SPM Magazine Issue 25 Featuring 5x Jr. National Champaion and Mosconi Cup pick for women's warm-up by SPM Billiards Magazine

-What’s Inside This Issue of Sneaky Pete Mafia MagazineArticles

Page 3

Garret Troop

A Word from SPM CEO Garret Troop

Page 5 Page 7 Page 11

Calvin Post

Keep Your Eyes on the Ball

Calvin Post

Chalk Up and Don’t Scratch

Page 15 Page 21

SPM

Pocket Billiards High Runs List All Time

Kat Day

April Larson “The Grinder,” Going To 2021 Mosconi Cup

Page 29

Max Eberle

Winning Ugly

Page 33

Suzanne Smith

Darren ‘Dynamite’ Appleton

Page 39 Page 41 Page 47 Page 51

Garret Troop

Jacoby’s KW Shaft

Anthony Beeler

A December to Remember

Brian Pauley

Abram Diaz Interview

Jeremy Mason

Excerpt: “Headcase”

Page 55

Patrick Sampey

Continuing Billiards

Page 59

Calvin Post

The Great Bar Player vs. The Great Pro Player

Page 61

Dominic Esposito Meet Dominic Esposito, The Drill Instructor

Page 63

Carl Stewart

Mistakes

Page 55

Anthony Beeler

Keys to Winning on Pool’s Biggest Stage

Dominic Esposito The Tip Kick Method

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Black by Jacoby

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Brad Swain

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Peri Cues

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Anthony Beeler

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SPM 2021MediaKit

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Simonis

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Pool for Jimmy

A Word From SPM CEO Garret Troop As SPM evolves, we are always very excited to bring to you the utmost up-to-date and relevant stories in our industry. I am beyond proud to announce that we are featuring April Larson on the cover of this issue. I have personally known April since she was 12. I have say evolves, that there no better for our sport. Asto SPM weisare alwaysambassador very

excited to bring to you the most up to

Our sport needs more women and

In watching April grow and get better and better many foes and friends have been creatdate and relevant stories in our industry. players like April in it. Now the longer ed. She has the professionalism and leadership skills to take our sport single-handedly to you are in the industry the longer that I amwe beyond proud where all want it to to be.announce that we

are featuring April Larson on the cover you see this happen with no reason. When theissue. article were finished, Emily announced Matchroom She isFrazer no longer the littleon girl I first met of this I and haveinterview personally known about the women’s “warm up” at the 2021 Mosconi Cup. Since then, that has been canApril since she was 12. I have to say that playing with her Pechauer cue as she has celed. I was not given a reason why and we have reached out to Emily Freezer for a staterepresented that company like no other. there nomatter, better ambassador for ourno communication. ment on is this and there has been sport. Our sport needs more women and players like April Larson. you human are in the Best of luck toThe thislonger precious in industry, the longer you see this happen for no reason. She is no longer the little girl I her endless endeavors. In the process of watching April grow first met playing with her Pechauer cue as she has represented that company like no and get better and better many foes and other. I have watched April grow into the friends have been created. She has the Best of luck to this precious humanskills in her endless endeavors. beautiful professional woman that she professionalism and leadership is now. She is the future of our sport to take our sport single handedly to I have watched April grow into the beautiful professional woman that she is now. She is andtoSPM do anything welike canher it and to be. Now when thewhere futurewe of all ourwant sport, SPM will do anything help will promote her and that others to help promote her and others like her this article and of video were recorded, pushing the sport professional billiards. they were going to do a woman’s “warm that are pushing the sport of professional When meet April, you thethen complete, almost childlike optimism that only up” you at the Mosconi cup will andsee since billiards. When you meet April, you someone like her can pull off. She is persistent, capable, worthy, ambassador, strong that has been canceled. I was not givenhuman willbeing. see the almost childlike woman, deserving, and all-around a good In complete addition to that, they call her a reason why and we have reached optimism that only someone like her “The Grinder,” and there is a reason why. out to Emily Frazer for a statement can pull off. In addition to that they call This is a letter to the billiards community and fans of thegrinder” future ofand ourthere sport.is a reason on this matter and there has been no her “the communication. why. She is persistent, capable, worthy, Happy Holidays to all Garret Troop and SPM Magazine

Keep Your Eye By Calvin Post of CJP Billiards

issing shots in pool is frustrating. Nothing like lining up a shot, and then watching it rattle in the pocket or missing a long cut. The hardest thing about missing is learning why you missed and start eliminating the variables so you can find your game’s inner struggles. 5 Reasons why shots are missed! 1. You aren’t on the shot line. The shot line is the path in which your cueball must travel to pocket the ball. If your eye, cue and stance aren’t squarely lined up with the shot line you have already missed the shot before you even took it. Take a step back and think about your alignment of your stroking arm, your dominant eye, and your back foot. All 3 of these are essential to be placed on the shot line to make any shot in pool. 2. You aren’t cueing the ball straight. Spin induced throw happens when the cue ball hits the object ball. Imagine two mechanical gears in a machine. As one gear rotates one way, the other gear rotates opposite. So if you are shooting a straight in shot and miss to the left just a small amount you can look at this data and realize it isn’t your shot line, it’s that every shot made has some accidental right spin that is making the object ball miss to the left. It’s crucial to cue absolutely straight each shot. If you have a flaw in your tip placement it will make it hard to ever fully learn cue ball control. 3. Body Movement. This is the number one struggle I see for misses. In the heat of the moment and under immense pressure body movement can occur. The head and body need to be perfectly still on all shots. Any movement of your body can send the stroke slightly off and make misses. If I find myself

missing frequently the first thing I remember to remind myself is keep the body and head frozen, and to stay down on the shot until the object ball is pocketed. Staying down is crucial because you want to be as still as a statue until the object ball is pocketed. Only time to get out of the way quick is if you plan on drawing the ball backwards and it would hit your cue otherwise. If you can eliminate all body movement and stay down on shots this will tremendously increase your accuracy. 4. Wrong eye pattern. If you look at the cue ball last before shooting you’re doing it wrong. Staring at the object ball is of the upmost importance. This is your target. By looking at the cue ball last you take your eyes off where you are aiming and essentially are shooting blind. Trust your muscle memory to hit the cue ball without you staring right at it. This takes some practice and time. My eye pattern is as follows. Eyes on object ball. Eyes on cue ball to verify tip placement. Eyes on object ball. Practice strokes with eyes on object ball. Eyes on object ball while striking the cue ball sending the shot. With this eye pattern I’m always focusing on where to hit on the object ball. This keeps my accuracy and focus on where to hit with the cue ball at the object ball rather than on my tip hitting the cue ball. I know this sounds rather simple but it’s something that new players don’t think about right out of the gate. #5 Aim while standing. This one is HUGE! When you are planning a shot commit to one plan. 5

es on the Ball Address the angle, spin, and pace of the shot needed before you get down on the shot. If you get down and feel uncomfortable or disagree with your decision of how the shot should play, stand back up and reset. NEVER make any adjustments while down on the shot. Your body was setup to play the shot a certain way. Your stance and feet were set on the original plan’s shot line. So if you change the plan midway through your body and stroke may be misaligned now. It’s always safe to stand back up, rethink your plan, commit to the shot, and then get back down on the shot again with your new plan.

I could rattle off another dozen reasons why shots are missed, but I hope this quick read on these 5 may have helped you realize some of your mistakes or perhaps taught you something you didn’t know. There is nothing more empowering than figuring out what’s wrong in your own pool game, and correcting it. Chalk up, and don’t scratch! Calvin @ CJPBilliards

ONE RAIL

The Tip Kick M

By Dominic Esposito. aka, T

nother fabulous installment from The Drill Instructor this month! You can have the pool game you desire. I will show you how to drill in good habits. Shots will appear in your mind and disappear quickly into the pockets.

The Tip Kick System can Make a Tough Kick Shot Simple This month I want to teach you the first part of my Tip Kick System. The shots as diagramed in this article include the kinds of workouts I used to turn pro at a young age, but they’ll enhance your billiards skills no matter where you are now. The Tip Kick System and several other kicking methodologies by The Drill Instructor can be found in my 52 Advanced Shots book and DVD on the website,

thedrillinstructor.us

Here’s Your Drill from The Drill Instructor With the cue ball as shown or from your choice of 6 inches up to 3 diamonds out from the rail on a line parallel to “DSP 0” (Diamond Starting Point 0): • Shoot with one tip of right English directly into the DCP “Diamond Contact Point” to kick to hit the 1-ball a diamond away at DTP 1 • Shoot with two tips of right English directly into the DCP to kick for the 2-ball two diamonds down the rail at DTP 1 • You guessed right if you said “shoot using three tips tip of right English into the DCP will likewise score the 3-ball in the side pocket Notice I’ve marked each diamond with a reference number. The cue ball location is always given a starting number of zero.

L KICKING with

Method

The Drill Instructor

The Drill Instructor The Tip Kick Method

One problem is the angle in and out you might take for an easier path in the diagram is blocked by another object ball now, the 9-ball. A good alternative is to play the cue ball directly into the long rail across from you.

There may be any number of reasons why you’d need to use The Drill Instructor’s Tip Kick System. For the lesson in this month’s feature article, imagine that your opponent has executed a quality safety play, placing your cue ball behind a cluster of balls or just one tough one as shown. You’ve got to kick at your target and make a good hit to avoid a foul and ball-in-hand.

Chalk Up and D

By Calvin Post of CJP Billiards

here are a lot of things here in pool that are just straight myths. I see on a lot of groups these typical round table discussions on the same worn out topics with hundreds of wrong opinions. I want to cover some of controversy and provide factual statements. You can’t buy a stroke. No matter wood or carbon fiber, and no matter Low Deflection or High Deflection the price and material of the shaft doesn’t make you a better player. All low deflection allows for is to add more spin while staying on the shot line. This technology allows a player to incorporate more spin to their game without having to compensate for the deflection found in a typical hard wood shaft. It’s the Indian and not the arrow. A good stroke to pot balls is learned over time, not taught. With proper training and mental adjustment made for whatever cue you are shooting with, one cue is not better than the other. Just different. Many people fall under the assumption a carbon fiber cue will fix their stroke, and help them pot balls easier. This is not the case. The only major plus for carbon fiber over wood is durability. Carbon fiber is 10 times stronger than steel. It is hard to scratch and put nicks/dents in it. Carbon fiber is easy to clean with an alcohol wipe, and when cleaned feels brand new again. This also makes them worth their inflated price because these shafts can last damage free for a lifetime. All LEATHER tips generally make the same amount of contact and spin when striking the cue ball. The tip of your cue touches the cue ball for such little time during your stroke. As long as a leather tip is shaped properly, and a steady comfortable stroke is used all leather tips can produce the same results. The key here to remember is all tips feel different. This feel is how you as a pool player connect to your shots. So it’s

important to find a durable tip, and one that you enjoy the feedback off of. But don’t get hung up on all these new tips coming to market if you love the one you’ve been using. No fancy tip will make you any better a player just by buying it. Chalk is another thing subject 100% to personal preference. Key factors to consider are how long it sticks to the tip, cleanliness on hands, table, balls, and it’s overall price. All chalk works the same in principle. So use what you like. Cheap old masters, and $25 Taom work the same. Don’t get caught up on having to use pricey chalk if you really enjoy cheap chalk. Aiming systems. Whew, the most controversial topic here in pool. Yes, they indeed work. There are many popular methods. Some of the most notable are Ghost Ball, Fractional, and CTE. If you find an aiming system works for your game, do not let others discourage you from using it. Yes “feel” works as well and many pro players just feel how each shot should go and shoot it. There are conscious and subconscious aiming systems. Conscious is an actual thought process. Considering your math and system and mentally thinking about it each shot. A subconscious system is trusting your muscles and “feel” to do the work for you calculating. The player simply thinks “Low left so I can come back down the table” and then their muscles and subconscious make this visualization happen. There is always some type of aiming system happening in all shots it’s just important to see whether it’s a mental thought process, or years of repetition and muscle process being used. Neither are wrong if you can successfully navigate the table, and run racks. Pro Players play with what they are paid to use. Many posts I see claim “Many pros in this tournament aren’t using carbon fiber, is the fad 11

Don’t Scratch

over?” This is a worn out topic. See my first paragraph on shafts. It’s the Indian not the arrow. Carbon fiber won’t ever go away. It’s proven it’s worth as suitable material for low deflection shafts. So it’s all what the Pro is paid to play with, or they just prefer a wood shaft from their sponsor. I feel that this covers the majority of all the equipment controversies I always see players asking about. There are no myths or magical things to buy or learn to make yourself a better pool player.

Learning this game and executing it in a high level is a hard task. One that takes hours upon hours of practice to get good at. Don’t get frustrated if a part of your game is lacking. Keep working on your weak areas and before you know it you’ll break and run. Then a few times each night, and then back to back or even more. Chalk up, and don’t scratch! - Calvin @ CJPBilliards 12

Pocket Billiards HIG Arthur “Babe” Cranfield, straight pool, 768 balls, unofficial Tom Parker, straight pool, 642 balls, unofficial, as told to Dick Leonard; may not have be witnessed by other individuals from beginning to end Michael Eufemia, straight pool, 626 balls Willie Mosconi, straight pool, 608 balls (Mosconi has said his highest practice runs on a 9’ table are 608 and 589) Willie Mosconi, straight pool, 526 balls on an 8’ table in 1954 in Springfield, OH (the official record, with 35 witness signatures) Min-Wai Chin, straight pool, 500+ balls (but why is the exact number of balls not known?) Thomas Engert, straight pool, 491 balls (the number has been reported as 492 elsewhere, but Engert himself signs autographs with the number 491) Babe Cranfield, straight pool, 32 racks (approx. 450 balls), witnessed by Dave Capone, who racked for Cranfield Gene Nagy, straight pool, 430 balls (Nagy was an “underground” shark who reportedly had 20 or more runs of 200 balls) Dallas West, straight pool, 429 balls (according to Mark Wilson, Dallas West had three runs of 400 or more balls on 5x10 tables) Ray “Cool Cat” Martin, straight pool, 426 balls Allen “Young Hoppe” Hopkins, 421 balls

Arthur “Babe” Cranfield, straight pool, 420 balls, in Syracuse on a 10’ table, before a sizeable audience, per George Fels Thorsten “The Hitman” Hohmann, straight pool, 408 balls Earl “The Pearl” Strickland, straight pool, 408 balls Alain Martel, straight pool, 408 balls John Schmidt, straight pool, 403 balls (he also has runs of 400 and 294 balls) Jose Garcia, straight pool, 396 balls Wendell Weir, straight pool, 389 balls Jack Colavita, straight pool, 385 balls Joe “the Meatman” Basis, straight pool, had a run of around 375 balls, and several others of 300 or more, according to Larry Guninger Willie Mosconi, straight pool, runs of 365, 355, 322 and 309 balls from 1945-1953 (according to Larry Guninger, he saw Mosconi run 200 or more balls at least 20 times!) Johnny Ervolino, straight pool, 361 balls Dennis Hatch, straight pool, 360 balls Klaus Zobreskis, straight pool, 356 balls Sailor Barge, straight pool 10’, 356 balls Welker Cochran, 18.1 balkline, 353 balls in an exhibition 15

GH RUNS LIST ALL TIME Stanley Robison, straight pool, around 350 balls (Robison ran 200 balls against Mosconi in exhibition in Boise, until Willie grabbed the mike and said “I am the one putting on the exhibition!”)

Danny DiLiberto, straight pool, 308 balls

Werner Duregger, straight pool, 349 balls

Pan Andre, straight pool, 306 balls

George “Ginky” SanSouci, straight pool, 344 balls (with another reported run of 252 balls)

Shane Van Boening, straight pool, 305 balls

George Mecula, straight pool, 336 balls (“He would run 100 once or twice a day for years.”) Peter Margo, straight pool, has a high run of 330 balls in the World Series of Pool, held in Arlington, Virginia, in 1978 Grady Matthews, straight pool, 327 balls Oliver Ortmann, straight pool, 326 balls Werner Duregger, straight pool, 326 balls Dick Leonard, straight pool, 326 balls Davy Daya, straight pool, 323 balls (Daya also has a run of 309 balls, and several others of 200 or more) Steve Mizerak, straight pool, 321 balls Pete Fusco, straight pool, 321 balls Alexander Wanner, straight pool, 320 balls Mike Sigel, straight pool, 319 balls

Frank “the Inexorable Snail” Taberski, 14.1 continuous “straight pool,” 307 consecutive balls in multiple matches, in 1927

Roger Griffis, straight pool, 304 balls Ralph Greenleaf, straight pool, 287 balls (he also had runs of 272, 267, 263, 206, 169, 155, 137 and 101 from 1918-1935; some of these were records at the time and on 5x10 tables, no less!) Erwin Rudolph, straight pool, 277 balls in 1935. (Chicago Tribune, March 12, 1935. p. 25) Ralph Greenleaf, continuous pool, 263 balls in an exhibition at Sacramento, CA, in 1923 Ralf Souquet, 8-ball, 27 racks while preparing for the IPT, confirmed on his website, approximately 216 consecutive balls with a very high degree of difficulty Darren Appleton, straight pool, 200 balls in a single inning (unfinished) on his first shot, in a match against Francisco Bustamante at New York in 2013 (the straight pool equivalent of a “perfect game”)

Bob Maidhof, straight pool, 316 balls

Keith McCready, 9-ball, 21 racks on a bar table at Hard Times, Costa Mesa, CA, allegedly confirmed by KM during a podcast, approximately 189 balls with a super-high degree of difficulty

Irving Crane, straight pool, 309 balls in 1939 (this was the record before Mosconi started his streak of runs in 1945)

“Iron” Joe Procita, straight pool, 182 balls, the still-standing tournament record for a 5x10 table (he set the tournament record against the official 16

Arthur “Babe” Cranfield, straight pool, 768 balls, unofficial Tom Parker, straight pool, 642 balls, unofficial, as told to Dick Leonard; may not have be witnessed by other individuals from beginning to end Michael Eufemia, straight pool, 626 balls Willie Mosconi, straight pool, 608 balls (Mosconi has said his highest practice runs on a 9’ table are 608 and 589) Willie Mosconi, straight pool, 526 balls on an 8’ table in 1954 in Springfield, OH (the official record, with 35 witness signatures) Min-Wai Chin, straight pool, 500+ balls (but why is the exact number of balls not known?) Thomas Engert, straight pool, 491 balls (the number has been reported as 492 elsewhere, but Engert himself signs autographs with the number 491) Babe Cranfield, straight pool, 32 racks (approx. 450 balls), witnessed by Dave Capone, who racked for Cranfield Gene Nagy, straight pool, 430 balls (Nagy was an “underground” shark who reportedly had 20 or more runs of 200 balls)

John Schmidt, straight pool, 403 balls (he also has runs of 400 and 294 balls) Jose Garcia, straight pool, 396 balls Wendell Weir, straight pool, 389 balls Jack Colavita, straight pool, 385 balls Joe “the Meatman” Basis, straight pool, had a run of around 375 balls, and several others of 300 or more, according to Larry Guninger Willie Mosconi, straight pool, runs of 365, 355, 322 and 309 balls from 1945-1953 (according to Larry Guninger, he saw Mosconi run 200 or more balls at least 20 times!) Johnny Ervolino, straight pool, 361 balls Dennis Hatch, straight pool, 360 balls Klaus Zobreskis, straight pool, 356 balls Sailor Barge, straight pool 10’, 356 balls Welker Cochran, 18.1 balkline, 353 balls in an exhibition

Dallas West, straight pool, 429 balls (according to Mark Wilson, Dallas West had three runs of 400 or more balls on 5x10 tables)

Stanley Robison, straight pool, around 350 balls (Robison ran 200 balls against Mosconi in exhibition in Boise, until Willie grabbed the mike and said “I am the one putting on the exhibition!”)

Ray “Cool Cat” Martin, straight pool, 426 balls

Werner Duregger, straight pool, 349 balls

Allen “Young Hoppe” Hopkins, 421 balls

George “Ginky” SanSouci, straight pool, 344 balls (with another reported run of 252 balls)

Oliver Ortmann, straight pool, 326 balls Werner Duregger, straight pool, 326 balls Dick Leonard, straight pool, 326 balls

the record before Mosconi started his streak of runs in 1945) Danny DiLiberto, straight pool, 308 balls

Davy Daya, straight pool, 323 balls (Daya also has a run of 309 balls, and several others of 200 or more)

Frank “the Inexorable Snail” Taberski, 14.1 continuous “straight pool,” 307 consecutive balls in multiple matches, in 1927

Steve Mizerak, straight pool, 321 balls

Pan Andre, straight pool, 306 balls

Pete Fusco, straight pool, 321 balls

Shane Van Boening, straight pool, 305 balls

Alexander Wanner, straight pool, 320 balls Mike Sigel, straight pool, 319 balls

Roger Griffis, straight pool, 304 balls

Bob Maidhof, straight pool, 316 balls Irving Crane, straight pool, 309 balls in 1939 (this was

Ralph Greenleaf, straight pool, 287 balls (he also had runs of 272, 267, 263, 206, 169, 155, 137 and 101 from 1918-1935; some of these were records at the time and on 5x10 tables, no less!)

April Larson, “The Going to 2021 Mosc sponsor Scott Barrett and the IBA pool League. IBA is the only pool league that Larson has ever played. After asking April where she is today in her billiards career, Larson revealed that she would play at the 2021 Mosconi Cup! “My biggest dream that I never ever thought would be possible came true, and I am going to be involved in the Mosconi Cup,” states April Larson’ The Grinder.’ “I grew up knowing that women aren’t involved unless you earn your spot in the men’s rankings. It wasn’t a possibility unless you are God on a table for a female. It was a goal in the back of my mind to someday prove everybody wrong.”

pril Larson is a 21-year-old female National Champion pool player. Her nickname is “The Grinder.” April comes from a family of billiards players on her father’s side. Larson is originally from Bloomington, Minnesota, where her billiards life began, playing with her dad David Larson. April spent a lot of time with her father’s side of the family to keep her from fighting with her sister when she was younger. Separating April Larson and her sister was supposed to be a punishment to stop the bickering and fighting. “This is the best thing that could have happened to me!” states April Larson! “Spending time with my dad’s side of the family was not a punishment. I loved hanging out with them!” April was about nine years old when first introduced to the billiards life. Larson started picking up a cue the following year. She first started playing on her family team, “Nascar Crew,” she thinks was the name. April discusses the main league she grew up in, with

“So, the World Pool Championships were in June, and the US Open was in September. Emily Frazier said if I competed in the US Open, I would have a chance at getting invited to play at the Mosconi Cup 2021 Warm Up Match in December at Alexandra Palace in London,” stated April Larson, “The Grinder.” Jennifer Barretta will be April’s teammate at the 2021 Mosconi Cup Warm-Ups. Mosconi Cup 2021 will be the first year to have women playing. Team US, Barretta, and Larson will be playing against Team Europe, Kristina Tkach and Kelly Fisher. Larson talks about two billiards players she admires. Allison Fisher took Larson in around the age of 15 or 16 and helped Larson grow. Larson truly admires Fisher as well as forms a special bond with Alison. “Allison Fisher is an incredible person and an amazing pool player,” states April Larson. For men, Larson looks up to Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan, who was Larson’s partner in South Carolina, and they got third. She states that Pagulayan brings fun back to the game, plus he is an incredible player, said, Larson. April has played many big billiards pros. When asked what it was like to play against Jeanette Lee, Larson 21

e Grinder” coni Cup By Kat Day

states it was terrific. Larson discusses Lee’s Black Widow Camp for the Atlantic Challenge Cup. Larson shares how Lee has helped her grow as a player. Lee stayed and watched a Larson’s Match in South Carolina and stayed till 2 am. Lee came up to Larson after the Match and complimented her playing, which meant a lot to Larson.

sponsor is Pechauer Custom Cues, and April states they have been with her the longest and are like family to her. Jam Up Apparel is another one of Larson’s Sponsors and makes all of Larson’s custom shirts. Larson boasts on the dope fade style that Jam up creates for her! She has five of their shirts that have an excellent fade.

Larson loves to get down in a match, and this is how she got the name ‘The Grinder.’ Larson starts freewheeling, and let’s go. Larson explains how when players get down to like 8-0 some players tap out. But this is quite the opposite for Larson. She receives a small lapse of pure focus and grinds back!

TNT Billiards, out of Minnesota, has been with April like Pechauer. Dunnski Dungeon is a billiards influencer that April represents, and Dominic Dunn was hosting her while she was in Florida for the Interview. Clinkers Ultd is a new sponsor, and April is part of their stable. Kamui is Larson’s tip and chalk sponsor.

Larson talks about her sponsors; her number one

Castillo Leather Goods makes her cases. Castillo is making her a particular case right now! April likes having a lot of Sponsors and wearing them all proudly on her shirts! Larson claims that many people look at her like a Nascar driver with different sponsors on her shirt! One more of Larson’s big sponsors is IBA Pool Leagues. April feels that having many avenues of sponsors helps in taking care of her needs.

Pechauer Pool Cue to the Mosconi with her! When asked what her favorite game of pool to play is, Larson responded that her favorite is straight pool right now! She loves to see balls going into a pocket! Who doesn’t? Larson also likes rotation games like 9-ball or 10-ball.Larson was asked if she works,

April recently moved to represent Stixx and Stones Billiards out of Lewisville, Texas. Stixx and Stones is Larson’s newest sponsor, and she moved to Lewisville to represent the Billiards Hall and practice and play there to bring in more pool players. Larson also moved to Texas to play with Chris Reinhold. Who besides being a great pool player also does a lot of Larson’s professional photography. You can find Chris Reinhold Photography on Facebook. Reinhold has a separate page for his athlete page: Chris Reinhold Pool Player. April’s favorite Pool Cue is her Pechauer Custom Cue that she had made just for her and has used for the last six years! Larson states that she had a ton of pearl and abalone put into her cue. Pechauer has offered to make April a new custom cue, and she tells them No, Thank you. “I am so happy with the cue I have; it is the cue of my dreams. Why would I want another one?” states Larson. Larson will be taking her

Larson says she considers Stixx and Stones her job right now. She goes there every day to practice and bring people in to check the place out. Larson loves the cleanliness of the Stixx and Stones! “It is so refreshing to come in and have a clean table every single time,” states Larson! “Granted, Stixx and Stones is a bar, but the bar is always wiped and dry and there is never a mess. It is always so clean,” states April Larson, “It is beautiful!” When asked what her goals are for the next five years, “I would like to win a WPBA event; I think that would be huge under my belt. Just making the team, and obviously, I would love to win the World Games! Just making the team would be great, then I can concentrate on winning! “Larson is a gal that has strong goals! I want to make it on to the World Games’ Team USA’, at some point in time, whether it is 2022 or 2025 or 2026 since it got pushed back because of COVID.” When asked if Larson saw herself having kids, her answer was super-fast, and she replied, “absolutely not!” She is a family person and has a strong relationship with her family but does not see kids in her future. April has a fond memory of a tournament she went to while attending College for Finance at Lindenwood University. She was at Ho Chuck Casino in Wisconsin. 24

This was her first pro-event while at Lindenwood. Two of her friends walk into the joint wearing Grinder’s Security Team on their shirts. Larson states how she played out of her mind that night. She played Seming Chen, ranked number one, and April won 7-5 or 8-6. She can’t remember the score exactly, but she had her own security team as well as her dad!

April has toured in Austria, Italy, Russia, London, China, Taiwan, South Africa, Germany. She remembers Germany and staying at a Ski Resort on the top of a mountain during a snowstorm and how all the houses resembled Gingerbread houses as they drove up the hill to the Ski Resort they were staying at. She was 12 years old at the time!

April will be getting a bachelor’s in Finance from Lindenwood. This amazing young lady will go far in the billiards world! When asked if her dream job would be in Finance or to be a professional pool player and without a doubt, Larson will be a professional pool player!

Look out Mosconi Warm-Ups 2021. Here comes April Larson the Grinder! You can find April on Instagram under “The Grinder.” Larson can also be found on her two Facebook pages. You can find April on Facebook at April Larson Pool, or at April Larson.

When this article was written April was going to the Mosconi Cup. She was notified later after she was all packed up and ready to go that for unknown reasons the women’s warm up match at Alexandria Palace was canceled. I tried to reach out to Emily Frazer for a response and never got a reply. So sad! This would have been a great match in London! Maybe they canceled the womans match due to Covid? There has been no definate reason. This journalist just knows how excited April Larson was to be going and tto paly in the Mosconi Warm-up Match! Maybe they will find a way to make it up to you! Just keep playing like you do April! You are a true inspiration to the Billiards Game!

SPM Dedication 26

Erwin Rudolph, straight pool, 277 balls in 1935. (Chicago Tribune, March 12, 1935. p. 25) Ralph Greenleaf, continuous pool, 263 balls in an exhibition at Sacramento, CA, in 1923 Ralf Souquet, 8-ball, 27 racks while preparing for the IPT, confirmed on his website, approximately 216 consecutive balls with a very high degree of difficulty Darren Appleton, straight pool, 200 balls in a single inning (unfinished) on his first shot, in a match against Francisco Bustamante at New York in 2013 (the straight pool equivalent of a “perfect game”) Keith McCready, 9-ball, 21 racks on a bar table at Hard Times, Costa Mesa, CA, allegedly confirmed by KM during a podcast, approximately 189 balls with a super-high degree of difficulty “Iron” Joe Procita, straight pool, 182 balls, the stillstanding tournament record for a 5x10 table (he set the tournament record against the official world record holder, Willie Mosconi, in 1954) Jennifer Chen, straight pool, 158 balls, the women’s record Jeanette Lee, straight pool, 152 balls Irving Crane, straight pool, ran 150 balls and out against Joe Balsis in the finals of the 1966 US Open championship Jean Balukas, straight pool, 134 balls Ruth McGinnis, straight pool, 128 balls (she also had runs of 125 and 85) Jasmin Ouschan, straight pool, 120 balls (her brother Albin is also a world champion pool player; in 2008 Jasmin finished third in a major men’s tournament, defeating Mikka Immonen and Oliver Ortmann)

William Clearwater, continuous pool, 97 balls on a 10-foot table Alfredo de Oro, continuous pool, 91 balls against Joseph Keough, in 1910 Mike Massey, 9-ball, 13 racks when McDermott cues was sponsoring him in the 80’s Johnny Archer, 9-ball, 13 racks against Francisco Bustamante, gambling for $5,000 Mika Immonen, 9-ball, 12 racks against Ray Doherty at Classic Billiards in Phoenixville, PA Earl Strickland, 9-ball, 11 racks against Nick Mannino at a C. J. Wiley event, witnessed by Jay Helfert, who racked the last five games Ronnie Allen, 1-pocket, 6 racks on a Brunswick Gold Crown table, spotting 10-8 (witnessed by Freddy “The Beard” Bentivegna) David Matlock, 9 ball on Barbox, 28 racks, approximately 252 balls Randy “Fat Randy” Wallace, 9 ball 28 racks 2x in a row with one miss in between each set. Approximately 504 balls with one miss. Niels Feijen, 9-ball, 15 racks or approximately 135 balls, with a super-high degree of difficulty, while preparing for the 4th Open Weert 9-Ball Championship Gabe “the babe” Owens, one pocket ghost 4 racks perfect 60. Eddie “the Knoxville Bear”, Bank pool, 37 balls without a miss in competition David “Blackjack” Sapolis, 14.1, 212 ball run Larry Lisciotti , 14.1, 356 balls

William Clearwater, straight pool, 118 balls in an early straight pool exhibition

Andrew Cleary, 3 ball, 5 racks plus 2 before catching a skid....approximately 17 balls

Line “Eye Chart” Kvoersvik, straight pool, 116 balls

Joe “the meatman” Balsis , 14.1, 250+ balls 27

Winning Ugly By Max Eberle

~ Max Eberle M

any times if you missed the end of a pool match but saw the players walking away, you can tell who won or lost from their body language alone. Not all the time, but many times. What this shows is that winning is important for most players. Of course it is. Now if you are a pool purist, playing great but still losing should give you at least the satisfaction of a game well played. At least a little. But still, in competition it is the win that we want as our result. Because of this I ask you to fight like a pit bull in every match. We all know that playing pool comes with no guarantee that you will play your best or even your average game every time. So we will indeed experience lapses in playing well and this will occur where it hurts the most, in a tournament or money match. The trick is to keep fighting like a champion boxer. I don’t care if you are getting hit with a barrage of

punches and tripping all over yourself. You don’t give up. You keep bearing down. Even if your run outs are just plain ulglier than normal and you are tight and choppy—make it work the best you can. This is called winning ugly. There is actually a book called Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert and Steve Jamison and I recommend it. They are tennis players, yet this applies beautifully to pool. If you aren’t dabbing them too pretty, who cares. Your main goal at the moment is to win. You don’t want to be the guy with the losing body language after the match. Somehow winning ugly has the magic effect of making you walk out of the arena with your head held high. Who knows, you just might find yourself winning pretty in your next match. Comon, just gitr done. If it’s looking ugly, who cares? It’s still winning. Win ugly if you must.

Darren Dynam By Suzanne Smith

arren Appleton was born August 2, 1976, in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. He had a simple childhood and he grew up a “normal” kid. Although his parents didn’t have much money they always got by. Darren’s dad was a handy man—mostly a mechanic. He was the guy everyone came to when something needed to be fixed, so he had many different jobs. His mother worked in a sewing factory for years. Both are retired now and they spend a lot of time with their grandkids and keeping up on Darren’s worldwide adventures via the internet and TV. They are very proud of all that Darren has done. When I asked Darren who had been the biggest influence in his life, with no hesitation, he told me: “I always looked up to my brothers and especially my dad. He knew everything and I learned so much from him.”

competitive relationship with his brothers. According to Darren, Craig was always very athletic. As a youth, he was a very good boxer but a broken hand early in his career, ended his boxing dreams. For the past few years he has been competing in triathlons comparable to the Iron Man. Darren admires his brother’s physical prowess.

Band of Brothers

Growing up, Darren has many fond memories of his family, including going camping and enjoying holidays away from school. Like many kids, Darren didn’t really enjoy school, except for physical education. He absolutely loved competitive sports, primarily

Darren has two brothers, Craig and Shane. Growing up, Darren was close to them and I am confident his ambition in life stemmed from being raised in a highly

“He’s so fit, it’s sick,” were Darren’s words. Shane is Darren’s oldest brother. Like Darren, Shane was also a professional pool player at English 8 Ball and briefly tried American pool but now he does not really play. Darren’s first exposure to the pool league environment was with Shane at a pub called Frog and Firkin in Knottingley, Pontefract. They even won the doubles championship together in 1992 when Darren was only 16 years of age.

mite Appleton soccer, but then followed in his brother’s footsteps and got involved with boxing. They have a big boxing background in their family but at age 15, Darren discovered the world of billiards and got hooked. It took a couple of years, but at seventeen he stopped boxing and played less soccer due to pool tournaments and local leagues. Darren had been exposed to snooker on family vacations and a little bit of English 8 Ball growing up. They even had a 6 foot table that belonged to his brother at home, but Darren never really took the game that seriously. At twelve years old, the table was sold, and he wouldn’t play again until he was 15. Darren’s cousin Andy Appleton was a top professional English 8 Ball player in the UK. Really his first exposure to high level competition was all due to Andy. Darren says that “Andy was the biggest billiards influence when I was a kid and I learned a lot from him by watching him play in exhibitions and tournaments. I was a good student.” At sixteen years of age, Darren decided to leave school and take the necessary steps to become a professional pool player. Darren never had any coaching; he just jumped in with both feet and started competing. Taking it to the next level Darren’s biggest win in his early years was beating his cousin Andy Appleton. He was Darren’s idol, so when he beat him in tournaments locally and nationally, it gave him the belief that he could beat anybody in the world. At the time, Andy was ranked 4th in the world in English 8 Ball. In 1996, Darren turned pro and in his very first tournament he won! He was the first player in English 8 Ball history to do that. He beat the World No. 2 at the time named Rob Hill 9-8. That was the moment he believed he was going to be the best player. One year later, Darren was ranked World No. 1 in English 8 Ball. What are your proudest moments? 1. Winning Junior National Title first attempt

2. 1992 winning national amateur championships with over 1000 entries at 18, first attempt 3. Winning my first professional title, Hilton Professional Championship 4. Becoming World No. 1 within 2 years 5. Winning first television tournament in 1998, first time appearance on TV (Sky Sports International Masters) Later on in my English 8 Ball career, I won over 35 major titles worldwide, was four time European Champion, ranked World No. 1 for 6-7 years, won over 200 titles, and represented the England team for 9-10 years and won six world team titles in those years. Darren is one of the most well-known and respected competitors in the pool world. For the rest of this interview, I felt like the best way to really understand Darren’s perspective is to read his words. Tell me about your professional career and moments that have defined you as a player. Around 2005, I started to lose motivation for English 8 Ball, due to politics, bad organization, constant changing of the rules, and lack of prize money and TV exposure. I started to think about American pool from then. In August of 2005, I saw a flier for the IPT. I told a few guys (Mick Hill, Karl Boyes, etc.) and we decided to apply to join the tour. A few months later we were accepted into this multi-million dollar tour. After that it was 90% American pool 10% English 8 Ball for me. IPT was the best memory. It was a dream even though it was short lived. I made about $60,000 from two events and we felt like we were treated like royalty. That made me who I am today, and I have a lot of thanks to Mr. Trudeau. Obviously it was sick that it didn’t continue. When it folded in the winter of 2006, I decided I wanted to play 9 Ball, 10 Ball etc and traveled to the Philippines. I ended up spending about six months of the next year there playing huge money games every day against players like Kiamco, Corteza, Gomez, and De Luna. 34

I won more than I lost during that period and I learned so much from them. It also made me very mentally strong. After that, I went to America and spent three months on the road. I played many matches and won nearly every match. Later on, I found out I probably gave too much weight to the guys I beat but I outran the nuts and it makes me proud when I look back. The back end of 06-07 was my learning/gambling period. My stake horse and I went 50/50 on all my matches and sometimes we let other guys bet if the money was huge. It was a great time and we made good money. In that time, I must’ve played around 100 matches and won about 75. At English 8 Ball, I was regarded as the greatest money player of all time by my peers. So 2008 was my time to start playing tournaments full time. I played the GB9 tour, Euro Tour, Derby City Classic, BCA, US Open, WPA events, etc. I did play some tournaments but not enough to gain a ranking because I missed too many due to my time on the road in Manila and the States. 2008 was my first full year focused on tournaments and I felt ready to win. I won my first straight pool title at Derby City Classic in January. A few months later I won the US Bar Table Championships 10 Ball Division. The month after that, I won the Euro Tour in Italy which was a big one. In the UK, I got to 6-7 consecutive finals on the GB9 Tour, winning 4 back to back. It’s still a record now. In October the same year, I went back to Manila for the World 10 Ball Championships, the first one to have $100k to the winner, so the field was full of champions. Amazingly, I won it. I fulfilled my childhood dream so it was very emotional for me and my family because it was my first world title. Previous to this, I lost in 2 world finals in English 8 Ball. So this World 10 Ball title was 10 times bigger and more important. It was a huge weight off my shoulders, but more importantly, it gave me the belief and confidence to go on and win more titles and be one of the best in the world. Out of all the titles I won, looking back I would have to say the World 10 Ball title has been my greatest achievement. My other proud moments of course would be the back to back US Open titles, back to back Challenge of Champions titles, World 9 Ball Champion, winning World Pool Masters, my first Matchroom tournaments, and now my fifth consecutive Mosconi appearance this December,

winning three of the last four. Also, being named Mosconi MVP 2010, 2010 Player of the year and 3x World Ranked No. 1. World Games champion… it’s all been a dream in such a short space of time.” Tell me about your goals & dreams for the future. “My goals are to improve and get better. I want to stay at the top for at least another 10 years and win more world titles and play in at least 10 Mosconi Cups. I would like to get inducted into the Hall of Fame and later start coaching and doing more exhibitions. Maybe one day I would like to promote tournaments or build my own stable of players and start a company or open pool rooms. I don’t know for sure, but I will definitely always be involved in pool. It’s in my blood and I love the game.” Tell me your thoughts on Bonus Ball. “Ok, I’ll be honest because I like to speak my mind. Early days, I was excited and I could see the potential. I like the game and the concept, they invested so much money, but there were a lot of road blocks before it got started. So much money spent but nothing on marketing and the stream was poor and done cheap which didn’t make sense with all money spent on the venue. And very bad management, hence why it come tumbling down so quick and so many players out of pocket. Personally, I lost about 10-15k with apartment and furniture and traveling expenses and not once did I receive an apology and they told us lot of lies and false promises and didn’t communicate with the players enough. So I decided to leave. Now, they have got new investor so the league will resume next month but the season cut short to nine matches per team with probably no play offs and less money for the players than originally planned. So early November, we go to finish the season. Hoping to make good film and sell to networks, that’s the only chance. For it to be success they need to employ the right people to run the show and plan better. Do I see a future? I hope so, but they got a lot to do to earn my trust back and I would want guarantees to be interested. But I don’t hold much hope for a bright 35

future. Around 2 million dollars wasted so far we could’ve done great things with that money…shame. Like I said, the league, concept, and the game are great. But good for TV and spectators? Doubtful, I guess…” Tell me about you and Angie: How did you meet? How did you propose? How did you know that she was the one? Angie and I initially saw each other early 2010 and were introduced by a mutual friend. We started speaking at the US Open 2010, after that we kept in touch. I came back to America afterwards and we met up, it just clicked from there and we’ve been together ever since. I proposed in Las Vegas in a quiet setting with our puppy Pixie. I put the ring on Pixie’s collar and got on one knee and asked the question. Pixie lifted her head at the right moment and Angie saw the ring. It was pretty emotional. I’m so glad I involved Pixie because Angie loved that dog more than anything and she sadly passed away two weeks later at 10 months old. I just had an overwhelming feeling about her, that’s how I knew she was the one… the rest is a secret.

A special note from Angie Tran I had the opportunity to chat with Darren’s fiancé, Angie and I asked her if she wouldn’t mind sharing a little bit of her feelings toward Darren.Here is her response: With that said, I knew from the start that he was a keeper. Darren is very generous, funny, loyal, he’s so good to me and he makes me feel like I can achieve anything… I could go on and on. He’s one in a million. I love him to pieces and I’m so thankful to have him in my life. I would do anything for him!” I wish Darren success in all things and am hopeful that you have enjoyed this interview as much as I have. Here are a few other pieces of information for readers to check out. Thanks again and we will see you next issue! Check out Darren’s website! He is open to sponsorship and can be contacted there. Darren’s sponsors are Predator Cues. He has played with predator since starting in 2006, and loves the people. “They been amazing to me!” Also, thanks to them Darren endorses the see system aiming system.

Jacoby’s

By Garret Troop

epending on what you are looking for in the wide variety of pool cue shafts, it is essential to find the one you are most comfortable using. It can be tough to decide on the best shaft for you and your playing style with all the options out on the market. It is choosing between a standard shaft with a straight maple and differing tapers. Or the laminated shafts, mainly composed of different sections of wood cut into pieces that are then glued tighter in other formats and then turned down and tapered. The latest trend is with the carbon fiber shafts that are very stiff and have a significantly low deflection feel on the table. Also, there are torrification wood shafts, better known as a KeilWood shaft. What is your preference? There is a process of taking the wood and baking it at high temperatures for a sustained period. This process takes all the moisture, sap, and sugar out of the wood, makes it stiffer, and gives it a golden baked look just like honey. The name KeilWood is trademarked, and although the process has been around for about the last five years, it’s just getting popular in the previous year or so. This process is also prevalent in the music industry for guitars and other wooden instruments. Each shaft looks and feels different, and it’s up to you to find the shaft that meets and exceeds your specific splaying style. The KeilWood shaft is made out of a straight piece of maple, so you would naturally think that there is little to no LD “low deflection” properties, but that is not the case. The wood Torrication process is about an ounce lighter than your standard shaft giving the shaft its feel on the table. The lightness helps with the LD properties and provides the shaft with a unique feel of a classic wooden shaft that also 39

KW Shaft has an LD feel. The process makes that standard maple shaft stiffer than a traditional wooden shaft. So the lightness and the stiffness give it a unique feel which people are raving over. You definitely can feel that you don’t get as much action on the cue ball with the KW shaft as the Carbon fiber shafts. You can feel the difference in energy transfer of the different shafts that Jacoby offers. The vibration in this shaft gives excellent feedback and feel to the shaft. Jacoby has been a leader in the industry for many years. So it’s no natural surprise that they have entered the market and have the shaft hat they market as the KW by Jacoby shaft. This process of Torrification to the wood makes for a very sturdy new material. I don’t want to dare say dink proof, but that’s where I’m leading as the shaft has its unique feel of ruggedness and fences at the same time. On the low deflection side, it’s on par with most of the shafts out there on the market today. The stiffness isn’t as much as you might find on the cousin shaft being the Carbon Fiber shafts.

standard for keilwood shafts. They offer them in almost all the different joints and tip diameters out there. You can get this shaft in a 29” and a 30”. It has a standard tip of the tiger Everest made by tiger tips. This shaft stands as its great option and an excellent option for those diehard wooden shaft fans that refuse to go to the Dark side of carbon fiber. “Pun intended” I will usually do the pros and cons of a particular shaft, but I can’t find a negative thing to say about it. It’s not a carbon fiber shaft, and it’s not a low deflection shaft, and it’s not a standard maple shaft. It’s the Jacoby Torrification KW shaft, and it stands alone as an alternative to the other shafts on the market with a unique look and feel. This shaft has a great price point and has all the characteristics of a low deflection shaft with a unique look and feel of a standard wooden shaft Dipped in honey. The KW shaft by Jacoby gets the Sneaky Pete Mafia seal of approval.

You can get these shafts from Jacoby at the price point of $350, which is on the lower side of the industry

Watch this video from Cue Listings on the making of the Kielwood Shaft: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf5zdMqr8B4

A DECEMBER T By Anthony Beeler

t was the winter of 2001, and I was 25 years old. The local poolroom in Campbellsville, Kentucky had just been sold and the new owners were starting to put together one of the more competitive 9-Ball tournaments in the state. Pro-player John Brumback had just won the October edition of the event and in November, I finished 2nd to Derby City Classic champion, Shannon Daulton. As I returned in December, the city of Campbellsville was adorned with glowing lights and red bows. I could think of no better Christmas present than to capture my first Rack and Cue title. As I maneuvered through the winner’s bracket, one man caught my attention. The man referred to as “Blevins” was one of my childhood idols.

Mike Blevins was widely known for his success in the Willard’s Billiards, Oneida, Tennessee tournaments held in the mid to late 1990’s. In fact, over the course of a year Mike won nearly all of the monthly tournaments in Oneida, besting numerous top professional players. I won the winners bracket and it seemed predestined that I was going to have face my idol for the championship. Before the final match began, two of my good friends, David “Coon Hunter” Phelps and Denzil Stephens, got me to agree that if I won, I had to take them out to eat at the nicest place in town. As Mike approached me in the finals, eating was the last thing on my mind, the first words out of his mouth were, “Do you want to split the money?” My reply 41

TO REMEMBER! was “No, let’s just roll the dice and see what happens!” Mike won the first match and claimed momentum, defeating me by a score of 5-4. In the second and final set, Blevins broke and ran out the first 2 games. At that point I started telling myself “Maybe I should have split the money!” In game 3, Blevins broke and ran two balls. He

then played safe and I faced the layout below. After carefully surveying the table I decided to use the “Corner 5” kicking system. The “Corner 5” system is designed to calculate precise contact points for 3 rail kick shots. The system requires that you memorize a sequence of numbers to calculate where the cue ball will hit the 3rd cushion.

My plan was to play a return safety by contacting the 3 ball with a medium speed leaving it at cue ball position “A” which is behind the nearby wall of balls. To calculate the shot, you must first look at the cue ball position number. The cue ball position number is the bottom set of numbers on the diagram. Each number corresponds with the diamond directly above it. Since the cue ball is coming out of the corner diamond, it is coming out of the number 5 (because when I go to shoot the shot my cue stick would be over top of diamond 5). Once you get the cue ball number you subtract it from the third rail contact point number (the set of numbers directly above the cue ball position numbers at the bottom of the diagram). I needed to contact diamond 2, so I subtracted 2 from the number 5 and got 3. I knew that I needed to hit diamond 3 on the upper cushion to execute my safety. The key is to remember that each contact point is through the actual diamond on the rail. Each shot must also be struck with running English and a medium speed.

I shot through diamond 3 and hit the shot perfect. Mike fouled, leaving me ball in hand. From that point the momentum of the match shifted. I caught fire and went on to win 5 consecutive games and claim the championship! After the match, my friends came back to me and said, “It’s time to celebrate!” Denzil said, “Yes, now you get to take us out to at the nicest place in Campbellsville.” He then approached a random stranger and said, “Excuse me sir, but my friend is going to take us out to eat at the finest restaurant in Campbellsville, but we are not from around here and nobody knows of a good place. We can’t decide where to go but we are willing to live with whatever you say. So what is your favorite place to eat?” The gentleman’s reply was “The bowling alley.” I laughed and laughed. The “Corner 5” had saved the day and my friends snookered themselves out of an expensive dinner. It was definitely a December to remember!

Anthony Beeler is the 2018 Pool Instructor of the Year and is a former BCAPL National 9-Ball Champion. He has numerous top 25 national finishes and is one of only 8 ACS Master Instructors in the world. He is the primary author of the National Billiards Instructors Manual and has also authored the book Unstoppable! Positive Thinking for Pool Players. Anthony currently has the highest established Fargo Rating of any Master Instructor. He has won over 300 tournaments and has defeated numerous professional players in tournament competition.

Abram Diaz

By Brian Pauley

o have success in any sport it takes time and dedication. Hours upon hours and year upon year. Rome wasn’t created in a day and neither is a WPA World #1 ranking. For over a decade Abram “Too Tall” Diaz and been a constant at Artistic Pool events all over the world. In 2017 he won the WPA Mexican National Artistic Pool Championships and recently won the 2021

person as well as an established cue maker. Most of us that compete in the Artistic Pool events use a Masse cue built by Abram. Known as “Too Tall” for his height, Abram has achieved many highs in the sport of Artistic Pool.

What was your first introduction to pool? Playing my friend, a game of 8 ball on his outdoor patio table lol.

What was the reason you got into Artistic Pool? I was watching ESPN Trick shot Magic back in 2006 and seeing Mike Massey and Tom Rossman go at it in the finals sold me.

Who did you look up to in the Artistic Pool world? Mike Massey, Tom Rossman, Stefano Pelinga, and Sebastian Giumelli

You are currently ranked #1 on the WPA Artistic Pool Rankings. What does it take to earn and then keep that ranking? Honestly just consistent practice habits and being active on tour by playing events. National Artistic Pool Championships. Abram has competed against all the titans of the sport in route to become a titan himself. He is also a premier cue repair

When did you realize that you “arrived” in the artistic pool world? 47

z Interview Probably when I was one of 12 selected to play in the World Masters Trick shot Championship in 2012 which was held in Shenyang, China.

or deceased, in any game, who and what would it be?

You are an accomplished cue maker and cue repair person. Who helped you along your cue making/ repair journey?

I would love to play Charles Lakey. What a match that would be to promote our wonderful sport. The internet sensation against the WPA No. 1 ranked artist. Who wouldn’t want to see that? Maybe add Florian Kohler in the mix. Triple threat odd man out. That would be a crazy match.

Any success I have as a Cuemaker and repair guy I owe to the late Curtis Robertson and Dennis Dieckman.

How many cues do you use in competition? 5 minimum. lol

What is something that most people get wrong about Trick Shot Artists? That it’s all in the set up. There’s more to artistic pool than just set up. It takes great skill to execute majority of these shots

Do you have a favorite trick shot? Yes!!! The Russian Masse!

Do you have another pool game/ discipline that you like to play and why? I love the beautiful art of 3 cushion billiards.

If you could play any player, living 48

Excerpt: “Headcase By Jeremy Mason

ost players who struggle with anger management during or after competitive pool matches have a two-fold problem. One, they attach too much of their own personal value to their performance on the table. Two, they struggle to have real respect for their opponents, especially the ones whom they deem to be inferior players. I will address both of these issues. The first issue has a simple solution that is, like many things in pool, easier to understand or say, than it is to implement the fix. You can easily counter the issue of placing too much of your own humanic value on pocket billiards performance, by working on truly believing within yourself that you are a good and valuable individual. It is important to recognize your own worth, and understand that it is almost completely separate from your performance or abilities in pool. To take it a step further, you can and should believe that you are a good player, and that this truth cannot and will not be negatively affected by failing to perform in any individual shot, rack, match, tournament or even stretch of time. When you combine this belief and understanding of your own worth as an individual along with the fact that you are a good player whose status is never at stake, you can easily accept the possibility of any outcome in any shot, rack, match or tournament. One might be tempted to think that such an acceptance would be inherently detrimental to a player’s drive to succeed. The opposite is true. Once you accept the possibility of all outcomes, you free yourself of an immense amount of unnecessary selfinduced pressure, and you become free to perform

at your best and maximize your enjoyment of the game. The second issue, struggling to respect your opponents, is solved by achieving a better understanding of what competition is and why it is that we compete in the first place. Any competitive game or sport should be solely intended to be an artificial application of difficulties and obstacles that we impose upon ourselves, so that we can develop the kind of resilience and ability to overcome adversity that is required to be successful in all aspects of our lives. Obviously difficulty and obstacles arise in all of our lives organically. So competition affords us all a dojo of sorts to work out our abilities to overcome, and it does so under the guise of fun or enjoyment. Once you adopt this fundamental view of what competition is, you can understand and appreciate that your opponent is your friend. They are your friend because they do the very best that they can to make things as difficult for you as they possibly can. You should view this in light of the obvious logical conclusion that we all do our best to be the very best that we can, taking into account that we all have different capabilities or ceilings. That being said, every opponent you face is somewhere on their journey towards being as close to their own full potential as they can be. This is a different individual circumstance of the same endeavor that you are striving towards. With that understanding, how can you not respect all of your opponents? And once you respect all of your opponents, and accept all possible outcomes for every shot, rack, match and tournament, how can 51

e” — Coming Soon you make an ass of yourself when you lose? Every time you lose, you have lost to somebody who is (although a different entity than yourself) a manifestation of the same effort that you are working towards.

moments where you operate and react in a manner that is outside the framework of this knowledge. But, like an artist who has colored outside of the lines, you will instantaneously understand your mistake, apologize, and work to reinsert your thinking into the place where it belongs.

With this understanding in place, there will still be

Continuing By Patrick Sampey

illiards is booming, rising, and these players worldwide entertain with some of the best pool the audience has ever seen; we have Filler, Yapp, SVB, Orcollo, Shaw, Alcaide, Ouschan, Woodward, Fisher, O’Sullivan, Reyes, even Strickland still doing it in this years Mosconi Cup this December 7th through the 10th in Alexandra Palace, London -- and so many other

great players worldwide, too many to list, male and female.

Speaking of ‘Poolhall Junkies,’ it was loosely based on the story of Robert LeBlanc, pool hustler and top level underground rogue -- playing like a professional, hustling across the country, living his life to the fullest, paying his way with pool; check out his book here, ‘Confessions Of A Pool Hustler’:

https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-PoolHustler-Robert-LeBlanc/dp/0982335059

I’m working to cover all aspects of pool, from products, books, interviews, pros, instructors, shakers, movers, industry leaders -- seeking any and all angles on the game we all love. Poolhall Junkies of the world unite.

Hopefully I can get an interview with LeBlanc, Hatch, Varner, Wilson, Williams, and others soon. Trying to line up interviews for continuing billiards 55

g Billiards fiber cue for $300! That’s the best deal I’ve ever heard of, and come with leather wraps, layered tips -- incredible. Check them here: https://www. jflowerscues.com I will be covering the game leading up to the

Mosconi Cup, supporting both Europe and USA -the rivalry now stronger than ever, the atmosphere in the arena at the cup in London electric. So many champions for team Europe this year, seems like it’s a David and Goliath story, with Europe being Goliath and USA being David. Can we pull out the win in USA?

coverage. (Any article ideas, let me know.) Also, we have a new shaker and mover in the billiards industry in JFlowers cues, not just a cue maker and distributor, but also supporting the game and the players, in an effort to unite everyone, as we each lift one another, and billiards as a whole to new heights. Check out JFlowers here and see what kind of cues they have! You can get a carbon

Seeking out new billiards writers. There is a growing billiards audience, a need, and many platforms to publish pool articles. Send them in and get the word out that pool is alive and well. Readers wanted also. Thanks for your time and consideration. Pool leagues, billiards books, equipment, cases, pool cues, pool balls, pool halls, pool tournaments -- all pool, all day, every day -- we keep grinding here at SPM getting the word out: LOUD AND PROUD (I store this document on the cloud). So join the new pool revolution of your mind with 56

us at Sneaky Pete Mafia as we continue to cover the game with reverberating, pool-ball-clacking, nine-on-the-snap-Vincent coverage that rocks your

world!!! Play on players! Game on!

The Great Bar Pla Professional Play By Calvin Post of CJP Billiards What’s the difference? There are many great players out there. Well known pros, to the unknown man at the bar that just can’t seem to lose. But what separates a strong bar player from being a pro level player? Sure they both make good shots, show excellent shot selection, and can move the cue ball around competently. So what’s the difference?

professional players, playing in a tournament against the strongest local bar players. It puts in perspective just how world class some of these players actually are. Chalk up, and don’t scratch! Calvin @ CJPBilliards

Visualization. A Professional players doesn’t take any guesses at how a shot will play out. They know exactly what the cue ball will do each shot, and they plan 3 or more shots ahead. They can run rack after rack with a solid controllable break, and no unforced errors. The Bar player can make shots happen, move the cueball to favorable positions but perhaps not see the entire rack’s definite plan. They can get lost deep into a rack by not planning for a certain breakout, or by simply not thinking about shot selection a few balls ahead. Both players are dangerous and on a given day the bar player can pose a problem for the pro player. The pro player can’t make a mistake or play easy because of the excellent shot making of the bar player. I thought this was an interesting discussion topic as it truly separates great players from the best players. It’s very interesting to find videos of out of town 59

ayer vs. The yer

Meet Domini The Drill Inst By Dominic Espostito Dominic Esposito became a Professional Pool Player at 19 years old, after 5 years of lessons with Straight Pool Champion, Thomas P. Parker, in Cleveland, Ohio. He married at age 21, but, his wife didn’t want to be married to a professional pool player. With that, he agreed to stop playing pool altogether. Some 25 years later, after the loss of his first wife, he married Linda. On the way home from a visit to his daughter’s college union hall, Linda commented about his having played pool with the students. “I didn’t know you liked playing pool and I think it’s great if you wanted to play pool.” That’s all Esposito needed to hear that summer night in 2000. While also finishing his doctoral studies at the time, he connected with the well-accomplished pool instructor, Tom Ross, to start a new coaching relation and practice regimen. By 2003, Esposito turned his practicing into a book and DVD called, Pro Skill Drills, volume No. 1. 54 Practice Drills for Cue Ball Speed and Position Control. This and other products that followed were endorsed by pool greats such as 8 Time World Champion and BAC Hall of Famer, Nick Varner. All Esposito’s drill books are a tribute to his pool teacher Tom Parker. By 2005, Esposito had won his 3rd consecutive BCA 10 Ball Ring Game Championship, while continuing to play in many small local events. That same year to date, Esposito is a Columnist for POOL & BILLIARD Magazine. For nine years he was endorsed and sponsored by 61

ic Esposito, structor Predator while continuing to produce more Pro Skill Drills books and DVDs and other pool training products. In 2006, he and his wife Linda owned and operated the Pool Hall of the Year, Fastbreak Billiards, in Orlando, Florida. Esposito’s decision at the prime age of 50 was to make focus his number two passion for his future contribution to the billiard industry, namely as a PBIA Master Instructor and pool industry training product innovator. Certainly, his background as a businessman, teacher, published author and national public speaker contributed, but really, there is a greater reason than all that. Players started referring to Esposito as “The Drill Instructor” after he first nervously showed up to perform in the Predator booth, for the 2006 BCA National Pool Tournament, at the Riviera, in Las Vegas. From the moment he first walked onto the tournament floor, fully dressed out as a Drill Instructor with a cue in hand, the crowds were drawn and he never looked back.

Esposito said, “My number one passion of all is for what God has provided me, namely, a worldwide platform to reach pool players that allows me to win some to God, through the message I share while doing something on a pool table. You could say, ‘I’m a man of the cloth and my cue stick is my staff to call, lead, and guide both sheep and goats through their game of pool and life.’”

Today the cartoon caricature of “The Drill Instructor” is how he dressed that first day of the BCA Nationals, at the Riviera, and today is the identifying brand trademark, that players quickly recognize. Esposito admits his return to the industry is larger than life and beyond anything he expected or envisioned back in 2000. Every Tuesday night at 8:00 ET on Facebook Live, he reaches thousands of players around the world while teaching with his passion and pool drills learned from his youth by his teacher, Tom Parker. When asked, 62

Mistake M

easuring performance is essential for improving and growing in the sport you love. When measuring anything in life, you need a reference point. Many people measure success with winning, but I can’t entirely agree with focusing on that reference point. Measuring performance on the pool table has a lot to do with handling mistakes during a match and even on the practice table. Mistakes are often mental errors, and when players feel that achieving peak performance only means performing perfectly, this mindset can cause a lot of negative emotion, frustration, and inevitable mistakes. It is how the world champions deal with the mistakes that enhance their performance levels. The trick or art avoids thinking about past mistakes and moving on. Avoiding past mistakes applies to the practice table or live play. After a “bad” performance is the key to improving the next table. Sometimes, players feel sorry for themselves after a bad performance. It may be hard to admit, but it happens. For example, a player who blows a big lead in a match and feels like: “I always mess up when leading.” Maybe you can identify with these scenarios at some level know I can get over my years of playing this silly game. Rebounding from mistakes and mishaps is a considerable part of a player’s mental game and takes practice to bounce back and move on from a mistake. Nothing is perfect, nor will it ever be. So, realize your response to errors, losses, and mishaps shape your mindset and performance. Ensure the negative does not linger to the next competition or even the practice table.

Rebounding from mistakes is a learned mental skill. You are not helpless. You can develop skills to overcome errors and keep your head in the game. How to Rebound from Mistakes: Rebounding is a matter of responding to mistakes in a new way. Start by asking yourself a different question: “Can I really be perfect and never make a mistake?” “Do others expect me to hit every shot perfect and never miss pocketing or shape on the next ball?” It is just silly and setting yourself up for failure when you say it like that. The next step in getting over mistakes is to remind yourself that you cannot change the past. The only thing you can do is move forward and focus on the next shot or game. LETTING MISTAKES GO - A technique used by other athletes in all types of sports worldwide. One of the more prominent mental mistakes athletes make is hanging onto their mistakes during competitions. Your job when you screw up is to immediately leave the mistake behind you in the past and refocus on what you’re doing RIGHT NOW! The time to work on your mistakes is ALWAYS in practice and NEVER while you’re performing. How do you consistently do this? First, you must understand that it is a huge mental mistake to carry your mistakes around with you while you’re still competing. Second, you need to learn and master a mistake ritual. 63

By Carl Stewart

What’s a mistake ritual? It’s a little routine that you can quickly go through right after a mistake (when there’s time) to help you mentally let go of your error. Mistake rituals are helpful for sports where there are a lot of natural breaks in the action like billiards, tennis, golf, baseball, softball, football, etc. They are also helpful in a continuous action sport like soccer, for example, if your position allows you time in between play, i.e., the goalie position. Mistake rituals should be simple, concise, and involve several parts that can be done without thinking when sufficiently practiced in practice. Suppose you’re a field player in soccer, for example. How many parts are utterly dependent upon you, your sport, and the position that you play? In that case, your mistake ritual might consist of one word, “cancel” or “erase,” that you quickly flash through your mind the instant that you make a mistake to remind you to refocus on the play at hand immediately. When you have more time, like in baseball, tennis, golf, etc., your mistake ritual should help you do three things: 1. Switch your focus of concentration away from the mistake. 2. Physically and mentally, calm yourself down. 3. Neutralize any negative self-talk. Here’s an example of a mistake ritual from golf. After hitting a bad shot, the player picks up a few blades of grass and begins to walk to his next shot. While he does this, he deliberately focuses his concentration on the grass in his hand. While he does this, he also begins to slow and deepen

his breathing to calm himself down. The purpose of the grass is to help the athlete switch his focus away from the mistake. The purpose of slowing and deepening his breathing is twofold. Like concentrating on the grass, focusing on your breathing will distract you from the error and calm you down. Finally, after taking a few slow deep breaths, when he begins to feel calmer and back in control, the player then takes the grass and throws it away and leaves it behind him (which is precisely what you want to do with your mistakes, throw them away and leave them behind you!) Mistake rituals work best when you can do something physical (throw the grass away) that represents what you’re trying to do mentally, let go of the mistake. For example, a baseball player steps into the batter’s box for his second at-bat, he struck out in his first at-bat, and part of him keeps remembering this. The batter steps into the batter’s box, looks down, makes a mark with his foot (the mark represents his time last at-bat), and then rubs the mark out (consciously thinking, “That’s in the past, it’s gone, I’m erasing it and this is a brand new at-bat, focus on just this pitch, one pitch at a time.” Mistake rituals take much more time to explain than to do. Take some time to develop a little routine that you can always use whenever you mess up to help you get your head back in the game. I hope looking at other sports and how they address the problem of making and holding on to a mistake will help you in your pool games.

KEYS TO WINNI BIGGEST STAGE

KEYS TO WIN POOL’S BIGGE

By Anthony Beeler

he 2020 edition of The Derby City Classic is once again going to be perhaps the most entertaining event of the year. The venue at the Horseshoe Casino in Elizabeth, Indiana is always spectacular. Numerous tables, top of the line vendors and stellar match play sets the scene for one of the pool’s greatest stages.

If the tournament continues to live up to all the hype, the individual who makes the best decisions will have a fighting chance to lift the all around championship trophy at the end of the grueling 9-day period. I believe that there are 7 keys to winning at the derby. Think about them and you can use them to play more competitively in any tournament venue.

ING ON POOL’S

NNING ON EST STAGE

1. Quick Recovery High-level competition causes everyone to make mistakes. Even “lock down” safeties will get returned, which will make things seem “unfair.” When playing in such a talented field, this is inevitable. The champion will be the person who can recover quickly from the frustration of bad breaks and maintain confidence and composure. Every player is going to get bad rolls, the key will be to accept this from the first shot and embrace the challenge. 2. Shot-Making Because the tournament consists of 3 events, each having a shorter race format, the player who can choose and commit to the right shot and execute it, will be in the mix as the weekend approaches. Each game will require a different set of challenges and demand different types of ingenuity. Sound mechanics, position play and defensive execution will allow a player to become a serious threat. 3. A Controlled Break Knowing how to break the balls effectively will also be key to success. Whether the game is bank pool, one pocket or 9-ball, cue ball control is imperative. Losing control of the cue ball will equate to games lost over the course of the tournament. Practice your break! 4. Patience As with many past Derby City Classics, finishing high in any event can put a player in the hunt for the all around. With this in mind, you must give every

single shot your upmost attention. Taking unnecessary risks will inevitably result in losses. Playing “common sense” pool and being patient enough to keep your opponent locked down will be another key to success. Pace will also factor. With the length of the tournament there will possibly be some very long days. Being able to stay calm and remain patient will be critical. 5. Creativity As with all tournaments, there are many ways to play a most shots. The winner will be the person that is the most creative, imaginative and the one that continually exhibits strong visualization techniques. In essence, just think about what you are going to do, then do it! 6. Being Able to Slow Everything Down When we’re under pressure, most of us have the tendency to speed up. If we allow this to happen it is inevitable that we will make mental mistakes. Staying tension free and maintaining a nice smooth tempo will be an important part of playing well. Top professional players tend to slow everything down to stay in a nice rhythm. When you’re playing in a big tournament, you’ll need to do the same thing. Take extra time in between shots, walk around the table slower, give extra attention to your aim and slow down your backswing. If you’ll maintain a good tempo your game will flourish. 7. Health Health and fitness is becoming a much bigger part of most pool player’s practice regimens. It is not just 66

about eating the right foods or strengthening muscles; players are now trying to build physical and mental stamina so they can maintain focus throughout a 10-12 hour day. Any tournament or competition is going to require a sound mental game and these 7 elements highlight the skills that are necessary to win any championship. So think about these skills and adopt them as part of your pool game. Maybe with some practice this will be the year that you snap off the all-around championship in Elizabeth, Indiana.

7 Keys to Success

Knight Billiards

The Cue-Tip Shaper

By Garret Troop

o as you play more and more you will find that your tip layered or single piece or synthetic will start to glaze over. This is a natural process of you hitting the cue ball over and over and the chalk getting ground into the tip as each time you hit the cue ball you compress the tip just a little bit more every time. That’s just the nature of the beast.

The metal scuffing surface is exactly the same as the Kamui hater grip which is great because it doesn’t take layers and layers of your tip off of your tip. You gotta think about it. A layered tip is layers of leather and glue holding them together. When you take layers of the tip off you gotta figure that you are playing with just a layer of glue and I personally don’t like that idea.

There are so many tip tools out there to scuff and shape your tip and keep it consistent and hold chalk to the point where you don’t have to over chalk the tip will glazes over. Some have a pic on them and others are shapers. Some shave the tip down as players feel that the best part of the tip is the last few layers. Whether that’s true or not some players are focused on that aspect of their game.

“Sometimes you just need your tip to hold a little extra chalk.”

This tip tool was a little hodge podge of all the better aspects of tip tools that are out there. At first glance it looks awesome and it does a lot of what it says. It has plastic make up and that’s fine.

The metal scuffer and shaper, as you scuff the specific area that is glazed off you don’t have to continuously take layers of your tip off. The tip tool is great and it offers you a wide variety of tools that allow you to shape, pik, and scuff your tip to any degree. Kamui I was the first company to my knowledge that used this technology in their gator grip. This is the same material. This tip tool is plastic which usually means that it’s 69

cheap but I didn’t find that in this product. It’s just a noteworthy aspect that I wanted to point out. This product is great but you as a player and as someone that works on your cue needs to train yourself on how to use this properly but this is true with everything that you get. Most people come to

think that they are experts without the training. Shaping the tips is the hardest part in all of this. This tool gives you different diameters of tips and simply expects you to grind until you get it right. It just takes a little skill.

To order a Cue Tip Shaper go to https://www.knightbilliardclub.net 70

Knight Billiard Club’s Cue-Tip Shaper

2021 Media Kit Featuring a Wide Print and Large Digital Billiards and Pool Audience! Details Below

Why Sneaky Pete Mafia Media?

SPM Media, previously SPM Magazine, has transformed the Billiards Industry as a whole bringing a professional yet flashy image and focusing on celebrating, lifting up, and most importantly, EXPOSING professional players, products, companies, and locations. With a new, and ever updating website, you can expect your advertisement to be exactly where you want it, linking to your site, or product and ensuring the most value. The Digital Magazine is going through some very interesting and unique changes, with plenty of space to advertise your product, service, or location, you can even use a video ad now!*

2021

*Restrictions apply, inquire within for details.

SPM Magazine Issue 25 Featuring 5x Jr. National Champaion and Mosconi Cup pick for women's warm-up

Articles inside

Carl Stewart Mistakes

Dominic Esposito Meet Dominic Esposito, The Drill Instructor

Suzanne Smith Darren ‘Dynamite’ Appleton

Brian Pauley Abram Diaz Interview

Peri Cues Page 28 JB Cases Page 31 Sneaky Pete Mafia

Dominic Esposito The Tip Kick Method

Garret Troop Jacoby’s KW Shaft

Anthony Beeler A December to Remember

Kat Day April Larson “The Grinder,” Going To 2021 Mosconi Cup

Calvin Post The Great Bar Player vs. The Great Pro Player

A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER!

A Word from SPM CEO Garret Troop

April Larson "TheGrinder"