SPM Billiards Magazine Issue 33

Success~Points First Tournament

By Albert Charbonneau

Our first-ever Points tournament was everything I was hoping it would be & the players were treated to a brand-new tournament system designed for the Points game. We had eight people that signed up, including a first-time Points player that took to the game like a fish to water. I need to give a big THANK YOU to Mark & Kasey, the owners of my home away from home, Two Keys Tavern, for allowing me to run the tournament on a day that is normally busy with a football crowd. They had the extra staff on hand, so we were fully accommodated. Thanks to Dawn, Karen, Ashley, Coral & the great kitchen staff, the players were well cared for. One less thing to worry about when you have that level of support.

The tournament was set up with everyone playing a race to two wins in the first round, with each set played with 15 balls & a 16-shot limit, including the break. Those that won stayed with that formula throughout the A-side (winners’ side). For the B-side (loser’s side), we switched to a 10-ball rack with an 11-shot limit & just one game to win in order to advance. This method really kept the flow of the event moving along. As we all know, the loser’s side in any tournament takes far too long, which always hurts the players on the winner’s side. They normally just sit around waiting for hours sometimes to get to play again. Speeding up the B-side was the answer & the whole tournament went very smoothly with this method.

Although I set up this tournament, I would not have been able to run it without my good friend Michael Dorton. Mike runs our Friday tournaments at a different location, so I knew he was the right choice. He knows the game very well & he’s one of our area’s top scorers. (Higher than me even) He kept everything straight & moving right along while I bounced from table to table, helping players with questions, doing interviews & taking pictures for prosperity. Thanks, Mike!

We saw some amazing shots being made, but that’s typical with this game, as every shot is a potential nail-biter! Players are constantly looking for the shots that will earn them the most points possible. Mitch Holmes had the highest score throughout the entire tournament. He hit a 91 in the 16-shot limit. Anyone who’s ever played Points with that limited shot amount knows that’s no easy thing to do. Congrats to Mitch for delivering so much excitement with your exceptional shot-making ability.

Another incredible moment happened when Summer Dorton defeated one of our local allaround top players on the B-side. Rick Peifer, aka Master Yoda, is considered by many to be one of our home-based heroes. He was the first Points player to break into the 100’s & he held the highest score for almost a month. Summer had never placed in the money in any tournament she’s ever played in, but not only did she take 3rd place, but she also did it with a spectacular win against the person I predicted to win it all! Awesome job, Summer!

Our final match was the tournament’s highlight with Mitch Holmes vs. a total newcomer to Points. Ryan Shromoff had never even played the game before this day & I had to show him how to play the game just before we got started. He had very little time to get it all down, but to my amazement, he took to the game quickly & put one of our local highest scorers to the test. The match went hill-hill & Ryan had to double dip after battling back from the B-side. It all came down to the final shot & to everyone’s surprise, Ryan, a brand-new Points player, did it! He is the very first Points, tournament winner! Huge congratulations to Ryan!

I’m happy to know that someone with literally a few minutes of playing Points has a real chance to win & anyone can be beaten as well. Points is such a unique game. It’s so much fun & so challenging to play. It really improves all aspects of your game by forcing the players

to make the most extreme shots. Their abilities will allow them to score as many points as they can. That makes the game very exciting to watch as well. Points truly is the New Age of Billiards!

Next is the US Open to show the entire billiards industry what Points is all about! Watch for the next installment of my journey to bring billiards back to its’ roots & bring it back to the mainstream TV audience here in the U.S. In closing. I want to give a very special THANK YOU to Garret Troop & Kathryn Day of Sneaky Pete Mafia magazine for taking a chance with me & their continued support. Points would not be where it is today without them. God willing, Points will become the game I’ve always wanted it to be.

By Albert Charbonneau - Inventor of Points

All photos provided by Albert Charbonneau