Joey Bourgeois, Jr., of Baytown, Texas, tore through a field of 75 amateur division players, while Houston’s Ernesto Bayaua blazed through the 64-player, open division, in the epic Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour 10th Anniversary Event, held on July 7th-8th, at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas. In the amateur division final, Bourgeois, Jr. beat out number two ranked, Steve Lenz, to claim his first-ever win on the Poison Lone Star Tour, while Bayaua bested number two ranked, Joey Torres, to maintain his number one spot in the open division rankings. Both players went undefeated!

 

The sixth stop on the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour was the “10th Anniversary 10-Ball Event” which marked ten years of Tour tournaments in the Lone Star State. The Tour gave away cash and products totaling $1,500 to its loyal constituents, while new players at this event were entered into a cash drawing. The Tour provided lunch for all the players, including twenty-nine, Gulf Coast Tour ladies. Thanks to host room, Bogies Billiards, title sponsor, Poison by Predator Cues PoisonBilliards.com, and sponsors Cyclop Pool Balls Facebook@CyclopPoolBalls, APA of North Harris County Facebook@APANorthHarrisCounty, OutsvilleBilliards.com, www.VaporKnightsUSA.com, and Southern Streaming, this event amassed 85 Poison Lone Star players, and a $12,330 payout.     

 

In the amateur division, Joey Bourgeois, Jr. made his way to the final four on the winners’ side with victories over Jose De LaCruz, Joel Acevedo, 5-4, Jance “L.J.” Johnson, 5-1, and Dallas’ Clint Palaci, 5-3, while Steve Lenz made his bid, securing wins over Jamie Cantrel, John Braud, David Williams, 5-3, Chris Young, 5-3, and Aaron Springs, 5-2. Resident player, Chuck Adams, denied Sonny Bosshamer, C.J. Escalera, Adam Cooper, 5-4, Bob Guzik, 5-4, and Chad Reece, 5-4, while Randy Nickerson ousted Todd Hinson, Bob DeTuncq, 5-4, Jack Cavalier, 5-0, Dale Briones, 5-3, and recent event winner, Michael Pickering, 5-1. On the west side, following a first round loss to Dallas’ Shane Hvamstad, Cesar Arechiga racked up seven wins to reach the final sixteen on the one loss side. Bosshamer benched Beaumont’s Carl Honey, 4-0, but fell short to Chris Young, 4-3. Hinson also took a first round hit, but came back to win six matches, positioning himself in the final sixteen, while Bret Harlan reached the final twenty-four, and in the money, but was denied by Marshal Ward, 4-2. Tony Scott squeezed into the first money round, but fell to Hvamstad, 4-3, while Laredo’s David Leal won five, including a win over Guzik, 4-3. Newcomer, Brandon Stewart, booked four wins on the one loss side, including a victory over Briones, 4-3, while Josh Pruiett paved his way to the final twenty-four, but lost to Kevin Frauenberger, 4-1. While the final eight took shape on the west side, on the east side, Nickerson made quick work of Adams, 5-1, while Bourgeois, Jr. powered through Lenz, 5-1. Back on the one loss side, Arechiga bested Young, 4-2, and Reece, 4-3, while Hinson took care of Ward, 4-3, and Pickering, 4-0. Leal slid by Hvamstad and Springs by the same score, 4-3, while Stewart defeated Frauenberger, 4-1, but was ousted by Palaci, 4-1. Hinson overwhelmed Arechiga, 4-0, and Palaci moved past Leal, 4-3. In the hot seat match, Bourgeois, Jr. took down Nickerson, 5-2, securing his first-ever, hot seat win. Seeking redemption, Adams eliminated Palaci, 4-3, and Lenz ended Hinson’s run, 4-2. Lenz overcame Adams, 4-1, and Nickerson, 4-2, to reach a final reckoning with Bourgeois, Jr. Once again, Lenz proved no match for Bourgeois, Jr., who cruised to his first Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour victory, 5-1.

 

In the open 9-ball division, Ernesto Bayaua was on role, dominating Kelly Kilgore, 6-2, Justin Pena, 6-0, Adam Cooper, 6-0, and Steve Lenz, 6-3, while Manny Chau cut through Mike Wilson, Chase Rudder, 6-0, Chuck Adams, 6-2, and Cesar Arechiga, 6-0. Aaron Springs stopped David Ramos, Sonny Bosshamer, 6-2, Seth Gonzales, 6-2, and upset Alex Calderone, 6-5. Joey Torres , Joey Bourgeois, Jr., 6-2, Carl Honey, 6-3, and Joel Acevedo, 6-3. As the winners’ side final four took shape, the one loss side was winding down. Kevin Frauenberger took out Hvamstad, 5-2, but fell to Calderone, 5-1, while Bob Guzik ended Sonny Bosshamer, 5-3, and Acevedo, 5-2. Chase Rudder ousted Tommy Tokoph, 5-4, but was upset by Steve Lenz, 5-0. Pena edged out Bobby Perez, but fell to Arechiga, 5-3. It was down to the final eight. On the east side, Bayaua bested Chau, 6-4, and Torres tore down Springs, 6-2. The hot seat pitted two, successful Houston players, witnessing Bayaua handily win the hot seat, 6-2. On the west side, Calderone ejected Guzik, 5-0, but lost to Chau, 5-1, while Arechiga slid by Lenz, 5-4, only to be ousted by Springs. While Springs upset Chau, 5-4, Torres took him out, earning himself another shot at Bayaua. In the final match, Torres came on strong, but Bayaua was on point, pulling ahead to win his fourth open division title this year, 6-4. 

 

The Tour would like to thank Monique Ferguson and John Newsome who assisted with running the boards, and recognize Jimmy Weeks of Lufkin, Texas, and Mike Pawloski of Willis, Texas, for being top contributors to the player auctions. Finally, the Tour would like to congratulate all of the free giveaway recipients. Mike Wilson of Corpus Christie won the Poison AR3-2 playing cue, Laredo’s Gerardo Alvarez took home a Poison VX jump cue, and Houston’s Rudy Sanchez won the Poison break/jump cue. Tommy Tokoph and Todd Hinson won Cyclop Pool Ball Sets (Zeus), and Doug Gray, C.J. Escalera, Roy Alonzo, and Richard Stuart snagged Outsville Accu-Racks. Carl Honey collected $50 in Brutal Game Gear, and Thomas Madison took home the Superbowl gear.

 

The next event will be 9-ball on 9’ tables, to be held August 4th-5th, 2018, at Skinny Bob’s Billiards, located at 300 Hester’s Crossing, in Round Rock, Texas. This same weekend, there will be a Women’s Gulf Coast Tour 9-Ball Event, two days, on open bar tables, beginning Saturday, August 4th, at 11:00am. The women’s event is non-smoking. For more information, visit www.GulfCoastWomensTour.com. 

 

For more information, or sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com.

Houston’s David Mendiola tore through a field of 55 competitors in the amateur 9-ball division, beating Steve Lenz in the finals, 5-2, 5-3, to win his first, Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour title. Ernesto Bayaua went undefeated in the 50-player, open 9-ball division, defeating Manny Chau in the finals, 7-1, securing his second, consecutive win of 2018. 

 

On February 10th-11th, 2018, the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour held its second stop of the season at Bogies Billiards West in Houston, Texas. The tournament amassed 94 players from cities throughout Texas and Louisiana, with a payout in excess of $7,000. The Tour would like to thank Bogies West and staff, title sponsor Poison by Predator Cues PoisonBilliards.com, and sponsors Cyclop Pool Balls Facebook@CyclopPoolBalls, Ozone Billiards OzoneBilliards.com, APA of North Harris County Facebook@APANorthHarrisCounty, OutsvilleBilliards.com, and www.VaporKnightsUSA.com for facilitating another successful event for the Poison Lone Star Tour players.

 

In the amateur division, David Mendiola made his way to the final four with wins over Kenneth Espina, 5-2, Bob Valliere, 5-4, Steve Williams, 5-0, and Rudy Sanchez, 5-0, while Steve Lenz took care of Jim Shipman, 5-0, Burak Temel, 5-4, and Dallas’ Joe Pelayo, 5-1.  Beaumont’s Carl Honey bested San Antonio’s Scott Spiegel, Richard “The Black Diamond” Stuart, Louisiana’s Shane LeBlanc, 5-3, and Bill Fuller, 5-3, while Brian Rosenbaum tagged Ron Wrobleski, Jong Yoo, 5-4, Angelo Martin, 5-1, and John Braud. On the one loss side, Yoo eliminated Fuller, 5-1, while Joey Bourgeois ended Braud, 5-3. Following five match wins, Chris Rogers went on to eliminate Sanchez, 5-2, while Pelayo slid by Felder, 5-4. Cruising to the hot seat, Lenz dealt Mendiola a blow, 5-2, while Rosenbaum denied Honey, 5-4. Lenz dusted off Rosenbaum for the hot seat, 5-3, seemingly on the road to a second, amateur division victory. On the west side, rounding out the final eight, Fuller fell to Bourgeois, and Pelayo denied Rogers, 5-2. Mendiola eliminated Bourgeois, 5-4, and Honey curbed Pelayo, 5-2. Mendiola forged ahead, edging out Honey, 5-4, and Rosenbaum, 5-4, earning himself a rematch with Lenz. In the finals, a collected Lenz attempted to fend off a relentless Mendiola, and it was a fight to the finish. Mendiola latched on, claiming the first set, 5-2. In the second set, Lenz tried to turn it around, but Mendiola’s momentum was too strong. The Houston player closed out the second set, 5-3, to win his first-ever, Poison Lone Star Tour title. 

 

In the open 9-ball division, Ernesto Bayaua was unstoppable. He secured wins over Dallas’ Vic Sorto, 7-1, Brian Rosenbaum, 7-2, Robert Wendel, 7-2, and New York’s Dale Briones, 7-2, while Denis Strickland overwhelmed Richie Richeson, 7-5, Joe Pelayo, 7-2, and Jong Yoo, 7-0. Young gun, Joey Torres, overcame Ronjan Mathur, Manny Chau, 7-5, and Bob Valliere, 7-1, while Lufkin’s Chad Reece bested Shane LeBlanc, 7-2, Joey Bourgeois, 7-4, and Chris Rogers, 7-5. Bayaua squeezed by Strickland, 7-6, while Torres tamed Reece, 7-5, pitting two Houston locals for the hot seat match. Bayaua made quick work of Torres, 7-1, which marked his twelfth, consecutive match win in the first two events. On the one loss side, following a third round upset by Chris Rogers, Tommy Tokoph took out Jong Yoo, while Chau overcame Briones, 5-3. LeBlanc took out Valliere, 5-1, and Felder extinguished Rogers, 5-2. Chau powered through Tokoph, 5-0, and Reece, 5-1, while LeBlanc finished off Felder, 5-2, but fell to Strickland, 5-0. Chau, the 2017 Tour Champion, sent home Strickland, 5-3, and Torres, 5-2, for a final match up against 2016 Tour Champion, Bayaua. With an incredible seven match wins to his credit, Chau headed into the finals with an undefeated Bayaua. In the final set, Bayaua set the pace, took the lead, and never looked back. Bayaua defeated Chau, 7-1, winning his second Tour event, and marking his thirteenth, straight match win this year. 

 

Special “congratulations” to Joe Pelayo of Dallas, Texas, on securing his highest, Poison Lone Star Tour finish to date! The Tour would also like to recognize Ruth Paine of San Antonio, Texas, for her assistance with the production of this event. Match recordings on the live stream table were facilitated by www.SouthernStreaming.com, and are now available for viewing in their online library. 

 

The next event will be held March 10th-11th, 2018, at Fat Rack’s Sports Bar and Billiards in San Antonio, Texas. For more information, please visit www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com. 

Ernesto Bayaua went undefeated to capture the 39-player, open 8-ball division, while Sonny Bosshamer ran through a 47-player field, to secure the amateur 8-ball division, at the first stop on the 2018 Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour. Bayaua overwhelmed Brian Rosenbaum in the final, 3-0, while Bosshamer denied Lufkin’s Chad Reece in both sets of the true double elimination final, 3-2, 3-2.

 

Lake Jackson, Freeport, Stafford, Lufkin, Victoria, and San Antonio, were just a handful of cities represented by players competing in the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour 8-ball event, held on January 13th-14th, 2018, at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas. The Tour would like to acknowledge and thank all the new players who attended their first Tour event, some hailing from Houston’s North Harris County APA and Houston Best of Billiards leagues. Props go out to Ruth Paine, Alamo City 8-Ball Association operator, who was the lone, female competitor in the event. Many thanks to Mike Fabacher who provided the free, two-day live stream, and Michael Presley for his assistance in the booth. Once again, Tour title sponsor Poison by Predator Cues PoisonBilliards.com, and sponsors Cyclop Pool Balls facebook@CyclopPoolBalls,  Ozone Billiards OzoneBilliards.com, APA of North Harris County facebook@APANorthHarrisCounty,  OutsvilleBilliards.com, and VaporKnightsUSA.com, facilitated another successful  event that paid out over $4,500 in prize money, to the top twelve finishers in each division. 

 

In the open division, former Poison Lone Star Tour Champion and APA National Champion, Ernesto Bayaua, ran through Jake Jurgens, 3-1, Sonny Bosshamer, 3-1, and Kevin Frauenberger, 3-1, while Canada’s Robert Crane bested Lance Johnson, Steve Williams, 3-2, and Joey Torres, 3-1. Former Tour Champion, Brian Rosenbaum, overcame “Mikey Boy” Martinez, 3-1, Sylver Ochoa, 3-1, and Mark Cardenas, 3-1, while Doug Gray ousted Brian Humphrey, 3-2, Dave Ramirez, 3-1, Michael Presley, 3-0, and Chris Thompson, 3-2. On the west side, in the final twelve and in the money, Frauenberger slid by Curt Sheldon, 3-2, and Torres eliminated Ochoa, 3-2, while Cardenas cancelled Williams, 3-0, and Bosshamer terminated Thompson. On the winners’ side, Rosenbaum stopped Gray, 3-2, while Bayaua closed out Crane, 3-0. In the hot seat match, Bayaua made quick work of Rosenbaum, 3-0. On the flip side, Torres was on a tear, eliminating Frauenberger, 3-2, and Gray, 3-0, while Bosshamer overcame Cardenas, but fell to Crane. In turn, Torres eliminated Crane, but lost the next round to Rosenbaum, 3-1. With that win, Rosenbaum earned a rematch with Bayaua. In the finals, Bayaua won the flip and never looked back, running three racks against Rosenbaum, and going undefeated to win his first event of 2018.

 

In the amateur division, newcomer Shane Aguinaga of Freeport, Texas, made his way to the winners’ side final four, booking wins over Shelby Green, Chuck Adams, 3-2, Eboo Alali, 3-2, and Bill Fain, 3-1, while Sonny Bosshamer sliced through Brandon Anderson, 3-0, Brian Humphrey, 3-0, Robert Crane, 3-0, and Mark Cardenas, 3-1. Lufkin’s Chad Reece took charge, logging wins over Chris Gutierrez, Michael Presley, 3-0, Steve Siarski, 3-1, and Eric Hsu, 3-2, while Tony Scott took down John Frye, 3-0, Jake Jurgens, Lance Johnson, 3-0, and Will Felder, 3-1. On the west side, in the final twelve and in the money, Hsu fell to Frauenberger, 3-1, and Felder foiled Alali, 3-1, while Fain bested Williams, 3-1, and Siarski ousted Cardenas, 3-2. Winners’ side final four action witnessed Bosshamer defeat Aguinaga, 3-2, and Reece derail Scott, 3-1. Reece went on to end Bosshamer’s run, 3-1, winning his first hot-seat match, on Tour. Staying alive on the one loss side, Felder dusted off Frauenberger, 3-2, and Aguinaga, 3-0, while Fain ended Siarski, 3-1, only to fall short against Scott, 3-2. Felder slipped by Scott, and into the final four, but was denied by Bosshamer, 3-1. Once again, Bosshamer met up with Reece, in a battle to the bitter end. Reece faltered the first set, 3-2, sending the finals into overtime. In the second set, Bosshamer edged out Reece, 3-2, to win his first event of 2018.

 

Serving pool players, pool rooms, and sponsors, since 2009, the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year as the longest-running billiards tour in the south. A special 10th Anniversary Event will be held for players who compete in at least two events between now, and July 7th, 2018. Players are strongly encouraged to meet the eligibility requirements, in order to gain entrance into this event. The next tour stop will be open and amateur 9-ball, held on February 10th-11th, at Bogies West, 9638 Jones Road, Houston, Texas. For more information, including access to the free live stream, visit www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com.