13-10 appears to be the popular score for the finals in the Pechauer WC tour and the Reno Open Qualifier at Sunset Family Billiards in Renton, WA was no exception this past weekend. The top 4 finishers were the same players who advanced on the winner's side of the board and the tournament turned into a pool playing slug-fest between Dan Louie, Rich Geiler, Glenn Atwell and John Horsfall.
Atwell beat Horsfall to advance to the hotseat match while Louie uncharacteristically let his match with "The Hat" slip through his fingers. "The Hat" immediately raised his hands in the air and gave thanks to the pool gods who would seemingly abandon him at that point. Geiler didn't find the same kind of love when he faced Atwell in the hotseat and he fell to the loser's side.
Horsfall and Louie won their respective matches to face each other in their quest to reach the finals, but it was Horsfall who had Reno on his mind as he snuck by Louie to face Geiler. Horsfall was on a roll and he promptly took out Geiler 9-7. There were no gimmes in this event and the finals would be no exception. Horsfall jumped out of the gate taking a 9-3 lead against Atwell in the final race to 13, but in the same fashion that Horsfall took his lead, Atwell ground out game after game to tie the score at 10! On his way to his 11th game Atwell missed a tough 5-ball and that was all she wrote, Horsfall got out, broke and ran out, and out-snookered Atwell in the final game to earn $1100 and his spot in the Reno Open this June at the Sands Hotel and Casino.
The Pechauer Tour now goes to Back Street Billiards in Boise, ID May 1st and 2nd for a $1500 added and returns to Seattle for a $4000 added Pokertropolis.com stop at Dr. Cues Billiards May 8th and 9th.
1st John Horsfall $1100 and spot in Reno Open
2nd Glenn Atwell $800
3rd Rich Geiler $570
4th Dan Louie $400
(top 16 were paid)
