Stroke Pool Magazine January Issue 2014 by Stroke Magazine

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On The Cover

January

FEATURES

6 Zingale’s Billiards 7 Michael’s Billiards 19 JPNEWT Season Finale 21 Flamingo Billiards Tour 22 Mosconi Cup 28 Predator Pro/Am Tour 35 World Juniors

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COVER ARTICLE

27 East Coast 9-Ball

BEF JUNIOR

37 River Burke COLUMNISTS

9 On The Road 12 Tom Simpson 13 Michael Glass 14 Bob Jewett

15 Ask the Viper 16 Anthony Beeler 17 Chalk Talk 30 LUCKY

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January 2014

page 5

Jordon goes

undefeated

Claims 2013 Florida State Amateur 9-Ball Championship Skip Maloney - AzBilliards.com Staff Dec. 16, 2013 In 2012, Randy Jordon and Jim Sandaler were two of the eight players who tied for 17th place in the Florida State Amateur 9-Ball Championships. On the weekend of December 14-15, Jordon survived a double hill battle to get into the hot seat, and then, stopped a threematch, loss-side winning streak by Sandaler in the finals to claim Florida State's 2013 Amateur 9-Ball Championships. The $4,000-added event drew 103 entrants to Zingale's Billiards in Tallahassee, FL. A $1,000-added Second Chance Tournament drew 62 entrants, with Justin Gilsinan emerging as the winner, defeating James Adams in the finals. Jordon and Sandaler were among the winners' side final four in the main event this year, but while Jordon advanced to the hot seat match with a 7-4 win over Chris Gentile, Sandaler was moved to the loss side by Slava Vinakur, double hill. Jordon then survived a double hill battle of his own, and sat in the hot seat, awaiting what turned out to be Sandaler's return. Awaiting Sandaler on the loss side was Jason Sheerman, who'd defeated Brian McBride, double hill, and J.R. Rossman 7-4 to reach him. Gentile picked up Jared Schlaugh, who'd gotten by Dale Stanley7-3 and David Uwate 7-1. By identical 7-5 scores, Sandaler eliminated Sheerman, and Gentile finished Schlaugh's loss-side run. Sandaler then defeated Gentile 7-4 in the quarterfinals, and completed his trek back to the finals with a successful 7-5 re-match against Vinakur in the semifinals. Jordon, though, stopped Sandaler's run with 7-3 win in the finals to claim the 2013 Florida State Amateur Championships. There were 10 women who competed in this event, and when that number had dwindled down to seven, those seven entered a single elimination,

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January 2014

Randy Jordon, Tony Crosby and Jim Sandaler

single game bracket (one bye) for $200 in prize money. Jessica Barnes came out on top to claim half that total, defeating Sherry King ($60) in the finals. Kristen Bennington finished third and took home $40. Tour representatives, including director Tony Crosby, thanked Mike Zingale and his staff for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Poison Billiards, Robertson Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Diamond Billiard Products, Delta-13 Racks, Aramith, Stroke-It Wear, www. floridapooltablemovers.com, Bar Box Digital, Robert Harris Cues, and Triple Cross Cues. In about a month - January 11-12, 2014 - Zingale's Billiards will play host to the $5,000-added Florida State Open 10-Ball Championships; $4,000-added for the main event, and $1,000-added for the Second Chance Tournament. For further information, log on to the Poison Tour's Web site at http:// www.poisonpooltour.com or call Tony Crosby at 727-488-0536.

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JORDON Randy 2,000 SANDALER Jim 1,200 VINAKUR Slava 900 GENTILE Chris 640 SCHLAUCH Jared 450 SHEERMAN Jason 450 ROSSMAN JR 300 UWATE Dave 300 OLSON Glen 220 STANLEY Dale 220 MCBRIDE Brian 220 LEDFORD Justin 220 GARZA Jimmy 150 MIDDLEBROOK Jesse 150 SAUNDERS George 150 PETROCELLI Bobby 15

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Olinger

wins 12 straight Skip Maloney - AzBilliards.com Staff Dec. 19, 2013

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Shannon Daulton, Alex Olinger, Kenny Tran and room owner Mike Medley defeated Bosse 6-3 to claim the hot seat and waited on what turned out to be the return of Seaman. Smith moved to the loss side and ran into Russell Thomas, who’d shut out Samantha Patton, and then defeated his own son, Brandon 5-4 (Brandon racing to 6). Seaman picked up Jason Thomas (no relation), who’d survived a double hill match versus Shannon Murphey, and eliminated Timmy Heath 6-3. Smith made short work of the elder Thomas 8-2, and in the quarterfinals, faced Seaman, who’d ended Jason Thomas’ run, double hill. In a straight-up race to 8, Seaman dropped Smith into fourth place, and then survived a double hill matchup against Bosse (8-4) in the semifinals. The Brown/ Seaman re-match was a replay of their first meeting among the winners’ side final four. With Seaman racing to 8, Brown prevailed 6-6 to claim the 8-ball title. Shannon Daulton and Marge Cooper thanked Mike Medley and his staff at Michael’s Billiards and Games, as well as sponsors Nick Varner Cues & Cases, Delta 13 Racks, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Tiger Products, Ozone Billiards and Lomax Custom Cues.

results

The biggest story of the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s 7th Annual Tour Championship weekend, December 13-15, was Alex Olinger, who won 12 straight matches - 10 on the loss side and two in the finals - to claim the 9-Ball title. In the 8-ball tournament, Mike Brown went undefeated to claim that title; his first on the GSBT. The $5,000-guaranteed purse events ($2,500 each) drew 90 entrants - 44 in 8-ball and 46 in 9-ball, with some duplication - to Michael’s Billiards in Fairfield, OH, which was hosting the event for the second year in a row. Olinger began his loss-side march when Louis Altestook him down 7-7 in the second round; Olinger was racing to 10. Altes would move on and advance to a winners’ side semifinal against Danny Smith, who was looking to end 2012 the way he had started it, with a win (He took first place in last January’s Music City Classic). In the other winners’ side semifinal, Kenny Tran faced Brandon Thomas (the son in a father/son pair that competed; against each other in 8-ball). Tran won 7-5, and Smith sent Altes over 11-5. With Smith racing to 11, Tran won his final match, moving into the hot seat 7-7. Olinger was on his way. By the time the loss side got into its money rounds, Olinger was just over halfway home; six down, four to go for a shot at Tran in the hot seat. He took down Bill Tremble 10-3 and Bruce Luttrell 10-5, which set him up to face Brandon Thomas. Altes picked up Timmy Heath, who’d defeated Corey Morphew 7-5, and Jeremy Seaman 7-7. Olinger got his re-match versus Altes, but only just, as Thomas battled him to double hill. Altes, in the meantime, eliminated Heath 7-5. Olinger sent Altes home 10-4 in the quarterfinals that followed, and then, locked up in a double hill semifinal battle with Danny Smith. With Smith racing to 11, Olinger prevailed 10-10 and moved on to face Tran. With Tran, in the hot seat, racing to seven, Olinger took the opening set of the finals double hill (10-6). He took the second set 10-5 to claim the GSBT 9-Ball Championship title. In the 8-ball tournament, Ohio’s Mike Brown was the main story, as he went undefeated to claim his first-ever win on the Great Southern Billiard Tour. Brown’s trip to the hot seat dodged a bit of a bullet, as Danny Smith, who finished third in the 9-ball event, advanced to the winners’ side final four, and eventually finished fourth in the 8-ball event. Brown faced Jeremy Seaman among the winners’ side final four, and looking for a second hot seat match, Smith faced Chris Bosse. With Seaman racing to 8, Brown got into the hot seat match 6-6, as Bosse was busy sending Smith to the loss side 5-3. Brown

1 USA 2 USA 3 USA 4 USA 5 USA 5 USA 7 7 USA

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OLINGER Alex 1,000 TRAN Kenny 600 SMITH Danny 400 ALTES Louis 200 THOMAS Brandon 125 HEATH Tim 125 LUTRELL Bruce 70 SEAMAN Jeremy 70

January 2014

page 7

Omar Alli wins first Tri-State at Steinway Billiards

Left to right:2nd Place - Basdeo “Shawn” Sookai; 1st Place - Omar Alli; 3rd Place - Ada Lio Omar’s tournament trail included wins over Juan Guzman 8 - 2; Wm. Finnegan 7 - 2; Luis Jimenez 7 - 5; and then lost to Basdeo “Shawn” Sookai 7 - 1, who was undefeated and defeated Ada Lio for the Hot Seat 9 - 6. While Shawn was in the Hot Seat and Ada Lio awaited another shot to play in the Finals, Omar Alli defeated Wm. Finnegan 7 - 4; Jaydev Zaveri; then Ada Lio 8 - 7 for a place in the Finals. During the Finals, Omar took an early lead 3 - 0 and increased his lead to 6 - 1. Shawn won

two more games in the match before Omar closed the door 9 - 6 for the win. Special recognition goes to Ada Lio for an impressive 3rd place and to Jaydev Zaveri placing 4th. The next Tri-State will be held on December 21th at the House of Billiards in Staten Island, NY. Thank you to Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Qpod, Heptig Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics for their sponsorship leading to this event.

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1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th - 6th

results Omar Alli Basdeo Sookai Ada Lio Jaydev Zaveri $ Wm. Finnegan, Jamiyl Adams

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On The Road with ... C J Wiley http://www.cjwiley.com

usually have a “stake-horse” that puts up the money and they play their hearts out. Unfortunately their hearts aren’t that resilient and even though they play well and run balls properly, when they get up against the elite group they know their place and usually bow out peacefully once they know they are in a bad game. The next group are the ones that we get involved with and it is purely business. I know they will get the money and we don’t have to worry about gambling, but strategically milk the room for the maximum amount. We are called the “road warriors”. We stay on the road because once people know who we are and how we play they would rather gargle razor blades than play us for any amount of money. Not only will they lose their precious to us, chances are they will lose their self esteem (temporarily) as well. we relish the thought of not only beating another player, but enjoy sending to a shrink for a month or two. The beauty is there’s no physical harm, unlike a boxer that can cause brain damage physically, we just wanted to cause damage mentally and financially. I sat in the backseat, thumbing through my partners roadmap. Each state had many towns circled with names, numbers and descriptions beside them. I knew if I wanted more detail they also had a “spot book” that would have every player in each town with a description of them and an order in which we would ideally “take the town off”. You see we weren’t interested in just beating someone playing pool, we were out to beat the whole town out of as much as possible. Most little towns had their “champion” that everybody would bet on and usually we would have to play him to win a big score, but not always. I have been a part of huge scores where we were playing someone that couldn’t hit the ocean if they were standing on the beach. I wasn’t the one that was usually playing the pigeons. That was usually done by my partner that looked more like a football player than a pool player, but don’t ever let looks deceive you, he could play right under championship speed, especially on the bar size tables. Sometimes it was difficult to even know what state we were in when we finally got a hotel at the end of the night, but I didn’t even care. I just needed to find my next opponent like a junkie needs that next fix. I loved the action, but more importantly I loved to win the money. There are many people that think they are “pool hustlers” but there are several levels that most are unaware of. First you have the scuffler. He is the bottom feeder and constantly moves around to different bars looking for someone that is either drunk or simply can’t play. This type guy wouldn’t bet two big dogs could whip a little dog and usually won’t even put up $100 unless he sees buzzards flying over the poor victim. Next you have the typical hustler. This guy usually plays better than he looks and knows a thousand and one proposition games that look to good to be true and definitely are. We like some of these guys, but they don’t really get any true respect from my group. Then there are the “players”. These guys play like burning hell as long as they can’t lose any of there own money. They

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“We have arrived! You better write down your names so you don’t forget this time”. I reached into the front seat and was handed the “spot book”. I thumbed through until I found the town that we were in and started to study the information. Looks like there is one main pool room and two bars that everybody gambles in. The pool room had a player with a seven beside his name and description of what he played, how much he would bet and how he had lost the most money in the past. The other bars had a couple of scufflers that fed off two of the regulars. One owned a car dealership and the other was a bookmaker that took sports bets and used one of the bars as an “office”. I immediately knew that he would be my target. The main goal would be to go to the bar and mix with the crowd for awhile. We would get on the pool table and bet a few dollars, but we would be more interested on meeting the key people and putting something in their head that would elicit greed. You can’t con an honest man, right? We basically wanted everyone to know that we had a lot of money and not much sense. We pulled over at a little country cafe and went in to get some good food before we were subjected to the bar scene, where pork rines were considered a delicacy. We would also use this time to get a plan together and decide who would play and in what order and if we would split up and cover the pool room and the bars. I enjoyed this as much as actually playing sometimes. Like I said before it is not the winning that was important to a road player, but winning the maximum amount that made the difference. I would run in to other road players that were unfortunate enough to get behind us on a road trip. They would come in to town a day or two after we had left. I always got a good laugh when they would comment

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On The Road with ... C J Wiley

continues

that we would leave nothing but tombstones in these poor pool rooms and bars. Some of the towns wouldn’t take kindly to someone asking to play for money soon after we had tortured them. They weren’t in the best of moods about gambling at pool after we had drained them.

were there for a legitimate reason (other than to hustle them out of their money) they would be easier to entice into a “friendly” game of pool. We wanted our “marks” to think that we had plenty of money and not much sense so that their greed would get the better of them.

After we ate we started chit chatting with our waitress and started dropping a few names that were our targets. She immediately knew one of them and started to give us personal information about him. He will never know that he was “set up” by a friend of his without her even knowing it.

I brought back the paper and started thumbing through it to find some reason that would explain our presence.

It is amazing how often someone we would meet would actually know one of the names on our list and unknowingly give us detailed information on where to find them and how to approach them. Sometimes our spot book wasn’t up to date and there would be another place to play in town or another player that we could key on. It didn’t matter, once we were in town for a few hours we knew we would have all the info we would need to take off a score. This was our business and we knew it very, very well. We got directions to where we needed to go and we headed for the car. As I stepped out the door I could feel the flakes of snow falling and got an instant adrenaline rush. I knew tonight everyone would be inside, out of the weather and doing what they enjoyed most, gambling at pool. Little did any of them know who had just come into their little town and what was in store for the ones that would play a stranger a game of pool. I got into the backseat of the car and started to rehearse my lines and fantasize about winning my biggest score as we prepared to go to the nights “office” and see what our “bosses” were willing to pay us at the chance of beating us out of our money that would be the day! “ What are we going to say we’re doing in this redneck megalopolis”? “ Stop at this gas station and I’ll get a newspaper. There’s got to be something going on around here. Maybe a goat roping or a gay rights parade.” We pulled in and I got out to get a paper. This was a standard routine before taking off a town. We would definitely get the third degree at some point during the night and preparation was very important. If we didn’t have a purpose for being in the town it would make the locals very suspicious, but on the other hand if we convinced them that we

“Here we go. There’s a big farm sale at the livestock market tomorrow and I’m sure we can get a great deal on a John Deer tractor. We can tell them that our crop just came in and we are looking to expand our production next year. They will think we’re growing pot anyway when we flash this wad of cash”. This was always one of our favorite ploys. We would tell people that we were there for a certain reason, but in a way that if they didn’t believe us they would jump to the conclusion that we were really there to pick up or deliver some drugs. If they were clever enough to figure this out it was perfect because then they would be on a mission to beat us out of our money before someone else did. Reverse psychology was nothing compared to what we were fixing to put in these poor peoples minds. “What about the tags?” “Yeah, I don’t think they’ll believe we drove 1000 miles to get a good deal on a tractor. Pull over at that hotel and I’ll “borrow” some for the night.” Almost routinely once everyone knew that we wanted to gamble someone would go out and check out our car to see if we had out of state tags. We would sometimes go to a hotel and get one of the plates off a car, glue magnets to it and stick it on over our plates then we could park in plain sight of the front door of the place without worrying about spooking our potential customers. After we were done we would return the plate to the car and everyone would be happy and if the car was gone before we returned at least they would have one of their plates (we would pick cars that had a front and back tag). We weren’t “stealing anything”, just borrowing for a little while. We knew the owners would approve. Right? We decided to split up and hit the bars and the pool room at the same (continued on page 11)

Now see the story of what happened behind the scenes of the Million Dollar Challenge. Please visit our web site www.cjwiley.com for more information and previews of all our instuctional videos and DVDs.

Million Dollar Challenge ‘Billiard’s Perfect Miss’ Documentary 10 page

January 2014

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On The Road with ... C J Wiley time. We dropped Bill off at the pool room and Mike and I went to the first bar. Bill’s forte was to go to a pool room, get a game with the first guy that had any jewelry on and precede to lose every game for ten dollars a game. This was called “laying down a lemon” and was like planting seeds to Bill. He knew that he didn’t look like a pool player and took full advantage of it. What would usually happen is Mike and I would end up beating all the players and then they would all want to play Bill because they knew that he had lost earlier and was definitely a weak player. Bill would then refuse to play any of the players, but would match up a game with the guys that put the money up for the players. The players would encourage their backers to play hoping that they would win and then give them another chance to play. That parade was soon rained on because despite looking like a linebacker, Bill was just a notch under a top road player. By the time he started playing we were usually big winner and the opponent would have his “nose open” and ready to “go off like a rocket”. The only time this ever backfired on us is when someone jarred Bill’s drink and we just about had to knock him out to get him to stop playing and get him out of the place. “Jar” is a drug that someone can put in your drink that will put you in la la land and you will think that your playing like a world champion and will lose every game until you either run out of money or someone makes you quit. I have had this happen three times that I know of and it is no fun. I think it is used to put women in a euphoric state during labor or something funky like that. All I know is, you can’t quit and you “think” you’re playing well. We never did this to anyone, even pool hustlers have a morals and ethics about how they operate. We were clean. I liked traveling with Bill because it was so easy for him to get a game. He played the big, dumb guy routine so well that I would even start to believe it, even though I knew he was sharp as a tack. I remember one time we were hustling down in Florida and every night we would end up going to a late night club for after hours action. This place had three bars in one, but the bathrooms were back by the pool tables and Bill would ask everyone that looked like they had money to play one game for a hundred and it was amazing how many people would take him up on it. That would never work for me because I looked like I might be a player, but Bill looked more like a lumberjack.

in front of everyone. The first night and lost $2800. , then quit and got drunk and started telling the “house detective” (the one that wants to be a big shot and tell everyone how smart he is) that I was down to make a “buy”, letting him jump to the conclusion that I was buying something very expensive and very illegal. I came in the next night and the house detective had already told everybody in town that I was a big drug dealing sucker and everyone started asking me to play pool. I told them that I just wanted to play the big guy that I played last night. Just then Bill came in the door and we matched up again, but Bill spotted me the eight ball as a handicap and beat me out of another $4200.00, I quit and had some more drinks telling the house detective how upset I was because it looked like I was going to have to spend a few more days there. I also told him that I was looking at a new corvette that I was probably going to buy the next day to give to my girlfriend. From that point on it was like shooting ducks out of a barrel. I had people calling me to make appointments to play and of course I knew exactly how everyone played. Bill disappeared for a week and I beat the area out of about thirty thousand in the next five days. They had never experienced anything like that and I heard that after we left they wouldn’t play any strangers a game of pool for about six months. One thing that we always did when we went to a new area was to beat the small towns first before moving into the bigger cities. Many times through this process we would become friends with one of the guys in a small town and talk him into “putting on a show” at one of the pool rooms in a big city. Putting on a show was what I had done with Bill, where you play someone just so other people can see how bad you play. Most times you know the person that you are doing this with because if you don’t it is more like laying down a lemon. This was especially easy to do if the guy had been hustled by one of the big city players. They would get there rocks off pulling off a score with us because they loved being part of hustling the big city “smart guys”. I even had a guy refuse to take his end because he said he had so much fun doing it that he felt like he should be paying us. We felt like we did our good deed for the day. Making friends and influencing people was our job. Oh, yeah, and relieving of the burden of money in their pocket. It makes them play better if they’re a little lighter….LOL

This trip was very profitable because I flew in after Bill had already won some pretty big money and shown his true playing speed. No one knew that we were together so I played Bill

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January 2014

page 11

Stop It!

Master Instructor, National Billiard Academy, “Beat People With a Stick!”

Tom Simpson

12 page

January 2014

Everybody knows what a stop shot is – the cueball stops dead, exactly where it was when it hit the object ball. The cueball stops because, at the moment of impact with the object ball, it was skidding (also referred to as sliding, stunned, or dead). In other words, the CB had no rotation – not rolling, not backspinning. And with no cut angle, whatever linear force was in the cueball transfers to the object ball. With no forward force left in the CB, it stops dead. Stop shots are a subset of a much larger category of shots known as “stun shots.” A stun shot is any shot where the cueball arrives at the moment of impact with no rotational force (sliding, stunned, dead). Stop shots are stun shots that happen to be straight in. Read that again. The stun shot is the most important shot in pool because it’s the only shot where we know for sure that path the cueball will take after colliding with the object ball. It will leave the OB at a 90° angle relative to the line through the centers of the CB/OB at the moment of impact. This deflected CB path is often referred to as the “tangent line.” It’s the first thing we consider in all position play – does this particular CB path go where we want to go? A stunned cueball runs down that line. A rolling cueball pulls itself forward of the line. Draw pulls the CB backward off the line. We could say that stun shots are executed exactly like stop shots, except they are not straight in. They have a cut angle. So, to play good position, we need to master the stun shot. But since it’s not always clear how precisely we executed a stun shot, the smart way to practice is to shoot stop shots. Because stop shots park the cueball precisely behind where the object ball was, it’s very easy to see how well (or how poorly) you did. Watch closely. You can see the truth of whatever you did. If the CB stops perfectly, it was a stun shot. The cueball must have been skidding when it struck the OB. If it follows, it had some roll in when it hit the OB. Conversely, if it pulls backward from the OB, it must have had some backspin when it hit. If the cueball drifts to the side, you’re not aiming where you think you are. If it has sidespin, you’re not hitting the vertical axis (the center line) of the cueball.

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To quickly improve your ability to shoot stuns, work through the exercise shown, practicing and mastering stopping the cueball at each distance. To play effective position, we must understand and control what the cueball is doing when it gets where it’s going, i.e., when it hits something. Is it rolling, sliding, backspinning, or somewhere in between? Yeah, you have to think about this, and clearly.

The basic level of the exercise is to just get the cueball stopped, any way you can. For the CB to be skidding when it arrives at the OB, many combinations of tip height and ball speed will work. The advanced level is to work through two more times, stopping the ball in specific ways: 1. Shoot every shot in the exercise hitting maximum low on the CB. The first shot will be very soft, and you’ll have to increase your speed with each subsequent shot, as the OB’s are farther away. 2. Shoot each shot in the exercise with firm speed. The first shot will be struck at center ball, and you’ll hit each successive shot at the same speed, but with a lower tip height on the cueball. This will make you aware of your height/speed preferences, while expanding your abilities and confidence. Since this gets at what is arguably the key skill in position play, it’s wise to revisit this exercise periodically. Your opponents may be stunned by the result.

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TABLE TALK

BY: MICHAEL K GLASS

Gimme a (Safety) Break! Part three of a short series on breaking

Michael K Glass

Michael Glass has been teaching pool for close to 10 years. He is a Recognized PBIA Billiards Instructor, taught by none other than Bob Jewett of the San Francisco Billiard Academy. Michael has been playing pool almost all of his life (except when he was in the Navy — it’s hard to install a pool table on a rocking ship!). He managed to stay away from the hustler life; he doesn’t believe in being dishonest in order to win money. He will, however, occasionally play for a beer or two at the local watering hole. Michael teaches all levels of pool players, from beginner to pro, and works on all aspects of the game, from fundamentals, to pattern play, to trick shots. He can be found playing in his home town of San Ramon, CA at Crown Billiards. Visit his website at mikekglass.com for pool tips or to schedule a lesson!

Over the last two articles, we talked about breaking for 9-ball and 8-ball, and learning how to hit a hard yet controlled break. This month, we are going to focus purely on control, while we talk about the softer breaks required for Straight Pool. Then, next month will close it out with One Pocket. Straight Pool, otherwise known as 14.1 Continuous Pool, is a deceptively simple game that takes a lifetime to master. Simply put, you continue to make balls one after another, until there is only one ball left. You then rack the 14 remaining balls, and continue. As long as you keep making balls, you stay at the table, and your opponent keeps his chair warm. When playing this game, your strategy is to maneuver the last (break) ball and cue-ball into a position that allows you to simultaneously make that ball, and break the balls in the rack. This takes considerable skill, and many books have been written on the subject of the continuous break in 14.1. I will leave it up to you, dear reader, to learn about that on your own. I would, however, like to address the opening break, which in my opinion doesn’t get much attention. Do a Google search for 14.1 breaks, and you’ll see what I mean. An important point about 14.1 is the fact that all shots must be called. EVERY shot. That includes the opening break, if you intend to break and continue shooting. Because the odds of making an opening break called ball is so slim, most will not attempt it. However, I will describe two that I have seen used in games I have played. The first is the to make the head ball in one of the side pockets. It’s similar to the “cut break” in 9-ball. One player I have seen attempt this shot is successful about 30% of the time. That isn’t enough to justify attempting it in my opinion, but he seems to enjoy experimenting with

it. To be fair, he’s playing against people who average 10 ball runs, so it’s not too dangerous. Do it against Corey Deuel, and expect to watch him wipe the floor with you! To attempt this shot, hit a half-ball shot on the head ball, with follow and right-hand English (if you’re breaking from the right). The cue ball should rebound off of the ball into the foot rail, then the side rail, and return to the head rail close to the left corner pocket. The head ball in this case should come close to entering the side pocket. The danger here, besides not making your called ball, is that you might hit another ball and scratch, or leave your opponent an easy opening shot. The other aggressive break I have seen is to shoot past the rack, and rebound to strike one of the two corner balls. If done correctly (and with a little luck), the head ball will come off the rack to strike two rails and go in the side pocket. It’s a fun trick shot to try, but I would never attempt this in a serious competition. Let’s discuss the break you are most likely more familiar with. It’s a safety break, meaning you have no intention of making a ball. In fact, ideally, the rack will be returned to its original configuration, with the cue ball on the head rail! Most players defer the break to their opponent upon winning the lag. If you practice this enough, you may elect to break yourself, or at least be ready for when your opponent gives you the break! Start with the cue ball on the head string, about half to a full diamond from the rail. Shoot from either side, whichever you are more comfortable with. I like to break from the right side. Put outside (right in my case) English, and aim to hit about 1/4 of the corner ball in the last row of the rack. When I do this, I aim as though the rest of the rack were not there, and I am shooting the ball in the left corner pocket. Use enough speed to have the cue ball hit the foot rail, right side rail, and come all the way back up to the left corner pocket on the head rail. A perfect break will have the right (Glass continued on page 33)

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San Francisco Billiard Academy www.sfbilliards.com San Francisco Billiard Academy is a BCA Certified Master Academy.

Table Tests

Bob Jewett

14 page

January 2014

In my third article for this magazine, back in July of 2003, I suggested some test shots to try on an unfamiliar table to see if it is much different from what you are used to. Here are some other shots that I think are useful for such testing. If you also find them useful, you may want to go back in the full-issue archives on the OTBN website and read that first set of tests. If you find yourself in a tournament and have a few moments on the table before the start of a match, have shots like these ready. You may notice something strange or amazing about the table that could come into play in a few racks. Purposeful practice is better than just banging some balls around. These shots are intended to be adjustable to your present skill level. For example in Shot 1 the idea is to take the cue ball straight sideways from a nearly straight shot. This tests whether the cue ball is heavy or light compared to the object balls. With a heavier cue ball, you will need to hit it a little lower to overcome its tendency to smash straight through the object ball. To increase the difficulty, just make the shot straighter, bring the cue ball back farther, or require the cue ball to travel farther after impact, such as to the other cushion rather than just to the center of the table. Another important thing you can test with Shot 1 is how tight the pockets get for fast shots that are slightly mis-hit. If the object ball just catches the nearer point of the pocket, some tables will reject it if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at high speed. Check how much pocketing margin you have. In Shot 2 the idea is to test your draw distance. Try a short shot with the goal of getting the cue ball back as far as you are comfortable with. Then try to draw half as far but with the cue ball farther back. This tests how sticky the cloth is and how quickly it will rub off that precious back spin. Shot 3 is one that I like to try prior to a straight pool match. At 14.1 you can have a lot of slow rollers into the side pockets and if the table isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pretty flat you have to choose something else. This shot will let you know what to expect. You need to do it to both sides and probably to the far corners as well. If you have time in your testing, try playing the 1 ball from behind the line as a slow shot and watch for cue ball roll-off. Finally, Shot 4 is a test of cloth and cushion speed. Playing this shot with right English and follow is a standard way to come out of corners that every player needs to master. This shot works best if the cushion cloth is not brand new because well-broken-in cloth is a little stickier and allows the side spin to grab. Adjust the distance and straightness to match your skill level. The toughest situation is a nearly straight shot -- so you may need to cheat the pocket -- and the need to spin clear down to the other end of the table. Do you have some other shots that you like to use as tests of strange tables? If so, send them to me at jewett@sfbilliards.com and you may see them in a future column

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An Interview by:

“The Viper”

An Interview with Semi-Professional Player Melissa Little

Melissa “The Viper” Little has been a WPBA Touring Professional for over 10-years, she has represented the USA in Four WPA World Championships and has over 20 top-10 WPBA career finishes. She teaches monthly clinics, gives private lessons, and has created a juniors program that promotes billiards education to the local youth. Recently, Melissa opened a new billiard supply store www.qzetta.com For more information about Melissa please visit: www.melissalittle.com Read more articles by Melissa Little at www.onthebreaknews.com

Marc Vidal from Spain

The Interview Viper: Where were you born? Marc: Barcelona, Spain Viper: What are your biggest accomplishments in the sport of billiards? Marc: Not much to be proud of, by my standards, I feel I’m still working for a big accomplishment. But the Empire State 9Ball Championship in 2008 would be the biggest tournament I have ever won. Viper: Do you have a nickname yet? Marc: Lots of people call me “Spain” in the East Coast, but I don’t like it, it seems like a lazy nickname some people from NYC came up with when I first came to the US.. Some call me Spaniard Viper: What are your short-term goals? Marc: To be a better player and a better person Viper: What do you do when you’re not competing? Marc: Work and family time. Viper: Do you have siblings? Marc: Older sister whom lives in Barcelona. Viper: Who got you started in playing pool? Marc: Myself in bars as a teenager, I used to love to get drunk and play pool. Viper: What do your parents think of your pool career? Marc: They’re happy I found a balanced life through pool. The road was bumpy for me for

most my youth, because I dedicated my life to pool and move to a country that is very different from the one I came from. They weren’t that happy back then… Viper: In your opinion, what parts of the world produce the best players? Marc: Europe and Asia, they seem to be dominating the game. Viper: Who is/was your favorite pro player growing up? Marc: More and more I don’t like to think of a favorite player. However, I admired Francisco Diaz and Mika Immonen when I was just starting to play the game. Viper: Do you currently have any sponsors? Marc: Str8-shots.com, Abilliards.com, 360rack.com and Felt Billiards in Englewood, CO. (Viper continued on page 33)

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To Bank or Not to Bank? Anthony Beeler is a 2013 BCA National 9-Ball team champion. He also finished 9th out of 1086 players in the 2013 BCA National 8-Ball Championships. He is a certified Level 3 instructor for the American CueSports Alliance and is the founder of Maximize Your Potential Billiards Academy located in Bradfordsville, Kentucky. Beeler is also a fully licensed Kentucky Educator having, received his bachelor’s degree at Campbellsville University and his master’s degree in Education Leadership at Eastern Kentucky University. Throughout his pool-playing career Anthony has won over 300 tournaments and has defeated numerous professional players in tournament competition.

It was January 21st, 2012 and the Derby City Classic, World Bank Pool Championship was in full swing. The 5th round draw had just taken place and my upcoming match had just been posted on the scrolling marquis. I walked over to the projector to see who my next opponent was, but before my name appeared, a call went over the loudspeaker, “Shane Van Boening and Anthony Beeler table 5.” At that point, I realized I was going to have my hands full. Shane was playing some of the best pool of his life and I knew I was going to have to play perfect just to stay close. Shane won the lag and handily disposed of the first rack. I knew it was imperative that I win the next game. Under pressure, I won rack two and started to become more comfortable. Shane won rack three by a score of 5-3. I then returned the favor in rack 4 by besting Shane 5 to 1. At that point, we were starting to draw quite a bit of attention. Many onlookers gathered to see me break the balls in the case game. As I executed the break shot, a loud noise was the only thing that I made. Shane walked to the table and proceeded to bank in one shot after another. Pow… pow… pow… pow… was the sound coming from his cue as he riffled in 4 banks in a row. The sound of each bank hitting the back of the pocket was like that of a dagger being driven through my heart. Amazingly, when I returned to the table I hit Shane with a 4-pack of my own. With a 4 to 4 deadlock in the final game you could feel the tension in the air. If I made the bank I would win the match. If not, I would probably lose. Unfortunately for me I was left with a difficult off-angle shot pictured below.

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Your Potential!

To bank or not to bank? was the question I asked myself repeatedly. In fact, I kept hearing the words of Grady Mathews echoing through my head. Grady’s mantra was “If you can’t shoot the cue ball past the object ball into the corner pocket there is a kiss.” However, this rule only applies only to shots hit with inside English and at the time of the match I wasn’t aware that his rule did not apply to shots hit with no English and a rolling cue ball. After carefully contemplating what to do, I attempted a difficult safety that fell short of the mark. Shane calmly approached the table and pocketed the match ball.

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CHALK TALK Sponsored by: Master Chalk Happy New Year! THE SKY IS NO LIMIT

IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT CHANGE IT!

BY: DON AKERLOW

Whether you play leagues, play in pool tournaments, run tournaments as a tournament director or just want to have a memorial tournament for someone who loved the game and played for so many years. Whether you’re happy or not so happy with the direction that pool has taken. It is up to you to do something about it. If you don’t like the way a tournament is being run then learn how to do it yourself or a league. Start with yourself, make the commitment to change something for the better. Like anything else in life, learn your craft. Ask questions, do research or learn by trial and error. Find the rules that you want to play, type them up and put them on the wall so you can point to them when you are running your tournament or league and say, “Those are the rules”. The difference is too many people complain about something and do nothing about it. You will find that some locations will tell you one thing and do another. You will find players that are the same way. Don’t listen to the nay sayers. The best way for you to succeed is to learn what you need to know. Admit when you are wrong,

Sandcastle TGIF 9-Ball

change it and move on. Be under someone’s tutelage that you respect or revere. Equipment is always problematic. Make sure the tables are clean if you are going to run a tournament. Do it yourself if you can’t get the location to. If you use standardized rules and you do not keep them on the wall, then make sure you have a copy of them so you can study and quote them. There are many obstacles that you will encounter if you do it long enough. Each time you encounter a problem it will strengthen you. Be strong, know your facts and admit when you are wrong. All of this might get you a cup of coffee but what it might do is change something for the better. Because if you don’t do it… who then? If you need any help, email me pool@onthebreaknews.com. I have run hundreds of tournaments and have complained about thousands of things over my some 50 years of playing. One thing to remember, if a ruling goes against you, let it go and move on. It will only damage you and your game. Negativity can destroy anything. So with all that said, go out and make your mark, make a difference. You never know where it might lead you and ...

Happy New Year!

Congrats to the TGIF 9-Ball Tournament winners: (Left to right in photo) 4th Place - Kyle Bubet (C class), 2nd Place - Rich Ng (B class), 3rd Place- Jon Woo (A class) & 1st Place - Dexter Audain (B class) GREAT SHOOTING!!!

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Kennedy wins15 Divisions 19 Top Prizes Splits The Largest Regional Tournament in The Country!

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double hill win for Sandaler, put them into the hot seat match, where Kennedy prevailed 7-2. * baseD on la With four matches behind him, Meglino defeated st year's entr ies Devin Brown 6-1 and shut out Prescott Buckwold to draw Gentile, coming over from the winners' side Fun Night! semifinals. Torres drew Chris Daly, who'd gotten byJustin It was 3:30 in the morning when Tommy Hall 6-3 and Billy Burke 6-2. Early Entry Deadline EVENING BEFORE EVENT Kennedy, sitting in the hot seat, and Anthony 2/4/14 Torres got successfully back on the winning track Doors Open At 3 pm, Meglino opted out of a final match during the Late Entry Deadline with a 6-4 victory over Daly, but Meglino handed Gentile Minis And $500-added, November 30 stop on Kennedy's Tiger his second straight loss, defeating him 6-1. Meglino 2/11/14* Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour, which drew 41 entrants Handicapped 10-Ball Singles advanced to the semifinals without lifting his cue, as *$10 Late Fee Per Player, Per Event to Cunningham's in Vero Beach, FL. As far as Kennedy Torres forfeited the quarterfinal match. Start At 7 Pm Green Fees Included! was concerned, the default event title worked out just as Meglino then eliminated Sandaler in the semifinals well for him, because Meglino, he noted, coming off a 6-3, which gave Kennedy, looking on, a glimpse of what nine-match, loss-side winning streak was shooting lights he might be facing. They opted out of the final match, 1 TablesUSA KENNEDY Tommy 600 out as he got closer. and Lights By: declaring Kennedy, in the hot seat, the event winner. 2 USA MEGLINO Anthony 435 "He was shooting really well," said Kennedy, "so it Kennedy thanked Chris Devila, owner of 2014 3 USA SANDALER Jim 330 Lincoln City, Oregon did kind of work out for MARCH the best for me." 9 - 16TH, Cunningham's and his staff for their hospitality, as well (888) Chinook 244-6665 4 USA TORRES Carlos 250 Kennedy had sent Meglino *Dates west in Subject the second To Change Based On Entries as sponsors Tiger Products, J. Pechauer Custom Cues, 5 USA DALY Chris 150 round, and Kennedy moved on, advancing, eventually Mueller Recreational Products, Chris Nitti Custom Cues, 5 USA GENTILE Chris 150 to the winners' side final four, where he met up with Chris Hightower of Cue Man Billiards, Daivd Adams of 7 USA BURKE Billy 100 Carlos Torres. Jim Sandaler, in the meantime, locked Byron,start GA andtimes Simonis Cloth. Races, Fees Suggested are available at 7 USA BUCKWOLD Preston 100 cues with Chris Gentile. A 7-4 win forand Kennedy and a

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Li Trifecta

at JPNEWT Season Finale

by: Kia Sidbury Dec. 13, 2013 The season finale of the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour was held at Triple Nines Bar and Billiards in Elkridge, Maryland on the weekend of November 30, 2013. It was a great turnout of 23 ladies for a chance at $1,000. This event was also the last opportunity for the ladies to earn ranking points in hopes of qualifying for the upcoming regional tour championships. Jia (Zhao) Li ripped through JPNEWT a third time consecutively. Li sent the following players west to take her to the hot seat match: Teresa Thomas 7-1, went hill-hill with Linda Shea, Nicole Nester 7-3 and Dawn Fox 7-1. Meanwhile, Dawn Fox currently ranked #3 took down Denise Reeve 7-4, Ji-Hyun Park 7-5, Jennifer Nhek 7-4 (JPNEWT amateur champ). In the hot seat match, Jia practically swept Dawn, leaving Dawn a chance to fight back from the semifinal round. In the semifinals, Fox had to face the #2 ranked player Nicole Nester. Early on, Nester defeated Briana Miller in a hill-hill battle. She also defeatedColleen Shoop 7-5, Kathy Friend 7-4. After being sent west by Jia 7-3, Nicole took down Sharon O’Hanlon 7-2 and knocked out Friend in a rematch 7-4. Now the second and third ranked ladies went at it with Fox finishing on top. With a chance at a rematch against Li, Fox did not allow Ji to sweep her. Fox caused the race to extend to 9 by winning 5 games over Li, but that wasn’t enough. Li kept Fox at 5 game in and took the win 9-5. The JPNEWT thanks the following for supporting our tour this year: Sponsors J. Pechauer Custon Cues (Tour Sponsor) Coins of the Realm (Pete Boyer) Black Heart Tips (merchandise)

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Jia Li and Dawn Fox

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Guptadefeated Un

Shivam Gupta goes undefeated for his first Tri-State victory at Gotham City Billiards. Shivamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tournament trail included wins over Vagif Alexberov 6 - 2; Akbar Kamueddien 6 - 2; Bryan Singh 6 - 3; Eric Hummell 6 - 5 and an amazing win over, Chris Derewonski 8 - 3 for the Hot Seat. Bryan Singh made an impressive comeback, after his loss to Shivam 6 - 3, winning his next 4 matches to face Chris Derewonskifor a chance in the Finals. Bryan fell short, when the ever so able A+ talent blazed through the match 10 - 5 after giving a 5 game handicap. Both Chris and Shivam were exhausted due to the late hour and split the prize with Shivam taking first place. The next Tri-State will be held on December 7th at Castle Billiards in East Rutherford, NJ. Thank you to SterlingGaming, Ozone Billiards, Qpod, Heptig Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics for their sponsorship leading to this event.

Results 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th - 6th 7th - 8th

Shivam Gupta Chri Derewonski Bryan Singh Luis Jimenez Gary Murgia Eric Hummell Arturo Reyes, Pat Mareno

$920.00 $610.00 $380.00 $230.00 $150 $115

L to R: 2nd Place - Chris Derewonski; 1st Place - Shivam Gupta; 3rd Place - Bryan Singh.

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Brad Hughes

Takes Winter 8-Ball Jam at Slate Billiards

From the left: Alicia DeAbreu, 5th; Chris Gordon, 3rd; Ethan Epstein, 3rd; Bill Giffen, room co-owner; Brad Hughes, winner; Tom McLoud, 2nd. Boynton Beach, Fla. (Dec. 7, 2013) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Forty-six players filled three division boards Saturday night to compete in the 2013 Flamingo Billiards Tour Open Winter 8-Ball Jam at Slate Billiards in Boynton Beach, Florida. Sponsored in part by Ozone Billiards and Budweiser Black Crown, this $500-added event drew lots of new faces. At the end of the night, Brad Hughes sank the last eight ball for the win. Hughes had an uphill fight, after sending Jaran Hilton west then losing to local favorite Sam Kantar. Not to be stopped, Hughes came back on the one-loss side sending home Billy Burke, Joe Beyer and Johnny Aguilar to make it to the final single elimination board.

1st 2nd 3rd 5th 9th

RESULTS

Brad Hughes Tom McCloud Ethan Epstein,,Chris Gordon Jesus Borjas , Jordan Tavano Sam Kantar, Alicia DeAbreu Chris Daly, Dean Allen Janis Sessions , Johnny Aguilar

Also making the final board: Alicia DeAbreu, Chris Gordon, Tom McCloud, Sam Kantar, Jordan Tavano, Ethan Epstein and Jesus Borjas. The final match pitted Hughes against McCloud with Hughes finishing the night on top. This modified double elimination format, race to four, with three divisions allows players in all levels to make the money. Players initially compete within their own skill level. The highest finishers in each level redraw into a final single elimination board of eight. At that point, the matches are handicapped. Thanks to everyone who came out to play, to room owners Mike Bradford and Bill Giffen, (www.slatebilliards.com), Ozone Billiards and Budweiser Black Crown. For more information, visit www.flamingobilliardstour.com.

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Renee Vassallo won the Ozone cue case. Alicia DeAbreu, Lauren Pickard, and Janis Sessions won a paid spot to the Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flamingo Billiards Regional Tour 2014 Kick off Event.

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2013 PartyPoker.net Mosconi Cup

It’s Europe in a Landslide 4th December USA 2-11 Europe Strickland & Hatch 3-6 Appleton /Souquet Earl Strickland 4-6 Karl Boyes Hatch & Morris 4-6 Immonen /Feijen

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January 2014

TEAM EUROPE completed their finest ever PartyPoker.net Mosconi Cup win, as they beat the Americans 11-2, the second biggest winning margin in the 20 year history of the event. Needing three more points going into the third day, they reeled off the first three matches to hand out a humiliating defeat to the USA. It was Europe’s fourth win on the trot and their sixth in seven years. With a star-packed team, many felt that this was the Americans best chance in a while but after losing the first day 5-0, the writing was on the wall. America won two points on Tuesday but all in all it was a lame performance that will leave many questions.

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It was Niels Feijen, partnered by Mika Immonen, who downed the winning 9 ball and the final point of this year’s event gave the Dutchman his second Most Valuable Player trophy in three years. European captain, Johan Ruijsink was thrilled with his fifth victory at the helm; “I am very, very proud of my team. They played like lions all week, they came out of the starting blocks really heavy on the Americans and I don’t think they recovered. I am really sorry for my buddy Johnny Archer because it is his first time as a captain in the modern age and I think he deserved better than that. He is a great captain, a great motivator, and I feel

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photo by: Rick Schmitz

NIELS FEIJEN

photo by: Rick Schmitz

sorry for him because 11-2 doesn’t reflect the difference in quality.” Despite his obvious standing as a captain and motivator, Ruijsink was quick to put the credit where it was due; “I have a great team, world class players, and the only thing I need to do is channel their energy and quality into the right direction. “The other wins have been more tense but I think the quality we put up every year is a guarantee for us to have a certain level of play. “This is a game of details and as soon as the Americans don’t have their details in order you can get beaten by this. I don’t think the score is a reflection of the quality because they are much better than 11-2. “ For Johnny Archer it was a bitter pill to swallow; “Everything went wrong. We didn’t break the balls as well as they did, they played better, they were more of a team. “The first day just killed us. We got behind really badly the first day and we were really search from there and it was very hard. They kept coming out and they won a couple of close matches. “It is very disappointing and the whole team is really disappointed right now. All we can do is take a year to try and figure it out. It might be different players, all kinds of different things. “I definitely think we need to improve on being more of a team like the European team. That is the number one thing right now and that is what we have to do.” Going into the third day, with three points required, the European pair of Darren Appleton and Ralf Souquet got the best possible start as they beat a talkative Earl Strickland and Dennis Hatch to get within two points of victory. The start looked so promising for the Americans especially when Dennis Hatch’s golden break put them into a 2-0 lead but after the European pair reeled off the next four, it Continued on page 24

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photo by: Rick Schmitz

EARL STRICKLAND

photo by: Rick Schmitz

SHANE VAN BOENING

photo by: Rick Schmitz

MIKA IMMONEN

Hatch and Morris gave it a go and got the score to 4-4 but the Europeans took the ninth

DENNIS HATCH 24 page

January 2014

was the beginning of the end. The end came via a 3/9 combination as Appleton took his time using the rest and clipped it home for victory. Strickland was back in the fray in the next as came up against Karl Boyes in a singles match and was soon 2-0 down, and complaining about pretty much everything. Boyes took the next but a well executed run out from Strickland reduced the deficit. Boyes took the next after mistakes from both players and when Strickland failed to make contact with the 1 ball the Englishman took full advantage to clear the table for 5-1. Strickland received a warning from referee Ken Schuman for his incessant talking but held himself together to take the next. Some more fluid play from Strickland saw him move the score to 3-5. The verbose legend seemed to be hitting his stride as he made another superb clearance to get within one of Boyes. The Englishman though got back to the table and made a great shot pocketing the 2 ball and holding position. From there he composed himself together to make a great out and put Team Europe on the hill. Rodney Morris and Dennis Hatch had the job of keeping America in the Mosconi Cup, while in the other corner, Niels Feijen and Mika Immonen were looking to become only the second doubles pair to bring home the Mosconi Cup.

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RODNEY MORRIS

JOHNNY ARCHER

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“I think if somebody had bet money on that score line he would have made a lot of money. I was on the 12-1 losing team several years ago so at least I got a little payback time on this year. I am happy for us, for the team. We have a great team spirit and it was a great team effort. Now it is time to celebrate.” www.youtube.com/mosconicupofficial www.facebook.com/mosconicup

www.twitter.com/mosconicup The 2013 Mosconi Cup is delighted to work with our valued sponsors –Diamond Billiards: Tables; Iwan Simonis: Official Cloth; Aramith: Official Balls and Predator: Official Cue.

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game and then picked their way through the final rack to spark scenes of celebration in the arena. A delighted Feijen, “I was on the team when we lost 12-1 and when it went to 5-0 on day one, that was already a record. On day two it was 8-2 and could have been 9-1 or 10-0 and from there on it was like, ‘what is going on’? “The first day we walked in and there was 650 people going nuts for the USA and we thought it would be intense. All of a sudden it was 5-0, 8-2, so we said today we just wanted to win the session again – that is all you can do. “Karl played a great match against Earl, and then we finished it off. It was unbelievable. I won the MVP but it is such a team thing this. I think Europe in the last few years has been so good at having a team spirit, sticking together, supporting each other and that is all because of Johan. I want to thank him for all the effort he has put in over the years and I hope he will be back.” Ralf Souquet’s Mosconi Cup has come full circle. He was in the losing side in the inaugural event in 1994, and 20 years on he played a full part in a great victory. “It feels great, a little unexpected scorewise because nobody ever dreamed of beating such a great American team 11-2. On the other hand we played great, took advantage of their mistakes and didn’t make too many mistakes ourselves.

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DARREN APPLETON

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page 25

BEHIND THE ROCK TOUR

Makes World History

Ever since players have been rolling balls on felt with sticks, competition has been headto-head against an opponent standing at the table. Until now, competitors had to be in the same place at the same time in order to determine who was best that day. Not any more! With the magic of technology and a modified pool game that is scored, Behind the Rock Tour made history in December with a head-to-head challenge with players in different locations! It had never been done before and heralds a new chapter in pool history. The first match was Rafael Martinez playing out of Cue-Topia Billiards in Tacoma WA against David Pinkston out of Gallery Billiards in New Burgh, NY. The second match was Jeff Jerome also playing out of Cue-Topia Billiards in Tacoma WA pitted against Doug Youmans also out of Gallery RAFAEL MARTINEZ Billiards followed by a grudge match by these two players. All of these matches were exciting and either player could have pulled off the win in any of the matches. This was the first time a competition has ever been held with players shooting from different locations! These matches were made possible by live streaming the competitors playing the Behind the Rock Tour (BTRT) format which is a scored game of popular pool games, like 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball. For these historic matches, “220” was the game. “220” is a modified version of 10 ball vs. the Ghost with scoring twists. A match consists of 11 games against the ghost. If a player breaks and runs the 11th game then a 12th game is played to complete the scoring for the 11th game. Basic rules are: all ball foul rules, rack in any order, 1 point for 10 ball on the break, 1 point for additional 10 balls shot out of rotation, minus 1 (-1) for a scratch on the break and all balls pocketed on the break spot, and other more detailed scoring for break and runs. Player takes ball in hand after the break. If a ball is pocketed on the game that a player breaks and runs, then the player scores 10 points for that game plus all the points in the following game. If a player does not make a ball on the break and proceeds to run the table, he has the option of ball-inhand on the next game. You can find a complete list of rules on the website at www.behindtherocktour.com. Each player played from their local pool room and competed via live stream. It was really something to witness. JEFF JEROME Rafael Martinez and David Pinkston played the first match. Cue-Topia Billiards had Pinkston on big screen TV and watched Martinez live while Gallery Billiards had Pinkston live and Cue-Topia Billiards live via live stream on the big screen. This is how the match went down. Pinkston started out in Game 1 with 4 points, while Martinez put together a “Cut” game (pocketed no ball on the break and ran out the rack). In Game 2 Pinkston put together a “Snap” game (pocketed one or more balls on the break and ran out) and Martinez had another Cut game, but didn’t take ball-in-hand so it converted to a “Cut Option Executed” (It might sound confusing, but play the game a few times and it all

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January 2014

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makes a lot of sense!). The score after Game 2 was Pinkston 24, Martinez 30. Both players shot a Snap game in Game 3 and things took a turn from there. Pinkston lost a wheel off his wagon and shot a total of 14 points over the next three games, while Martinez stayed strong and racked up another Cut game, a Snap game and 2 more points. After 5 games Martinez had a strong lead of 87 to 56. It looked like it might be a cake walk for Martinez, but then things took another turn. Over the next 5 games Martinez had two more Cut games and pulled together another 34 points. Pinkston turned up the heat with 5 Cut games and 1 Snap game turning the match around and bringing the final score to Martinez 121 and Pinkston 152. As every game was played out, the spectators were calculating what the players needed to win the match. It was a great victory for Pinkston and awesome play by both players. The matches between Jeff Jerome DAVID PINKSTON out of Cue-Topia Billiards in Tacoma WA and Doug Youmans out of Gallery Billiards in New Burgh, NY were a challenge. In the first match, Youmans spotted Jerome 17 points. By the 9th game Jerome had pulled out too much of a lead for Youmans to overcome. The spot was too much for him to handle, so they played a second (grudge) match and brought the spot down to seven. For the first 7 games Jerome and Youmans were back and forth. By the 8th game players and spectators were starting to tally and calculate the points the players needed to win the match. After each game players and spectators would recalculate right down to the last game. In the 10th game Jerome had a Snap game followed by another Snap game in the 11th to put the heat on Youmans, pulling out a spectacular 1 point victory. It was an exciting finish to a great match. The goal and vision of Behind the Rock Tour is to create a tour that everyone can play. It will grow to be the largest paying weekly tournament with a format that can be used as a tool to help players take their game to the next levels. It’s a format that takes the guess work out of exactly how good a player really is and levels the playing field by utilizing a true handicap. The BTRT format merges an easy way to measure billiard players with technology to change the face of pool as we know it. Merging the BTRT format and technology will lend itself to international competition on a weekly basis throughout the world! For anyone who loves the game of pool, this is a vision for you to support by participating. Behind The Rock Tour is changing the game of pool for the better. You can’t decide for yourself if you don’t check it out! So visit their website at www. behindtherocktour.com and be a part of history! DOUG YOUMANS Congratulations to David Pinkston, Rafael Martinez, Jeff Jerome and Doug Youmans for making pool history! You can watch the complete Pinkston/ Martinez match seamed together on the home page of the website at www.behindtherocktour.com.

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It was no surprise that the 1st East Coast 9-Ball Championships, held on the weekend of December 7-8 at Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA, featured a well-known list of Mid-Atlantic pool players, like Brett Stottlemyer, Ozzy Reynolds, Danny Green, Mike Davis and Brian Deska (to name just a few). It was also no surprise that Deska, sent to the loss side in the third round of play clawed his way back through seven matches against a variety of the Mid-Atlantic’s best players, to reach the finals. It was a bit of surprise that this East coast event was won by Oscar Dominguez from California. He went undefeated through seven opponents to lay claim to the first East Coast 9-Ball Championship. The event was more than a single, isolated pool tournament, offering a somewhat standard range of cash prizes. These championships were the culmination of months of work and something of a dream come true for Ozzy Reynolds, tour director of the Action Pool Tour. Reynolds conceived the event and launched a series of 64 qualifiers to create the field of players. In his opinion, articulated in a September press release, “the current format for large-scale pool tournaments (in this country) is broken.” And he set out to do something about it. He created something of a feeder system; a relatively ‘low fee’ series of 64 qualifiers that was designed to raise $32,000 in prize money for the championship event. “My model was based on the assumption that we’d average 14 players per qualifier,” he said the day after the conclusion of the East Coast 9-Ball Championship. “We ended up averaging around six and a half players per qualifier.” This knocked the total prize fund down to $14,000, but even at that, the payouts were still above normal for a 64-entrant field at most ‘major’ tournaments. The top prize winner in such tournaments will generally pocket around $1,000, whereas this East Coast Championship allowed Oscar Dominguez to go home with $4,000, while runner-up Brian Deska cashed in at $2,500. It’s the reason, in fact, that Oscar Dominguez took the time to seek out a qualifying tournament, and then fly in from California to (as it turned out) win it. “Oscar’s win brought a level of credibility to it,” said Reynolds. “He told me personally that he thought this was the only way to get good payouts to a

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Oscar Dominguez photo courtesy of Bob Beaulieu

West Coaster Oscar Dominguez Wins East Coast 9-Ball Championships tournament, and that’s why he took the time to qualify for it.” The event ran into two problems. One, according to Reynolds, was the fact that the concept “over-fished a small pond,” leading to less ‘fish’ than he’d anticipated. The other problem was a little thornier, and involved what some other tours perceived as territory encroachment. Reynolds had originally planned on holding qualifiers from Maine to Florida, but when he sought out rooms in the Northeast, he was met with resistance. “The jury is still out,” said Reynolds about a 2nd Annual East Coast Championship, “but I’m leaning toward doing it again, and not making the same mistakes.”

“In my mind,” he added, “this model was proved successful, and just needs some refinement.” Oscar Dominguez’ path to the winners’ circle went right through some of the best that the Mid-Atlantic region had to offer, including Mike Davis (3rd round), Danny Green (4th round), and among the winners’ side final four, Steve Fleming. In the other winners’ side semifinal, Shaun Wilkie squared off againstChris Futrell. Dominguez downed Fleming 9-2, and in the hot seat match, met Wilkie, who’d defeated Futrell 9-6. Dominguez chalked up his second-to-last win, 9-5, over Wilkie and waited on what turned out to be the return of Brian Deska, one of the top-ranked players on the Action Pool Tour. Futrell moved over to pick up Green, who’d gotten by Matt Krah 7-5 and FrEd Scott 7-4. Fleming drew Deska, four matches into his seven-match, loss-side winning streak that saw him down Larry Nevel, Ozzy Reynolds, Larry Kressel (double hill), and Danny Mastermaker. Both recent arrivals from the winners’ side - Futrell and Fleming - were eliminated; Futrell, 7-4, by Green and Fleming, 7-5 by Deska. Deska moved on and dropped Green 7-4 in the quarterfinals and then, Wilkie 7-2 in the semifinals. Dominguez, though, pulled the plug on Deska’s loss-side juggernaut, winning the final 9-5 to claim the first East Coast 9-Ball Championship title.

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page 27

The Pearl

wins Predator Open finale

Capping off the Predator Pro/ Am Tour’s 2013 season in style, Earl Strickland walked away the undefeated champion of the Open/ Pro 10-Ball season finale at Raxx Pool Room. Strickland started out with a 7-1 win over room owner Holden Chin, and went on to defeat Frankie Hernandez 7-4, Mhet Vergara 7-5, and Wang Can 7-5 to go to the hot seat. Can, the 17-year-old phenom from Shanghai, China, has had a breakout year on the American pool circuit, L-R FRANKIE HERNANDEZ (3RD), WANG CAN (2ND), EARL STRICKLAND (1ST) and beat Scotland’s Jayson Shaw 7-4 it at 9-6. to make it to the hot seat to play Earl. The Predator Pro/Am Tour would like to give special thanks to their sponsors Making his way through the one-loss side was longtime top New York player Frankie for their support: Predator Cues, The National Amateur Pool League, Delta-13, Hernandez, who defeated Chad Bowling 7-4, Michael Yednak 7-5, upset Jayson NYCgrind, and PoolOnTheNet.com, along with host room Raxx Pool Room and Shaw 7-5, and won the quarterfinal against Tony Robles in a 7-2 rout. their staff. Frankie Hernandez went up against Wang Can in the semifinal, who went on a tear Complete Payouts Open/Pro to win the match 7-1. Hernandez finished in 3rd, while Can moved on for a rematch 1st: Earl Strickland $1,100 against Strickland. 2nd: Wang Can $600 Wang Can got out to a 3-0 lead in the final vs Earl Strickland…but after Can 3rd Frankie Hernandez $450 scratched off a jump shot, Strickland got into a groove and on to win the next six 4th: Tony Robles $250 straight games. Earl only needed three more games to win the match, and while he gave Can a few openings to get back in the match, Strickland closed the door to win

PHIL DAVIS comes back

In the final match, Phil Davis would have a rematch against undefeated Stewart Warnock for the title. In the extended single-race final format, Davis would need to get to seven games first to extend the race to nine, but if Warnock got to seven first, he would win it. Davis got out to a 2-0 lead, and would end up running away with the set with a final score of 9-4. Both Davis and Warnock had strong 2013 season, and finished it off at the top of L-R STEWART WARNOCK (2ND), RAFAEL ORTIZ SR. (3RD), PHIL DAVIS (1ST) the finale. The Predator Pro/Am Tour would like to give special thanks to their Phil Davis Bounces Back to Win the Predator Tour’s Amateur 9-Ball Season Finale sponsors for their support: Predator Cues, The National Amateur Pool League, The Predator Pro/Am Tour’s season finale is always a highlight of the year for NYC Delta-13, NYCgrind, and PoolOnTheNet.com, along with host room Raxx Pool area players, and it was evident this year, with a full field of 64 players attending the Room and their staff. event at Raxx Pool Room, Sports Bar & Grill. Complete Payouts Amateur Making his way to the finals, 2013 A+ Player of the Year & former tour stop winner 1st: Phil Davis $1,300 Stewart Warnock of Bardonia, NY took the hot seat following his win against Rafael 2nd: Stewart Warnock $900 Ortiz Sr. To get to the hot seat match, Warnock put a string of wins against Lenore 3rd: Rafael Ortiz Jr. $600 Donovan 10-9, Ray Feliciano 9-8, Steve Wright 7-4, Phil Davis 7-5, and Steinway 4th: Eric Grasman $450 Billiards owner & manager Manny Stamatakis. 5/6: Roberto Mendoza, Manny Stamatakis $300 Phil Davis, an Ansonia, CT-based player who finished #4 in the ‘A+’ Class would 7/8: Bogie Uzdejczyk, Meshak Daniel $200 move on from his loss to Warnock to go through the one-loss side of the field. Davis 9-12: Scott Murphy, Koka Davladze, Rhys Chen, Junior Sanchez $150 forged through all the way to the final after wins against Rhys Chen 7-1, Bogie 13-16: Joe Torres, Steve Wright, Justin Muller, Keith Adamik $125 Uzdeczyk 7-2, Roberto Mendoza 7-3, Eric Grasman 7-5 (after trailing 5-3), and Rafael Ortiz Sr. 7-3 in the semifinal.

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d e t a e f e d n u s e o

g e r Moo

p o t s n e p O E

S r e g i T ins

STEVIE MOORE (photo courtesy of: Melissa Little)

www.AzBilliards.com Dec. 10, 2013 Stevie Moore successfully worked his way through a field of 27, on-hand for the Saturday, December 7 stop on the Tiger Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour, but not before being challenged by Scotty Townsend, who came from deep on the loss-side to meet him in the finals. The $1,000-added event was hosted by Game Land Billiards in Albany, GA, which added $235 to bring the top prize to $1,000. Moore was among the final four winners, and faced Denny Singletaryin one of the winners' side semifinals. Don Cossart met up with Stoney Stone in the other. Moore got into the hot seat match with a 9-5 victory over Singletary, as Cossart sent Stone over 9-7. Moore downed Cossart 9-5, claiming the hot seat. On the loss side, Townsend was working his way back, defeatingJames Parr and tour director Tommy Kennedy to draw Singletary. "Scotty was really playing well," said Kennedy. "The best I've seen him play in two years." Stone, in the meantime, drew Jesse Middlebrooks, who'd gotten by Randy Jordan and Adam Towery. By identical 7-4 scores, Townsend and Stone eliminated Singletary and Middlebrooks, and squared off in the quarterfinals. Townsend then dropped Stone into fourth place 7-5, and completed his loss-side run with a 7-3 victory over Cossart in the semifinals. It was, by this time, getting late. By mutual agreement, Townsend and Moore opted out of playing a final match, choosing to split the top two prizes, leaving Moore as the undefeated title winner. Tour director Kennedy thanked Bo Nelson and the staff at Game Land Billiards for their hospitality and the added money. He also thanked sponsors Tiger Products, J. Pechauer Custom Cues, Mueller Recreational Products, Chris Nitti Custom Cues, Chris Hightower of Cue Man Billiards, David Adams of Byron, GA and Simonis Cloth.

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Lucky

Back On the Road-part 2 ....Continued from last month………

When we got to town we went to a pool hall to play pool. Nothing was happening and we were about to leave when Larry ‘The Truth’ Nevel came in. So we just sort of kept an eye on him to see what he was up to. He went over to Anna, the ‘Swedish counter person’ and had a conversation. He grabbed a rack of balls, headed for a table and she got on the phone. Lucky said he’s the guy who shoots that ‘one handed jacked up on the rail draw shot’ that I saw on YouTube. Lucky said that he is very impressive. Anna came back and talked to Larry. Larry soon left. You could assume that Larry wanted a game from someone and it couldn’t be arranged. When we were going out the door, Lucky asked Anna what Larry was doing here. Anna said, “He’s here to play a big match over at High Pockets tomorrow.” Lucky said, “That’s what we are going to do, go to check it out”. We went to the hotel, grabbing some grub on the way. We needed a good night of sleep. After a good night’s sleep we got up and just hung around the hotel. We caught some local TV. Match wasn’t supposed to happen until the evening, so we had plenty of time. Called a Taxi and we went to the pool room early, in hopes of getting some food ahead of time. We wanted to eat, I was getting hungry. Saw a place close to the pool hall at Cloverleaf Shopping Center. We ate lunch at Jacks’ BBQ Rib Shack. We both had the Beef Brisket Plate. It was only $6.50, a great deal and it was tasty. We were going to be in town awhile and knew there were plenty of great BBQ places. Someone also steered us to Charlie’s RENDEZVOUS. We love a good BBQ. Pool Hall Day: We walked into High Pockets -- and experienced the SOUND of cue balls colliding, which was deafening. People were all over the place. They were setting up Streaming, cameras, etc. They had 10-12 Gold Crown tables and some Valley bar tables. There were many conversations going at one time, so it was buzzing. Hearing all the conversations seemed like being in an echo chamber. You could make out what people were saying, if you could stop and focus. Then you could pick out one group’s conversation to listen to, if you filter out everything else...Then when you stopped, you were back in the echo chamber. We got a rack of balls and a table. A couple of locals walked up to us and asked us if we wanted to play Scotch Doubles ‘cheap’. Lucky likes to play Scotch because it hides his speed. They suggested $10 a man ($20 a game). Lucky said his favorite thing, “We never seen you play before, we should play a couple of games first!” Then Lucky says, “Why not, we got plenty of green backs today”. We were killing time until the match with the “Truth” and Chip. These guys were eager to win some money off of us.

BY: ANDREW MONSTIS

so. I noticed a few players kind of watching us, as we were new to the place. We just played pool most of the day, the most I had played in a while, it felt good. Lucky kept letting me shoot though. I was anticipating Lucky just running over me as always. It was nice he didn’t play so hard. I got good practice in and was warmed up. It was later when Chip and Larry first entered into the Pool Room. Most of the tables were in use, the hall is full. It was nice to see a place so busy with there being a tournament going on. We were close to the cameras, which Lucky hates; so we moved to a table in the back so we wouldn’t be on TV. In Larry’s hand is his leather cue case. The players and a couple of backers stood before the table and looked around at the crowd, maintaining a conversation on the conditions of the match. There were four guys who came with Larry. Chip was with his entourage. They seem to agree on terms and each warmed up, taking turns on the table. The match was slated for $10,000. These 2 have been trying to make a game since July in Vegas. Larry proposed rotation and Chip wanted nothing to do with that. Chip proposed that they play some One Pocket. They decided after some time, to play one pocket. The match started as ‘7 ahead one pocket’ for $10,000. One pocket is a hard game to watch unless you are ‘sweating it’, (gambling). They played for hours and a bunch of games. They were playing quick and it wasn’t all that boring. Chip got up 3 games at the end of the day. They had to quit and arranged a start time next day. We went back to hotel to rest.

We played for a while, when we started to pull ahead, Lucky said to hold back a little. I guess I was trying too hard, as I like to win money too. We down-geared to barely winning, but we were able to make our bank rolls creep up. They eventually got tired of losing money. We were up 10 games or

Next day we went back over to the BBQ place in the mall. I had some Catfish and it wasn’t bad at all. Came back early to the pool room. I guess we were becoming part of the scenery and one of the two guys we played Scotch last night wanted to play again, but he had a different partner. Lucky whispered to me “This new guy is a player” We started as we had, $20 a game and $10 a stick. The match with Chip and Larry was resuming but we were staying across the room in our match. Second day started as much of the same. The focus in the room was on that pool event. Great, no one was paying attention to us. It was interesting watching the people, some paying attention to almost every shot in the mega one pocket match and some acted like they were watching but really were there to play pool themselves; taking peeks at the match while hitting balls. We were collecting after each game. Lucky played different today, he let the better guy shoot and the lesser player never be able to get a good shot with shape. He was setting up the ‘player’. Lucky was making the better player want to dump his partner so he would want to play singles with Lucky. No other words to say, it was masterful. We were sticking them pretty good and

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it looked like I was the one controlling the game. They wanted to bet more and we obliged. Over across the room Chip got up 4 games ahead on Larry. The crowd cheered a few times on a great shot. These two guys we were playing started to argue a bit, frustrated from both not being on the same page. I could see it was Lucky’s design. Genius! They donated $200 apiece. They quit. Nice day of work for me. The better shooter wanted to play me some heads up. I wanted to, but it wasn’t in Lucky’s grand design. I said maybe later… We went over and checked into the big match. Larry eventually got to even, with some gritty play. The ‘Truth’ was pretty aggressive, as they both were at times. Again, they were playing fairly fast; not too many wedge games. I noticed that people in the crowd were paying off after each game. There were some small ‘sweat bets’ and in some cases several hundred dollars a game. It went on a while before they quit for the day. Third day they were there, they had played 64 games, a lot of one pocket. Even - at 32 games apiece, a discussion got underway into changing the match to one race to 7 for the all the cheese. They were tired and decided to play a race to 7 for the $10,000. The games slowed down, putting many watching to sleep. It went back and forth before Chip pulled out ahead and won that race 7-5 to take all the bucks., People were packing up and moving on. We hung around and that guy we played partners with came over asked to play me. Lucky said, “What’s the bet?” The Guy said $200 a set of 9 ball. Lucky said, “What would you play me for?” The guy paused, “I’ll play you for $400 a set.” The hook was set. …I said, “If you beat the old man, then you have to play me for the same amount, $400.” We fully knew that the guy would never play me, thinking I was the better player to begin with. So saying if the old man loses, made him have confidence that he was going to beat Lucky. How perfect. He had won some side money from the ‘match’ so he had enough. Lucky said, “Since I am playing for $400, the race has to be to 7.” The Guy said, “Sure, man.” They flipped, the guy won and broke, but was hooked on one ball that rolled out. Lucky shot at it, but got safe, wink wink! Lucky kept missing but luckily he hooked the guy, Wink wink! Leaving Lucky with a two or a three ball ‘out’, every game. The guy muttered under his breath, “Lucky Bastard.” Set was over fast. The guy played another set and that was over fast, also. We knew he had won a few thousand earlier. 5 sets went so fast the guy didn’t know what hit him. He kept staring at me. I know he was thinking he wasn’t going to play me. You could see it in his eyes. He kept paying and Lucky was up $2000. The Guy quit. I went over to say something to the Guy about the match but he avoided eye contact. We thought it was a good idea to leave so we went back to the Hotel. We were going to leave tomorrow, for a place that everyone was talking about, in Lafayette, Louisiana.

To Be Continued…

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Somner double dips Dix TO WIN HIS FIRST GSBT STOP www.AzBilliards.com Dec. 10, 2013 Richie Somner came back from the semifinals of the December 7-8 stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour, to take both sets of a true double elimination final fromGreg Dix and capture his first GSBT title. The $1,000-added event drew 32 entrants to Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC. Somner worked his way through to a winners' side semifinal against Gatlin Haskins, while Dix took onJamie Spivey. Dix won 9-3, and was met in the hot seat match by Somner, who'd defeated Haskins 7-4. With Somner racing to 7, Dix took the first of his three against him, handily, 9-3, and sat in the hot seat to await his return. Haskins moved to the loss side and met up with B.J. Hucks, who'd gotten by Matt Collins 9-2 and survived a double hill battle against Chris Gentile. Spivey picked up Jim Grey, who'd defeated Justin Martin 6-5 and Anthony Ballario 6-4. Grey and Haskins advanced to the quarterfinals, once Grey had eliminated Spivey 6-2 and Haskins had sent Hucks home 9-5. With Haskins racing to 9, Grey squeaked by him in a double hill battle that sent him to the semifinals. Somner ended Grey's loss-side winning streak with a 7-4 win that earned him a second shot against Dix. With Dix racing to 9, Somner won the opening set of the finals 7-6. He allowed Dix one more rack in the second set, winning it 7-7 to capture his first GSBT title. Tour director Shannon Daulton thanked the ownership and staff at Shore Thing Billiards for their ongoing support and hospitality, as well as sponsors Nick Varner Cues & Cases, Delta 13 Racks, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Tiger Products, Ozone Billiards and Lomax Custom Cues. The Great Southern Billiard Tour will host its 7th Annual Tour Championship beginning on Friday, Dec. 13, at Michael's Billiards in Fairfield, OH. With $5,000 guaranteed prize money up for grabs, it's the tour's biggest event. Anybody looking for further information about this event should call Shannon Daulton at 865-850-4572, or log on to the tour's Web site at www.greatsouthernbilliardtour. com

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Shannon Daulton, Richie Sumner, Greg Dix and Brent Hudgins

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Glass

(continued from page 13)

corner ball hit the foot rail and return to its original spot, and the other corner ball hit the side rail and return to its original position. The cue ball will be married to the head rail, forcing your opponent to attempt her shot with follow. Be aware that two balls other than the cue ball must hit a rail. My preference is for the left corner ball to return to the original spot as I said, but to have the right corner ball barely make it to the end rail. It will be hidden behind the rack as long as the cue ball makes it to the correct spot, and it makes it a little bit harder for your opponent to play a good safety if there is a ball separated from the rack. To accomplish this, try hitting the object ball a little bit thinner. Be careful with this break. If the balls are very clean, it should be easier to do. If they are dirty, then the right object ball might acquire a little spin that could push it

“The Viper”

(Continued from page 15)

Viper: Did you ever play in a pool league? Marc: Last year I played in VNEA. Viper: Are you good at any other sports? Marc: I am fair at chess and soccer. Viper: Describe yourself in three words? Marc: Serious, ambitious and independent. Viper: If you had to live your life over again, what would one thing you change about yourself and/or your pool career? Marc: I would have practiced pool more than I did, and I would never have taken a job, like I did. Viper: How do you prepare for events? Marc: Just practice 3-4 hours per day. Wish I could double these hours. Viper: What was the best advice you were ever given? Marc: If you’re not sure, then you’re not ready. Viper: What is one thing that you enjoy most while playing pool? Marc: Being in the zone. Viper: If you could say one thing to a young upcoming player what would it be? Marc: The game is easier than you think, it’s limitless, but it isn’t as hard as it seems, to master the game you just need to put a lot of hours and play better players. Viper: What’s your Favorite game? Marc: I like 9/10Ball.But it gets boring to play these games in most tournaments. I like Rotation, One-Pocket and 14.1 just as much though. It’s a shame they are not played as often as 9-ball. 15Ball games are thinking games. Goes to show you the current promoters of most regional and pro events only care about what sells and

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to the right after hitting the foot rail, giving your opponent a shot. This is another reason I prefer having it barely touch the foot rail. As always, I recommend you practice this break. You’ll find you’ll get the hang of it, and won’t mind losing the lag in your future 14.1 games! Next month, we’ll close out this series on breaks by talking about One Pocket. This can be a little more controversial -- there are many differing opinions; if you want to give me yours, drop me a line! Do you have some tips on breaking that you’d like to share with me? Do you have any suggestions for future articles? Drop me a line at pool@mikekglass.com. I can also be found hanging out with fellow billiards enthusiasts at reddit.com/r/billiards. Come on by and join the discussion!

draws people to their events. Sometimes we need to be a bit more pure, and think for the good of the sport and not so much for our own financial interests. I think the game deserves better and it is not being respected enough. Here are some Facebook questions for you Marc… Linda Hensley from MO, asks: How many times per week and hours would you have to practice drills to be at the top of your game? Marc: I usually practice 2-3 per day and 5-6 days per week is enough to get me playing at a good speed. As your level goes up you don’t need to put as many hours. I used to need a lot more hours to just be playing decent. Drills are good but in moderation. Nothing beats top competition and pressure matches to improve quickly though. That is more important than drills. Some may think they don’t have a chance at winning some weekly/ regional tournaments, but don’t give up. Play them for a year. You may still not win them then, but the guarantee that you would have become a better player by the end of the year is certain. Richard Penny from FL asks: What’s better for you being a gambler or someone who plays the tournaments? Marc: I respect both the gambler and the tournament player. To me it’s about how they carry themselves In competition, you need to deliver and you need to perform whenever they tell you to go play your round. Gambling has more time to get in stroke because you can play longer. That’s why I think there could be more pressure in tournaments. Winning tournaments is harder than to win a money match. There’s the wrong believe that anyone could beat anyone in a tournament but not in a money

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match. I don’t think that’s true always. Sure you can beat a great player in a tournament race to 9, but to go all the way and win the whole tournament, that’s a little more difficult. I have enormous respect for the top pros that win the biggest tournaments in the world. I would like for the whole gambling atmosphere to be cleaner, and in the US, many times it is not. I think the game is not respected enough, and of course the fact that many semi-pros and regional players like myself, struggle to make money playing the game does not help. But still this shouldn’t be an excuse. The losers should be better losers and still be friendly and respectful to the guy who has beaten them. I find players who gamble to have huge egos and act like children when they are beaten, in both a money match and/or at a tournament. I don’t like these players’ behaviors sometimes. And it is even more embarrassing when it is a top player crying after a loss. Chris Macey from CO asks: How has becoming a father changed your perspective on the game in terms of its priority in his life? Marc: My priority is shared now, but it’s still the same. At times my only priority was to improve in pool, now I have an additional priority as a father. Most my biggest mistakes came when I put pool aside for a while (for whatever reason). So I’m not looking back. I’m trying to be the best Papa I can be while at the same time trying to play my best pool and improve every year that goes by. A special “Thank-you” to Marc for taking time out of his busy schedule to participate in my “Ask the Viper”. Till next month, you can find me on Facebook: www. facebook.com/melissalittleakatheviper

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January 2014

page 33

Dominguez Wins AGAIN

(l to r) Scott Simonetti,Oscar Dominguez, Jayson Shaw, owner John Trobiano The 2nd Annual Castle Christmas classic sponsored by Mezz Cue and ran by Mezz Pro-Am tour. This event was held at Castle Billiards in East Rutherford NJ on December 14th. A strong field of players came out to play players like Earl Strickland, Oscar Dominguez Jayson Shaw, Wang Can, Raphael Dabreo, Shaun Wilkie, Jorge Rodriquez, Rob Hart, and Travis McKinney to name a few. I would like to thank Castle Billiards, John Trobiano, Scott Simonetti, Upstate Al, AZ Billiards and my wonderful staff Mandy Wu and Megan Fort for all their help, what a great crew to work with thank you so much. Leading the top half of the bracket was Raphael Dabreo with wins over Dan Faraguna 7-1, John Trobiano 7-3, Travis McKinney 7-3, Shaun Wilkie 7-3. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Jayson Shaw with wins over Earl Strickland 7-4, Rhio Anne Flores 7-3, Oscar Dominguez 7-3 , Paul Revel, 7-0 and Jorge Rodriguez 7-2 Playing for the hot seat was Jayson Shaw Vs Raphael Dabreo this was a good match that had Jayson Shaw pulling away late to win the match 7-5 and sending Raphael Dabreo to the one lost side. Making his way thru the one lost side was Oscar Dominguez with wins over S Sekine 7-2Christain Smith 7-2, Travis McKinney 7-2, Earl Strickland 7-3, Wang Can 7-4 and Rapheal 7-1 to get to the finals In the finals it was Jayson Shaw Vs Oscar Dominguez this was a great match Oscar Dominguez jumped to a 8-3 lead then then 11-4 Jayson stormed back

making it 10-11 Jayson made one mistake giving Oscar Dominguez a chance at the table when all said and done it was Oscar Dominguez coming away with the win 13-10 and the event . Like to say congratulations to Jan Mierzwa and Larry Ross for being the top two C/D players. I would like to thank all the players that came out to play I also would like to thank the following sponsors Mezz Cues, Kumi chalk Gamblin Clothing, Allen Hopkins Super Billiards Expo, Jab Cues &Thing Billiard Life USA, Inside Pool Magazine, and Mike Ricciardella Re/Max Pros. 1st Oscar Dominguez $2300 2nd Jayson Shaw $1175 3rd Raphael Dabreo $700 4th Wang Can $350 5th Shaun Wilkie, Jorge Rodriguez $150 7th Earl Strickland, Paul Ravel $125 TOP C/D PLAYERS Jan Mierzwa $550 Larry Ross $150

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WPA WORLD 9-BALL

JUNIORS & WHEELCHAIR By Ian Anderson, WPA Gold Reef City Casino & Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa GIRL’S DIVISION Natasha Seroshtan of Russia is the new world champion for junior players after defeating Japan’s Yuki Hiraguchi 6/2 in the final. Natasha played too solid in the final, winning the first, third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth racks to claim the title. She did not make too many mistakes which kept her opponent from the table. Yuki was very gracious in defeat and was delighted to have made the final and was full of praise for her victor. Both girls will be eligible to play again next year, Natasha is 17 and Yuki 16. WHEELCHAIR DIVISION: Fred Dinsmore of Ireland certainly let it be known he was not going to give in easy was on the attack from the outset. In his first match he very nearly blew a commanding lead against three-time world champion, Jouni Tahti. Fred fell over the line, winning 7/6. In another match defending champion Henrik Larsson lost 5/7 to UK’s Roy Kmberley. Kimberley also won his next match defeating Emil Schranz 7/5 before being ousted by Dinsmore. Jauni Tahti relegated to the loser’s side, wasted no time disposing of Tony Southern 7/2 and then in the semi finals he defeated Kurt Deklerck 7/5. Tomorrow’s final will surely be very competitive with the two finalists in fine form. Defending champion Henrik Larsson made short work of his two matches today to qualify himself into the single elimination stage. Larrson defeated Frederik Roussow 7/0, and Charlie Hans 7/3, thereby eliminating both these players from the competition.

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BOY’S DIVISION: SEMI FINALS Both semi finals were played at a very high standard. Pink Chung Ko of Taiwan defeated Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp 8/4 in the first semi final. Ko played very strong, missing only a few shots and thereby not leaving very many chances to his opponent. Both Yapp and Ko were undefeated until this stage. In this match, Ko had three break & runs, and Yapp had 2. In the other semi final, Sebastian Batkowski of Poland defeated Daniel Schneider of Switzerland 8/4. Just like the other semi final, both these players were very strong and misses were not too frequent. Batkowski had three break & runs during this match. He will now play Ko in the final. FINAL What a great match. Sebastian Batkowski vs Ping Chung Ko. Just as Ko looked like he was going to win easy, leading 6/2, but there was a short break of five minutes and when the match resumed, Batkowski won the next three racks to close it to 6/5. But he couldn’t sustain his run and Ko won the next two and the championship. It is fair to say that Batkowski didn’t get the run of the balls, often when he got his chance the balls were laying awkward. The standard of play was worthy of any championship. Ping Chung is the younger brother of former world junior champion, Ko PinYi who won this title in the years 2007 & 2008. An interesting stat for Ko, in this event he played a total of 61 racks, and 27 of those were break & run-out. So the stat is more extraordinary when the format was alternate break. Next year the World Championship for Juniors will be held in Shanghai, China. For all results, please check www.cuesportfever.com

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RE STR POOL MA in PRINT &

FULL NAME: River Allen Burke HOME TOWN: Andalusia, IL

JUNIOR PLAYER PROFILE

EAD ROKE AGAZINE & ONLINE

River Burke BIRTH DATE: 3/18/1997 GRADE: 11th GPA: 3.5 FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: Shop POOL ROOM(S) WHERE YOU PLAY: Sharkys Billiards, Krugz Pool Hall, Leisure Time WHAT KIND OF CUE(S) DO YOU USE? Diveney Custom Cues Break Cue, Diveney Playing Cue, Bunjee Jump Cue AT WHAT AGE DID YOU START PLAYING POOL? 4 LEFT OR RIGHT HANDED? Right TITLES / HIGHEST FINISHES: APA end of league tournament champion three seasons in a row. Apa End Of Year Appreciation Tournament Champion (Adult/Jr) 2013 2012 Iowa State Tournament 2nd Place 2013 Iowa State Tournament 2nd Place 2013 Vnea Jr International Championships 9th12th Singles (Minors Division) 2013 Vnea Jr International Championships 1st Place (Minors Team) 2013 Apa Midwest Juniors Championships Upper Division 1st Place 2013 Vnea Jr International Championships Picked For The All Star Team MOST MEMORABLE POOL MOMENT: Winning the 2013 vnea jr team championships SPONSOR(S): Diveney Custom Cues Grindn Clothing Company FAVORITE BAND/MUSIC: Country, classic rock HOBBIES: Playing pool, fishing, racing bmx FAVORITE POOL GAME: 10 ball/ straight pool FAVORITE POOL PLAYER: Efren Reyes FAVORITE FOOD: Steak FICTIONAL HERO: Spiderman REAL-WORLD HERO: Dad FONDEST CHILDHOOD MEMORY: Disney World, Sea World GOALS (personal and/or career): Work hard to be a better pool player and hopefully turn pro someday ANYTHING ELSE YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;D LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? My older sister samantha is my best freind

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t a t n e m a n r u o T s l d l n a i B W 8 k o n e o Op Chin Lincoln City, Oregon

Press Release

Western BCA and Chinook Winds Casino Resort are happy to announce the 1st Annual Chinook Winds Open 8-Ball Tournament to be held at Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City, OR. the 2nd week in March. The Open is scheduled to run concurrently with Western BCA's 19th Annual Regional 8-Ball Championships, the largest regional 8-Ball tournament in the country. What began in 2010 as The GrandMaster Challenges has now evolved into the Chinook Winds Open. It is no longer a vehicle for our regional GrandMasters but will be open to any player in the country to compete with their peers at the highest level. Chinook Winds is adding $4,000 to the Men’s Division (with 32 players) and $1,500 for the Women’s Division (with 16 players). • Additional details: • Entry fee: Non-WBCA Qualified (8 weeks of league play) - $100, WBCA Qualified - $75

Beeler

• • • •

Races: Men - Race to 7, Women - Race to 6. Format: Double Elimination, BCAPL rules. $25 Green Fee for all players. A WBCA membership fee of $15 and a BCAPL fee of $15 for those not currently Western BCA or BCAPL members will be due at time of entry. • Matches will be played on 7 foot Diamond Smart tables provided by Bad Boys Billiards Productions. • Nationally certified Referees will be present for all matches. Contact Tournament Director Mike Jensen 360-703-4081 or Andrew Monstis 503-422-0623 for entry information. (Field will be limited to the first 64 entries for the Men’s Division.) Sign up by: March 1st. Forms will be available online soon on Western BCA's website (westernbca.org).

(continued from page 16)

After winning the match, Shane came over and said shoot this shot again, but this time with a rolling cue ball. Surprisingly, I shot the bank and pocketed the ball. It was at that point that I began to understand that there are multiple rules for determining whether or not a bank will kiss. I learned that nearly all banks kiss if the cue ball and object ball are lined up with the facing of the corner pocket nearest the rail the ball is being banked from (see the diagram labeled “DOUBLE KISS”). On the other hand, those lined up with the back of the pocket do not kiss provided they are shot with no English and a rolling cue ball (see

diagram 3-right). On my way back to my hotel room an older gentleman who had watched the match summed up the situation by saying, “Son, today you gave the South Dakota Kid all he could handle! The only difference in the match was one shot. In bank pool you got to know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em. You got most of that figured out, but you still have a little bit to learn.” Looking back, I know he was right. My lack of knowledge cost me the match, but I like to think of my loss as a learning experience. Next time I’m in a similar situation I’ll know whether to bank or not to bank.

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page 39

Press Release CueSports International (CSI)

Hires New Manager

CueSports International, Henderson, Nevada (December 6, 2013) – CueSports International is proud to announce the addition of Ozzy Reynolds as the newest member of the CSI team where he will serve as CSI Manager. Ozzy will steer the internal and external affairs of CSI in to the future, under the supervision of Mark Griffin, CEO, and David Vandenberghe, COO. Ozzy brings a wealth of billiards experience to the table, as both a player and a promoter. He began playing when he was just eight years old and has since competed in numerous amateur leagues, regional tour events, charity events, and national pro tournaments. Ozzy has become well-known in the mid-Atlantic region for being the founder, promoter, and director of The Action Pool Tour, The VA State-10-Ball Championships, The VA State 8-Ball Championships, and The East Coast 9-Ball Championship. He has created, promoted, or conducted nearly 100 tournaments since June 2011 and has given players in the mid-Atlantic region more opportunity than ever before. Along with his billiards acumen, Ozzy also brings an impressive background of business education and experience to CSI. He worked as a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Marine Designer for ten years, a Construction Manager for NASA facility infrastructure projects for three years, and a Project Manager for NASA facility design and construction projects for four years. In 2009, he earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration (BSBA) from Old Dominion University with a minor in Civil Engineering Technology. In 2012, he earned a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from The College of William & Mary. He also holds official certifications as

a Marine Designer and a Project Management Professional (PMP®) from The Project Management Institute (PMI®). In the coming months, CSI will make many tactical and strategic decisions that that will strengthen its position and help shape the course of the entire industry. CEO Mark Griffin says he believes that Ozzy is “the right guy to help direct CSI into the future.” Likewise, Ozzy states that becoming an integral part of the CSI team is “a dream job.” He elaborated by saying, “I have always been and will always be a pool fanatic. However, due to the lack of organization within and support for the industry, I believed that playing and promoting pool would always be something I did as a side gig or hobby. I never imagined that I would one day have the opportunity to work full time for the game that I love and for such a terrific organization.” Please join us in welcoming Ozzy to the CSI team as we continue to strengthen the industry, prepare for the future, and stay true to our motto – More Choices for All Players. The current CSI portfolio is comprised of the BCA Pool League (BCAPL), USA Pool League (USAPL), U.S. Bar Table Championships, U.S. Open 10Ball Championship, U.S. Open 8-Ball Championship, U.S. Open One-Pocket Championship, Jay Swanson Memorial 9-Ball Tournament, and most recently has included a major stake in the American Billiard Club Association (ABCA) and in 6 Pocket. Additionally, CSI has developed a proprietary tournament management software suite, CueSports Tournament System (CTS), unlike any other in the industry. CSI is also the exclusive North American distributor for the popular Magic Ball Rack™.

U. S. OPEN ONE POCKET AT THE U. S. BAR TABLE Produced by CueSports International (CSI), the 15th US Open One Pocket Championship will be held February 24-28, 2014 at the Grand Sierra Hotel and Casino, Reno, Nevada. CSI is now accepting entries for the event. Due to the limited 48 player field, we encourage you to enter as soon as possible. EVENT DETAILS: • DATE: February 24-28, 2014 • VENUE HOST: Grand Sierra Hotel and Casino, Reno, Nevada • MINIMUM ADDED: $5,000/32 players, $7,500/48 players • FIELD SIZE: Maximum 48 players • STANDARD ENTRY: $300 • LATE ENTRY: $335 (Any entries received after

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January 2014

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February 14, 2014. NO EXCEPTIONS) All entry fees, both standard and late, include a $40 registration/administration fee HOW TO REGISTER: Online at www.ctsondemand. com • If paying by Visa or MasterCard, contact Bill at CueSports International at (702) 719-7665. • If paying by check or Money Order - Make payable to CueSports International Mail to: CueSports International, Attn: One Pocket, 2041 Pabco Road, Henderson, NV 89011 Fax to: (702) 307-1609 • Must pay in full to be considered an entrant in the tournament. Spots will not be held without the entry fee received. •

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WEEKLY TOURNAMENTS

If you have any changes to your weekly pool tournaments EMAIL: us at Pool@OnTheBreakNews.com DATE CITY Mondays Astoria, NY Somerville, MA Brookhaven, MS Warren, MI Warren, MI Dayton, OH Hilliard, OH Akron, OH Tuesdays Edison, NJ Fairfield, OH Bowling Green, KY Columbus, OH Wednesdays Tallahassee, FL Astoria, NY Monroe, MI Livonia, MI Livonia, MI Dayton, OH Columbus, OH Thursdays Williamsville, NY Mooresville, NC Levittown, NY Bowling Green, KY Lansing, MI Warren, MI Vernon, IN Columbus, OH Columbus, OH Columbus, OH Springboro, OH Fridays Greensboro, NC Port Clinton, OH Grand Rapids, MI Grand Rapids, MI Adrian, MI Portage, MI Columbus, OH Wheeling, WV Saturdays Hollywood, FL Greensboro, NC Mooresville, NC Port Clinton, OH Leitchfield, KY Holland, MI Grand Rapids, MI Grand Rapids, MI Battle Creek, MI Battle Creek, MI Columbus, OH Canton, OH Reynoldburg, OH Wheeling, WV Sundays Mooresville, NC Jackson, MS Jackson, MS Orlando, FL St Claire Shores, MI Portage, MI Livonia, MI Vernon, IN Columbus, OH Dayton, OH Columbus, OH Fairfield, OH Mansfield, OH Springboro, OH

LOCATION Steinway Billiards Good Time Emporium Brookhaven Billiards Ultimate Sports Bar Hall of Fame Airway Bankshots Crown Billiards Sandcastle Billiards Michael’s Cue Time Sportsmen’s Zingales Steinway Billiards Cones & Cues Snookers The Rack Airway Player’s Bison Billiards 150 n Out Billiards Leisure Time Billiards & Cafe Cue Time Coaches Ultimate Sports Bar Phat Guy Birds 8 Ball Sports Bar Player’s Sportsmen’s Whiskey Barrel Gate City Billiards Club Rack Attack Billiard Cafe The Break Room The Break Room Good Times Play Time 8 Ball Sports Bar Corner Pocket Billiards Lucky 7 Billiards Gate City Billiards Club 150 n Out Billiards Rack Attack Billiard Cafe Scooters on Main St Guppies The Break Room The Break Room Brickyard Brickyard 8 Ball Sports Bar Fiddlestix Scotty’s Corner Pocket Billiards 150 n Out Billiards Rack Rack Clicks Billiards Pepperbottoms Play Time Snookers Phat Guy Birds 8 Ball Sports Bar Airway Cushions Michael’s Sundown Whiskey Barrel

PHONE (718) 472-2124 (617) 628-5559 (601) 754-4422 (586) 751-2222 (586) 939-8880 (937) 274-1230 (614) 777-0022 (330) 644-3985 (732) 632-9277 (513) 860-0044 (270) 782-2740 (614) 279-5888 (850) 224-8644 (718) 472-2124 (734) 241-5533 (734) 422-9510 (734) 422-7665 (937) 274-1230 (614) 239-7665 (716) 632-0281 (704) 660-5363 (516) 796-4600 (270) 782-2740 (517) 882-2013 (586) 751-2222 (812) 346-0870 (614) 436-2948 (614) 239-7665 (614) 279-5888 (937) 829-7948 (336) 856-8800 (419) 732-7225 (616) 454-0899 (616) 454-0899 (517) 263-9490 (269) 323-2295 (614) 436-2948 (304) 905-8495 (954) 239-8254 (336) 856-8800 (704) 660-5363 (419) 732-7225 (270) 230-1879 (616) 396-1071 (616) 454-0899 (616) 454-0899 (269) 968-0692 (269) 968-0692 (614) 436-2948 (330) 498-8422 (614) 755-9407 (304) 905-8495 (704) 660-5363 (601) 372-6576 (601) 372-6576 (407) 275-6064 (586) 419-4144 (269) 323-2295 (734) 422-9510 (812) 346-0870 (614) 436-2948 (937) 274-1230 (614) 882-5986 (513) 860-0044 (419) 564-4538 (937) 829-7948

EVENT / RULES ENTRY ADDED 9-Ball - Handicapped $25 8 Ball $15 8 Ball $5 9 Ball $20 $100 w/32 Open 9 Ball $10/$20 Call Open 9 Ball $5 Call 9 Ball $10 Call Open 9 Ball $8 Call Open 9-Ball $30 Calcutta One Pocket Hdcp 9’ Diamonds $15 $100 w/13+ 8 Ball $5 Call Open 9 Ball-Ladies play free $10 Call 9-Ball Handicap $10 Open 9 Ball Am/Pro $20/$40 8 Ball $10 Call 8 Ball $13 Call 8 Ball $10 Call 8 Ball $10 Call 8 Ball $8 200% payout 9-Ball Handicap-SE $15 (incl g.f.) Call 9-Ball Handicap-Round Robin $15 $$$ 9-Ball $Call 9 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball $5 Call 9 Ball $20 $100 w/32 Open 9 Ball $5 Call Open 9 Ball $10 Call 8 Ball $7 100% payout 3 Cushion $15 Call 9 Ball $15 $200 Scotch Doubles 8 Ball/9 Ball Call 8 Ball $10 9 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball - Race to 1 $10 Call 8 Ball $15 Call 8 Ball $8 Call Pool Tournament $12 Calcutta 8-Ball-Race to 2-DE $5 Match w/20+ 8 Ball/9 Ball (1st Sat) Round robin Call 8-Ball Race to 2-DE $5 $$$ 9 Ball $10 8 Ball 8 Ball $15 9 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball $20 Call 9 Ball $20 Call 8 Ball $8 5 Chip Elim. 8 Ball $7 Call 8 Ball Call 200% payout Pool Tournament $12 Call 10-Ball Handicap-Race to 5 $15 $$$ 9 Ball $10 9 Ball $10 Mixed 8 Ball & 9 Ball $7 8 Ball $10 Call 9 Ball $15 Call 8 Ball - bank the 8 $10 Call 8 Ball Call Call 8 Ball $5 $$$ Alt 8 & 9 Ball Call Call 9 Ball $10 Call Alternating 8/9 Ball $10 $100 w/23+ 8 Ball $7 1/3 pot 8 Ball $10 $3/player

TIME 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 8PM 7PM 8PM 7:30PM 7PM 8PM 8PM 8PM 8PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 8PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM Call 8PM 7:30PM 7PM 7:30PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 5PM 8PM 8PM 7PM 7PM 7:30PM Call 8PM 7:30PM 8PM 7PM 7:30PM 8PM 7PM 6PM 6PM 6PM 1PM 7PM 7:30PM 7PM 3PM 7PM 2PM 6PM 8:30PM 2PM 6:30PM 4PM 2PM 7:30PM 7PM 7PM 8PM 8PM 5:30PM 2PM

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Call First - All Tournaments are subject to change without notice

Click on the MAP link online to get directions to each location DATE Jan 2-5 Jan 3-5 Jan 4 Jan 4 Jan 6 Jan 10 Jan 11-12 Jan 12 Jan 10-12 Jan 10-12 Jan 10-12 Jan 10-12 Jan 10-11 Jan 10-11 Jan 10 Jan 11-12 Jan 11 Jan 11 Jan 12 Jan 11-12 Jan 11-12 Jan 11 Jan 11-12 Jan 14-16 Jan 15 Jan 16-19 Jan 17 Jan 18 Jan 18 Jan 19 Jan 18 Jan 18 Jan 18 Jan 18 Jan 24-Feb 1 Jan 24-Feb 1 Jan 24-Feb 1 Jan 25 Jan 31-Feb 2 Feb 1 Feb 1 Feb 7-9 Feb 8 Feb 8-9 Feb 14-16 Feb 15 Feb 21-23 Feb 21-23 Feb 24-Mar 2 Feb 24-Mar 2 Feb 24-Mar 2 Feb 24-Mar 2 Feb 24-Mar 2 Feb 28-Mar 2 Mar 1 Mar 1 Mar 1 Mar 5-9 Mar 6-9 Mar 6-9 Mar 6-9 Mar 6-9 Mar 6-9 Mar 6-9 Mar 8-12 Mar 8-12 Apr 4-6 Apr 5 May 10

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CITY Mt Pleasant, MI Fairfield, OH Williamsville, NY Statesboro, OH Jacksonville, NC Decatur, AL Decatur, AL Decatur, AL Columbus, OH Columbus, OH Columbus, OH Columbus, OH Lancaster, PA Lancaster, PA Hughesville, MD Hughesville, MD Zanesville, OH Tallahassee, FL Tallahassee, FL Midlothian, VA Midlothian, VA Bradford, PA Drexel, PA Astoria, NY Madison, TN Madison, TN Madison, TN Madison, TN Villa Rica, GA Villa Rica, GA Greensboro, NC Wheeling, WV Bay City, MI Wyoming, DE Elizabeth, IN Elizabeth, IN Elizabeth, IN Belle Vernon, PA Cincinnati, OH Williamsville, NY Statesboro, OH Clarksville, TN Fairfield, OH Amsterdam, NY Alpena, MI Millsboro, DE Alpena, MI Alpena, MI Reno, NV Reno, NV Reno, NV Reno, NV Reno, NV Alpena, MI Williamsville, NY Fairfield, OH Statesboro, OH Wheeling, WV Wheeling, WV Wheeling, WV Wheeling, WV Wheeling, WV Wheeling, WV Wheeling, WV Lincoln City, OR Lincoln City, OR Fairfield, OH Statesboro, OH Fairfield, OH

January 2014

LOCATION PHONE Soaring Eagle mibcapl.com Michael’s Billiards 513-860-0044 Bison Billiards 716-632-0281 Chuggers Bar & Grille 330-422-0400 Anytime Billiards 910-455-9988 Six Pocket Billiards 256-686-3171 Six Pocket Billiards 256-686-3171 Six Pocket Billiards 256-686-3171 8-Ball Sports Bar 614-436-2948 8-Ball Sports Bar 614-436-2948 8-Ball Sports Bar 614-436-2948 8-Ball Sports Bar 614-436-2948 Lancaster AMVETS 717-587-6869 Lancaster AMVETS 717-587-6869 American Legion 301-274-3522 American Legion 301-274-3522 MVP Sports Bar 740-297-8040 Zingales 580-224-8644 Zingales 580-224-8644 Diamond Billiards 804-794-8787 Diamond Billiards 804-794-8787 Bradford Eagles 814-362-3388 Drexline Billiards 610-259-9144 Steinway Billiards 718-472-2124 JOB Billiard Club 615-868-4270 JOB Billiard Club 615-868-4270 JOB Billiard Club 615-868-4270 JOB Billiard Club 615-868-4270 Stix Billiards 770-456-1616 Stix Billiards 770-456-1616 Gate City Billiards 336-856-8800 Corner Pocket 304-280-8688 Who’s Who Billiard Club Wyoming Tavern 302-697-2280 Horseshoe Casino derbycityclassic.com Horseshoe Casino derbycityclassic.com Horseshoe Casino derbycityclassic.com Last Call Saloon 724-396-9549 Crown Plaza Hotel 513-399-7087 Bison Billiards 716-632-0281 Chuggers Bar & Grille 330-422-0400 Hooligan’s 931-645-2364 Michael’s Billiards 513-860-0044 Sharpshooters Billiards 518-627-4634 Sanctuary Inn 989-402-1191 Riverside Grill 302-945-3711 Sanctuary Inn 989-402-1191 Sanctuary Inn 989-402-1191 Grand Sierra 702-719-7665 Grand Sierra ctsondemand.com Grand Sierra playcsipool.com Grand Sierra ctsondemand.com Grand Sierra 702-719-7665 Sanctuary Inn 989-402-1191 Bison Billiards 716-632-0281 Michael’s Billiards 513-860-0044 Chuggers Bar & Grille 330-422-0400 Corner Pocket 304-280-8688 Corner Pocket 304-280-8688 Corner Pocket 304-280-8688 Corner Pocket 304-280-8688 Corner Pocket 304-280-8688 Corner Pocket 304-280-8688 Corner Pocket 304-280-8688 Chinook Winds 360-704-4081 Chinook Winds 360-704-4081 Michael’s Billiards 513-860-0044 Chuggers Bar & Grille 330-422-0400 Michael’s Billiards 513-860-0044

www.StrokeMagazine.net

EVENT / RULES ENTRY ADDED TIME State Tournament Call $7,500 est. Call 8-Ball 5 Man Team $30 Call 6PM 8-Ball Bar Box $35 (incl g.f.) $250 Guar Noon 9-Ball $40 $500 10AM 9-Ball-Single Elim $20 $1,000 Guar w/32 7PM 9-Ball Minis $25 Call Call 9-Ball $70 $2,000 w/128 11AM Second Chance $50 Call 11AM 9-Ball Singles $55 $1,200 Guar 7PM-Fri 9-Ball Womens Division $55 $200 Guar 7PM-Fri 8-Ball 4-Person Team $290 $1,000 Guar 5PM-Fri 8-Ball Wm 3 Person Team $230 $400 Guar 5PM-Fri Amateur Bar Box 8-Ball $35/$55/$75 $800 w/f.f. 6PM-Fri Amateur Bar Box 8-Ball-Women $40/$60 $200 w/f.f. 9Am-Sat 9-Ball $20 Call 6PM MD State 9-Ball $75 Call 1PM 9-Ball $35 $500 Max 10AM 10-Ball Call $4,000 11:30AM 10-Ball Call $1,000 11:30AM VA State 10-Ball $100/$125 Call 10AM VA State 10-Ball - Women $100/$125 Call 10AM BIPL Charity Event $20 Call Noon 9-Ball $50/$60/$75/$100 $1,000 9:30AM Earl Strickland vs Efren Reyes Challenge Match - Live Stream Call Open Minis-Single Elim $35 Call 8PM Music City Open $100 $6,000 7PM Music City Ladies $75 $1,000 5:30PM 9-Ball Winner Take All-Single Elim $500 Call 10PM 9-Ball-Amateurs ONLY $30 incl g.f. $500 Noon 8-Ball-Amateurs ONLY $30 incl g.f. $500 Noon 9-Ball-Race to handicap $40/$50 Call 11:30AM 9-Ball Open $35/$20-W $500 10AM 9-Ball $110 Call Noon 9-Ball $20-$35 Call 10:30AM 9 Ball online online online One Pocket online online online 9 Ball Banks online online online 9-Ball $10 Call 5:30PM Queen City 8-Ball-5 man team $140 per+g.f. $15,000 payout w/64T Call 8-Ball Bar Box $35 (incl g.f.) $250 Guar Noon 9-Ball $40 $500 10AM 9-Ball $10+$10 g.f. $1,000 6PM 8-Ball Scotch Triples $30 Call 9AM 9-Ball Pro/Am $120/$70 $1500/$500 Call 5 person B Team 8-Ball $200 Call Call 8-Ball $20-$35 Call 10:30AM 3 man Team 8-Ball $150 Call Call 4 person Women Team 8-Ball $200 Call Call 21st U.S. Bar Table-10 Ball M/W Call $25,500 Call 21st U.S. Bar Table-9 Ball Register Online Call Call 21st U.S. Bar Table-8 Ball M/W Online Info Online Online 15th U.S. Open One Pocket M/W Online Info Online Online WorldPPA M/W Call Call Call 5 person Team 8-Ball $200 Call Call 8-Ball Bar Box $35 (incl g.f.) $250 Guar Noon 9-Ball 3 Man Team $30 Call 9AM 9-Ball $40 $500 10AM BCAPL Eastern Champ. Varies $25,000 payouts Varies 9-Ball BCAPL Men $65 9AM 9-Ball BCAPL Seniors 58+ $55 9AM 9-Ball BCAPL Women $50 9AM 8-Ball BCAPL Men $65 9AM 8-Ball BCAPL Seniors 58+ $55 9AM 8-Ball BCAPL Women $50 9AM Chinook Winds Open 8-Ball-Men $100+$25 g.f. $4,000 w/32 Call Chinook Winds Open 8-Ball-Wmn $100+$25 g.f. $1,500 w/16 Call 8-Ball 5 Man Team $30 Call 6PM 9-Ball $40 $500 10AM 8-Ball Scotch Triples $30 Call 9AM

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