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JUNIOR PLAYER PROFILE
15 Joseph Watson III WEEKLY TOURNAMENTS 33 Eastern U.S. Weekly Tournaments There are no listings being reported by ESPN for July 2013.
4 Stroke Magazine - July 2013
5 VNEA Nationals 18 Southern Classic 11 Chalk Talk 24 ACS Nationals 16 APA Vegas 17 Ultimate 10-Ball TOURS
7 GSBT 6 Tri State Tour 34 Eastern U.S. Tournaments POOL ON TV - POOL ON THE NET
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COVER ARTICLE
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On The Cover
2013 July
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Jerry Hager
sweeps Senior 8 & 9 Ball singles crowns
Corner Pocket Billiards N Cafe's own Jerry Hager sweeps the Senior 8 & 9 Ball singles crowns at the VNEA National Billiard Event in Vegas! Jerry only suffered 1 single lose in both events combined as we went undefeated in the 9 Ball and suffered his only loss in the 8ball bracket late but rallied to double dip the king seat holder for the crown! Congrats to Jerry for accomplishing his goals after coming back
from DOUBLE knee replacement surgeries this past year. Corner Pocket Billiards own team "The Pool Junkies" placed 7th/8th in the Open Team event! Congrats again to Jerry Hager, Jerry Endsley, Mark Conway, Jason Baggott, and Curtis Walker- all from the Ohio Valley! The women's team "Geary Chiropractic" Placed 17th in the Women's Open Team event! Congrats to Dr. Terri Geary, Holly Feher, Cassie West, Christine Holmes, and Janet Levett!
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July 2013 - Stroke Magazine 5
Juan Guzman undefeated at Gotham City Billiards June 8 & 9, 2013
Left to right: 3rd place - Geoff Bauer; 1st place - Juan Guzman; 2nd place - Raymond Lee Juan Guzman goes undefeated at Gotham City Billiards’ A/D Tri-State Tour event. Juan’s tournament trail included wins over Marco Costello 7 - 3; Rajesh Vannala 7 - 3; Jimmy Acost 7 - 3; Gary Murgia 7 - 6; Geoff Bauer 7 - 5; and Raymond Lee 8 - 5 for the hot seat. Raymond then defeated Geoff Bauer 8 - 4, to play in the Finals. During the Finals, Raymond took early contol of the match; at three games apiece, the players began trading the lead. Juan won the last two games of the match to win the Finals 8 - 6, for the title. Goeff Bauer and Ambi Estevez (7 & 2 win/loss record) are to be congratulated for their stong 3rd and 4th place finish. The next Tri-State is a $1000 Added A/D event, to be held on June 15, 2013 at Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY. Thank you to Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Poison Cues, Ron Tarr Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics for their sponsorship leading to this event.
6 Stroke Magazine - July 2013
RESULTS
1st Juan Guzman 2nd Raymond Lee 3rd Geoff Bauer 4th Ambi Estevez 5th - 6th Steve Wright Dennis Kennedy 7th - 8th Meshak Daniel Luis Jimenez 9th - 12th Gary Murgia Keith Adamik Amy Yue Yu Bredon Hollack 13 - 16th www.StrokeMagazine.net
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Congratulations to Shannon Murphey for winning the 9-ball event and to Mike Brunett for winning the 8-ball event at Michael’s Billiards in Fairfield, Ohio. As always, we appreciate your support Mike Medley. Check out this pool room that is state of the art for players and spectators. — withShannon Murphy, Michaels-Billiards Pool-Hall,Shannon Daulton and Michael Burnett. Visit Michael’s Billiards online at http://www.michaelsbilliards. com LIVE Streaming by the GSBT: You can watch your favorite pool player or family member LIVE every weekend on USTREAM. Please pass this on to your friends and family. You can view any archived videos or LIVE matches at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/greatsouthernbilliardtour
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July 2013 - Stroke Magazine 7
“The“The Viper” Viper” An Interview by:
An Interview with Top Ranked Top Ranked American Player Oscar Dominguez This month I am introducing you to one of my personal favorites, Mr. Oscar Dominguez from California.
The Interview:
Melissa Little
Melissa “The Viper” Little has been a WPBA Touring Professional for over 10-years, she has represented the USA in Four WPA World Championships and has over 20 top-10 WPBA career finishes. Melissa is currently the housepro at the Wynkoop Brewing Company located in Downtown Denver. She teaches monthly clinics, gives private lessons, and has created a juniors program that promotes billiards education to the local youth. For more information about Melissa please visit: www.melissalittle.com Read more articles by Melissa Little at www.onthebreaknews.com
Viper: Where were you born? Oscar: In Van Nuys, CA on March 26, 1985 Viper: Do you have siblings? Oscar: Yes, I have two twin brothers. They are 6 years older than me. Viper: What did your parents think of your pool career? Oscar: They always supported me, but never encouraged me to play pool. It’s safe to say they weren’t thrilled about it, but they just want me to be happy. Viper: When you were younger, who did you look up to? Oscar: My brothers and dad. Besides them, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan since I was a big basketball fan. Viper: In your opinion, what parts of the world produce the best players? Oscar: Right now, it seems that China and Taiwan are producing the best players. Viper: Why: First of all, the government helps out. Second, they are in constant competition with each other. Every single day they gamble with each other and are constantly putting themselves under pressure. Besides the entire above, there are many tournaments and competitions to look forward and train for. It’s a much more serious
profession rather than a hobby. Viper: Who’s your favorite pool player? Oscar: My dad. Besides him, it’s a tie between Kim Davenport, Efren, and Parica. Viper: Where and when did you first start playing pool? Oscar: At home, I started playing around 3 years old. But quit for 10 years between ages 8-18. Viper: What are your biggest accomplishments in the sport of billiards? Oscar: Definitely making the Mosconi Cup team. That’s the highlight of my career thus far. Also, I’d consider my 2nd place finish in Beijing a major accomplishment beating Yang, Cortezza, Hohmann, and Li Haito all in same event. (Viper continued on page 29)
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THE SHOT MINUS THE INTERFERENCE EQUALS THE STROKE
The Monk
Tim Miller
In my book Point the Way I talk about how the shot minus the interference equals the stroke. What is the interference? When you lean over the, table focused on a shot that could win or lose the game you must be free to deliver the stroke. Without a good stroke you miss and lose. Your concentration must be clear. Concentration is the narrowing of your focus on the object of your desire. You narrow your focus on something you are deeply interested in. If your attention is divided your keen interest is challenged. In my program THE ROAD PLAYERS NINE BALL TRAINING I work with you in the art of concentration. I show you how to connect to the shot. This connection is a vital part of your interest. Interest equals concentration, concentration equals success. We are not interested in avoiding a loss or winning a game. We are interested in the cue ball making contact with the object ball. You must see the shot. Your interest must be on the shot and nothing else. The connection part of this process involves the letting go of all interference. You are one with what you want to accomplish. Connect to the shot. See the shot, feel the shot, sense the shot and become one with the shot. You must know the stroke you are going to use, and be able to anticipate how it will sound when you deliver the cue tip through the cue ball. Your opponent will talk to you during the connection stage because he knows that this is the time to break your concentration thus to cause interference with your stroke. Do not respond to your opponent. Ignore him/her. Stay in your own world. Interference comes in many forms. One popular form is “fear of failure”. This fear interferes with our ability to deliver the pure stroke each shot requires. I have missed a shot because I knew my next shot was going to be tough. Or I missed because I did not know how a clump would break apart. Now I “make the shot”. 2. Fear of success. How many times have we become nervous as we finish our run out for the victory? This nervousness is interference. 3. Fear of the shot. Your perceptions form your mind set. When you face a shot you have missed before, this past experience comes back to you at the exact moment you try to connect to the shot. That mind set is interference. When I designed the ROAD PLAYERS NINE BALL TRAINING I paid a lot of attention to the identification of the shot at
hand. When you face an important shot you must see it as it is. The series of shots I take you through are set up so you can deliver one hundred per cent of your stroke. This gives you a much better chance for success. 4. Inability to compete. Sometimes it is just plain hard to compete. After a tough missed shot you feel down and defeated. The score should have been two to two but instead as a result of your mistake it is three to one. You have lost your competitive spirit. I get that way during a long tough match. We must learn to build those competitive skills so we are at one hundred per cent all the time. We do this through training. Specific and deliberate practice helps us to narrow our focus on the shot at hand. When we can break it down to connection to the shot we are then able to deliver the pure stroke. That is why training is so important. When we are not performing well others will say we are out of rhythm. This is caused by interference, not so much with the shot at hand but with the match. We may be over our head, or close to winning a tournament or far behind in a match. The interference is constant. STEPS TO TAKE TO AVOID INTERFERENCE. In the ROAD PLAYERS TRAINING PROGRAM I work specifically on a series of shots that come up in the game of nine ball. Not many players recognize this when it happens so we want to master the ability to focus on what the shots require. All the shots in the series are designed to build your skills at nine ball. This is why the training program carries a money back guarantee. I am the only teacher in this game who guarantees you will improve or your money back! We also need to build our competitive skills. In all matches we connect to composure. This enables us to be in the proper rhythm for each shot. Concentration, composure is linked to courage. Courage exists when we have the ability to connect to each shot with total purpose. In a serious training program all the components need to be present. This is the year for you to put it all together. Make it your time to shine. You will be faced with all the same old challenges you faced in the past but this time you approach them in a different light. If I am to bring your game to a higher level I must bring you to a higher level. You need shot recognition, pattern recognition and game discipline in order to become a first class nine ball player. Go to my web site, www.monkbilliardacademy.net and click on ROAD PLAYER NINE BALL TRAINING. You may also call me 1-603-566-6229. I am here to help.
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July 2013 - Stroke Magazine 9
COLUMNIST
Bob Jewett
San Francisco Billiard Academy www.sfbilliards.com San Francisco Billiard Academy is a BCA Certified Master Academy.
Six In Six
The best trick shots have a lot to teach. This shot is a good one to learn how to judge throw and kiss angles on combinations. The hard part is to set it up right, which is a little tougher than many such standard exhibition shots. If you do learn this shot you will be ready for such shots in games and you will also be able to set up an amazing shot even your Granny could make. The shot works as follows. The cue ball is shot right up the middle hitting the 1 and 2 ball at nearly the same time. The 1 goes into the 5 and sends it along the combo line to the A pocket. The 6 is sent by the 2 to the B pocket. After the 1 hits the 5 up the table, it then hits the 3 sending it along the other combo line to pocket C while the 2 sends the 4 to pocket D. The 1 and 2 come off their respective second balls and go in the side pockets. In order to get all this to happen, the balls need to be placed carefully. Here’s how. To get things centered, place your stick on the center line of the table out to where the 1 and 2 will go. Now place the 1 and 2 on either side of your stick, straight across the table and roughly even with the line between the diamonds as shown. The 1 and 2 should be separated by a little more than half a ball’s width. Next add the 5 and 6 to the pattern. They must be frozen to the 1-2. Tapping the balls will help keep them frozen, but do not tap too hard. Be sure that the 1-5 line points to the A side of pocket A because the 5 will be thrown a little in that direction. Similarly, adjust the line of the 2-6 to point at the B side of pocket B. The 3 and 4 are similarly positioned towards C and D to allow a little throw for their combinations. How much should you allow for throw? You will see after a few tries. Pick an amount and see if the balls go in the center of the pockets, then adjust as needed. It’s pretty obvious how the two sets of combinations get to their pockets, but how do the 1 and 2 know to go to the side pockets? Those two are determined by the kiss lines off the 3 and 4 respectively. As shown, placing the group on the dotted line ends up with something like a 90-degree angle -- the kiss angle -between the paths of the 1-3 and 2-4 pairs. Before you try the shot, check all the angles one last time and tap the balls into position to make sure they are all frozen. If the 2 is not frozen against the 6 for example it might hit the 4 ball first and the final kiss could be off the 6 and not towards the pocket at all. Shoot straight up the middle of the table with medium speed -- firm enough that no ball has a
Bob Jewett
chance to roll off-line. Note how the balls go. The easy ones are the combinations and they should all need about the same amount of allowance for throw. The tricky adjustment is for the 1 and 2 to the sides. Move the whole pattern up and down the table as needed to get the 1 and 2 to the sides. You will need to move the group by about as much as you want to move the arrival point of the balls at the sides. For example, if the alignment shown drives the 1 and 2 to the near points of the side pockets, move them up half a ball or so on the next try. Once you have the position so it is working consistently, tap the balls in a little more firmly. For a little while that will allow you to just roll the balls into the indentations and you have the shot set up in a few seconds. Then let Granny shoot it.
10 Stroke Magazine - July 2013 www.StrokeMagazine.net
CHALK TALK Sponsored by: Master Chalk
BY: DON AKERLOW
THERE IS NO ‘I’ IN TEAM
In our V.N.E.A. leagues our tournaments are usually about the 2nd or 3rd week of March. We play anywhere from 18 to 22 weeks throughout the year and vie for positioning on the bracket board. With that we were in the first position in the year 2000. Something happened throughout that tournament that I had never seen and hope not to see again and that is a lack of teamwork. On Saturday, we had worked our way to the finals bracket and the second place team had worked their way up as well. We’ll call that team A.L. Now the A.L. team had always been very close in competition with us, usually winning 117-114 or vice versa, within about six points give or take. We play on a fifteen game rotating format, maximum points per game is 10 and if you make all of your group of balls it would be 7, the 8 ball being three points. We battled down to the 14th game and we were tied. He broke and ran down to his last ball before the 8, had a difficult long cut shot cross table to a corner pocket. He missed. I was left with 7 and the 8 and his one remaining ball before the 8. So I figured my strategy and I had a few clusters so it was rather difficult to run out and break out the two. Along the bottom of the side rail I had two of my balls spaced apart and his ball had ended up in between those, approximately 6” apart. So I knew the only way he could get out was a bank. My strategy was to make a ball, call a safe, make a ball, call a safe. And that’s what I did. There was about three of them in a row. I could tell he was becoming frustrated without being able to break his ball out. He played some good safeties back on me and with the number of balls I had on the table it wasn’t a complete safe. But he did hit his ball and hit a rail, never broke it out which would have left me an avenue to get out. At that time I was impressed with his game. He was playing smart and matching me move for move. As it got down to where there was only 3 of my balls left and the 8, I shot the 8 over into the mix where his ball was, but I left him just enough to where he could maybe go for it but maybe not. The smart move would be not. But he did go for it. He missed, left me a long cut into the corner which I made, came back out, got my other ball open and made the 8. We win, going into Sunday, winners in the winners bracket. They came back through two matches, one later Saturday night and the other Sunday morning to meet us again. Figured we’d have the same strategy, trying to stay close, keep ahead whenever we can. Only the format is different now, this is the trip to Vegas, whoever wins goes. If we beat them we win, but they would have to beat
THE SKY IS NO LIMIT
us twice. The difference is a 25 game rotating format, everybody plays everybody. I felt we had an advantage going in where our team was stronger, player for player. And as it turned out we won the first round 44 to 26, won the second round by only losing 1 game. We won all the games in the third round. Going into the 16th game, we were up 65 balls. The player that I had played the night before that had played very smart and matched me move for move was up against one of my other players. And what happens next is something that is the most unusual display of pool that I have ever seen and hope not to again. They were behind 65 balls but they were still going for it. You never say die until its mathematically impossible. We were feeling pretty confident in ourselves and all the guys were shooting well. The game went back and forth and my player beats him 10-2. What happens next has to be out of bizarro world. He was angry because he couldn’t pull out a win so that his team could keep going on. But the match is virtually over. Then he walks over to the table where his team was sitting, breaks apart his stick, puts it in the case, puts on his jacket and picks up his case and proceeds to leave. His team asked him where he was going, he didn’t answer, his team pleaded with him to stay. “We are a team whether we win or lose.” He never said a word that I heard and he walked out the door as his team just looked and watched him get in his car and go. We won it on the 18th game, but I could never see anybody walking out on their team. You win or lose as a team. And my point, I guess that I am trying to make, is that if they were beating us the same way that we were beating them, he would have stayed. Something to think about. We’ve all lost games. We’ve all lost matches and we’ve all lost tournaments. We’ve all come very close and could always think as we were going home, one or two shots, or a game would have mattered, or I could’ve won more. Over the years we’ve gone to Vegas 7 out of the last 10 years that we’ve played together. We have won matches by a mere 1 ball and so happens to be that we ended up losing the trip to Vegas by 1 ball. You play all year as a team, win or lose.
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July 2013 - Stroke Magazine 11
Tom Simpson
Master Instructor, National Billiard Academy, “Beat People With a Stick!”
Tom Simpson
Precision
© February 2004 – All Rights Reserved – PoolClinics.com
We play one of the most precise games in the world. In pool, missing your aim angle by one or two degrees is sometimes enough to make you miss the shot. Missing position by a fraction of an inch can sometimes cost us a game. There is always a higher level of precision available. You can pocket a ball, but a better player can pocket that ball in a specific portion of the pocket. You can get position for your next shot, but a better player can get closer position or a better angle. You have pretty good speed control, but guess what – somebody else has better, more precise speed control. So, one way to get better, no matter what your current level, is to find ways to become more precise. The following are nine physical things to check or try to move toward more precision: 1. Flatter cue – Sidespin makes the cueball curve. The more elevated the butt of your cue, and the more sidespin, the more curve. This is fine if you’re planning on it, but devastating if you’re not. Lots of good players know better, but don’t realize they could elevate less. Check yourself out. 2. Shorter bridge – Think of your bridge as a fulcrum (a pivot point). Any side-to-side wobble error you might have in the back of your stroke shows up in side-to-side tip movement at the cueball. The further that pivot point is from the cueball, the more error shows up at impact. The pros get away with their long bridges because they have very straight, very grooved strokes. Sink about a million balls, and your stroke will be that straight too. 3. Snug bridge – Sure, you have a good, versatile closed loop bridge. But is it absolutely solid? Your bridge should be a rock. Once you are in position, it should have no motion and there should be no way for the stick to slop around in the bridge. You can make bridge improvements your whole pool career. Shake it a little, snug it in different ways, make it broad & stable, change your wrist angle a degree or two, put more pressure on it. 4. Come to a full stop at the cueball – Before you take your shot, come to a full stop at the front of your stroke and check your contact point on the cueball. Are you going to hit it precisely where you intended? You can see this much more clearly when you stop. Adjust your bridge to make small
12 Stroke Magazine - July 2013
corrections to the tip placement. 5. Aim with tip close to cueball – When you bring your tip near the cueball, make sure you are actually bringing the tip close to the ball. If you are three inches from the cueball, your judgment about where the tip is actually going to hit the ball is suspect. Since your swing is an arc (like a pendulum), the tip is not going to move forward in a straight line. The closer you bring your tip, the more likely you will hit where you think you’ll hit. Test this by bringing the tip to a stop and then slowly pushing the stick forward until you touch the cueball. You might be astonished at how far away you were. Try for an inch. 6. Short stroke – Long, swoopy strokes may be beautiful, but they are not easy to control. Sometimes it pays to take a very short hit stroke. If it’s a difficult, high-pressure shot where speed is not a big concern, you might try the short stroke. It’s harder to go off your aim line when the stroke is only a few inches. Make the ball. 7. More athletic stance – Your stance should be unwavering. Once you are in position, there should be zero motion in your stance. Many players are moving a little, and are not aware of it. Try taking a more athletic stance. More distance between your feet. No locked knee joints. No squatting. Reasonably balanced weight distribution side-to-side and front-to-back. 8. Eyeglasses – Yes, there is a good thing about eyeglasses. You can use the top of the frame or lenses to see when your eyes are off level. If your eyes are tilted, it’s very hard to aim accurately. You may be surprised to see how much your head tilt varies. 9. Tip shape – Your tip shape (how curved is it) determines how much spin you get for how far the shaft is displaced from the center of the cueball. A dime adius tip (same curve as a dime and more sharply curved than a nickel) gives more spin with a given offset, but requires far more precision from the player to get consistent spin. It also takes more frequent maintenance to keep that shape. Use a nickel radius unless you are a very advanced player.
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TABLE TALK
BY: MICHAEL K/ GLASS
Fundamentals: Bonus Edition In last month’s Table Talk, I shared with you the importance of working on your fundamentals. This is such an important topic, that I’d like to show you some more examples of top players who occasionally slip and forget the basics. This time, we’re going to look at Bonus Ball. Load up this video on your favorite device, and let’s get started:
http://youtu.be/XJdj6ABhG74
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!
Before we look at the video, let’s talk a little bit about Bonus Ball, and what makes it so challenging in this video. I’ll leave looking up the rules of the game as an exercise for the reader. First, the pockets are very tight. The corner pockets are only 3-7/8 inches wide. A billiard ball is 2-1/4 inches in diameter, so the pockets are only slightly more than an inch and a half wider than a billiard ball. Very small targets indeed, with little room for error. Second, you only have 3 pockets available to you: two corners on one side of the table, and the opposite side pocket. With only half of the pockets available, ball position becomes VERY important (This rule is in place for pros. The amateur rules allow for any pocket). Third, as an added challenge, you must finish a game in 15 minutes. You have only 25 seconds for each shot and only one timeout. Add it all up, and it means pressure! When you are under a lot of pressure to perform, your fundamentals are what will help see you through. Let’s see how they affect our pro players. 9:30: Tom Kennedy has a very tough shot on the purple ball in the lower left corner. Notice when he is stroking that his elbow is bent back a bit -- we won’t hold that against him, because he has been shooting that way for many years. However, when he shoots the ball, he doesn’t follow through, lifts his stick, and stands up. He misses the shot by less than an inch, but that can be the difference between winning and losing in this game. 14:15: Thorsten Hohmann is cueing over a ball, and the shot clock is winding down. He rushes his shot, and doesn’t follow through. His cue pops up into the air, and he misses. 27:08: Scott Frost is attempting a very difficult bank shot back to his corner pocket.
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Instead of taking his time (he had plenty of time on the clock), he rushed his shot, poked at the cue ball, and dropped his hand off the rail after the shot. He didn’t leave Hohmann an easy shot, but the result was not a safety, and Hohmann was able to make a difficult bank. 39:45: Let’s look at a positive example. Ralph Souquet is a consummate professional, and his mechanics are nearly perfect. In this shot, he makes a difficult cut shot and leaves his partner in great position for the next shot. I want you to pay particular attention to how long Souquet stays down on the shot. These guys are pros. They have been playing the game for many years, and have refined their game to a level most of us only dream of. Yet, even they can slip up from time to time when they are under pressure to perform. Bonus Ball is designed to put a lot of pressure on the player, so having the discipline to stick to the fundamentals is paramount. Here are a few things to remember, and practice: (Glass continued on page 30)
July 2013 - Stroke Magazine 13
14 Stroke Magazine - November 2012
JUNIOR PLAYER PROFILE
Joseph Watson III FULL NAME: Joseph Watson III HOME TOWN: Franklin,Indiana BIRTH DATE: 12/8/99 GRADE: 6th GPA: 3.5 FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: Math POOL ROOM(S) WHERE YOU PLAY:
Lags Billiards Columbus, Indiana Brickyard Billiards Indianapolis, Indiana
WHAT KIND OF CUE(S) DO YOU USE? Joss Playing Cue and Viking Jump Cue (Got from Jr Nationals)
AT WHAT AGE DID YOU START PLAYING POOL? 2 LEFT OR RIGHT HANDED? Right TITLES / HIGHEST FINISHES:
Won Indiana BCA State Adult/Youth Won Indiana APA State 2011,2012
OTHER NOTABLE AWARDS: Star student award at school MOST MEMORABLE POOL MOMENT: Beating out 100 dollar players out of a tournament
SPONSORS: Lags Billiards FAVORITE BAND/MUSIC: Country HOBBIES: Football , Video Games, Pool FAVORITE POOL GAME: 8 Ball FAVORITE POOL PLAYER: Brian Gregg
FAVORITE FOOD: Pizza FICTIONAL HERO: Hulk FONDEST CHILDHOOD MEMORY: Winning First year of little league football
GOALS (personal and/or career):
Want to go to collage and become a pro football player
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July 2013 - Stroke Magazine 15
A Proud Captains Story Team NOW WHAT?
By Janis Sessions
Photo by: Lauren Pickard
Is Going to VEGAS Now What? Lauren Pickard Kevin Pickard Drew Pickard Michele Shugart Ilse Colon Kimberly Kiersted James Agate Tracy Kurlander
2013 8-Ball Local Team Championships was held on June 1st- 2nd of this year, at The Billiard Club 9060 W St Rd 84 Davie, 33324. Captain’s meeting would be at 8:30 AM and play would begin at 9:00 AM. Tournament format is Single Elimination; 3 Team’s would be sent this year to Vegas. The Team Captain Lauren Pickard has been to Vegas before with other teams. But this time is very special, she is the Captain of this team “NOW WHAT?”. Her father and brother joined the team and they will be going too. So you can say it’s a “Family Affair plus Good Friends”.
16 Stroke Magazine - July 2013
In Lauren’s own words: “My brother got me signed up to the APA in 2008 and I started as a skill level 2. I was eager to learn and continued to improve my game getting better very quickly. I now have a skill level of 6 in 8-ball and a skill level of 7 in 9-ball. Since then I’ve been to Vegas 5 times with other teams and doubles events. I am proud to take my brother who shoots one night a week and never practices; my dad who wasn’t too fond of the idea of Vegas when he joined APA, but he is very happy now. I recruited Tracy Kurlander to our team last year; she had always played in
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bar leagues. Michele Shugart started playing with me in 2010, just because she liked pool and wanted a new hobby. Ilse Colon and I were introduced at a Jeanette Lee exhibition down in Miami three years ago and we’ve been teammates ever since. Jimmy Agate and I became close this past year; I always knew him as “the quiet guy who always wins these darn things “... I adore this guy like my own brother. This year I’m so happy and grateful, that this is the Team that is going to VEGAS; it brings tears to my eyes.”
The Ultimate Experiences At
The Ultimate 10-Ball Championship 2013
Article & photo by Janis Sessions
This year’s event was held at Harrah’s Hotel and Casino-Tunica in Robinsonville, Mississippi from June 17th thru 20th. Double elimination, call all pockets, alternate break; playing on 24 Diamond Pro-am 9’ tables, Simonis cloth; MAGIC ball rack with Super Aramith Pro ball sets and Aramith measles cue ball. 64 Ladies and 83 Men were invited to competing in one of the most professional pool events held in the USA. This event is possible because of the Tournament Promoter & Organizer Badi Nazhat and his appreciation and passion for the game. Badi is also very passionate about this USA and before the games would start, he invited the Marine Corp to perform the Flag ceremony along with a Navy Officer singing the National Anthem A cappella. I must say this brought tears to my eyes and was very moving. Tournament Director: Ken Shuman and Co- Director: John Leyman would keep the tournament running smooth over the four days of play. 6 professional referees presided of the matches. My first match was with Jennifer Barretta “9mm Barretta” a Touring Pro since 2003. I won the lag but came up dry and Barretta moved around the table with ease taking the first game. As the games went on Barretta didn’t miss much and the only game I won was because Barretta hung the 10-ball, so I got one game. Barretta has a very solid game and she won 7-1. What I
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women. On the women side it would Ga-Young Kim who would take first place; Allison Fisher would take second place and Line Kjoersvik came in third place for the titles at the Ultimate 10-Ball Championship 2013. On the men side it would Mika Immonen who would take first place; Wang Can came in second place and Darren Appleton came in third place for the titles at the Ultimate 10-Ball Championship 2013. I would like to thank Badi Nazhat and his team for the professionalism that I saw at this great event. Thanks to Mr. Shane and Mr. Brandon for getting all the players to the event and back to the airport.
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take away is how important it is to continue working on my game and not to give up. My second match was with Melissa Rademakers from the Netherlands. Rademakers won the lag and was running 5 to 6 balls and played some very nice safeties. Rademakers played very strong winning the match 7-2. This would end my matches and I was out of the tournament, but not down, because I stayed and watched some amazing matches. I met Mike Massey and watched him to some trick shots at the Predator & Poison Sales area and ended up buying a new Predator breaking stick. I watched match after match and stayed for the final round between the men and
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July 2013 - Stroke Magazine 17
PHOTO BY: DON AKERLOW
Alex Pagulayan Banks Champion 18 Stroke Magazine - July 2013
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Geoff Conway - Contributing writer - AZBilliards.com Alex Pagulayan came second to Justin Hall in last years inaugural Southern Classic Banks event, but revenge was sweet this year as he took down the title and possession of the accompanying check for $8,000 with his win over runner-up Skyler Woodward. The Banks division of the Southern Classic Championship held at the Harrah’s Hotel and Casino reached its conclusion on Monday afternoon when we found a field that looked remarkably like the one we had last year. In addition to Pagulayan, this year and last also found both John Brumback and Richie Richeson in the final five. Our newcomers to the Monday group were Woodward and Troy Jones. At 2 pm on Monday afternoon we saw Alex Pagulayan (still with a buy-back), and John Brumback fighting it out in the Accu-Stats Simonis Arena. John would not progress as Alex showcased his remarkable shot making skills to secure a convincing win. In the second 2 pm match we saw Troy Jones battling it out with Skyler Woodward (both with no buy-backs). This match went to the emerging young gun Skyler Woodward as he finished the fine run of Mr. Jones. Next up at 7 pm on the Accu-Stats TV Table was Alex Pagulayan Vs Richie Richeson. Richeson had been waiting in the wings due to his receiving a bye in the draw. In this match we saw Alex once again firing on all cylinders, as he took down Richie 3-0. Thus settled Mr. Richeson for third place and $2,250. This left Alex a single hurdle to better his second place in last years event, as he met Skyler Woodward in the final. It should be noted that young Woodward (20 years old) is making a regular habit of making the podium in these events. Due to Alex still having a buy-back, Skyler would have the unenviable task of having to beat Alex twice in the final. But that was not to be as Pagulayan proved once again that he always finds a way to get the job done and he won the match with a convincing score line of 3-1. Skyler Woodward should be complimented on taking down second place and a handsome check for $4,000, in such an illustrious event at such a young age. All can agree that titles are not far away in his future. Alex Pagulayan, who never lost a match throughout the event, once again illustrated that he possesses such a remarkable all around game, one that very few masters have possessed. This future Hall of Famer is still six years away from being old enough to be on the ballot and he has chapters yet to write for us to consider as bits of his legacy. Coming up are the semi-final and final of the Bigfoot 10 Ball event, held in the afternoon on the Diamond 10 ft table in the Accu-Stats Simonis Arena. The semis feature Phil Burford (UK) VS Shane Van Boening (USA) and Karl Boyes (UK) VS Jonathan Pinegar (USA). The losers of the two matches above will win $4,000 (3rd and 4th place), and the two winners will battle it out in the final to see who grabs the $16,000 first prize, with $8,000 going to second place.
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July 2013 - Stroke Magazine 19
photo by: Ricky Bryant-RB Promotions
Karl Boyes Takes Bigfoot Challenge 20 Stroke Magazine - July 2013
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GEOFF CONWAY - AZBILLIARDS.COM Former 8-Ball World Champion Karl Boyes from Blackpool, England, put in a late entry into the Diamond Bigfoot Challenge and wound up scooping the top prize. Mr. Boyes, who flew in to play in only the Ultimate 10 Ball Championship last week, decided at the last minute to change his flight plans and take the last spot available in the sixteen man field for the Diamond Bigfoot Challenge. The Challenge was contested on two 10-ft tables. There were two matches at 6:00 pm on Friday evening, and two more at 8:30 pm to whittle the top eight in the draw down to four players. The same format was used on Saturday evening for the bottom half of the draw. At 6:00 pm on Friday the matches featured CJ Wiley (USA) VSChris Melling (UK) and Phil Burford (UK) VS Corey Deuel (USA). In the first match Chris Melling outshot CJ to get the “W” at 11-6. In the second match Burford beat Deuel by the identical score of 11-6. The Friday 8:30 pm matches had Dennis Orcollo (Phi) VS Shane Van Boening (USA) and Alex Pagulayan (Phi) VS Francisco Bustamante (Phi). In the first match Van Boening came out the winner over Orcullo 11-6. The second match was more dramatic. Although Busti had the Lion 5-0 at the start of the match, Pagulayan just kept coming with great shot after great shot, and eventually got the win 11-9 after a couple of unexpected misses by Bustamante. On Saturday evening the 6:00 pm matches were Jayson Shaw (UK) VS Karl Boyes (UK) and Nikos Ekonomopoulos (Greece) VS Wang Can (China) - In the first match Mr. Boyes came with his best game and did not allow “Eagle Eye” Jayson many visits to the table, hence the lopsided score line of 11-3 to Boyes. In the second match Economopoulis seemed to handle the bigger table the best and took down the young gun Wang Can 11-6. The 8:30 pm matches were made up of Carlo Biado (Phi) VS Niels Feijen (Den) and Efren Reyes (Phi) VS Jonathan Pinegar (USA) - In the first match the Greek ran over the Dane, even though Feijen was a favorite to take down this event. Biado just did not give Feijen any wiggle room, and even after a strong come back Niels ended up on the wrong side of an 11-7 score. In the second match we saw Efren Reyes make too many mistakes and that allowed Jonathan Pinegar to forge ahead to a 11-7 win. That led us to Sunday evening with eight players left fighting to get into the $4,000 money round. 1st 2nd
In the first round at 6:00 pm we saw Phil Burford VS Chris Melling and Shane Van Boening VS Alex Pagulayan. Burford beat Melling in a fairly sloppy match filled with more misses than they would like to see at 11-9. Van Boening defeated Pagulayan. In the 8:30 pm second round we had Karl Boyes VS Nikos Ekonomopoulos and Carlo Biado VS Jonathan Pinegar. Karl Boyes beat up on his fellow European opponent to advance. Jonathan Pinegar also advanced beating Mr. Biado. We now had four players only two rounds away from the $16,000 first prize. The players would get a day off on Monday to await three AccuStats TV matches (The 9ft Diamond Arena table being switched for a 10ft table overnight) starting Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 pm. When the Challenge resumed on Tuesday, the first match saw Karl Boyes VS Jonathan Pinegar in a match that went back and forward to 7-7. Then Mr. Boyes took off and won 11-7 to secure a spot in the final and a guaranteed $8,000. At 4:30 pm we saw Phil Burford VS Shane van Boening in a sloppy match with both parties missing shots that left the crowd shocked at the standard of play. Both players could have been up by four games, but neither player advanced when logic said they would. The final score was 11-9 to Van Boening who looked his normal self during the last two rack clearances. Our finalists in the Bigfoot Challenge then were Karl Boyes (UK) and Shane Van Boening (USA). This match was high caliber throughout and close all the way until the Englishman put his foot on the gas to win the coveted title with a score line of 11-8. Not a bad win for a last minute entry into the event, and a few hundred dollars worth of flight re-scheduling - Maybe a flight upgrade is in the books for the return trip!!! I must say that Karl, who started playing in the Ultimate 10 Ball Championship last week, did not play startling pool in his first matches. But like the Energizer Bunny he just kept getting better and better as the event progressed. He told me that he had not been playing that much even though he took down the last GB9 event in the UK a couple of weeks ago. But, the form that has made him a World Champion really surfaced in this Bigfoot format. As he told me after the match “Boyes Will Be Boyes!” Congratulations to Diamond and their Bigfoot Tournament Direct Jay Helfert for bringing us this great event for the second year running at the Southern Classic at the Harrah’s Casino and Hotel in Tunica, MS.
RESULTS
$16,000 Karl Boyes $8,000 Shane VanBoening
3rd/4th $4,000
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Phil Burford John Pinegar
July 2013 - Stroke Magazine 21
One Pocket
n i t s Ju n a m g r e B 22 Stroke Magazine - July 2013
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by: Geoff Conway - AZBilliards.com Justin Bergman, a native of St. Louis, MO, contends that he has only played One Pocket for a year, having found it a necessity in his neck of the woods to play the game to be able to get action. Bergman, who plays out of Hillsboro Billiards, Hillsboro, MO, told me he learned the game from the older guys in his area. When asked what he thought of his chances in this his first ever One Pocket Tournament, he said that he knew that he played well enough to win it, especially as it was only a race to three games. Mr. Begman certainly lacks not the confidence. Thursday afternoon saw the One Pocket drawing to its conclusion as we got down to the last six players standing. Then: Corey Deuel beat Mike Dechaine Francisco Bustamante beat Niels Feijen Justin Bergman beat Jonathan Pinegar The One Pocket which started on Sunday June 23rd, was now down to three men standing - Corey Deuel VS Justin Bergman and Francisco Bustamante (who drew a bye). Bergman was the only player left with a re-buy and would have to buy back if beaten by Corey Deuel, but if he won he would play Bustamante, who would have to beat Bergman twice in the final!!! The Thursday evening matches would be played in the AccuStats Simonis Arena. The first match saw Justin Bergman up against seasoned One Pocket Champion Corey Deuel, who surprisingly got beaten 3-2 by the new kid on the block. The next match saw Justin up against another seasoned veteran Francisco Bustamante. In the first game Bergman looked to have the upper hand, but miscued whilst hitting over another ball during what looked like an easy run out (he miscued again later in the match executing a similar shot.) The first set went 3-1 to Bustamante, but the young gun dug deep in the second set to take down the wily veteran with a 3-2 score line. Congratulations to Justin Bergman on winning this coveted One Pocket Title, and all eyes will now be on him at the next Derby City Classic. photo by: Ricky Bryant-RB Promotions
photo by: Ricky Bryant-RB Promotions
9-Ball
Lee Van Corteza BY: GEOFF CONWAY - AZBILLIARDS.COM By midday on Saturday, June 29, the 84 entrants in the Southern Classic 9 Ball event were down to the last six players standing. Phil Burford (UK) beat Carlo Biado (Phi) in a tough match that started out looking like a Biado-fest, as the 22 year old Burford found himself on the wrong side of a 5-1 score line. Patience was a virtue here as not only did Burford come to run a five pack, but pecked away until he reversed the earlier lopsided score to take down the match 9-8. The 4:00 pm TV match was between Lee Van Corteza (Phi) and Warren Kiamco (Phi). This match saw Corteza looking like the man to beat as he always stayed ahead of Mr. Kiamco throughout the match, and finally won the match at 9-7. It should be noted that Kiamco did not have his ’A’ game with him on the last day of the tournament, which may have been due to the arduous schedule of the two back to back tournaments over the last thirteen days. Dennis Orcollo (Phi) and Niels Feijen (Ned) found themselves locked at hillhill, with Feijen running out the rack, when he suddenly scratched on a simple bank to hand the match to Dennis Orcollo. We now had three players left in the event with Dennis getting the Bye. This put Phil Burford up against Lee van Corteza to find out who would play Mr. Orcollo in the final. It should be noted that the winner of this match would have to beat Dennis twice to secure the title due to Dennis still having a buy back. This match will not be memorable for Mr. Burford, other than the excessive amount of time he spent in his chair. Lee Van went up 2-0 after a couple of back and forth racks with a few safety plays from both parties. Then Mr. Corteza found the sweet spot with his break, and went on a break and run spree to put the score at 8-0 in his favor.
The stars were aligned with Lee Vans break, as he repeatedly parked the cue ball in the middle of the table and always had a great shot on the 1 ball. At 8-0 he surprisingly missed a 2 ball that rattled in the bottom corner pocket, allowing the fans to see Mr. Burford showcase his talents for at least one rack. In the next game Burford broke and made the 1 ball on the break only to have no shot on the 2 ball. He elected to jump with his full length cue and missed. Mr. Corteza pounced on this mistake and took the final rack to put the score at 9-1. This developed an all-Filipino final with everybody wondering if Mr. Corteza would be able to bring his break and run game from his previous match with Mr. Burford. Well this match went back and forth with Lee Van only being ahead once at 4-3 before Dennis forged ahead to a 7-5 lead. Mr. Corteza then suddenly caught a gear and took off taking the next four games to beat Dennis twice with a 9-7 score line. Congratulations to Lee Van Corteza on a great win in the second running of the Southern Classic 9 ball event. It should be noted that four of the last six players were Filipino, a testament to a combination of their skills and their determination to get into the winning circle. In addition, Alex Pagulayan won the banks Division and veteran Francisco Bustamante won the Banks Ring Game. and came in second in the One Pocket. Thank you to all the staff of Diamond Billiards, and Tournament Directors Jay Helfert and Ken Shuman, and Pat Fleming and the Accu-Stats crew for putting on a great event. Last and not least a big thank you to Harrah’s Casino and Hotel for hosting yet another successful Southern Classic Tournament.
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July 2013 - Stroke Magazine 23
2013 Pure X Cues ACS
Womens Standard 8-Ball Singles Melanie Jacobs-NY (1st)
Womens Open 8-Ball Singles Toni Barnes-NC (1st)
Mens 9-Ball Singles Mike Singleton -LA(1st) 24 Stroke Magazine - July 2013
Enjoying a large increase in participation this year (with some divisions up 50-100%), the 2013 Pure X Cues ACS National Championships capped off a banner year of growth for the nine-year old American CueSports Alliance (ACS). The New Tropicana Las Vegas proved to again be an attractive venue for the event, as scores of entertainment venues are conveniently located in this section of The Strip! And most attendees stayed at The Trop. Players enjoyed online coverage in all divisions throughout the event via onsite monitors and their smart phones. A record $36,500 in added prize monies drew players from throughout North America to twentythree divisions of competition. Despite the large turn-out, players such as Mike Singleton, Beth Fondell, Dustin Gunia, Jessica Frideres and the team Wrecking Crew (LA) still earned top honors in multi-events. All flow charts are still viewable by accessing www.compusport.us; then “Tournaments”; then “ACS Nationals.” With the jump in attendees, ideal dates in mid-May and the attractive location, many participants projected that these Championships on its 10th anniversary “will be even bigger next year!” Singles action began at the first of the week with handicapped 9-ball. Mike Singleton of Sulphur, LA, improved on his past mediocre performances in the Nationals to outlast 69-year old Lyn Wechsler (Rochester, NY) for the Men’s 9-Ball Singles honors. On the distaff side, past 8-Ball champion Beth Fondell (Owatonna, MN) remained undefeated throughout, including her one final’s set against Phoenix, Arizona’s Bernie Store to earn her Women’s 9-Ball Singles crown! Results from the many divisions of 8-ball singles included: Dustin Gunia (Omaha, NE) displaying dominating form to defend his Men’s Advanced Singles 8-Ball crown over Lyn Wechsler (Rochester, NY) ; Beth Fondell (Owatonna, MN) obtaining a rare double by outlasting defending champion Jessica Frideres (Fort Dodge, IA) on the last ball of the deciding set to claim the Women’s Advanced 8-Ball Singles title – 7-6; Ben Sutherland (Peoria, AZ) losing to Julian Russell (Fort McMurray, ON/CAN) in the first set of the finals, only to recover to
gain the deciding set for the Men’s Open 8-Ball Singles championship; Toni Barnes (Shawboro, NC) scoring a title with a one-set finals defeat over Sophia Morquecho (Glendale, AZ) for the Women’s Open 8-Ball Singles laurels; oncedefeated Dennis Coolen (Bridgewater, NS/ CAN) outdistancing Joe Herne (Hogansburg, NY) in two sets for the Men’s Standard 8-Ball Singles division success; and Melanie Jacobs (Hogansburg, NY) besting Frances Jensen (Calgary, AB/CAN) in one set for the Women’s Standard 8-Ball Singles glory. In the senior-aged 8-ball singles divisions, Carl Coffee (Pueblo, CO) took down Claude Gragg III (Arlington, TX) in the first set of the finals for the Men’s Senior (55+) 8-Ball Singles crown – leaving Gragg to take the runner-up position for the second straight year; Debbie Snook (Boone, CO) stopped three-time defending champ, Shawn Modelo (Antioch, CA), in the winner’s bracket finals and then took the Women’s Senior (50+) 8-Ball Singles title by upending Linda Asleson (Billings, MT) in two sets in the tourney finals; and Richard Foley (Ketchikan, AK) delegated undefeated Charles Smith (Whitesboro, TX) to the runner-up position for a second straight year in taking the Super Senior (65+) Singles 8-Ball Singles title in two sets! The two Scotch Doubles 8-Ball divisions showcased perhaps the most dominant amateur scotch doubles team in the country, with defending champions Dustin Gunia and Jessica Frideres (NE/IA) capturing the Advanced Scotch Doubles division with a comfortable one-set win over Labernaline Store/ Steve Stowers (AZ); and the team of Arlene David/ Bill Mason (VA) needing just one set as well to claim
Open Scotch Doubles 8-Ba ll Arlene David and Bill Maso n-VA (1st)
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National Championships victory over Sophia Morquecho/ Burt Balancad (AZ) in the Open Scotch Doubles category. With the ACS schedule in the latter portion of the week allowing nonconflicting accommodation of entry into both 9-ball and 8-ball team competitions, there was still plenty of competition to keep every player involved – especially those out of the money who automatically qualified for free second-chance team divisions! In the Men’s Advanced 8-Ball Team division, defending champion Dick’s Pick [Ronnie Allen, Jimmy Moore, Greg Kuhl, George Huffman, Chris Akey and James Carmona] (Las Vegas, NV) reloaded but with the same results to take down Jitnot (NS/CAN) in the title match in two sets – after Jitnot had originally claimed the hot seat. The Women’s Advanced 8-Ball Team division showcased Victoria’s Secret [Susie Miller, Linda Asleson, Jonella Staus and Teresa Keller] (MT) outpointing Colorado’s T’s Bar in the round-robin format. In the Men’s Open 8-Ball Team competition, once-defeated Wrecking Crew [Mike Singleton, Blaine Stanford, Jamie Spivey, Rodney Browne III and Luke Coffey] took two sets from No Flash (AZ) in the title match. The Women’s Open 8-Ball Team division’s San Antonio’s Fuhgettaboutit [Barbara Wisdom, Kenyon Juo Young, Sophie Lopez, Kawania Watson and Maria Lopez] survived a deciding set over After Eight (FL) for the title. Harbor Hills (WI) [Al Carmody, Mark Schmidt, Tim Gamerdinger, Tom Decker and John Schlapman] needed only one set in the Men’s Standard 8-Ball Team division final’s clash to make Comrades (GA) the bride’s maid. In the Women’s Standard 8-Ball Team division, British Columbia’s Venus Envy [Theresa Warren, Susan Johnston, Susan Kottke and Roxanna Alton] took off the deciding set of the finals to repel New York’s Mohawk Chicks for the crown. The 3-person 9-ball team divisions featured some of the top 8-ball team placers as well. Undefeated Gotta Have It [NE/IA] [Jerrod Frideres, Jessica Frideres and Dustin Gunia] turned back Las Vegas’s Dick’s Pick in the first set of the finals for the Men’s Advanced 9-Ball Team title. Open 8-Ball Team runner-ups – After Eight (FL) [Flori LeHart, Michelle Jarrell, Janet Smith and Jamie Toennies], succeeded in ousting Miller Time (FL) for the Women’s Open 9-Ball Team laurels. In the Men’s Open 9-Ball Team category, Wrecking Crew (LA) [Jamie Spivey, Mike Singleton and Luke Coffey] doubled up on its Open 8-Ball Team win to capture this title as well with a two-set finals sweep over 9 Ball Shockers (AZ). In the 9th Annual ACS National Artistic Pool Championships, Dennis Brown of Creston, BC claimed another title for Canada, edging out hundreds of entries. ACS would like to especially thank our title sponsor – Pure X Cues, as well as Gary Benson and his tournament direction staff at High Country Promotions, as well as the exhibiting vendors and the host site – the Tropicana Las Vegas! The ACS
Womens Open 9-Ball Teams: Champion After Eight -FL [L-R] Flori LeHart, Michelle Jarrell, Janet Smith and Jamie Toennies
ACS National Artistic Pool Champions [L-R] Dennis Brown, Director Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman and Ren Roberts (2nd) Nationals is already looking to returning to the Tropicana May 10-17, 2014! The ACS is a national non-profit, member-governed association which will sanction any local pool league (whether player-run or owner-operated) via a $10 annual sanction fee. Contact the ACS at 1-888-662-1705 or www.americancuesports.org for complete information on sanctioning your league! The ACS currently sanctions leagues in 38 states and enjoys reciprocal relations with its sister organization in Canada (Canadian Cue Sport Association – CCS). Twelve state associations are affiliated to ACS; and the ACS offers the Midwest ACS Championships each January at the Riverside Resort & Casino in Iowa. The ACS produces a national amateur Pure X All American Tour each Fall thru Spring and offers certification for both instructors and referees dedicated to the sport.
Mens Mixed Open 8-Ball Teams: Champion Wrecking Crew [L-R] Mike Singleton, Blaine Stanford, Jamie Spivey, Rodney Browne III and Luke Coffey
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July 2013 - Stroke Magazine 25
Ga-Young Kim had no easy road to the hot seat. This Princess of Precision had to face many very tough opponents to arrive there. Among the foes she vanquished were Siming Chen (7-3), Jasmin Ouschan (7-4), Line Kjoersvik (7-2) and Allison Fisher (7-2). She appeared to get stronger with each succeeding match. Ga-Young would face Allison again in the finals. After her loss to GaYoung for the hot seat Ms. Fisher had to take on Line Kjoersvik to get that rematch. Fisher barely slid by Kjoersvik 7-6 and then had to enter the final arena with the memory of the recent trouncing in her mind. Neither player began comfortably in the early innings. But by the third rack both had settled down into their rhythms. Ga-Young found the pace first and won the first three racks. But Fisher has been here before and fought back and after 8 racks the match was tied at four games apiece in the race to 9 games. But then Ga-Young caught a higher gear and won the next three racks to take a 7-4 lead. A couple of racks were traded but in rack 14 with the score at 8-5 Ga-Young wound up aiming at the case 10 ball, a fairly routine cut into the corner. Just as she pulled the trigger a fan focused a camera phone on her and the infra-red depth-finder on the camera sent a sudden shot of red light into Kim’s eyes when it was too late to stop the stroke. The 10 ball bobbled the jaws and hung there. Fisher took the shot and the rack.
26 Stroke Magazine - July 2013
Kim wouldn’t be denied and won the final rack, however, to take the title of Ladies 2013 Ultimate 10-Ball Champion. Strangely, a very similar chain of events unfolded in the men’s event as well. Our two finalists came form opposite ends of the winners bracket to meet in the hot seat match and the loser came back for a rematch in the finals. Our cast for this drama included Mika Immonen who went through the winners round unscathed and Wang Can who was doing the same until he ran into Immonen in that penultimate winners side challenge. But Wang did not leave that match with a heavy heart. He kept it close throughout and only lost 10-8. He then vanquished Darren Appleton 10-7 to win his rematch. Wang Can had never held a major title before but everyone knew it would not be long before the young man from China stood on this type of doorstep. Can had done some serious damage on his way to the finals. He steamrolled Raj Hundal 10-4 and then gave similar treatment to Jayson Shaw of the UK 10-6. He took out young sharpshooter Justin Bergman 10-4 and then treated none other than Shane Van Boening like an unwanted stepchild by embarrassing him 10-2. His next victim was Alex Pagulayan and Pagulayan wilted 10-4 under the heat. It was then he met his first loss loss from Immonen.
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Immonen had been in form all week long. He bested Ernesto Dominguez (10-2) and then put away Nikos Ekonomopoulos (10-6) and Mike Dechaine (10-4). Next to face the chill of the ice was Darren Appleton. Appleton had been having a fine run of his own but Mika just proved too strong and beat him 10-7. It was in the next round that he sent Wang Can left and took his chair to wait for the finals. Mika drew first blood there. But this final was a race to 12 and Can was determined not to let Immonen get too much momentum. Can took the second rack to tie us early. A true
contrast of style, Can plays with a quick pace while the Iceman is much more deliberate and thoughtful. Youth against experience. Experience took the next rack but youth fought back to tie us once again. Rack five went to Immonen, Can tried to jump out of a safe early in rack six that failed miserably. MIka had an easy shot on then but there was trouble everywhere on the tables with clusters abounding, Immonen wisely played safe on the two and eased the major trouble apart at the same time. That gave him ball in hand when Can could not make contact. Immonen ran out the rack and Can seemed to tighten in his chair. Immonen opened the next rack as pretty as a rose. Two balls found gravity and the one awaited him in the corner. Immonen cleared the table easily and owned a three-game lead at 5-2. The alternating break format brought Can to the table for the next break. If his arm had grown cold in the chair it did not evidence itself as he calmly broke and ran the table. 5-3. Immonen broke the next rack and again received an early ball in hand off of a great safety. And again he used it to run the rack and lead again by three racks at 6-3. Can again broke and ran to get us to 6-4 but knew that at some point he would need to break Immonen’s serve in order to really threaten. When Immonen unintentionally made a ball during a safety attempt he left the table to Wang and Wang fired a very long 3-9 combination into the corner. That must have taken all of his focus because he missed the next routine shot to hand control back to Immonen. That was all Mika needed to claim the rack and lead 7-4. Can kept the balance of the game as he took the next rack. Immonen was hardly enjoying a comfortable lead. He was maintaining the 2-3 game lead but those can evaporate quickly. After Mika took us to 8-5 Can lost his cue ball behind the rack on the break shot and stared at a 1 ball that was 9 feet away. He trued to make the shot, missed, but rolled into a safety out of which Immonen had to kick. Can got control of the table and ran down to an easy shot on the nine. He made it but carelessly scratched on the shot and Mika accepted the gift to lead 9-5. His next break and run made it 10-5 and the train was leaving the station with Can on the platform. When Mika took the next game he owned the hill and the break. And he broke it so well. The table was at his mercy and Mika showed none. He ran those balls easily and claimed the crown of Men’s Ultimate 10-Ball Champion for 2013. Thanks must go out to the entire staff of this event. Ken Shuman and crew ran the event without a hitch. And the organizers wish to once again give thanks to the companies who joined their names to this event and helped make it a success. Iwan Simonis Cloth, Predator Cues, Aramith Balls, Diamond Tables,
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Master Chalk, Lucasi Hybrid Cues, Tiger Products, Poison Cues, OB Cues, The Super Billiards Expo, Viking Cues, CSI, Seyberts Sporting Goods, McDermott Cues, Fury Cues, the APA, and Mueller Sporting Goods all receive a tip of the hat.
Photos by JP Parmentier. Full finishing positions and payouts are available at www.ultimate10ball.com.
July 2013 - Stroke Magazine 27
Lucky
BY: ANDREW MONSTIS
More About Life: PART 4
Staying with Lucky at the Lucky Cue Ranch was a very relaxing time. We seem to be sitting around talking a lot. The conversation subjects were a wide range of intellectual in-depth stuff. I thought about a time when in college, Very enjoyable. His place is like a beautiful resort only in a smaller scale. He has all kinds of wild life and greenery on the property and his landscape views are as good as a remote place. His home is a ranch style with all the modern living luxuries. His TV room is incredible. One wall has 5 big TV monitors all on satellite and internet. He can watch several different pool matches or news and sport programs at same time. His pool den is complete of course a pool table with tight pockets. We were having one of Lucky’s favorites meals Pork roast with creamy polenta and roasted asparagus. He’s a pretty good cook every day was a different gourmet dinner. Being his guest I was treated like I lived there. After dinner we went in to watch NBA Basketball. It’s amazing because these are the two best teams in NBA and how can one blow out the other. Lucky loves Basketball one of the reasons he has this huge satellite system. The phone rang during the halftime………… Lucky went to answer it. He was on the phone a little while. I watched the half time commentary and most the 2nd half by myself. It was in the 4th quarter when Lucky came back and said.. “I am old. A friend had called to tell him another pool legend passed He said “Cole Dickson Passed”. Last month. Lucky had a few stories about Cole….Lucky said, “I was at the McDermott open in 1991. 128 of the top players of the day were there. I was there to watch and get a match. It was a who’s who of players you read about in any pool magazine of the 80’s. The World Open was happening the in a couple of week so some of the top European pool players were in the US for the first time playing it. Johnny Archer was like 17 the kid wonder they said…. Every match seemed to be a marquee match-up. On one table Louie Lemke was playing Mike Sigel others matches were Varner & Rempe, Mizerek & Jeff Carter, Earl Strickland & Buddy Hall, Cornbread Red & Alan Hopkins. Your head could spin trying to watch matches. You could sit anywhere in the main tournament area and watch these matches all at the same time and each of had modest spectators. The biggest gallery of spectators the most combined was over in the obscure corner of tournament room. It was standing room only, rows deep, people trying to look over people’s shoulders to see. All the attention in the room was there, despite all the hall of famers playing across the room. They were there watching Cole Dickson warming up before his match. Many had not seen him play in years. It seemed that all those people had seen him play at some time in their life’s. His reputation was huge. These were people from all over the country had seen him play and gamble somewhere in some little
28 Stroke Magazine - July 2013
Town hustling or Johnson City and were really impressed with his play.” ‘I played Cole’ Lucky said “a long time ago and he was a fierce competitor. He would fight to the end. You had to bust him to make him quite. “We played $100 a game 9ball I had him stuck several thousand and he wanted to jack the bet to $200 a game, he actually made a comeback stringing a few racks, if I let him shoot, but he quit, maybe because of too many Crown Royals. I still won a couple thousand”……”In some places his drinking and gambling especially on cards got him in trouble. A hell of a pool player… With all these deaths the past few years we talked about getting older. “The older you get the more you see your friends pass on. Something Lucky said “The years teach much which the days never knew”. “you are brought into this world by your parents, a whole life ahead of you. Your parents live a life helping you to be able to cope with the world as they did, so you can do it on their own. What they don’t tell you is that life isn’t forever something parents keep from their kids. At some point you discover that you are in a finite box chained, destine to the inevitable reality. No one wants to die. Even people who believe and want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. Death is very likely the single best invention of nature. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you! Someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and fade away. Sorry to be so vivid but it is quite true. Life is Brief and you are powerless to stop it. It’s a slow race but goes faster the closer you get to the finish line.” “Getting old is accepting that all your friends die. Makes sense to have friends younger then you. When we get older we spend a lot of time thinking about all the events in our lives, sometimes what if? Like changing something would have made things different. You can’t change anything. Lost time is never found again. If you are able to reflect on “what if ” that means you have had enough life that makes your time on planet worth it. Lucky said “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?” Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. Time is a stream… you should go a-fishing in. “There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people around you. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” “Nothing to really fear.“ Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die tomorrow. None are so old as those who have outlived life’s enthusiasm” That why Lucky hasn’t faded away loves the life. Lucky promotes “Pool Players for a Healthy Life Style”, He says “Don’t smoke, eat healthy and don’t abuse your body….
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More About Life: PART 4 Continued The conversation made me think how old I was, a reality check and how old Lucky was. …. Lucky has never told me his age! I know Lucky’s old, how old is Lucky? I thought… I know he played Jimmy Caras when Caras won one of his first Championship Lucky was a kid then before WWII …… shoowish…. wow he’s old and doing it still….. Playing pool is timeless…… Lucky wanted to go into the den to hit some balls and practice the break. Went over to the cabinet, he pulled out his Harvey Martin, screwed it together, laid it on the table He racked 10 ball and asked me to pick out a ball from the rack. I picked randomly the six ball which was in the middle of the back line of the rack. He moved the cue ball to a break spot and crack, the six drifted off the back rail and got kicked in the corner. I racked and put the six in the back row only second ball from the corners, Lucky moved to a different break spot Crack… Six went in same pocket. I racked again put the six behind the head ball and crack…. Put the damn thing in the same pocket again. How did he do that? He broke several times and I designated a different ball in the rack he made them all.
“The Viper”
Lucky said “pick two balls out of the rack to make on the break” what the %^*@… I really thought that was impossible Guess what …he made them, he’s insanely good. He knows so much, how is it that the top players only know so little compared to him…. “maybe Lucky is from another planet!!” I thought. Being from another planet is a thought I only reserve for my friends who watch Fox News. He did the same with 9ball racks, 8ball racks and one pocket racks. The rest of the night he put on another clinic. He has to practice the break to win the money easier, because he gets tired more now and has trouble concentrating with longer matches and the longer multiple run outs. Lucky said lets go to Tunica, Mississippi for that big tournament. Then go to BCAPL In July in Vegas. Lucky was energized. In talking about going to the BCAPL Nationals this year I knew I was going to that. The greatest show on earth Lucky said the new location the Rio will provide an interesting new action environment……
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Viper: Do you currently have any sponsors? Oscar: Predator and Kamui Viper: Did you ever play in a pool league? Oscar: Never. Viper: Are you good at any other sports? Oscar: I was a VERY serious basketball player and was a fairly high level player but after high school I realized I had no legitimate future in it. Viper: Describe yourself in three words? Oscar: Quiet, happy, lucky Viper: If you had to live your life over again, what would one thing you change about yourself and/or your pool career? Oscar: I would probably have finished school faster. I took too much time off for pool and traveling. I don’t regret my decisions, but perhaps it would have been the better move. As far as pool is concerned, I met some great people and have had amazing experiences. Wouldn’t change a thing about my pool career. Viper: How do you prepare for events? Oscar: I try to practice alone for a few hours on whatever I feel I am struggling on. If it’s a 10 ball event, definitely spend time on the break. But for the most part, I just try to spend time on the table and get confident in shooting straight. Viper: What was the best advice you were ever given? Oscar: If you make the balls, you can beat anyone. If you miss them, anyone can beat you - Dad Viper: What is one thing that you enjoy most while playing pool? Oscar: By far the thing I enjoy most while playing pool is the competition. I’ve always been competitive and enjoy testing my skills against the best. Viper: If you could say one thing to a young up-coming player what would it be? Oscar: Stay in school. Finish your degree, and then do whatever you want. Also, I’d recommend traveling to major events. Especially international ones so you can see different styles of play. Viper: What’s your Favorite game? Oscar: 10 ball Ok Oscar, here are some Facebook friends’ questions… Luke Mindish from Pittsburgh, PA asks: I know he bets his own money, what’s the most he’s won at one time gambling and what’s the most he’s lost. Also what diameter shaft is he playing with now? I heard at one point is was something crazy like 9mm. Oscar: 17k is most I’ve won at one time and lost 14k. I use a Z-2 shaft, slightly modified. Amanda Lampert from Frisco, TX asks: Who are his biggest inspirations? How did he
juggle school, work, and pool? What are his aspirations for the future in regards to pool? And how does he like the new bonus ball league? Oscar: My biggest inspirations are definitely my parents. They really showed me what hard work and perseverance can do. As far as juggling the 3 activities, just one day at a time! I try not to overwhelm myself by planning so much, just do what I can, when I can. Regarding my future aspirations in pool, Im determined to make the Mosconi Cup again. That’s my goal… Now as far as Bonus Ball is concerned, I’m loving it. They game is really intricate and having great teammates makes it very enjoyable and honestly feel its improving my rotation games. Stacy Allsup from Las Vegas, NV asks: How does he think being raised by such a hard working guy has shaped him in his pool career Oscar: Having my dad has definitely improved my game by leaps and bounds. He’s showed me what dedication and hard work can do. So when it comes to practice, I don’t mind working hard, since my dad has instilled that example in me from a very young age. Lillian Zamora from Westminster, CO asks: Who started him into playing pool and does he have any other interests other than playing pool? Oscar: My father and besides pool, really enjoy basketball still. Love to travel and learn about other cultures/cuisine. Armando Aguirre from San Benito, TX asks: I know there are drills...practice time on stance, bridge.... stroke...but what does he do to improve his mental toughness.... I never hear about staying calm and learning how to properly breathe while u r at the table. Oscar: Good question, I really think immersing yourself into the game by playing the world’s best really helps you with that. When you get used to people never missing on you, it becomes normal for you to see world class pool. When you lose that fear/shock of playing someone better than you, you learn to relax and just maximize your opportunities at the table. Besides that, I like Sports Psychology books like Mental Edge and Mind Gym. They are good reads in using visual cues to keep your focus on your performance and nothing else. Mary Hopkin from Richland, WA asks: What are the similarities between his game and his father’s? And what are the biggest differences? Oscar: We have extremely similar games. Basically the only differences in our games are I use the jump cue more often than he does. Other than that, I’ve molded my game around all of my dad’s ideas so it really helps having someone do all the hard work for you. A special “Thank-you” to Oscar for taking time out of his busy schedule, to participate in my Ask the Viper articles. Till next month you can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wpbaviper
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July 2013 - Stroke Magazine 29
List of Events at the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino July 17-27, 2013 produced solely by CueSports International (CSI) or in conjunction with fellow pool industry organizations: AMATEUR LEAGUE NATIONAL EVENTS: 37th BCAPL National Championships 3rd USAPL National Championships 5th BCAPL 9-Ball Challenge PRO EVENTS: 14th US Open One Pocket Championship ($10,000 added / Limited 64 player field) 5th US Open 10-Ball Championship ($25,000 added / BCA Points Event / Limited 96 players) 1st US Open 8-Ball Championship ($25,000 added / BCA Points Event / Limited 96 players)
GLASS
SPECIAL ASSOCIATED EVENTS: 2013 UPA World Artistic Pool Championship 25th US Junior National 9-Ball Championships (Billiard Education Foundation) Predator High Run Challenge 1st Annual 6 Pocket Challenge Texas Bumps™ The 37th BCAPL National Championships are sponsored by the Rio All SuiteHotel & Casino, Diamond Billiard Products, Simonis Cloth, OB Cues, and Billiards Digest with tournament direction by Bad Boys Billiard Productions (BBBP). The CSI US Open events are specifically sponsored by Predator Cues, The American Cue Makers Association, Aramith and OnePocket.org in addition to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Diamond Billiard Products, and Simonis Cloth with tournament direction by CSI. The Action Report (TAR) will be live streaming all three CSI US Open events.
(continued from page 13)
Follow through A steady, even stroke, following through the ball about the same distance as the prestroke, will help you to keep your aim true. It will also help you control your speed, improving cue ball control. When you poke at the ball, you have less control over just how fast the cue strikes the cue ball. Stay down You might hear this a lot, but what does it mean? It means don’t move after the shot. Follow through, then stay. Don’t stand up. Don’t drop your arm. Don’t move your cue stick. Freeze! You might think “But Michael, the cue ball is already moving. Standing up isn’t going to change that, right?” True, but if you get into the habit of standing up after your shot, eventually you will stand up during your shot. When that happens, you will move your stick, and your aim will be off. You’ll miss. If you stand up on your shots, you’ll soon be sitting down in your seat. STAY DOWN. Be consistent You might be told time and again the “proper” stance, and to make sure your elbow is in
alignment. Yes, there are wrong ways to stand, and bad arm positions. But the most important thing is that you are comfortable, and that you establish whatever works for you to make balls consistently. When you reach that point, try to be consistent. Don’t change your stance. Don’t move your elbow to a different position. Your body has learned certain positions, and developed muscle memory. If these positions have been working for you, then keep doing it. Look at Francisco Bustamante, for example. He has a very unorthodox stroke, and his elbow is way off of center. But it works for him, and he is one of the best in the world. Who’s going to tell him to “fix” it? He is very consistent, in the way he shoots, in his pre-shot routine, and his ability to wipe the floor with you. When you go to the pool hall or your local bar, don’t just put a bunch of balls on the table and bang them in. Your practice should have purpose. Make sure you always work on your fundamentals, and do a proper “check-up” from time to time. Have someone video-tape you, and watch the tape yourself. There is a reason football players review game films. Even the pros make fundamental mistakes, and can always use improvement!
30 Stroke Magazine - July 2013 www.StrokeMagazine.net
Press Release Excellence through training and testing ... A “dream team” of well-known and well-respected instructors and instructional authors (Dr. Dave Alciatore, Jerry Briesath, Mark Finkelstein, Randy Goettlicher, Bob Jewett, Mike Page, Randy Russell, Tom Simpson, and Mark Wilson) have recently launched the Billiard University (BU). The mission of the BU is to provide assessment tools, a rating system, and learning resources to help pool players strive for and achieve excellence, and to officially acknowledge excellence through the awarding of diplomas (Bachelors, Masters, or Doctorate of Pool). All of the assessment tools, with detailed instructions and demonstrations, are available on the BU website at: BilliardUniversity.org. Students can also visit a BU instructor or submit exam videos on YouTube to apply for a pool diploma for official recognition of their poolplaying excellence. The BU exams have been carefully designed and tested to provide a complete and accurate assessment and rating of pool-playing ability. The examination process is broken into two parts, both of which consist of drills and challenges at the table. The first portion (Exam I – Fundamentals) is a fundamentals assessment and placement examination that measures all important basic pool skills (aim, alignment, stroke, ball pocketing, speed control, and cue ball control). The second portion (Exam II – Skills) is a skills proficiency examination that tests specific skills important in a variety of game situations (position play, strategy, defensive play, kicks, banks, jacked-up shots, jumps, and the break). There are three levels of Exam II (Skills) labeled Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate. The score on Exam I determines which Exam II the student is placed into, based on the demonstrated level of ability. All three Skills Exams test the complete set of pool skills necessary to be a good pool player, albeit at different levels. The drills are consistent, but with increasing difficulty, from one diploma level to the next. This provides a natural and simple progression path as a student advances through the diploma levels, and the increasing difficulty encourages and assesses continued improvement. The total combined score on Exam I and Exam II provides a single number corresponding to different levels of playing ability. Also, the total score (regardless of Exam II placement) indicates the player rating and diploma achieved directly. Unlike league handicap systems and other match-statistics-based rating systems, the BU scoring and rating system is independent of league competition level, which can vary significantly from one league to the next and from one region to the next. The BU rating offers the significant advantage that it is based solely on individual performance and not on the performance of others. Therefore, the ratings are meaningful across all regions and internationally. Everything needed to prepare for and take the exams is available for free online, including exam documents with diagrams and instructions, video explanations and demonstrations, scoring sheets, online resources, and electronic forms for submitting results and applying for a diploma. If you want to try the BU exams and rating system, or if you want to become a BU instructor, visit the BU website at: The website includes detailed instructions and online video demonstrations explaining every step of the process. Good luck graduating your game to the next level while earning a pool diploma in the process.
Bison Billiards VIVA LAS VEGAS The team “Bison’s Best” Misty Dusel and Mike Shriver went undefeated throughout the 8 ball doubles tournament to Vegas. They will be representing the Western N.Y. area at the APA National Championships in Las Vegas in August.
Mark Hatch and Kris Murszewski winners of the double jeopardy to compete in Las Vegas in August
Here is the list of APA players who are going to Vegas from Buffalo, NY. 8 BALL TEAM EVENT: JAMESTOWN ST MARAUDERS NO BRAKES David Covert Kenneth Blachura David Bodekor Joan Blachura Eugene Alimonti Eric Swain Konrad Zieba Donna Hildebrandt Gregory Sargent Terence Loconte Eugene Alimonti Mathew Hildebrandt Beth Bodekor Darrick Deperto Andrew Heary Michael Harris
MASTERS TEAM BISON BOYZ Michael Shriver Jim Duran Santo Merlo Mark Hatch 8 BALL DOUBLES TEAM BISON'S BEST DOUBLE JEOPARDY Michael Shriver Mark Hatch Misty Dusel Kris Murszewski 9 BALL DOUBLES TEAM BISON BOYZ Michael Shriver Adam Solveson
9 BALL TEAM EVENT: STILL SCHWETTY Chris McKeever Dave Gallaway Eric Swain Eugene Alimonti Renee McKeever Adam Bishop Chris Kessler Michael Jemiolo
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July 2013 - Stroke Magazine 31
Ring Game
Press Release 2013 PartyPoker.net Mosconi Cup
Mirage named as 2013 venue The MIRAGE HOTEL & CASINO, the first of the ‘super resorts’ on the Las Vegas Strip, will play host to the 20th annualPartyPoker.net Mosconi Cup which takes place from Monday 2nd to Thursday 5th December. Following on from five stagings at the MGM Grand, the Mosconi Cup now moves just up the road to the Mirage, where promoters Matchroom Sport will be installing their 600 seat arena to produce the most intimidating atmosphere in pool. Commented Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn, “We are very excited to have the Mirage as our hosts for what will be a very special edition of the Mosconi Cup. Las Vegas has been our home and away venue for the past decade and we’re delighted to be staying in the city of lights this year.
Francisco Bustamante Results of the Ring Game from the Southern Classic 6 players with $1000 entry: 1st - $4000 - Francisco Bustamante 2nd - $2000 - Justin Hall Michael Delawder Skyler Woodward Alex Pagulayan Chip Compton
32 Stroke Magazine - July 2013
“I’ve no doubt that we will have sold-out crowds throughout the four days of the event and we will be doing everything within our power to make this the biggest Mosconi Cup of them all. Stand by for some major announcements!” The PartyPoker.net Mosconi Cup is the annual Europe v USA 9 ball pool challenge played out between two sides representing the very best in pool talent from both sides of the pond. With victories in the past three Mosconi Cups under their belt, the Europeans will surely start as favourites but in front of a home crowd and playing in an intense atmosphere, the Americans will have every chance. Information on how to purchase tickets to pool’s number one event will be made available shortly. The 2013 PARTYPOKER.NET Mosconi Cup is sponsored by PartyPoker.net, the world’s leading online poker school. Cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are Super Aramith.
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July 2013 - Stroke Magazine 33
Call First - All Tournaments are subject to change without notice
Click on the MAP link online to get directions to each location DATE Jul 4 Jul 5 Jul 6-7 Jul 7 Jul 6 Jul 6 Jul 6 Jul 6-7 Jul 13 Jul 13-14 Jul 13-14 Jul 17-27 Jul 17-27 Jul 17-27 Jul 17-27 Jul 17-27 Jul 17-27 Jul 17-27 Jul 17-27 Jul 17-27 Jul 17-27 Jul 17-27 Jul 27-28 Jul 27-28 Jul 28 Aug 3 Aug 3 Aug 10 Aug 10-11 Aug 25-27 Aug 31-Sep2 Sep 7 Sep 7 Sep 7-8 Sep 14-15 Sep 19-22 Sep 21-22 Sep 28-29 Oct 5 Oct 5-6 Nov 2-3
CITY Atlanta, GA Atlanta, GA Atlanta, GA Atlanta, GA Williamsville, NY Raleigh, NC Lafayette, LA E Rutherford, NJ Lakeland, FL Herndon, VA NYC, NY Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, NV Sterling, VA Tallahassee, FL Tallahassee, FL Williamsville, NY Lafayette, LA Boynton Beach, FL Sterling, VA Astoria, NY Astoria, NY Williamsville, NY Lafayette, LA Lindenhurst, NY W Hempstead, NY Verona, NY Bayside, NY NYC, NY Williamsville, NY Bayside, NY E Rutherford, NJ
LOCATION Mr Cues II Mr Cues II Mr Cues II Mr Cues II Bison Billiards Brass Tap Billiards Fast Eddies Billiards Castle Billiards Wally’s in Lakeland Breakers Sky Lounge Amsterdam Billiards BCAPL BCAPL BCAPL BCAPL BCAPL BCAPL BCAPL BCAPL BCAPL BCAPL BCAPL First Break Cafe Zingales Billiards Zingales Billiards Bison Billiards Fast Eddies Billiards Slate Billiards First Break Cafe Steinway Billiards Steinway Billiards Bison Billiards Fast Eddies Billiards Mr Cue Billiards Raxx Pool Room Turning Stone Casino Cue Bar Eastside Billiards Bison Billiards Cue Bar Castle Billiards
PHONE 770-454-7665 770-454-7665 770-454-7665 770-454-7665 716-632-0281 919-876-2382 337-237-6577 201-933-6007 863-688-4460 703-793-6233 212-995-0333 playbca.com
EVENT / RULES ENTRY ADDED Richard Sweet Mem 8-Ball $5 $500 1st Richard Sweet Mem 9-Ball $5 $500 1st Richard Sweet Mem 10-Ball $10 or $20 $1,000 1st Richard Sweet Mem 9-Ball $10 $500 1st 8-Ball Bar Box $35 (incl g.f.) $250 Guar 9-Ball Handicap $25 Call 10-Ball Open - Limit 64 $25 $500 Invitational Tournament Call Call Ladies Event Call $250 10-Ball Call Call Open/Amateur Call $1,000 37th BCAPL National Champ. Varies Online playcsipool.com U.S. Open One Pocket-Limit 64 Online $10,000 playcsipool.com U.S. Open 10-Ball-Limit 96 Online $25,000 playcsipool.com U.S. Open 8-Ball-Limit 96 Online $25,000 playcsipool.com USAPL National Champ. Online Online playcsipool.com 9-Ball Challenge Online Online playcsipool.com World Artistic Pool Champ. Online Online playcsipool.com Jr National 9-Ball Online Online playcsipool.com Predator High Run Challenge Online Online playcsipool.com 6 Pocket Challenge Online Online playcsipool.com Texas Bumps Online Online 703-444-2551 Ladies Event Call $750 850-224-8644 9-Ball Amateurs $60 (incl fees) $1,000 850-224-8644 10-Ball Handicap $35 (incl fees) $500 716-632-0281 8-Ball Bar Box $35 (incl g.f.) $250 Guar 337-237-6577 10-Ball Open - Limit 64 $25 $500 561-735-7802 Ladies Event Call $250 703-444-2551 9-Ball Call Call 718-472-2124 Steinway Classic - Pro Event Call $7,000 718-472-2124 Geo “Ginky” Sansouci Mem Call $5,000 716-632-0281 8-Ball Bar Box $35 (incl g.f.) $250 Guar 337-237-6577 10-Ball Open - Limit 64 $25 $500 631-226-9486 Open/Pro 9-Ball Call $1,000 516-538-9896 Ladies Event Call $1,500 518-356-7163 Turning Stone 21 - 9 ball $150/$200 $25,000 718-631-2646 Open/Pro 9-Ball Call $1,000 212-831-7665 Open/Pro 9-Ball Call $1,000 716-632-0281 8-Ball Bar Box $35 (incl g.f.) $250 Guar 718-631-2646 Open/Pro 9-Ball Call $1,000 201-933-6007 Open/Pro 9-Ball Call $1,000
TIME 8PM 8PM Noon Noon Noon Noon 11AM Call 11AM Call Noon Online Online Online Online Online Online Online Online Online Online Online Call Noon 1PM Noon 11AM 11AM Call Call Call Noon 11AM Call Call Call Call Call Noon Call Call
If you don’t see the Results of a Pool Tournament you played in or WON then ask the OWNER where you played that Tournament... WHY? You deserve it!!! CALL US: 406.285.3099 or Email: pool@onthebreaknews.com Thank You! 34 Stroke Magazine - July 2013
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