball to hit. With some practice we learn how to use the whole pocket, and how to choose the part of it we need to achieve the position we want for the next shot. On the flipside are shots where, because of an obstructing ball, we do not have the entire pocket at our disposal. Success with those shots may require a shift in thinking. In the diagram we have a shot where we need to shoot the striped ball past the solid ball and into the corner pocket. With the solid ball blocking the left half of the pocket, it becomes immediately obvious that this shot will require a very accurate hit. In reality though, every shot requires an accurate hit, so that’s not the real problem here. The problem lies in the way we regard the solid ball. One way to miss the shot is to shoot

10 PQB February/March

the striped ball into the solid ball. That happens when we give the obstruction too much value in our thinking about the shot. In golf, when we need to hit a ball over water to the dry land on the other side, any thought for the water during the swing almost guarantees landing in the drink. The same power of suggestion applies to this shot. If we think about the obstruction during the shot-making process, we are almost certain to hit it every time. Most players learn to overcome that type of miss. We have more experiences hitting the obstructing ball earlier in our careers than later. From there we graduate to the more common way to miss these shots by remembering to shoot the ball past the obstruction. Perhaps we think, “I will not hit that solid ball,” as we’re shooting. It’s a small ball and easy enough to avoid, but unfortunately, that only leads to missing the pocket on the

right side.

Set up the shot in the diagram with the solid ball first blocking a fraction of the pocket’s left side. Before shooting each time, get down and look at the striped ball’s clear path to the pocket. Then, place your focus on the relationship between the striped ball and the pocket with no regard for the solid ball. Learn to treat this shot as a pool shot, where, once you determine that the striped ball has a clear path, the solid ball has no bearing on the shot’s outcome. Then you can move the solid ball inward by very small increments and continue to play the shot. When it looks as though there is not enough room for the striped ball to pass, test the shot by shooting the striped ball in with your stick to confirm that it has enough space go into the right half of the pocket. When you find the shot’s apparent limit, shoot it repeatedly with the cue ball to embed the direct relationship between the striped ball and the pocket into your thinking. At some point, every accomplished player performs this test and learns that the pocket is really bigger than he might have previously thought. It’s one of the common epiphanies on the path to great pool. With a little practice we can learn to take the obstruction out of our thinking and just shoot the ball into the pocket. That still doesn’t sound like weird advice to me. For the latest Event News www.pr ofessor qball.com

Stars Rise at Space City Open by Space City Open Staff

eremy Jones took the inaugural Space City Open One Pocket division by storm, decimating a plethora of worldclass players including Justin Hall in the final match, 4-2. In the Open 9-ball division, Charlie Bryant secured a tight victory over U.S Open Champion, Corey Deuel, 9-7, while WPBA Touring Pro Vivian Villarreal went undefeated in the Ladies 9-ball division. The inaugural Space City Open event paid out right under $23,000 in its first run. Vendor set-ups for this event began at 12pm on Thursday, December 6th, 2012 and included Ron Geyer’s Custom Cue Connection, Connoisseur of Fine Cues’ Joe Salazar, Play the Game Clothing, and the APA of North Harris County. Banners were also hung on Thursday and included advertising by Aflac, Omega Billiards, and Tejas Transmissions. The Space City Open, held Dec. 7th-9th, 2012, was a culmination of efforts by several Houston, Texas area businesses including Bogies Billiards, Lone Star Billiards Tour, and the APA of North Harris County, in addition to sponsorship provided by Inside Pool Magazine, Delta-13 Rack, OB Cues, On Site Pool.com and KC Pool and Poker.com. To kick-off the event, Pro Player Corey Deuel hosted an OB Cues Pro Pool Clinic while WPBA Pro Vivian Villarreal hosted her own Texas Tornado Pro Clinic as well, on Friday afternoon. John Newsome conducted the players’ meeting and draws which started promptly at 7pm, followed by one round of One Pocket. There were 59 players in the Open 9-Ball division with matches starting at 10am Saturday, playing down to the final 16 for Sunday. In early round action, UK’s Derek Sim bested Sonny Demetro, 9-2, and Rodney Stewart, 9-6, while Corey Deuel briskly made his way to the final 8 winners’ side with wins over Eric Renteria, 9-2, and Jeremy Jones, 9-7. Justin Hall fought through Rafael Martinez, 9-4, and Jeff Fox, 9-7, while Sylver Ochoa, Charlie Bryant, Adam Shaw, Vivian Villarreal and Joey Barnes also made their way to Sunday’s 3pm winners’ round. Sunday’s first round of 9-ball saw the UK’s Adam Shaw fall to Bryant, 9-8, and Villarreal to Barnes, 9-5. Ochoa bested Hall 912 PQB February/March

Vivian Villarreal

Charlie Bryant

Jeremy Jones

Continues on page 20

What Would a Sucker Do?

If you look around the room and don’t see any suckers…. YOU are the sucker! by Jacqueline Karol • House Pro at DownLo Billiards Chico, Calif. League Operator & Tournament Director • www.BilliardsBootCamp.com You have stripes here. You each only have one ball left and the 8-ball. Your opponent’s ball, the solid, is on the opposite rail. What do you do? 1) “Make a super thin cut on your stripe and pocket it in the corner!” 2) “Bank your stripe in the corner!” 3) “Double bank the stripe in the opposite corner.” Suckers… Why are these not good ideas? Super thin cuts are low percentage and if you miss, your opponent will either have a shot or play a safe. Bank shots are also low percentage. Double banking is about twice as low percentage and a worse choice. Answer: The best conclusion can be arrived at only after you have weighed all of the options and costs and benefits of each option. First look to find your safe spots on the table and see if it is easy to get there. In this case, it is very easy to put your cue ball behind the eight ball blocking your opponents shot to their solid. This easy shot takes a lot of pressure off you and puts it on them. Now they have to worry about making a legal hit. Even if they hit it, you will most likely have another shot at the table to either run out and win or play another safety. Either way you are maintaining the control at the table. Now your odds of winning are much higher.

Body Lock tips from The Old Curmudgeon,

“Doc” Rutter, Author of “The Barefoot Cue Ball” As I get older I find myself more interested in teaching than playing. Oh, don’t worry, I can still find all the pockets and tell pool lies with the best of them, but more and more I am pondering and, thinking about, “How can I be a better instructor”? Playing back, in my mind, one thing jumps out. As you gaze over the playing area, I remember players jumping around like a “Whack-A-Mole” game. Obviously not all players move to the same degree, but move they do. Some move so much that they look like they are playing polo, others move such a small amount that if you try to mention it, they will give you a rationalized argument that it is not worth pursuing. These are the same players, who have a golf stance that is cast in concrete, but they can’t seem to bring that same stance to their pool games.Any body movement, however small, is going to affect your shot, as it affects your focus on the object ball’s hit spot. Sometimes, if the object ball is close enough to the pocket, the small movement doesn’t change the shot enough to be fatal. As the object ball gets further from the pocket, the amount of allowable error gets significantly smaller. Then the amount of body movement slowly adds a larger error percentage. That has to do with missed balls. If your body movement causes your cue stick to move up and down, you may still pocket the object ball, if your aim focus stays on target, but your position play will fail due to inadvertently, putting more or less, high or low English on the cue ball, which affects the exit angle of the cue ball from the contact point of the object ball. You can play this way for years and never know why you can’t make the cue ball glance off the object ball at the angle you were attempting to play!I can think of about three moderately good, middle aged players, who were, apparently afraid to hit the cue ball more than about half a tip below center. As a result they could not draw the cue ball at all. This symptom was caused by sometime in the past they had jumped a cue ball off the table, and were so embarrassed that they never hit below the center again. Fortunately I recognized the situation and was able to change their whole approach to drawing the cue ball in about 15 to 20 minutes of showing them, how to draw the ball with my cue stick just barely above the cloth and then forcing them to shoot just like me, by promising that God would not strike us dead if the cue ball flew off the pool table! The Bottom Line is. Lock your body, So that nothing moves, during the shot except your arm from the shoulder down. Practice this and watch your shooting become more consistent. 14 PQB February/March

Solving and Creating Problems

by Robert Byrne From “Byrne’s Complete Book of Pool Shots” with permission

Caroms are defined as shots in which an object ball is driven into a second object ball. The next few articles will be billiard shots, in which the cueball caroms from one object ball to another. Although many carom shots appear at first glace to be easy, nobody is as comfortable when using a ball rather than a pocket as a target, so aiming takes a bit more concentration. REMEMBER THIS: A moving ball bounces off a still ball along the tangent line. At the top of the diagram is an easy and obvious carom shot. Instead of playing the 5-ball straight into the side, carom it off the 6-ball to send the 6 to a more favorable place. This is as simple as it gets.

At the bottom is a position from a game of eight-ball. You have the stripes. Why carom the 10-ball off the 2-ball? To put your opponent’s 2-ball in a less favorable place. With luck, you will create a problem cluster with the 2 and 3. Note: As with most diagrams, other balls that might be on the table in a real game are omitted to make the underlying principle stand out more clearly.

Enjoying The Roll to The Max In 2013! by Tom Rossman • drcue@artisticpool.org Contributing Writer

s the years go by I seem to enjoy the roll even more on the green felt! Many have asked me how this is possible when there are so many challenges of practice, competition, and other elements of the game that often derail our best efforts. My answer to this is one of finding a new way of looking at all that surrounds our billiard environment, that is, a focused perspective for those items that we often perceive as non productive components for a successful game. As a rack boy growing up I thought of my work as a job that required manual labor racking up the pool balls for customers, sweeping the floor, and filling the pop cooler in the main room “upstairs” with soda stored in a “downstairs” location. Looking back I realized how valuable that job was to learn how a business worked and how people relationships established then turned into friendships for life. By reviewing the virtues of labor in a new way, an entirely different attitude was acquired for future career goals. I also remember when my competitive game found disappointments as marked on the wire or as posted on a score sheet. I knew there must be some purpose to it all, but couldn’t put my finger on it until someone once told me that true competitive success comes after an understanding that losses can be wins in disguise if a person learns in the process how the loss happened and accepts the overall experience as part of a much bigger game / sport picture of contentment by simply focusing on the sight and sound of each ball rolling. Over time I realized that perfect practice would have its

share of unpleasant moments, psychologically, emotionally, and physically. Then, I came to discover that these seemingly negative attributes of the learning curve were simply stepping stones to success. Similar to how one must experience the challenge of lifting more weight or more reps via muscle feedback, a person must face the inevitable fact of the old adage no pain, no gain. Another ingredient of my billiard journey that for some time was very difficult to understand was how a miss could ever be accepted. The answer came to me many years ago when I realized the Harlem Globetrotters developed an entire career with a huge following of fans by missing baskets and using humorous antics to make it look like it was part of the act. I started to look at each miss on the table as a “make in disguise” during my entertainment show, using cover lines in a humorous manner to condition my right brain that all would be OK in the overall show presentation. Laughing at myself during shows and later in the competitive arena became a parachute for acceptance of whatever happened that was perceived as not so good. To put everything in perspective I leave you with three of the most powerful nuggets of game and life that I could ever give you, 1) To win is great 2) To play is greater and 3) To love is the greatest. Learning to enjoy the roll to the max starts with a deep seated love of game and life regardless of the paper tally, financial status, or personal achievement attained May each of you experience this special treasure of the heart in all you do!

February/March PQB 15

2013 is the Year of the Pool Player by “The Monk” Contributing Writer • www.monkbilliardacademy.net

sualize exactly where you want the cue ball to end up and anything less that that is not acceptable. Remember, you are striving to be the best in your area.

t is time to make our New Year’s Resolution. How about skipping the diets, quitting smoking, loving people more and go on to the more important things like, “I will have a world class game in 2013”. In order to achieve your goals you must “be your goals”. As a worldclass player you don’t mind a specific and deliberate training program. You don’t mind hard work. You don’t mind training. You are sure of your success. You have confidence because you are your goals. As I say in Point the Way. “In order to follow the path you must become the path.” Let me give you a pattern from THE PHILIPPINE EXPERIENCE. This is a training program I wrote for my Philippine students. I am here in the Philippines for six months working with players who want to be world class. I ask each student to achieve an 80% success rate with this pattern. These are the kind of shots that will win tournaments and win games. Time for some tough work.

Shoot the seven, then the eight and finish with the nine and it does not matter which pocket you shoot the balls into. The important thing is to achieve 80% success rate. All through this training program I offer two and three ball runs that you need to have the skills to run out on. With these skills you will win more games. How many times have you wondered why you did not run three balls that were on the table? We hit ourselves in the forehead and feel like failures. Here is a pattern that looks easy. I faced this one time in the finals and was so happy I had the training to succeed. When you approach this first shot, vi-

16 PQB February/March

It is possible you may have to shoot this pattern for months before you reach the 80% level. While you are training, make sure you go through your pre shot routine in every single shot this way you are gaining even if you don’t reach the 80% level right away. Go on my web site, www.monkbilliardacademy.net and click on The Philipine Experience to find out more about this program. Your game is worth your investment and this program cost less than a shaft. In training, always strive for excellence. We strengthen that which we focus on. So when you work hard, you strengthen your skills even if you do not succeed with the shot. Always know your training has value. I will look for you in the winner’s circle.

On, Over, and Around by Steve Markle Contributing Writer • SteveMarklePool.com f you have ever played 3 cushion than this is a shot that you may have attempted. The object is to shoot the cue ball into the 1 ball and have the cue ball jump right over the 2 ball. The cue ball will than travel 2 rails (and possibly a third rail) and pocket the “D” ball into pocket “D”.

jump over the 2 ball easily. Hit the cue ball at 11:30. If the shot comes short try using 12:45. If it goes long try using 11:15. Use a medium-hard stroke. During this shot no collision with the cue ball is allowed.

Start off by placing the 1 and 2 ball on the 2nd diamond just as shown. Make sure both are frozen to each other. Next place your object ball in the jaw of pocket D. This can vary but I suggest placing your cue ball exactly 3 balls away from the 1 ball. The cue ball must be frozen to the cushion.

This is a shot that has been in the professional artistic pool shot book for many years now. In my notes I have over 5 different ways to shoot this shot because it tends to be different on each table. The slate, cloth speed, and rails all come into affect. Make the necessary adjustment and enjoy this great shot!

For more information on Steve visit: SteveMarklePool.com, Facebook.com: Steve Markle Trick Shots , or contact him at: SteveMarklePool@aol.com Contact: 267-918-1284

Elevate your cue to about 15-20 degrees. This will allow the cue ball to

OB Cues Announces Design A Cue Contest Winners

B cues is pleased to announce the winners of our December design an OB cue contest. The winners are: Jay Mikel Cortes from Cebu, Philippines, Josh Boelter from Portland, Oregon and Paul Ramos from Sydney, Australia. The winning designs will all be part of our new cue line launched in April and we will be sending each winner the first cue built of their design as their prize. The winning designs can be seen on the OB cues contest page here: OB cues Contests Pages Thank you to everyone who submitted designs in December. Our next contest will begin on February 1st. OB cues, headquartered in Plano, Texas is a leading manufacturer of High Performance pool cues and pool cue Shafts made 100% in the USA since 2005. For more information on OB cues or OB shafts or to become an authorized dealer, please visit www.obcues.com February/March PQB 17

February/March PQB 19

Space City from page 12 eliminated Ochoa, 3-1 and it was Martinez over Barnes 3-2. 6, and it was Deuel over Sim, 9-5. On the one-loss side, Martinez eliminated Sim and Hall, while Jones made an impressive Bryant forged ahead one more set, eliminating Martinez, 3-1. On the east side it was a tight cat bird’s seat match with Hall and run with wins over David Henson 7-3, Raul Escobedo 7-4, Jones that ended with Jones the victor, 4-3. Hall made quite an and Shaw, 7-6. On the winners’ side final four, Deuel bested Ochoa, 9-4, and Bryant overwhelmed Barnes, 9-6. After losing impression on the Texas crowd with his smooth style of play and easiness at the table. He went on to defeat Bryant, 3-1, earning his second match to Hall 9-4, Martinez was on a mission, himself a rematch with Jones. The matches in this One Pocket winning six consecutive matches until he came up short against Barnes, 7-6. Joey Torres came through the one-loss side field were ESPN worthy, with the final being no exception. Each player seemed relaxed, executing calculated safeties which quite nicely with wins over Denis Strickland and Vivian Villarreal, until Jones took the reins, 7-4. This paired Barnes and brought the score to 1-1. Games were traded until Jones pulled 32, then 4-2, winning the One Pocket event undefeated. Jones on the one loss side. The score was 1-1 when Jones Vivian Villarreal, the “Texas Tornado” defeated Ming Ng, the closed the set out winning 6 consecutive games. Hot seat “Empress”, in the finals of the women’s 9-ball division on Sunday. action saw Deuel and Bryant trade racks for 8 games. Deuel Alison Fischer, the “Quiet Storm”, defeated Ricky Casper and Liz would only win one more game as Bryant pulled ahead and ended the match, 9-5. Deuel made quick work of Jones, 7-4, to Mitchel in earlier rounds, earning herself a shot at Villarreal and meet up, once again with Bryant. In the final, Deuel strung the the hot seat. Pro player Kim Pierce who suffered an early loss to newcomer Liz Mitchel, 7-5, came back to face Ng who suffered first 4 racks with his steady break and fluid stroke. Deuel’s effortlessness at the table astonished onlookers, however Bryant her initial loss to Villarreal, 7-1. Fischer succumbed to Villarreal was determined to get back in the game. After a couple of un- for the hot seat, 7-3, while Ng eliminated Pierce on the one loss forced errors by Deuel and a few text book breaks by Bryant, it side. Ng made quick work of Fischer to meet Villarreal for a was dejavu with the score tied at 4. Bryant kept his momentum, rematch in the finals. Villarreal felt right at home on the bar table, stringing 5 racks in the final and winning the set, 7-1. winning 3 more games in the same fashion, surging to a 7-4 Tournament supporters hope to bring the SCO back to lead, only to see Deuel answer back with 2 games of his own. Deuel seemed back in the swing of things as if the set had just Houston in 2013 with even more added money. Pro player, tourbegun. Bryant responded with 1 more game making it 8-6, and nament director, and presenting sponsor, Kim White-Newsome once again Corey came back to make it 8-7. It was a true fight will make this an annual event, to be held each year, the first to the death for both opponents until Bryant took his turn and weekend in December. “We wanted a staple tournament for the Houston area, one that the players could count on and look ended the set 9-7. forward to playing in each year.” Due to the caliber of players in The 9-ball and One Pocket divisions drew such an incredibly talented field of pros from all over the country that Bogies attendance, the Space City Open has sparked the interest of new, potential, sponsors. Promoters are already calculating a minimum Billiards’ owner David Richardson looks forward to hosting this event for years to come. “We want everyone to know that of $6,000+ added for 2013. Bogies is a pool room for the “players”, first and foremost. 9-Ball Open Payouts Along with the (8) 9’ gold crowns, we added a Diamond Pro $2,112 Am pit table because we knew the players would appreciate it.” 1st Charlie Bryant 2nd Corey Deuel $1,408 The One Pocket action was intermittent on Saturday and $1,056 Sunday as players made their way from their 9-ball matches to 3rd Jeremy Jones 4th Joey Barnes $704 their one pocket matches. There were 28 One Pocket players 5th-6th Rafael Martinez, Sylver Ochoa $352 in all with the final 8 being procured for Sunday. The final 7th-8th Justin Hall, Joey Torres $246 four winners’ side included Justin Hall v. Rafael Martinez and Open One Pocket Jeremy Jones v. Charlie Bryant. After a first round loss to 1st Jeremy Jones $1,215 Deuel, Joey Barnes came back to make the final 8 and face $891 Deuel once again. After losing to Martinez, 4-3, Chase Rudder 2nd Justin Hall $567 met up with Ochoa who had suffered a loss to Hall earlier, 4-2. 3rd Charlie Bryant $243 Back on the winners’ side, Hall bested Martinez, 4-2, and Jones 4th Rafael Martinez made quick work of Bryant, 4-0. This pitted Hall and Jones for Ladies Open 9-Ball 1st Vivian Villarreal $500 2nd Ming Ng $300 the hot seat. Meanwhile, Ochoa and Barnes advanced one 3rd Alison Fischer $170 4th Kim Pierce $70 more round to meet Bryant and Martinez respectively. Bryant 20 PQB February/March

February/March PQB 21

Non-Trivial Pursuits

by Tom Simpson, Master Instructor • PoolClinics.com Contributing Writer

ometimes the smallest of things can make the biggest of differences. This is especially true in pool, perhaps our most precise game. The players that are beating you are somehow performing more precisely, more efficiently, more consistently. What little things are they doing – or not doing – that might help you?

“Beat People With a Stick!” National Billiard Academy 3-Day Intensives • 10 cities

Shooting before ready

Have as complete a plan as you can before you bend over. If doubt or a new idea arrives, stand up and start over. Move and shoot at your own speed. Don’t rush. Don’t shoot until your body has settled into the shot and your confidence is as good as it can be. Try these enormous little things:

Are any of these common habits or tendencies smacking you?

Head bobbing

Some players tilt their head up & down during aiming, and sometimes during the hit stroke. Try to get your head positioned where you can see the shot and believe it, but only move your eyes – and don’t move them during the hit stroke.

Focusing on the cueball

Confirming tip position

You of course have a very specific, precise intention for exactly where you will strike the cueball. Be sure to confirm that your stroke will deliver the tip as planned. This sounds obvious, but you really have to be conscious about tip placement, every shot. If your stroke system allows, come to a full stop with your tip at the CB, and visually confirm your tip placement before taking the hit stroke.

shaft firmly in touch with the webbing between your thumb and forefinger. The feeling will be that you are stroking through a tube, against slight resistance. Try these bridge angles and see whether they improve your confidence or accuracy.

Dowsing for final aim

We all have habits of how we see our final aim, how we “know” we are on it. Yet, we miss. Often, we miss the same angle, the same way. Or at a higher level, we might not be hitting the part of the pocket we expected. Try this. Once you’ve come to your final aim, stop moving and see it clearly. Now, make the smallest aiming adjustment you can make. You pick which direction, or try both. Make that tiny aiming adjustment, settle and see it. Does it look “more perfect” than your earlier final aim? Shoot straight and see what happens. This is a resultsbased way to train yourself to correctly see the shots you tend to see imperfectly. Your brain has to light up and say yes when the shot is on. You may have to show it the correct picture a few times.

Many players stare at the cueball while they drop into their stance, and then try Finding your best to acquire the target line after they are bridge angle already down. Too late. Align yourself to The purpose of the bridge is to provide the distant target and stay sharp on that an absolute rock that guides your tip to as you drop. Trust that your body will line the precise spot where you intend to up well to what you see and intend. touch the cueball. Any bridge that Some of these little things are really achieves this is OK, but let’s go past that Poor chalking big things. Try a little. and work to find a bridge that helps. If Whenever you’re going to do someyou use an open bridge, notice the skin thing extreme, carefully chalk the edges line formed by your thumb resting against of your tip. This is where we miscue, and the side of the forefinger. Try adjusting this is when we miscue. Chalk your your bridge so that line points down your For the latest Event News edges! A good chalk-job contributes to intended stick line and becomes part of www.pr ofessor qball.com your confidence and your calmness. We the ‘vee’ of your bridge. You might have assume we are good chalkers. Try chalkto pivot your bridge hand slightly in your ing thoroughly with one color of chalk, wrist to find this alignment. You may find and then chalk your normal way with this gives you a better groove for your another color. Take a look. You’ll be sur- stroke and helps you line up more accuprised. rately and consistently. If you use a closed (finger loop) bridge, try pivoting your bridge hand slightly outward, holding the 22 PQB February/March

Bar Box 8-Ball

By: Marty Kaczmarowski, APA 7 Contibuting Writer

Make a List

tart the New Year out right and get rid of your mistakes! One by one eliminate what keeps you out of the winner’s circle. After every tournament or match I always end up talking to myself about what I should or should not have done during my matches. Mistakes exist even if you won. Just thinking about them after your game only allows them to fade away and resurface next time you shoot. So here’s the trick . . . write them down and review your list! Sit with a notepad or at a computer the following day and write out your errors and try to pin point what shots or strategy you would change. It can even be specific to an opponent. The list can even include things like clothing changes and food choices. Be as detailed as you like. Review the list and put a plan together for knocking out the problems and taking the cash!

2013 Junior National 9-Ball Championships Heads to Vegas

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) announces its 25th Annual Junior National 9-Ball Championships to be held July 26-29, 2013 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. This special anniversary event will be hosted alongside the CueSports International (CSI) annual amateur and professional events. Many of the top professional players today got their start with this prestigious junior event and it continues to attract the nation’s finest youth with its four divisions: boys’ 15-18, boys’ 14 & under, girls’ 15-18, and girls 14 & under. These young competitors vie for titles, scholarships, and prizes each year, along with an opportunity to represent the US at the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) Junior World Championships.

“I’m very excited for next year’s venue. With CSI’s support, we’ll be able to offer professional equipment, live streaming, real-time scoring, online brackets, and more! The juniors will play alongside their favorite pros, and even attend clinics featuring many of them,” said BEF Executive Director, Samm DiepVidal, “we’re looking forward to a memorable 25th anniversary.” “CSI has been actively supporting junior programs for years and look forward to putting them on center stage. We are happy and proud to be able to provide the juniors with the best playing equipment and conditions possible (Diamond tables, Simonis cloth, and Aramith balls),” added Mark Griffin, CEO of CSI. CueSports International (CSI) is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. In the past 8 years CSI has directly paid out $8,000,000 to players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA

Pool League and the USA Pool League and will also be producing the following events at the Rio: WPA World Artistic Pool Championship, the 37th BCAPL National Championships and the 3rd USAPL National Championships, and the 14th US Open One Pocket Championship, the 5th US Open 10-Ball Championship and the inaugural US Open 8-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com, and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions. The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) was formed in 1993 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity committed to promoting a lifelong love of pool and building the next generation of players through youth programs and academic scholarships. Visit billiardeducation.org or call (303) 926-1039 to learn more about junior billiard programs in your area February/March PQB 23

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24 PQB February/March

USBA Officers President Andrew Janquitto Ruxton, MD 410-599-8177

www.USBA.net

Secretary/Treasurer Jim Shovak East Islip, NY 516-238-6193 Northeast Directors Mazin Shooni 2006 USA Champion Nashua, NH cell: 248-910-4466 work: 603-623-5330

Merrill Hughes Huntington Station, NY cell: 631-338-9698 home: 631-421-6814 Southeast Director Victor Cuzzi Miami, FL 786-366-7293

Mid-America Directors Steve Andersen Wyoming, MI 49519 616-530-8665 Juan Elizalde Sauz Dallas, TX 214-908-2411 Felipe Razon Cicero, IL 708-878-4197

Northwest Director Tommy Thomsen Milton-Freewater, Oregon 509-240-2027 Southwest Directors Pedro Piedrabuena San Diego, CA 213-458-3950 Raye Raskin Larkspur, CA

415-497-8732 At-Large Directors Doug Deitel Katy, TX • 281-858-5948

Ricardo Carranco Los Angeles, CA 323-490-8075

26 PQB February/March

Gentleman Dave Prevails in Savannah

David Van Lokeren from Rhode Island traveled south to Savannah to capture the 2012 USBA Endorsed Tournament with a .714 grand average in the finals and a .690 in the preliminaries. Known as “Gentleman Dave,” Van Lokeren posted a perfect 9-0 record in the three-day tournament. He also posted the high run for the tournament, with a 6 in the finals. Finishing second was Jim Bishop, with a .587 grand average in the finals. Bishop dominated his preliminary, finishing with a .637 average, but he fell short in the finals. He fin-

Pool Players Moves to Dark Side at Medford Qualifier

ished 3-1, with his only blemish a 30-18 defeat at the hands of Van Lokeren. Bishop shot a respectable .629 in the match, but Van Lokeren’s 1.000 was too strong. Third place went to Jairo Lenis (2-2, .435), Agi Balas finished fourth (1-3, .380), and Eric Salles (0-4, .295) took home fifth place. Ten players began play in two groups of 5. The top two and one wildcard advanced to the finals. The tournament was held at Southside Billiards in Savannah and was run by Jamie Sibley.

by Tommy Thomsen, USBA Director We billiard players are always trying to get pool players interested in our game. Not since Dallas West and Larry “Shorty” Johnson have we had a pool-player that comes close to .500. “C” tourney at the same time as the “B” qualiWell, as I stated above, we finally got what we fier tourney. wanted. The “C” finalists were Marc Smith, Alfred Danny Louie, a fixture on the tour, has Wenzl, J R Greenlee, and Jerry Gibson. Marc decided to join our ranks. In Medford, Oregon finished first, Alfred second, J R Third with a at the Medford Elks Lodge on, he went undebest game of 1.000, and Jerry finished fourth. feated in the preliminaries and lost only once Toshi Moriguchi had the high run of 5. (in the 1 hole!) in the finals to finish first in In the “B” finals Danny finished first, the NW qualifier for the USBA Nationals. Tommy second, Bob Tracy third, and Ramses NW USBA Director Tommy Thomsen was Verlinden fourth. Bob Tracy, our oldest comthe only player to beat him and came in petitor at 81 years of age, had the high run of second. Both Danny and Tommy will be in 8 and the best game of 1.042, 24 in 25 innings. Edison, New Jersey for the USBA Nationals. We especially want to thank the Medford We wanted a good size field but we had to Elks Lodge for allowing us to hold the tournaoffer the “C” players a half-price entry fee. We ment there. The Lodge was given a gift of ended with sixteen players, eight “B” players eight Gabriels billiard tables last year and is by and eight “C” players. The field was evenly far the best 3-cushion venue north of Los divided with four “B” and four “C” players in Angeles. each flight. That gave us a chance to have a

USBA Tournament at Hard Times Billiards

President’s Desk

Pedro Piedrabuena (upper right) demonstrated his incredible billiard skills as he cruised to another victory going undefeated in the USBA Tour Open Tournament At Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA. After winning his flight in the preliminaries going 50, he proceeded to rack up the same undefeated record in the semi-final flight. Then, in the last two matches in head-to-head competition he bested his long-standing rival Hugo Patino 30-13 in 18 innings (1.667) followed by his ultimate win against Luis Avila (lower right) 35-26 in 21 innings (1.667.) The prize distribution and final rankings were as follows: PRIZE FUND = $18,400.00 Entry Fees = $8400 Added by Hard Times Billiards & USBA Sponsors = $7,500 Lottery Receipts = $1,400 Auction Receipts = $1,100 1) Pedro Piedrabuena $3,800 7) Michael Kang 2) Luis Avila $2,900 8) Kevin Kwak 3) Hugo Patino $2,200 9) Carlos Palafox 4) Ricardo Carranco $1,800 10) Gilbert Najm 5) Sonny Cho $1,600 11) Mazin Shooni 6) Javier Teran $1,400 12) Jim Shovak High Run Finals = $100, (11, Javier Teran and Carlos Palafox) Best Game Finals = $100 Javier Teran, (3.000 - 30 points in 10 innings)

With Tony Ferrara and Joe DeAmato Leading The Way

Ten players converged at World Class Billiards in Peabody MA on Saturday, January 5, 2013 to compete for 2 spots in the USBA 2013 National Championship. The field was divided up into two flights of five for the preliminary rounds: The quality of play was as high as any similar tournament held at World Class. Even without any of the USBA ranking “A” players participating, at least 4 games in the preliminaries had the winner averaging over 1.0. Best of all... this was accomplished by 4 different players, which attests to the high

$1,200 $1,000 $800 $600 $500 $400

quality of play and competitive spirit of the players. The overall tournament average through the prelims including all the winners was at .775. The 4-man final consisted of Bob Page, Norman Zuluaga from flight spades and Tony Ferrara and Joe DeAmato form flight hearts. Their preliminary averages were .789, .790, .904 and .765 respectively. Although highly competitive, after 2 rounds, Tony and Joe stood undefeated at 2 and 0 and Bob and Norm were 0 and 2. The final match did not have to be played. Joe DeAmato averaged .909 and Tony Ferrara averaged 1.11 in the final round. Both gain entry into the National Championship to be held at the Super Billiards Expo in Edison New Jersey, April 3-7, 2013.

A new year brings new hope and new news. Qualifiers for the USBA national three-cushion tournament are well underway and more loom on the horizon. So far, eleven players have earned the right to participate in the national tournament, which will be held at the Super Billiard Expo at Allen Hopkins’ Super Billiards Expo at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center in Edison, New Jersey. Forty-eight players are expected to participate, but the field can be expanded if needed. The tournament will begin on Wednesday, April 3 with player registration, practice, the players’ meeting and possibly a preliminary round. Play will continue from 9:30 to 7:00 p.m. each of the following days and will conclude on Sunday, April 7. Please visit the USBA website (www.USBA.net) for more information about the tournament and the Super Billiards Expo. As for some of the breaking news. The USBA will live stream the semi-finals and finals of the nationals with the assistance of J.R. Calvert of Inside Pool Magazine (www.insidepoolmag.com). Check the USBA webpage for more information as the nationals approach. The other news of note is the new USBA webpage itself. It was launched last fall and is now up and running and getting better every day. We are adding articles and new features every day. We recently added many videos to the video gallery. Check them out. If anyone has any ideas about features or content, contact me. February/March PQB 27

Ashby Tops Field in Rushville

Former USBA national champion George Ashby won the USBA open tournament held at Rushville Billiards in Rushville, Illinois, from January 11 to 13. Ten players gathered to play a round robin, and after two and a half days of play, Ashby emerged undefeated (9-0) with a .840 grand average. Lupe Cruz finished second with a 8-1 record, losing only to Ashby 25 to 19. Cruz had the best overall grand average (.924) and the best game (1.136). Veteran George Theobald finished third with a 6-3 record just edging Justin Tobin, who also posted 6-3 record. Though Theobald lost to Tobin, he finished with 195 points to Tobin’s 191 to secure third place. Rounding out the field were Jose Cruz (5-4, 5th place), Lee Tobin (3-6, 6th place), Gary Eake (3-6, 7th place), Kevin Zaputil (3-6, 8th place), Joe Van VanVooren (2-7, 9th place), and Joe Dymit (0-9, 10th place).

Cuevas Qualifies for USBA 3-Cushion Nationals

Rigoberto Cuevas won the qualifier held at Edgies in Milpitas, California, by finishing with a 4-1 record, losing his only game in the one hole. Finishing second was Jim Hendrickson with a 2-2 record. With the win, Cuevas earned a spot in the USBA three-cushion national championship in April 2013 at the Super Billiards Expo at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center in Edison, New Jersey. Also participating in the Edgie’s qualifier were Cesar Cardoza, Jesus Corona and Raye Raskin.

Hallon Triumphant in Miami Qualifier

Former national champion Carlos Hallon won the USBA qualifier held at Doral Billiards in Miami from January 12 to 13. He bested the field of 10, losing only one game in the process. Sergio Hernandez finished second with an 7-2 record. Both Hallon and Hernandez earned the right to play in the USBA national tournament in April 2013 at the Super Billiards Expo at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center in Edison, New Jersey. The field at Doral was very strong. Victor Cuzzi took third place with a 6-3 record, followed by Roberto Arana also with a 6-3 record. Also participating were Andres Fernandez, Armando Wong, Alfonso Torres, Jim Bishop, Camilo Medina and William Higgins.

28 PQB February/March

he USBA is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the game

of carom billiards in the United States. Like any organization, the USBA has costs associated with its operation including the cost of running its website. Although member dues defray some of these costs, we continue to rely on the generous contributions of our members and supporters to continue to grow. Any donation, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated and will be used directly to further the beautiful game of carom billiards. If you would like to make a donation we have provided a convenient way to do so online. By clicking the donation button on our website (www.usba.net) you will be connected to our Paypal account. You may use your own Paypal account to make a direct transfer or your may use your credit or debit card to donate even if you do not have a Paypal account of your own. For those who prefer to send a check, make your check payable to USBA and send to: Jim Shovak, Secretary United States Billiard Association 58 Hawthorne Ave East Islip, NY 11730 Thank you for your continued support.

Upcoming USBA Tournaments Fri Feb 01, 2013 Open Tournament - Marshalltown 3-Cushion Connection Marshalltown IA Groundhog’s Day Open $110 Entry Fee for USBA Members Contact John Jacobson Phone: 641-751-4696 Thursday, February 7-10 USBA National Qualifier, Pendennis Club Louisville, KY Contact: Paul Frankel, 901 210-7251 Wednesday, April 03 - 7, 2013 Super Billiards Expo – New Jersey Convention Center

Shots From A Master Play

by Robert Byrne Contributing Writer • from Byrne’s “Advanced Techniques in Pool & Billiards” with permission

There certainly doesn’t seem to be any way of playing a backup ticky in this position, but Gus did it by using highball and some right English. The cueball, at least when he stroked it, popped off the third rail at a surprisingly steep angle.

Rip’s Tips My sparring partner form Manchester, NH, Tom Sansouci, who has a Godzilla type stroke, is one of a few players who can make this eleven cushion shot. A 5x10 Brunswick Arcadian table with Monarch cushions, unheated and no silicone involved, is set up in his recreation room, and I’ve seen him do it many times. I know Larry Grindinger, and perhaps Roberto and Semih can make the shot but the majority of players would have to settle for nine rails or, ten rails with the help of a ticky from the ninth rail, but the eleventh rail would still be another ten feet away. Give it a try friends and “may the force be with you” ! P.S. Please take into account that the more modern tables are perhaps more for speed and distance than the 100 year Brunswick table describe above.

“ USBA Membership”

To become a USBA member and receive the PQB publication for free, fill out and return this form.

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February/March PQB 29

30 PQB February/March

32 PQB February/March

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SAN DIEGO • College Billiards

5303 El Cajon Blvd 619 582-4550 6–Verhoeven Billiard tables,13 Pool Tables, 1Snooker 6x12, Beer & Wine full Restaurant

TEMECULA High Society Billiards

951 699-3478 28950 Old Town Front St 13-9’ Pool Tables,11 – Bar Boxes,1 Big screen, Snacks,Internet Juke-box

CONNECTICUT BRISTOL Bristol Billiards

860-314-0034 245 Main Street 1-3 Cushion Chevilotte 7-Pool Tables,Beer,Wine & Food,Arcade

FLORIDA MIAMI • Doral Billiards Sports Bar

319 Main St (530) 892-2473 10-9 ft Diamonds,1-7 ft Diamond, Full Bar & Rest.

7800 NW 25th St #1 305-592-8486 6-3-cushion Chevillotte tables, 17-Pool tables,Beer, Wine & Food,14 Flat TV’s

323-562-9092 5250 S. Atlantic Blvd 14 Billiard tables (Verhovens) 21 Gold Crown pool tables Full Restaurant, Dominos, 5 TV’s

407 298-5112 Old Winter Garden Rd 16- 8' Black Crowns, Huge Screen, Darts, Full Bar/Food-Pro Shop

MAYOOD • Eight Ball Billiards

MILPITAS • Edgie's Billiards.

408 942-9500 235. S.Milpitas Bvld. 6 Chevilliottes, 23Brunswicks, 1 Snooker

N. HOLLYWOOD • Million Dollar Billiards

818-763-9491 12135 Victory Blvd. 7- Verhoevens,2- Snooker 5x10,11- Gold Crowns Pool

ORLANDO Trick Shots

Trick Shots

407 737-6606 11351 Lake Underhill Two 9’ Brunswicks in VIP area Room 7 Dart Boards, Full Bar, Deli Food Big Screen & 17- TV’s, 8,000 Sq ft & Patio

STUART • Amy’s Billiards

772 232-9966 1600 NW Federal Hwy 1-Gabriel 3-Cushion 8-9ft Olhausens,6- 8ft Bar boxes, 1-9’ Brunswick-1-9’ National,3-8’ft House

WINTER PARK Trick Shots

EAST MOLINE Leisure Time Billiards & Sports Bar

GEORGIA ATLANTA • Mr. Cues II

INDIANA INDIANAPOLIS Brickyard Billiards

Tables,Darts/Beer/Wine/Fo od, Smoking & NonSmoking rooms

407 671-7797 7644 University Blvd. 4-9' pool tables, 12-8' tables, Darts, Full Bar & Pro Shop on premises

3541 Chamblee Tucker Rd 770 454-7665 38-Pool tables, 1-3-cushion 1-Snooker 6x12,Full bar and kitchen,Pro-Shop

BAXLEY Danny’s Billiards

417 E. Parker St 912 278 7099 4-9’ Diamonds, 4-7’ Diamonds, Video games, TV’s

SAVANNAH • Southside Billiards 912-925-5398 13051 Abercom St 2- 3-Cushion Tables 1-10ft Snooker,7- 9ft Pool, 8 - 8ft,1-Ping Pong, Darts,Full bar & Food

ILLINOIS ALSIP Red Shoes Billiards 12009 S. Pulaski Rd 708 388-3700 15-Gold Crown,2-Bar Tables, 1-Dart board Full Bar & Restaurant

CHICAGO Chicago Billiard Café

773 545-5503 5935 W. Irving Park Rd. 16-9’Brunswick -1Snooker,1Dart board- Hot Food, 46” big screen & WiFi

• Chris Billiards

4637 N. Milwaukee 773 286-4714 7-Cushion tables 45 Pool tables,Ping Pong

CRESTWOOD Pockets Billiards 708-371-7665 13335 S. Cicero Ave 14 - 9’ Gold Crowns 10 – 7’ Valleys Full Bar & Food

309 752-9559 845 Ave of the City 5-9 foot pool tables,16- Bar tables, 2 sports bars, 11 Dart boards Full Kitchen

317-248-0555 6445 W. Washington ST 1-3-Cushion Gabriels 12-Bar Tables 4-9’ Gold Crowns 3-9’ Diamonds

Executive Billiards

317 251-0132 5130 N. Keystone 10-9’Gold Crowns,1-5x10 Pool table,1-5x10 Snooker 1-8’ pool

IOWA CLINTION Legend’s Sports Bar 563 243-4266 2118 Harrison Dr 9-7’ Valley’s 1-9’ Gold Crown,Full Kitchen ,Sports Bar,13-42” TVs, Darts, Video’s

DAVENPORT Sharky’s Billiards & Sports Bar 2902 E. Kimerly Rd 563-359-7225 24 Tables, Full Bar

KENTUCKY LOUISVILLE Rack 66-SHOWROOM

502 969-2222 5004 Preston Hwy Tables, Custom Cues, Accessories & Cue repair

PADUCAH Side Pocket

270-443-1159 301 Murray St 9 & 8 Foot Gold Crowns & 2 Bar Boxes Just Pool Mister…JUST POOL

LOUISANA NEW IBERIA Emeralds Billiards

337-319-0530 2514 W. Old Spanish Trail 24 Bar boxes,8 – 9ft Gold Crowns 5 Full Bar & Restaurant

Room Owners Sign Up Now Increase your customer base 3 Cushion available at rooms with a “•” www.professorqball.com

MARYLAND CATONSVILLE • Vip Billiards

6541 Baltimore National Pike 410 747-2551 5 – 8’ Hollywood 3-Cushion 12 – 9’ Gold Crowns 8 – 9’ Granite Bed Cosmos Free WiFi 3 Big Screen Satellite TV’s All Ages, All The Time

ELKRIDGE • Triple Nine’s Bar & Billiards

MICHIGAN ADRIAN Diamond Jims Pool Hall

117 West Maumee St 517 759-4464 8-7’ Valleys, 3-9’ Diamonds 1-TV

MONROE Cone’s & Cue

308 North Telegraph 734 241-5533 9 -7’ - 2-9’, 1-Snooker 10’, 2-Gold Crown 3-cushion 1-Dart and Pro Shop & snack bar, BYOB

7540 Washington Blvd.#C1 410 799-1818 WYOMING 2-3-Cushion Gabriels 14-9’ Brunswicks, 4- 7’ Pool • The Carom Club 616- 805-0316 Tables, Full Bar & Food 4215 Division Ave SW. GLEN BURNIE 4 Heated Olhausen 5x10 • Big Daddy’s Carom Tables,(2) 7’ft Valley Bar Boxes and (2) 9’ft Billiards Brunswick 410 760-1332 7954 B & A Blvd. Ste. 2-G MINNESOTA 8-9’ Diamonds, 3-7’ DiaCOLUMBIA monds,7- 8’ Gold Crowns 1-6x12ft Snooker HEIGHTS

LAUREL Jimmy’s Pro Bankshot Bar & Grill Billiards 3249 Fort Mead RD 301 483 - 8644 16 – Diamonds Bar Tables 3 – 9’ Diamonds, 4 – Dart boards, Full Bar and Restaurant, 16 TV’s

PARKVILLE • Top Hat Cue Club 410 665-1906 8809 Satyr Hill Rd 22-9’ Gold Crowns 3-Bar Tables,5-Table Tennis, 1- 3-Cushion Federic Caurdon

MASS EAST BOSTON Napoles Billiards

1233 Benningtons St (617) 567-4454 2-3-Cushion1-Pool table 1-9 Billiard table, Restaurant & Bar

MALDEN • Amazin illiard Club

781 605-2035 40 Faulkner St 4-3-Cushion Bretons 4-Pool tables Bretons 8-Pool Tables,1-Snooker 6 x 12, Private Room with Gold Crown 5 Showroom on Premises

4040 Central Ave NE 763-706-1904 10 - 7ft Diamonds 8 - 9ft tables 1- 6 X 12 Snooker Restaurant - Beer & Wine In-House Pro & Owner Jimmy Wetch

COONRAPIDS C.R. Billiards Sports Bar

763 780-1585 20 – 7’ Diamonds,1 – 9’ Diamonds,14 TV’s, Pizza,Full Rest.

DULUTH Horseshoe Bar & Billiards

2415 West Superior Street 218-727-5144 12 - 7ft Valleys 6-Dart Boards,TV’s for Sports Games,Full Bar & Food

FARMINGTON Farmington Billiards

933 8th St Hwy #3 651-463-2636 8-9’ Gold Crowns, 8-7’ Diamonds,Free Wi-Fi,Beer Food

February/March PQB 33

MINNEAPOLIS ROSEVILLE Al’s Billiards

1319 Larpenteur Ave 651 646-9508 16 – Gold Crowns 1 – 5x10 Brunswick Anniversary, 1-5x10 & 16x12 Snooker, 2-7’ Bar tables, Darts & Foosball

MISSISSIPPI GRENADA The Sports Center

662-226-1322 893 Springhill Rd 7- Pool tables, 3 Bar tables, Video’s, Beer/food

JACKSON “This Is It” Bar & Grill

601 373-5966 3401 Rainey Rd 9-Bar boxes,1 -9’ Diamond, 6-Dart Boards,10- Big screen T.V.’s, Beer Bar & Full snack bar

SOUTHAVEN Southaven Recreational

662 342-0230 987 Town & Country 16- Big Tables. 5-Bar Tables,5-TV’s, Darts, Bumper Pool, Food/beer

STARKVILLE Southern Billiards

662 323-7665 103 South Washington St 6 -9’ Gandy’s, 2- 9’ Diamonds,1-10’ Snooker, Poker Night on Sunday

VARDAMAN Rack-N-Roll Billiards

662-414-6539 105 Sweet Potato Ave 2-8’ Antique Brunswick 1-10’ Antique Snooker 1- 4 ½ x 9’ Olhausen

MISSOURI CAPE GIRADEAU The Billiard Center

26 North Main 573-335-9955 20- Bar Tables, 2-9 ft pool tables,Full Bar & Kitchen

POPLAR BLUFF Westwood Billiards

2207 S. Westwood Blvd. 573 686-4880 10-7ft bar tables, 9ft Brunswich, 2 dart boards, 7 TV’s and Full Bar and Kitchen

34 PQB February/March

O’FALLON Action Billiard Club 636 978-7728 977 West Terra, Ln 17-Pool Tables, 1-5X10 Snooker, Darts

ST CHARLES Side Pocket

636-724-9300 1439 Bass Pro Drive 18-Valley Black Cats,4Gold Crowns, Full Restaruant

NEVADA LAS VEGAS • Best Billiards

702 990-0502 3740 E. Flamingo Rd 5- Hermelin 3-Cushion 6- 9’ Pool Tables,1-5x10 Pool Table,Beer,Wine & Food

• Cue Club

702 735-2884 953 E. Sahara Ste. A15 2- 3-Cushion Soren Sogaard,34 -Pool Tables, 1-Snooker 6 x12, Full bar & food -Gaming available

NEW HAMPSHIRE

PORTSMOUTH Legends Billiards 603-433-1154 80 Hanover St 15- Pool tables, 7- Dart boards Full liquor & Pub menu Video games 5-Big screens

SOMERSWORTH Buster’s Billiards 369 Route 108 603 692-7926 15 – 9 ft tables, Beer & Wine, Food, 2 Dart Boards, ProSho

NASHUA Boston Billiards Club

55 Northeastern Blvd. 603 943-5630 35- Gold Crown,2 – Dart Boards,Full Bar & Rest.

WAYNE Shooters Family Billiards

2230 Hamburg Tpke 973 248-0800 10- 9 foot Brunswick 1-Bar table, Video games, 4-Screen TV’s, Internet Juke box, Pro shop on premises

NEW JERSEY BELLEVILLE • Guys & Dolls

524 Washington Ave. 973-759-6217 2- New Gabriels 3cushion billiard tables. 34 – 9 foot pool tables, 6 – Big Screens

CLIFTON Breaker Billiards

1142 US-46 973 773-0933 12-Gold Crowns,3-8’ & 1 Bar Table, BYOB-Air Hockey2-Ping Pong

SYRACUSE • Premium Billiards

315 488-4888 10 x 9’ Brunswick Super Crowns,2-Gabriels Imperators,8 Diamond Pro Am 7’ers,Brand New Bumper Pool Table,Ping Pong, Beer & Wine,Full Service Kitchen,4 Hard Tip & 2 Soft Tip Dart Boards

WILLIAMVILLE • Bison Billiards

EDISON Sandcastle Billiards

716 632-0281 Main Transit Plaza 8216 Main St 8-9’ Diamonds, 3-9’ Brunswicks, 6-Bar Tables 2-Dart Boards, 3-Cushion Gabriel

WAYNE Shooters Family Billiards

315 768-0218 5160 Commercial Dr. E 12-4 1/2x9 Gabriels, 15x10 3-cushion table, 8-3 1/2 7 Valleys, Beer, Wine, Full menu, 8-TV’s

101 Towsley Rd 732 632-9277 18 - 9’ Tables, Card table lounge, Ping-Pong., Pro-shop

2230 Hamburg Tpke 973 248-0800 10- 9 foot Brunswick 1-Bar table, Video games, 4-Screen TV’s, Internet Juke box, Pro shop on premises

NEW YORK BROOKLYN • Gotham City Billiards Club

93 Ave U 718 714-1002 15 Brunswick, 1 Vitalie, 6 Large screen TV’s Burgers, Pizza &,Large Pro Shop

FLUSHING • Carom Cafe

718 358-8585 34-02 Linden Pl 10-5x10 New Verhoven 3Cushion Billiard tables, 10 4 x 8 carom, 22 Brunswick pool tables,Full Bar & Restaurant

YORKVILLE • Hippo's

N. CAROLINA MORRESVILLE 150 N Out Billiards

539 E. Plaza Dr. Ste. E 704 660-5363 17-9’Olhausen Grand Champions Pros 6-Dart boards, Beer & Wine full Restaurant, Voted top 10 in 2010 room

NEW BERN Mickey’s Milligans Billiards 252 637-3711 3411 Trent Rd 6- 9ft Pro Diamonds 3-Steel Tip dart boards Full Bar, Pizza & Snack foodLive entertainment weekly, Tournaments every Sunday

RALEIGH Sharky’s Place

LINDENHURST • Mr Cue Billiards

5800 Duraleigh Rd 919 210-1094 6- 9 ft Gold Crowns 2- 7 ft Valley Full bar and Kitchen

STATEN ISLAND Port Richmond Billiards

336 765-7391 420N Jonestown Rd 15-9 foot Pool tables Darts, 1-big screen, fooseball,Full Bar&menu

631-226-9486 76 East Sunrise Hwy 1-3 Cushion 5x10 14- Gold Crowns,3-Bar Tables,Beer & Snacks

718 727-0800 350 Port Richmond Ave 14- Pool Tables 4-Big screens, Full Bar

WINSTON SALEM Breaktime Billiards & Sports Bar

OHIO FAIRFIELD • Michaels Billiards

6625 Dixie Billiards 513-860-0044

1- 3-Cushion Table 34- Pool Tables Full Bar and Restaurant

OKLAHOMA MIDWEST CITY Jamaica Joes

405 736-0590 5920 South East 15st 13 -9ft Diamonds 3- Bar boxes diamonds Full Bar

OKLAHOMA CITY • AAA Billiards Supply

405 917-9300 4619 N. West 10th 6- Gold Crowns, 4-Bar tables, 2-5 x 10 Snooker table, 1-3-Cushion Billiard table, 1-6 X 12 SnookerPro Shop & Cue & table repair

OREGON MEDFORD • The Medford Elks Club

541 772-6247 202N. Central Ave 8-New Elements, 3 Cushion, Gabriel Tables

PENNSYLVANIA NORRISTOWN Markly Billiards 610-278-1595 1713 Markly St 9-Gold Crown 9’,4-Diamonds 7’- Light menu

PHILADELPHIA • Drexeline Billiard Club.

610 259-9144 5100 State Rd L-300 2- New Cheviotte 3cushion tables, 16- 4 1/2x 9 Gold Crowns.4 - 4x8 G.Crowns Full line of custom cues & accessories, Tournaments, Inst., Sr.citizen rates

PITTSBURG • Breakers Billiards 412-531-2250 1413 Potomac Ave 1-3-Cushion heated Chevilotte,6 – 9’ Gold Crowns, 8 – 9’ Diamond pros,1- 7’ Bar table Diamond, Full Bar

PUERTO RICO CAROLINA Billiard Palace

787-791-0039 Condo new San Juan (VeroniqueSalon Spa) 9-Pool Tables Big Screen & T.V’s, Full bar & food

RHODE ISLAND NORTH PROVIDENCE Rhode Island Billiard Bar & Bistro

401-232-1331 2020-2026 Smith St 14-9’ tables,1-Snooker 5x10 table 1 bar table, 20 T.V’s 2 Full bar & food, Retail

PROVIDENCE Snookers

401 351-7665 53 Ashburton ST 15- 9’ Gold Crowns 40-HD T.V’s Full service restaurant with 2 bars.,Home of the New England Pool Hall of Fame

TENNESSEE MEMPHIS Bubba’s Ale House & Grille

7041 HWY 64 901-937-1911 2-Bar tables 2-Dart boards Full bar & Food Several Flat Screens (HD) Smoking allowed

HighPocket's

1599 Ols Summer Ave. 901 761-1583 12-4 1/2 x9 Gold Crowns, 1 Snooker table, 8- Bar Tables, Full menu & beer, 8- TV’s, 1 big screen, Videos

Sharpshooters Billiards

901 386-1188 6959 Stage 18 Bar Tables 4-Gold Crowns, 6 Dart Boards, T.V’s,Jukebox,Video games, food & Beer

• The Rack

901 369-9501 3622 Lamar Ave 8-9 ‘ Pro Diamond 1-3-Cushion Gabriel 3-Dart boards, 10-tv’s Food & Beer

MADISON J.O.B Billiard Club

615 868-4270 900 Gallatin Rd. Madison Sq. Mall 30 Pool tables diamonds In house pro-shop

MANCHESTER Lucky Break Billiard Club

1766 Hillsboro Hwy 931 954 5400 4-7’Valleys,4-7’Diamonds 3 9’Diamonds,Darts, Bumper Pool Beer & Grill

TEXAS DALLAS Hawleys Billiards 972 239-4846 5623 Alpha Rd 5-9ft & 7-8ft,1-5x10 Snooker,Darts & Foosball,Full Bar & Food

SAN LEON Casper’s Billiards 281 559-1400 37 21st St 18- 9ft Brunswicks Full Service Rest & Bar

HOUSTON

• Houston Café & Billiards

13590 State Hwy 249 77086 832-397-9400 1-3-Cushion Gabriels Element, 2-3-Cushion Cheviottes

• Trish Bida

11130 BEECHNUT 281 871-8901 7-New Gabriels 3-Cushion 4-Pool tables, 2-Carom Beer & Food

• ALL Sports Cafe

1005 SAINT EMANUEL SUITE 2-4 713-303-7838 3-New Imperators 3 Cushion Tables,1-4 x 8 Straight Rail,3– 5 x10 3cushion tables

Bogies Billiards 3040 FM 1960 RD Ste 101

281-821-4544 8- 9’ Gold Crowns 14 8’ Pool Tables 1-Snooker,Full Bar and Food

• Paris Bida

118010 Bellaire Blvd. Suite –A 832-630-5903 2- New Kronos 3-Cushion 6-Gabriels 3-Cushion 6-Carom tables 4-Pool tables- Bar & Food

LEAGUE CITY Legend’s Billiards 201 S. Gulf Frwy 281-332-7716 20 -4X8 Tables 3 -9’ tables,1-Bar table Full Bar & food 1-Steel Dart board

ATTENTION ROOM OWNERS!

When you subscribe to “Places to Play” Directory you are entitled to have your event listed in our “Tournament Calendar Guide” on page 45 free of charge. Call Paul at 901 756-2594 or Cell 901 210-7251

VIRGINIA VIRGINIA BEACH Mike’s Break Room

757-855-2114 3717 Tiffany Lane 5- Pool tables, 19- Flat screens,Rest. Sports Pub

WASHINGTON

TACOMA Elk’s Club Lodge

1965 S. Union Ave 253-272-1117 5-3-cushion Verhoeven 9- Brunswick pool tables

WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE • Wisconsin Billiards

414 344-5666 2715 W.Wisconsin Ave 10- 9’ Gold Crowns, 4 Bar

tables, 1-Snooker 5x10, 13-cushion Billiard,Full Bar, Pizza, Pro Shop

OSHKOSH Varsity Club

920 651-0806 570 N. Main St 12 -7ft tables 9- 9ft tables, 3- Dart boards, ,4-Big Screen, 11T.v’s, Full bar & Food

SUPERIOR Mr. Lucky’s Bar & Billiards

1022 Tower Avenue (715) 395-9789 16 - 7ft Valley tables 2 - 9ft Brunswicks 1 - 6X12 Snooker Table Pro Shop / Cue Repair Full Bar & Food

GREAT NEWS SPECIAL NOTICE

I am proud to announce that when you subscribe or renew your listing to “Places to Play” in my publication, you will have a special discount on all 8,000 items of Mueller Products. THAT’S RIGHT, YOU READ IT RIGHT!! Mueller Products is giving all my rooms listed in “Places to Play” a great discount on their products. SAVE $$$$$$$$, thousands of dollars throughout the year. Call me now for your special code. Paul Frankel – Office, 901-756-2594 Or Cell 901210-7251

February/March PQB 35

Dr. Cue Artistic Cup VI

The 2012 Dr. Cue Classic “Artistic” Cup VI has etched its signature mark in billiard history once again. 25 of the world’s greatest Artistic Pool Playing Artists participated in this unique “Artistic Pool” Professional Challenge at the Marriott Indy East in Indianapolis, IN from November 30th to December 2nd. Florian “Venom” Kohler from France raced to the “artistic” victory circle with a slim 1 point winning margin – taking home the first place guaranteed prize money, beautiful “Victory” Cup trophy, and title honors! Florian also became the 1st repeat champion for this prestigious event, having won the Dr. Cue Classic Artistic Cup IV in St. Louis, MO two years ago. This special event of the Dr. Cue Classic Artistic Pool “Sport & Show” Tour showcased some of the greatest Artistic Pool players under the WPA / APTSA sport umbrella. In addition, top players from several league tour stops held in 2012 at respective National and / or International events of the BCAPL, VNEA, ACS, and APA, plus several “at large” entries participated. All event activities were done in conjunction with the APA Indiana State Invitational tournament with over 1100 APA players in attendance, along with a huge fan base watching in amazement at all that was going on. Competitors played side by side in special 3 / 4 person – player groupings with 7-foot Diamond tables and high percentage make rate shots creating an equalizer effect for all participants. Over $10,000 in guaranteed payout values and a rather large player / audience prize fund produced player and fan friendly opportunities in a reunion style billiard atmosphere. The APPA (Artistic Pool Playing Artists) crusader force showcased a “class” act of billiard skills from each of the 8 magnetic disciplines of “artistic pool” – 1) Trick / Fancy Shots, 2) Special Arts, 3) Draw Shots, 4) Follow Shots, 5) Bank / Kick Shots, 6) Stroke Shots, 7) Jump Shots, and 8) Masse Shots. When the program of 40 “classic” shots / challenges were finished by the competitors a special awards ceremony honored the Overall event champion, eight Discipline champions, and two Sportsmanship recipients. In addition to the Cup VI event, the 1st ever Q & Cue Char36 PQB February/March

acters “Roll To Victory” Challenge took place with over 261 preliminary and / or “buy back” entries participating in this simple, and yet very unique “pool ball rolling” challenge – done without the aid of a cue stick. On Saturday night the magnetic finals took place for those that had qualified from the initial rounds, as 4 top finalists earned a share of the $1000 guaranteed prize fund. James Hess from Marion, IN displayed great focus and a steady hand on his way to becoming the event champ, while winning $400 for 1st place. Note: An added feature for this special challenge included raffle drawings for players entering the competition. Scott Smithhart (Evansville, IN) won a custom “Table Trotter” cue / case ($600 value) donated by McDermott Cue, and Greg Fox (Bloomington, IN) won a Dr. Popper jump cue valued at $125 donated by Mark “Dr. Popper” Dimick. Dozens of APA t-shirts were awarded to finalists out of the money, via raffle ticket drawings, and thru exciting “parade moments” with audience members. A special feature accented the 3 days of festivities when a unique presentation was made to Charles “Spitball Charlie” Darling from Washington, MO as the 2012 Cue-Dean-“E” IV Honoree. A large group of sport fans and fellow players witnessed the emotional moment, as “Charlie” was presented with a beautiful McDermott “Table Trotter” cue / case, plus a custom Cue-Dean-“E” IV plaque. These awards were given to signify his “E”ntertainment, “E”ducation, and “E”nergetic talents, plus his “E”nlightening “spirit gift” to the magnetic world of “artistic pool” and beyond. Partial results Place Player Home Base Award 1 Florian “Venom” Kohler (France) 2 Tim “The Dragon” Chin (NV) 3 Chris “Juggler 314” Kelly (NJ) 4 Curtis Robertson (TX) 5 Mark “Dr. Popper” Dimick (OK)

Pts. 1st Att.Prize $ / 200 – 19 $ 1500+Cup 199 – 23 1250+Cup 195 – 22 1000+Cup 187 – 25 750+ Cup 187 – 22 500

2013 Special Events: Dr. Cue Classic “Artistic” Cup VI Q & Cue Characters “Roll To Victory” Challenge Cue-Dean-“E” IV International Honoree Presentation Event Venue / Location: Marriott Indy East, Indianapolis, IN Activity Dates: November 29, 30 & December 1, 2, 2012 Special Note: Marty and I want to thank John Schoonveld, APA league operator and director of the APA Indiana State Invitational Tournament for providing the venue and logistical amenities for our 2012 special events.

38 PQB February/March

Wes Burden

Billiard Table Service & Cue Work

Commerical & Residential Tables

Gabriel & Diamond Factory Authorized Mechanic Tampa Florida

Wes Burden Cell â&#x20AC;˘ (813) 416-2255

YURA

Nothing But Billiards Yesyura on youtube.com Sales and Service Since 1991 908 216-2034

Service Directory Place Your Business Card Ad in the Billiard Industry Service Directory call (901)756-2594 for details and rates.

February/March PQB 39

DPM Universal Pocket and Carom Billiard Systems Article 65

by Darrell Paul Martineau • www.3cushion.us/ WBIA Head Master Instructor Hits to Miss Kisses We now start on a journey that will take the rest of this year. I am going to show you how to miss kisses! The first thing you need to know is Cue Ball / Object Ball 1 diamond angles. There are only 24 of them possible. You will probably only use 16 of themin a full game. They are easy to learn. I have already shown them to you in articles 25 thru 64. In case you do not have these graphs I will give you a fulldescription in the next 6 or more articles. I will start by saying it took me 25 years to develop this system segment.That was about 10 years ago. In the past two years I found a way to make it much more simple to learn. A 12 angle is always straight up and down the table, from end rail to end rail, no matter where that takes place. A zero angle is always straight across the table, from side rail to side rail, no matter where that takes place. The hits are grouped in clusters of four. Example : if a [ 1] hit is a “Hit to miss Kisses” then so are 5 and 9 hits. If 1, 5, 9 hit

40 PQB February/March

are no kisses then -1, 3, 7 and 11 hits have the greatest chance for a kiss. You see the kiss hits lay in the middle of the no kiss hits . If a One hit is good a three hit bad a five hit good etc. The secret is finding the Cue Ball / Object Ball starting diamond angle and using the formula to know what hit you can make safely. Look at graph 65 to learn a little about cue ball / object ball 1 angles. Missing kisses are in groups of 4 Angles 9 and less take one away Angles Hits 0 [-1] 3, 7, 11 1 0, 4, 8, 12 2 1, 5, 9 3 2, 6, 10 4 3, 7, 11 5 0, 4, 8, 12 6 1, 5, 9 7 2, 6, 10 8 3, 7, 11 9 4, 8, 12 Angles 10 or more add one to last digit 10 1. 5, 9 11 2, 6, 10 12 3, 7, 11 13 4, 8, 12 When the CB/OB1 angle is 9 or less and 14 5, 9 straight to the corner just use the angle!15 2, 6, 10 Example: Angle is 7 make a 7 or 3 hit !16 3, 7, 11

More on this System segment in the next issue of Professor Cue Ball News You may purchase caroms Articles and Graphs 25 through 62 on line to be e-mailed to you for $25.00 If you have any questions you can always e-mail me and I will answer you. Darrell Paul Martineau, 5916 Bar Harbour Ct. Elk Grove CA 95758 For more information on this system and my books, tapes, DVDs or lessons on Pool or Carom Billiards please call me at 916-684-4535 or e-mail dpmuniverse @ Comcast . net Web page http://www.3cushion.us/

December/January PQB 41

42 PQB February/March

44 PQB February/March

Professor’s National Tournament Directory FEB 1-3

The Rack in Memphis Super-Bowl 32nd 9-Ball Open $5,000 Guaranteed $35 Entry, Jerry 901 369-9501 FEB 7-10

Pendennis Club Louisville, KY 3-Cushion U.S.B.A. National Qualifier, 24 players- 4 Qualifies to Nationals,Contact: Paul Frankel 901 210-7251 FEB 9

All American Tour Legend's Sports Bar Clinton IA $500.00 563-243-4266, $35.00 8-Ball (No Elites) FEB 9

MPA Mixed Scotch Doubles Farmington Billiards 933 8th ST Hwy 3 Farmington MN 651-463-2636 $500 Added Guaranteed 8-Ball on 7-fT Diamonds. Race to 3, $50 / team entry FEB 9 Gotham City Billiards (718) 714-1002 93 Avenue U. Brooklyn NY C-D 9-Ball $1,000 FEB 17

Tri-State Tour Clifton Billiards 1158 Main Ave. Clifton, NJ (973) 928-6622 A-B/C-D 9-Ball $750 FEB 20-24

2013 Wisconsin BCAPL State Championships Singles, Scotch and Team Events,Olympia Resort and Conference Center Contact: Greg Andler treasurer@wibcapl.com www.wibcapl.com

FEB 23-24

17th Annual Jay Swanson Memorial 9-Ball Tournament $3,000 Guaranteed Added $4,000 Added with full 192 field Hard Times Billiards Bellflower, California Contact: CueSports International, Online Registration: www.ctsondemand.com www.playcsipool.com (702) 719-7665 FEB 25

20th Annual US Bar Table Championships $25,250 Added Grand Sierra Resort and Casino Reno, Nevada Contact: CueSports International,Online Registration: www.ctsondemand.com (702) 719-7665 MARCH 2 Tri-State Tour Gotham City Billiards 93 Avenue U. Brooklyn, NY (718) 714-1002, B-C-D 9Ball $1,500 MARCH 2-3

Joss North East Tour 4th Annual N.E. Hall of Fame 9-Ball Open Snookers Billiards Providence, RI 401-351-7665 $3,000 added, $2500 Open Event, $500 Second Chance MARCH 2-3 Westwood Billiards Steve Gumphery Memorial 9-Ball Handicap Entry $20 - $2,500 added Eugene: 573-729-6389

MAR 8-10

The Billiard Center 2nd Big Muddy FreeRoll FREE ENTRY $2,500 Added Roger: 573 718-8260 MARCH 11-17

18th Annual Western BCA Regional 8-Ball Championships $30,000 Added, Singles, Scotch Doubles, and Teams Chinook Winds Casino Resort, 1777 NW 44th St Lincoln City, Oregon 97367 Contact: Western BCA www.westernbca.org MARCH 16 House of Billiards Staten Island, NY (718) 981-2222 308 Front St A-B/C-D 9-Ball $750 MARCH 16-17

Mr. Cue Billiards 76 East Sunrise Hwy Lindenhurst, NY 631-226-9486 Stop #5 ABCD Saturday at Noon, Open/Pro Sunday at Noon, Double Points $1000 Added MARCH 16-17 Joss North East Tour Trick Shot Billiards Clifton Park, NY 518-383-8771 $2,000 added, $1500 Open Event,$500 Second Chance MARCH 21-24

WPBA Regional Tour Championships Bogies Billiards & Sports Bar Houston, Texas 77073 281-821-4544 64 women=$10,000 Prize fund

MARCH 23

All American Tour Sharky's Billiards Davenport, IA 563-359-7225 $500.00-$35.00 8-Ball MARCH 23-24

28th Midwest Bar Table Classic Brickyard Billiards Indianapolis, In 317 248-0555 Entry Fee: $100 Added $1,500 9-Ball-Race to 9 Contact: Mac Ashby-317 858-0637 MARCH 24 Clifton Billiards Clifton, NJ (973) 928-6622 A-B/C-D 9-Ball $750 MARCH 24

Tri-State Tour Carom Café Billiards Flushing, NY (718) 358-8585 A-B-C-D 9-Ball /$1,500 MARCH 27-30

MPA Championships @ Black Bear Casino, $15,000 Added Contact: John Stich 507-210-7558 e-mail: ctpool@aol.com MARCH 30

Gotham City Billiards 93 Avenue U. Brooklyn, NY (718) 7141002 A-B/C-D 9-Ball $1,500

February/March PQB 45

Stefano Pelinga Inducted into National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame

tefano Pelinga, a 5-time World Champion in Artistic Pool, has been inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. In the presence of approximately 500 VIP guests and many sports stars such as Tommy Lasorda, Mike Piazza, Tony Esposito and Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Stefano has been awarded this honor, becoming a member of this group of legendary Italian Americans. Stefano, now residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, hails from Rome, Italy, where he has served since 1985 as a police officer for the Italian government (Polizia di Stato), until his retirement in 2011. He began to play pool at the age of 12. Stefano, currently a 5-time World Champion in Pool Trick Shots, won several titles in Italy in straight pool and nine-ball throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. In 1990, he devoted himself entirely to “Artistic Pool,” commonly referred to in its practice as “Trick Shots.” In a few years, Stefano became not only the reference point but a true idol for fans of this exciting game worldwide, earning the names of “Mr. Trick Shots” and “Il Maestro” from his loyal fans. Stefano has given the sport considerable international exposure by performing exhibitions, organizing competitions and raising funds for a variety of charitable organizations with his personal appearances. He has been featured for over ten years in the prestigious ESPN’s televised tournaments, as well as in articles and on the covers of many pool and billiards publications around the globe. In addition to having won several international titles, Stefano’s achievements have been numerous and remarkable in other facets of the sport: he produced best-selling instructional videos and he was appointed official instructor of cue sports by FIBIS (Italian Billiards Fed.) and CONI (Italian Olympic Committee). He was also awarded the honorary title of Professor of Sport Games by the University of Kharkov (Ukraine). Stefano has the largest repertoire of Trick Shots and is able

46 PQB February/March

to execute more than 1,000 unique and “fancy” shots. Due to his outstanding achievements, Stefano is recognized worldwide as one of the greatest Trick Shot champions in the history of the sport, and has also earned a spot in ESPN’s Trick Shot Magic Hall of Fame. Achievements • 2012 Inductee, National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame • 2007-2010-2011-ESPN World Cup Champion, Team Europe (Captain) • 2007 ESPN Trick Shot Magic Champion • 2005 ESPN Trick Shot Magic Champion • 2004 European Artistic Pool Champion • 2003 U.S. Open Champion • 2002 World Champion, Massé Shots • 2002 World Champion, Jump Shots • 2002 World Champion, Prop & Novelty Shots • 1984 High-run of 179 balls in straight pool • 20 consecutive times Italy’s Trick Shot Champion (91-10) Works • “Amazing Trick Shots Made Easy,” Instructional DVD, 07 • “More Amazing Trick Shots Made Easy,” Instructional DVD, 2007 • “Even More Amazing Trick Shots Made Easy,” Instructional DVD, 07 • “Ultimate Trick Shots,” Instructional DVD, Volumes I & II, 2005 • “The Magic Of Trick Shots,” Instructional Video, 1999