Stroke Magazine February 2010 by Stroke Magazine

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2 Stroke Magazine - February 2010

Stroke Staff Publisher/Editor Don “Cheese” Akerlow Marketing Director Mary Akerlow Layouts & Design Wendy Swenson Sunshine Ross Don Akerlow Mary Akerlow Distribution Sheila Papke

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Stroke P.O. Box 100 Three Forks, MT 59752 Phone 1-406-285-3099 Fax 1-406-285-3098 Email strokemagazine@aol.com

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About Us at Stroke

Stroke is a monthly publication, dedicated to the advancement of the sport of pool and to promoting enthusiasm and encouragement among the players at all levels, regardless of their league affiliation, in addition to recognizing those businesses who support them all. Covering the Eastcoast and adjoining states. Look for Stroke by the 10th of each month. The opinions expressed are those of the author or advertiser and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rackem or its staff. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material submitted for publication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher. © 2010 Stroke

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Read Stroke Online at: www.strokemagazine.net

Watch it LIVE on www.OTBnTV.com www.OTBnTV.com Streaming Schedule Feb 19-21, 2010 USBA 3 Cushion Nationals Elks Lodge - Tacoma, WA

02-14-2010 10:00 am 2000 Women’s Tournament of Champions Finals

Mar 9-11, 2010 Grand Masters Challenge Lincoln City, OR

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Mar 26-28, 2010 30th Annual MCMOA State 8 Ball Championships

These schedules have been provided by ESPN. These are tentative dates and are subject to change

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February 2010 Volume 2 Number 2

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Jun 17-20, 2010 20th Annual VNEA Junior Nationals Rochester, MN

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February 2010 - Stroke Magazine 3

Reyes Undefeated at Master Billiards Arturo Reyes Undefeated in Tri-State Tour A/D at Master Billiards (Sunnyside, NY-Jan 9-10, 2010). Arturo played solid all weekend as he went through a tough draw of all A thru B players to get to the finals. His winning trail included wins over Ed Culhane 7- 6; Scott Bannon 7-3; Stewart Warnock "The Scottish lion" 7-2; Justin Muller 7-3; Ra Hanna 7-2 for the Hot Seat; and "C" class player, Alan Chan in the Finals 7 - 5. Congratulations to 2nd place finisher, Alan Chan with a 6-2 win/ loss record and much improved 3rd place finisher Ra Hanna going 5 & 2. Major sponsors for the event were Ben Minn, owner of Master Billiards and Ozone Billiards. And as always, Sterling-Gaming continues to support the tour and sport at all times. Upcoming B/D event on January 16th at Sandcastle Billiards. The next A/D Special Format Tri-State event is scheduled to be at Sandcastle Blliards on February 20th.

PRIZE PAYOUT

1st $800 2nd $540 3rd $330 4th $220 5/6 $135/$135 7/8 $100/100 9/12 $75

Arturo Reyes Alan Chan Ra Hanna Rikki Ragoonanan Justin Muller, Troy Deocharan Brian Hunter, Kapriel Delimelkonoglu Mark Mallari, Stewart Warnock, Alex Borukhovich, Wilfredo Albay

Three top finishers from right to left: 1st place Arturo Reyes; middle 3rd place Ra Hanna; left 2nd place Alan Chan.

Manlulu Undefeated at Sandcastle PRIZE PAYOUT

(l to r) Chris Luethl, Scott Abramowitz, Ed Manlulu Ed Manlulu Undefeated in Tri-State Tour B/D at Sandcastle Billiards (Edison, NJ-Jan 16th). His winning trail included wins over John Egeln 7 - 3; Paul Everton 7 - 2; James DiLillo 7 - 6; George Osipovitch 7 - 5; fo the Hot Seat Chris Luethi 7 - 1; and in the Finals Chris Luethi 7 - 5. Congratulations to 2nd place finisher, Chris Luethi with a 6-2 win/loss record and 3rd place finisher Scott Abromowitz going 7 & 2. Special thanks go to Sierra Cues, Ozone Billiards and Milliken SuperPro professional cue sports cloth for sponsorship related to this event. Upcoming Special C/D event on January 23rd at Castle Billiards, E. Rutherford, N.J. The next Tri-State event scheduled to be at Sandcastle Blliards is an A/D Special Format on February 20th.

4 Stroke Magazine - February 2010

1st

$530

Ed Manlulu

2nd

$310

Chris Luethi

3rd

$210

Scott Abramowitz

4th

$125

Raul Reyes, Jr.

5/6th

$75/$75

Gary Murgia, George Osipovitch

Fitch Undefeated in Greensboro By Skip Maloney Shannon Fitch took two from Jeff Pruitt - once, in the hot seat and a second time in the finals - to finish undefeated on the DMIRO Tour stop in Greensboro, NC on the weekend of January 9-10, 2010. The $1,000-added event drew 27 entrants to Gate City Billiards in Greensboro. From among the winners’ side final four, Fitch got into the hot seat match with a 9-4 win over Michael Champagne. Pruitt joined him, following a 9-3 victory over Jerry Hilton. Fitch moved into the hot seat

South takes GSBT stop Article and Photos courtesy of Great Southern Billiard Tour Photo: Henry Cofer, Shannon Daulton, & Robert South

with a 9-7 win over Pruitt, and waited for him to come back. On the one-loss side, Derek Leonard, who’d been sent west by Fitch from among the winners’ side final eight, was waiting for Hilton. Leonard had won his opening match on the one-loss side, defeating Anthony Arney 9-2 and followed that with a 9-5 win over Jeff Abernathy. Adam Stanton, after victories over Danny Mastermaker 9-6 and Tony Morrison 9-5, faced Champagne. With ‘eyes on the prize’ – a rematch against Fitch – Leonard got by Hilton 9-6, as Champagne was busy surviving a hill-hill match against Stanton. Leonard moved a step closer with a commanding 9-1 victory over Champagne in the quarterfinals that followed. Leonard and Pruitt, both with a single defeat at the hands of Fitch, squared off in the semifinals. The two battled back and forth to double hill before Pruitt closed it out and got his second chance at Fitch. In the extended race-to-13 finals, though, Fitch repeated his earlier effort. He improved his margin of victory in the hot seat match by just over 10%, winning the finals 13-6 and taking home the first place prize.

RESULTS: 1st place

$860

Shannon Fitch

2nd place

$610

Jeff Pruitt

3rd place

$310

Derek Leonard

4th place

$210

Mike Champagne

5th place

$100

Adam Stanton, Jerry Hilton

7th place

$50

Jeff Abernathy, Tony Morrison

Robert South held off a strong, one-loss side challenge by Henry Cofer to win the second set of a true double elimination final and capture the first place prize in the Great Southern Billiard Tour stop on the weekend of January 9-10. The $1,500-added amateur event drew 64 competitors to The POOL Room in Duluth, GA. South got into the hot seat from among the winners’ side final four by defeating Denny Singletary 7-4 and then surviving a hill-hill struggle against Horace Goodwin. Goodwin had sent Chad Rowal west 11-4. Cofer, in the meantime, who’d been sent west by young Adam Pendley 11-5 in the third round, was on a seven-win march to the finals. Moving among the event’s final 12 players, he got by Benny Conway, Jr. 7-7 (Conway had to get to 11) and Jeff Hooks 7-6 (Hooks had to get to 9) for the right to meet Singletary. It was Mike Basha, following victories over Pendley 7-6 and a double hill battle against Randy Jordan, who was there to meet Rowal. Rowal survived a hill-hill struggle against Basha to get into the quarterfinals, and with Singletary needing to reach 9 games, Cofer joined Rowal with a 7-6 win. Cofer then dropped Rowal into fourth place 7-5 and defeated Goodwin 7-4 in the semifinals. With six in a row under his belt, and two, straight-up matches to seven games on tap, Cofer took the opening set of the true double elimination final 7-2. South, though, rallied to take the second set 7-4 and took home the first place prize.

T J’s Billiards Maine State

Nineball Championships February 13th & 14th 2010

Both events streaming live @

www.ustream.tv/channel/tjsbilliards 14.1 Airport Rd Waterville, ME 207-877-POOL (7665)

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February 2010 - Stroke Magazine 5

It’s Time for the Six O’clock System By Bill Smith “Mr3Cushion”, Old School Pool.net

FREQUENTLY THE BALLS will be left in a straight line, resembling the 6 o'clock position of a clock's hands. I place a very high priority on knowing exactly how to aim at the object ball in this situation, because if you don't strike that object ball properly, the rest of the shot is doomed to failure. Accordingly, this is another ball-aiming and cuetechnique system of sorts. The basic information you'll need is how the cue ball caroms off the object ball when certain strokes are applied, and on centerball as well as highcenter cue-ball hits. When you hit the cue ball in the dead center and strike the object ball half-full, (that means you aim the cue-tip at the edge of the first object ball), you achieve a carom of wider angle than you would by applying 12 o'clock English. Also, by keeping the cue tip on the cue ball a fraction of a second longer, you can create a wider carom than with a shorter stroke

All three diagrams show the most common position for this type of shot. The cue ball and the second object ball are in opposite diagonal corners; the first object ball lies at varying distances from the second, and all three are in a straight line for the 6 o'clock look. The setup in Diagram 1 requires you to strike the cue ball dead center and aim the tip of the cue at the left edge of the first ball (in other words, you're aiming for half a ball). Use a normal follow-through, that is, the same length as your bridge. 6 Stroke Magazine - February 2010

An added bonus for the correct execution will be a favorable position for your next shot. In Diagram 2, the first object ball is one diamond closer to the cue ball, giving us a different angle into the first cushion. Thus we'll apply 12 o'clock English here, but the hit always remains the same. Your normal stroke will serve well again here. In Diagram 3, use the same hit and English as in Diagram 2, but use a shorter stroke. That will help keep your cue ball from making too wide a carom and will flatten its path a bit as it rebounds off the first rail. If the second ball lies up the long rail a diamond or so, use a little running English or a different stroke. I’m glad to announce that my book and DVD, “The Concise Book of Position Play”, is ready to take PRE PAID orders to PAY PAL ONLY, retail price $59.95 for the set, for the reader’s of “On The Break News”, I’m offering a 20% discount, plus FREE S&H in US, your cost $48.95. My Email address is mr3cushion@live.com, I think everyone will able to appreciate and improve their 3 cushion game from this work.

Corner vs. Side By Samm Diep, PoolTipJar.com © February 2010

[The following article was a submission to the first edition of PoolSynergy (a collection of the best writing in pool). The theme was “STRATEGY.” The host and theme changes from month to month. Visit PoolTipJar. com for a complete list of each month’s host and their theme.] Samm Diep One of the biggest breakthroughs that I personally made, particularly in big table 9-ball, was to understand when to play position for a ball in the side pocket versus in the corner pocket. Having more of a bar table 8-ball background, it’s very natural and often times preferred to play position for balls in the corner pocket. On the bar table, the corner pocket is much more forgiving and does not require as pinpoint position to get to the next shot. However, once you step up to the big table, your patterns must also. In Diagram 1, take a look at where the 1, 2, 3, and 4 balls are sitting. Beginner players will often play position for these balls in their nearest corner pockets. If they’re not careful, they can turn a connect-the-dots run out into a hairy one. Whenever possible, consider playing position for balls in the yellow shaded area in the side pocket. For instance, take a look Diagram 2. A careless player may opt to just shoot a stop shot on the 6 ball for position A. If they're lackadaisical, they may just eyeball the shot on the 7 ball. Without

being deliberate on their position, they now flirt with the side pocket. The path to get from the 7 to the 8 now becomes much more limited and the shot on the 7 ball also becomes a little more difficult. They’re forced to shoot above center and just come one rail against the line of the shot for the 8. The player could also roll forward (not shown in diagram) to get on the inside of the 7 ball. This leaves a longer shot on the 7 ball and also adds an extra level of difficulty to the shot. There is also a risk of scratching in the opposite side pocket for position. Instead, when they draw back to play position for the 7 ball in the

side pocket, the window to play position for the 8 ball now becomes much greater. The 7 in the side is a much easier shot and it’s natural to move the cue ball three rails for position on the 8. If they draw back too far, they can go forward one rail to come straight across for position. Choosing to play the 7 in side reduces the chances for error. Once I began playing position for these shots in the side pocket, it increased my run out percentages and made them much more effortless. Look for balls that can go in the side pockets and play position for them three balls ahead. Keep in mind, there are times when the corner pocket trumps the side pocket. See Diagram 1. A good rule of thumb is to play position for balls in the blue shaded area into the corner pocket. When balls fall in that region, the opening to the side pocket becomes much narrower. Side pocket shots are less welcoming and often times impossible. If you’re ever in doubt, draw an imaginary line from the center diamond to the side pocket. If your shot falls in that area, take it up to the corner. Remember to look for patterns that require natural movement of the cue ball. Whenever we have to force/create an angle with the cue ball it makes the shot much more difficult. Look for the nearest pockets to the balls and see if there’s a natural track for position from that pocket. We always want the path of least resistance. If you are interested in participating in the PoolSynergy as a blogger or a guest writer, please contact me for more details. Visit PoolTipJar.com “random smatterings of pool thoughts, articles, & news”. Take polls, view article archives, and read tournament and training updates. February 2010 - Stroke Magazine 7

CROWN CUES PLAYERS Many of you know that Crown Cues tries to stay involved in the pool industry, but you may not have realized we also sponsor a couple of terrific artistic pool players. We are proud to be represented by both of these guys and decided to share a little about them in this month's

article. JAMEY "SHARP-SHOOTER" GRAY is one of the top artistic pool players in the world. He is the current WPA World Artistic Pool Champion He has been shooting trick shots professionally, since March of 2007. Jamey grew up in Jewett City, CT, playing pool as soon as he was big enough to see over a pool table. When he turned

18, he began frequenting pool halls, learning from experienced players and every book and video he could acquire. At age 21, Jamey joined the APA and soon moved up to the highest ranks as a "7" in 8 Ball and a "9" in 9 Ball. At the age of 24, Jamey met his loving wife, Beverly, while playing pool. They married exactly two years later, on the same day. Jamey took some time away from pool to start his family and be with them during those early years. His children now enjoy playing pool and doing trick shots and his wife is his biggest supporter. In 2007, Bruce Barthelette introduced Jamey to professional trick shots. Jamey took 12th place in his first tournament - the 2007 Artistic Pool Masters at the Allen Hopkins Super Billiards Expo, in PA. He earned the title of World Champion at his fourth tournament. Some of Jamey's' greatest artistic pool achievements are: 1. 1st Place - 2008 WPA World Artistic Pool Championship 2. 1st Place - Open Table Talent Night - Dr. Cue Artistic Cup II 3. 2nd Place - 2009 Ultimate Trick Shot Challenge 4. 2nd Place - Dr. Cue Artistic Cup III 5. 2nd Place - 2010 Ultimate Trick Shot Tour Stop #1 6. 2nd Place and winner of Draw and Masse' Disciplines - Dr. Cue

Artistic Cup II Jamey can be found making the professional artistic pool circuit and he is also available for some very entertaining exhibitions. For more information, visit his website at graypool.com TIM "THE DRAGON" CHIN is a world-ranked trick shot artist and entertainer. He has been shooting trick shots since 2003, after deciding he might excell at it more rapidly than regular pool games. In March of 2006, he finished in 15th place in the first professional tournament competition he entered and has continued to rank highly, ever since. Tim also performs his trick shots for private and corporate events. After a little over 5 years, Tim recently earned his PhD at MIT. He currently lives in the Boston, MA area, after growing up in Richland, WA, the son of a scientist. Tim has achieved a lot in his few years of artistic pool. When asked for his top 5 pool-related accomplishments, he offered this list: 1. Establishing the largest online library of free trick shot videos and tutorials at trickshottim.com 2. 3rd place finish at the Ultimate Trick Shot Challenge, Las Vegas, NV. 2009 3. 3rd place finish at the Comet Classic, Parsippany, NJ. 2008 4. Consulting for Kewpie mayonnaise commercial, Los Angeles, CA. 2008

5. Featured on Boldfacers.com, June, 2009 Tim doesn't really have a pool hero, although there are definitely people and players he has great respect and admiration for. In life, he names his parents as his heroes, for their support, encouragement, and understanding. Watch for Tim in artistic pool competitions across the nation, or hire him for a trick shot exhibition at the next great event you plan. Don't forget to check out the wealth of informational videos and tutorials at Tim's website at trickshottim.com

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Check us out! All new and interactive - Post your comments 8 Stroke Magazine - February 2010

S aunders

and

K ennedy

KING OF THE HILL

(l to r) Tommy Kennedy, Rocky McElroy (owner), Justin Hall Capone’s Billiards lounge in Spring Hill, Fl was the latest venue to host the KF Cue Tour. The Amateur event kicked off on Saturday with 40 players showing up. Georges Saunders was the man on the day to beat as he would make his way to the hotseat with wins over Rick Gatta, Ed Griffin, Lisa Parsons, Derek Greenwood, Josh Lewis and then a close hotseat win over Dan Dennis 7-6. Dan Dennis had made his way to the final with wins over Jeremy Aurswald, Jason Richko, Bill Delisle and Joe Scarborough. Derek Greenwood was making a charge on the one loss side after taking a loss to George Saunders, Greenwood would record wins over Louis Altes, Bill Dunsmore, Joe Scarborough, and Josh Lewis before taking his second Loss of the event to Dan Dennis to finish 3rd. Dan Dennis would now have his rematch with Saunders. This final would prove to be a great one with both players playing great pool and taking the rematch all the way to the last game, with the last game tied at 8-8 there was some great safety exchanges from both players but Saunders would eventually prevail and remain undefeated to take his first KF Cue Tour Title. Saturdays $1000 added event drew a small but high quality field with the talents of Tommy Kennedy, Mike Davis, Justin Hall, Richie Richeson and Louis Altes to mention a few.

(l to r) Dan Dennis, George Saunders

Justin Hall kicked off his day with a tight 7-6 win over Dan Dennis and followed it up with wins over Prescott Buckwold 7-4, Richie Richeson 7-3, Mike Davis 7-5 to get to the AMATEUR EVENT PAYOUTS: 1st

$550

George Saunders

2nd

$400

Dan Dennis

3rd

$300

Derek Greenwood

4th

$200

Josh Lewis

5th/6th $100

Joe Scarborough, Louie Smith

7th/8th $75

Bill Dunsmore, Bill Delisle

9th/12th $50

Coot Highsmith, Bill Stoll, Louis Altes, Wesley White

Top Lady

Bethann Rynd

$20

ADDED EVENT PAYOUTS: 1st

$500

Tommy Kennedy

2nd

$400

Justin Hall

3rd

$300

Louis Altes

4th

$200

Richie Richeson

5th/6th $100

Wesley White, Mike Davis

hotseat match where he would face Louis Altes. Altes made his way to the final with wins over Allen Auman 7-5, Bethann Rynd 7-0, Derek Greenwood 7-5, Wesley White

7-0 for a shot at Hall in the winner’s side final. Hall would come out on top to take the hotseat with a 7-4 win over Altes. While all this was going on Tommy Kennedy who took a 2nd round loss to Mike Davis would go on a mission on the one loss side with wins over Elvis Rodriguez 6-3, Derek Greenwood 6-0, Josh Lewis 6-2, and a strong revenge win over Mike Davis 6-1, Richie Richeson 6-3 and then a close 6-5 win over Louis Altes to leave him in 3rd for the 2nd event in a row. The final was another classic with both players playing very strong pool. This final would go all the way with both players making it to 6 games in the single race to 7. Hall would break the balls dry and Kennedy would take advantage by making the one ball and then playing a great shot on the two ball to set up the winning 3-9 combination to take his 2nd event of the season and move him into no1 position on the open ranking list. We would like to thank Rocky McElroy, Capone’s Billiards lounge owner and their entire staff for hosting another great event in one of Florida’s premier pool halls. Many thanks for the continued support of all our sponsors, who can be viewed at www. kfcuetour.com. The KF Cue Tour will be at Corner Pockets in Orlando, Fl for our next event of the season on the 30th-31st of January for more info check out our website. February 2010 - Stroke Magazine 9

9-Ball Division

One Pocket Division

The One Pocket Division boasted a stellar field of 289 players which ended up with Scott Frost (2nd place 2009) facing Sylver Ochoa. The two competitiors played a skillful match but when it was all over (nearly 3 hours later) Scott Frost was the victor. 1st Scott Frost $20,000 2nd Sylver Ochoa $6,000 3rd Francisco Bustamante $2,500 4th Corey Deuel $1,800 5th Nick Vita $1,800

2010 Derby City Classic Master of the Table Efren Reyes

This is the main event of the Derby City Classic with 257 entries, this field of tough competitors was hard to beat. Jeremy Sossei was the local favorite but lost to Rodney Morris to take 4th place. The finals were set between Efren Reyes from the losers bracket and Rodney Morris. Two major pro players facing off for the $16,000 first place prize money and Reyes would come out on top 704. 1st $16,000 Efren Reyes 2nd $8,000 Rodney Morris 3rd $4,000 Shannon Murphy 4th $4,000 Jeremy Sossei 5th $2,250 Justin Hall 6th $2,250 Billy Bailey

Bob Jewettâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Straight Pool Challenge

Each year at the Derby City Classic Bob Jewett hosts a Straight Pool Challenge and adds $10,000 to the event. Bonuses were also secured for the players for overall high run $1,000 and $1,000 for a run over 200 (courtesy of Diamond Billiards). 1st Charlie Williams $2,500 The 9-Ball Banks Division field was bursting at the seams with 352 2nd Ralph Eckert $1,700 players all vying for the $10,000 first place prize money. John Brumback $1,100 the defending champion was not to be denied. He was not intimidated 3rd John Schmidt 4th Alex Pagulayan $1,100 by meeting Efren Reyes in the finals. 5th Corey Deuel $700 1st $10,000 John Brumback 6th Bobby Hunter $700 2nd $5,000 Efren Reyes 7th Stevie Moore $700 3rd $2,500 Larry Nevel 8th Beau Runningen $700 4-5 $ 1,375 Rafael Martinez, Alex Pagulayan 6-9 $850 Chris Bartram, George Breedlove Shannon Daulton, Truman Hogue 10-16 $550 Bill Bailey, Danny Harriman, Neil Jacobs This was the second year for this event and it Michael Laney, Clent McCollough, Steve Moore featured 16 players being invited to this $5,000 Mark Slye, Jr. added tournament. Reyes was undefeated in the field. 1st Efren Reyes $6,500 2nd Brandon Shuff $3,250 3rd Shannon Murphy $1,625 4th Johnny Archer $1,625

9-Ball Banks Division

Fat Boy Challenge

10 Stroke Magazine - February 2010

February 2010 - Stroke Magazine 11

First Central Carolina 9 Ball Classic We had a great turnout for the first ever Central Carolina 9 Ball Classic at Gate City Billiards Club in Greensboro, NC. 51 players entered the event, many local but many from out of state, all seeking the promised $1,500 minimum 1st prize. It drew a strong field of players including, BJ Ussery, Scott Lewis, Tony Morrison, Eddie Little, Derek Leonard, Jeff Pruitt, and many more. This was a one day single elimination event with a race to 9 in all but the final which had a race to 11. The tournament started at 2:00 EST Saturday, January 23rd and ended just before midnight. Eddie Little out lasted BJ Ussery in the finals to take home the 1st place prize, a total of $2,000 (purse plus auction). BJ walked away with $1,000 total prize money for 2nd place. SPONSORS: • Southeast Tech Fore (Mike Orrell) $1,000 towards purse • Gate City Billiards Club (Don Liebes) $500 towards purse • Sign Language (Tommy Lyles) provided t-shirts for all of the participants

RESULTS: In • • • •

the quarter finals (Losers won $110 each): Adam Stanton defeated Paul Mullins 9 to 7 Eddie Little defeated Scott Lewis 9 to 6 Bob Strandburg defeated Sidney Champion 9 to 6 BJ Ussery defeated Jason Hayward 9 to 8

In the semi finals (Losers won $500 total each): • Eddie Little defeated Adam Stanton 9 to 8 • BJ Ussery defeated Bobby Strandburg 9 to 2 In the finals (BJ earned $1,000 total and Eddie won $2,000 total): • Eddie Little defeated BJ Ussery 11 to 9

RA HANNA WINS TRI STATE AT CASTLE BILLIARDS

E Rutherford NJ Jan. 23, 2010 - Ra Hanna went to the hot seat after some early close matches and sent dave shlemperis to the loser side in the hot seat match. Meanwhile, on the loser's side, tri chau was on his way to winning 5 matches in a row for a shot at the title. In the semifinal, shlemperis tokk a commanding 4-1 lead until chau comes back winning the next 5 racks finishing with the last 2 racks making the 9 on the break. ironically, in the finals againt hanna, chau took a 5-2 lead till hanna wins the next 4 racks ending it with a 9 on the break. The the tristate tour would like to thank ozone billiards for supplying us with a Pechauer custom cue that was given to the winner of the tourney. RESUTS: 1st $500 2nd $350 3rd $200 4th $140 5th - 6th $100 7th - 8th $55 9th - 12th

Ra Hanna Tri Chau Dave Shlemperis Annie Flores Randy Mackin, Pho Tran Minnie Trobiano, Andrew Boryszewski Peter Brennan, Sandie Patarino Richard Ng, Jorge Szymanski

From left to right are Tri Chau (second place), Bill Focaccia (tour director) and Ra Hanna (winner) holding the Pechauer cue.

Pocketeer Billiards Monday Madness Unlimited pool play 3 pm - midnight every Monday for only $10 per person.

Mondays 7:00 pm

Amateur tournament - $10 entry race to 3 2444 Clinton Street, Cheektowaga, NY

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12 Stroke Magazine - February 2010

Tour Stop #9 goes to Davis

Boys & Girls Club Has Special Visitor Renee' La Viness - www.crowncues.biz Scott Lee of "The Traveling College of Billiard Knowledge," makes his way across this great nation every year, helping people learn to play a better game of pool. On January 14th, he stopped in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and spent a little free time helping the senior citizens down at the senior center's pool room, then he spent a couple of fun hours with the kids at the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club. Mr. Lee talked to them about rules, etiquette and the fundamentals, as well as showing them a few trick shots. He played a few games with some of them, before he left. Quite a few kids were there for the event. His time was well spent and greatly appreciated. Also donating their time and efforts to make this event a success, were Gene La Viness, of Crown Cues, who regularly keeps the club's pool cues tipped and functional and Josh Homes, of One Billiards, who was kind enough to level the tables for the event. A big thank you to all involved in making this event such a great success for the kids. When people come together for a good cause, great things can happen.

Masters Invites Announced

Seven Former Champs in Vegas Line Up 32 invited players for the 2010 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters

Austria (1) - Jasmin Ouschan; Canada (1) - Tyler Edey; China (1) - Fu Jianbo; Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) (1) - Ko Pin-yi; England (5) - Darren Appleton, Allison Fisher, Mark Gray, Imran Majid, Daryl Peach; Finland (1) - Mika Immonen; Germany (2) - Thorsten Hohmann, Ralf Souquet Holland (1) - Niels Feijen; India (1) - Raj Hundal; Korea (1) - Yu Ram Cha; Malta (1) - Tony Drago; Philippines (5) - Francisco Bustamante, Dennis Orcollo, Alex Pagulayan, Efren Reyes, Lee Van Corteza; Poland (1) - Mateusz Sniegocki; Spain (1) - David Alcaide; Sweden (1) - Marcus Chamat; USA (8) - Johnny Archer, Corey Deuel, Oscar Dominguez, Dennis Hatch, Rodney Morris, John Schmidt, Shane Van Boening and Charlie Williams (All players appear subject to contract)

Tour stop #9 of the Dominiak Cues Northeast Amateur 10-Ball Tour was hosted by Pool Table Magic in Windsor Locks, CT on Saturday January 16th with a strong field of 28 players. The tour would like to extend a big thank you to owner Mark Kulungian and the great staff for being a fantastic host once again! A contingent of regular tour players including Steve Parise, Brandon Charin, Dave Walsh, Rodney Polak, Chuck Hill, Mike Esposito, Ryan Bijur, Mike Wheeler, Gene Hunt and Pete Brown were in attendence. Many new faces were also in attendence including Lorenzo Reyes, Vishal Bajag, Rich Senna, Bud Rabideau, Nick Conner and Ron Neubauer. Janet Tycks was the lone women in the field taking advantage of the free entry for all women, we also wished Janet a happy birthday as she was celebrating her 29th!. Players came from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island in attempt to capture the title of tour stop #9. The top half of the winners side brackets saw former tour stop winner Phil Davis make his way to the hotseat match with closely contested matches over Adam Blair, Janet Tycks, Jason Noble and Lorenzo Reyes. On the bottom half of the winners side chart tour newcommer Nick Conner was playing steady and fought his way to the hotseat match with wins over Ryan Bijur, Rich Senna, Mark Kulungian and Steve Parise. The hotseat match between Phil Davis and Nick would see Phil display his shotmaking skills and come out on top to advance to the finals. Nick Conner would take his seat on the 1 loss side and wait for an opponent to come through and try and get another shot at Phil Davis in the finals. Tour newcommer Rich Senna would be the player that made his way through the 1 loss side to meet up with Nick Conner and play for a spot in the 1 race to 5 finals against Phil Davis. Rich was also sent to the 1 loss side earlier by Nick Conner, so Rich was looking to avenge that earlier loss. This match went back and forth in a closely contested battle, but in the end it was Nick coming out on top once again over Rich Senna. This set up the rematch between Phil Davis and Nick Conner in the race to 5 finals. Congrats to Rich Senna on a strong 3rd place finish! The finals kicked off about 9pm for the 1 race to 5 finals. The final match would see Phil Davis take full advantage of all opportunities and grab an early 3-1 lead. The players then traded the next 2 games to make the score 4-2 in favor of Phil Davis and putting Phil on the hill. But Nick was unphased and proceeded to run the next 2 racks to bring the match hill/hill. The final game would see the players trade an opportunity at the table, after Phil jawwed the 8 ball Nick was left with either a difficult long bank or a tricky long safety. Nick went for the bank after contemplating the situation but came up dry. Phil was able to get out from the table layout and take home his second Dominiak Cues Tour Stop of the season. Congrats to Nick Conner on a very strong 2nd place finish! Rodney Polak held the winning ticket for the new beautiful Dominiak Cue. Every player entered receives a raffle ticket for a new Dominiak Cue at every tour stop this season. On behalf of all the players we thank Bill Dominiak www.DominiakCues. com for his support in sponsoring the tour with adding a new Dominiak Cue to each tour stop. We would also like to thank our co-sponsors www.LeagueShirts.com and www.Rackemwear.com for their continued support of the tour. The tour will be in Clifton Park, NY Sunday January 31st, hope to see you there! RESULTS: 1st place 2nd place 3rd place 4th place 5th/6th 5th/6th 7th/8th 7th/8th

$225 $165 $100 $75 $35 $35 $20 $20

Phil Davis Nick Conner Rich Senna Eric Tang Lorenzo Reyes Steve Parise Jason Noble Mark Kulungian

February 2010 - Stroke Magazine 13

Call First - All Tournaments are subject to change without notice

DATE Feb 6-7 Feb 13 Feb 13-14 Feb 13-14 Feb 14 Feb 17-21

CITY Ashboro, NC Gainesville, FL E Yorkville, NY Palm Harbor, FL Springfield, MA Tacoma, WA

LOCATION PHONE EVENT / RULES ENTRY ADDED Zoo City Saloon (336) 683-0021 GSBT 9-Ball A/B amateur Call $1,500 Art of Billiards (352) 225-3535 9-Ball Open - Men/Women $25/$20 $500 Guar 1st Hippo’s (315) 768-0218 CNY 9-Ball Tour $105 $600 Strokers Billiards (727) 786-6683 KF Cues Tour Amateur/Open Call $2,000 Snookers Billiards www.dominiakcuestour.com 10 Ball Dominiak Cues Tour $25+$10 $350 in prizes Elks Lodge (See ad p11) (253) 584-3994 USBA 3 Cushion Nat’l Champ. www.otbntv.com or www.ustream.tv/channel/otbntv-live Feb 20-21 Amsterdam, NY Main Street Billiards (518) 705-1173 Joss NE 9 Ball Tour Call $2,000 Feb 22-24 Reno, NV Sands Regency (702) 719-7665 10-Ball Bar Table Champ. $125 $6,000 Feb 24-26 Reno, NV Sands Regency (702) 719-7665 9-Ball Bar Table Champ. $125 $6,000 Feb 24-26 Reno, NV Sands Regency (702) 719-7665 9-Ball Bar Table Champ. Wms $75 $1,000 w/16 Feb 26-28 Reno, NV Sands Regency (702) 719-7665 8-Ball Bar Table Champ. $125 $7,000 Feb 26-28 Reno, NV Sands Regency (702) 719-7665 8-Ball Bar Table Champ. Wms $75 $1,000 w/16 Feb 27-28 Longwood, FL Fast Break Billiards (407) 830-1036 KF Cues Tour Amateur/Open Call $2,000 Feb 27-28 N Syracuse, NY Salt City Billiards (315) 454-8643 CNY 9-Ball Tour $105 $600 Feb 27-28 Woburn, MA Silver Cue Billiards (781) 933-9771 Joss NE 9 Ball Tour Call $2,000 Feb 27-28 Sunnyside, NY Master Billiards (718) 706-6789 Predator 9 Ball Tour ABCD Call $1,000 Feb 28 Ayer, MA The Billiards Cafe www.dominiakcuestour.com 10 Ball Dominiak Cues Tour $25+$10 $350 in prizes Mar 6 Gainesville, FL Art of Billiards (352) 225-3535 9-Ball Open - Men/Women $25/$20 $500 Guar 1st Mar 6-7 Syracuse, NY Cap’s Cue Club (315) 701-0101 Joss NE 9 Ball Tour Call $1,500 Mar 6-7 W Hempstead, NY Raxx Pool Room (516) 538-9896 Predator Empire State ABCD Call $2,500 Mar 13-14 Tampa, FL Strokers 2 Billiards (813) 814-2277 KF Cues Tour Amateur/Open Call $2,000 Mar 13-14 Cornelius, NC Kylie’s Sportsbar (704) 895-6944 GSBT 9-Ball A/B amateur Call $1,500 Mar 13-14 Clifton Park, NY Trick Shot Billiards (518) 383-8771 Joss NE 9 Ball Tour Call $2,000 Mar 14 Albany, NY Golden Cue Billiards www.dominiakcuestour.com 10 Ball Dominiak Cues Tour $25+$10 $350 in prizes Mar 26-28 Billings, MT MCMOA (See ad p27) (406) 442-7088 MCMOA State Championships Qual. at bars $25,000 www.otbntv.com or www.ustream.tv/channel/otbntv-live Mar 27-28 Atlanta, GA Mr Cues II (770) 454-7665 Seminole Pro Tour Call $7,000 Mar 27-28 Duluth, GA The Pool Room (770) 418-9086 GSBT 9-Ball A/B amateur Call $1,500 Mar 27-28 Merritt Island, FL Island Breakers (321) 459-9100 KF Cues Tour Amateur/Open Call $2,000 Mar 27-28 Rochester, NY Classic Billiards (585) 227-7400 Joss NE 9 Ball Tour Call $2,000 Mar 27-28 Sunnyside, NY Master Billiards (718) 706-6789 Predator 9 Ball Tour ABCD Call $1,000 Mar 28 Springfield, MA Snookers Billiards www.dominiakcuestour.com 10 Ball Dominiak Cues Tour $25+$10 $350 in prizes Apr 2-4 Saratoga, WY Platte Valley Open (See ad p31) (307) 329-8924 8-Ball-Master/Classic/Sportsman Div Varies $10,000 www.otbntv.com or www.ustream.tv/channel/otbntv-live Apr 3-4 Syracuse, NY Korky’s Pool Room (315) 488-4888 CNY 9-Ball Tour $105 $600 Apr 10-11 Jacksonville, FL Bankshots Billiards (904) 998-2100 Seminole Pro Tour Call $7,000 Apr 17-18 Albany, NY Golden Cue Billiards (518) 459-9442 Joss NE 9-Ball Open XXIII $100 $2000 added May 15-16 Greensboro, NC Gate City Billiards (336) 856-8800 GSBT 9-Ball A/B amateur Call $1,500 May 14-22 Las Vegas, NV BCAPL (702) 719-7665 8-Ball National Champ *(based on 2008) Varies $750,000* entries May 17-22 Las Vegas, NV BCAPL (702) 719-7665 U S Open 10-Ball Call $25,000 Guar May 27-Jun 5 Las Vegas, NV VNEA (800) 544-1346 VNEA Int’l Championships Varies www.otbntv.com or www.ustream.tv/channel/otbntv-live May 29-31 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Billiards (323) 465-0115 Seminole Pro Tour Call $8,500 Jun 12-13 Spring Hill, FL Capone’s Billiards (352) 688-9965 Seminole Pro Tour Call $7,000 Watch it LIVE on www.OTBnTV.com

Watch it LIVE on www.OTBnTV.com

TIME Call 10 AM Noon Call 11 AM 9:00AM Call Noon Noon Noon Noon Noon Call Noon Call Call 11 AM 10 AM Call Call Call Call Call 11 AM Call Call Call Call Call Call 11 AM 6:00PM Noon Call 10 AM Call Call Call Call Call Call

Attention Pool Players: Do you know of a location that doesn’t receive STROKE - Call or email info on page 3

CUESIGHT JOINS HAITI RELIEF EFFORTS CueSight, an online retailer of pool cues and other billiards supplies, wants to make a difference in the devastated lives of the children affected by the recent earthquakes in Haiti by donating 10% of sales, from February 1st until February 7th, to World Vision. With every ordered placed, customers can be sure that they are contributing to the aid of orphans and other children in this decimated region. Heidi Taylor, Director of Operations for CueSight, commented, “We are already familiar with World Vision’s work, and have confidence in their ability to help those who need it the most. Besides contributing on a personal level, we felt it important to exercise our 14 Stroke Magazine - February 2010

ability as a company to contribute as well.” CueSight, along with their customers, can assist World Vision’s effort to distribute life-saving relief supplies - including food, clean water, blankets, and tents - to the children and families devastated by the earthquake and aftershocks in Haiti. World Vision is a charity devoted to helping children all over the world. They have worked in Haiti for over 30 years and have more than 800 staff members on the ground. A special relief effort has been set up for the victims of the earthquakes in Haiti. World Vision has a four-star rating, the highest available, from CharityNavigator.org, an organization that

helps people to determine which charities operate most effectively. For more information regarding World Vision, visit their website at http://www.worldvision. org. CueSight is an online retailer located in Matthews, NC. They specialize in billiards supplies and carry such brands as Fury, Milliken,Blaze, Viking, Aramith, Simonis, Slippy, and many others. For more information about CueSight you can visit their website at http://www.cuesight.com or call 1-800-660-2572. CueSight • 3372 Smith Farm Rd • Matthews, NC 28104 • 1-800-660-2572 www.cuesight.com

February 2010 - Stroke Magazine 15

16 Stroke Magazine - January 2010