Jim Bishop went undefeated at the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour event, held on May 14th-15th, 2016, decimating the 64-player amateur 9-ball division, besting Houston’s Pete Charles in the final round, 6-5. Currently stationed in Houston for work, Bishop hales from Mobile, Alabama, and although he’s played in previous Lone Star events, he has never actually won an event, until now. Former tour champion, Andy Jethwa, overcame APA Nationals Champion, Ernesto Bayaua, in the final, 7-6, earning Jethwa his second, consecutive open division win this year.
The event was hosted by Ariana’s in Houston, Texas, and along with tour sponsors Poison by Predator Cues www.poisonbilliards.com, Delta-13 Rack www.delta-13.com, Ozone Billiards www.ozonebilliards.com, and the APA of North Harris County www.facebook.com/apanorthharriscounty, facilitated a very successful event. Ariana’s catered to 74 Poison Lone Star Tour players (along with 31 Gulf Coast Tour women) adding a generous $1,000 to the prize fund, offering free play on all their bar tables, and providing free food the entire event. The tour would like to thank Ariana’s owners, Minh and Bill Hammond, and their entire staff, for their gracious hospitality, and years of continued support!
With 105 players in the building and only 12 bar tables, action was slow moving on Saturday, and races were modified on Sunday in order for the event to conclude at a reasonable hour. In the amateur 9-ball division, Jim Bishop put on a solid performance, taking down a list of event hopefuls on his way to the hot seat, including Ryan Garcia, Josh White, Rocky Skuca, 6-2, and Johnny Griffin, 6-2. Junior player, Jacob Watson, bested Curt Bovenzi, 6-4, and Kenneth Price, 6-1, to meet Bishop in the final four on the winners’ side. Pete Charles was on a roll, logging wins over Mike Singleton, Jose Gonzales, 7-1, Danny Roland, 6-3, and Brock Temel, 6-4. In similar form, Mark Wanner made his way to the final four, ousting Chase Wheeler, David Leal, 7-6, Tommy Aramburo, 6-1, and Brandon Bilbo, 6-5. As the final four shaped up on the winners’ side, players were making their way through the one-loss side. After losing his first match to Laredo’s Martin Ramos, Ray Reeves won an incredible 6 consecutive matches, including victories over Bruce Solf, 5-0, Adam Cooper, 4-1, Charlie Jenkins, 4-2, and Kenneth Price, 4-3. Reeves was stopped short by Johnny Griffin, 4-2. After a third round loss to Bishop, Rocky Scuka won four in a row, eliminating Chuck Adams, BryanTilley, 4-1, Brandon Bilbo, 4-2, and Lester Foy, 4-1. Back on the east side, Charles overcame Wanner, 6-3, while Bishop sent Watson west, 6-1. It was a harrowing battle for the hot seat, as Bishop narrowly escaped Charles, 6-5. On the west side, Griffin defeated Wanner, 4-1, while Skuca ended Watson, 4-3. Griffin eliminated Skuca, 4-1, but was ousted by Charles, 4-3. And with that win, Charles earned himself a shot at redemption. As the rematch between Bishop and Charles commenced, it appeared to be a similar “tug-of-war” session, as each took turns executing strategic safeties and cinching any open tables. Once again, Bishop came out ahead, denying Charles, 6-5. Congratulations to Jim Bishop, who went undefeated to secure his first-ever, Poison Lone Star Tour victory!
In the 60-player open 9-ball division, Andy Jethwa was on a quest to conquer. His path of destruction included wins over Jim Bishop, Kris Modisette, 9-6, Martin Ramos, 7-2, and Mark Wanner, 7-1. Johnny Griffin plowed through Will Felder, Mark Cardenas, Alex Cardenas, 7-2, and Chris Thompson, 7-2, to meet Jethwa in the final four winners’ side. Ernesto Bayaua took the bull by the horns, defeating Lester Foy, 7-5, Chuck Adams, 7-4, and Brock Temel, 7-2. After recovering from serious health issues, Mike Singleton rejoined the tour and was back on track, besting Kenneth Price, Rene Rodriguez, 9-3, Jacob Watson, 7-3, and Tony Benestante. As the final four on the winners’ side rounded out, Watson rolled on the west side eliminating M. Cardenas, 5-4, Wanner, 5-4, and Guzik, 5-2. After a second round loss to Brock Temel, 9-7, Chase Wheeler won 6 consecutive matches, racking up wins over Adeana Sanchez, 5-0, Brandon Bilbo, 5-4, Martin Ramos, 5-3, Ryan Garcia, 5-2, Tony Benestante, 5-4, and Dalton Riley, 5-4. On the east side, it was Bayaua over Singleton, and Jethwa over Griffin, 7-6. With numerous open division titles to their credit, Bayaua and Jethwa fought equally hard for the hot seat, with Jethwa finishing ahead, 7-6. On the one-loss side, Griffin met and defeated Wheeler, 5-1, and Bayaua eliminated Watson, 5-2. Bayaua went on to eliminate Griffin, 5-2, and Singleton, 5-1, for a Jethwa reckoning. Once again, the two faced-off, exhibiting extreme collection and focus. As the champions traded games, in the end, the result remained the same. Jethwa defeated Bayaua, 7-6, securing his second, consecutive tour victory of the 2016 season!
The Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour would like to officially welcome all the new players who attended this event. The next PLSBT event will be held June 11th-12th at Bogies Billiards located at 3040 FM 1960 E., Houston, Texas 77073. The Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour encourages everyone who loves to play pool and compete in a friendly atmosphere, to attend an event. For more information, visit www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com. Please “Like” us on Facebook/LoneStarTour and “Follow” us at Twitter/LoneStarTour09.
Roommates Alex Olinger and Billy Thorpe weren't favored to face each other in the finals of the White Diamond Billiards 9-Ball Open on the weekend of November 15-16. Among those who were favored to be the last two standing were (in order) Skyler Woodward, Chip Compton, Joey Gray, and Robb Saez. Also in the 'favored' mix were former champions of the event Jamie Baracks and Shane McMinn, along with Manny Chau, Cliff Joyner, and former US Open Champion Tommy Kennedy. But Olinger and Thorpe it was; Olinger completing an undefeated run with a victory over Thorpe in those finals. The $1,000-added bar box event drew 128 entrants to White Diamond Billiards in Lafayette, Louisiana.
"We'd played in the finals of a few smaller tournaments," said Olinger of his regular touring partnership with Thorpe, "but this was the biggest one we'd ever been in that we made it to the finals."
"It was a tough field," he said of his victory, "but I played well all weekend."
He started early, defeating Dalton Riley 7-3, before running into the top-favored player on the list, Skyler Woodward. He downed Woodward 7-4, which sent the youngster on a seven-match, loss-side winning streak that ended in the tie for 7th/8th. Olinger went on to defeat Cheddy Brown, Eric Brown and Chip Compton, before running into Thorpe for the first time in a winners' side semifinal. Baracks and Matt Armstrong squared off in the other. Olinger downed Thorpe in a double hill battle, and in the hot seat match, faced Baracks, who'd sent Armstrong west 7-3. Olinger got into the hot seat 7-5 and waited on Thorpe's return.
On the loss side, Thorpe picked up Josh Roberts, who'd defeated Robb Saez 7-4 and ended Woodward's run 7-5. Armstrong drew Robert Dennies, who'd eliminated a couple of favorites; Jonathan Pinegar 7-4 and Chip Compton, double hill. Thorpe and Armstrong advanced to the quarterfinals; Thorpe 7-2 over Roberts and Armstrong 7-3 over Dennies.
Thorpe defeated Armstrong 7-4, and then earned his second shot at Olinger with a 7-5 victory over Baracks in the semifinals. Olinger stopped Thorpe's three-match, loss-side run with a 7-4 win in the opening set of the true double elimination final.
The event was the work of Ashley and Chris Miller, owners of White Diamond Billiards. Selected matches were broadcast throughout the weekend by PoolAction TV, with commentary by Ray Hansen.
In an amazing display of talent beyond his young years, 14 year old Houston local Joey Torres blazed through a field of 37 players, going undefeated to win the Poison by Predator Tour Open 8-Ball event on June 8th, 2014, held at Bogies Billiards & Sports Bar in Houston, Texas. This was a third consecutive tournament win for Torres, winning two previous Lone Star Tour amateur events, upgrading Torres to “open division” player status.
From start to finish Torres played incredible, ousting a plethora of talent including Nick Hood, 4-0, Sonny Bosshamer, Marvin Diaz, 4-2, Danny Roland, 4-3, finishing up with contender Erik Renteria for the hot seat, 4-0. With a purse nearing $3,000, the event kicked off around 2:30pm along with the PxP Tour live stream and a string of deafening upsets. In the second round Bob McFerren defeated #2 ranked PxP player, Rafael Martinez, 4-3. Danny Roland leveled the playing field, taking a bite out of Ernesto Bayaua, 4-3, and Manny Chau, 4-1. Finding himself in the finals more often than not, Erik Renteria beat Kevin Clemons, 4-1, Kevin Bivens, 4-2, and David Taylor, 4-3, while former Lone Star Tour Champion Danny Lee won his bid for the final four with wins over Derrell Taylor, Bill Fain, 4-2, and Will Felder, 4-0. In the winners’ side final four, Renteria slid by Lee while Torres escaped Roland, by the same score, 4-3. Torres’ momentum proved insurmountable for Renteria who lost the hot seat match, 4-0. On the one loss side, Chau defeated Dalton Riley and Danny Lee while Martinez set the chart on fire with 8 consecutive wins, including knockouts over tour veterans Sonny Bosshamer and David Taylor. Martinez ended a great run by Roland, eliminated Chau, 4-1, and moved on to Renteria. In the first game, Renteria set the tone with a break and run. Martinez was down 2-1 until an unforced error by Renteria propelled him to a 4-2 victory. Torres and Martinez teed off for the final match. From start to finish Torres held complete control leaving Martinez a total of 3 offensive shots the entire set. Torres swept Martinez, 4-0. Aside from his tournament earnings, Torres won a paid 9-ball entry ($75) into the Space City Open to be held December 4th-7th, 2014 at Bogies Billiards & Sports Bar in Houston, Texas. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/spacecityopen.
The Poison by Predator Tour would like to recognize Delta-13 as its official rack and the APA of North Harris County as its official league. Become a PxP Tour Player, membership is free! For more information visit www.PxPTour.com
Charlie Bryant (Photo courtesy of Michael Moon Photography)
In only its second run, the Space City Open proved even more successful this year drawing twice the players and nearly doubling its inaugural purse, paying out right at $40,000. The amount of talent that encompassed this four-day billiard event was unsurpassed, a breathtaking demonstration of ability, enthralling countless fans and at-home viewers tuned in to the live, internet broadcast. To that point, in a display of astounding skill and reserve, Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant defended his open 9-ball title against Jeremy “JJ” Jones, blitzing Jones from the one-loss side 9-0, 7-0. Renowned player Justin Hall took no prisoners on his path to winning the elite, One Pocket division with a final win over counterpart Joey Gray, 4-3. Former U.S. Open Champion Jeremy Jones went undefeated in the new, 9-ball banks division conquering famed Richie “Richie Rich” Richeson in the final, 3-1, to clench his first-ever 9-Ball banks title. Ming Ng rebounded from the one loss side in the ladies 9-ball division, cresting Kim Pierce, 7-4, 5-1, in the final, to join an illustrious group of Space City Open title holders.
On December 5th-8th, 2013, Space City Open followers braved unseasonably cold temperatures due to a powerful, slow-moving storm that brought ice, snow, and bitter cold to North Texas, the same system prompting 1,650 U.S. flight cancellations and leaving tens of thousands of people without power. The weather deterred very few, if any, from attending the annual event held at host and sponsor room, Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas. Other businesses behind the brawn of this year’s Space City Open included OnSitePool.com, APA of North Harris County, and GreatAmericanCues.com. Zachary Goldsmith of OnSitePool.com provided the impeccable 4-day live stream and professional event photos were captured by Michael Moon Photography. This year the Space City Open embraced its newest sponsors, HanshewCustomCues.com and OzoneBilliards.com. Ron Geyer Cue Repair, Joe Salazar Connoisseur of Custom Cues, and Great American Cues, were on-site, along with officiating referee, Derrell Montgomery of Conroe, Texas.
The 9-ball division drew 90 players competing over two days for almost $20,000 in purse money.
Tournament upsets included Justin Whitehead over Justin Hall, 9-5, Bob Guzik over Gabe Owen, 9-6, and Danny Roland over Cliff Joyner, 9-7. Joyner went on to eliminate Hall, John Lentini, 7-3, and Chase Rudder, 7-5, before being discharged by Bryant, 7-4. Bennett bested Port Arthur’s Randy Davidson, 7-4, and in turn was ousted by Richeson, 7-1. Joey Barnes won an impressive 7 straight matches including wins over Whitehead, 7-6, and Owen, 7-5, after losing his second round to Woodward, 9-7. Kentucky’s Robert “The Snowman” Frost won 6 in a row after losing his first round to James Davis Jr., 9-4. Frost suffered a final loss at the hands of Woodward, 7-1, who went on to eliminate James Davis Jr., 7-5, Joey Barnes, and Joey Gray, 7-2, while Bryant claimed Guzik, 7-1, Richeson,7-2, and Ochoa, 7-4, earning himself a face to face with Woodward.
The caliber of play in the open 9-ball division easily rivaled that of any top, men’s event where one mistake can cost you the set. Players strung numerous racks, closing out sets, and sometimes shutting out their opponents. The final four players were no exception. On the east side, Jones and Saez made their way through their respective brackets with impressive numbers. Although both players seemed at the top of their game, the resident Jones pulled ahead of Saez resulting in a final score of 9-5. On the flip side, Bryant appeared unstoppable as he teed off for his eighth, straight match against a young, impressive, Woodward. In the first game, a missed opportunity by Woodward remanded him to his seat for the remainder of the set. These turn of events staged an all too familiar scene between Texas players Jones and Bryant. The crowd zeroed in on the two, pool powerhouses and watched intensely as Bryant jumped to a 4-0 lead. Following a brief, safety exchange, Bryant secured the fifth game. From that point on, Jones never made it back to the table. In the second set, Jones reached the table only once, in the third game. Bryant played flawlessly, stringing the first two racks and closing with the last four.
The 32 player One Pocket field featured an all-star cast with phenomenal talent going head to head in a test of wills and stamina. On the final four winners’ side, Joey Gray and Joey Barnes crossed paths while Robb Saez went head to head with Justin Hall. Gray’s wake of destruction included Cliff Joyner, David Parker, and Sylver Ochoa, as Hall defeated Richie Richeson, defending champion Jeremy Jones, and Skyler Woodward, none of which made it past 2 games. Upsets included Robert Frost over Gabe Owen, 4-1, and Roy Payton over Billy Sharp, 3-2. Owen eliminated Payton, and in turn, was sent home by Joyner. Barnes dealt Charlie Bryant a third round blow, 4-3, who then vanquished Joyner from the one loss side, 3-1. Ochoa overcame Jones, 3-2, and followed with Bryant, 3-0. After his first round loss, Richeson came back with 5 straight matches including wins over Frost and Woodward. Back on the east side, Gray dismissed Barnes, 4-3, and Hall reigned over Saez, 4-2, yielding a television worthy, hot seat match-up. On the one loss side, final four action saw Ochoa eliminate Saez, 3-2, and Richeson win his sixth, consecutive match against Barnes, 3-2. During the hot seat match, with two, true professionals at the helm, the moves were tight and controlled. Relentless in his pursuit, a disciplined Hall derailed Gray, 4-2. On the one loss side, Ochoa stopped Richeson in his tracks, 3-1, only to be eliminated by a resilient Gray, 3-0. During the final match, Gray appeared eager to take control, but Hall was persistent. Tied at 3, it was down to the wire with both players fighting for every, last ball. In similar fashion, Hall overcame Gray, 4-3, winning his first Space City Open One Pocket title.
The new, 9-ball banks division (originally limited to 16) drew 25 entrants on Thursday afternoon, kicking off Space City Open. Jeremy Jones made his way to the hot seat with wins over Joey Barnes, 3-1, and Cliff Joyner, 3-1, while Tom Mooney defeated James Davis Jr., 3-2, and Chase Rudder, 3-0. After a third round loss to Rudder, Robert Frost terminated Joey Gray, 3-0, and Joyner, 3-0, while Richie Richeson was on a roll, again, winning 4 consecutive matches after a first round loss to Justin Whitehead, 3-1. Frost made number 6 on Richeson’s hit list. The hot seat match saw Jones defeat Mooney, 3-2, who was subsequently eliminated by Richeson, 3-1. Richeson’s raid lasted 7 straight matches, but no more. Jones commanded the final set, besting Richeson, 3-1.
Rounding out the event, 21 women battled it out on Sunday for the ladies 9-ball title. After decimating the field, players Teresa Garland and Kim Pierce overwhelmed Heather Bryant and Ricki Casper, 7-3, 7-4, respectively, to face-off for the ladies hot seat. Ming Ng took a first round hit from Belinda Lee, 7-6, who in turn lost the following round to Bryant, 7-6. Framing up the one loss side final four was Nayla Hoak who took an early 7-3 hit from Garland, and Lorna McEwan, bested by Bryant in the same round, 7-2. Ng went on to defeat Lee, 5-1, and Bryant, 5-3, culminating 5 straight match wins. Hoak beat McEwan, 5-3, but fell to Casper, 5-4. The seemingly indomitable Pierce defeated Garland for the hot seat, 7-3, while Ng made Casper her sixth victim, 5-4. Ng eliminated Garland, 5-3, staging a premier match between two of the division’s finest players. You could cut the tension with a knife as both players traded innings, and racks. Ng dealt Pierce a blow, winning the first set, 7-4. Finding it difficult to regroup, Pierce lost the second set, 5-1.
The 2014 Space City Open is already scheduled for December 4th-7th. Venue owner David Richardson, who recovered all 29 tables prior to the event, vows to make each year better than the last. Tournament directors John and Kim Newsome were ecstatic over player turnout and payouts, sharing this final sentiment. “For those who came out to the Space City Open, especially those who drove a long way to support the event, thanks for making the tournament a huge success. For those who missed it, we hope to see you next year!”
The Poison by Predator 9-ball event hosted on March 31, 2012 by Bogies Billiards and Games in Houston, Texas proved to be just as successful as the first. The one day event boasted a tournament payout in excess of $5,000 with 50 invited, amateur players. The field included tour regulars Dalton Riley, Brian Rosenbaum, Steve Lindgren, Loretta Lindgren, Bill McCormick, Robert Hitchcock, Eric Gauthier, Val Charles, Mark Fusina, and many more!
Match play began at approximately 2pm following the player auction. The swift race to 6, winner break format, produced numerous upsets throughout the day and into the evening. Winners’ side final 16 upsets included Will Felder over Chase Rudder 6-2, and Brian Rosenbaum over Brent Thomas 6-5. One-loss side upsets included Dave Ramirez over Casey Crews 6-3 and Chris Penry over Jerald Jackson 6-5. New faces on Tour included J.J. Manley, Dee Davis, and Kyle Perry who all made the east side final 8 and had a great finish! Newcomer Jeff Chauncey lost his second match, then defeated Bill Fuller, Val Charles, Chuck Adams and Bobby Perez, but was stopped cold by Rosenbaum for a top ten finish. The final four winners’ side saw Felder best Perry and Oklahoma’s Dee Davis fall to Sonny Bosshamer, 6-3. This pitted Felder against Bosshamer for the hot seat. Meanwhile, after suffering defeat at the hands of Bosshamer 6-3 in the east side final 8, Sonny Demetro made his bid for first eliminating Thomas, Manley, Perry, and Riley. Back east, it was a hot seat heartbreaker for Felder, losing 6-5 to Bosshamer. Adding insult to injury, Felder became Demetro’s fifth and final victim on his trek to the finish line. Bosshamer ended Demetro’s run, 6-3, for an undefeated Poison Tour victory. Congratulations to Sonny Bosshamer who has now captured both Lone Star and Poison Tour titles using his Poison VX playing cue and his Poison VX2.9 break/jump cue.
The Poison Tour would like to thank its exclusive venue host, Bogies Billiards and Games.
Live streaming was provided by Eugene Lee and official BCA referee services by Derrell Montgomery.
The next Poison by Predator Tour 9-ball event is June 2nd. To qualify for this event, simply participate in the April 14th-15th Lone Star Tour stop’s amateur division at Bogies Biliards.
Want to take your game to the next level? Visit www.poisonbilliards.com or www.predatorcues.com then call 713.825.1411 to place your order with Kim White, Authorized Predator/Poison Dealer.
On January 7, 2012, the first Poison by Predator (PxP) Tour 9-ball event was held at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas. The $1,000 added, one day event was true to format with 50 invited, pre-paid players, with first round matches starting at 1:30pm. The tournament purse yielded $2,500 while the player auction added another $2,420 to the coffers.
Bill Fuller, longtime Texas player and director of the prestigious “Texas Open”, and local Tiger Tour champ Jason Pearce both made their way unscathed to the Poison hot seat. Pearce defeated Dalton Riley 6-0 and Fuller ousted Bobby Perez 6-3 on the winner’s side final four which set the hot seat stage. In the match, Pearce came on strong leading Fuller 5-2, but Fuller came back to win the set 6-5. After losing his first round match to Fuller, Brent Thomas won 8 consecutive matches with wins over Kenneth Price, Bob Guzik, Bobby Perez and Dalton Riley, but was stopped short by Pearce 6-4. It was another heart stopping match between Pearce and Fuller. This time the scenario was reversed when Fuller pulled ahead 5-2 only to see Pearce grind it out and knot the score at 5. In the final game, the two weary competitors traded safeties until Fuller capitalized on a failed 5-ball safety and ran the remaining balls for an undefeated Poison Tour victory. Notable finishes in this event included comeback player Bobby Perez 5th, Chuck Adams 7th, and Run Out Review’s Mark Fusina 9th. View recorded matches by clicking the Live Stream tab at www.pxptour.com.
All Poison events are live streamed by “Run Out Review” and played on (14) 8′ Gandy tables with new Simonis cloth, Pro-Cup Aramith cue balls, and Delta-13 racks. Players qualified for this PxP Tour event through their performance and participation on the 2011 Lone Star Billiards Tour. The next qualifier will be through the LSBT Amateur Division at Future Cues in Temple, Texas, on February 4th-5th. Visit www.lonestarbilliardstour.com for more information.
Invites for the March 31st PxP event will go out Monday, February 6th. Check your email!
