Andrzej Kaldan and Basdeo Sookhai played their last match, battling for the hot seat on the Tri-State Tour stop on Saturday, April 28. They were scheduled to face each other a second time in the event finals, but when they got to those finals, they opted, in the face of mutual fatigue and the lateness of the hour, to split the top two prizes. Kaldan, sitting in the hot seat, was declared the official winner of the $1,500-added, A-D handicapped event that drew 49 entrants to Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY.

From among the winners’ side final four, Sookhai sent Daniel Dagotdot to the loss side with an 8-5 victory, as Kaldan was busy sending Randy Mackin over 6-2. In what would prove to be the event’s title match, Kaldan and Sookhai battled to double hill, before Kaldan prevailed to sit in the hot seat.

Dagotdot moved over to face Dave Shlemperis, who’d defeated Beau Baer 7-2 and Keith Adamik 7-3. Mackin picked up Kim Meyer-Gabia, the tour’s top female player, who’d gotten by Jaydev Zaveri 6-1, and Luis Nova 6-4. Dagodot got right back to work with an 8-4 win over Shlemperis, but Meyer-Gabia handed Mackin his second straight loss, finishing his day. Dagotdot then ended Meyer-Gabia’s day in the quarterfinals 9-5, for a second shot against Sookhai.

Sookhai defeated Dagotdot a second time, 8-4 in the semifinals, and then, accepted the proposal to split the top two prizes with Kaldan.

Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Gotham City Billiards, as well as sponsors Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Ron Tarr Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics. The next Tri-State event is a $500-added A-D handicapped event, scheduled for Saturday, May 5, at Castle Billiards  in  East Rutherford, NJ.

While the battle for the hot seat was a replay of the February 26 Tri-State semifinals at the same location – Tony Ignomirello versus Arturo Reyes – the finals of the April 22 Tri-State stop saw Beau Baer complete a seven-match trip on the loss side to meet and defeat Tony Ignomirello, who finished third in that earlier match. The $1,000-added, A-D handicapped event drew 22 entrants to the Cue Bar in Bayside, NY.

Baer survived a double hill battle against Joe Palone in the opening round of play, before being sent west by Stewart Warnock 7-4. Reyes and Ignomirello, in the meantime, moved among the winners’ side final four; Reyes, facing Keith Adamik and Ignomirello, squaring off against Ben Cataneros. Reyes downed Adamik 7-5, as Ignomirello was busy sending Cataneros west, double hill. Ignomirello sent Reyes to the semifinals versus Baer 7-5, and sat in the hot seat, waiting for his return.

Baer began his seven-match trip back to the finals with victories over Carl Yusuf Khan and Bogie Uzdecjzyk, before running into Warnock a second time. He then wreaked his vengeance on Warnock 7-5, and defeated Gary Murgia by the same score to meet up with Adamik. Castaneros drew Kim Meyer-Gabia, who’d gotten by Robert Jew 6-1 and battled to double hill, before prevailing in a match versus Yomaylin Feliz.

Baer eliminated Adamik 7-3, and in the quarterfinals, faced Meyer-Gabia, who’d survived a double hill battle over Castaneros. Baer defeated Meyer-Gabia 8-6 and completed his loss-side journey with a 7-5 victory over Reyes in the semifinals. 

Ignomirello jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the finals, but Baer then chalked up 10 straight to reach the hill ahead of him. Ignomirello won the 15th rack, but Baer finished it immediately afterwards to capture the event title. 

Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at the Cue Bar for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Ron Tarr Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics. Next stop on the Tri-State Tour will be a $1,500-added, A-D handicapped event, scheduled for April 28, at Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY.

Back in September, Ed Hugh worked his way through a field of 40 entrants to go undefeated and win his first Tri-State Tour event. Just shy of three months later, on Sunday, November 27, he chalked up his second victory on the tour, this time, having to come from the loss-side to challenge and defeat hot seat occupant, Hector Ruiz. The $1,000-added event drew 23 entrants to Cue Nine Billiards in Levittown, NY.

After working his way through the event’s two opening rounds with victories over Mark Parel and Charles Eames, both 7-3, Hugh ran into Beau Baer among the winners’ side final four. Baer sent him west 7-4 and moved into the hot seat match against Hector Ruiz, who’d just defeated Tony Ignomirello 6-2. Ruiz gained the hot seat with an 8-7 victory, and waited for what turned out to be Hugh’s return.

Hugh moved over to take on, first, Mark Perel, who’d defeated Charles Aemes 7-6 and Gary Murgia 7-4. Ignomirello picked up Eddie Perez, who’d gotten by BCA league teammate Quin Y. Chen (co-winner with Daniel Dagotdot of the previous week’s tour stop on Staten Island) 6-4 and Keith Diaz 6-3. It was Hugh and Perez squaring off in the quarterfinals; Hugh, having defeated Perel 7-4, and Perez, defeating Ignomirello 6-4. 

Hugh earned his ‘revenge’ match against Baer with an 8-5 victory over Perez in the quarterfinals, and exacted that revenge with a 7-5 victory over Baer in the semifinals. In spite of the fact that Ruiz got out to an early 3-0 lead in the extended, single set final, Hugh continued what tour representatives described as a combination of “a strong break, outstanding kicking and fearless play,” to win 10 of the next 11 games and complete his second victory on the Tri-State Tour.

The next Tri-State event is a $1,250-added B/D handicapped event to be held this weekend, December 3, at Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY. Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff of Cue Nine Billiards for their hospitality during this most recent event, as well as sponsors Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Ron Tarr Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics.