Stroke Pool Magazine October Issue 2014 by Stroke Magazine

SHUFF

DECHAINE SOSSEI

SHAW WINS “MR MEGA”

Our 333rd year... and we hardly look a day over 200.

Founded upon unwavering principles of quality and value, 2013 marks our 333rd continuous year in business. We are the oldest company in the billiard industry. Being the oldest didn’t make us the best... being the best has made us the oldest. Premium products with premium value. Iwan Simonis.

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STROKE

Photos by: Don Akerlow

On The Cover

October

More Pool Tournament Listings & Results than any other Billiard Magazine .... Anywhere!

FEATURES

SHUFF

DECHAINE SOSSEI

SHAW WINS “MR MEGA”

COVER ARTICLE

19 Wilkie Wins

6 Turning Stone 8 Sossei Wins 9 Steinway Billiards 10 Corner Pocket Wheeling 21 World Cup of Pool 22 Waiting to play ... 26 American 14.1 Championships 30 Shuff Wins Bar Box 32 Dechaine Eastern States Champion

BEF JUNIOR

27 Rachel Lang

18 Predator 24 Tri State

Aramith 3 CueStix International 36 Master Chalk 15 McDermott 2 Mueller 10 OB Cues 35 Simonis 3 Tiger Products 4 Valhalla 20 Viking Cue 17

INSTRUCTION/SERVICES

Anthony Beeler 16 BEF 29 Bob Jewett 14 Chalk Talk 15 Go Play Pool 32 Michael Glass 13 National Billiard Academy 12 On The Road with C J Wiley 11

POOL TOURNAMENTS

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Amy’s Billiards 18 Bison Billiards 11 Chinook Winds Open 25 Corner Pocket Billiards 11 Crooked Cue 9 Diamond 8 9 Hippo’s House of Billiards 8 Lucky 7 Billiards 18 Michael’s Billiards 8 Premium Billiards 15 Sandcastle Billiards 15 Steinway Billiards 9 Zingale’s 8

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Stroke is a monthly publication, dedicated to the advancement of the sport of pool. The opinions expressed are those of the author or advertiser and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Break or its staff. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material submitted for publication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced.

Don “Cheese” Akerlow

2014

The Pool Players Magazine

PLACES PEOPLE PLAY

Stroke October 2014

Publisher

Captures Turning Stone XXII

JAYSON SHAW

October 2014

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Jerry Forsyth Sept. 23, 2014 VERONA, NY Jayson Shaw captured Turning Stone XXII by taking the long road. He lost his second round match 9-3 to Alain Parent but from then on he was unstoppable as he took on all conceivable shots and his safety play was magnificent. On the one-loss side he defeated Ed Sauer 9-6, Ron Casanzio 9-0, Matt Krah 9-4, Dan Hewitt 9-3 and Kevin Guimond 9-5. Then he ran into tournament favorite Shane Van Boening, who had just been defeated by Mike Dechaine 9-8. Earlier in the evening Van Boening had pulled off one of the greatest shots this reporter has ever seen. On the hill against Thorsten Hohmann (who only trailed by one rack) Van Boening came to a table that had no pocket for the one ball. The cue ball was in the back of the kitchen, the one was past the side pocket and the nine ball was perhaps a foot outside the left corner pocket. The combination was anything but straight in. Van Boening would have to cut the one ball and then make perfect contact on the nine in order to complete the shot. He fired the one into the nine at rocket pace and made the shot to secure the victory as the crowd, at first stunned, erupted into applause. Mike Dechaine had a great week. His shotmaking was sharp as a tack and his cue ball seemed more then willing to obey his wishes. Prior to defeating Van Boening he had disposed of John Morra 9-5. In his next match he was mostly just a spectator as Rodney Morris was in his automatic mode where he makes every shot appear very easy. No stress ever shows on Rodney’s face and he approaches each shot as if it were a given that the shot will work. When his confidence is working that well Morris is one tough match. Morris took down Dechaine 9-3 and then had to face new Hall of Fame inductee Mika Immonen. Immonen had already taken down Donny Mills 9-8, Rob Saez 9-4, and Dan Hewitt 9-5. When Immonen beat Morris 9-7 he relaxed in the hot seat to await his final challenge. Hunter Lombardo and Mike Dechaine both spoke with me prior to the first round and both expressed their disappointment at not being chosen to be a member of the ‘tryout’ squad for the Mosconi Cup. Four of the eight prospects did not attend Turning Stone, something we found curious as it seems logical that they need to prove themselves to make the cut when the final five players are chosen and they need to keep themselves under fire from champions on the tables. So both Lombardo and Dechaine wanted to send a polite message that they need to be considered next year. Neither voiced any negative comments towards the current squad or coach Mark Wilson, they just want to be on the radar for 2015. Lombardo sent his message by defeating MC team candidate Brandon Shuff 9-3. To be fair, this was not Shuff’s best effort of the week and he proved his worth by finishing the event in 9th place, the same position as Lombardo and Van Boening. The other Mosconi Cup candidates finished as follows: Oscar Dominguez finished out of the money after he ran into World 8-Ball Champion Huidje See and then, two rounds later, was forced out 9-7 by sharpshooter Donny Mills. Jeremy Sossei finished one slot further back than Van

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Boening and Shuff at 13th when he was eliminated on the hill by Ernesto Dominquez. Our final Four wound up as Shaw, Immonen, Morris and Dechaine. Each of these players had a cadre of fans who were convinced no one could beat their man. They all deserved great praise for their play all week as this was one of the strongest fields ever to play at Turning Stone. Immonen was undefeated and in the hot seat. Morris was awaiting the winner of Shaw and Dechaine to fight for the B side title and a ticket into the finals. Dechaine and Shaw fought tooth and nail all the way until the match stood at double-hill. Early on the match Shaw came to the table with no shot on the one ball. He was inside the head string with the cue ball and he would have to kick off of either the side or foot rail in order to hit the one ball. The nine ball sat in the jaws of the corner pocket. Shaw measured the angle he needed off of the side rail to kick the one ball over toward the nine ball. When he pulled the trigger it appeared at first that the nine ball would not be moved. But the one came off of the rail and brushed the nine ball into the pocket for a thrillingl victory created by a kick-combination shot under extreme pressure. Had the nine ball not fallen Dechaine would have almost certainly run the table. Shaw then had to face Morris for the semi-finals and the chance to play in the finals. Morris had a lot of momentum on his side and was shooting instinctively as if he could not miss any shot. The crowd favored Morris to take the win simply because he appeared immune to pressure and he was making every shot. But Shaw totally dominated the match. He ran rack after rack and never gave Morris the opportunity to get rolling. Shaw shot his way to the final dance with a 9-2 trouncing of Morris in a match that took less than 30 minutes to complete. Our finals were contested between Jayson Shaw and Mika Immonen. The room was nearly evenly divided on which player they thought would win but Immonen barely got that nod as his experience in World Championships and major events around the world seemed to give him the edge. That experience proved to be of little aid to Immonen. They were tied early at one apiece but after that it became the Jayson Shaw show and Shaw moved steadily ahead of Immonen by stringing together racks and denying Immonen good starting points. Immonen did contribute to his own demise, however, by jawing balls on three separate occasions in the lower left pocket, ducks for Shaw to pick off easily. In the end Shaw proved to any doubters that he belongs at the Big Boy’s table whenever dinner is served as he took down the Iceman 13-6. Complete results with prize money amounts for the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour’s “Turning Stone Classic XXII 9-Ball Open”. Total prize fund $41,400. September 18-21, 2014. All players were paid cash immediately upon their elimination from the events.

RESULTS

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1st $8,000 Jayson Shaw 2nd $5,000 Mika Immonen 3rd $3,600 Rodney Morris 4th $2,600 Mike Dechaine 5/6th $2,000 Thorsten Hohmann, Earl Strickland 7/8th $1,600 Johnny Archer, Ernesto Dominguez 9/12th $1,200 Brandon Shuff, Hunter Lombardo, Jerry Crowe, Shane Van Boening 13/16th $850 John Morra, Warren Kiamco, Jeremy Sossei, Kevin Guimond 17/24th $550 Robb Saez, Phil Davis, Alain Parent, Dan Hewitt, Dave Daya, Esbon Worden, Mike Yednak, Shaun Wilkie 25/32nd $300 Dennis Hatch, Karen Corr, Dave Fernandez, Caroline Pao, Martin Daigle, Tom D’alfonso, Damon Sobers, Matt Krah Our second chance event on Sunday September 21, 2014 results are: 1st $500 2nd $300 3/4th $150

Holden Chin James Adams Jim Udischas, Brian Lipes

Stroke October 2014

Sossei

wins shortened finals match

Skip Maloney AzBilliards.com Staff Sept. 14, 2014 Jeremy Sossei went undefeated through a field of 18 Open/Pro competitors on the September 13-14 stop on the Predator Tour. Sossei split the top two prizes withJorge Rodriguez, as the two agreed to a shortened final match, won by Sossei. The $500-added event was hosted by Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY, along with a concurrently-run, $500-added Amateur event (separate story). Sossei and Rodriguez met twice in the Open/ Pro event; once, in the second round, in a double hill battle that advanced Sossei, and again in the shortened finals. Sossei moved on to winners' side semifinal againstJonathan Smith. Chris Derewonski and Hunter Lombardo squared off in the other. Sossei sent Smith to the losers' bracket 7-3 and in the hot seat match, faced Derewonski, who'd defeated Lombardo 7-5. Sossei defeated Derewonski 7-5 and waited on Rodriguez. On the loss side, Rodriguez began his six-match, loss-side trip to the finals with a shutout over teenager Zhi Ting Wu, who had just battled Shane Van Boening to double hill before giving way. "That's probably what led Jorge to come on so strong against her," said TD Tony Robles. Rodriguez went on to survive a double hill fight against Nigel Francis, and then eliminate Robles 7-3, to pick up Smith. Lombardo drew Jayson Shaw, who'd eliminated Shane Van Boening and Zion Zvi, both 7-3. Zvi had been responsible for ending Strickland's day, just ahead of his own demise at the hands of Shaw. Lombardo and Smith picked up their second straight loss; Lombardo falling to Shaw in a double hill match, and Smith being dominated by Rodriguez 7-1. Rodriguez locked up with Shaw in his third double hill fight, and defeated him for a shot against Derewonski in the semifinals. Rodriguez finished Derewonski's day 7-4. It was at this point that Rodriguez and Sossei agreed to a split of the top prizes and agreed to play a shortened, race-to-5 final. Sossei won that 5-3 to claim the event title.

Jeremy Sossei

1 2 3 4

USA USA USA GBR

1861 W Tennessee St. Tallahassee, Florida

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October 2014

results SOSSEI Jeremy RODRIGUEZ Jorge DEREWONSKI Chris SHAW Jayson

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“Mr. Mega”

Scores First Win at Steinway Billiards

Stewart Warnock (4th), Amir Uddin (3rd), tour owner Tony Robles, Brooke Meyer (2nd), Jamiyl Adams (1st) Posted on www.nycgrind.com September 17, 2014 by Alison Fischer On Sunday, September 14, 2014, Brooklynbased player Jamiyl “Mr. Mega” Adams would make his debut as a Predator Pro/Am TourChampion, going undefeated Amateur 9-Ball division at Steinway Billiards in Astoria, NY. The event, which was Stop #18 of the tour’s 204 season, got underway on September 13 with a total of 55 players competing for the $1,000 first prize. Adams, who is a player rep for NYC’s Megabucks Amateur Pool League and rated as a ‘B’ on the tour, started out the event with a first-round ‘bye’, and went on to defeat Jim Weden (7-5), Todd Trent (7-6), Irene Kim (9-5), and Amir Uddin (7-4), to make it to the top of the ‘B/C/D’ side of the winner’s bracket. Coming in from the upper bracket to meet Adams in the winner’s side final would be Southport, CTbased player Brooke Meyer. Meyer also had a ‘bye’ to start the event, and moved through the bracket with wins over Edwin Guzman (7-4), Rhio Anne Flores (7-4), Stewart Warnock (7-5), and Nick Chuang (7-6). Meyer would be shot down in the ‘hot seat’ match by Adams, who marked a 7-3 victory, and secure a place in the final match. A number of the tour’s recent top finishers had hopes for working their way back through the bracket to the final, including Rhio Anne Flores, Koka

Steinway Cafe & Billiards 9-Ball Tournaments at 8pm Every Monday & Wednesday

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Davladze, Kapriel Delimelkonoglu, Miguel Laboy, and Dan Faraguna. The one who would make it the farthest would be former tour stop winner Stewart Warnock, as he made it through matches against Greg Antonakos (7-6), Kapriel Delimelkonoglu (8-5), and Nick Chuang (7-3), to get to the quarterfinal. Steinway regular Amir Uddin would be the player to join Warnock in the quarterfinal, following his 7-2 win over Tony Ignomirello. Uddin continued to play strong in the quarterfinal, for a 8-6 win over Warnock. The semifinal match between Uddin and Brooke Meyer would be a close fight, that came down to a 9-ball combination battle. After both players missed their first attempts at it, Meyer made a bank shot to pocket the hanging 9-ball and move on for a rematch against Jamiyl Adams in the final. Adams was dominant against Meyer in their final rematch, and he capped of his undefeated run with a 7-3 win, for the title. Throughout the two days, Adams had a confident demeanor, which was reflected in his solid play. At the end of the day, Adams commented on his performance. “The key for me was my ability to keep calm and stay within my ability. I found my rhythm,” said Adams. Congratulations to Jamiyl Adams on his breakthrough win. Other notable players who had personal best finishes included semifinalist Amir Uddin and recent newcomers to the tour Irene Kim and Todd

Trent, who tied for 9th-12th. The Predator Pro/Am Tour would like to give special thanks to their sponsors for their support: Predator Cues, The National Amateur Pool League, Delta-13 Racks, NYC Grind, PoolOnTheNet.com, Gotham City Technologies, and Ozone Billiards

Results 1st: Jamiyl Adams $1,000 2nd: Brooke Meyer $700 3rd: Amir Uddin $550 4th: Stewart Warnock $400 5th/6th: Nick Chuang, Tony Ignomirello $270 7th/8th: Dan Faraguna, Kapriel Delimelkonoglu $150 9th-12th: Irene Kim, Greg Antonakos, Miguel Laboy, Todd Trent $75

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Stroke October 2014

Corner Pocket Billiards N Cafe

Billy Thorpe

Corner Pocket Billiards N Cafe in Wheeling, WV held their monthly Open event on Saturday Sept 20th. The field was cut in half after a last minute tournament was announced for Friday evening that lasted well into the day on Saturday. We still have some great talent in the field of 23 players. Alex Olinger, Billy Thorpe, Cody Myers, Brian Murray, Chuck Tuttle , Babe Hanna, Anthony Rotundo , Renee Edwards, Chuck Doty, Ed Brooks, TV mike, Travis Keadle, josh dull, Curtis walker, jerry Endsley, Zach edwards , Mike Cumberledge, Bobby Hibbitts, Todd Holmes, Josh Staskey , Jay Davis, and 86 year old Dave Williams. The matches where thick with hill/hill games and run outs. In the end we had a great group left standing. Next event is 9-ball October 18th. $500 added

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)

October 2014

Billy Thorpe Jerry Endsley Alex Olinger Chuck Doty Dave Willams Cody Myers

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On The Road with ... C J Wiley USING DEFLECTION to Create Larger Margins of Error

http://www.cjwiley.com He hustled pool for a while and made a living, then turned pro and made a killing. Clearly, Dallas’ CJ Wiley is on the ball. By Michael P. Geffner DVD LIST:

Million Dollar Challenge Package of Three

1) ‘Billiard’s Greatest Shot’ Documentary 2) PCA’s 2nd Tour Stop at the Hollywood Park Casino - Semi Finals between David Matlock and Oliver Ortmann and Finals between Matlock and Allen Hopkins. 3) PCA Million Dollar Challenge Semis with Earl Strickland vs CJ Wiley and Finals with Earl Strickland vs CJ Wiley (highlights from CJ Wiley vs Paul Potier).

The most difficult thing (in any game/sport) is to hit the ball EXACTLY in the center, with no spin or deflection...pool’s the same because if you just hit the ball minutely off it will deflect in the opposite direction...because the very best players realize this (either consciously or unconsciously) they will intentionally hit the cue ball to one side or the other (except when slow rolling a shot or on shots straight in)....that way they know FOR SURE which way the ball will deflect and if they hit it off center a bit more it will deflect a hair more, but most importantly if they hit it off the OTHER WAY it will just not deflect AT

ALL.....the worse thing you can do is to try to hit the center every time and slightly hit it off one way OR THE OTHER...this way you will NEVER know why you are missing (and often leads to “fixing” the wrong thing).....and when you do you will often UNDERCUT shots...this is the worse mistake you can make.....if you notice, when a champion player misses they almost always OVER-CUT the shot...this is no accident, when I miss a shot I will always know it was from something tangible, not that I “MAY Have” hit the wrong side of center and “accidently” veered the ball the wrong way.

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Stroke October 2014

A CLOSER LOOK AT BALLS! by Tom Simpson © April 2000 – All Rights Reserved – PoolClinics.com Balls vary in quality, and more importantly, they wear over time. How good the balls are, how dirty they are, and how worn out they are makes a surprisingly large amount of difference in your shot-making and position play.

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

Tom Simpson

October 2014

As for quality, the main factors are consistency of weight and roundness. Centennials (those balls with the black line circling the number field) go through more quality control checks than other balls, and so they generally perform more accurately and consistently. The dirtier and more scuffed up balls are, the more throw you’ll get. To compensate, shoot harder or over cut everything a little. The more worn the balls, the more likely they are to be out of round. Worn out balls may not roll straight – shoot a little harder to avoid being the victim of roll-off. Look closely at your cueball (CB). Several CB’s are widely used, and there are important differences. Barbox cueballs aside, the most popular CB, in my experience, is the Red Circle cueball. You’ll also see a lot of Blue Circles and Red Triangles. The Blue Circles come with Centennials, and are well matched to the balls, meaning they are exactly the same weight. Since the physics of the game assumes that cueballs and object balls are the same diameter and mass, this is important. Unfortunately, most of the time the cueball does not match the object balls. My opinion as to why the Red Circle CB is the most popular is that it plays as if it weighs a little less than the OB’s and thus seems easier to draw (and everyone feels good when they can draw really well). The Red Circle CB comes with the highly popular Aramith ball sets. This CB is actually made from a carom pool resin, and thus has slightly different performance characteristics from other balls. On barboxes, cueballs come in a wide variety of types. Oversized cueballs are the most difficult to deal with. Since they weigh “too much” they want to follow every shot, and draw is very difficult. Since they are “too big” they over cut every shot. If this is what you always play with, it seems normal. But if you have to switch back and forth between oversize and standard CB’s, you need to

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be aware of the differences. Some barbox CB’s are the same size as the OB’s, but are heavier, so they will operate the mechanism that allows the CB to return to play. These balls cut your shots properly, but will still follow too much. With heavy CB’s, you’ll have to hit lower. Heavier balls will also affect your speed control. As a cueball wears, it not only gets smaller and lighter, it gets out of round. And as it gets more scuffed and dirty, throw increases, and spin wears off the CB sooner, due to increased friction with the cloth. It’s a good idea to wipe chalk and other marks off the CB after scratches and between games. Here’s how you can quickly check “same-size” CB’s against your OB’s: Freeze the CB against the rail, and freeze an OB on each side of it. Squat down so you can see the tops of the balls at eye level, and lay the butt of your cue across the top of all three balls. Look carefully to see whether the stick touches all three balls at the same time. This would mean they are all the same size. Often you will see a little daylight between the cueball and the stick, meaning the cueball is smaller than the object balls. You can also try rolling the three balls by moving the stick, and see whether they all move together. Smaller CB’s are lighter, so they draw easily. Due to the fact that many poolrooms allow their CB’s to get terribly over-worn, some players carry their own cueball. If you do this, consider carrying a standard CB, such as a Red Circle or a Blue Circle, so your opponents don’t suspect you of having some kind of trick ball. If you have a table at home and play a fair amount, I suggest replacing your cueball once a year. I always buy a new one around the first of the year, so I can remember. Your ball set will need to be replaced far less often. But, depending on the initial quality, and how much you play (and how much you care), they may need to be replaced as often as every 4 or 5 years. Good balls play better and last longer. Spend the money.

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TABLE TALK

BY: MICHAEL K GLASS

TEMPERING YOUR TEMPER Cooling your jets when you feel like exploding

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!

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Recently, I had the good fortune to play in the Mezz West State Tour on their third stop in Fresno, California. It was a 9-ball match, double elimination, and there were over 80 participants. Oscar Dominguez and Desiree Rivera, the owners and founders of the Tour, and Sheri Dadian, owner of Diamond Billiards, did an amazing job putting it all together. Congratulations to Vilmos Foldes for taking the win! I did not know what to expect, to be honest. I have played in tournaments before, and have done fairly well, even against semipro players. I have even managed to get into the money a few times. Alas, it was not in the cards this time. As I have mentioned in past articles, I don’t like to lose. I am my own worst critic, and while I would never berate a fellow player, I have been known to give a little “love tap” to the table with my cue when I make a mistake. Unfortunately, this has given me a bit of a reputation as a hothead, and I truly believe that many players have used this to their advantage when playing me; to their credit, of course. Who wouldn’t? This time, I strongly vowed to myself that I would not succumb to such juvenile displays of temper, but would conduct myself in a very professional manner. I am an amateur player, but there were a few pros there, and I strive to be like many of them (especially Oscar – he has the mannerisms of a saint!). Little did I know, I would be severely tested! My first match was against Yoli Hakanado, in a race to 7. After losing the lag and the first game, I took the next three. That third win would be the last game I’d win for the rest of the day. If you are a competition player, you’ve been here before. You’re shooting well, when something happens to make you miss a fairly routine shot. It might have been a miscue, or just a badly judged cut shot. Maybe the cue ball skidded because there was chalk on the ball at just the wrong place. Doesn’t matter; you missed, and you had to sit down. This usually isn’t a terrible thing. Everyone misses. But then your opponent runs the rack out. Shake it off; it’s just one game out of seven. He breaks, and doesn’t make a ball. You’re back! See? No big deal. Only now, you have a shot similar to the one you missed in the last game. Better not miss this time! You

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take more time, thinking about the miss last time, and at the last moment, you over-compensate on your stroke, and you miss again! This happened to me, and I was seething at this point. I paused for a moment, staring at the ball that missed as if to admonish it for not doing what I told it to do. I remembered my vow, however, and walked calmly to my seat. I looked at my girlfriend and shrugged, and she gave me a sign of encouragement. This went on for several more games—six, to be exact—until Yoli potted the final 9-ball and sent me to the one-loss side of the bracket. I broke my cue down and returned to my corner to lick my wounds. At least I wasn’t out, right? Thank goodness for double elimination. Now I’d get to face a fellow “loser.” For my next match, I was paired up with an 8-handicapped player, Attila Csorba. As he is ranked as a semi-pro, he had to win 8 games to my 7. I won’t go into much detail here, but one highlight of this match was when I had just two balls left to pocket. The 8-ball was in front of the side pocket, and the 9-ball was in front of the other side. You know the shot: pot the 8, swinging around three rails to put the 9 in. Easy, right? I’ve done this a hundred times. Only this time, the cue ball went two rails, dropping squarely into the side pocket where the 9-ball was. It seemed that this was the final nail in the coffin. This time, I went absolutely bananas. I broke my stick over my knee, flipped the table over, and punched a 3-foot diameter hole in the wall. Fortunately, this was all in my mind—at the end of the match, my girlfriend told me she was proud of me for handling my 8-0 loss with grace and dignity. It was the worst drubbing of my pool career, and I left there feeling like a winner. Incidentally, when I played in my regular BCA league match the following week, I shot like a champ. It was good to know that that weekend was just a fluke. I’ll get ‘em next time! Nowhere to go but up… right? Do you have any suggestions for future articles? Drop me a line at pool@billiardsprofessor.com. I can also be found hanging out with fellow billiards enthusiasts at reddit.com/r/billiards. Come on by and join the discussion!

Stroke October 2014

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

Short Caroms

Bob Jewett

October 2014

Last month I had the pleasure of playing a match against former US Open and World Champion Mika Immonen. The location was Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, Virginia and the match was in the American Straight Pool (14.1) Championship. I lost the match but I’m proud of having forced Mika into taking three fouls in a row towards the end of the match (a 15-point penalty). At one point Mika was looking at a situation like at the top of the diagram. After a cluster break there was no apparent shot. Maybe there is a tough combination or cut to a far corner pocket, but a much easier shot if you see it is the 15 ball to the corner. As a plain cut it is impossible because the angle is more than 90 degrees. The solution is to play the cue ball off the 14 and into the 15. The “trick” to the extent there is one is to be able to visualize and control the exact angle the cue ball comes off the 14 so that you land correctly on the 15. The problem is shown again at the bottom of the diagram. When you practice this, begin with easier shots and work your way up longer ones. As shown, the 1-2 shot might be from a game of nine ball, straight pool, eight ball or one pocket. I think you will find a use for the technique regardless of your favored game. On the “Solution” side of the diagram is how you go about planning shots like this. Begin with where the cue ball has to be when it hits the two ball. That’s drawn in the diagram as the shaded ball (ghost ball) that’s touching the two ball. From that imaginary cue ball find the path that would just brush the one ball. In the diagram that line is labeled “90 deg.” and a second imaginary ball is placed where the one ball would be barely touched by that ghost ball. Also note the path of the one ball which is going to be perpendicular to the path of the ghost ball. All you have to do now is shoot the one ball in that indicated direction. When you have the one ball direction set, be sure to check your work as follows. Imagine the ghost ball when it contacts the one ball. (In practice, you can use a real ball -- put it in contact with the one ball). Next, imagine the path of the ghost ball off the one ball. You can do this by lining up along the 90-degree line and actually cueing along that line towards the two ball. In practice, it’s a good idea to set the balls in paper reinforcement donuts so you can repeat one position until you have the procedure down pat. After you are confident in making the ball, get a feel for how you can play position off the shot. In the straight pool shot at the top I would use follow to carry the cue ball towards the center of the table. In the bottom shot, a little left side spin will help the cue ball come off the cushion and up the table for a more open shot. An alternative is to shoot softly to leave both the

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15 12 13

cue ball path

Problem

90 deg. off the one ball

Solution

REJ

cue ball and the one ball near the long cushion. A key point in shots like this is that if the cue ball moves only a short distance from the first ball to the target ball, it has little chance to come off the planned line even if your aim is a little off or you use follow or draw which will tend to bend the path of the cue ball. Try different spins on the cue ball to see the effect on the shot. For example, a little left or right english may help throw the second ball into the pocket if it is not in the ideal position. For these tests, try moving the whole shot farther away from the pocket so you can see better whether the 2 is moved to the right or left.

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CHALK TALK Sponsored by: Master Chalk Pool Halls Are They A Vanishing Breed?

BY: DON AKERLOW

THE SKY IS NO LIMIT

In slow economic times, many things may contribute to the life or death of a pool hall. As in real estate, there are 3 very important guidelines to follow, location, location, location. The pool halls financial success may also depend upon curfews, gang colors and the economic stability of your clientele. In some areas going smokeless whether it was legislated or of the owner’s own volition at first saw a drop in clientele but years later it all has fit together. The neighborhood also may have changed around you. With urban sprawl, the pool hall may be what now has become too far away.

juke box, satellite TV, alcohol, food, leagues, billiard supplies and maybe even wifi you’re not keeping up with your competition. You can’t attract the players who have the money and time on their hands. There have been closures of pool halls up and down the West Coast and some I don’t know about. Here are a few: 211 Club (WA), Q Street Billiards (OR), Kelowna Q Club (BC), Blondies Billiards (BC), Felts Club (CA), Oakdale Billiards (CA) and Cue Ball’s Billiards (MT). These were some 10 to 15 years ago. And of course the same goes for any other region in the country. Too many to name.

In the 70’s and 80’s a chain of pool halls were started called “Corner Pocket”. With virtually the same layout in each pool hall that favored the spectator and/or other players to view important games, but they too fell on hard times and were sold off individually. The pool halls I grew up in 35 to 40 years ago were smoke-filled, gambling havens, whether cards, cribbage or games on the slate. There was a code of ethics that the players respected. Many of the owners didn’t allow cursing, which caused arguments that led to fights. Some of your owners or employees of the room ran “book” (illegal gambling that the government didn’t take taxes from). Not all pool halls were that way, some were true to the game of pool, be it 9-Ball, One Pocket or Straight. You came in, played by the hour and there was always a sign “no gambling”. The “no gambling” meant “no money on the table”. Pool halls back then didn’t have to deal with technology. We had pinball machines and that was pretty much it. Today if a pool hall doesn’t have video games, digital

Back in 2003, “Poolhall Junkies”, depicted violence, loud music and cursing as part of its theme (I don’t mind this but it sets a tone). Perhaps coupled with a still struggling economy from 2008, this has had an effect on different pool halls around the country. Is this a sign of the future of pool? In this new millennium, will the game of pool be relegated to seven foot tables? By itself that would be a shame, there must be a choice – Pool halls do survive and they can survive in the twenty first century. So if you’re lucky enough to have a pool hall close to you, relish the opportunity. If not, get in your car, take a bus, streetcar, mule train, horse and buggy or walking find any way you can, just get there. Somethings in any pool hall you may not like that’s not a reason not to go. Enjoy yourself and play the game. From a business point of view you have to do whatever it takes to survive. Email me with your opinion at: opm@onthebreaknews.com

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GET A GRIP!

It was a beautiful day back in July of 2002. Rack and Cue Billiards Parlor in Campbellsville, Kentucky was the setting for the area monthly 9-ball Championship. Players like David Rice, Stan Shuffett, Bruce Luttrell, Mike Blevins and Robert Frost were all regulars in quest for the monthly championship. At that time of my life, I was beginning to learn more and

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 poolplaying career Anthony has won over 300 tournaments and has defeated numerous professional players in tournament competition.

more about the little intricacies of the game such as correct mechanics and advanced fundamentals. One topic I was particularly curious about was the grip. Local player Larry Cross from Liberty, Kentucky was an incredibly difficult player to beat and always demonstrated sound pool mechanics. In fact, I give Larry a lot of credit for teaching me many things about the game including correct shot selection and how to identify patterns playing both 8-ball and 9-ball. Larry was playing great and I soon found myself face to face with him in the finals of the event. During our

match, I began to pay close attention to Larry’s grip. Larry always seemed to move the cue ball effortlessly around the table and I always believed this was due to the way that he held the cue. First, Larry had the right idea in that the thumb should be pointed straight to the floor, with the hand cocked slightly to the left if you are right handed. The little finger should not touch

October 2014

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the cue, which should be cradled by the front fingers. It is important to remember that if you hold the cue too tightly there is a tendency to stop your stroke. Larry primarily held his cue lightly resting it on only the front fingers with the little finger not touching the cue. This light cradling of the butt made it much simpler for him to stroke in a perfectly straight line than with a tighter grip. In fact, some instructors compare perfect grip pressure to that of someone holding a bird. If you hold the bird too tightly you will hurt it, but if the bird is held too loosely it will escape and fly away. It is important to not hold the cue too light or too tight. When watching Larry play I always imagined an eye on his grip hand directly above the cue (where the “X” is located on the photo). The imaginary eye looks down the butt and shaft of the cue towards the target. Using this analogy ensures that the grip hand is directly over the cue and is not torqued significantly in one direction or the other. Finally, the last element of Larry’s grip was that he always

opened his grip on the backswing and closed his grip on the forward swing. Snooker Champion, Steve Davis has described the perfect grip as being neutral at the “Set position” (90 degrees) and open on the “Pause” (back swing) and then closed at the “Finish” (squeezing on contact). That day my match with Larry gave me a better insight into how to develop a proper grip. The real victory wasn’t the fact that I won the championship. It was that I had learned something far more valuable. I witnessed the elements of a good grip in action, and I had the opportunity to dissect Larry’s grip up close and personal. To this day, my grip is much better due to the impression Larry Cross made on me that day. As an instructor, I see many players have limited abilities because they have some type of flaw with the way that they hold the cue. Don’t let a faulty grip hold you back. Get a grip on your game and practice holding your cue the correct way.

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July 2014

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Predator Pro stop draws only 8 players

S N I W W SHA

Skip Maloney - AzBilliards.com Jayson Shaw only had to win three matches to claim the Predator Open/Pro title at stake during the tour's September 6-7 stop at The Cue Bar in Bayside (Queens), NY. Chris Derewonski, working the Amateur side of things, had to win twice that (and then some) to claim the amateur title. The $1,000-added ($500 each) events drew 53 entrants - eight to the Open/Pro, and 45 to the amateur event. A victory in the opening match put Shaw into a winners' side semifinal against tour director Tony Robles. Jeremy Sossei faced Frankie Hernandez in the other. Shaw and Sossei moved into the hot seat match after identical 8-3 wins over Robles and Hernandez. Shaw took the winners' side final 8-6 and waited on what turned out to be the return of Hernandez. On the loss side, battling for 7th/8th, Nigel Francis and Jerry Tarantoladefeated Eugene Ok and Jonathan Russell, both 8-1. Francis and Tarantola were then eliminated by Robles and Hernandez by the same 8-2 score. Hernandez then shut out Robles in the quarterfinals and got a second shot at Sossei in the (1st money round) semifinals. They battled to double hill before Hernandez prevailed for a chance against Shaw. Shaw completed his short, undefeated run with an 8-3 victory in the finals. In the Amateur event, eventual winner, Chris Derewonski made it to the winners' side final four, before being sent to the losers' bracket 7-5 by Alex Osipov. By the same score, Kyle Bubet defeated Ron Mason in the other winners' side semifinal. Another 7-5 win put Bubet in the hot seat, and sent Osipov to the semifinals. On the loss side, Derewonski began his trip back against Brooke Meyer, who'd defeated Brian Russell7-1 and Junior Sanchez 7-4 to reach him. Mason drew Paolo Valverde, who'd gotten by Tony Ignomirello 7-4 and Roy Lim 7-5. Derewonski advanced to the quarterfinals 7-5 over Meyer, and met up with Valverde, who'd survived a double hill battle against Mason. Derewonski went on to defeat Valverde in the quarterfinals (10-7), and Osipov in the semifinals (8-6). He claimed his second Predator Tour title of the year by defeating Bubet 11-6 in the finals.

Jayson Shaw

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Wilkie wins nine on the one loss side Then defeats Varias in finals Skip Maloney AzBilliards.com Staff Sept. 10, 2014

Going into the seventh stop on the Action Pool Tour (APT), Brian Deskaand Shaun Wilkie were ranked at #1 and #2 on the tour. After Adam Kielar opened the tour season with a victory in the Virginia State 10-Ball Championships in January (with Wilkie as runner-up and Deska finishing third), Wilkie won stops # 2 and #3 on the tour. Deska took the top spot on the 4th, 5th and 6th stops on the tour. On the weekend of September 6-7, they met in the semifinals of an APT stop which drew 67 entrants to Breakers Sky Lounge in Herndon, VA. Wilkie, sent to the loss side in the third round of play, won eight on the loss side for the right to face Deska in the semifinals, and then, Jimmy Varias in the finals. Wilkie defeated Varias to claim his third APT title of the year. Following an opening round bye, Wilkie had a fairly easy time of it against Andrew Park, defeating him 7-1 and moving on to meet Matt Krah. Wilkie and Krah battled to double hill before Krah prevailed and Wilkie began the long march back on the losers' side. Krah won three more, advancing to a winners' side semifinal against Deska. Varias andTuan Chau met in the other. Deska sent Krah over 7-5 for an almost immediate re-match against Wilkie. Varias survived a double hill battle against Chau and sent him west for an actual immediate match against Wilkie. In the hot seat match, Varias survived a second double hill fight, this time against Deska, who, like Krah and Chau, moved west to meet up with Wilkie. On the loss side, Wilkie was at work on his nine-match winning streak, in which he would give up, on average, less than two racks per match (races to six). In his fifth loss-side match, Guan Robinson managed three against him. Wilkie got right back to work, allowing Dan Madden to chalk up only a single rack against him, before meeting up with Chau, fresh off the winners' side semifinal. Krah, in the same boat, met up with Alex Travino, who'd defeated Trevor Dentz 6-4 and Rick Miller 6-3 to reach him. Wilkie downed Chau 6-2, as Krah was busy shutting out Travino. Wilkie took the quarterfinal re-match against Krah 6-2 and then knocked off the tour's #1 ranked player (Deska) in a double hill semifinal match. Wilkie completed his loss side run with a 9-4 victory in the finals over Varias. Jimmy Varias' second place finish moved him up among the tour's top 10 players. Deska's third place finish allowed him to retain his spot at the top of the tour rankings, though Wilkie's victory cut the point distance between them in half.

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Results

WILKIE Shaun VARIAS Jimmy DESKA Brian KRAH Matt CHAU Tuan TRAVINO Alex MILLER Rick MADDEN Daniel ROBINSON Guan CORD Rob MOON William DENTZ Trevor ENDARA Jimmy Jr SPORLEDER Sean DIETZENBACH Brian SABINS Greg

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Stroke October 2014

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Photo by: JP Parmentier-Matchroom Sport 2014

England steals it in the final rack!

DARREN APPLETON AND KARL BOYES

2014 Betway World Cup of Pool England A 10-9 Holland ENGLAND are the 2014 Betway World Cup of Pool champions after they broke Dutch hearts in a thrilling final rack shoot out where both sides had chances to take one of cue sport’s most prestigious titles. It was England’s first win in the storied history of the event and gives the two players a $60,000 pay day. Showing the bulldog spirit Karl Boyes (pictured right) and Darren Appleton (pictued left) came from 3-6 down and then 7-9 behind to force a final rack decider at the Mountbatten Centre, Portsmouth in front of a sell-out crowd. It was Appleton who broke the last rack of the match, but he could only recoil in horror as the cue ball scratched into the centre pocket. With ball in hand, Niels Feijen and Nick Van den Berg were big favourites to take the title but with just two balls on the table, it all went wrong. Feijen missed the 8 ball trying to force a better position for the 9. Boyes came to the table with a table length shot at the 8 but jawed it as the crowd gasped. It rolled behind the 9 which was lying on the rail and when Van den Berg’s bank shot left the 8 out in the open, it was game over. Appleton said, “I am in shock. The match was really crazy with a lot of mistakes from both teams. We made a silly one in rack two and after that we couldn’t get anything going. “Holland let us off the hook really and they are going to be sick to lose because they had a great chance to win there. But that is why 9 ball is the most exciting game in the world, because you just never know. And the pressure was just unbelievable. “I didn’t break well in the match so on the last break I had even more pressure and I told myself just don’t scratch and just spin the cue ball. When I looked at the table I thought we had lost. “With the pressure you think there is a 10-15% chance that something might happen and luckily for us they didn’t get good shape on the eight ball. It left a

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tough shot for Karl and he got a good roll and I was able to get the eight ball. I have never shaken as much as that before in my life!” Boyes, who was in shock after potting the winning 9 ball said, “I was so surprised that they missed that I jumped up with my cue but when I got to the table I saw it was a bit longer than I first thought. “Darren tried to calm me down and I had a look. I don’t know how close it was or if it was a mile off but I got a nice roll at the end. I have lost a lot of big matches over the last few years when top players have played like God against me so it is nice to get a roll like that. “We had a chance to go 2-0 up and try and get going but we didn’t get out at 1-0 and we were chasing after that. It was a real dogfight.” England had beaten Spain, Greece, the USA and Finland en route to the final but were second favourites with sponsors Betway. The Dutch started strongly and always looked to be in control but success in pool is based on small margins and once again they fell at the final hurdle. “At 9-9 they scratched on the break and we got a huge chance because the table was open,” said Van den Berg. “There was a lot of heat so we were discussing how to play the 7 ball. It was a tough shot and I followed through when normally I would play it perfectly but it was on the rail and left Niels a very tough shot. “I know Niels is one of the best jacked up players in the world so I didn’t really worry but there was so much pressure on the shot. I cannot blame him for the miss. Then they missed the eight ball and got very lucky.” For Feijen it was déjà vue: “This one is pretty frustrating. We should have made it 7-3, so that was a pretty big moment. Instead it went 6-4 and they made it 6-5 and then it is back to grind mode. “If you got 7-3 you might steamroll the match, so I was pretty disappointed not to go further ahead at that moment. In the end, it was just a quarter of an inch, that is it. But that is how it goes in pool.”

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Waiting to Play Your Next Match Article By: Janis Sessions Pictures By: Janis Sessions Bernie Store

Amanda Pulley

October 2014

What do you find yourself doing between matches? Depending on the tournament number of players, you may find yourself waiting between 30 mins to 2 hours or longer. So what do you do? I recently was out to Scottsdale, AZ for the 2014 BCAPL SOUTHWEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS that was held on August 28 - September 1, 2014 at the Radisson Fort McDowell (Resort & Casino). This tournament had 8 different events; from Mixed Teams, Scotch Doubles, Teams and Men and Women Single events. Between my matches, I walked around, checked out the Casino, because I don’t gamble left and walked out to the swimming pool area. A DJ was brought in for the Labor Day weekend and I found myself jumping around to the music’s and talking with DJ. Then back to the tournament room to check the board to see what table and time my next match would be. Still having some time, I was able to meet David Vandenberghe (Chief Operating Officer) and Ozzy Reynolds (CSI Manager) who welcomed me and gave me some pointers as I become a BCA League Operator in South Florida (Broward County Area). For me walking around at the larger events helps, so when it is time to play again, I can focuses on that game. I try not to watch other players between matches, until my day is done. Playing in the Women’s Open Single event, my day ended with me finishing 9th – 12th out of 31 players. Now that I’m out and no more matches, I had time to watch some of the other players and see some great shots and matches. This is my second BCA event and I must say I like the format and the pool players come to give you a game and the defense play in this league is super. I was able to meet some very nice people and heard some interesting stories. Some of the stories were very funny, but trying to explain in this article would lose the true meaning of them. So if you see me at a tournament, ask and I will share. So again I ask; What do you do while waiting to play your next match? Thanks to all the BCA and CSI staff for putting this event on. Look forward to the next event.

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SWR Men's Mixed Team - 30 Teams 1st The Heat $1,650.00 2nd No Mercy $1,250.00 3rd 3 Men & A Baby $725.00 4th Stinger's Voo Doo $450.00 5th - 6th Desert Heat All Stars $300.00 Getting All The Rolls 7th - 8th Bet Something $200.00 What Would Efren Do SWR Women’s Team - 10 Teams 1st Breaking Bad $625.00 2nd Ohh..Those girls $400.00 3rd The Cluthes $250.00 Second Change AZ 6 - 19 Entrants 1st Doreen Sunn 2nd Laura Boothroyd 3rd -4th Boston Chavez Becky Onnembo

$200.00 $120.00 $60.00

SWR Women’s Singles - 35 Entrants 1st Bernie Store $550.00 2nd Susan Williams $350.00 3rd Amanda Pulley $240.00 4th Sara Miller $150.00 5th - 6th Lynor Johnson $100.00 Gina Quninones 7th - 8th Kim Toops $65.00 Tami Hathcock SWR Men's Advanced/Master Singles - 14 Entrants 1st Ronnie Allen $440.00 2nd Check Evans $300.00 Third Tres Kane lll $200.00 4th Clay Dorrell $120.00 SWR AZ 6 and Under Singles - 77 Entrants 1st Elgin J Miquel $725.00 2nd Juan Silva JR $450.00 3rd Perfecto Diaz $315.00 4th Rob Turner $200.00 5th - 6th Jesse Perez $125.00 Leroy Smith 7th - 8th Spencer Brinkey $75.00 Rick Clarke SWR Men's Open Singles - 69 Entrants 1st Tim Daniel $1,180.00 2nd Donald Mangahas $700.00 3rd Mark Arnold $450.00 4th Pete Lhotka $300.00 5th - 6th David Burnett JR $200.00 Chad Barber 7th - 8th Bret Huth $120.00 Jeremiah Gage SWR Scotch Doubles- 35 Entrants 1st Gibbbs / Store $500.00 2nd Poore / Poore $285.00 3rd Denton / Miller $175.00 4th Ampongan / Morado $115.00 5th - 6th Page / Pulley $75.00 Perry / Stutesman

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Press Release

Allison Fisher

joins the OB Pro Team of Players Plano, Texas – Hall of Fame player Allison Fisher and cutting edge Texas based billiard manufacturer OB Cues proudly announce the signing of Allison to the OB Pro Team of Players. “As a fan of pool, I have always admired Allison’s game but how she conducts herself away from the table is equally as impressive” said Royce Bunnell, President of OB. “I am proud to have accomplished what I have so far in both snooker and pool but I am not done yet! I love my OB equipment and truly believe that the consistency and accuracy of my equipment will play a big part in my future success on the table” said Allison Fisher. “Allison is quite simply a living legend in the world of pool. Her tournament success is unequaled and she has a fan base that is unmatched. Having Allison join our team and trust her game to OB products is a great honor” said Shane Sinnott, Director of Sales and Marketing for OB. Allison can be seen competing on ESPN and on International television networks on a regular basis. She also has been known to stop by the OB booth to sign autographs, take pictures and play challenge games with fans and will continue to do so whenever possible. OB is headquartered in Plano, Texas and is a leading manufacturer of high performance pool cues and pool cue shafts made 100% in the USA since 2005. For more information on OB Cues or OB shafts or to become an authorized dealer, please visit www.obcues. com and for all the latest OB news you can like OB on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/obcues Allison Fisher was inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame in 2009.

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She has won over 80 national titles and 11 world titles in Snooker and in Pool she has an unequaled record, winning 50 WPBA titles, which includes 4 World 9-Ball championships. Despite her busy schedule, Allison still manages to offer private lessons, group lessons, public appearances, keynote & public speaking. For more information on Allison visit her website at www.allisonfisher.com and don’t forget to like Allison on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/AFathlete

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Stroke October 2014

Luis Jimenez undefeated Left to Right: 2nd Eric Grasman; 1st Luis Jimenez; 3rd Jose Mendez, owner-operator Kevin Buckley.

Gotham City Billiards - Brooklyn, NY 9/20-21/14 Luis’ tournament trail included wins over Dennis Kennedy 7 - 5; Mike Figueroa 7 - 2; Jaret Buyund 7 - 6; T.J. Aguis 7 - 4; Nick Antonakos 7 - 5 and Jose Mendez 7 - 4 for the Hot Seat. In the meantime, Eric Grasman who suffered a loss to Jose Mendez 7 - 5, won his next two matches to redeem himself agaist Jose 7 - 2. During the Finals, Luis took an early lead and never looked back with an 8 - 4 victory. Both Jose Mendez (3rd) and T.J.Aguis (4th) deserve recognition for their strong 3rd and 4th place finishes. The next Tri-State event will be held on September 27, 2014 at BQE Billiards in Jackson Hts. (Queens), NY. Thank you to Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Qpod, Kamui Tips, Ron Vitello, Focus Cases by John Barton, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics, and Focus Apparel for their sponsorship leading to this event.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th - 6th 7th - 8th 9th - 12th 13th - 16th

Luis Jimenez Eric Grasman Jose Mendez TJ Aguis Robert Pamilar, Nick Antonakis Koka Davladze, John Morrison Cole Hastings, Miguel LaBoy, Tony Ignomirello, Irene Kim Alex Osipov, Vagif Alekberov, Mike Davie Thomas Rice

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Christy Norris wins 9-Ball Classic Skip Maloney - AzBilliards.com Staff Christy Norris took a double hill loss in the hot seat match against Belinda Calhoun in stride, and came back from the semifinals to defeat her, double hill in the finals of the North Carolina 9-Ball Classic, Stop # 4 on the Southern/Mid-Atlantic Regional Tour (SMART). The $500-added event, held on the weekend of September 12-13, drew 15 entrants to Gate City Billiards in Greensboro, NC. Three of Norris’ final four matches went double hill. The first of those three was a winners’ side semifinal againstLisa Cossette, which set her up to face Calhoun in the hot seat match. Calhoun had sent Kathleen Lawless to the losers’ bracket 7-4. Calhoun then defeated Norris, double hill, and waited on her return. On the loss side, Cossette picked up Stephanie Oudinot, who’d defeated Julie Benitz 7-4 and Asia Cycak 7-5. Lawless drew Michelle Jefferson, who’d been sent to the loss side by Cossette, and defeated Meredith McLean 7-1 and Christine Snody 7-5. Cossette’s 7-1 victory over Oudinot and Jefferson’s 7-2 win over Lawless set up a quarterfinal re-match between Cossette and Jefferson. Cossette defeated Jefferson a second time, 7-5, and then, was herself eliminated by Norris 7-3 in the semifinals; the easiest of Norris’ final four. Norris took the extended race-to-9 finals against Calhoun 9-8 to claim the North Carolina 9-Ball Classic title.

October 2014

Belinda Calhoun, Christy Norris, Lisa Cossette and Michelle Jefferson

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NORRIS Christy CALHOUN Belinda COSSETTE Lisa JEFFERSON Michelle

450 250 125 75

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HOOLIGAN’S

WILLIAMSVILLE, NY Results from Sept 3rd APA tournament. 1st Cheryl Reed $210.00 2nd Lamont Hicks $100.00 3/4 Bob Joyce and Rick Pendleton $25.00 Results from our APA Scotch Doubles Tournament. 1st Derrick Diperto & Mike Harris $610.00 2nd Adam Smith & Tom B. $320.00 3rd Mark Hatch & Conlee Results from our monthly bar box 8 ball tournament. 1st Jay Reed $325.00 2nd Dave Bauer $145.00 3rd Bruce Mawry $25.00 Results from our monthly 9 ball tournament. 1st Sean Vega $280.00 2nd Pete Sturdevant $145.00

Results

Clarksville, TN - September 14th 1st Josh Roberts 2nd Justin Bergman 3rd Danny Smith 4th Corey Deuel 5th Chad Vilmont 6th Joey Gray 7th Brandon Thomas 8th Josh O’Neil 9th Booder 10th Dewayne Pierce 11th Eric Durbin 12th Sky Woodward

W K O I N DS O N I H C October 10-12, 2014

2nd ANNUAL

OPEN 10-BALL

CHA

Chinook Winds Casino Resort Lincoln City, OR

MPIONSHIPS

* D E D D

Men’s Division: 64 Bracket - Race to 7** - BCA rules - Alternate Breaks

Entry Deadline: October 3, 2014

Women’s Division: 32 Bracket - Race to 6** - BCA Rules - Alternate Breaks

Entry Forms will be available at westernbca.org

$10K TO MEN/$5K TO WOMEN - Based on Full Fields Entry Fees: $100+$25 green fee+$30 WBCA/BCAPL fees if not a member

Calcutta: 5pm Friday, Oct. 10, play will begin at 7p

Added Money:

A 0 00

1$ 5,

*Based on full felds

**Races may vary due to entries & time constraints

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Stroke October 2014

AMERICAN 14.1 STRAIGHT POOL CHAMPIONSHIP DIAMOND BILLIARDS, Midlothian, VA Sep 12-14, 2014

Players began arriving into the Richmond area from as far away as the Netherlands and California as early as Thursday evening Aug 11th for the Tenth Annual AMERICAN 14.1 STRAIGHT POOL CHAMPIONSHIP (formerly the Maryland Open 14.1 Championship). This event has become an integral part of the fall pool calendar on the east coast and one of the most prestigious Straight Pool Tournaments of the year in the U.S. After four years at the venerable Big Daddyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Glen Burnie, MD and 2013 hosted by Top Hat Cue Club, Parkville, Md., this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10th annual tournament moved south to beautiful DIAMOND BILLIARDS, Midlothian, VA owned by truly magnificent hosts, Tom & Cynthia Dorsey, and located just west of Richmond. Previously the American Straight Pool title has been won by some rather impressive names, even to those unfamiliar with 14.1 . . . . Darren Appleton 150 defeated Karen Corr 28, Sep 14, 2014 Thorsten Hohmann 150 defeated Johnny Archer 111, Sep 16, 2013 John Schmidt 150 defeated Thorsten Hohmann 21. Aug 18, 2012 Johnny Archer 150 defeated John Schmidt 74. July 24, 2011 Danny Harriman 150 defeated Shaun Wilkie 94. June 20, 2010 Danny Harriman 150 defeated Dave Daya 28. June 28, 2009 Bob Maidhof 150 defeated Danny Barouty 140. July 12, 2008 Mika Immonen 150 defeated Mike Davis 59. June 10, 2007 Ed Hodan 150 defeated Danny Barouty 89. Nov 19, 2006 Ryan McCreesh 150 defeated David Hunt 67. Aug 8, 2005

October 2014

This year a 40 player field of the top Straight Pool players in the country arrived in Virginia for Friday afternoon warm-ups, check out the equipment of 11 Brunswick Gold Crowns and 3 Diamond tables, recently covered with new Simonis 760 cloth. Players were anxious to get in a few hours of practice, as competition this year would be fierce among one of the strongest fields ever. Local tournament players once again congregated to mix with out of town pros many of whom had come long distances to play. Most know one another well and this makes for an enjoyable weekend of friendship, camaraderie and challenging Straight Pool all tied together. Festivities this year got off to a gentle start on Friday evening with two opening rounds of the seven round robin sessions over the first two days. The 40 player round robin is then pared down to 24 before the sparks began to fly on Sunday in single elimination. The round robin format is a nice chance for new comers and lesser known players to visit and share cordiality and play with great champions such as Bob Maidhof, Johnny Archer, Mika Immonen, Huidji See, Karen Corr, Darren Appleton, Mike Davis, Danny Barouty, Brandon Shuff, Mike Dechaine and others in the sterling field. Gerda Hofstatter and Jeanette Lee, two highly popular great lady players who have been loyal past participants in the competition were absent due to their hectic schedules. In past years both the Black Widow and Gerda were able to make it through to the Sunday elimination round. This year they left the task to the sole lady player, the great transplanted Irish star, Karen Corr. And did Miss Corr ever live up to the task . . . oh boy! Or should we say Oh Girl! The American 14.1 tournament has made a concerted effort to attract top lady players, and hopes to continue to do so. Unfortunately few of the best women have strayed from their

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long time devotion to Nine Ball to gain the needed proficiency at the classic game of Straight Pool, but founder and longtime tournament Chmn., Peter Burrows, hopes to change that. The ladies need to take up the challenges of 14.1. Let’s get more room owners encouraging 14.1 and particularly ladies to play in their 14.1 leagues. The American 14.1 Straight Pool Championship may not be a glitzy and large event, but in its own quiet way it has become a chance for the best straight pool players to meet and play with one another in a well-designed tournament under quite ideal conditions. Prize money has grown as has the field of world class players. Format this year followed the tried & true plan of previous years with a 40 player field, 8 balanced flights of 5 players each in the initial two day Round Robin session. Everyone playing four 100 point matches vs. the others in their bracket with the top 3 players in each flight advancing to the Sunday single elimination round. The 8 flight winners were rewarded with a first round bye in the Sunday knockout session. All 24 who advance through the round robin on Friday & Saturday are seeded 1-24 going in to Sunday, based on W-L and ball differential. A $100. award was given to the No. #1 seed the venerable Tom Walter of Great Neck, NY. Karen Corr won the $100. High Run prize for Fri-Sat. with an 81 ball run. The first of her many long runs during the tournament. Steve Matthieu won the $100. HR prize for those who did not advance to Sunday with a 71 ball run. There was also a blind draw among the 16 players who did not advance to Sunday; a refund of their $300 tournament entry fee, which was won by old time NJ player, Don Polo. Congratulation to lucky Mr. Polo! Peter Burrows and Director, Megan Fort, always welcomes the opportunity for players to voice their opinions of format, rules and anything else on their mind. Peter seeks feedback to make this a “players friendly” tournament. Some of these elements are a polished dress code, player integrity with all ball fouls, and no time clock, always a debate. He notes. . . “We honestly believe that players do play at their own pace, and generally that is a constant one. There will always be discrepancies and fluctuations, but a given player in my experience usually plays the way they play. I have watched top 14.1 players for more than six decades since first seeing Mosconi & Crane play at the old Bensingers room on Randolph Street in Chicago in the late 1940s. Pool players play at the pace they play at and the rhythm and tempo of one player’s game is what it is. I just don’t believe in a shot clock in Straight Pool. The game at this world class level is cerebral and players need time to think and analyze and I want to recognize that. Some situations lend themselves to more rapid disposal of a rack, but others do not. It you want a time clock play chess.” “There will always be a match here and there that is drawn out, and this year was no exception, with a few matches on the tight Diamond tables taking an

L to R: Karen Corr, Peter Burrows unusual 2+ hours. But this is an exception and will happen in this most imaginative of games. Everyone is not a John Schmidt, Luc Salvas or Machine Gun Lou Butera!” Tournament Director, Peter Burrows, believes that most 14.1 players understand this. No time clock. Peter goes on to note that playing under the classic “all ball fouls” requires a greater emphasis on player integrity which has been so widely adopted with great success in golf . . . “Why do we need a white glove referee at every table? Nice, classic of course, but simply not practical. Golf rules are many times more complex than pool but the Royal & Ancient rules are well known and players honestly adhere to them. Pool can do the same. And while we’re at it, let’s dress the part. So the American 14.1 Straight Pool Championship is a dress code tournament following the format of other world class events. The dressier the better, what’s wrong with that? Pool guys . . . and ladies . . . are handsome folks . . . let’s look the part! Dress up our game. My gosh, we’ve got the Black Widow, Ms. Jeanette Lee the most stunning gal on the planet plus just a terrific player and advocate for our sport . . . and impeccably attired many time World Champion Thorsten Hohmann, although not playing this year, Jeanette & Toasty have been a regulars in our past tournaments, beating all of us like a drum, let’s follow their lead and look sharp!” This is especially true given today’s live streaming of pool matches. All three days were covered extensively thanks to Cynthia & Tom Dorsey and Jerry Tarantola’s NYCGrind with their live stream. Many of the top players and some locals provided insightful commentary thanks to Shaun Wilkie, Tom Walter, Andy Lincoln, Michael Frank and others who sat in the live-stream booth for a spell. (continued on Page 28)

L to R: Kevin Clark, Karen Corr, Darren Appleton, Jason Klatt Like Us On Facebook

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Stroke October 2014

AMERICAN 14.1 STRAIGHT POOL CHAMPIONSHIP Continued from page 27 As noted the tournament format was a two day Round Robin of eight flights, five players in each playing 4 matches to 100 points. The old fashioned straight pool format which tournament chairman Peter Burrows believes is not only fairest to the players, allowing them to play a maximum number of matches, but also a format which is ideal for spectators. They can watch their favorite locals or a top pro all day long, with no fear that they are going to get quickly eliminated in a one and done tournament. From the players perspective they can get warmed up, familiar with the equipment and there is no tedious winners’ side delay which occurs in drawn out double elimination tournaments. Non-stop action involving everyone from dawn to dusk is a key positive in the round robin format! Friday & Saturday consisted of seven rounds with each player playing four matches and three rounds free for a “break” and some lunch, featuring the finest of food offered by Diamond Billiards proprietors, Cynthia & Tom Dorsey and their wonderful staff. The tough match scheduling and table assignments were meticulously managed by Tournament Director, the ebullient Megan Fort! Each of the flights was balanced with top players, those likely expected to advance, usually playing their toughest opponents in the later rounds after having a chance to play a few games and get used to the tables and atmosphere. For this year’s draw the top eight players were set, as were the bottom eight amateurs. The middle 24 players were blind drawn into the different flights. Fair and simple. Strong local and regional players always surprise the front runners, and it never fails a dark horse has a great day at the expense of one of the favorites. Strong players, BD writer Bob Jewett and NYCGrind Jerry Tarantola both played extremely well during the round robin and were among the 24 who advanced to Sunday at the expense of higher seeds Larry Kressel & Steve Matthieu. Others advancing to the single elimination knockout were the predictable higher seeds. The Round Robin generally went according to odds with the pros and strong national players pulling away in a field which included a dozen world class Straight Pool advocates. The top eight Seeds for the Single elimination each received a 1st round bye: 1) Tom Walter, 2) newcomer Jason Klatt, 3) recent World 14.1 Champion and 2x World 9 Ball Champion Darren Appleton, 4) local pro Brandon Shuff, 5) Kevin Clark, 6) Hall of Famers Johnny Archer & 7) Mika Immonen, and 8) New England’s great young pro, Mike Dechaine. While each got to sit out the first round on Sunday as reward for winning their flight, the 9th thru 24th players were seeded playing one another in the Sunday opening round, 9 vs. 24, 8 vs. 23, etc.

28 October 2014

In the Sunday single elimination opening two rounds . . . 9) Corr 125 def. 24) Noe 84 to advance to play 8) Dechaine whom she shocked in half a dozen innings 125 to -2. 10) Bob Maidhof great player and Drexeline Billiards longtime owner def. 23) Alan Duty 125-72 and went on to lose to 7) Mika Immonen 125-31. 11) Huidji See def. NYCGrind’s 22) Jerry T. who had a great tournament 125-65; Hooch then moved on defeating 6) Johnny Archer 125-110. to advance to the quarter finals. 12) Shaun Wilkie def. 21) NY star Mike Yednak 125-67 before losing to 5) Kevin Clark 125-94 13) DannyBarouty venerable NY great now living in Calif. lost to young first time house pro 20) Danny Mastermaker 125-15. Danny then faced 4) Brandon Shuff losing 125-38. 14) talented player & 14.1 guru Bob Jewett who had also come all the way from Calif. lost to NY room owner 19) Holden Chin, playing for the first time 12557. Holden moved on to the formidable task of facing 3) Darren Appleton, and the 2014 World Champion came out on top 125-21. 15) Dr. Bob Madenjian, another who had a terrific tournament, put down his stethoscope and defeated 18) Jeff Crawford 125-40. Bob then went on to lose to surprisingly strong new 14.1 player 2) Jason Klatt 125-96. 16) always tough Mike Davis, back on the circuit once more, bested new 14.1 player 17) Sean Morgan in a hard fought close match 125-120. Mike advanced to lose to 1) seed Tom Walter 125-68. Of the eight top seeds only two were knocked from the quarter finals: 8) Mike Dechaine & 6) Johnny Archer. And so the stage was set for the four quarter final matches . . . 1) Tom Walter lost to 9) Karen Corr 150-122 2) Jason Klatt defeated 7) Mika Immonen150-88 3) Appleton beat 11) Huidji See 150-62 4) Shuff was knocked out by 5) Clark 150-75 Semi finals: 9) Karen Corr continued her mastery of 14.1 in a come from behind win against 5) Kevin Clark after Kevin missed the 150th ball, allowing Karen back to the table where she ran out winning 150-149! 3) Darren Appleton put on another clinic against stout and terrific young player, 2) Jason Klatt 150-50. Finals. After a long day and many tough matches 9) Karen finally ran out of gas and succumbed to the great World Champion, and now American 14.1 Champion, 3) Darren Appleton 150-28. In this final match of the tournament both Karen and Darren put on a safety battle as I have not seen in decades. If you want to see a half dozen truly masterful safeties watch

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the NYCGrind tape. Leading 40-1 Appleton at the table with his cue ball buried in the pocket down at the far end . . . . they began a battle of safeties which was truly extraordinary. Watch it. Darren ends up with the tiniest fraction of a ball to shoot from down on the far rail, between two obstructing balls, nails it and goes on to build an insurmountable lead. A championship shot by a real champ. Just a great match. Congratulations to the World & American Champion, Darren Appleton, and to our great runner up and only lady in the field, Karen Corr, who played all three days like the true champion that she is. Huidji See had the 2013 tournament high run of 144, and once again this year walked away with the $100 prize with a run of 83. His opponent remarked . ..... “Hey, Peter, where do you find these guys?” Well, let me tell you, Huidji See is one of the greats and we have been trying to get him to come over to the USA and play in our tournament for years now! Just read his bio in the program. One of the great young players in the world! And last year the Dutchman came in 3-4th and this year again another great showing by a true gentleman. Huidji . . . thanks for playing. Hope we see you again next year. Just so many terrific matches by many of the world’s greatest players in the modern era. All who watched would surely agree. Congratulations and a tip of the old fedora to everyone who helped make this year’s 10th annual American 14.1 Straight Pool Championship a huge success. And we wish to again thank our many dedicated sponsors, including Ivan Lee and Simonis Cloth and Aramith Balls, George Hart of Long Beach, CA, Qpod, Nathan Sulinski, Bob Jewett, San Jose, CA, Peter & Sandy Sears, Madison, WI, Rebecca Burrows & Erik Addington, NYC, and Michael Frank and our entire tournament committee, and all of our many generous sponsors.. Our deepest thanks and appreciation to outstanding and gracious room owners Cynthia & Tom Dorsey and their entire staff at Diamond Billiards. What a beautiful job they did as hosts for the tournament. Superlative in every way! Thank you! Finally we must give thanks to the dozen top pros for their continued patronage of our tournament, for without them we would not have a chance to witness their magnificent skills in this beautiful and historic game of 14.1. Their time and schedules are valued and each one made a yeoman effort to come to Virginia and play. God willing we hope to see everyone back again next year, October 2015, the weekend before the fall U.S. Open.

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Rachel Lang FULL NAME: Rachel Lang

JUNIOR PLAYER PROFILE

NICKNAME: Runout Rachel HOME TOWN: Catskill, NY BIRTH DATE: 12/18/1996 GRADE: 12th GPA: 89 FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: English POOL ROOM(S) WHERE YOU PLAY: B & B Lounge, Local bars, Golden Cue WHAT KIND OF CUE(S) DO YOU USE? McDermott/ Poison AT WHAT AGE DID YOU START PLAYING POOL? 8 years old LEFT OR RIGHT HANDED? Right TITLES / HIGHEST FINISHES: 4th in Junior Nationals in Las Vegas. 2nd in Junior Nationals in Louisville Kentucky. OTHER NOTABLE AWARDS: Have won 6 MVP awards in our local pool league MOST MEMORABLE POOL MOMENT: Making the finals against Taylor Reynolds in 2014 Junior Nationals FAVORITE BAND/MUSIC: Hip hop/ country HOBBIES: Hunting, fishing, playing pool, going on vacations, spending time with family FAVORITE POOL GAME: 8- ball FAVORITE POOL PLAYER: Corey Deuel FAVORITE FOOD: Pizza FICTIONAL HERO: Super Man REAL-WORLD HERO: John Shattell FONDEST CHILDHOOD MEMORY: Finishing second in the junior nationals. Getting a phone call asking me if I wanted to attend the Junior Worlds in Shanghai, China. GOALS (personal and/or career): Graduate college with high grades and become a dental hygienist. Become a professional pool player. Like Us On Facebook

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Stroke October 2014

Shuff goes undefeated

at 3rd Annual Labor Day Bar Box Championship

Skip Maloney AzBilliards.com Staff Sept. 2, 2014

October 2014

Results

Brandon Shuff and Mike Davis have a bit of history, much of it unrecorded, one would suspect. They met in the finals of a stop on the Action Pool Tour in March of 2013; Davis won. In April, of that year, Davis took the hot seat away from Shuff in the VA State 8-Ball Championship. Shuff did not return from the semifinals of that event. Davis won again when they met in the finals of another APT stop in August. It hasn't always gone Davis' way. Shuff's won a few stops on the APT in which Davis finished fourth (March, 2012, and November, 2011, for example). On Labor Day weekend, Shuff took command of their long-standing rivalry and defeated Davis twice to capture the 3rd Annual Labor Day Bar Box Championships in Cambridge, MD. The $500-added event drew 41 entrants to Great Slates Billiard Cafe in Cambridge. They met first in the hot seat match. Shuff had defeated Jeff Crawford7-2, as Davis was busy sending Joe Wright to the losers' bracket 7-3. Shuff took the first of his two against Davis 7-3 and waited in the hot seat for him to return. Crawford and Wright moved to the losers' bracket and got right back to work, against Steve Fleming andKevin West. Fleming had defeated Brian Abrams and Brett Stottlemeyer, both 7-5 to meet Crawford. West had gotten by John Moody, Jr. 7-1 and Roland Freolo 7-4 to draw Wright. Crawford downed Fleming 7-3, as Wright was eliminating West 7-2. Crawford took the quarterfinal match against Wright 7-3, and then, by the same score, was eliminated by Davis in the semifinals. Shuff completed his undefeated run with a 9-6 victory over Davis in the finals to claim the event title. Tour Director Danny Bell thanked room owner John Moody, Sr. and his staff at Great Slates Billiard Cafe for their hospitality.

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1 2 3 4 5 5 7 7 9 9 9 9

SHUFF Brandon DAVIS Mike CRAWFORD Jeff WRIGHT Joe FLEMING Steve WEST Kevin FREOLO Roland STOTTLEMYER Brett SHIFLET Rocky MOODY John ABRAMS Brian SABINS Greg

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MEZZ at Fat Albertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Picture 1st Billy Gallagher, 4th Michael Praseutsy, 2nd Al Tonelli, 3rd Eddie Sheahan. Mezz ABCD Tour made its way to Fat Albertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Billiards in Somerdale, NJ on Sunday September 14th. A strong field came out to play, Players like Jerry Dunne, Billy Gallagher, Al Tonelli, Mike Saleh, Eddie Sheahan, Bob Milane, Michael Praseutsy. Ralph Yenner. Bill Wilson and Ralph Lake. I would like to thank Tom and Kelly owners of Gamblin Clothing for giving the winner of this event and winners of future events Gamblin Clothing apparel. Leading to top half of the bracket was Billy Gallagher with wins over Jack Brunkel 7-2, Jose Burgos 7-3, and Al Tonelli 7-4. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Eddie Sheahan with wins over Mark Horn Jr, 7-4, Mike Saleh 7-6, Jason Wells 7-4, and Pat Donaghue 7-6. Playing for the hot seat was Billy Gallagher Vs Eddie Sheahan This was a one sided match with Billy

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Gallagher coming away with the win 7-3 and sending Eddie Sheahan to the one lost side. Waiting for Eddie Sheahan on the one lost side was Al Tonelli. Eddie Sheahan Forfeited to Al Tonelli and settled for 3rd place. In the finals it was Al Tonelli Vs Billy Gallagher, this is a true double elimination Al Tonelli would have to beat Billy Gallagher twice in order to win the event. It only took one set it was Billy Gallagher winning the match 7-5 and the event. I would like to thank all the players that came out to play!!!! I also would like to thank the following sponsors Mezz Cues, Gamblin Clothing Kumi Chalk, QPOD, Allen Hopkins Super Billiards Expo, John Barton JB Cases, Jab Cues & Thing, Billiard Life USA, and Mike Ricciardella

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results 1st

Billy Gallagher

$540

2nd Al Tonelli

$340

3rd Eddie Sheahan

$150

4th Micheal Praseutsy $120

Stroke October 2014

Dechaine chalks up win at Eastern States Championship

Skip Maloney AzBilliards.com Staff Sept. 11, 2014 It was, at one time, one of the country's premier tournaments; the Eastern States 9-Ball Championships, but for a variety of reasons, it had ceased to exist. Until Tony Robles and his Predator Tour, in collaboration with Marc Dionne's New England 9-Ball Series, and Gloria Jean's Ride the Nine Tour revived the event, creating the 1st Annual Eastern States Pro and Amateur Championships, held over Labor Day weekend. The $3,000-added Pro event drew 30 entrants to Snooker's Billiards in Providence, RI, and was won by the room's house pro and sponsored player, Mike Dechaine, chalking up his seventh 2014 win (two stops on the Joss Tour, the New England 9-Ball Open XXVII, an Open event on the Tri-State Tour, the George "Ginky" Sansouci Memorial, and in July, a challenge match victory (with Corey Deuel, against Efren Reyes andFrancisco Bustamante) and the American Rotation Championship Series III Finals. The $2,000-added Amateur event (separate report) drew 75 and was won by Eric Tang, who won three on the loss side and defeated hot seat occupant, Dennis Levesque. "I'm always looking for ways to improve the (Predator) tour," said Predator Tour director Tony Robles, "and the Eastern States Championships used to be as well-known as the US Open. By working together (with Dionne and Gloria Jean), we were able to make people more aware of their tours. "We had a blast," Robles added. "We love Snookers." So, apparently, does Mike Dechaine. Sponsored by the room, Dechaine set out on an undefeated route through the field that eventually led him to a winners' side semifinal against Jeremy Sossei; the first of two against him. Joe Dupuis, a regular on both Dionne and Gloria Jean's tours, met up with Ray McNamara in the other semifinal. Dechaine got into the hot seat match with a 9-6 win over Sossei. Dupuis advanced to meet him with a 9-5 win over McNamara. Dechaine gave up only a single rack, advancing to the hot seat over Dupuis. On the loss side, Jayson Shaw, who'd been defeated, double hill, by Sossei in a winners' side quarterfinal match, was working his way back to a re-match in the quarterfinals. He got by Tom D'Alfonso 9-3 and (picking up some speed) Nelson Oliveira 9-1, to draw McNamara. Sossei picked up Sean "Alaska" Morgan, who'd defeated Suad Kantarevic 9-2 and Michael Yednak 9-3. Sossei shut Morgan out, as Shaw eliminated McNamara 9-5. Shaw had earned his re-match against Sossei, only to see the second verse be the same as the first. Sossei took the quarterfinal match 9-7 over Shaw, and then, in what Robles described as an "error-filled match," defeated Dupuis 9-3 to earn his own rematch against Dechaine. In the extended race-to-13 format of the event, Sossei needed to reach 13 first, which would have extended the match to 15 games. He chalked up just a little shy of

October 2014

Mike Dechaine

half that many, as Dechaine completed his undefeated run 13-6 to claim the newlyrevived Eastern States Pro Championship title. Tour Director Tony Robles thanked Steve and Regina Goulding, owners of Snookers, and their staff, as well as "(his) lovely wife, Gail," NYCGrind, NAPL, AZBTV, New England 9-Ball Series, Gloria Jean's Ride the NineTour, Poolonthenet.com, Gotham City Technologies, Ozone Billiards.com, Delta-13 racks and ("the Big Kahuna," said Robles) Predator Cues.

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USA USA USA GBR USA USA USA USA

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Results

DECHAINE Mike SOSSEI Jeremy DUPUIS Joe SHAW Jayson MORGAN Sean MACNAMARA Ray OLIVEIRA Nelson YEDNAK Michael

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PHONE (718) 472-2124 (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 (732) 632-9277 (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 (315) 488-4888 (616) 454-0899 (616) 454-0899 (517) 263-9490 (513) 860-0044 (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 (614) 755-9407 (304) 905-8495 (732) 632-9277 (732) 632-9277 (704) 660-5363 (601) 372-6576 (601) 372-6576 (407) 275-6064 (315) 488-4888 (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 $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 - Handicapped Call 9-Ball Handicap-SE $15 (incl g.f.) Call 9-Ball Handicap-Round Robin $15 $$$ 9-Ball $Call 9 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball $5 Call 9 Ball $20 $100 w/32 Open 9 Ball $5 Call Open 9 Ball $10 Call 8 Ball $7 100% payout 3 Cushion $15 Call 9 Ball $15 $200 Scotch Doubles 8 Ball/9 Ball Call Open Bar Box 8 Ball-SE $20 9 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball - Race to 1 $10 Call 9-Ball Luck of the Draw Sc Dbls $15 $5/player Pool Tournament $12 Calcutta 8-Ball-Race to 2-DE $5 Match w/20+ 8 Ball/9 Ball (1st Sat) Round robin Call 8-Ball Race to 2-DE $5 $$$ 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 Call 200% payout Pool Tournament $12 Call 9-Ball - Ladies (1st Sun) Call 10-Ball (3rd Sun) Call 10-Ball Handicap-Race to 5 $15 $$$ 9 Ball $10 9 Ball $10 Mixed 8 Ball & 9 Ball $7 9 Ball - 10-Ball Break Pot $20 9 Ball $15 Call 8 Ball - bank the 8 $10 Call 8 Ball Call Call 8 Ball $5 $$$ 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 8PM 7PM 8PM 7:30PM 7PM 8PM 8PM 8PM 8PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 8PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM Call 8PM 7:30PM 7PM 7:30PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 5PM 8PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7:30PM 8PM 7:30PM 8PM 7PM 7:30PM 8PM 7PM 6PM 6PM 6PM 1PM 7PM 7:30PM 3PM 7PM Noon Noon 2PM 6PM 8:30PM 2PM 7PM 4PM 2PM 7:30PM 7PM 7PM 8PM 7PM 5:30PM 2PM

Call to see how to list your weekly pool tournaments 406.285.3099 Like Us On Facebook

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Stroke October 2014

Call First - All Tournaments are subject to change without notice

Click on the MAP link online to get directions to each location DATE Oct 3

CITY Warren, PA

LOCATION Eagles Club

PHONE 814-730-5001

ADDED Call

TIME 6PM

Oct 4

Warren, PA

Eagles Club

814-730-5001

Men’s 8-Ball

Oct 4

Warren, PA

Eagles Club

814-730-5001

Women’s 8-Ball

$40

Call

11AM

$30

Call

11AM

Oct 5

Warren, PA

Eagles Club

814-730-5001

Oct 5

Warren, PA

Eagles Club

814-730-5001

Men’s 9-Ball

$30

Call

10AM

Women’s 9-Ball

$30

Call

10AM

Oct 4

Williamsville, NY

Bison Billiards

Oct 4-5

Edison, NJ

Sandcastle Billiards

716-632-0281

8-Ball Bar Box

$35 (incl g.f.)

$250

Noon

MAP

732-632-9277

NJ State 9-Ball Championship Varies

$1,000

Noon

MAP

Oct 4

Fairfield, OH

Oct 4

Seven Valleys, PA

Michael’s Billiards

513-860-0044

8-Ball 3 man team

$90/t

Call

9:30AM

MAP

Finley’s Tavern

717-465-0942

8-Ball

$10

Call or text

11AM

Oct 5 Oct 5

Abington, MA

Stix & Stones

339-788-9381

9-Ball

Call

Trevose, PA

Fusco’s The Spot Billiards

215-953-1813

9-Ball

$60

Call

Oct 10-12

Lincoln City, OR

Chinook Winds Casino

360-703-4081

10-Ball-Men’s Divison

$100+$25+$30 $10,000

7PM

MAP

Oct 10-12

Lincoln City, OR

Chinook Winds Casino

360-703-4081

10-Ball-Women’s Divison

$100+$25+$30 $5,000

7PM

MAP

Oct 11

Anniston, AL

The 917

256-661-0761

9-Ball

$30 incl g.f.

Call

4PM

Oct 11

Greensboro, NC

Gate City Billiards

336-856-8800

9-Ball

Call

11:30AM MAP

Oct 11-12

Astoria, NY

Steinway Billiards

718-472-2124

Open/Pro - ABCD

$50 to $100

$1,000

10:30AM MAP

Oct 11

Tallahassee, FL

Zingale’s

850-224-8644

9-Ball

$60

$500 w/64

11AM

Oct 11-12

Columbus, OH

Players Family Billiards

614-239-POOL

9-Ball Open

$65 incl fees

$1,000

10AM

Oct 11-12

Columbus, OH

Players Family Billiards

614-239-POOL

9-Ball Women’s

$50 incl fees

$400

10AM

Oct 12

Portland, ME

Union Station Billiards

207-899-3693

9-Ball

Call

Oct 17-19

Williamsport, PA

Eagles Club

570-322-4905

8-Ball-Team

$180

Call

Oct 19

Warrington, PA

Warrington Billiards

215-491-0615

9-Ball

$60

Call

Oct 18-19

Atlanta, GA

Mr Cues II

770-454-POOL

9-Ball-Limit 64

$50

$500

1PM

Oct 18

Stuart, FL

Amy’s Billiards

772-232-9966

9-Ball - Cues for the Cure

Call

$250

Call

Oct 18

Chiefland, FL

Chiefland Billiards

352-493-9002

9-Ball

$30 incl g.f.

$500

11AM

Oct 18

Wheeling, WV

Corner Pocket

304-905-8495

9-Ball

Call

$500

Call

Oct 25

Bangor, PA

Bangor VFW

610-442-5868

8-Ball Wounded Warriors Benefit $20

Call

11AM

Oct 25-26

Villa Rica, GA

Stix

770-456-1616

9-Ball

$30

$500

Noon

Oct 25-26

Villa Rica, GA

Stix

770-456-1616

8-Ball

$30

$500

Noon

Oct 26

Salem, NH

Grand China

603-893-9124

9-Ball

Call

Oct 26

Astoria, NY

Steinway Billiards

718-472-2124

9-Ball

Call

$1,000

11:30AM MAP

Oct 25-26

Syracuse, NY

Premium Billiards

315-488-4888

Joss Tour

$120/$70

$2,000

10AM

MAP

Nov 1

Williamsville, NY

Bison Billiards

716-632-0281

8-Ball Bar Box

$35 (incl g.f.)

$250

Noon

MAP

Nov 2

Frazer, PA

Mainline Billiards

610-647-8805

9-Ball

$60

Call

Nov 1-2

Edison, NJ

Sandcastle Billiards

732-632-9277

NJ State 8-Ball Championship Call

Call

Noon

MAP

Nov 6-9

Edison, NJ

Sandcastle Billiards

732-632-9277

Accu-Stat Invitational

Pro players

PPV

Call

MAP

Nov 8

Anniston, AL

The 917

256-661-0761

9-Ball

$30 incl g.f.

Call

4PM

Nov 8-9 Nov 15-16

Yorkville, NY Griffith, IN

Hippo’s Griffith Billiards

315-768-0218 219-934-POOL

Al Conte Memorial 9-Ball

$120/$70 $60

$2,000 $1,000 w/96

10AM 10AM

Nov 16

Phoenixville, PA

Classic Billiards

610-935-1118

9-Ball Tour Finale

$60

Call

Nov 20-23

Montoursville, PA

Genetti Hotel

570-220-0168

9-Ball - Limit 256 M / 64 W

$55

Call

Nov 20-23

Montoursville, PA

Genetti Hotel

570-220-0168

8-Ball - Limit 256 M / 64 W

$55

Call

Nov 20-23

Montoursville, PA

Genetti Hotel

570-220-0168

Mixed Scotch Doubles

$55

Call

Nov 22

Astoria, NY

Steinway Billiards

718-472-2124

9-Ball

Call

$1,000

11:30AM MAP

Nov 28

Seven Valleys, PA

Finley’s Tavern

717-428-9094

10-Ball

$40

Call

10AM

Dec 6

Williamsville, NY

Bison Billiards

716-632-0281

8-Ball Bar Box

$35 (incl g.f.)

$250

Noon

Dec 20

Astoria, NY

Steinway Billiards

718-472-2124

9-Ball

Call

$1,000

11:30AM MAP

October 2014

EVENT / RULES Scotch Doubles

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