April
2012
Instruction 6
Beat People With a Stick 90% Physical, 90% Mental
8
Pro Pool Workout Short Split off the Side Rail
10 Confessions of a Pool Hustler This is How We Kick ’Em in the South
Features 12
Beckley Wrests Title From Saez Wins Open 8-Ball Division of 19th U.S. Bar Table Championships
14
Chang’s Dreams Come True Captures First World Championship Title in Fujairah
On the Cover: The student surpassed the master when Chang Jun Lin bested his teacher, Fu Chei Wei, in the all-Taiwan finals of the World 8-Ball Championships in Fujairah to take the title and $20,000 first-place prize money. For the full story, please visit page 14.
2 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ April 2012
contents 32
Publisher JR Calvert publisher@insidepoolmag.com Editor Sally P. Timko editor@insidepoolmag.com Graphic Artists Laura Luzier art@insidepoolmag.com Allen Hopkins Jr. Editorial Assistant Lea Andrews Advertising Sales Director Bill Perry sales@insidepoolmag.com Technical Consultant Tom Simpson
14 12
Staff Videographer Alvin Nelson Feature Photo Credits JR Calvert, Ted Lerner E-mail info@insidepoolmag.com Website www.insidepoolmag.com Instructional Staff Johnny Archer, Shannon Daulton, Bob Henning, Robert LeBlanc, Tom Simpson Contributing Writers Fred Agnir, Rob Johnson, Ted Lerner, Ken Shuman Toll Free 888-428-7665
Departments 4 4 24
Pool on TV Advertiser Directory APA Player of the Month
26 28 30
Northeast Southeast Central
Regional Roundup
Columns 20 22 26 32
Stripes Decisions at Derby Industry News SudoCue Puzzle Break Shot Word Puzzle A Day Without Laughter ‌
Administrative Offices PO Box 972, Kittanning, PA 16201 InsidePOOL Magazine Volume XII, Issue 4 (ISSN1547-3511) is published monthly except June and August by Spheragon Publishing, PO Box 972, Kittanning, PA 16201. Single copy price: $3.95 in U.S.A., $5.95 in Canada. Subscription prices: $19.99/yr in the U.S.A., $28/yr in Canada, $39/yr international. Periodicals postage at Kittanning, PA, and additional mailing offices. Submissions of manuscripts, illustrations, and/or photographs must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The publisher assumed no responsibility for unsolicited material. Reproduction of this magazine in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: InsidePOOL Magazine, PO Box 972, Kittanning, PA 16201. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. April 2012 â—Š InsidePOOLmag.com 3
Live Streams Poison Tour Lone Star Billiards Tour Poison Tour Poison by Predator Tour Lone Star Billiards Tour Lone Star Billiards Tour Lone Star Billiards Tour Poison by Predator Tour
Capone’s Billiards Bogie’s Billiards and Games Cunningham’s Billiards Bogie’s Billiards and Games Bogie’s Billiards and Games Skinny Bob’s Billiards Hawley’s Billiards Bogie’s Billiards and Games
March 31-April 1 April 14-15 April 21-22 June 6 July 7-8 August 11-12 October 13-14 November 3
www.uspoisontour.com www.lonestarbilliardstour.com www.uspoisontour.com www.pxptour.com www.lonestarbilliardstour.com www.lonestarbilliardstour.com www.lonestarbilliardstour.com www.pxptour.com
Please visit InsidePOOLmag.com for television schedules.
Advertiser Directory
To contact any of our advertisers, visit their website, send an e-mail, or give them a call. A Pool Lesson With Jerry Briesath www.poollessons.com American Poolplayers Association www.poolplayers.com
19 21, 25
McDermott Handcrafted Cues www.mcdermottcue.com Mueller Recreational Products www.poolndarts.com
1 24, 30
Atlas Billiard Supplies www.cuestik.com
5
OB Cues www.obcues.com
13
Bebob Publishing www.bebobpublishing.com
24
Pool Player Excuses Towel www.poolplayerexcuses.com
22
Billiards Express www.billiardsexpress.com
9
Road Player Billiards www.roadplayerbilliards.com
22
Fury Cues www.fury-cues.com
Back Cover
Sterling Gaming, Inc. www.sterling-gaming.com
Inside Front Cover, 11
InsidePOOL Video www.insidepoolmag.com
23
Tiger Products, Inc. www.tigerproducts.com
Jim Murnak Custom Cue Cases www.jimmurnakcuecases.com
28
Tom Simpson, Billiard Instruction www.poolclinics.com
Kamui Tips America www.kamuitips.com
4 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ April 2012
Inside Back Cover
7 22, 29
>
Instruction 90% Physical, 90% Mental W
e’ve all heard the old saying, “Pool is ninety percent mental.” Sounds all cool and wise. But we’ve all worked darned hard on developing and maintaining our physical skills. How we move our arm, how we form bridges, how we find and settle in our stance, and on and on. Is this saying trying to say that, really, the mental side is everything? Actually, I think it’s trying to jolt you into giving more credit to the so-called mental side of the game. I say pool is 90% physical, 90% mental, and the rest is emotional. Huh? I want you to respect the contributions and power of each dimension of the game. It’s not all physical, all mental, all emotional, all anything. Pool is a complex interweaving of these aspects and more. It all works together. To me, the physical side of the game is all about what you can control with your body. How do you arrange your body to shoot a shot? How do you align to the shot and move the stick? Physical is everything to do with hitting the ball. The mental game is all the thinking and planning involved in preparing your strategy for each shot, each inning at the table. We use our considerable brainpower to create ideas for how to play the current situation. In our imagination, we can see the next shot playing out. We make decisions about aim, speed, and spin, and try to think through the possibilities at the table as clearly as our skills, knowledge, and experience support. All that thinking should take place while you’re standing, walking around the table, stalking the layout. Not when you’re down on the shot. Pool instructors like to say, “Don’t shoot in the thinking position. Don’t think in the shooting position.” In other words, make all your decisions before you bend down into the shot. Once the decisions are made and you’re down, all that’s left, ideally, is the physical shooting process. If you’re down on the shot and you change your mind about the plan, you’re now guilty of thinking in the “shooting position,” and you are no longer physically present in your body. You’re in your head, and you can’t shoot from there. We’ve all tried this a zillion times, believing we can successfully make plan changes after we’re down. Nope. The decisions we made before going down set up our body to execute that particular plan. Change the plan without allowing your body to reset and you’re asking for trouble. The presence of mind and the will to back away and reset is part of the emotional side of things. A useful way of understanding this is to consider the emotional aspect of pool to be what guides your decisions and what facilitates or interferes with your physical shot execution. Fear, doubt, expectation, confidence—these emotions and more comprise the climate of your pool playing state of mind. When you’re in an emotional climate of confidence, you play your best. Your thinking is focused and clear. You feel good. You ex-
6 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ April 2012
< by Tom Simpson
pect to make the shots. You expect to get good rolls. You believe in your game. You expect to win. Worry is not part of the picture. But in a climate of doubt, everything is a struggle. You don’t fully believe you can accomplish your plan. Your doubt may cause you to choose weak plans, fearing you won’t be able to execute a more appropriate plan. In a negative emotional climate, you’re getting in your own way. Both your thinking and your execution are impaired. Bottom line: I don’t care how good your planning and shooting skills, if your emotional state is not supportive, you’re not going to play well. So what can we do to move toward playing in an emotional climate that helps us make good use of those physical and mental skills? The first step is to catch yourself. Are you feeling doubt? If you are wavering in your confidence, you are wavering in your body, and thus wavering in your delivery. How to become more confident? If you can get a few minutes of practice time, shoot extremely easy shots. Focus hard on shooting them as effortlessly and as perfectly as possible. Become immersed and fascinated by the process. Practice succeeding. Practice perfection. Practice allowing your body to do what it knows how to do. Build your confidence.
In a climate of doubt, everything is a struggle.
’
In pool school, lots of players tell me they’re having trouble with the mental game, by which they usually mean some days they’re on and some days they’re not. They are frustrated and are beating themselves up mentally—and beating themselves at the table. Our primary approach is to improve the main thing that’s under our personal control—our fundamentals of form, our physical shooting process. Stroke better and confidence goes up. Aim better and confidence goes up with your results. As you can more fully trust your body to do what it should do—and do it accurately and consistently—doubt recedes and confidence becomes the emotional climate. Tail wags dog.
Tom Simpson Tom Simpson is a Master Instructor in both the PBIA and ACS Instructor Programs. He delivers his acclaimed 3-Day Weekend Intensive in 12 cities nationwide. As inventor of Elephant Practice Balls®, the Stroke Groover™, and the Ghostball Aim Trainer®, and authorized instructor for Secret Aiming Systems™, Tom’s innovations in training have helped thousands of players. Listen to an audio description of the Intensive, and read 35 instructional articles at www.NationalBilliardAcademy.com. Contact: Tom@PoolClinics.com.
>
Instruction
< by Bob Henning
Short Split off the Side Rail splits are a category of safety shots inS hort cluded in my new book, Pro Safeties: The
TOP 100 Safety Shots in Pool. In this common type of safety, the overall goal is to move the active ball to one side rail and the cue ball to the other side rail, hopefully getting it behind—or even frozen behind—an obstacle ball. If that is not possible, the second-best outcome is to freeze the object ball behind a cluster or even just a single ball. As long as your opponent has to kick at it, this puts more pressure on him, as the chance of hitting a blocker ball is higher. If you can’t do this, the next-best outcome is to freeze the cue ball to the rail. With any of these outcomes, a simple short split is still often a far better shot choice than attempting a stronger but more difficult and complicated safety that has a higher risk of failure.
4
x
9
6
5
could even attempt to freeze the cue ball behind the 7 or 8 ball, but a little error can leave it out in the open, so make a sound decision before you shoot. This kind of safety often uses another ball to trap the object ball and leave it hidden behind other balls. In this case, the 4 ball is clipped thin and will not travel far, but it will go far enough to be in the open if you fail to use the 6 ball to stop it. Make sure to have the 4 ball hit the long rail. This will help to slow it down and is the easiest way to carom it off the 6 and freeze it to the backside of the 5 ball. The key to this safety is to make sure that you don’t hit the 4 ball too full and bank it past the 6 ball and into view. The second consideration is to use just enough speed and english to get the cue ball to the side rail and behind the blocker balls. If you hit the cue ball too hard and bounce it too far off the rail, you may leave an open shot on the 4. But even then, as long as you stop the 4 with the 6 and keep it hidden behind the 5, you are in good shape. For a variation, move the cue ball to Point X. From this angle it will travel less with the same stroke, possibly not even getting to the second rail. Use a little more speed and a little less english.
7
Good luck and good shootin’!
8
Second variation
Bob Henning The featured safety this month is the Short Split off a Side Rail. In this safety you are moving the balls to the opposite side rails by employing a side rail, not an end rail. There are several configurations to this shot, depending on which ball is being moved the most and how both balls are being stopped at the desired positions. As shown in the graphic, for example, our featured shot relies primarily on moving the cue ball cross-side to hide behind the 7. If the speed is right and you’re feeling confident, you 8 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ April 2012
Bob Henning is the author of The Pro Book, widely considered to be the most advanced training resource for competitive pool players. It brings the latest techniques of the top coaches and trainers of all sports into pool. It is intended for those who wish to prepare physically, mentally, and psychologically for pool competition. Bob is also the author of “The Pro Book Video Series,” a complete, on-the-table training system, and he also released The Advanced Pro Book and The Stroke Zone: The Pool Player’s Guide to Dead Stroke. In addition, he has authored Cornbread Red, a biography of the colorful Billy Burge. Bob recently released a new book titled Pro Safeties: The TOP 100 Safety Shots in Pool.
>
Instruction
< by Robert LeBlanc
This is How We Kick ’Em in the South playing pool in Memphis, Tennessee, in the midW hile 60s, I was fortunate to hang around with and watch
one of my favorite players of all times, Sonny Springer from Mantee, Mississippi, who sadly passed away in 2006. He and I became good friends and took a couple of short road trips together. Sonny was one of the best one-pocket players in the country, and he liked to bet it up high with his own cash. He was a big gambler, a high roller, and a real flashy guy. Back then so many one-pocket players would always say that you should never kick at a ball, but now, no one can kick at a ball better than one-pocket master Scott “The Freezer” Frost. All the great players would come in from all over the country to match up at Richard’s poolroom in Southaven. When Sonny walked in the room and started playing it was magical to watch the beautiful stroke he had. It seems left-handed players always looked so special.
I learned two kick shots from a couple of situations that Sonny shot. They are very simple, but if you’re learning the game, remember these shots because they will definitely be beneficial to add to your arsenal. In Diagram 1, I am shooting at my pocket, and this is the table after my opponent shot the 14 ball after my break. I shoot into the side rail with top left english (11 o’clock ), and the cue ball kicks into the side of the rack and floats down to the end rail, leaving a few balls in front of my pocket. In Diagram 2, I have my pocket and I’m left with another kick shot. To execute the shot, I need to hit the cue ball into the side rail with right english. This sends the cue ball kicking into the 3 ball, driving it toward my pocket with the cue ball going into the stack. If I hit it well and the ball goes, I might run out. If the ball doesn’t go, I still have my opponent in jail. Diagram 2
My Pocket
12 9
13 4
1 5
11
2 6
10
Years later in 1974, my friend Craig and I were on the road, and I played Sonny some $100 one-pocket at Highland Cue in Memphis. After Sonny had beaten me eight games in a row, Craig asked, “What should we do? We only have two hundred dollars left!” I said, “Let’s bet two hundred dollars a game; we have one barrel so maybe I can outrun this trap!” I got really lucky and won four games back and we escaped.
14
8
7
3
Diagram 2 results
My Pocket 3
Diagram 1 My Pocket 14
12
13
9 1 5
11 10
14
4 8 6
7
9 3
1
4
5
11 2
8
6
7
15
13
12
Diagram 1 results My Pocket 14
1
3
9
5
11
4 2 15
8 6
7 13
12
10 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ April 2012
Well players, these two shots are pretty basic, but it doesn’t matter how simple a shot is: If you perfect it, it will help you get the cheese when the situation arises.
Robert LeBlanc
Robert “Cotton” LeBlanc is a well-known pool player and was a roadman for almost 40 years, traveling the country playing virtually all of the pool legends and champions—and making friends with them. Highly skilled himself, he is the author of the best-selling book Confessions of a Pool Hustler, which chronicles his life and hundreds of stories about being on the road. Visit his website at www.confessionsofapoolhustler.com.
Beckley
Wrests Title From
Saez
Wins Open 8-Ball Division of 19th U.S. Bar Table Championships
J
by CSI Staff
eff Beckley went undefeated to take the CSI’s 19th Annual U.S. Bar Table 8-Ball Championships, coming out on top of the 189-player field. The tournament’s first time at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, NV, saw a week of championship-caliber pool, with outstanding performances in all divisions.
The 8-ball event kicked off with 189 entries in the men’s division and 46 entries in the women’s. Beckley, who hails from Indiana, had an impressive tournament run, finishing undefeated and notching wins over notable players such as Jose Parica, Larry “The Truth” Nevel, Francisco Bustamante, and Robb Saez. His win/loss totals were an impressive 45-18. Beckley started out the final day with a hot seat match with Bustamante. He played solid pool and capitalized on a few uncharacteristic mistakes by his opponent. Though Bustamante was a favorite going in, as he had an impressive run, Beckley sent him to the west side of the chart with a 5-3 win and then relaxed until his final match. Saez was all business on Sunday. His eyes were set on Beckley, but he had to get through a host of champions to get to him. Saez started off by knocking out Rodney Morris 5-2, and then he sent Nevel packing with a 5-0 win. Next up was Oscar “The Big O” Dominguez, who was having a great tournament himself. Dominguez was sent to the one-loss side by Bustamante in a match where Dominguez only had two shots. Bustamante broke and ran the first game, and when Dominguez broke the next game, the cue ball got kicked in and Bustamante ran out. Then, predictably, Bustamante broke and ran out. When Dominguez broke the next game, the cue ball was kicked in again, and Bustamante ran out. Now breaking, Bustamante broke and ran the final game for a 5-0 win.
Dominguez gave Saez all he could handle, though, and they
12 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ April 2012
went hill-hill with Saez needing to bank his last solid cross-side and draw his cue ball into the 8 ball, which was tied up with another ball. It was a do-or-die shot, where anything could go wrong and result in an easy win for Dominguez. Undaunted, Saez drilled the bank and drew softly into the 8 ball, freeing it up for an easy shot to win the set. Up next for Saez was Bustamante. Saez had everything rolling for him at this point, and great play and a few rolls allowed him to move on to the finals with a 5-4 victory over “Django.” The double-elimination final match then got underway. Up to that point, it seemed destiny was on Saez’s side, but Beckley had a few tricks up his sleeve. Beckley took an early 3-0 lead, but Saez crept back with a couple of games. Beckley reached the hill first and had a few opportunities to close out the match, but he couldn’t cash in on them. Finally, with a straight-in 8 ball down the rail, Beckley won his first USBTC 8-ball title. Beckley earned $5,700 for his first-place finish, and Saez collected $3,300 for being runner-up. Bustamante took home $2,000 for finishing third, and Dominguez netted $1,200 for fourth. On the women’s side, Stacy Allsup went undefeated and matched up with Melissa Little in the double-elimination final. Little needed to best Allsup two sets to come out on top, but she fell short, as Allsup claimed the first set 4-2. Allsup pocketed $875 for first, while Little took home $550 for her runner-up finish. In the all-around bonus, there was a three-way tie for first place between Shane Van Boening, Glenn Atwell, and Beckley. They split $3,500 in added bonus money provided by CSI. On the women’s side, Rebecca Wagner took home an additional $500 for first place, and Allsup took home $250.
Bill Stock, Jeff Beckley
Dreams Come True Captures First World Championship Title in Fujairah
by Ted Lerner photos courtesy of Ted Lerner and the WPA
C
all it a case of the student surpassing the master. Taiwan’s Chang Jun Lin, who for the last ten years has been a pupil of fellow countryman Fu Chei Wei, did his pool teacher proud by winning the 2012 World 8-Ball Championship, convincingly besting Fu in an all-Taiwan finals in Fujairah 11-6. “It’s like a dream,” Chang said through an interpreter. “To be a world champion. It’s something I dreamed about for a long time.” Offering a total of $156,000 in prize money with $20,000 going to the winner, the tournament was held February 13-17 at the Fujairah Tennis and Country Club in the United Arab Emirates with a stellar cast of 96 pool greats.
14 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ April 2012
Chris Melling
“
Iʼm confident I can win this thing.
After the first day’s play, 17 players punched their ticket through to the final 64 knockout stage. Defending champion Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines had a few shaky moments on the TV table in his match against Kuwait’s Nasser Al Mujaibel but pulled it together for a 7-4 win.
“I missed some easy shots,” Orcollo said. “The pockets are very tight and the table is new so I had to make some adjustments. I’m still focused and I’m confident I can win this thing again.”
- Chris Melling
Also making it through was the runner up in the last two World 8-Ball Championships, the Netherland’s Niels Feijen, who bested Hong Kong’s Lee Chenman 7-3. Current world 9-ball champion Yukio Akagariyama of Japan took down Poland’s Tomasz Kaplan 7-3. England’s Chris Melling looked strong in besting the UAE’s Majid Sultan 7-1. The Philippines’ Lee Van Corteza and Joven Alba also made it through with wins. It was a terrible day for the USA as the lone two players from the home of 8-ball suffered losses. Brandon Shuff came in confident of a win versus Hajato Hijikata of Japan, but the American newcomer couldn’t keep pace and lost 7-5. Max Eberle simply couldn’t get out of the box against Spain’s Carlos Cabello and lost 7-3. “The break is everything here,” Mika Immonen said, repeating an oft-heard sentiment from all the players here. “One dry break can cost you the match. If you break consistently, you’ll win this thing.”
Saving the Day for the USA Facing elimination, and bearing the burden of having to carry the hopes of the United States squarely on his shoulders, Eberle proved his mettle, pulling out a come-from-behind 7-4 win over Singapore’s Kwang Chan Ken to advance to the round of 64. Eberle went into his do-or-die late-night match already knowing he had to carry the flag for the red, white, and blue. Moments earlier, Brandon Shuff, the only other American in this year’s competition, blew a golden opportunity to take down the Netherland’s Nick Van den Berg on the TV table. Shuff was clearing the table with the score tied at 5 and played poor position with just three balls left on the table, leading to a scratch. Van den Berg went up 6-5 and then broke and ran for the 7-5 win.
Liu Haitao April 2012 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 15
“
You really have to beat me.
“I dogged it,” a gutted Shuff said afterward. Things were looking dire for Eberle as well before he decided enough was enough. Leading 3-0, Eberle suffered several dry breaks and soon found himself down 4-3. Then the fight back began. “Mad Max” won four straight racks for the win.
“It was a gritty win,” a delighted Eberle said afterward. “I had to bear down and pull out some good run-outs. I really fought hard and it feels good. America still has hope. I have to pull it out for the USA.”
Down They Go! The championship turned into a wide-open race Wednesday as some of the game’s biggest names, including defending champion Orcollo, last year’s runner-up Feijen, and semifinalist Darren Appleton all were sent packing barely after the knockout stages had gotten going. Other big names, like former champions Ralf Souquet and Karl Boyes, were also handed their walking papers. In all it amounted to a proverbial one-day bloodletting in one of the sport’s biggest championships. The biggest upset of the day was easily Orcollo, who went down hard to upstart Karol Skowerski of Poland. Both Orcollo and Skowerski had won their round of 64 matches earlier in the day, and came up against each other in the first of the round of 32 matches later in the evening. When the defending champion sent the cue off the table on the opening break it must have been a terrible omen for the Filipino, who was certainly expecting to go far in the event he won last year. Indeed things continued downhill even faster for Orcollo as he fell behind 5-0 in the race-to-9, alternate-break contest. The 28-year-old Skowerski, who is ranked number 4 in Poland, took advantage of several errors from the defending champion and played surprisingly confident pool throughout. The Kielce native showed superb potting skills and was never intimidated even when Orcollo began to fight back. In fact, it was the Filipino who seemed to fold as Skowerski won the match 9-3 for the biggest win of his career. “I played well and I really concentrated well the whole match,” an obviously delighted Skowerski said after the match as he was congratulated by teammates Radislaw Babica and Tomasz Kaplan, both of whom were eliminated earlier in the day. “I wasn’t scared and I wasn’t nervous.” At about the same time, Feijen, who’s been
Ko Pin Yi
16 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ April 2012
- Darren Appleton
runner up here two years running, found himself in a difficult match against the talented Ko Pin Yi of Taiwan in a round of 32 contest. Ko, who over the last year has been making it clear he intends to be one of the world’s best players, blew Feijen out of the building, taking the match 9-2. One of the more interesting match-ups of the early sessions in the round of 64 was perennial favorite Souquet taking on Eberle. The last American standing in this year’s championship, he has been openly relishing carrying the mantle for the USA, the ancestral home of 8-ball. “Mad Max” started his match like a man possessed as he jumped out to a 4-0 lead. As expected, “The Surgeon” methodically crawled his way back into the match and looked to be squeezing the air out of the American. Eberle, though, stood his ground and wouldn’t let the German great catch him as he held on for a gritty 9-7 win. “I came out strong and I think that set him back a bit,” Eberle said afterward. “Ralf was tight today. He usually plays cleaner but he kept giving me opportunities.” Appleton came into this year’s championship supremely confident of his chances to take the title, even admitting early in the week that for him to lose, an opposing player would have to shoot lights-out pool. “You really have to beat me,” the powerhouse Brit said. Those words came back to haunt Appleton as China’s talented Li He Wen drilled him in the round of 64. The 31-year-old Li, who hails from Shenyang and is China’s number-one-ranked player, steamrolled Appleton 9-3 to move into the round of 32 on Thursday. “I played very good today,” Li said afterward through an interpreter. “He didn’t break good and he gave me too many chances.”
Great Escape Into the Final Four
It’s never over until it’s over.
Liu Haitao must have been singing the praises of that universal phrase after the hard-nose Chinese turned a desperate situation around at the very last moment and came back from an 8-5 deficit to shock Taiwan’s Ko Pin Yi 9-8 and move into the semifinals. It will be Liu’s first trip to the final four of a world championship. There the 26-year-old will face Taiwan’s red-hot Fu Che Wei, who notched his third convincing victory of the day in his quarterfinal match when he blitzed the Netherland’s Huidji See 9-3.
“
I wasnʼt scared and I wasnʼt nervous. - Karol Skowerski
In the other semifinal, England’s Chis Melling, who played brilliantly in handily defeating the Philippines last bet, Roberto Gomez, 9-4 in the quarterfinal, will take on Taiwan’s Chang Jun Lin. Chang, Taiwan’s number-one player, easily defeated Germany’s Oliver Ortmann9-3 in his quarterfinal match. The down-to-the-wire thriller with Ko was Liu’s second 9-8 match in 24 hours. In the round of 32 Wednesday night, Liu just squeaked by Hungary’s Vilmos Foldes. In the round of 16, Liu knocked out Skowerski. Against Ko, Liu was facing certain elimination as he was down 8-5 with Ko at the table after breaking and sinking a ball. In professional 8-ball, as has been proven all week, sinking a ball on the break virtually guarantees a run-out, so Liu had no reason to think he’d even get a chance. Ko, however, badly missed his first shot, and Liu pounced, clearing the table. Liu then broke and ran to get to 8-7 down. He then played the rack of his life, deftly breaking up several difficult clusters while potting balls to tie the match. A high-pressure break and run gave him an unlikely spot in the semis. Liu’s opponent, Fu, started off by pounding Korea’s Hwang Yang 9-0. He then manhandled the Philippines’ Lee Van Corteza 9-5. Fu didn’t have much problem handling See either. Melling nearly let his chances slip away in his TV table match against the UAE’s best player, Salah Al-Rimawi, in the round of 32. AlRimawi came back from 8-6 down and had the break in the last rack. Unfortunately for the home fans, Al-Rimawi broke dry. Melling stepped up and cleared the table for a gut-wrenching 9-8 win.
Chang took the lead at 4-3 and never looked back. Melling had trouble all afternoon with the break, consistently coming up dry. Chang took advantage and built up a 6-3 lead. Melling battled back to 6-5, but Chang broke and ran for a 7-5 lead. Melling again broke dry, and Chang pushed the lead up to 3. Melling had one last fight back, moving the score to 8-7, but Chang held his nerve in to get over the finish line first.
Chang All the Way Chang’s ability to read patterns, his even-keel demeanor, and his dead-eye potting skills were all on display throughout the week in Fujairah and carried him through world class competition all the way to his first world championship. The fact that Chang has learned much about pool and life at the feet of the 38-year-old Fu added a fascinating twist to what had become an allTaiwan 8-ball party in Fujairah. The 26-year-old Chang began studying the game from Fu at the age of 16. Despite traveling the world in the last few years, the two had never played each other in an international event. The fact that these two ended up in the finals of a world championship was an amazing result. As is the case in most pro tournaments, the tournament was constantly in a state of flux, with a single small roll of a ball determining outcomes of matches and careers. But by the time the finals rolled around, it was clear that the two hottest players this week had made it. Like Chang, Fu was playing red-hot pool and had never come close to defeat. His 9-3 defeat of China’s Liu Haitao in the semifinal was just the latest in a string of powerful performances. Both players were playing at about the same high level, so it was difficult to predict who would come out on top in the final. But one thing was perfectly clear in this tournament: Dry breaks and only one missed ball invariably lead to instant punishment from the other player. And that’s exactly how this match played out.
That was all the spark that Melling needed as he next rolled over Germany’s Thorsten Hohmann 9-4 in the round of 16. He then took that momentum into his impressive victory over Gomez. “Except for a few bad racks in the middle, I played awesome,” Melling said. “I’m confident I can win this thing. The break is massively important. And I can pot as good as anybody. I just can’t make silly mistakes.” As evidenced by his earlier performances, Chang certainly will pounce on the slightest misstep. Chang grinded out a 9-5 win over Bruno Muratore and won 9-3 over Carlo Biado before crushing Ortmann.
Party in Chinese Taipei World 8-ball supremacy, along with $35,000 in cash, became assured of a home in Taiwan for the next year when Fu Che We and Chang Jun Lin both won their semifinal matches. Fu completely dominated China’s Liu Haitao, winning easily 9-3. Chang’s semifinal match against Melling was much closer, but the 26-year-old from Taipei put in a brilliant performance in overcoming the confident Englishman. Melling raced out to a 2-0 but then saw Chang, with his deliberate style, crawl back in the match.
Fu Che Wei April 2012 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 17
“
Itʼs like a dream. To be a world champion. Itʼs something I dreamed about for a long time. - Chang Jun Lin
18 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ April 2012
Fu won the lag but missed an early ball, which Chang pounded on for the clear and a 1-0 lead. Chang then coolly broke and ran the next rack for a 2-0 lead. Fu broke dry in rack three, and when Chang couldn’t convert a long pot, Fu also missed and paid the price for a three-rack deficit. The deliberate Chang doesn’t normally let big leads like this get away, but Fu decided it was time to make a match of it. Fu finally got on track when he broke serve in the next rack after Chang scratched on the break. He broke and ran rack five, then broke serve in rack six, and broke and ran rack seven for a 4-3 lead. That, however, was the last lead Fu saw in the match. From there Chang stepped on the gas and took the next four frames, which included two break and runs, one clear off a dry break, and a cleared table from a Fu miss, all for a 7-4 lead and a vice grip on the match. At this point Fu’s energy level seemed to wilt, while the tall and burly Chang just kept motoring along. Fu got one back, but Chang kept on going, punishing a single mistake by Fu and breaking and running when he had the break. Chang made Fu pay for a mistake to go up 8-5. Then he broke and cleared for a 9-5 lead. Fu got one consolation rack before Chang closed out his first world championship in style: a break and run and clear off a Fu miss. Afterward Chang was understandably highly emotional, not just about his amazing accomplishment but about the man who had helped him get to the top of the mountain, who happened to be the same man he had just bested to get there. “It’s like a dream,” Chang said through an interpreter. “To be a world champion. It’s something I dreamed about for a long time. I didn’t feel any pressure playing him. He taught me more than just how to play pool. He taught me how to be a man in real life, how to carry myself, how to behave and lead your life, don’t criticize and get down on yourself too much. Lead with your actions, not your words. He is not just a teacher but a big brother to me, and a good friend.” For Fu, the result brought on mixed emotions as his long-cherished journey to his first world title ended in a losing battle with his very own pupil. “I played bad in the final,” Fu said, still able to laugh and joke. “I felt like I ran out of energy. I’m very happy for him. I’m proud. But I think I would have preferred to have played a player from another country.”
E 1 2 OR / F ! M 4 O ON N A S I TH UR CT HO RU ST IN
The most comprehensive, informative and beneficial billiards lesson DVD ever produced!
Avail
at:
S!
IC
TO
OV
Also available from Jerry at www.PoolLessons.com or by phone 608-279-9994
ER P 5
0
able
>
Stripes
Decisions at Derby < by Ken Shuman completed 2012 Derby City Classic will be T helongrecently remembered for many reasons, not the least of which was Shane Van Boening’s appearance in all three finals, making it an unbelievable five finals in a row. I was fortunate to be in the arena as “The South Dakota Kid” became only the second player in DCC history to successfully defend both his one-pocket and Master of the Table titles, matching Efren’s 2005 dominating performance. What I also remember most about the event were two unusual situations that required decisions regarding the rules of play, so I thought I’d share them with you this month. One of them took place during a match between Ralf Souquet and Larry Price. And speaking of Mr. Van Boening, the other unusual situation arose during his final match of the bank pool division versus John Morra. Here’s what happened with Ralf and Larry. They were playing one-pocket with Larry leading 2-1. Ralf came up to the tournament desk and asked me to come to their table because they had a problem.
’
When I got there Ralf explained that he had just run six balls and out and had pushed the remaining balls on the table to the foot rail in preparation for the next game. Larry told me that Ralf only had six, as the two balls in the ball tray beneath the ball return were in fact his, not Ralf’s. Larry asked me to award him the game since Ralf raked the balls before the game was over.
Shane had a look on his face as if he didn’t know what all the fuss was about.
Ralf then informed me that the only reason he raked the balls was because he thought he was out, as the two balls in the tray were on his side and he assumed they were his because it had been a long game and didn’t recall Larry making two. He went on to say that had those two balls been properly put on Larry’s side, he would have known he needed eight and continued shooting at an open layout. I asked Larry if he was certain the two balls were his, and he said yes. He even recalled the specific shots. At this point I told the players to be seated. I wanted to discuss the situation with tournament directors Ric Jones and Bill Stock before making a ruling. We decided that both players were at fault—Larry for placing the balls on Ralf’s side and Ralf for raking the balls prematurely.
We realize a player is responsible for knowing the score. However, we could understand how the shooter was inadvertently misled by balls incorrectly placed by his opponent when checking to see how many he needed. Since we could not restore the position, our decision was to replay the game with the original breaker having the break. 20 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ April 2012
The situation involving Shane unfolded during the bank pool final match against Canada’s John Morra. Neither player had a rebuy, so it was one race to 3 for the title. The match was tied 1-1. Shane was at the table, had four balls, and needed one more to get on the hill. I don’t remember the exact number but there were only a few balls on the table. But I do remember that the cue ball was somewhere between the middle of the table and the headstring, a little to the right of center. The only ball he could bank was about a diamond off the foot rail and about a diamond and a half off the long rail. He could have played it either two or four rails. Shane got down on the shot and called, “Four rails.” He tends to speak softly, but there was no mistaking his call. The audience may not have heard him, but John clearly heard it and so did I. He stroked the shot, and the ball went two rails right into the heart of the opposite corner pocket. The crowd exploded and Shane raked the few remaining balls … But wait! John got out of his chair, looked at me, and said, “He called it four rails and raked the balls.” Shane had a look on his face as if he didn’t know what all the fuss was about. I could see by his expression that he may indeed have thought he made a legal shot. I asked Shane what he called, and he replied, “Four rails, yeah, I called it four rails.” John was standing right next to us as I explained to Shane that his shot was not legal, and normally the ball would have been spotted, but by raking the balls it resulted in loss of game. Shane asked why I couldn’t just restore the position, and I told him there was no basis to do that. The penalty for his action is loss of game. He accepted the ruling without further discussion, and he had just put John on the hill. No official wants to see games decided in this manner, but it was an easy ruling for me to make, given the specific circumstances. That it occurred in the finals of such a prestigious event, combined with the fact that John went on to win the bank pool title and prevent a possible unprecedented sweep of all three divisions by Shane Van Boening, is what makes it so memorable.
Ken Shuman Ken Shuman of Sacramento, CA, is one of the country’s premier tournament directors. He is an accomplished professional referee and is considered an expert on the rules of play. Ken has officiated at World Championship events in the USA and the Philippines. He directs some of the major tournaments, including the Derby City Classic, the U.S. Bar Table Championship, CSI’s National Championship Series, the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Contact Ken at shucue@yahoo.com.
>
Industry Trobiano Takes Tri-State Win
>
Tri-State Tour / East Rutherford, NJ
News News
by InsidePOOL Staff
Room owner John Trobiano triumphed at the January 8 stop of the Tri-State Tour to win the title over Gary Murgia in the final match. The $500-added 10-ball event garnered 37 players to Castle Billiards in East Rutherford, NJ.
Mosconi Cup Date and Venue Trobiano had to come through the one-loss side, eliminating Announced for 2012
players such as Guy Iannuzzi hill-hill and Ted Lapadula 7-5 to reach the four on the west anside. On the right side of the chart, Murgia final Matchroom Sport bested Ed that Culhane a double-hill match as Ricardo Mejia dealt a nounced the inhistoric 7-5 to in Jason Egeln.Green, Murgia and Mejia met in the hot seat match, Yorkloss Hall Bethnal where Murgia victorious with a convincing 7-4 win. London, will emerged once again play host to the PartyPoker. for Trobiano as he eliminated Egeln 7-5 com Another Mosconiclose Cupmatch as the to advance the quarterfinal epic annualtoEurope versus match against Jake Schwartz, who had ousted Culhane USA just clash takesEdplace for 7-4. He dispatched Schwartz 7-4 to the nineteenth time in Demeet up with Mejia and Results: cember. got through that match John Trobiano $550 well, this time 7-5. Tro- 1st as 2nd Gary Murgia $350last Europe aretothe defending champions, having triumphed biano was able ride his 3rd Ricardo Mejia $220 year in Las Vegas, and the last time the event was played out at the momentum through the 4th Jake Schwartz $140 fabled London venue in 2010, the Europeans enjoyed a triumphant final match as he defeat5th Jason Egeln $100 four days in of packed, vociferous audience. ed Murgia infront the race-to-9 Ed Culhane finals 9-5. 7th at the Ted Lapadula The Mosconi Cup took place York Hall from 1997$70 to 2002 Mikeinitially Zimny to Las Vegas and before the event moved further afield, then other parts of Europe. The dates for the 2012 switch from its traditional weekend finChau Undefeated at commences Joss Event on Monday, December 10 and ish to mid-week as play Joss Northeast Tour Levittown,before NY concluding on continues through9-Ball Tuesday and/ Wednesday by Andrews theLea evening of Thursday, December 13. Many tried, but no Luke man Riches, managed to Commented Matchroom Sport Chairman “After take down the rip-roaring success at Bethnal Green in 2010, it wasManny a veryChau easy onYork his way an again. undedecision to bring the Mosconi Cup back to the Hall to once feated victory at the first Northeast 9-Ball “In previous years, we have always runJoss the competition from Tour stop of 2011.teleThe Thursday to Sunday, but there is a huge amount of top-class $1,500-added event was vised sport on the weekend, including the UK Snooker Champion8-9 at Cue ship, PDC Darts, Premiership football, and allheld the January rest. Nine in Levittown, NY.
<
On the one-loss side, Angelo Inness got past Holden Chin 9-3 to meet up with Zuglan, while Mike “Fingers” Badstuebner notched his own 9-3 win over Scott Murphy to face Savata. But both Inness and Badstuebner landed in fifth place as Zuglan and Savata advanced to the quarterfinals 9-6 and 9-4, respectively. Looking for the rematch against Sossei in the semifinals, Zuglan notched the final game in his hill-hill match against Savata, but he fell short against Sossei, who advanced to his own rematch in the finals 9-3.
Pool Player Excuses Towel
5 The true double-elim7.9 $ ination final match began
evenly enough, but when Sossei missed a chance to tie it up at six games apiece, Chau took control, finishing up his undefeated weekend with a strong 9-6 win.
Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
Manny Chau Jeremy Sossei Mike Zuglan Lenny Savata Angelo Inness Mike Badstuebner
$900
$650 gives your favorite $450 pool player an easy $300 $125 out with six excuses for why that ball didn’t drop!
Made of lint-free flour sack material
(22” x 13” with hanging loop)
10% of all sales go to Helping Every Animal Live Inc. (HEAL)
www.PoolPlayerExcuses.com
Manny Chau
“On that basis, it makes perfect sense to move the event to a Chau rode a allow strongan 9-3increasing win over number Lenny Savata into the seat mid-week slot to of viewers thehot oppormatch against Jeremy Sossei, who’ d managed to edge out tour director tunity to watch the greatest event in pool.” Mike Zuglan 9-8. Sossei came up three games shy against Chau, though, moving over to semifinals 9-6.
February 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 39 22 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ April 2012 Februarymock.indd 41
1/19/2011 2:31:28 PM
Share
Live. Stream your next event with IP Video. For more information on streaming with InsidePOOL Video, call 888-428-7665, or email info@insidepoolmag.com.
InsidePool
> Natelie Tussey Tussey of Lakehurst, NJ, is a family medicine doctor in the United States Navy. She’s N atalie currently deployed to Djibouti, Africa, while her current permanent duty station is Joint
Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Lakehurst, NJ. While on deployment she enjoys playing pool two or three nights a week, in addition to competing in tournaments every month or two. “Playing pool while on deployment kept my spirits up when I was missing my family and friends,” Tussey said. “It also allowed me to meet new people and create friendships that are crucial to getting one through difficult times.” Natalie has been an APA member since fall 2009. She first began playing when a friend and coworker invited her to play on her team after she was first stationed in New Jersey. Her journey with pool began long before she started with APA; however, Natalie first began playing during her freshman year at Penn State University in 1998. She learned how to play from her best friend’s husband, who played pool semi-professionally. Natalie also played on Penn State’s intramural team. “I love the competition mixed with the camaraderie,” Tussey said. “I enjoyed it so much that I continued playing in APA League matches up until a couple of days before I delivered my son last year—I think a few of the men on the opposing teams did not enjoy losing to a woman who was nine months pregnant!”
24 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ April 2012
> >>
Regional Roundup Casanzio Cashes on Joss Tour Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour / Amsterdam, NY by InsidePOOL Staff Unchallenged throughout the February 18-19 stop of the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, Ron Casanzio stood alone in the winner’s circle after his final defeat of tour promoter Mike Zuglan. A field of 46 players came Ron Casanzio, Tim Berlin, Mike Zuglan together at Sharpshooters Billiards and Pub in Amsterdam, NY, for this $1,500-added 9-ball event. Casanzio matched up with Dave Pinkston in the winners’ side final four and came out ahead 9-5, while Zuglan found himself facing Jason Michas. A 9-5 victory for Zuglan saw him go up against Casanzio for the first time in the tournament, and Casanzio trumped his opponent 9-4. Pinkston rebounded on the west side of the chart to send Chance Chin home in fifth place 9-5. Tying with Chin was Michas, who was eliminated by Bucky Souvanthong 9-5. Souvanthong went on to oust Pinkston in fourth place in the quarterfinal match 9-5, staying alive to advance to the semifinals. There he faced off against Zuglan, who was determined to reach Casanzio for a rematch. After besting Souvanthong 9-6, Zuglan earned another shot at Casanzio, who was able to put in a repeat performance and win the match 9-4.
After a 7-4 defeat of Wesley Kennedy, Reyes moved on to the hot seat match to face off against Osipov for the first time. Osipov had just bested Ramon Feliciano 7-3 and was on a roll, winning a close 7-5 match over Reyes to claim the hot seat. Kennedy and Tony Ignomirello, Arturo Reyes Feliciano did not fare well on the one-loss side and were ousted in the next round by Bryan Jeziorski 7-1 and Tony Ignomirello 6-4, respectively. Ignomirello went on to top Jeziorski in the quarterfinal match 7-3 to stay alive one more round. The semifinal match was a close one, but Reyes prevailed over Ignomirello 7-5 to earn a revenge match against Osipov in the finals. However, because of a family emergency, Osipov had to cut the tournament short and a one-game suddendeath match was played, with Reyes claiming the title.
Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th
Arturo Reyes Alex Osipov Tony Ignomirello Bryan Jeziorski Wesley Kennedy Ramon Feliciano Ed Hugh Tyronnie Harlee Justin Muller Gary Murgia Pat Mareno Jerica De la Cruz
$780 $510 $310 $200 $120 $90 $70
When this SudoCue is solved, the letters in “Break Shot” will appear in each row, column, and box—but only once, and not in any particular order. Answer available online at www.InsidePOOLmag.com.
There were 25 participants in the second chance event, which boasted a total prize fund of $1,000. Bruce Carroll triumphed in the finals over Mike LaBoisResults: siere to win $350, while 1st Ron Casanzio $1,000 as runner-up LaBoissiere 2nd Mike Zuglan $750 took home $250. Bob 3rd Bucky Souvanthong $600 Cunningham earned 4th Dave Pinkston $450 $150 for third, and Spen5th Chance Chin $300 cer Auigbelle won $100 Jason Michas for his fourth-place fin7th Dave Fernandez $150 ish. Marko Clarke and Victor Conte Paul Dryden each won 9th Jeff Smolen $100 $50 for fifth place, while Dan Menzies Gary Krebs and Kevin Dwight Dixon Ketz took $25 each for Paul Rozonewski seventh. Sudden-Death Trial Goes to Reyes Tri-State Tour / Bayside, NY by InsidePOOL Staff With a one-game sudden-death final match, Arturo Reyes claimed first place at the February 26 stop of the Tri-State Tour over Alex Osipov, who had dealt him his first loss earlier in the day. The $1,000-added tournament drew 45 A-D players to Cue Bar in Bayside, NY. 26 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ April 2012
Courtesy of Sandy Brown
< Davis Bests Brothers for Mezz Title Mezz Pro-Am Tour / Drexel Hill, PA by InsidePOOL Staff
Dechaine went unchallenged to the finals, defeating Mike Davis in the winners’ side final four 9-6 to reach the hot seat match. There he faced Hunter Lombardo, who had just sent Jeremy Sossei west 9-3, and delivered him to the one-loss side 9-3.
“Iron Mike” Davis came through the west side of the chart to top a strong field of 38 Northeast players, meeting and defeating Josh Brothers in the finals of the Mezz Mike Davis Pro-Am Tour’s season opener. The tour was hosted by Drexeline Billiards in Drexel Hill, PA, February 26.
Once on the left side of the bracket, Davis was ousted by Oliveira 9-6, while Sossei trounced Rob Mike Dechaine Piersa 9-1. In the quarterfinal match, Oliveira ended Sossei’s tournament in fourth place by defeating him 9-6.
Randy Schwager took control of the top half of the bracket, notching wins over Mark Horn Jr. 7-3, Davis 7-6, Zion Zvi 7-6, and Eric Perry 7-0. Brothers led the bottom half of the bracket, with wins over A. J. Fitzgerald 7-1, Chris Riley 7-1, Shaun Dobson 7-3, Joe Hong 7-5, and Michael Wong 7-4.
On a roll, Oliveira went on to meet Lombardo in the semifinals and send him home 9-5. In the double-elimination final match against the undefeated Dechaine, Oliveira started off strong, besting the hometown favorite in the first set 9-7. In the second set, Dechaine turned the tables and took the title by the same score of 9-7.
Brothers and Schwager then came together to vie for the hot seat, with Brothers coming away with a 7-4 victory. Schwager, now on the one-loss side, forfeited to Davis, who had just delivered a fourthplace finish to Wong.
Results: 1st Mike Davis 2nd Josh Brothers 3rd Randy Schwager 4th Michael Wong 5th Eric Perry Zion Zvi 7th Shaun Dobson Joe Hong
$800 $450 $300 $200 $150 $100
In the double-elimination finals, Davis had to best Brothers twice in order to win the event. In the first set it was all Davis, as he easily handled Brothers 5-0. The second set, though, went hill-hill; however, it was Davis standing in the winner’s circle at the end 5-4. Dechaine Ousts Oliveira for Joss Title Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour / Providence, RI by InsidePOOL Staff
The $500-added second chance event drew a field of 25 players. Rich Britt went through the field undefeated to best Stacie Bourbeau in the final Results: match and take home 1st Mike Dechaine $1,600 $360. Bourbeau earned 2nd Nelson Oliveira $1,200 $260 for being runner3rd Hunter Lombardo $800 up. In third place was 4th Jeremy Sossei $600 Doug Brown, who took 5th Rob Piersa $400 home $160, while room Mike Davis owner Steve Goulding 7th Ron Casanzio $300 won $100 for his fourth Tom D’Alfonso place finish. Rounding 9th Jarrod Clowery $200 out the top six were Bucky Souvanthong Steve Mack and Dave Phil Davis Garvish, who each won Joe Dupuis $60.
Mike “Fireball” Dechaine beat out a talented pool of 71 players at the March 3-4 stop of the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, wresting the title from Nelson Oliveira in a two-set final match. Snookers in Providence, RI, hosted the $2,500-added 9-ball event.
>Upcoming Northeast Tournaments 4/1
Tri-State Tour
Carom Café Billiards
Flushing, NY
718-358-8585 $1,000
A-D players
4/7
Tri-State Tour
Castle Billiards
East Rutherford, NJ
201-933-6007 $500
A-D players
4/14
Tri-State Tour
A-D players
Eastside Billiards
New York, NY
212-831-7665 $1,000
4/14-15 Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour
Golden Cue Billiards
Albany, NY
518-459-9442 $1,500/$500 Open
4/22
Tri-State Tour
Cue Bar
Bayside, NY
718-631-2646 $1,000
A-D players
4/22
Mezz Pro-Am Tour
Sandcastle Billiards
Edison, NJ
732-632-9277 $1,000
Open
4/28
Tri-State Tour
Gotham City Billiards
Brooklyn, NY
718-714-1002 $1,500
A-D players
4/29
Mezz Pro-Am Tour
Paradise Billiards
Sunnyside, NY
718-708-0147 $1,000
Open
5/5
Tri-State Tour
Castle Billiards
East Rutherford, NJ
201-933-6007 $500
A-D players
5/5-6
Predator Tour
Gotham City Billiards
Brooklyn, NY
718-714-1002 $1,000
Open
5/12
Tri-State Tour
Port Richmond Billiard Club
Staten Island, NY
718-727-0800 $750
A-D players
5/20
Tri-State Tour
BQE Billiards and Bar
Jackson Heights, NY 718-779-4348 $1,000
B-D players
Amsterdam Billiards and Bar
New York, NY
B-D players
5/26-27 Tri-State Tour
212-995-0333 $1,000
April 2012 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 27
> >>
Regional Roundup Baker Takes Lucasi Title Lucasi Hybrid Cues All-American Tour / Port Charlotte, FL by InsidePOOL Staff
Willie McBride, Albert Baker
Albert Baker cooked the competition at the Lucasi Hybrid Cues All-American Tour’s annual Valentine’s 8-Ball Massacre, besting Willie McBride in the finals of the February 11 tournament. Q’s Sports Bar and Girl in Port Charlotte, FL, hosted 17 players at the $265-added event.
The winners’ side final four featured McBride defeating Dave Calleja 4-3, while Baker whitewashed Bill Eisenhard 4-0. Baker went on to best McBride 4-3 and claim the hot seat. On the one-loss side, Shawn Collie bested Wayne Agnew 4-0 and sent him home in fifth place. Tying with Agnew was Ken Coulter, who was ousted by Rick Madaffer 4-3. Madaffer went on to eliminate Collie in fourth place 4-3. Madaffer’s streak came to an end in the next round when McBride dealt him a 4-2 loss. McBride then challenged Baker in the double-elimination final Results: match. McBride took the 1st Albert Baker $400 first set 4-2, but Baker 2nd Willie McBride $250 rallied in the second and 3rd Rick Madaffer $130 took the title 4-3. 4th Shawn Collie $75
Martino Wins First Flamingo Mini-Tour Event Flamingo Billiards Tour / Boynton Beach, FL by InsidePOOL Staff Nicolle Martino won her first tournament at the Flamingo Billiards Tour 8-Ball/9-Ball Mini-Tour handicapped event February 11 at Slate Billiards in Boynton Beach, Florida. This event featured a new format in which Martino and the other Nicolle Martino, Robin Boggs players competed for a slot on the four-person, single-elimination bracket. The four spots were filled from three single-elimination brackets. Martino won the first bracket by fighting her way through Debbie Barkley, Christie Cloke, and Marge Soash. Sue Roberts filled the second spot of the final four, winning the second bracket by defeating newcomer Jennie Samuels, Cloke, and Janis Sessions. Robin Boggs and newcomer Caress Ketcham took the final two of four spots, with Boggs defeating Sally Quilty and then going to the hill with Cloke. Ketcham won over Soash and Samuels. The final four pitted Martino against Ketcham and Roberts against Boggs. Martino and Boggs, both playing strong all day, made it to the finals with Martino evenResults: tually winning the match. 1st Nicolle Martino $45 2nd Robin Boggs $25 3rd Caress Ketcham $10 Sue Roberts 28 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ April 2012
Morphew Earns Great Southern Title Great Southern Billiard Tour / Bristol, TN by InsidePOOL Staff Corey Morphew survived a late loss to Russ Edwards to come back and trump him in the final match of the Shannon Daulton, Corey Morphew, February 26-27 stop Russ Edwards, Janet Atwell of the Great Southern Billiard Tour. The $1,500-added stop hosted 62 amateur players at Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN. With a 9-7 victory over Morphew in the winners’ side final four, Edwards advanced to the hot seat match. His opponent there was room owner and former WPBA pro Janet Atwell, who had just dispatched Jimmy Dickerson to the one-loss side 7-5. Edwards had little trouble besting Atwell 9-2 to reach the finals undefeated. Morphew began quickly working his way through the west side of the chart and eliminated T. J. Moore in fifth place 9-7. Tying with Moore was Justin Harris, who was ousted by Dickerson 7-4. Morphew then went on to plow through Dickerson in the quarterfinal match 9-3. Waiting for Morphew in the semifinals, Atwell seemed unable to put up much of a fight and succumbed 9-3, ending up in third place. In the doubleelimination final match against Edwards, Morphew took the first set 9-5 to force a second, where he also came out the winner, this time 9-7.
Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th
Corey Morphew Russ Edwards Janet Atwell Jimmy Dickerson T. J. Moore Justin Harris Steve Dye Steve Cox Stu Altes Brent Hensley Wes Covington Dave Graham
$1,000 $600 $400 $300 $200 $100 $70
Trobiano Takes Tri-State Win Tri-State Tour / East Rutherford, NJ
Wing and Deuel by InsidePOOL StaffCatch Cuephoria Titles Poison Tour / Orlando, FL by InsidePOOL StaffJohn Trobiano triumphed at the January 8 stop Room owner of the Tri-State Tour to win the title over Gary Murgia in the final Jon Wing and10-ball event garnered 37 players to Castle match. The $500-added Corey Deuel Billiards in East captured Rutherford, NJ. titles at the February Trobiano hadPoison to come through the one-loss side, eliminating 18 stop of the players such asthe GuyamaIannuzzi hill-hill and Ted Lapadula 7-5 to reach Tour, winning the ondivisions, the west side. On the right side of the chart, Murgia teurfinal andfour open bested Ed Culhane in aofdouble-hill match as Ricardo Mejia dealt a respectively. A total John Wing, Jason Richko 7-5 to Jason Egeln.upMurgia and Mejia met in the hot seat match, 110loss players showed where emerged a convincing 7-4 win. for theMurgia event, which wasvictorious hosted bywith Cuephoria in Orlando, FL. Another close match Trobiano as he eliminated EgelnWing 7-5 In the amateur event,for there was a full field of 64 players. to advance to the quarterfinal match against Jake Schwartz, who was the man to beat as he made his way to the finals with some had just ousted Ed Culhane 7-4. 7-4 to strong wins over Walter Blacker 7-4,He Jeffdispatched Mabry, 7-4,Schwartz Jarred Schlauch 7-5, Larry Harvey 7-5, and AliResults: Sohali 7-3. A bruising victory over Jameet up with Mejia got through match son Richko 7-2that earned him the hot seat. John Trobiano $550 as well, this time 7-5. Tro- 1st 2nd Gary Murgia $350 biano wasone-loss able to ride The sidehis saw George Saunders make a big push af3rd Ricardo Mejia $220 momentum through ter taking a 7-4 loss tothe Jason Bowen. Saunders recorded wins over 4th Jake Schwartz $140 final match as he Richard Knight 5-2,defeatKevin Paquette 5-2, Ted Lepak 5-4, Chip Dick5th Jason Egeln $100 ed Murgia theSohali race-to-9 erson 5-3, in and 5-0. A 5-3 win over Jeannie Seaver set up a Ed Culhane finals 9-5. match with Richko, who put an end to his run with a hardsemifinal 7th Ted Lapadula $70 fought 5-4 victory to leave Saunders in third. Mike Zimny In the final, Wing flew out of the gate and took the first five racks, and just when it looked like it was all over, Richko took his first game and then broke andEvent ran the next three to close to 5-4. The Chau Undefeated at Joss next three racks were traded, but this was all Wing Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour / Levittown, NY needed to take hisLea firstAndrews Poison title 7-5. by
<<
On the one-loss side, Angelo Inness got past Holden Chin 9-3 to meet up with Zuglan, while Mike “Fingers” Badstuebner notched his own 9-3 win over Murphy to open face Savata. both andand Badstuebner landed Scott The 10-ball eventBut drew 46Inness players, Deuel made his in fifth as Zuglan advanced the quarterfinals 9-6 and wayplace through to theand hotSavata seat swiftly withtowins over John Filax 6-3, 9-4,Tony respectively. Looking the rematch Sossei in the semifinals, Crosby 6-3, ChrisforFields 6-0, andagainst Mike Delawder 6-3. A tough Zuglan notched the final Saunders game in his hill-hill match reach againstthe Savata, but he victory over George 6-5 saw Deuel hot seat to fellface shortTim against Sossei, who advanced to his own rematch in the finals Parisian. 9-3. Amateur Results: The hot seat Results: The 1st true Jondouble-elimWing $700 match was one-way Chau $900 ination matchRichko began 2nd final Jason 1st $500Mannytraffic with Deuel runSossei $650 evenly butSaunders when 2nd 3rd enough, George $380Jeremy ning out 7-1. While all $450 Sossei a chance to 3rd $270Mike Zuglan 4thmissed Jeannie Seaver this was going on, Cros4th $150Lenny Savata $300 tie it5th up at sixAligames Sohaliapiece, by was making a push 5th Angelo Inness $125 Chau took control, finishing Julio Del Pozo on the west side with up his weekend 7thundefeated Chip Dickerson $80 Mike Badstuebner wins over Michael Hopwith a strong Larry 9-6 win. Harvey ponen 5-3, Charles Va9th Nick Applebee $50 lenciana 5-1, Jeff Mabry Jason Bowen 5-1, John Souders 5-1, Ted Lepak Jeannie Seaver 5-4, Paul Prescott Buckwold Mullins 5-2, Nick Applebee 5-3, Rich Scahu Open Results: 5-0, and then a 5-1 win 1st Corey Deuel $600 over Parisian to set up 2nd Tony Crosby $400 a rematch with Deuel. 3rd Tim Parisian $300 Crosby bested Deuel 4th Rich Schau $200 7-3 to force a sudden 5th Nick Applebee $100 death one-rack shoot George Saunders out, which Deuel won, 7th Paul Mullins $80 making a clever 2-10 Glen Olson carom to take back-to9th Robert Batson $60 back titles on the Poi Adam Wheeler son Tour. Jeannie Seaver Mike Delawder
Many tried, but no man managed to take down Manny Chau >Upcoming SoutheastonTournaments his way to an unde4/13-15 WPBA Regional Tour Championships feated150 N Out victory at Billiards the first and Darts Joss Gate Northeast 9-BallClub 4/21 NC State Junior 9-Ball Championship City Billiards Tour stop of 2011. The 4/21-22 Poison Tour Cunningham’s Billiards $1,500-added event was held January 8-9 at Cue Nine in Levittown, NY.
Mooresville, NC
704-660-5363
$2,000
Ladies
Greensboro, NC
336-301-5873
Qualifier
Juniors
Vero Beach, FL
772-562-1171
$2,000
Open
Manny Chau
Chau rode a strong 9-3 win over Lenny Savata into the hot seat match against Jeremy Sossei, who’d managed to edge out tour director Mike Zuglan 9-8. Sossei came up three games shy against Chau, though, moving over to semifinals 9-6.
February 2011 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 39 April 2012 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 29 Februarymock.indd 41
1/19/2011 2:31:28 PM
in the first set 7-2, but Winters turned the tables in the second and won it with a decisive 7-5 score.
> >>
Regional Roundup Murphey and Winters Win Great Southern Titles Great Southern Billiard Tour / Fairfield, OH by InsidePOOL Staff Shane Winters and Shannon Murphey both took titles at the February 1819 installment of the Great Southern BilShannon Daulton, Shane Winters, liard Tour, winning Jeremy Seaman, Michael Medley the $500-added 8-ball and the $1,500-added 9-ball divisions, respectively. Michael’s Billiards in Fairfield, OH, hosted the event, which drew a total of 107 entries.
The 9-ball division attracted 55 entrants, with Murphey taking control of the winners’ bracket with an 11-1 thumping of Billy Thorpe to reach the hot seat match against Mike Brown, whom he bested 11-5.
9-Ball Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th
Shannon Murphey Ryan Stone Mike Brown Frank Ruby Clay Carmen Billy Thorpe James Davis Jr. Lee Holt Tim Grigsby Joe Pierce Robert Frost D. J. Holloway
$1,000 $600 $400 $250 $175 $100 $50
Clay Carmen and Billy Thorpe tied for fifth place after being eliminated by Frank Ruby 9-7 and Ryan Stone 11-8, respectively. Ruby and Stone collided in the quarterfinals, with Stone staying alive with an 11-4 win. Stone continued his streak by ousting Brown in the semifinals 11-7. In the single-set final match, it was all Murphey, as he won the title 11-6.
A bank pool mini kicked off the busy weekend, with a full field of 32 competing. Timmy Heath went undefeated through the bracket to best T. J. Bach in the finals. Heath took home $300 for his first-place finish. In the 52-player amateur 8-ball division, played on Shannon Daulton, Shannon Murphy, bar boxes, Winters Ryan Stone, Michael Medley claimed the hot seat after besting first Jeremy Seaman in the winners’ side final four 7-2 and then D. J. Holloway 7-3. Once on the west side of the chart, Seaman quickly recovered and eliminated Ryan Stone in fifth place with a 7-4 victory. Frank Ruby tied with Seaman after being ousted by Robert Frost 6-2. Seaman and Frost then matched up in the quarterfinals, with Seaman winning the match with a narrow 7-5 victory. He then trounced Holloway 7-1 in the semifinals to reach the double-elimination final match against Winters. It was all Seaman
8-Ball Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th
Shane Winters Jeremy Seaman D. J. Holloway Robert Frost Ryan Stone Frank Ruby Alex Olinger Clay Carmen
$600 $450 $250 $150 $100 $50
>Upcoming Central Tournaments 4/7-8
WI Pocket Billiards Championships
Master Z’s
Waukesha, WI
262-552-3615
$2,500
Open
4/10-15 BCAPL Texas State Championships
Harker Heights Event Center
Harker Heights, TX
702-738-3950
$5,000
Members
4/14-15 WI Pocket Billiards Championships
Master Z’s
Waukesha, WI
262-552-3615
$1,500
Open
4/14-15 Lone Star Billiards Tour
Bogie’s Billiards and Games
Houston, TX
713-825-1411
$1,000
Open
4/21
Varsity Club
Oshkosh, WI
920-651-0806
$1,000
Amateurs
4/21-22 WI Pocket Billiards Championships
Master Z’s
Waukesha, WI
262-552-3615
$1,350
Juniors
4/21-22 OB Cues Ladies’ 9-Ball Tour
Casper’s Billiards
San Leon, TX
281-559-1400
$2,000 + qual.
Ladies
Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour
30 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ April 2012
< Ochoa and Pearce Pursue Lone Star Glory Lone Star Billiards Tour / Houston, TX by InsidePOOL Staff Sylver Ochoa took down the open division at the March 3-4 installment of the Lone Star Billiards Tour, while Jason Pearch claimed the amateur event. The tour’s second 9-ball Manny Chau, Sylver Ochoa, Raul Escobedo stop of the year was hosted by Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, TX, and drew 73 amateur and 52 open players from all over, including Tyler, Temple, San Antonio, and Austin to take the Lone Star plunge. The amateur division winners’ side final eight saw Pearce defeat Steve Lindgren 7-1, Raul Escobedo oust Calvin Trimont 7-4, Victor Rojas best Sonny Bosshamer 7-1, and Karl McClendon defeat Rocky Esquivel 7-2. Will Felder and Rojas dueled for third after Rojas was dealt a blow by McClendon 7-5 on the winners’ side. Pearce sent Escobedo west 7-4 and earned himself a first-time hot seat match-up with McClendon. Pearce secured his place 7-3, while Rojas defeated Felder 5-3. McClendon overcame Rojas but fell to Pearce in the final.
The open division winners’ side final eight saw Andy Jethwa skim by Manny Chau 9-8, Raul Escobedo best Bill Fuller 9-3, Sylver Ochoa defeat Brent Thomas, and James Baraks glide by Brian Rosenbaum. Ultimately Ochoa won over Escobedo 9-6 for the hot seat. On the west side, Danny Lee defeated Thomas, Joey Barnes bested Brian Rosenbaum, Chau sent home McClendon, and Mike Alonzo eliminated Fuller. Barnes and Escobedo were stopped short by Chau 7-4, 7-2, respectively. Ochoa made quick work of Chau and finished the event undefeated by a final score of 9-2.
Open Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th
Sylver Ochoa Manny Chau Raul Escobedo Joey Barnes Andy Jethwa James Baraks Danny Lee Mike Alonzo Brent Thomas Brian Rosenbaum Karl McClendon Bill Fuller
$600 $420 $280 $120 $70 $50 $35
Amateur Results: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th
Jason Pearce Karl McClendon Victor Rojas Will Felder Mikey Frost Raul Escobedo Calvin Trimont Bobby Perez Steve Lindgren David Massie Sonny Bosshamer Rocky Esquivel
$570 $400 $250 $100 $70 $50
$35 Other winners included Courtney Peters and Loretta Lindgren, who split the $100 top lady prize awarded in the amateur division. Nick Calderaro took home first for his efforts in the junior division held Sunday, winning over Ron Esman.
Ron Esman, Mike Calderaro
CUE LATHES & INLAY MACHINES Starting at $850. Also sold separately: 2 HR cue repair and building video - $50. Point and inlay video - $50. Cue building book - $69.95. Lathe pins, concaved live centers, chucks, wrap motors, and other parts to convert your lathe for cue-making or repair. Tapered shaft and butt blanks. WWW.CUESMITH.COM Phone: 770-684-7004 Ask for Chris, or write “Cue Man Billiards” 444 Flint Hill Road, Aragon, GA 30104
CUE LATHES Starting at $895 NEW ONLINE STORE NOW OPEN!
True Heart Billiards Cues 519-220-0298 www.Trueheartbilliardcues.ca STEVE WHETSTONE BCA – ACS – PBIA INSTRUCTOR TWO DAY INTENSIVE TRAINING www.bestpoolinstructor.com
The Cannon Break Cue
“Guaranteed To Improve your Break” or your money back Games, Inc. 55 Millville Avenue Hamilton, OH 45013 Dick Gahm (513) 484-8651
FACTORY DIRECT PRICING Repair Lathes - Tapering Machines Pantograph Inlay Machines CNC Machines – Lathe Accessories Leather Wrap Machines – UV Curing Booth UNIQUE PRODUCTS, INC. 3129 25th St. #215 Columbus, IN 47203 812-376-8887 www.uniqueinc.com NITTI CUES www.nitticues.com Original designs by K. F. Cues www.poolcues.com.tw
April 2012 ◊ InsidePOOLmag.com 31
A Day
Without Laughter ...
Adam Sandler Amy Poehler Andrew Dice Clay Bill Cosby Bill Engvall Bill Hicks Bill Maher Billy Crystal Bob Newhart Bob Schimmel Carlos Mencia Cheech Marin Chelsea Handler Chris Rock
Dana Carvey Dane Cook Daniel Tosh Denis Leary Dennis Miller Eddie Izzard Eddie Murphy George Lopez Jeanne Robertson Jeff Dunham Jerry Lewis Jerry Seinfeld Jim Gaffigan Jo Koy
Joe Rogan Jon Stewart Kathy Griffin Katt Williams Larry David Lewis Black Lily Tomlin Louis CK Margaret Cho Mark Lowry Pablo Francisco Ray Romano Ricky Gervais Rita Rudner
Robin Williams Sam Kinison Sarah Silverman Sheng Wang Sinbad Steven Wright Tim Allen Tina Fey Wanda Sykes Whoopi Goldberg Will Ferrell Woody Allen
... is a day according to silent film star and comedian Charlie Chaplin. For National Humor Month, we have put together a word search using names of contemporary comedians. 32 InsidePOOL Magazine â&#x2014;&#x160; April 2012
Visit www.InsidePOOLmag.com for the answers to this puzzle.