Stroke Pool Magazine August Issue 2015 by Stroke Magazine

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COVER ARTICLE

6 World 14.1

COLUMNISTS

12 Tom Simpson 15 Anthony Beeler 13 Michael Glass 16 C J Wiley 14 Bob Jewett 17 Stefano Pelinga

WEEKLY TOURNAMENTS 33 Eastern U.S. Weekly Tournaments 34 Eastern U.S. Tournaments OnTheBreakNews.com

8 Shaw Goes 9 LaBoy Wins 10 U.S. Open 8-Ball 11 U.S. Open 10-Ball 18 Make It Happen 21 Memphis Open 22 Tiger Challenge 23 NEWT 24 H of F 25 Tragic Deadly Story 27 Gate City 28 Atlantic Challenge Cup

Bison Billiards Williamsville, NY 23 Corner Pocket Billiards Martins Ferry, OH 10 Crooked Cue Clearwater, FL 22 Diamond 8 Latham, NY 27 Gate City Billiards Greensboro, NC 27 Gradys Lexington, SC 26 Lucky 7 Billiards Hollywood, FL 11 Michael’s Billiards Fairfield, OH 22 Players Family Billiards Columbus, OH 26 Premium Billiards Syracuse, NY 11 Sandcastle Billiards Edison, NJ 19 South Florida BCAPL Davie, FL 23 Steinway Billiards Astoria, NY 22 Union Station Billiards Portland, ME 23 Zingale’s Talahassee, FL 26

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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 On The Break News 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 Publisher be reproduced.

Don “Cheese” Akerlow

Photo courtesy of: Eli Ceballos - cryfoto.com

On The Cover

2015 August

Stroke August 2015

The th World 14.1 Championship THORSTEN HOHMANN Photos by: Eli Ceballos - www.cryfoto.com New York City, NY - Germany has now taken the World 14.1 Cup for a record 6 times when it’s favorite straight pool son defeated reigning champion Darren Appleton of England. In a re-match of 2013, the two best players with the best records in the event faced off for a second finals within 3 years. The Andy Cloth 75th World Tournament of 14.1 featured a who’s who of world class players in attendance to etch their name into history’s elite of the father of all pool games. Darren Appleton, Thorsten Hohmann, Dennis Orcullo, Warren Kiamco, Stephan Cohen, Shane Van Boening, Johnny Archer, Corey Deuel, Earl Strickland, Mika Immonen, Tony Robles and many, many more have participated all week. The main event took place once more in New York City. Dragon Promotions kept the oldest billiard event in the world alive with the 75th production on July 13th-19th, 2015. As usual, a star studded field attended this year at Steinway Billiards Cafe, who once more hosted the world class event. The World Tournament Official Equipment included Viking Cue with all matches played on Andy Cloth. Event partners included Mr.Tom Gleich, Dr. Gregory Diehl, Mr. Greg Hunt of Amsterdam Billiards, & Mr. Jim Gottier of Greenleaf ’s Pool Room. Patron sponsors include Mr. Harold Siegel of Excelsior Graphics, Dr. James Heller, Mr. Charles Eames of Charles Eames Photography, Frank Scharbach of Frank’s Billard Cafe, Focused Apparel and the National Amateur Pool League. US Open Tennis singer Brandon Hernandez sings America’s anthem, Leyman

goes over the special finals rules. Williams explains the significance of this special 75th finals. Appleton had now made it to three consecutive finals of the World 14.1, a feat no one has done this millennium and several decades. Hohmann had made this an unprecedented 4th trip to the finals. No player has won consecutive World 14.1 titles since the early 1980’s by Steve Mizerak. Appleton had the chance to be the first ever non-American repeat champion. And he had not lost a match in the event since the 2013 finals lost to Hohmann. On the other hand, Hohmann had never been beaten in the finals of the World 14.1 and a chance to break his own record of wins, getting closer to chasing Mosconi’s record of World 14.1 wins of seven. One way or another, history was destined to be broken. The match started with Hohmann winning the lag and Appleton making the opening break. Facing a long, difficult shot to start, Hohmann fired it in with authority and started his run. Looking confident and playing with vigor, there was a murmur in the air that a new world record may be set. But at 50 balls, Hohmann abruptly missed an easy shot. But the opportunity to still break Appleton’s 200 ball record still existed. Appleton was unable to capitalize and ran only a 30 ball run giving Hohmann another chance. This time, Hohmann went on a 126 ball run but again missed an easy shot. This would force a mandatory intermission of 30 minutes.

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DARREN APPLETON

When Appleton returned, again he was unable to sustain a long run, but this was when the comedy of errors begin. Both players went into limbo unable to get through multiple racks. But at one point Hohmann sustained a seemingly insurmountable lead according to the current level of play. But Appleton seemed to have the momentum as Hohmann’s game fell dramatically once he reached 200 points. After 4 hours and 30 minutes of play, Appleton finally managed to level the match at 216 to 216. Appleton surpassed that with taking the lead for the first time and reached 232 to 216 before he missed. Hohmann now took over and went on a run and eventually overtook the lead again, and then needing less than a rack, he shockingly missed once more leaving the door open for Appleton. Hohmann looked visibly dejected as he walked back to his seat, realizing he missed a golden opportunity to close out the finals. Now, he had to hope the reigning champion and 200 ball world record holder would not run a standard 68 balls. Appleton looked ready for his chance. Then surprisingly, a miss. After gaining less than a rack of balls, Hohmann was back at the table needing only 13 balls to make history. Running a few balls, and then successfully making a good breakshot, Hohmann faced the last 5 open balls on the table for the victory. And then another error, he missed position. Now facing a long, difficult pot, Thorsten gave a slight sigh and took a hard look at deciding to go for the shot or play safe. The shot was a hard but makeable cut. But if he missed, the cueball would break the rack wide open. But if he left an opportunity, Appleton could easily run the match out.

THORSTEN HOHMANN

Hohmann opted to end the championship right then and there and called the 5-ball. With the score at 299 and the World 14.1 in the balance, the shot had more pressure than anyone could imagine. The 5-ball missed the target pocket by a diamond. The stack was split open like the red sea. Appleton would have his chance. If Darren would succeed in a 68 ball run, a mere morsel compared to what he has done so many times, then he would remain champion with an amazing 300-299 score. But it was not meant to be. The first shot he played resulted in the ball made, but also the cueball. Stunned, Appleton slowly went back to his chair and conceded the final shot to Hohmann. The match ended nearly 7 hours later. “I got unlucky a few times but so did Thorsten. Of course I’m disappointed of the result because I have been playing well all week. But Thorsten deserves it. He is the best straight pool player in the world”, said Appleton in the aftermath speech. “Darren has proven he is one of the best in the world in just a few short years. His patterns are perfect now”, said Hohmann. When asked if he was chasing the World 14.1 record of 10 wins by Ralph Greenleaf, Hohmann simply answered,” I just love straight pool. I keep playing for that reason.” Hohmann now surpasses Ray Martin and Mike Sigel in wins, and ties at 4th for all time World 14.1 wins with Luther Lassiter. In the new millenium and for non-American champions, Hohmann holds the record for most wins than any player.

Tournament Director John Leyman, Tournament Manager Megan Fort, Steinway Billiards owner Anna Nikalakakos, Appleton, Hohmann, Steinway owner Manny Stamatakis, Bronze winner Warren Kiamco, Executive Producer Charlie Williams, Patron Sponsor Tom Gleich, and Dragon Promotions CEO Cindy Lee

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Stroke August 2015

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Results and Payouts 1st $800 Jayson Shaw 2nd $500 Roberto Gomez 3rd $300 Zion Zve 4th $200 Warren Kiamcp

ASTORIA, NY Jayson Shaw picked up his third win on the 2015 Predator Tour, with an undefeated run on the weekend of July 11-12. The $500-added Open/ Pro event drew 16 entrants to Amsterdam Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY. Kapriel Delimelkonoglu went undefeated, as well, to win the concurrentlyrun, $500-added Amateur event that drew 57 entrants. Shaw had to get by Roberto Gomez twice to complete his undefeated run. They met first in a winners’ side semifinal, as Zion Zvi and Sean “Alaska” Morgan squared off in the other one. Shaw downed Gomez the first time 7-3, and in the battle for the hot seat, faced Zvi, who’d sent Morgan to the loss side 7-4. Shaw claimed the hot seat and waited on Gomez’ return. On the loss side, Gomez ran into Tony Robles, who’d defeated Jennifer Baretta 7-3 and Jorge Rodriguez 7-2. Morgan drew Warren Kiamco, who’d gotten by Adam Wheeler 7-5 and given up a single rack to Hunter Lombardo. Robles battled Gomez to a double hill final game, but Gomez advanced to face Kiamco, who’d defeated Morgan 7-5. Gomez took the quarterfinal match 7-2 over Kiamco, and then denied Zvi a second shot against Shaw with a 7-4 win in the semifinals. Gomez battled Shaw to within a game of double hill, before Shaw closed it out to claim the event title. In the Amateur event, Delimelkonoglu had to put a stop to a five-match, loss-side winning streak by Carlos Luna to complete his undefeated run. As Luna was working on that loss-side streak, Delimelkonoglu advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Greg McAndrews. Pavam Bhargara, in the meantime, squared off against Dave Faraguna. Delimelkonoglu advanced to the hot seat match 8-2 over McAndrews, and was joined by Bhargara, who defeated Faraguna 8-7. Delimelkonoglu claimed the hot seat 8-6 and waited for Luna to finish his loss-side run. Luna, who’d been sent to the loss side by McAndrews, defeated Dmitry Rosenfeld 7-4 and Amir Uddin 7-3 to earn a rematch against McAndrews. Faraguna picked up Abel Rosario, who’d defeated Jose Quillan 7-5 and Chris Karp, double hill. Faraguna and McAndrews picked up their second consecutive losses, immediately; Faraguna being eliminated Rosario 7-4, and Luna downed McAndrews 7-2. Luna took the quarterfinal match over Rosario 8-6 and then sent Bhargara home 8-5. Delimelkonoglu ended Luna’s loss-side streak with a 7-5 win to claim the Amateur event title.

GBR PHI ISR PHI

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LaBoy Wins illiards B & e f a C y at Steinwa

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ASTORIA, NY Miguel LaBoy wins Tri-State at Steinway Cafe & Billiards. Miguelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tournament trail included wins over Ramon Feliciano 8 - 6; Tony Liang 7 - 4; Fernando Paulino 7 - 6; before suffering a loss from Amir Rashed Uddin 7 6. In another cliff hanger, Amir defeated Ambi Estevez 7 - 6 for the Hot Seat. During this time Miguel was busy on the loss side, defeating Jimmy Acosta 7 - 3 and Bob Toomey before facing Ambi for the finals. Miguel won 9 - 8 against Ambi to once again face Amir. During the Finals, Amir took an early lead and at 5 - 2, it looked bad for Miguel. However, Amir made some errors, which was just enough to get back in the match. Tied at 6 - 6, Miguel got the opportunity to take control of the match and won the next 3 games for the match. Recognition belongs to Ambi Estevez for a solid 3rd place finish. The next Tri-State event will be held on Saturday, August 1, 2015 at Clifton Billiards in Clifton, N.J. Please provide a thank you to Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Ron Vitello, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics, and Bloodworth Ball Cleaners for their sponsorship leading to this event.

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

RESULTS & PAYOUTS

$650 $400 $250 $150 $100 $65

Miguel LaBoy Amir Rashed Uddin Ambi Estevez Bob Toomey Jimmy Acosta, Xavier Romero Lidio Ramierez, Sam Hoffman

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Stroke August 2015

The final day at the US Open 8-Ball Championship started out with more of a whimper than a bang, as Shane Van Boening misread the tournament chart and ended up forfeiting his 10am match against Rafael Martinez. Shane ended up settling for $2250 in prize money, and Rafael got to enjoy a stress free morning.

and run out the rack to tie things again at 7-7. The two players exchanged table runs and the match was tied at hill-hill, much to the crowd?s delight. Rodney had the break in the final game, and made a ball on the break, but couldn?t successfully complete the run. A tough shot came up short for Morris and Dechaine smoothly ran out the final rack for the 9-8 win.

Noon brought Dennis Orcollo and John Morra to the table to compete in the other 5/6 match on the one loss side. This match got off to a slow start for Orcollo, as he scratched on the break in game one and then couldn?t get out when Morra missed a shot in game two. Morra kept the lead until rack 8 when he scratched on the break and Orcollo was able to pull back into a tie at 4-4. Things stayed ?on serve? after that, with the players trading table runs until rack sixteen when Morra left himself hooked on a ball mid-run and left Dennis with a chance to win on John?s break. Orcollo maneuvered his way through the rack and scored the 9-7 win.

Rodney Morris had started his quest for the title with a lopsided 9-0 victory in round one. In his semi-final match against Dennis Orcollo, Morris learned what the other side of a blowout feels like. Two dry breaks by Morris led to Orcollo table runs. Orcollo had no such problems as he broke and ran in his first two breaks. Morris did bring the crowd to their feet in rack five when he ended a table run with back to back table length kick shots. Morris wouldn?t be able to gather any momentum with that rack though, as he would not make a ball on the break again and Orcollo would run out every opportunity he got at the table.

Orcollo was right back in action at 2:00; facing a rested and relaxed Rafael Martinez. Dennis took a quick 2-0 lead, but Rafael fought back and tied things at 2-2. Rack 10 saw Orcollo regain his two rack lead at 6-4 when Rafael broke dry, and then Orcollo extended that lead to 8-4 after a table run and then another dry break by Rafael that lead to another table run for Orcollo. Breaking for the match, Orcollo jumped his cue ball of the table and watched Rafael run out that rack and then the next to draw back to 8-6. Orcollo broke for the match again in rack fifteen, but left the 8-ball hanging in the pocket and was forced to take on an off angle bank to try to remove his ball from the proximity of the 8-ball?s locked up pocket. The bank missed and Rafael ran out to get back to within one rack at 8-7. Martinez made a ball on his final break, but missed a tricky carom on his first shot and there was nothing he could do but sit and watch Orcollo run the case rack for the 9-7 win.

The final match saw Mike Dechaine take early control with four straight wins and a 4-0 lead. Just as quick as he took the lead, he then gave it back as Orcollo won four straight games to knot the scoreline at 4-4. The two players alternated table runs over the next six racks and the score was tied at 7-7 when Dechaine was able to win a rack on Orcollo?s break. Dechaine then broke and ran on his own break and held a 9-7 lead in the race to 11. Orcollo would break and run in rack seventeen, but Dechaine still held a one rack lead and only had to win on his break to win the event. Rack eighteen would be a turning point as Dechaine scratched early in a run-out attempt and Orcollo tied things back up at 9-9. A break and run in rack nineteen put Orcollo on the hill and a dry break by Dechaine in rack 20 was the end of his hopes as Orcollo ran out for the 11-9 win.

The next round shifted back to the winner?s side, where Rodney Morris took on Mike Dechaine for the hot-seat. Morris broke a 3-3 tie in this match with table runs in three straight racks (thanks to a Dechaine scratch in rack eight) and held a comfortable 6-3 lead. Dechaine got it back to 7-6 down and was watching Morris run out a rack when Morris uncharacteristically jawed an 8-ball. Dechaine was more than happy to take advantage of the second chance

August 2015

Orcollo earned $11,000 for first place, while Dechaine settled for $7,000. Day three was a testament to Orcolloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drive to win as he went from struggling with his break on day two to a dominating break on day three. He put in the time early, honing a second ball break that led to successful table runs in eleven of his last fifteen games.

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US Open 8-Ball

1 $11,000 ORCOLLO Dennis (pictured above) 2 $7,000 DECHAINE Mike 3 $5,000 MORRIS Rodney 4 $3,500 MARTINEZ Rafael 5 $2,250 MORRA John, VAN BOENING Shane 7 $1,250 WOODWARD Skyler, KLATT Jason 9 $800 KIAMCO Warren, IGNACIO Jeffrey, RUNNELS Ike, RILEY Craig 13 $500 HOHMANN Thorsten, DEUEL Corey, SHAW Jayson, DOMINGUEZ Ernesto 17 $300 OLSON Danny, APPLETON Darren, DOMINGUEZ Oscar, ROBERTS Josh HOGUE Greg, VILMONT Chad, SZUTER Chris, ROBLES Tony

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US Open 10-Ball Our semi-final began with Van Boening facing Thorsten Hohmann. Hohmann claimed the rack and our first mark at 1-0. The score went back and forth. Van Boening was on the hill at 9-8. But Hohmann would not be denied the win. He would move on to face Justin Hall in the finals while Van Boening was awarded third place. The finals was a race to thirteen. After three racks Hohmann led 2-1 and Hall was running out the next rack when he missed the five. Hohmann ran out to lead 3-1. After a little back and forth Hohmann made the five in the corner and then walked through the rest of the rack to lead 4-1. Hall was fighting to stay in the match but was coming up short. With the score at 10-4 Hall had only a 4% chance of winning. Hohmann broke dry next rack but left a table with six balls clustered together. He missed his shot on the one ball and it was then up to Hohmann to negotiate all that traffic. Hohmann would take no foolish chances now. He did not need to do so with his lead. He went gently into the cluster off of the two ball and then played safe off the three. Hall kicked two rails to contact the three but left a shot for Hohmann who converted the opportunity into another rack win. 11-4. Hohmann had now won five consecutive racks. When Hall broke the one ball again went and hid. Again he would have to push, kick or jump to start the game. He chose the push and unfortunately left Hohmann an easy one-ten combo to get to the hill 12-4 and own the break. Hohmann broke the table open. He easily took on the layout and ran home to win the U.S. Open Championship in convincing style 13-4. HOHMANN Thorsten (pictured right) HALL Justin VAN BOENING Shane ORCOLLO Dennis DEUEL Corey, APPLETON Darren BUTERA Sal, MCMINN Shane DECHAINE Mike, ROBERTS Josh, PAGULAYAN Alex, TOURANGEAU Stan HATCH Dennis, IGNACIO Jeffrey, MARTINEZ Rafael, WOODWARD Skyler SOSSEI Jeremy, ROBLES Tony, KIAMCO Warren, MORRA John HARADA Greg, ARCHER Johnny, HJORLEIFSON Erik, SHAW Jayson

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Stroke August 2015

Aiming is difficult to talk about. We all do it, but describing exactly how we do it, figuring out what matters, and telling someone how to get better at it – well, it’s a challenge. Let’s look at some of what matters, and see if I can convince you to try just one thing.

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

Tom Simpson

August 2015

Pool is probably the most precise game on the planet. One way to get better is to find ways to improve your precision. We can work on precision in aiming, sighting, speed, cueball contact, planning, position, bridge placement, foot placement, and on and on. Working on precision expands your awareness of small movements and body position, balance, and feedback. It improves your fine skills, your strategic thinking, and your consistency. Every little bit of control you gain raises your game. It all matters. Aiming is a large subject. I’m assuming you’re already a pretty good shot. You may not know how you do it, but you can aim and shoot and a good percentage of the time, you make the shot. We’re going to work on how to get more precise about the final, tiny aiming adjustments that make the difference between missed and made. Part of getting better is noticing finer and finer details. OK. Do your pre-shot routine as usual. Get into position and aim as you normally do. Do any form checks you’re currently doing (bridge distance, stance stability, chin height, forearm vertical, whatever). Here’s the new part. This is very simple, but very subtle: Now that you’re in position and pretty much correctly aimed, make final micro-aim adjustments by swaying your butt (yours - not the cue’s) very slightly. The cue will move with you, changing your aim as you sway.

Stroke OnTheBreakNews.com

You’ll be able to see the correct aim as you sway past it. Once you can see it, home in on it and then stop swaying. Settle into a solid, unwavering stance at this position. Relax whatever you have to relax so that your butt is no longer moving at all. Shoot from this position, with no hip movement. My opinion is that a good percentage of our misses, as better players, are due to either or both of: 1. Small, unconscious swaying movement of the hips. If you’re not solid in your stance, it’s like shooting at a moving target. If you’re moving, this practice will make you aware of it, and will fix it because you will consciously settle and cease swaying. 2. Imperfect alignment to the shot. We go down into position, get pretty close to properly aimed, but can’t see that we’re not perfectly aimed because our body is not perfectly aligned to see and know when we’re perfect. By making these slight side-toside movements, we can see when we’re right as we pass through right, and then home in on it. This unusual practice (let’s call it Butt Aiming) may also reveal unnecessary movements during your stroke, and help you feel balance changes worth making. This technique is a doorway to an expanded perception of the fine details of aiming. It will improve your sense of when your aim is right, and will raise your percentage and your confidence on difficult shots. Don’t just read this – spend 10 minutes on the table, swaying, seeing, and feeling. Get your butt moving.

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TABLE TALK

THE HUSTLERS, EXTREME MAKEOVER Making Season Two Better

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 billiardsprofessor.com for pool tips or to schedule a lesson!

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Last month, I shared my feelings on the first season of TruTV’s The Hustlers. While a fairly entertaining reality TV show in its own right, it does not truly reflect the life of your typical pool player. And it is nowhere near close to what true hustling is all about. Sure, it’s easy to criticize, but what exactly can they do to improve the show? I suppose the first question to ask is whether or not they need to change The Hustlers. In my opinion, the answer is a resounding YES, but I am one single person. My opinion may be in the minority. TruTv is in the business of making money with a show that appeals to the greatest audience. “Real” pool players might be a very small demographic for them. In any case, if I had my say, here’s what I would do: First and foremost, rename the show. These guys are not true hustlers. Sure, there may be some level of showmanship and misleading information, but it’s very minor, and limited. Hustlers do not have their name put on lists, and they do not make consistent $500 or $1000 bets. I think it’s pretty clear that the producers are giving them to money to gamble with, and it’s always $500 or $1000. Second, leave Steinway Billiards. I get it -- it’s much easier to get one pool room to agree to a film crew, and it would be difficult to get multiple rooms to allow them. But it would be a much more compelling show if we got to follow good pool players as they travel around the world playing in various events. I am in Vegas as I type this, at the BCAPL National Championships, where I have seen Mike Dechaine, Gregg McAndrews, Jennifer Baretta, and Emily Duddy. They should be showing us what they have to go through to get there, how they do throughout the competition, and how it affects their relationships and personal lives. Travel with Shane Van Boening, so we can see what it’s like to live like he does. Take us to China or Europe to show us some of the big competitions, and allow us to live vicariously through him. Show us that even though he is considered the best in the world, that sometimes he doesn’t win. Even he has bad days where nothing seems to roll his way. I really want to see that! I’d love to see what goes on behind the scenes

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for a large event, too. What do they do to prepare? Where do they get all of the tables? How long does it take them to set them all up, and tear them all down? How are they keeping track of all of the matches? Show us this interspersed with some stories of teams from all over the country, who would absolutely love to be interviewed and have their stories told. My third idea is to interview some old hustlers. Show some vignettes of old players, and listen to them tell tales of seedy back room parlors, guys getting their fingers broken for welshing on a bet, and stories of great pool action. Even some re-creations of amazing shots would be fun to watch, and would encourage people to get on a table to try them out themselves. My last suggestion is to get a pool player to help edit the cuts. Stop only showing us the ball going into the pocket -- we want to see the whole shot, including the path the cue ball is taking. Show these shots with an overhead camera. Don’t follow the ball with the camera, because there is no way to truly appreciate the shot that way. And make sure that the shot they are taking is the same shot that was shown in the previous frame. Some of the editing is so bad, they are shooting a completely different ball into a completely different pocket! I realize there are always continuity errors in these types of shows. An arm in a different position or a drink that changes sizes between shots is no big deal. But when you’re showing a game of pool, continuity is of the utmost importance. You really need to be very diligent there. What do you think? Do you agree? Would you watch a show with these types of stories? I know I would. I am tired of bickering and name-calling and all of the other petty stuff we see in typical reality shows. I want to see pool. I would love to get some feedback on this – what do you do to change The Hustlers? Do you enjoy it, or think that it detracts from our sport? Please feel free to contact me at pool@billiardsprofessor.com, or come to www.billiardsprofessor.com to join the discussion. Do you have any suggestions for future articles? Drop me a line at pool@billiardsprofessor.com. You can also find me hanging out at various pool rooms in the East San Francisco Bay Area. Be sure to say hello if you see me!

Stroke August 2015

San Francisco Billiard Academy www.sfbilliards.com PBIA certified instruction is available for all levels from beginners to instructor training.

Cross-Table Shots

Bob Jewett

One of the most important position shots to learn is shown in the diagram. It comes up frequently at all games but most often at rotation games like nine ball where you have to move the cue ball more as your shot selection is always restricted and you can only simplify the patterns a little. In this position you have a cut along the long rail and you need to get to a ball in the other end of the table. The cut angle is large enough that simple draw won’t get you back so some outside English -- in this case right side spin -- is needed.

To get to position A for the 2 ball there are several tip positions that will work and you should find out on the table which works best for you and the conditions. In the inset diagram of tip locations is my recommendation of where to start: with a little draw and a good amount of right side spin. The action needed is fairly easy to achieve so the main problem with the shot is to avoid the side pocket but still get far enough up the table for a good shot on the 2 to the side pocket. Work on the shot until you can get the cue ball to come off the cushion within a diamond of the side pocket and at the right speed to have a shot to the side pocket. I think my recommendation for tip placement will work well on most tables, including tables that are a little worn and sticky. The shot can still work if all the draw is gone from the cue ball when it arrives at the object ball and the side spin does the work. If you have a table with new, slippery cloth, try a little more draw and less side spin. For shot B you will need more spin on the cue ball and in particular more draw to make sure there is some backspin to help the angle. Again, you need to avoid the side pocket but come close or you won’t have good position on the 3 ball. If you can’t bring the cue ball back past the side pocket with the cut angle shown (object ball just off the first diamond from the corner and the cue stick passing just below the side pocket) move the cue ball for a slightly straighter shot. Part of learning this shot is find out the farthest you can take the cue ball up the table for a given cut angle. For shots C and D you need to increase the draw and keep most of the side spin as shown on the inset. If you have trouble at first getting far enough

August 2015

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Starting tip locations

A B C D

B 3

C 4

5 REJ

down the table, make the cut angle smaller, but after you learn the easier position, try more and more angle to expand your comfort zone. Another way to make the shot easier is to move the 1 ball a little farther off the cushion which both decreases the cut angle and gives the draw on the cue ball a little more space to curve before the cushion and thereby get a better angle. Master this shot so that you can send the cue ball to almost anywhere along the left cushion starting from a reasonable angle on the shot. Learn the best cut angle to have -- too straight is a problem because you can’t get across the table -- and the spin to use for each destination.

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PERFORMANCE ANXIETY

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.

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At some point, we all suffer from performance anxiety or end game “jitters.” In this article we are going to be looking at some useful strategies that can help you better manage your emotions during stressful situations. We all know pool is a brain game that requires a lot of deep thought, and more often than not, we have far more control of our emotions than we have been led to believe. Stressing over our ability to perform well and trying to meet unrealistic goals is probably the most negative thing that we could do to ourselves. Having a positive attitude will help you to remain calm. By simply reinventing your thought processes, you can remove stress and play a more focused and relaxed game of pool. You will have to work on this just like any other part of your game. You need to remember that the best place for your mind to be is in the present. You should not be thinking about your last match, what might happen in the future, or who your next opponent is going to be. Now we are going to look at five strategies that will help you to better manage performance anxiety: 1. Focus on your Rhythm and Stay Relaxed: When you find yourself in a high-pressure situation, things can get “sticky” without you even knowing it. Stress causes your muscles to tighten up, your hands to sweat, and also causes players to shoot poorly. If you begin feeling nervous, you should attempt to slow everything down—your approach, your stroke, and you may even want to loosen your grip hand a little. Remember that you can always fall back on your preshot routine. Anything you can do to slow your tempo will help. In fact, I always carry a piece of sand paper (Q-Wiz) in my pocket and when I get in a high-pressure situation I simply clean the shaft of my cue. This helps me control my tempo and also helps me burn nervous energy. 2. Take a Couple of Deep Breaths: The

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moment you become tense, there is a natural tendency for your body to start taking shorter, faster breaths. The more air that we breathe in, the more and more focused we become. Learning to breathe correctly during highpressure situations is a key part of learning to become a more positive player. During stressful moments on the table, breathing techniques can assist you in the reduction of negative tension. Deep breathing can also help you stay in the present moment, and more importantly, it can help you create a heightened sense of focus. Deep Breathing – Here are the Steps: • Clear your mind after a bad shot with a deep breath. Inhale while slowly counting to four, and then hold that breath for sixteen seconds. Next, breathe out for eight seconds. Repeat this process until you feel calm and relaxed. Deep breathing helps provide much needed oxygen to the brain. This will help you to regain focus on your match. Surprisingly, the same part of the brain that we use to count also controls how much worry. Therefore, it is difficult to worry and count at the same time. • If you start to feel tense, try to start thinking about something positive. It’s best to start thinking about a happy memory from your past. Focus on the “good times” as you breathe in, and push out any negative thoughts or emotions as you exhale. 3. Stick with your Pre-Shot Routine. The pre-shot process is a vital part of playing well, so ignoring it is just like handing your opponent games on a silver platter. Our pre-shot routine keeps us functioning firmly in the present, and gives us an outlet for any excess nervous energy that we might have. Every player needs to have a meticulously detailed routine that they stick with. Learning to play the game with a powerful process fosters a positive attitude and also helps you to focus. 4. Take a Break. Pool should be enjoyed. Unless you’re playing for a living, it should be 100 percent fun. During intense pressure, think about the fact that you’re not at work. Look around and take note of the fact that you’re playing to enjoy yourself. Free your mind from your performance. 5. Accept the Results. Before every step of your preshot process, you should tell yourself “I am going to play this shot precisely and accurately.” You should also try to visualize what is going to happen. However, if something happens that you are not expecting, you should remain positive and accept the results no matter what they are.

Stroke August 2015

On The Road with ... C J Wiley The Hammer “Push Drill” for FAST STROKE DEVELOPMENT

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

I’ve now been doing the “Push Hammer Drill” drill every day for several weeks and it’s made a noticeable improvement in my stroke and Targeting the cue ball as precisely as ever. It’s a drill that requires you to get down and place the tip to the center of the cue ball and PUSH the ball into the pocket with just a Hand/Wrist/Forearm motion..... the practitioner must be very precise of the ball with squirt off path very noticeably, and when done correctly it grooves the stroke in a very effective way. I put all 15 balls up two diamonds and “Push Hammer Style” all 15 balls down to the opposite corners and then repeat for a total of 30. Then I put the balls an inch off the rail and “Push Hammer Style” the balls again, with my cue elevated like I’m shooting off the rail.

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).

August 2015

I’ve been incorporating these drills in my lessons with noticeable results. I have an entire 3 hour training that I”m doing on request where I oversee the player do a regiment of the most effective drills I know.....it’s like going through a workout, however the results are worth it for those that truly want to improve. We offer this 3 hour session on request and will schedule or answer any questions at thegameistheteacher@gmail.com

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This is a really effective way to groove the stroke and feel that “SLOT/TRACK” that I’ve referred to in this thread several times. I also shoot all the balls off the rail “Mexican Rotation” style after the “Push Hammer Style” drill to groove the stoke for acceleration.

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CJ Wiley’s Master Collection 8 Videos on 6 DVDs $99.95 $49.95 Order online at www.cjwiley.com

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LET’S GET TO KNOW THE RAILS BETTER STEFANO PELINGA stefanopelinga.com Stefano Pelinga (born 1964) hails from Rome, Italy, where he has served since 1985 as a police officer for the Italian government (Polizia di Stato), until his retirement in 2011. He began to play pool at the age of 12, drawing inspiration from his favorite singer and actor, Dean Martin. Stefano, currently a 5-time World Champion in Pool Trick Shots, won several titles in Italy in straight pool and nine-ball throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. In 1990, he devoted himself entirely to “Artistic Pool,” commonly referred to in its practice as “Trick Shots.” Due to his outstanding achievements, Stefano is recognized worldwide as one of the greatest Trick Shot champions in the history of the sport, and has earned a spot in ESPN’s Trick Shot Magic Hall of Fame. Most importantly, on November 17, 2012, Stefano was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. In the presence of approximately 500 VIP guests and many sports stars such as Tommy Lasorda, Mike Piazza, Tony Esposito and Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Stefano was awarded this honor, becoming a member of this group of legendary Italian Americans.

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Banks, rails, cushions… many different names for the same thing: the containment structure of a pool or billiards table designed to prevent the balls from falling off the table. The rails, as most of you know, may have slightly different shapes and height, depending on the different cue sports but a what they have in common S is that they are all made, in full or just in part, of a special in rubber. Thanks to the rubber rails, the poolaballs can bounce off of them, maintaining most Shot Description, Setu of their speed and drawing instructions, reference some amazing trajectories on a pool table. This month’s Trick Shot is indeed a “skill shot” but it also represents a good drill to a get to know your rails better. Just like the diagram shows, place the cue ball (CB) frozen to the long rail at the 2nd b diamond from the corner a pocket. Then place another ball, which we will call the “obstacle ball”, frozen to the CB, in a straight and b perpendicular line with the long rail. By shooting into the c rail, you will experience several different and legal escapes from behind the obstacle ball which will enable you to basically c b drive the CB anywherecyou need on the table, simply because the CB will slightly sink into the rail. Cueba Let’s start by aiming at the first c b Descriptio positioned diamond from the side pocket. If we use a 6 o’clock hit on the CB, 2 tips of bottom English and a smooth follow through with a speed 2, we will see our CB curve coming out of the rail and likely sink ball A in the top left pocket. If we shoot a little harder, this time at 7 o’clock on the CB (to give it a small dose of “good” or “running” English), we will possibly make B-ball in the bottom right pocket after hitting two rails. We can also change our aim and move it more into the rail, let’s say at 1.5 diamonds from the side pocket. Now we have a steeper angle but because of the help we get from the rubber rail, we will still clear the obstacle ball and hit the opposite long rail about a foot from the pocket. Let’s add 2 tips of right English to the CB with a 4 o’clock hit (for some extra speed) using a 3-speed stroke and we will drive the CB to hit three rails to make C-ball in the bottom left corner pocket. “3-Cushion Billiards” or “Italian 5-pin game” players know better than pool players how to play the rails so practice these shots and keep in mind that the CB acts pretty much the same way also when it is away from the rail or hits a rail after slicing an Object Ball, provided the cloth is fast and fairly new.

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Shot Title

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August 2015

Make it Happen

Photo by: Don Akerlow

THE FINALS

EFREN REYES August 2015

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Efren Reyes 3, Danny Smith 1 Reyes avenged his only loss of the tournament to Smith last night, winning the finals 3 to 1, and finishing with a record of 5-1. Danny Smith ended with a record of 4-2. Going into the finals there was that age old question – who would have the advantage? The player who was coming off of a victory and was riding on a high, or was he worn out – going against a player who was well rested? GAME 1 – Reyes 8, Smith 7 (Innings: 15) Smith broke strongly but Reyes responded with a good move, knocking balls towards his pocket, and the battle was on. In the second inning Reyes left a shot and Smith made only one ball before missing. The score stood at 1-0 until Smith missed in the seventh inning and left Reyes with a shot. Reyes ran four, but missed an easy shot and Smith responded with three in his pocket before he missed. The score was now tied at 4 each, He had left Reyes with an easy shot and Efren ran three and then scratched when the cue ball hit a piece of chalk, turned to the right, gained speed, and went in the pocket! Smith took ball-in-hand and ran three before missing a long shot. He now led, 7-6. The players traded safeties and missed banks until the 15th inning when Smith left Reyes with another bank. Reyes deposited it in his pocket, got excellent position, and sank the gamewinner. GAME 2 – Reyes 8, Smith 1 (Innings: 4) Reyes broke poorly but Smith sold out. Efren promptly made four balls before he missed position, played a kick, and left Smith with a shot. But Smith could only make one ball, and left the table trailing 4-1. On his third turn Smith again left Reyes with a shot, but Reyes could only make one before missing shape. But he played a carom shot off the pack, made two more to close out the game. He took a commanding 2-0 lead in this race to 3. GAME 3 – Smith 8, Reyes 0 (Innings: 19) Smith broke well but Reyes replied with a double carom safety and the defensive struggle was underway. Reyes did score a ball in his third inning, but he gave it back in the sixth thanks to the only shot clock violation of the tournament, so after seven complete innings the score was 0 to 0. On his eighth turn Smith took advantage of Reyes’ miss on a 2-rail bank, running 4 before missing a combo. He now led, 4-0, at which point an uptable game commenced. The players traded safeties until the 16th inning when Reyes left a shot, and Smith made one to extend his lead to 5 to 0. On his 18th turn Reyes missed, and Smith made two balls, then fired in the game winning bank. He now trailed in the match, 2 games to 1. GAME 4 – Reyes 8, Smith 0 (Innings: 7) Reyes broke well, but Smith came back with a great kick safety and the players went to work on defense. Reyes did get lucky not to sell out on a long kick on his third turn, but other than that is was a routine safety battle until his sixth turn when Smith left

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SandcaStle BilliardS

Edison, NJ

Reyes with an easy shot. Reyes showed why he is the best ball runner in the history of One-Pocket as he smoothly ran 8 and out to win the match and become the 2015 Accu-Stats Make It Happen One-Pocket champion. Smith did extremely well in finishing second, and is splitting two matches with The Magician.

SCORES

DAY 1 #1 – Justin Hall 3, Alex Pagulayan 1 #2 – Danny Smith 3, Shane Van Boening 2 #3 – Efren Reyes 3, Scott Frost 2 #4 – Shane Van Boening 3, Alex Pagulayan 0 DAY 2 #5 – Danny Smith 3, Scott Frost 2 #6 – Efren Reyes 3, Justin Hall 0 #7 – Shane Van Boening 3, Scott Frost 1 #8 – Danny Smith 3, Alex Pagulayan 2 DAY 3 #9 – Scott Frost 3, Justin Hall 1 #10 – Efren Reyes 3, Alex Pagulayan 0 #11 – Shane Van Boening 3, Justin Hall 1 #12 – Danny Smith 3, Efren Reyes 2 DAY 4 #13 – Scott Frost 3, Alex Pagulayan 2 #14 – Justin Hall 3, Danny Smith 2 #15 – Efren Reyes 3, Shane Van Boening 2 #16 – Efren Reyes 3, Danny Smith 1 STANDINGS Efren Reyes Danny Smith Shane Van Boening Scott Frost Justin Hall Alex Pagulayan 0-5 – 5/15

$2,000

W-L 5-1 4-2 3-2 2-3 2-3

DANNY SMITH

GM. W/L 17/8 $5,000 15/14 $4,000 13/8 $3,000 11/12 $2,000 8/12 $2,000

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Memphis Open 2015 Highpockets Memphis, Tennessee

1st Justin Bergman

2nd Shane Mcminn OnTheBreakNews.com

Article and photos by: Don Akerlow Highpockets located in Memphis, TN was that somebody would say that the person who first opened by James Stricklin in 1983 and won the tournament ‘got lucky’ because of a the current owner Tracy Whitney took over short race.” in 2008. As he put it, “I was in the right place The event was set. Live streaming was provided at the right time to buy the business.” He has by Ray Hansen of PoolActionTV.com. The certainly put his stamp on it! layout of Highpockets at first seemed a little Highpockets is not only a pool hall but a tight to me but as I watched during the day and destination. A place to go that everyone enjoys the tournament progressed, I saw no problems being at. Not just a pool hall atmosphere but a with the flow of pool players and pool watchers place where you feel you belong. alike. I was particularly interested in the Besides having 27 pool tables, one of which “arena” atmosphere. Tracy commented that it is a 5 x 10 Snooker table, two 9’ Diamond made everyone playing feel like they were the tables and one 7’ Diamond table, you can also center of attention. Throw in a few tables to play darts, foosball video games and Golden redirect the flow of traffic and everything runs Tee 2015; eat anything from salads to steaks, smoothly. awesome burgers, fresh cut fries and first rate Notables in the field who finished out of the pizza and sandwiches from their restaurant Side money were Johnny Archer who went hill-hill Pocket Cafe; enjoy a beer while watching the with Justin Bergman to be sent to the one loss tournament. For the pool player there are inside and there he went hill-hill with Shane house cash/prize leagues, APA and NAPA and Mcminn to finish 5th and out of the money. for the sports enthusiast there are 14 TVs and Robb Saez (one of the house pros at High free WIFI. Pockets) was out in 2. Jason Klatt (last year’s I had the opportunity to observe the winner) beat Robb 15-14 then lost to John atmosphere and action at Highpockets during Morra 15-5 and Shane Mcminn 11-7. the tournament. I was very impressed with In the 4th place match Shane Mcminn won Tracy who is a “hands on” owner who pays 11-7 over Larry Nevel in a hard fought match. attention to detail. When I asked Tracy about Larry was playing well but just couldn’t finish. this he said, “I grew up playing pool here. It is Next for Shane was John Morra who he beat easy to be hands on when you love what you do. and went on to play in the finals (no score I know the staff has their hands full so I try to available). help out.” Play finally wound down to the final two Highhockets hosted the hugely popular players Justin Bergman on the winners side Memphis Open 10-Ball on the weekend of July and Shane Mcminn from the one loss side. In 11-12, 2015. Pro players from all across the true double elimination fashion, Shane would USA & Canada descended upon Memphis to have to beat Justin twice to take home the win. compete for the $6,000 first place prize money. I had been watching Shane all weekend and he The 16 player field was riddled with local and was playing really well. I talked to Tracy about pro players who were Robb Saez, Danny Olson, Shane and he remarked that, “Most people Chuck Ralston, Kenny Loftis (who won the believe that Shane only plays on bar tables ProAm 9-Ball tournament), Jeremy Jones, but the truth is that he is also the house pro at Dennis Hatch, Johnny Archer, John Morra, Highpockets and he and Robb Saez practice Larry Nevel, Drake Niepotter, Sky Woodward, and give lessons on the big tables all the time.” Jason Klatt, Justin Bergman, Taylor Anderson, Shane obviously had the home field advantage, Shane Mcminn, and Josh Roberts. There was so to speak. But would it be enough ..... Justin $4,000 added to the pot and it was a monstrous had been playing exceptional pool all weekend race to 15 on the winners side and 11 on the long and wasn’t about to give up the match. The losers side! I asked Tracy how the races came final table had 4 1/4” pockets, firm rubber rails, about and he replied, “After the tournament last no shims and great to play on. Justin was not to year we met with all the players to determine be denied as he claimed the first place prize. what if anything needed to be changed. What Looking forwad to the 2016 Memphis Open! we found was the need to eliminate any reason Payout Calcutta 1 USA BERGMAN Justin $6,000 $6,250 2 USA MCMINN Shane $3,000 $3,125 3 CAN MORRA John $1,800 $1,875 4 USA NEVEL Larry $1,200 $1,250

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Shane Van Boening Mike Dechaine VS

Jerry Forsyth July 24, 2015

LAS VEGAS, NV Shane Van Boening and Mike Dechaine teed off in a race to 21 10Ball Challenge Match last night at the Rio with $1000 going to the winner and $500 to the runner-up.

the spread just to be able to prove it had actually happened. Dechaine then began his run but got out of line on the three ball and had to play a safety. That did not work as the three ball kept rolling until it found the side pocket (which meant Dechaine had to keep shooting) and he was safe on the four. He made the hit and left Shane tough. Shane made the hit but scratched on the shot and that brought Dechaine back up for the runout.

The match was played on a Diamond 7-foot table and began as a break and run show that many felt would carry throughout the evening as these sharpshooters were making the small track appear effortless. But that changed in rack #3 when Van Boening missed a tough reverse cut on the two ball to bring Dechaine to the table for a runout. Dechaine took the next rack on his break (alternate break format) and then led the match 3-1. But SVB won the next three racks in part due to Dechaine scratching on the one ball in rack #6 and was briefly on top 4-3. Rack #8 went to Dechaine to tie us at 4 and then we had an unusual rack as SVB broke dry. Mike Dechaine felt this was so unusual that he took out his cell phone and took a photo of

Shane tied us back up at 5 apiece when Dechaine had a dry break in the next rack but Van Boening had to jump to hit the one ball. He hit it and made the shot and ran out.

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The rest of the match belonged to Van Boening. He took the next four racks, then Dechaine claimed two of his own. But Van Boening just kept stretching out his lead and soon the score was 16-9 in favor of Van Boening. A few racks were traded back and forth but when Van Boening got to the hill Dechaine scratched when he made the one ball and that left Van Boening with an easy 2-10 combination to take the title 21-13 and the $1000 check.

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Allen Hopkins, Danny Barouty & Wil ie Mosconi to be Inducted into the

2015 Straight Pool Hall of Fame

DANNY BAROUTY ALLEN HOPKINS

in countless matches, but we used to also go in partnership with each other when playing other great players. He played super solid for big money and was dependable under huge pressure. I had so much mutual respect for his abilities. He was the most fierce competitor I ever met,” said Pete Margo, a former top pro player during the 1970’s era. Margo has been nominated for next year’s 14.1 HOF personally by Hopkins himself.

New York City, NY - The votes are in. Allen Hopkins, Danny Barouty, and Willie Mosconi will all be inducted this year during the Andy Cloth 75th World Tournament of 14.1 (worldstraightpool.com). The 5th Annual 14.1 Hall of Fame took place Wednesday July 15th 8pm with a dinner banquet at Steinway CafeBilliards (facebook.com/SteinwayCafeBilliards). Mosconi won the World 14.1 seven times, which remains the second highest wins in history. Willie Mosconi would be 102 years old if he was alive today. He was born in 1913, just one year after the very first World 14.1 Championship. It’s fitting that the King of 14.1 be inducted in the 75th production of the event he dominated. During nearly 2 decades, Mosconi won the World 14.1 seven times and defended the title an unmatched 12-times. It’s no wonder till this day, the name Mosconi is synonymous with straight pool. Allen Hopkins was nominated by the World 141 Club members and afterwards won 60% of the votes submitted by fans via social media, polls, and e-mails. Hopkins was born in 1951 in Elizabeth, New Jersey and started playing pool at the age of 7. He ran his first 100 balls by age 12. He joined the pro tour by age

August 2015

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WILLIE MOSCONI 17, and quickly established himself as a force when, at 19 years old he defeated the mighty Luther Lassiter in a 1000 point money match with Lassiter stating, “That was the greatest straight pool I’ve ever seen”. In 1977, Hopkins started his prime winning the US Open 9-Ball, World 9-Ball, and the World 14.1 all in the same year. Hopkins would remain a force on the pro scene for the next 2 decades, and since then has become a major promoter with the highly successful Super Billiards Expo. “I was fortunate to grow up around so many great players. Straight pool has always been my best game. Straight pool separates all players.” “Allen and I not only used to battle back and forth

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Danny Barouty won 50% of the votes in the Unsung Hero category with a huge fan following in the New York tri-state area. Born in 1956, the Queens, NY native started playing pool at age 7, with 14.1 being his first game. This led to a lifelong passion for straight pool which has carried on till today as Barouty has been the cause of many players becoming 14.1 addicts through his passion and knowledge of the game. Barouty has also taken down some of the biggest names in pool such as Hohmann, Ortmann, Cohen, Parica and carries a 287 ball high run. His legacy will be his straight pool leagues in NY and now California, which still thrive today. “I never looked at myself as a promoter of straight pool. I just like the game. No hidden agenda. And I suppose everything comes from that.”

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TRAGIC DEADLY STORY ***ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED REGARDING THIS TRAGIC DEADLY STORY FROM MY LOCAL BILLIARDS COMMUNITY*** Some of these details are rough and are all pieced together but I’m just trying to help. Yesterday at 5:00 pm at Diamond Billiards here in Cape Coral Florida, there was a deadly “accident”. I play at Diamonds about half of my time. We have 5 pool halls here in SWFL and Diamonds is definitely the premier place to play. Apparently a 75 year old man was kicked out for hitting on a young server as he was acing inappropriately (probably a creeper). He went outside and drove his Ford F-250 through the front window through the pool hall and pinned 2 people down between the bar and his truck with all the debris. I’ve been told he told the police “he did it out of revenge”. I HAVE TO SAY IT IS MORE THAN 60 FEET TO THE BACK OF THE BUILDING AND HE WENT ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO THE FAR WALL. They had to extract the two pinned people out and they are in critical condition and two more in stable condition. One of the victims so happens to be the Ron Gravel, he was the cook at Diamonds and a LONG time player and fan of the sport. A super nice guy I just met a few weeks ago and had a conversation with about Brunswick Centennials which I happened to have in my truck. We hit them around and weighed them and agreed they were great. I didn’t even know he played and that he was a walking billiards encyclopedia. Great guy. Ron didn’t make it and sadly he passed away in surgery shortly after... RIP Ron

Gravel. ***SEE BELOW HOW TO HELP*** There are three “money tables” right there in the front (9 ft Diamond Pro Ams) and that’s usually where everyone sits and watches or just chats all day if not playing. Apparently pro player, Justin Hall was racking at the table right where the truck came through (see photo below) and was clipped but he is fine. There is a GoFundMe account

RON GRAVEL setup for Ron’s family and his funeral expenses, if you feel you could give anything, please do. Even $1.00 helps. I donated $100 on behalf of Billiard Bill’s, my business. www.gofundme.com/rongravel

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Stroke August 2015

Skip Maloney AzBilliards.com Staff July 20, 2015

MIKE DAVIS

RALEIGH, NC Mike Davis worked his way undefeated through a field of 56, to win the 1st Annual North Carolina State 10Ball Championships, held under the auspices of the Q City 9-Ball Tour. The $1,000-added event, held on the weekend of July 18-19, was hosted by Brass Tap and Billiards in Raleigh, NC. Davis ran into a familiar foe among the winners’ side final four. Keith Bennett, whose last recorded payout was at the 2013 US Open, when he finished in the tie for 13th place with Corey Deuel, Tommy Kennedy and Imran Majid, showed up for this 10-Ball event, and renewed acquaintances with Davis (among others). Steve Page, in the meantime, who would face Davis twice, met up with Chris Bruner in the other winners’

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side semifinal. Davis sent Bennett to the loss side 7-5, and in the hot seat match, faced Page, who’d shut out Bruner. Page almost sidetracked Davis’ undefeated run with a double hill challenge. Davis prevailed, however, and sat in the hot seat, waiting on Page’s return. On the loss side, Bennett ran into Jeff Abernathy, who’d gotten by Michael Robertson and Corey Sykes, both 7-5. Bruner picked up Mahmoud Salamah, who’d defeated Paul Swinson (winner of the previous week’s stop on the tour) 7-4 and survived a double hill fight against Brad Shearer. Bruner and Bennett advanced to the quarterfinals; Bruner 7-3 over Salamah and Bennett 7-5 over Abernathy. Bruner spoiled any ideas Bennett may have been

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entertaining about a re-match versus Davis with a 7-5 quarterfinal victory, and then, was himself eliminated by Page 7-2, in the semifinals. Davis won his second against Page 9-4 in the finals to claim the first NC State 10-Ball Championship. Results and Payouts: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5/6th

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Frank Double Dips Clinton Gate City Billiard Club

TREY FRANK

Skip Maloney • AzBilliards.com Staff • July 12, 2015

Trey Frank took two out of three matches against Bobby Clinton to win a July 4th weekend stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour. The handicapped, 9-ball event drew 38 entrants to the Gate City Billiard Club in Greensboro, NC. They met first in the battle for the hot seat. Frank had defeated Norris Brady 6-9 (Brady racing to 11), as Clinton was sending Brent Kyles to the loss side 7-3. Clinton took the first of three against Frank 7-3 and waited in the hot seat for him to get back. On the loss side, Norris Brady ran into David Tickle, who’d defeated Ed Scott Largen 8-2 and Austin Sawyer 8-4 to reach him. Kyles drew Jerry Varnado, recent winner over Mike Davis 8-10 (Davis racing to 13), and Mike Bumgarner 8-5. Brady and Kyles advanced to the quarterfinals; Brady 11-6 over Tickle and Kyles 8-4 over Mon - Thurs : 5pm - 1am Fri - Sat: Noon - 2am Sun: Noon - 1am

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Varnado. Brady then eliminated Kyles 11-4 for a second shot at Frank in the semifinals. Frank stepped up his game in his second meeting versus Brady, allowing him only five racks of the 11 he would have needed to win, while scoring six to earn himself a second, and, as it turned out, third shot against Clinton in the hot seat. Frank downed Clinton in both sets of the true double elimination final. Both times, they battled to hill-hill, which, with Frank racing to 6 and Clinton racing to 7, was a deadlock at 5-6. Frank closed it out 6-6 both times to claim the event title. 1 2 3 4 5/6

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Team Europe Wins Atlantic Challenge Cup Team Europe won the Inaugural Atlantic Challenge Cup after a dramatic last day of singles matches here in Rankweil Austria. Leading 9-6 after day three, team Europe only needed to win two from the six singles matches to claim victory but team USA did their best to spoil the party. Europe’s Kristina Tkach, who had played solid throughout the previous three days seem to suffer a bout of nerves in the first match of the day, losing 6-3 to USA’s Taylor TEAM EUROPE Hansen which brought the overall score to 9-7. USA had obviously loaded their front line up with their best players and it was the General’s turn “Nick Evans” who came up against the inform Daniel Tangudd from Europe. Nick was off to a flyer and it seemed that the USA selection was working, they were in control and looking good until Daniel found his feet. He pegged back rack after rack in a thriller that was to produce the fifth hill-hill match of the tournament and for the fifth time, Europe came out on top. Europe, now leading 10-7 and needing just one more match to claim the title looked odds on to finish this event quickly but the USA team would not lay down and surrender. The next match saw Europe’s Patryk Statkiewicz up against USA’s Drake Niepoetter. In this match, Patryk created the running jump shot, having already used his time extension and forgetting that he had, sprinted back to grab his jump stick. While running back to the table, he just aimed and shot in a single motion making the ball in the pocket and the whole crowd went crazy. This however was not enough to stop the USA winning this match to bring the score closer at 10-8 in Europe’s favor, ironically it was another hill-hill and the first USA had won. The nerves seemed to be creeping in to the European team, they could see the finish line but were trying to force themselves over it and this was clearly seen in the next match. Marharyta Fefilava who had played a very good tournament until this match was feeling the pressure the most and could not get going at all. Team USA capitalized on the mistakes from Marharyta and April Larson picked off rack after rack coming out on top 6-3. Only two matches remained with Europe leading 10-9 and still needing that one point to clinch the crown. USA had the momentum and Europe were on the ropes until the cool headed Maxim Dudanets came to the arena. With the pressure mounting, could the youngest member of the European team deliver? It started evenly and after the score was 1-1, Maxim showed such maturity that you could easily forget that he was still only 16 years old. Running racks and playing some brilliant safety shots, he never let his opponent “Joshua Franklin” have any joy when

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he did get to the table. As the racks piled up, Europe were on the march again, singing as every 9-ball went down. Maxim delivered the point required, playing beautify pool in the process as this match finished 6-1 and 11-9 overall. A relived European team were now celebrating the victory that seemed to be slipping away as USA pressed them all the way to the wire. April Larson picked up the MVP award for team USA and Daniel Tangudd the same award for team Europe. This event was an amazing

APRIL LARSON

DANIEL TANGUDD

display of pool at the highest level and shows the talent that is going to grace the world stages in years to come. It is now over to the BCA & BEF in America to organize this event in 2016 and an announcement will be forthcoming on the date & location, meanwhile the European’s have a complete year to bask in the glory of a well earned victory. All results and pictures can be found here at http://www.x-patspoolleagues. com/#!atlantic-challenge-cup/c5ay The Atlantic Challenge Cup was organized by the EPBF/IBPF in cooperation with the BCA/BEF.

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C e r h o t w s n e k i n a T t h e m i C K h g i n n a u O o Y p -a

Alison Chang July 8, 2015 Ga-Young Kim ousted the favorite Austrian Jasmin Ouschan and Ho-Yun Chen of Chinese Taipei from the tournament with 9-5 and 9-6 victories respectively in the single elimination format portion. In the semi-finals, Kim had to deal with Han Yu of China. Han was a little unlucky and made some dry breaks and illegal breaks. Kim was playing decently and won the match 9-3 to make it into the final. It was a little revenge for Kim as she had lost to Han Yu in the final last year.

Fu Xiaofang made her way by smashing Angeline Ticoalu (INA) 9-0 in her first match in the single elimination. She defeated the new young Nation Team member Liu Yuchen 9-7 in the quarter-finals, then went on to overpower Chen Siming in the semi-final 9-4. That earned her a seat in the final match. The final match was Fu Xiaofang and Ga-Young Kim, the “Little Devil Girl”. Both of them played well. Both

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“I didn’t give up, I tried hard to maintain my confidence. I am enjoy the result. Seven years since I first played in this tournament in Shanghai, I finally WIN!” Said Ga-Young with a smile after the match.

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of them broke and ran every rack to 3-3. In rack 7, Kim missed the 6-ball, Fu cleared the table to get to 4-3. Then Fu missed the 1-ball after her break in game12, Kim took her chance to clean the table to get a 7-5 lead then kissed the 9 in in game 13. Fu cleared next rack but it still wouldn’t save her match, Kim took down Fu with 9-6 to become the Champion of China Open 2015.

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Stroke August 2015

Turning Stone Classic XXIV August 20-23, 2015

Mike Zuglan’s Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, www.joss9balltour.com and Turning Stone Resort Casino are proud to present our 2014-2015 Season Finale, The “Turning Stone Classic XXIV 9-Ball Open”. This event will take place in Turning Stone’s beautiful & spacious Event Center which is known worldwide as one of the best venues ever. There are no bad seats, and the layout allows you to mingle with all of your favorite players and friends, giving you the feeling of being part of the action yourself. There is an aura of intimacy that seems to surround you at these events. If you have never been to Turning Stone, located in Verona NY, you simply don’t know what you are missing. Check them out at www.turningstone.com For an unprecedented 24th time, we will have a full field of players with no shortage of past, present and future Champions. Shaw, Van Boening, Archer, Karen Corr, Jennifer Barretta, Deuel, Dechaine, Appleton, Dominguez, Bergman, Sossei & Immonen are just a few competing in this world class event. Don’t think for a minute that any of these players are a “lock” to win. Joss Tour regulars like Souvanthong, Casanzio & Dupuis just might have something to say about that. Then there are the many others that have a legitimate chance of making history, and even more that are very capable of a high finish. So look for anything to happen when the smoke clears on Sunday night. I am pleased to also announce that this event, in addition to being a BCA event, will be a Mosconi Cup and WPA ranking event! There will be a “second chance” tournament on Sunday August 23 at 10AM running continuously until completed. This is an event for those Non Pro level players (I will decide) eliminated from the main event. The event format will be as follows: $60 Entry Fee - 32 Player Max - same rules as main event - Single Elimination - Races to 4, best 2 of 3 sets, with the deciding set a single game sudden death. This means that if each player wins a race to 4, there will be a lag for the break and a 1 game playoff to determine the match winner. Entries will be taken for this tournament as players are eliminated from the main event and will be treated as first paid - first in until the event is full. The equipment for this world class event will once again be 16, 9 foot Diamond Pro tables covered with 860 Simonis (“The Cloth Of Champions”) tournament blue cloth. We will be using the new Aramith Tournament TV Pro Cup balls. Thanks again to Ivan Lee for providing us with the World’s best cloth and the World’s

Status Report As of today, July 8, 2015, the added money accounted for by Accu-Stats, the escrow account holder for the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, stands at $51,500. Barry Behrman, the promoter of the event, has given assurances that the promised $75,000 in added money will be achieved and it is that amount that is required to be sanctioned as a WPA Tier 2 event. The event is not limited to players from the United States but opened to all players from around the world. If your country requires an invitation for you to attend, please email

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best balls! All of these items will be for sale in tournament used condition, and only seriously interested parties are urged to contact Mike Zuglan immediately at 518-356-7163 for info and pricing. Being a spectator at Turning Stone is an experience you won’t find anywhere else. We always offer fans, Free Admission, Free collectible posters (while supplies last) and once again Turning Stone will be giving away a $10 free play to all players and fans. So you get Free admission, Free posters and Free bets!! No one else does it like Turning Stone and the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour! Included in the Event Center at Turning Stone is a full service snack bar serving all of our favorite foods and adult beverages. There will be billiard product vendors and on site cue repairs available for all your needs. We will also be raffling off 2 gorgeous, custom, engraved Joss Cues on Saturday at 8pm and Sunday immediately prior to the final match and you Do Not have to be present to win. These cues have a retail value of $1275 each and are generously provided by Danny Janes of Joss Cues Ltd. Thanks again to Danny for all he does for us!! So come to Turning Stone Resort & Casino August 20-23 for a great experience and 4 full days of some of the best pool you will ever witness. If for some reason you are unable to make it, there will be a free live stream and live scoring expertly provided by Mike Howerton & Jerry Forsyth ( www.azbilliards.com ), Upstate Al Leon, The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour and Turning Stone Resort Casino. The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour is Proudly sponsored by; Joss Cues - http://www.josscues.com Turning Stone Casino - http://www.turning-stone.com Simonis Cloth - http://www.simoniscloth.com Pool on the Net - http://www.poolonthenet.com AzBilliards.com - http://www.azbilliards.com Aramith - http://www.aramith.com OB Cues - http://www.obcues.com The Billiard Press - http://www.billiardspress.com Heidrich Custom Cues - http://heidrichcustomcues.com World Class Cue Care - http://www.jnj-industries.com Stroke Pool Magazine - http://www.OnTheBreakNews.com patscue@yahoo.com. The Bank of America escrow account in Norfolk, Virginia is in order and is ready to service the competitors with their liberal check cashing policies. The Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel is also ready to provide the necessary space and comforts at discounted rates for the tournament contestants as well as attendees. To reserve hotel rooms, call 757-622-6664. Use code “USOPEN” for the $89 room rate. See your savings by going to sheratonnorfolkwaterside.com to compare the rates for everyone else! The city of Norfolk is also a sponsor in this event and looks forward to everyone’s arrival. The seating is spread through four undivided convention rooms, similar to the Conference Center in Chesapeake. The TV Arena will be centered in the spacious ballroom. VIP seats are now open to the general public through ticketfly.com. Go to usopen9ballchampionships.com/fans.php for ticket purchases. Go to accu-Stats.com to pay entry fees. All entry fees are escrowed by Accu-Stats. All prize monies will be paid by Accu-Stats. To reserve hotel rooms, call 757622-6664. To purchase seating tickets, go to usopen9ballchampionships.com/ fans.php.To reserve BCA Hall of Fame Dinner tickets, call 312-341-1110 ext 2004. Any questions regarding this report should be directed to Pat Fleming at 973838-7089 or patscue@yahoo.com.

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Richeson Wins 6th Annual Richard Sweet Memorial

RICHIE RICHESON

Skip Maloney • AzBilliards.com Staff • July 3, 2015

ATLANTA, GA It was a weekend of pool sprints and marathons; two race-to-three, single elimination tournaments, one race-to-four Second Chance tournament and a main, $3,500-added, 10-ball event that drew the largest crowd. It was the 6th Annual Richard Sweet Memorial Tournament, held, on the weekend of June 25-28, under the auspices of the Tiger Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour. The event, hosted by the Sweet family’s Mr. Cues II in Atlanta, GA, drew 225 competitors to the four events; 59 signed on to Friday night’s 9-Ball Tournament, 46 were in attendance at Thursday night’s 8-ball event, 47 checked in to the ‘last hurrah ‘second chance tournament on Sunday, while 73 went at it in the marquee 10-ball competition. Richie Richeson, a 22-year-plus veteran of the sport, who, in 1993, shared 17th place at the US Open 9-Ball Championships with the likes of Allen Hopkins and Mike Massey, claimed the 10-ball title. Richeson survived a double elimination finals matchup against Evan Lunda, who’d come from deep on the loss side to challenge him and win the opening set of the finals. Advancing to a winners’ side semifinal, Richeson faced Cliff Joyner, who also finished in that tie for 17th place at the US Open in 1993. Jason Stemen, in the meantime, squared off against Todd Noble. Richeson sent Joyner to the west bracket 7-3, as Stemen was busy surviving a double hill battle over Noble. Richeson claimed the hot heat 7-5 over Stemen and waited on Lunda. On the loss side, Joyner ran into George Spires, recent 7-5 winner over both Horace Godwin and Brandon Davenport. It was Noble who picked up Lunda, a 7-4 winner over both Ellis Brown and Kim Heath. Joyner gave up only a single rack to Spires, as Lunda gave up three to Noble. Lunda eliminated Joyner 7-2 in the quarterfinals, and then spoiled Stemen’s shot at a re-match against Richeson by defeating him in the semifinals 7-3. Lunda took the opening set of the double elimination finals in a hard-fought

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double hill battle, but Richeson pulled ahead in the second set to claim the title 7-4. In the Thursday night, race-to-three, 8-ball, single elimination event, Tim Orange downed Mike Clay 3-2 in the finals to claim the $500 first prize. Clay took home the only other ($250) prize available. On Friday night, Tim Heath downed Mike Davis 3-1 in the finals of the single-elimination, race-to-three 9-ball event. Like Orange and Clay, Heath and Davis claimed the $500 and $250 prizes at stake. The weekend concluded with a double-elimination, race-to-four 9-ball event that saw Randy Jordan go undefeated through the field of 47 entrants. Jordan claimed the hot seat over Mike Clay and waited for him to come back. On the loss side, Tim Heath eliminated Ryan Hollingsworth 4-2 in the quarterfinals, only to be shut out by Clay in the semifinals. Jordan completed his undefeated run 4-2 over Clay to claim the Second Chance title. 1 2 3 4 5 5 7 7 9 9 9 9 13 13 13 13

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RICHESON Richie LUNDA Evan STEMAN Jason JOYNER Cliff NOBLE Todd SPIRES George DAVENPORT Brandon HEATH Tim BROWN Ellis THORNTON Tyler MIDDLEBROOK Jesse GODWIN Horace AVILES Raul CLAY Mike JORDAN Randy SIMONS Wayne

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LOCATION Steinway Billiards Brookhaven Billiards Ultimate Sports Bar Hall of Fame Airway Bankshots Crown Billiards Sandcastle Billiards Cue Time Corner Pocket Zingales Crooked Cue Billiards Steinway Billiards Grady’s Pool Room Snookers The Rack Airway Player’s Sandcastle Billiards Bison Billiards Grady’s Pool Room Cue Nine Cue Time Coaches Ultimate Sports Bar Phat Guy Birds Player’s 8 Ball Sports Bar Sportsmen’s Whiskey Barrel Lucky 7 Billiards Gate City Billiards Club Premium Billiards Grady’s Pool Room Corner Pocket Union Station Billiards Michael’s Lucky 7 Billiards Gate City Billiards Club Grady’s Pool Room Rack Attack Billiard Cafe Scooters on Main St Corner Pocket The Break Room The Break Room Brickyard Brickyard Player’s 8 Ball Sports Bar Scotty’s Crooked Cue (1st Sun) Crooked Cue (3rd Sun) Sandcastle Billiards Sandcastle Billiards 150 n Out Billiards Rack Rack Clicks Billiards Premium Billiards Play Time Snookers Phat Guy Birds Airway Cushions Michael’s (every other Sun) Sundown Whiskey Barrel

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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 9-Ball Hdcp/DE/Race to 5/4 $25 Call 8 Ball $5 Call Straight 8-Ball $8 Call 9-Ball Handicap $10 8-Ball $5 Call Open 9 Ball Am/Pro $20/$40 8-Ball 7’ Tables race to 5 $15 $100 w/16 8 Ball $13 Call 8 Ball $10 Call 8 Ball $10 Call 8 Ball - No Pros $5+$3 g.f. $100 9-Ball - Handicapped Call 10-Ball Handicap-SE $15 Call 9-Ball 7’ Tables $15 $100 w/16 9-Ball $Call 9 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball $5 Call 9 Ball $20 $100 w/32 Open 9 Ball $5 Call 9 Ball on 9’ tables - No Pros $5+$3 g.f. $100 Open 9 Ball $10 Call 3 Cushion $15 Call 9 Ball $15 $200 9-Ball $5 Matching w/20+ Scotch Doubles 8 Ball/9 Ball Call Open Bar Box 8 Ball-SE $20 9-Ball Handicap $20 $200 w/16 Hcp 8-Ball $15 Call 8 Ball - Race to 2 $8 Call 8-Ball $1 $5/player 8-Ball-Race to 2-DE $5 Match w/20+ 8 Ball/9 Ball (1st Sat) Round robin Call 9-Ball Handicap $20 $300 w/24 9 Ball $10 8 Ball Chip Pool $15 Call 9 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball $20 Call 9 Ball $20 Call 9-Ball on Diamond Bar Boxes $5+$3 g.f. $100 8 Ball $8 5 Chip Elim. 8 Ball Call 200% payout 8-Ball ‘B’ Only Mod. Rnd Robin $10 $200 1st 8-Ball Open Mod. Rnd Robin $10 $200 1st 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 Alt 8 & 9 Ball Call Call 9 Ball $10 Call 8 Ball - Race to 3 $10 Call 8 Ball $7 1/3 pot 8 Ball $10 $3/player

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

Call to see how to list your weekly pool tournaments 406.285.3099 OnTheBreakNews.com

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Stroke August 2015

Call First - All Tournaments are subject to change without notice DATE Aug 1 Aug 1 Aug 1 Aug 8 Aug 8-9 Aug 8-9 Aug 9 Aug 15 Aug 15-16 Aug 15 Aug 15 Aug 16 Aug 29-30 Sep 5 Sep 12 Sep 12-13 Sep 13 Sep 19-20 Sep 26-27 Oct 3-4 Oct 4 Oct 10-11 Oct 11 Oct 11-12 Oct 17 Oct 17-18 Oct 17-18 Oct 24-25 Oct 25 Oct31-Nov 1 Nov 7-8 Nov 7-8 Nov 21-22

LOCATION Bison Billiards Snookers Clifton Billiards Stix Billiards Shea’s Fat Cat Steinway Billiards Rockaway Billiards Snookers Zingale’s Steinway Billiards Grady’s Union Station Snookers Bison Billiards Gate City Billiards Mr Cue Billiards Steinway Billiards Steinway Billiards Gotham City Billiards Salt City Billiards Bison Billiards Sharpshooter’s Billiards Zingale’s Steinway Billiards Amy’s Billiards Premium Billiards Gotham City Billiards Raxx Pool Room Steinway Billiards Steinway Billiards Zingale’s Hippo’s Steinway Billiards

you are traveling around the

Aug 8 Aug 8-9 Aug 14-16 Aug 15 Aug 15 Aug 15 Aug 22-23 Aug 23 Aug 29 Aug 29-30 Sep 3 Sep 3-4 Sep 4 Sep 4 Sep 5 Sep 10 Sep 10-13 Sep 11-13 Sep 10-13

CITY Williamsville, NY Providence, RI Clifton, NJ Palm Harbor, FL Mount Dora, FL Astoria, NY Rockaway, NJ Providence, RI Talahassee, FL Astoria, NY Lexington, SC Portland, ME Providence, RI Williamsville, NY Greensboro, NC Lindenhurst, NY Astoria, NY Astoria, NY Brooklyn, NY N Syracuse, NY Williamsville, NY Amsterdam, NY Talahassee, FL Astoria, NY Stuart, FL Syracuse, NY Brooklyn, NY W Hempstead, NY Astoria, NY Astoria, NY Talahassee, FL Yorkville, NY Astoria, NY

Appleton, WI Des Moines, IA Poplar Bluff, MO Alsip, IL Davenport, IA Houston, TX Round Rock, TX Round Rock, TX Appleton, WI Des Moines, IA Round Rock, TX Round Rock, TX Round Rock, TX Round Rock, TX Round Rock, TX Des Moines, IA Des Moines, IA Des Moines, IA Des Moines, IA

August 2015

USA this

EVENT / RULES ENTRY ADDED TIME 8-Ball Bar Box $35 incl g.f. $250 Noon 9-Ball Qualifier-SE A/B/C $20 Qualifier 4/2/Noon 9-Ball Call $1,000 Call 8-Ball Sc Dbls $25 team $150 Noon 9-Ball SE Open $65 $3,500 9AM Open/Pro/ABCD 9-Ball Varies $1,000 Noon 9-Ball Call $1,000 Call 9-Ball Qualifier-SE A/B/C $20 Qualifier 4/2/Noon 9-Ball SE Open $65 $3,500 9AM 9-Ball A-B/C-D Call $1,000 Call 9-Ball $50M/$35W Call Noon Greg Libby Memorial $35 1PM 9-Ball-Limit 16 No entry $5,000 1st guar Noon 8-Ball Bar Box $35 incl g.f. $250 Noon 9-Ball $50M/$35W Call 11:30AM Open/Pro/ABCD 9-Ball Varies $1,000 Noon 9-Ball A-B/C-D Call $1,000 Call Open/Pro/ABCD 9-Ball Varies $1,000 Noon Open/Pro/ABCD 9-Ball Varies $1,000 Noon 9-Ball $120Pro/$70Am $1,500/$500 Call 8-Ball Bar Box $35 incl g.f. $250 Noon 9-Ball $120Pro/$70Am $1,500/$500 Call 9-Ball Amateurs Only $60+$10 g.f. $500 11AM Open/Pro/ABCD 9-Ball Varies $1,000 Noon Women’s 9-Ball Call Call 11AM 9-Ball $120Pro/$70Am $1,500/$500 Call Open/Pro/ABCD 9-Ball Varies $1,000 Noon 9-Ball $120Pro/$70Am $1,500/$500 Call 9-Ball A-B/C-D Call $1,000 Call Steinway Classic Varies $1,000 Noon FL Pool Tour 9-Ball Amateur Call $5000 Call Al Conte Memorial $120Pro/$70Am $1500/$500 Call 9-Ball A-B/C-D Call $1,900 Call

summer here are some other tournaments you may want to stop in at and play

KK Billiards Big Dog Billiards Smokin Aces Red Shoes Sharky’s Bogies West Skinny Bob’s Skinny Bob’s KK Billiards Big Dog Billiards Skinny Bob’s (see ad p20) Skinny Bob’s (see ad p20) Skinny Bob’s (see ad p20) Skinny Bob’s (see ad p20) Skinny Bob’s (see ad p20) Big Dog Billiards (see ad p10) Big Dog Billiards (see ad p10) Big Dog Billiards (see ad p10) Big Dog Billiards (see ad p10)

Stroke

PHONE 716-632-0281 401-351-POOL 973-928-6622 727-937-9225 352-735-2202 718-472-2124 973-625-5777 401-351-POOL 850-224-8644 718-472-2124 803-957-7665 207-899-3693 401-351-POOL 716-632-0281 336-856-8800 631-226-9486 718-472-2124 718-472-2124 718-714-1002 315-454-8643 716-632-0281 518-627-4634 850-224-8644 718-472-2124 772-232-9966 315-488-4888 718-714-1002 516-538-9896 718-472-2124 718-472-2124 850-224-8644 315-768-0218 718-472-2124

920-830-0083 515-266-6100 573-712-2900 708-388-3700 563-359-7225 832-912-4432 512-733-1111 512-733-1111 920-830-0083 515-266-6100 512-733-1111 512-733-1111 512-733-1111 512-733-1111 512-733-1111 515-266-6100 515-266-6100 515-266-6100 515-266-6100

9-Ball 8-Ball APA 5 & below 8-Ball Bar Box Open-Limit 16 10-Ball 9-Ball Bar Box Open 9-Ball-Limit 64 9-Ball Open/Amateur Women 9-Ball Open 8-Ball One Pocket - Limit 32 9-Ball SE Limit 128 Scotch Doubles 9-Ball-Limit 32 Texas Open Ring Game Texas Open 9-Ball Texas Open Women 10-Ball - Limit 16 - SE One Pocket - Limit 16 Open 9-Ball - Limit 150 Midwest Billiards & Cue Expo

OnTheBreakNews.com

$25+$10 $10 $2,000 $50 incl g.f. $40 incl g.f. $50 incl fees Call Call $40 $50+$10 g.f. $25 $125/team $100 limit 16 $125 limit 128 $75 limit 32 $500 $2,000 $20

$250/$250 $500 w/64 $2,000 min. $500 w/f.f. $1,000 $500 w/32 $1,000 $500 $750 w/64 $500 w/32 Call Call Call $3,200 Guar $800 Guar Call $5,000 Guar $2,000

9AM 10AM 6PM Noon 10AM Noon Call Call Noon 10AM 8PM 11AM 3PM 8PM 6PM 2PM 7PM 7PM

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