Rackem Magazine May Issue 2011 by Rackem Magazine

2 Rackem Magazine - March 2011

DEADLINE: 25th of each Month CALL IF LATE

Rackem P.O. Box 100 Three Forks, MT 59752 Phone 1-406-285-3099 Fax 1-406-285-3098 Email rackemmag@aol.com

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Rackem Staff PUBLISHER/EDITOR Don “Cheese” Akerlow

MARKETING DIRECTOR Mary Akerlow

LAYOUTS & DESIGN Wendy Swenson Sunshine Ross Mary Akerlow Don Akerlow

About Rackem

Don “Cheese” Akerlow

Rackem is a monthly publication, dedicated to the advancement of the sport of pool and to promoting enthusiasm and encouragement among the players at all levels, regardless of their league affiliation, in addition to recognizing those businesses who support them all. Covering the midwest. Look for Rackem by the 10th of each month. The opinions Publisher expressed are those of the author or advertiser and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rackem or its staff. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material submitted for publication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher. © 2011 Rackem

What’ s Inside www.RackemMag.com Places People Play

Atlas Billiard Supply Skokie, IL 17 Billiard Congress of Wisconsin 14 Championship Cloth Lincolnwood, IL 4 CSI/BCAPL Henderson, NV 19 Cue & Case St Augustine, FL 9 CueStix Int’l Lafayette, CO 20 Fargo Billiards Fargo, ND 12 Kamui Tips 3,18 Lucasi Hybrid St Augustine, FL 3,13,18 Mueller Lincoln, NE 3 OTBnTV Live 3,18 Q-Spot Tulsa, OK 12 Sally O’Malley’s Rapid City, SD 7 sammspocket.com 6 Sharky’s Sedalia, MO 7 Simonis Cloth Gurnie, IL 3,18 SW Indiana TAP 7 TAP Little River, SC 2 Tiger Products Burbank, CA 3,18 Varsity Club Oshkosh, WI 14

Information

Bob Jewett Ken “Sarge” Aylesworth OTBnTV Live Pool On TV Samm Diep Tournament Trail Weekly Tournaments

6 13 18 3 6 18 17

Cover Photo by: Don “Cheese” Akerlow

presents

Streaming Schedule Watch on www.OTBnTV.com ustream.tv/channel/otbntv-live www.facebook.com/otbntv

June 24-26 Summer Shootout Fargo Billiards Fargo, ND $3,000 added All times are Central time ESPN does not have any scheduled telecasts of pool/billiard events for the month of May.

Sponsored by: www.tigerproducts.com www.simoniscloth.com www.lucasihybrid.com www.kamuitips.com

These schedules have been provided by ESPN. These are tentative dates and are subject to change

May 2011 - Rackem Magazine 3

4 Rackem Magazine - May 2011

NICOLE KEENEY WPBA TEXAS STATE CHAMPION Casper’s Billiards, San Leon, TX As the saying goes Casper is a friendly ghost and the same can be said for Casper’s Billiards, San Leon, TX which hosted its first WPBA Texas State Championship for the OB Cues Ladies Tour the weekend of April 16-17, 2011. Casper’s Billiards has hosted OB Cues Ladies Tour events for 2 years now and the future is very promising for many years to come. Kathy and Roy Robinson put out a welcome mat like no other place. Casper’s isn’t a typical pool hall; it contains features which makes it attractive to all types of players. They have 14 9’ foot Brunswick tables spread between two stories with smoking upstairs while the downstairs environment is smoke free. They offer a wealth of food selections including hamburgers, salads, gumbo, crawfish and barbecue. Many players and customers alike shared food and conversation while enjoying the ocean scenery during the beautiful weather weekend at this one of a kind pool establishment. Kathy and Roy, the OB Cues Ladies Tour, supporters, fans, friends and family extend their heartfelt thank you for a fantastic weekend and cherished memories! We will be back. Forty-four (44) players from Texas, Colorado and Arkansas made the trek to San Leon and the competition would be intense as many top players showed up for battle. Some of the top picks included Lisa Marr, Amanda Lampert, Jennifer Kraber, Orietta Strickland, Terry Petrosino, Ming Ng, Cristina DeLaGarza and WPBA Pro Nicole Keeney. Finishing in the money is always one of the top motivators for any pool tournament, so the $750 guaranteed 1st place prize money was first and foremost in the player’s eyes. In addition to the prize money, twelve players who opted to pay the extra qualifier fee were contending for a U.S. Open qualifier spot at the WPBA U.S. Open June 16-19, 2011 at the River Spirit Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On Sunday, the Main Event continued with the remaining twelve players returning for action. On the one loss side it was Lisa Marr vs. Chris Fields; Terry Petrosino vs. Amber Stone; Jennifer Kraber vs. Belinda Lee and Cristina DeLaGarza vs. Orietta Strickland. 9th-12th finishers were Chris, Amber, Belinda and Cristina. Next to play on the one loss side was Jennifer vs. Terry and Lisa vs. Orietta. Jennifer and Orietta finished in 7th-8th and they were the two remaining players competing for the U.S. Open spot. A qualifier playoff commenced and Jennifer Kraber came out the victor with a smashing 7-0 win. Congratulations Jennifer and watch out U.S. Open, here she comes! On the winner’s side, it would be Nicole Keeney vs. Amanda Lampert and Ming Ng vs. Ricki Casper. Nicole won her hill-hill match and Ming defeated Ricki 7-4. In the hot seat match it was Nicole

Nicole Keeney, Kathy & Roy Robinson, and Ming Ng over Ming 7-4. As Nicole secured her spot in the finals, Ming would join others in the one loss side to continue to fight the fight. Terry Petrosino, winner of the November 2010 tour stop at Casper’s, was hanging tough as she won a hill-hill match against Amanda Lampert. Lisa Marr was able to get another chance against Ricki Casper, who on Saturday provided Lisa with a loss of 7-0. Lisa avenged this loss against Ricki on Sunday with a score of 7-4. Ricki and Amanda finished 5th-6th. Terry continued her strong play by scoring another hill-hill win against Lisa, leaving Lisa with a 4th place finish. However, it was over for Terry when Ming scored a 7-4 win giving her a nice 3rd place finish. The finals were set with a rematch of the hot seat between Ming and Nicole. Ming would need to defeat Nicole in 2 sets and at first it appeared that it would go 2 sets as Ming was securing win after win after win, ultimately reaching the hill 6-1. Nicole had to refresh and dig deep and would not go down so easily. As we all know full well, how the balls roll for everyone, the tide was turning and lo and behold, Nicole made it hill-hill. A safety battle ensued and ultimately Nicole was able to finish the match with a nice 6-7-8-9 run. Congratulations to both Nicole and Ming for some exciting play and strong finishes! A very special thank you to our Sponsors: OB Cues www.obcues.com and Pool300 www.pool300. com. Without you, this all would not be possible. Please join us for our next stop June 11th-12th at The Billiard Den, Richardson, Texas. www.obcuestour.com

Good Pool, Good Friends, Good Times!!!

MAIN EVENT TOURNAMENT PAYOUTS: 1st $750 Nicole Keeney 2nd $550 Ming Ng 3rd $400 Terry Petrosino 4th $260 Lisa Marr 5th-6th $160 Amanda Lampert, Ricki Casper 7th-8th $100 Orietta Strickland, Jennifer Kraber+ U.S. Open qualifier 9th-12th $75 Chris Fields, Cristina DeLaGarza, Belinda Lee, Amber Stone 13th-16th $40 Barbara Wisdom, Jasmine Bartz, Rebecca Riley, Kim Mills 17th-24th $20 Monica Anderson, Natalie Mans, Julie Stephenson, Teresa Garland, Shayla Neris, Renee Tomey, Maria Rodriguez, Kim Sanders SECOND CHANCE EVENT $10 entry - $350 added monies 1st $125 Lisa Henderson-Major 2nd $85 Robyn Petrosino 3rd $60 Kim Sanders 4th $40 Angie Payne 5th-6th $20 Becky Jones, Lucille Donahue OTHER TOURNAMENT WINNERS: $30 Free Entry – Tiffany Boysen Tiger patch – Natalie Smith $50 gift cards – Tera Saunders and Lisa Henderson-Major $25 Starbucks Gift Cards – Orietta Strickland, Jasmine Bartz Pool Dawg Glove – Becky Jones Strok-n-Style Cue Holder (courtesy Ellen VanBuren) – Terry Petrosino OB Cues Winners – Chris Fields (OB Tour player) and Stacey Barnett (Casper’s customer)

April 2011 - Rackem Magazine 5

Extreme Kicks By: Bob Jewett

San Francisco Billiard Academy www.sfbilliards.com One of the guiding principles of playing pool is to keep it as simple as possible. Sometimes you can’t do that and you have to push some facet of your game to its limits. To prepare for such situations, you need to spend part of your practice time on shots that are at the limit of you abilities. That might be tough cuts or power shots, but this month we’re Bob Jewett going to work on extreme kick shots. In the diagram are three kick shots in which the goal is to pocket the one ball. Each shot also has a blocker ball that you have to avoid. (If necessary, imagine that there are other balls on the table and this is the best way to hit the ball you need to hit first.) For the shot with the 6 ball, the idea is that you are shooting straight across the table and need to get to the corner. This is a fairly common kicking situation and it’s important to learn about how much angle you can get with side spin. Tables vary widely, both in the quality of the cushions and in the stickiness of the cloth and balls. A shot that works perfectly on 9-foot table with new Simonis cloth may be a disaster on a 7-foot table with old rubber and cloth that was last changed in the last millennium. On most tables the shot can be made as shown, with the cue ball about 3 diamonds from the corner. This is a simple shot to try during practice and it will give a quick read on the conditions. There are several things you can do to get more angle off the cushion. Use a little draw along with the side spin, and don’t shoot too hard. The idea is that the draw will slow the ball down on the way to the cushion but all of the side spin will remain and will give you more angle. If you shoot too hard, the draw doesn’t have time to wear off. For a really extreme angle, you can elevate some and shoot a halfmasse shot into the cushion. This works by getting a favorable incoming angle. Don’t spend too much time at this as it’s much harder to control and is needed less often, but give it a few tries. For the shot with the 7, the normal angle from corner pocket to corner pocket is to aim close to the side pocket. On this shot it definitely helps to have follow on the cue ball when it hits the cushion, but if you start with draw (and right English) and shoot softly, the cue ball will have follow by the time it gets to the rail. Finally, with the 8 ball, you need to make a reverse angle off the cushion. I like to use enough speed and draw that the shot is about the same as a stop shot for a ball at the far cushion. On most tables, you should be able to go out beyond the middle diamond on the end rail for the cue ball position shown. Do you have other parts of your game that are not well developed? Send me an email and maybe I can work up a drill that will help. Read more articles by Bob Jewett at www.onthebreaknews.com

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Divide and Conquer! By Samm Diep © May 2011

In science, the “divide and conquer” algorithm refers to breaking down a problem into more manageable smaller problems until they become simple enough to solve directly. This same concept can be applied to understanding our pool game and conquering those errors during competition. With nationals just around the corner, who couldn’t use a little help in conquering those errors? How many times have you been in a match where it seemed like nothing was Samm Diep going right for you? No matter what you did, it wasn’t working. It can often feel overwhelming when that happens. You make one little mistake and the next thing you know all the errors start snowballing. When you look back on that match, you might be able to pinpoint one or two specific things that resulted in your downward spiral. If only you could identify it when it starts happening... You couldn’t because all the combined errors clouded the real reason you weren’t getting out. You were looking at the big problem instead of dividing it into smaller ones that you could attack. Here’s a perfect example: You lost your match because you missed too many key shots. You missed those shots because you were too tentative and did not deliver a confident stroke. Without confidence you weren’t following through. You didn’t follow through because in the very first rack of the match you over-stroked a draw shot and hooked yourself. Now, instead of adjusting to the table, you’ve managed to make a mountain of a loss out of the molehill of the table speed. If only you were able to recognize what was happening while it was happening. My personal biggest weakness is when the balls are really dirty. As soon as I’d over-spin that first shot, it would ultimately make me so uncomfortable, it would cause me to jump up or misaim. When you’re not comfortable, it’s difficult to stay down. You just want the shot to be over with. My point is that if you’re able to break down the equation and quickly identify the problem, it makes it much easier to conquer it. Sometimes confidence can win as many matches as skill. If you can’t figure out what’s causing you to feel uncomfortable, you’ll never be able to feel confident. When a match takes a turn for the worse, break it down and conquer it! Figure out what’s happening and regain your confidence. Best of luck to everyone that’s heading to Las Vegas in May for all the upcoming national events!! Read more articles by Samm Diep at www.onthebreaknews.com

Fisher and Dechaine Conquer

By AzB Staff - 2011-04-25 Photos courtesy of: ultimate10ball.com

Mike Dechaine and Allison Fisher are the 2011 Ultimate 10-Ball Champions. The event was held at the Frisco Hotel and Convention Center in Frisco Texas over April 22 - 24th. Fisher’s win over Kelly Fisher was a mirror image of their match on the winners side Saturday night. In that match, Kelly looked to be in complete control at 5-1, only

Mike Dechaine

Allison Fisher to be forced to watch Allison win six straight games for the 7-5 lead. After a one sided win over Angel Paglia earlier on Sunday, Kelly came to the final match with that same fire in her eyes that she always has and looked to have erased the memory of her earlier loss to

Allison. The final match was an extended race to ten and Kelly had the first opportunity, which she took full advantage of, for the 1-0 lead. Allison

Congratulations Muiriggins

Jessie, Robin, Pam, Brittany, Crystal, Chantel

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came back and tied the match at 1-1. The match would be tied again at 2-2 and 3-3, before Kelly forged ahead to a 5-3 lead. Kelly kept a two rack lead at 6-4 and then moved ahead by three at 7-4. Trailing by three racks, the heat was on Allison to do something. And ‘do something’ she did. Just as she had won six straight games against Kelly on Saturday, Allison took control and again won six straight games for the 10-7 win. The men’s finals was an extended race to twelve between undefeated Jeremy Jones and Mike Dechaine. Dechaine was coming off a hill-hill nailbiter against Jason Klatt and Jones - who lives in Texas - had a rail full of fans cheering him on. The match promised to be a great study in contrasting styles as Dechaine is a ‘fast and loose’ shooter who never saw a shot that his stroke didn’t like, while Jones is a more studious player who rarely takes unwarranted risks. The match started out close and would remain close for the majority of the match. Just like the women’s match before it, the match was tied at 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3. Dechaine would be the first player to forge a lead of more than one rack and held a three rack lead at 6-3. That lead would be short lived as Jones came back to win three in a row and tie the score again at 6-6. The score would again be tied at 7-7, 8-8, 9-9 and 10-10. The next money ball that dropped put Dechaine on the hill, but Jones had the break in the next rack. Jones made a ball and ran to the 4-ball before a fluke miss. Both Jones and Dechaine looked stunned when the 4-ball didn’t find the pocket. Dechaine took a quick second to calm his nerves and ran down to a bit of a tester on the 9-ball. Dechaine made the ball with no problem, leaving one last ball between him and the largest title of his young career. Dechaine quickly called “extension - definitely” in order to take an extra few seconds on the ten-ball and then fired it into the hole for the win. Fisher pocketed $5,600 for her win, while Dechaine took home $16,600 for his win.

PLAYERS WANTED Southwest Indiana TAP Pool League Contact 812-454-6600 May 2011 - Rackem Magazine 7

VIDAL WINS

Marc Vidal

On April 9th, 2011 the Wynkoop Brewing Company located in Denver, CO hosted its 2nd annual US qualifying spot for the up-coming US Open 10Ball Championships to be held at the Riviera Hotel and Casino located in Las Vegas, NV May 16-21, 2011. 14 players participated in this year’s qualifier and the hot-seat match was won by 15-Rack players rep Frank Urbaniak from Colorado Springs. He had victories over Jeremy Coulter 9-2, Steve Thomas 9-4, and Rueben Silva 9-8, followed by a hill-hill victory over Marc Vidal. On the loser’s side, Marc Vidal beat Bill Meacham from Colorado Springs 9-5 to have a re-match with Frank. The final was set for one race to 11 to win the qualifier and in the end it was Marc winning a close match 11-10 over Frank. A special thanks to tournament director Melissa Little and house-pro of the Wynkoop for promoting this event and hosting the LIVE streaming through USTREAM, the Wynkoop for hosting the event and adding an extra $270 to the funds for the players efforts and Samm Vidal Claramunt (Diep) for volunteering her time all weekend. For more information about the US Open 10-Ball Championships please visit: www.playcsipool.com 1st Place US Open 10-Ball Qualifier Marc Vidal 2nd Place $140 Frank Urbaniak 3rd Place $70 Bill Meacham

Black Bear Results The Leftovers Master/AA/A/B/C Handicapped Team 1st The Leftovers $4,000.00 2nd Randy’s Hustlers $3,000.00 3rd Racken & Stacken $2,000.00 4th Sleeves $1,500.00 5 - 6 Strikers $1,000.00 MN Chipps $1,000.00 7 - 8 Clean Slate $750.00 8-Ball itis $750.00 9 - 12 Brad & The Bunnies $500.00 Whatever Dude $500.00 Go Balls Deep $500.00 St. Croix Casino $500.00

Lee Heuwagen OPEN 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5-6th 5-6th

MASTER SINGLES Lee Heuwagen $1,400.00 Dustin Gunia $900.00 Jerrod Frideres $600.00 Brian Siegel $400.00 Michael Perron Jr. $150.00 Vince Chambers $150.00

Lee Norton OPEN A SINGLES 1st Chad Plumley $800.00 2nd Mike Henderson $600.00 3rd Chris Messer $420.00 4th Jessica Frideres $300.00 5 - 6 Jesse Bastyr $200.00 Chad Nelson $200.00 7 - 8 Lance Kiminski $100.00 Glenn Henrikson $100.00 9 - 12 Remy Cote $70.00 Steve Zalewski $70.00 Randy Cheechoo $70.00 Sam Howell $70.00

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OPEN AA SINGLES 1st Lee Norton $900.00 2nd Matt Berg $630.00 3rd Ryan Bennett $450.00 4th Matt Sherman $300.00 5 - 6 John Bot $200.00 5 - 6 Jon DePriest $200.00 7 - 8 Rocky Mueller $100.00 7 - 8 Don Maier $100.00 9 - 12 Rich Blauer $80.00 9 - 12 John Koepsell $80.00 9 - 12 Mark Finken $80.00 9 - 12 Dwight Bouchier $80.00

Gary Peterson OPEN B SINGLES 1st Gary Peterson $650.00 2nd Austen Werner $450.00 3rd Tyler Steinhaus $350.00 4th Tom Nicolosi $250.00 5 - 6 Dan Witzman $170.00 5 - 6 Dennis Truong $170.00 7 - 8 Paul McArthur $130.00 7 - 8 Alrick Accobee Sr $130.00 9 - 12 Jonas Layer $100.00 9 - 12 Chris Schoenborn $100.00 9 - 12 Dan Clock $100.00 9 - 12 Brandon Johnson $100.00 13 - 16 Wayne Knutson $70.00 13 - 16 Andy Bahe $70.00 13 - 16 Rich Zahnow $70.00 13 - 16 Tom Cosgrove $70.00 17 - 24 Dustin Hansen $50.00 17 - 24 Rick Prososki $50.00 17 - 24 Darryl Author $50.00 17 - 24 Bob Taylor $50.00 17 - 24 Joel Morrissette $50.00 17 - 24 Jon Stueve $50.00 17 - 24 Dave McElhaney $50.00 17 - 24 Chad Dick $50.00

Tournament April 21 - 23, 2011

John Wagner OPEN C SINGLES 1st John Wagner $550.00 2nd Don Bloom $400.00 3rd Stevie Johnson $300.00 4th Jim Murphy $250.00 5 - 6 Louis Taylor $170.00 Todd Strecket $170.00 7 - 8 Josh Szczych $130.00 John Taylor $130.00 9 - 12 Steve Thiede $100.00 Gus Winkle $100.00 Andrew Tepley $100.00 Robin Boshey $100.00 13 - 16 Elisa Moe $70.00 Nick Viele $70.00 Bill Hogg $70.00 Darrin Hollands $70.00 17 - 24 Millie Thurmes $50.00 Antoine Defoe $50.00 James Howard $50.00 Corey Tate $50.00 Chris Meyers $50.00 Terry Lightfeather $50.00 Barry Everett $50.00 Dustin Gravelle $50.00

Photos & standings Courtesy of: www.mpapool.com

May 2011 - Rackem Magazine 9

Korean Dragon Slays by: Don “Cheese” Akerlow Saratoga located in the southeast corner of Wyoming, along the banks of the Upper North Platte River, nestled between two mountain ranges, the Snowy Mountain and Sierra Madre Range. This is a great little town with a population of around 1800. They put on an amazing pool tournament. The OTBnTV crew arrived on Thursday, March 31st to get the booth set up and everything ready for the start of the events on Friday. The Platte Valley Open consists of 3 Divisions, the Sportsmen’s for local players, the Classic for Wyoming Intermediate players and the Master open to everyone. The live streaming started on Friday around 6 pm and our first match was from the Sportsmen’s Division between Joe Morrison vs Chris Duke in a race to 3. Next up featured Lee Hauley and Joe Ringle also from the Sportsmen’s Division and our final match was from the Classic Division between Jordan Thayer and Dave Riley in a race to 4. We wanted to broadcast some of the preliminary rounds in both divisions before the action in the Master Division started Saturday morning. The field of the Master Division was packed with big name players from all across the country like Charlie Williams, Raj Hundal, Rodney Morris, Mark Vidal, Glenn Atwell, Eddie Mataya, Mark Haddad and Melissa Little, just to name a few. The OTBnTV broadcast started at 2 pm with our first match between Gilbert Garcia and Heather Curby in a race to 6. Mark Haddad and Justin Reckemeyer faced off next on the TV table with Mark advancing. E J Glode (tournament director) and Raj Hundal were up on the live stream next. E J, local city councilman and tournament promoter’s match was viewed at one of the hot spots in Saratoga, where the locals were watching the match on the TV tables at Duke’s Bar & Grill. Raj Hundal won that match. Our next match on the TV table was from the Sportmen’s Division between Dan Tewes and Jodi DeBerard. Jodi won that match in a hillhill battle. The field was narrowing and Rodney Morris met Raj Hundal next. This was a race to 7 with Raj coming out on top 7-5. The last match of Saturday night was between Charlie Williams and Justin Reckemeyer with Charlie advancing. Rounds were starting again Sunday morning and the best of the best remained. We started the live stream around 10 am on Sunday, expecting a relatively shorter day of streaming but that was not the case. First we had Glenn Atwell and Tony Piazza, followed by Atwell and Rodney Morris which was a repeat of the 2010 finals. Glenn proved to master the table

10 Rackem Magazine - May 2011

Danny Haynes in between smoke breaks and met Raj Hundal to play for third place. FYI: We were having trouble with one of the viewers in the chat room, as we kept banning this person from the vulgarity that our audience was subjected to. Ustream was contacted through many emails throughout the weekend. Their customer service in the past was reachable by phone but no longer does this service exist. They were either incapable or chose not to address this problem. This user was hacking their system and at the time nothing could be done about it. Charlie Williams was waiting in the hot seat for his opponent to be determined. Charlie sent Glenn to the one loss side earlier in the tournament so the rematch was set. It started out a little one side with Charlie getting out to an early 5-0 lead, Glenn brought it close by taking 3 racks in a row, but Charlie prevailed with a final score of 7-4. Another great tournament!

OTBnTV would like to thank E J Glode and the Platte Valley Open and all the businesses that helped make this event a success, for having us live stream again this year. This event is usually held the first weekend in April so pencil in your calendar’s for 2012. You don’t want to miss it. We would also like to thank Tiger Products our title sponsor, Simonis Cloth, Lucasi Hybrid and Kamui Tips for making this broadcast possible. If you didn’t get a chance to watch all the action live on OTBnTV you can still watch the recorded matches at www.otbntv.com. Just open the Platte Valley Open Video Magazine and click the link for the video you want to watch. The Platte Valley Open is sponsored by the Carbon County Visitors Council, UPA, Lions Club, Duke’s Bar & Grill, Riviera Lodge, and Shively Hardware to name a few. Thanks for watching and hope to see you here again next year!

s Platte Valley Open Williams Crowned Platte Valley Open Champion By Samm Diep, PoolTipJar.com On April 2-3, the small town of Saratoga, Wyoming, population of roughly 7,500, filled the city with pool players for their fourth annual Platte Valley Open. Locals were treated to some world class bar table 8-ball. “The tournament went fantastic! I’ve loved pool since I was five years old and I can’t get enough of it. It’s a way to get everybody together,” said tournament director E.J. Glode. In the masters division, 52 of the finest players from Wyoming and Colorado came to try their luck. The $9,000 added prize money also drew players from the as far as Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. The professional team of “The Rocket” Rodney Morris, “The Hitman” Raj Hundal, and “The Korean Dragon” Charlie Williams also made an appearance. Four players advanced from each of the original four brackets into a 16-player redraw finals board which started on Saturday night. The first round of the evening saw a finals caliber match between Morris and Hundal. Both players shot quickly and loosely with an outcome of Hundal advancing 7-5. From Denver, Tony Piazza and Rafael Ibarra both gave it a good run, finishing tied for 5th place. On the b-side, Piazza was down 5-2 against Portland, Oregan’s Glenn Atwell. The veteran bar table champion began losing his grip allowing Piazza to close the gap and take the lead. While up 6-5, a fatal scratch in the side would cost Piazza that game. At hill-hill, Atwell broke and scratched allowing Piazza another chance for the kill. Uncharacteristically, Piazza missed with ball in hand and Atwell took that match to advance. The Rocket awaited his match with the winner. Atwell would keep the momentum going against Morris and Hundal. After several failed attempts to run out, Atwell defeated Morris 7-1 and then did the same to Hundal by a score of 7-5 after being down 5-4. Williams went undefeated through the A-side and watched as Atwell took out his travel companions one at a time, shattering the pro team’s hopes of taking 1, 2, and 3. Williams, who delivered Atwell his first loss, came out strong. He quickly jumped to a 5-0 lead. Atwell had several opportunities but could not capitalize. At 5-0, Atwell made a tricky run to get on the board then proceeded to run the next two racks making it 5-3. It appeared that he was making a comeback until he missed a 9 ball in the side pocket in the following rack allowing Williams to get to the hill. The gentlemen battled over the next couple games until Williams finally

gained control in the last rack pocketing the 8 ball for the win. The final score was 7-4. Pom Rai of Fort Collins, Colorado won the Classic division and Danny Haynes from Rawlins, Wyoming took the Sportsman division. Both men came through their respective fields without losing a match. Rai came through the 64-player field to meet Denver’s Steve Thomas in the finals after Thomas lost his first match of the redraw. Haynes’ victory of the 48-player field earned him $400 while Rai pocketed $1,200. MASTERS DIVISION 1st $3,500 Charlie Williams 2nd $2,400 Glenn Atwell 3rd $1,900 Raj Hundal 4th $1,300 Rodney Morris 5th $715 Rafael Ibarra, Tony Piazza 7th $460 Eddie Mattaya, Mark Haddad 9th $210 Marc Vidal, BJ Spencer, Derek McMaster, Justin Reckemeyer 13th $115 John Sandifer, Matt Sanchez Johnny Vasquez, Mark Sand CLASSIC DIVISION 1st $1,200 Pom Rai 2nd $950 Steve Thomas 3rd $750 Kelly Gorham 4th $600 June Brooks 5th $390 Dan Rolling, Gary North 7th $240 Nick Dittmar, Jimmy McKinney 9th $130 Donald Parker, Jim Stewart Seth Johnson, Ken Vechnek 13th $63 Robert Peach, Brad Crouch Jerry Flute, Colleen Johnson SPORTSMAN DIVISION 1st $400 Danny Haynes 2nd $310 Brian Schmitker 3rd $240 John Saputo 4th $190 Chris Duke 5th $115 Phillip Canaday, “Nubbins” 7th $75 Lee Hanley, Brian Schwartzkopf 9th $30 Dan Tewes, Bill Ward Keith McLendon, Jodi DeBerard

Brian Schmitker

Charlie Williams

Glenn Atwell

Pom Rai

Steve Thomas May 2011 - Rackem Magazine 11

Tom Ross Fundraiser

“Cueing Folks with Strokes” Benefit Pool Tournament presented by Melissa Little and the Wynkoop Brewing Company: On Saturday, July 9th, 2011, a pool tournament will be held at the Wynkoop Brewing Company in Denver, Colorado to benefit Tom Ross and the Boulder Community Hospital’s In-Patient Rehab Center. The event will feature a grand prize of a 9-foot Murray Californian Table donated by Ross himself. There will also be a silent auction, challenge the pro matches with Tom and friends, an awareness campaign featuring professionals from the BCH staff, and Melissa will be honoring pool players who have suffered from strokes/brain injuries. This hopes to be the first of many events to benefit the new organization, Cuing Folks With Strokes, founded by Melissa Little, house pro at the Wynkoop. For more details on the pool tournament or businesses interested in donating products and services to the cause should visit www.cueingfolkswithstrokes.com Little wants to recognize players who have suffered from strokes of all types and educate others on the first signs of a stroke. She also hopes to offer screenings and provide more awareness to players in the community. If you would like to include a pool player on the honor list please contact Melissa Little at Melissa@melissalittle.com or call her directly at 720-296-5395.

Trick Shots by Sarge By Ken “Sarge” Aylesworth

STROKE DISCIPLINE (reprinted from July Issue 2003)

This month’s Artistic Shot is from the Stroke Discipline. This shot is named Stroke Around The Rack. This shot has a Degree of Difficulty (D.O.D.) of 7. Object ball letters coincide with corresponding pocket letters. To set this shot up you must first put the rack in its normal or standard position for racking making sure the rack is straight. Next place the edge of the cue ball closest Ken “Sarge” Aylesworth to the foot cushion even with the back of the rack and two ball’s width from the point of the rack. The next step is to place two object balls,

presents

(between cue ball and A ball), plus A ball and cue ball are all frozen in a straight line to pocket A. The F ball is centered between the pocket points. The objective of the shot is to shoot the cue ball into three balls, trying to go through the resistance of them, sending A ball to pocket A. The cue ball goes out past the rack and makes a curving draw to pocket ball F as pocket letter designated. A and F ball must be made. Here are some special notes. A scratch is allowed. The cue ball may hit an extra cushion by F ball. The two object balls between the cue ball and A ball do not have to be made. The cue ball may not touch the rack before F ball is made, but can after F ball is made. Here are some helpful hints on executing this shot. This stroke shot requires a very good follow through, not with power but with a fluid stroke. I use low right English and cue the cue ball at about 4:30. Aim the center of your shaft from where you’re applying English to about ½ diamond segment to the left of pocket A. Try to keep the cue as level to the plane of the table as possible. 6149 E 31st St If the cue ball is squirting to the Tulsa, OK left too quickly and hitting the 918-779-6204 rack then you are aiming too far Hours: to the left of pocket A. If the cue Sun 2-10 pm ball is going straight with the line Mon-Thurs 12-2am Fri-Sat 12-1am of three balls you will need to aim further to the left. This stroke shot FAMILY BILLIARDS ROOM is a unique blend of speed and PRO SHOP - CUE REPAIR spin. Good luck to everyone.

CUES - CASES - SUPPLIES

12 Rackem Magazine - May 2011

May 2011 - Rackem Magazine 13

LAMAR CLAIMS SECOND TITLE

Randy Lamar (Portage, WI) claimed his second Lucasi Hybrid Cues All American Tour stop of the year when he bested a field of forty-seven 8-ballers at the Varsity Club in Oshkosh, WI on Saturday, April 23. The $1,000 added event completed the forty-sixth and final stop on the 2011-2012 Tour.

Lamar took down the hot seat by outscoring David Coles (Beloit, WI) 5-3, John Ribbich (Milwaukee, WI) 5-2, Joe Durham (Rockford, WI) 5-1, Tylor Westhuise (Ripon, WI) 5-2 and Chad Lund (Madison, WI) 5-4 in the A-side finals. Previous to his loss to Lamar, David Coles had defeated Jeremy West (Oshkosh, WI) 5-3, but after his loss, Coles torched the B-side to gain a spot as Lamar’s opponent in the tourney finals – eliminating Bob Buehler (Fond du Lac, WI) 5-1, Roy Skenandore (Green Bay, WI) 5-2, John Koerwitz (Oshkosh, WI) 5-1, Zach Marquardt (Green Bay, WI) 5-1, Joe Durham 5-3, Craig Chavera (Rockford, IL) 5-0, Tylor Westhuise 5-3 and Chad Lund 5-3. The finals was all Randy Lamar, as he took down David Coles for the title! By virtue of Roy Skenandore (Green Bay, WI) being the highest-finishing ACS member in the event, he qualified for

a free 8-Ball singles entry into the 2011 Lucasi Hybrid ACS Nationals. The ACS wishes to thank sponsors Lucasi Hybrid Cues, Championship Billiard Fabric and Nick Varner Signature Cases for their support. All entries in the Tour are also entered into a drawing in late May 2011 for four (4) $400+ value Lucasi Hybrid Cues courtesy of Ozone Billiards. Info on the Tour, sanctioning a league and instructor and referee certification by the ACS may be viewed at www. americancuesports.org.

FINAL RESULTS:

1st $700 + $750 side pot Randy Lamar (Portage, WI) 2nd $500 + $550 side pot David Coles (Beloit, WI) 3rd $350 + $300 side pot Chad Lund (Madison, WI) 4th $225 + $200 side pot Tylor Westhuise (Ripon, WI) 5-6th $100 + $75 side pot Gene Albrecht (Milwaukee, WI) Craig Chavera (Rockford, IL) 7-8th $50 Joe Durham (Rockford, IL) Gil Hernandez (Chicago, IL) 9-12th $25 Dennis Babcock (Hartford, WI) Tim Sena (West Bend, WI) Tom Karabatsos (Chicago, IL) Zach Marquardt (Green Bay, WI) Free Singles entry to ACS Nationals - Roy Skenandore (Green Bay, WI)

European Nations Announced

13 countries named with two more to qualify WITH THE PARTYPOKER.NET WORLD CUP OF POOL taking place in Manila, Philippines from Tuesday to Sunday 6th - 11th September, Matchroom Sport can announce the 13 European countries gaining automatic entry into the tournament. They are; Austria, Croatia, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Malta, Poland, Russia, Spain and Sweden. The actual two-player make up of the 13 teams will be decided after the World 9 Ball Championship which concludes on July 2nd. In addition, there will be a qualifying event for two further spots which will be open to as many pairs of players from non-selected countries as wish to compete. This event takes place on Sunday 6th July in Sankt Johann im Pongau directly after the Austrian Open on the Euro Tour which concludes the previous day. This will be the sixth running of the World Cup of Pool following on from Newport, Wales (2006), Rotterdam, Holland in ’07 and ’08 and Manila in ’09 and last year. Last year was the second time that the Chinese pair of Li Hewen and Fu Jianbo hoisted the coveted trophy following their first victory in ‘07. The Filipino pairing of Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante took the inaugural World Cup in 2006 and then again on home soil in ‘09. The sole breach in this Far Eastern axis was completed by the USA who won in 2008. The entire event will be broadcast by Solar Sports live across the Philippines with the live feed of the tournament available internationally. In addition Matchroom Sport will be producing a 31 x one hour highlights package of the event.

14 Rackem Magazine - May 2011

Lucky

We left Lucky’s friends house after a delightful evening. The early morning road was quiet we seem to be the only ones out there we were going about 60 miles per hour just cruising …..We were talking about the some issue on the Imus talk radio show I forgot about. All of a sudden we heard a faint sound that got louder and louder. It was a sound of a wailing siren growing out of the distance. Lucky driving, he could see in rear view mirror very slightly through the early morning fog the headlights and flashing blue and red lights of 2 Sheriff’s car racing toward us. Light drops into a dip, in the wavy road reappears almost immediately, hurling down the center of the 2 lane highway. “What the hell” “Are they coming for us?” It appears they are in pursuit of a speeding car. They get closer and closer the lights and siren fill our senses. We have to slow down and pull over then they zooms past us. We barley got out of the way. It was a newer Aston Martin. As it pasted us the sport car skids off the asphalt in front of us in an impressive driving maneuver and starts up a bumpy dirt road the 2 sheriff’s cars just following. It was just like in the movies. The sport car seemed to be pulling away. I don’t think they will catch this car. We are headed now to the first big destination the U.S. Bar Table Eight Nine and Ten-Ball Championships in Reno. Where many top players go to. This is one of Lucky’s favorite tournament. He has seen a lot of new emerging talent here. This is always a great tournament. Jay Helfert once did a wonderful job. A new crew runs it now, the CSI’s group with Bill Stock. Lucky and I were both greatly pleased to see that the tournament was still non-smoking, a great advancement in the sport of pool believe it or not. Part of Lucky’s health problem is due to breathing secondhand smoke over the years. He had told me that it was one of the main reasons why he had quit playing over the past few years. He just found out that two close friends of his have throat cancer. Now that most states have changed laws he is more compelled to play again. No one knew Lucky was at the tournament most were newer players. You got the impression that when people walking by glanced at

him they might have remembered his face in some previous tournament crowd. Looking at him sitting there with his fists holding up his chin, you would never know he even played the game. He sat as one of the spectator most of the time. He asked me to keep a remoteness, as people who knew me might start wondering who he was. Many great players were at the event. Sitting around talking to everyone and watching matches on the bleachers was fun. Lucky was studying the players and waiting

King Kong had Anthony by four games, and the kid wanted to jack the bet even as he was losing. King Kong backer took the bet. The bet was up to $3,000, plus another $2,000 on several side bets, and the kid ran the next four, played safe. Anthony’s entourage was excited and hollering it up and keeping a careful eye on those who had side bets so they wouldn’t sneak out of the room. Anthony ran the next three, played safe then the following four, only allowing King Kong to shoot, kick, twice. The kid won eleven games in a row. King

“Lucky bastard,” he muttered. Lucky was up two grand. Now the kid wanted to play for $2,000. for the right time to get a game. We were particularly watching Glenn Atwell, Stevie Moore and Shane VanBoeing matches. There were plenty of other great players playing besides those. Also a few young prodigy’s in attendance. Just then old friend Lee Lang walked in and told me he had gone up to his room but found a do not disturb sign on the door put there by his roommate. He heard what sounded like a late night horror movie on TV — a female voice screaming and moaning, and since Lee hates horror movies, he came down to the poolroom to see what was going on. I didn’t have the heart to tell him what was really going on in his room. Lee and I talked a while about Stan Tourangeau and Kim Davenport winning the tournaments 10 years ago. It must be my luck that I had to play both of them my first matches that event. On the second night in the action room, we watched this twenty-something kid play one of the best bar table players in California, a guy nicknamed King Kong. He plays like a monster. The kid’s name was Anthony, and he was from the somewhere in the South, Florida I think. They were playing seven ahead for $1,500. It seemed a pretty even match —

Kong’s backer was done. Lucky said the kid was good and cocky the understatement of the year. We watched pool matches and some action all week. (Many stories to come from Reno later) Can’t tell you how much fun that was. The last night we went down to the poolroom and Anthony was there with his girl. Not many others “Where’s all the pool players?” Lucky asked. “Probably in the casino gambling,” the kid replied. Lucky said he came to see some action. The kid snorted, “I’m the action. Everyone is scared of me. All these great players here and I can’t get any action … Why, old man? You want to play some? “Well, sure,” Lucky agreed. “Want to play cheap?” “I don’t play cheap. Nineball, race to 9 for a $1000,” the kid rattled off. “You look like you could use weight. You want weight?” Lucky said, “What do I need” “I don’t understand this spot thing I’ll just play even” The kid said “what ever man’. Later Lucky told me he should have taken the weight because the kid was so arrogant. Lucky asked to borrow my cue, and they lagged for break. The kid ended a foot from the end rail, with Lucky trailing about 6 inches

behind. Lucky racked. Only a few people were in the room — the kid, his girlfriend, Lucky, myself, a couple guys breaking down some of the tables and two casino gamblers who had wandered into the room out of curiosity. The kid had no crowd to incite as before. This was one on one. I won’t go into all the painful details, but basically Lucky played a classic “keeping close” on this kid. He strung him along like a puppet until the score crept up to hill-7, the kid’s favor. All the games Lucky won he made look like he was nothing but lucky, slopping in balls all over the place, or getting lucky hooks. Both the kid and his girlfriend were chain-smoking despite the “No Smoking” signs posted all over the room. Lucky said something about the smoking once, but they just ignored him, so he said nothing more. I saw in Lucky’s eyes that the cost of that bit of rudeness had just gone way up. Lucky broke, made nothing, scratched his head and growled, “Damn! I can’t even make a ball on the break.” Lucky’s breaks were looking suspiciously like one he had shown me the very first time we played – where he plays the one safe. But the kid didn’t roll out. He shot, made two balls, and in his first real mistake of the set, hooked himself. What a fluke, I thought. He took a flyer and missed. Easy out. Lucky won the set. The kid slapped down the grand and said Lucky was just lucky. They played again. Lucky broke every rack and made nothing but left a hook on the one ball. The kid kicked or rolled out every game. Lucky seem to win the games not by running out but by seemingly slopping balls in. Lucky was soon on the hill, 8-0, and couldn’t resist saying, “Hope I can make a ball for once.” Crack! The nine went straight into the left corner pocket. Game, set. The kid was squirming now. “Lucky bastard,” he muttered. Lucky was up two grand. Now the kid wanted to play for $2,000. “This is the only set I was ever skunked in since I was thirteen,” he snorted. Lucky told the kid, “I’ll tell you what I’ll do. We’ll play my $2,000 against your $1,000 on the set, but if I win 9-0 again you pay me $3,000. (Lucky continued on page 17)

May 2011 - Rackem Magazine 15

High Run Contest Beat Mosconi’s High Single Run of 526 Win up to $20,000 at CSI 14.1 High Run Contest at the BCAPL Nationals One of the festivities taking place during the BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships (May 11-22, 2011 at the Riviera hotel & casino, Las Vegas, NV) is a special 14.1 High Run contest. The contest will take place during the BCAPL event on two Diamond 9’ Pro Cut tables located in booths 30-32 in the Grande ballroom of the Riviera Convention Center. The main contest will feature several divisions: pro, amateur men, amateur women, and amateur seniors. Each participant who signs up pays $20 for 4 turns at the table with their recorded run being an accumulation of their 4 turns. Each division will be awarded cash and prizes based on the top scores. The top eight highest accumulative scores will have a tournament on Saturday, May 21st. The goal of the CSI high run contest is to encourage more interest in the great game of Straight Pool. In addition to the primary 14.1 contest is a very special opportunity. CSI will match up to the $10,000 (cash only) for a potential grand total of $20,000 to award to any player that beats or ties the Straight Pool single run record of 526 balls set by Willie Mosconi in 1954. The shooter who breaks or ties the record must do so in a single, not accumulative, run at the table. CSI will have set up the capability to record the contestants at the CSI 14.1 Contest. For more information or to enter stop by the CSI 14.1 Contest booth, who knows you may witness or make pool history!

Junior Fundraiser

CSI Junior Program Fundraiser at BCAPL Nationals to Support U.S. Junior Team This year at the BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships (May 11-22, 2011 at the Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV), CueSports International (CSI) is expanding fundraising efforts on behalf of the U.S. Junior National Team. The proceeds from the fundraising efforts will be used to hold youth camps throughout the country and to provide coaching and mentoring to the U.S. Junior National Team while they prepare for the WPA Junior World Championships. Coordinating the Junior Program for CSI is WPBA top professional and former Junior National Champion, Sarah Rousey. The CSI Junior Program is working in cooperation with the Billiard Education Foundation (BEF). The fundraising activities will include: Challenge the Stars: May 17th from 8-10 pm in the Grande Ballroom at the Riviera Hotel & Casino Convention Center. By paying a nominal donation you will have a shot at beating some of the top pros from around the world. Group Lesson with a Pro (will take place onsite at the Riviera Hotel & Casino): Take a group lesson at the Riviera with a top pro! Class sizes will be limited. Commemorative BCAPL Casino Chip Key Chain: Offered in several colors and designs the one of a kind keychain will be for sale at $5 each at the CSI Technology booth next the BCAPL Tournament Control Desk in the Grande Ballroom. There is a limited supply and will be sold while supplies last. “Support the U.S. Junior National Team” Raffles: During the 11 day BCAPL National event CSI will be offering raffle items to benefit the Junior Program. CSI is also actively seeking donated items for the raffle. For more information or if you are a vendor or individual interested in donating an item for the raffle please contact Sarah Rousey at sarahr@playcsipool.com.

16 Rackem Magazine - May 2011

U S Bar Table Moving

U.S. Bar Table Championships Becomes a Grand Affair in 2012 Heading into its 19th year the U.S. Bar Table Championships (USBTC), produced by CueSports International (CSI), will soon have a new yet familiar home. The USBTC will still be held in Reno, NV, however the growing and popular weeklong event will be moving to the stunning Grand Sierra Resort and Casino starting February 12-19, 2012. The USBTC was last held at the Grand Sierra in 1996. CSI has enjoyed the last 15 years at its former downtown location, but has physically outgrown the available space. The venue change allows CSI the opportunity to offer even more to players, vendors and sponsors. CSI will expand from the 8000 square feet at its former USBTC location to a usable 40,000 square feet at the Grand Sierra allowing for unlimited growth. The Grand Sierra Hotel and Casino is as its name implies, grand. It has over 2000 guest rooms and suites. Additionally is boasts an extensive array of restaurants, amenities and entertainment options in addition to its large casino. For your dining options there are 4 fine and 7 casual restaurants as well as 7 bars and lounges including the Xtreme Sports Bar and Lounge which has 40 HD Screens and a 12’ x 8’ mega view screen. The list of amenities offers something for almost everyone. Need to relax, visit the Grand Sierra Spa and Health Club. Are you an adrenaline junkie? Then speed over to the Grand Sierra Go-Kart Race Tracks. There you can climb into a half scale NASCAR replica race and choose to test yourself on the 400 foot oval or 900 foot road course. There is also an 18 hole mini golf course, an indoor virtual golf course, 50 lane bowling alley, 6,000 square foot laser tag, full size movie state of the art theatre, driving range and an 180 foot Sky Coaster. The Grand Sierra offers top rated entertainment in its Grand Theater and Summit Pavilion include such acts as Ke$sha, Elvis Costello and the Gypsy Kings to name a few. The room rates for USBTC at the Grand Sierra however, are still a great bargain. While players will enjoy the extensive tournament space and long list of amenities and entertainment, the CSI room block will still be highly reasonable at $39 weekdays and $49 on Friday and Saturday. More information about the 2012 USBTC will be available starting in the fall of 2011. For more information about additional quality events produced by CSI visit www.playcsipool.com.

McDermott Official Cue Offers Special BCAPL Collector Cue

CueSports International (CSI) is proud to announce McDermott Cues as the official cue sponsor of the 35th BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships (May 11-22, 2011, Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada). To celebrate “The Greatest Pool Tournament in the World,” McDermott was commissioned by the BCA Pool League (a division of CSI) to produce the BCAPL-11 cue as an exclusive membership benefit for the 2011-2012 BCAPL year. The cue features Birdseye Maple forearm with 6 Recon Ebony points and Recon Ivory “spear” inlays, Recon Ebony sleeve with 6 Recon Ivory / Zebrawood “spear” inlays, Zebrawood / silver rings, a black and white Irish linen wrap and will include the McDermott high performance G-Core Shaft. The cue will come standard at 19oz with a 13mm shaft. BCAPL members may pre-order the BCAPL 11 cue by May 1st. Upgrade to the McDermott I-Shaft is also available. For more information about the commissioned special McDermott BCAPL Pool Cue visit www.playbca.com. For more information about McDermott Cues visit www.mcdermottcue.com. In addition to the commemorative BCAPL 11, McDermott is donating a G1001 cue to CSI to use as a raffle item during the BCAPL national event.

WEEKLY TOURNAMENTS Call First - All Tournaments are subject to change without notice

DATE

CITY

Wednesdays Oshkosh, WI

Thursdays Fridays Saturdays

Oshkosh, WI Tulsa, OK Oshkosh, WI Tulsa, OK

Lucky

LOCATION

PHONE

EVENT / RULES

ENTRY

Varsity Club Varsity Club Q-Spot Billiards Varsity Club Q-Spot Billiards

(920) 651-0806 (920) 651-0806 (918) 779-6204 (920) 651-0806 (918) 779-6204

9-Ball Beginners 9-Ball Intermediate 8-Ball 7 & under 9-Ball Open - Break Pot 9-Ball 7 & under

$8 $10 $5 $15 $5/player Guar. $10 (incl. g.f.)

And I break first.” The kid groused about giving up the first break, but it was only an act. Knowing Lucky had only made a ball on the break once in two sets, and got lucky on just about everything else, he wasn’t too worried about it. I know the kid thought Lucky was just plain stupid. Lucky broke and guess what — finally made a ball. He ran out — in fact, Lucky ran out the next seven games and just for the fun of it missed making a ball on the last break but once again left the kid hooked. The kid was more than eager to save his remaining cash. He took another flyer but he missed, and Lucky cleaned the table. The kid had disbelief written all over his face. He had no entourage to back him up this time. He was angry he threw the bills on the table and walked away with his girl in tow, Lucky said with feigned surprise in his gargled old voice, “What, you’re quitting?” What exquisite torture…… Just then Chris Byers walked in. In his usual good humor, he asked, “What’s been happening around here?” As I sat down with Chris, I noticed Lucky, who had returned my cue to me, slipping out of the room. So I relayed the recent events at the table, enjoying the recount almost as much as the performance itself. Chris was intrigued. “So that continued from page 15

ADDED

TIME Call Call 9 PM Call 9 PM

was Lucky? Wish I could play him. You should have gotten a hold of me so I could come and watched and learn something.” I told him he had to keep it quiet and couldn’t tell anybody, and he agreed. Maybe some day they would play. Later, in my room, I sat with my feet up on the window ledge and looked out at the sky for awhile, just thinking back over the last few days. Reno had many great matches and tons of action sorry to see it end. I did savor the punishment given the smart-aleck/cocky kid, and looking forward to watching more praiseworthy matches Lucky would find on the road ahead. I thought especially now that I was able to put some of Lucky’s teachings to use. I might even face up a to a challenge or two myself on this trip. That still might not be for me to decide. Lucky does know best. I do have to decide what to do with this moment in time that I have with Lucky. After breakfast we’re headed out to another stop, and I’ve called ahead and made hotel reservations for us. The place was famous for its food. I’m looking forward to a good, hot dinner there tonight. Lucky has taken over the wheel for awhile, so I’ve some time to catch up on writing my story and starting an e-book, and now the next chapter remains to be played out, with the only thing ahead of us at the moment the painted highway lines the truck we were following and the disappearing in a wobble under the car…….

May 2011 - Rackem Magazine 17

Call First - All Tournaments are subject to change without notice DATE May 3-8 May 7 May 9-15 May 12-15 May 11-22 May 11-22 May 16-21 May 21 May 30-Jun 5 Jun 4-5 Jun 6-12 Jun 11 Jun 11-12 Jun 11-12 Jun 16-19 Jun 16-19 Jun 18 Jun 25-26 Jun 24-26 Jun 24-26

CITY LOCATION PHONE EVENT / RULES ENTRY ADDED Asia Dragon Promo Mx Doubles Check dragonpromotions.com for details Houston, TX Bogie’s Billiards (281) 821-4544 Lone Star Tour 8-Ball on 8’Tables $45/$65/$25 Call Manila WPA World 10-Ball Check matchroomsport.com for details Las Vegas, NV CSI (702) 719-7665 U S Open One Pocket Call $10,000 Guar Las Vegas, NV BCAPL (702) 719-7665 BCAPL 8-Ball Nationals Varied $750,000 payout Las Vegas, NV BCAPL (702) 719-7665 BCAPL 9-Ball Nationals Varied $750,000 payout Las Vegas, NV CSI (702) 719-7665 U S Open 10 Ball Call $25,000 Guar Sedalia, MO Sharky’s Billiards (660) 826-5855 Hardcore 8-Ball NO HCP $40 Call Venue Changes World Pool Masters Check matchroomsport.com for details Wichita, KS Side Pockets (316) 729-4000 Bobby Wells Memorial $35 $2,500 China China Open Men/Women Check matchroomsport.com for details Port Arthur, TX Crazy 8’s (409) 960-7399 Lone Star Tour 9-Ball on 8’ Tables $45/$65/$25 Call Madison, WI The Brass Ring (608) 256-9359 Simonis 9-Ball Challenge Call $550/$950 Tulsa, OK Magoo’s (918) 663-3364 9-Ball Open/Ladies $65/$55 $2,500 Wisconsin BCW Finale (262) 676-8242 Midwest Championship Call $7,000 Tulsa, OK River Spirit Casino www.wpba.com WPBA US Open online online Sedalia, MO Sharky’s Billiards (660) 826-5855 King of the Hill 8-Ball Call Call Richardson, TX Billiard Den (972)792-7665 OB Cues Women’s Tour Call Call Fargo, ND Fargo Shootout (701) 282-4168 9-Ball - Race to 7 - Limit 96 $40 $500 Fargo, ND Fargo Shootout (701) 282-4168 8-Ball - Race to 5 - Limit 128 $60 $2,500 Watch it LIVE on OTBnTV.com presented by Tiger Products Jun 25-26 San Leon, TX Casper’s Billiards (281) 559-1400 Tiger Amateur Tour $40 $1,000 Jun 25-Jul 2 Qatar Men’s WPA World 9-Ball Check wpapool.com for details Jul 7-10 Olathe, KS Shooters (913) 780-5740 One Pocket $60 $1,000 Jul 7-10 Olathe, KS Shooters (913) 780-5740 9-Ball Open/Ladies $65/$50 $4,000 July 16-17 Houston, TX Rose Country (281) 590-1954 Tiger Amateur Tour $40 $1,000 Jul 23-24 Tulsa, OK Magoo’s (918) 663-3364 OB Cues Women’s Tour Call Call Aug 6-7 Houston, TX Slick Willie’s (281) 679-5510 Tiger Amateur Tour $40 $750

TIME Call Call Call Call Call Noon 11 AM Call 10 AM 11 AM Call Online Call

Call 6:00PM 11:00AM 1 PM 8 PM 8 PM 1 PM Call 1 PM

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18 Rackem Magazine - May 2011

June 24-26 Summer Shootout Fargo, ND $3,000 added

Spring Is In The Air...

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Time To Rock The Riv!

$750,000 35th BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships May 11-22, 2011 Riviera Hotel & Casino Las Vegas Baby!

May 12-15, 2011 $10,000 Added

May 16-21, 2011 $25,000 Added

BCAPL National 9-Ball Championships 9-Ball Challenge May 11-12 9-Ball Open Singles May 12 9-Ball Teams May 21-22

LIVE STREAM / PPV Free for Riviera Guests FOR INFORMATION ON ALL EVENTS VISIT:

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