Bucky Souvanthong, East Ridge Billiards Owner Chris Braiman, and Ron Casanzio
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour kicked off their 2021/2022 schedule with another $2000 added weekend at East Ridge Billiards in Rochester, NY where Ron Casanzio proved again why he is a danger to win any Joss Tour stop that he plays in.
After a first round bye, Casanzio found himself on the wrong side of a 9-7 match against Luis Recio. That left him facing a long uphill battle, and he took that battle on. Casanzio started his westward quest through the brackets with another close one, a hill-hill win over Rohit Aggarwal. From there, Casanzio went on a tear. He finished the day on Saturday with wins over Alex Alvarado, Hendrik Drost and Robert Czupryniak by a combined score of 21-7. That left him in the cash and due to come back on Sunday.
Casanzio picked things up on Sunday where he left off, with wins over Deo Alpojora, Chris Braiman and Aaron Greenwood to land him in the semi-final match.
Back on the winners side, Bucky Souvanthong was playing his usual top speed. Souvanthong came into Sunday as one of the final four undefeated players and ran over Chris Braiman (9-2) and Dave Driedel (9-3) to take the hot-seat.
Casanzio made quick work of Dreidel in the semi-finals 7-2, to earn his shot at Souvanthong in the double elimination final match.
The first set of the finals was a competitive 9-6 win for Casanzio, but Souvanthong looked to have things under control in the second set. Souvanthong was on the hill at 6-4 when a routine 9-ball missed the pocket to give Casanzio a second chance. That was all that Casanzio needed as he won three straight racks for the hill-hill win and another Joss NE 9-Ball Tour Stop win on his resume.
Sunday’s second chance event saw sixteen players competing for over $800 in prize money. Bruce Carroll went undefeated with wins over Rohit Aggarwal for the hot-seat and again in the finals.
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour will be back in action this weekend at Brickhouse Billiards in N. Syracuse, NY.
18 & under, Frank Spain III and 12 & Under D’Angelo Spain
Congratulations to our new 2020, Joss Junior 9-Ball Champions Frank Spain III in the 18 & under division and D’Angelo Spain in the 12 & under. Both players dominated their respective divisions to claim their titles. Also congratulations to our second place finishers, Amber Kolchew (18 & under) & Alena Hahn (12 & under). Both of these young ladies were very impressive players as well. Frank Spain III and his younger brother D’Aangelo both went undefeted to earn their championships. Our formats for both divisions this year were, round robin group play with the final four playing off in single elimination play to determine the champions. Once again Tim Berlin deserves much thanks for allowing us the use of his beautiful Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sposrt Pub in Amsterdam NY.
It was a fun day of pool watching these 32 talented youngsters compete with some as young as 8 years old. There were 18 in the 18 & under division and 14 in the 12 & under. Most were playing in their first tournament ever. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves even though they were very serious in trying to win. Some even made a long weekend out of it by having a pizza, wings & pool (swimming) party at their motel! All players were treated to a table full of donated items to choose from, plus free raffles for the larger items. Many thanks go out to the many people and companies that generously donated products and their time to help. Our generous sponsors are, in no particular order: Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub (Tim & Julie Berlin), Joss Cues (Debbie, Dan & Stephen Janes), James Sinclair (Rhythm Custom Cues), CJ & Peggi Wilkinson (Baltimore City Cues), Don Kerns, Iwan Simonis (Ivan Lee), Aramith (Ivan Lee), Phil Capelle (Billiards Press), Mark Kulungian, Andrea Duvall (Utica Billiards On The Boulevard), Matt Tetreault, Steven W. Smith, Dave Dreidel, Bill Cote, Josh Burbul, Don Kennedy & Steve Lillis. And thank you to anyone I may have missed and everyone else involved. Hopefully we will be doing this for years to come. I am now accepting donations for our 2021 Joss Junior 9-Ball Championships. Product and monetary donations can be made by contacting Mike Zuglan at 518-356-7163.
Nico Famiglietti, Bryzen Manipula, Tim Berlin (Owner), Frank Spain III and Justin Bogdanffy
Congratulations to our new Joss Junior Champions Frank Spain III in the 18 & under division and Bryzen Manipula in the 12 & under. Both players went undefeated in their respective divisions to claim their titles and qualify the to go the the BEF/BCA National Championships in Las Vegas in July. Also qualifying for the nationals was 2nd place finisher in the 18 under, Justin Bogdanffy and 2nd and 3rd finishers in the 12 under, Nico Famiglietti & Dereck Graven. Our formats for the events were, double elimination races to 9/7 on the 9 footers for the 18 under and races to 7/5 on the 7 footers for the 12 under, played at the beautiful Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sposrt Pub in Amsterdam NY.
It was a fun day of pool watching these talented youngsters compete with some as young as 7 years old. Most were playing in their first tournament ever. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves even though they were very serious in trying to win. All players were treated to a table full of donated items to choose from, plus free raffles for the larger items. Many thanks go out to the many people and companies that generously donated products and their time to help. Our generous sponsors are, in no particular order: Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub (Tim & Julie Berlin), Joss Cues (Debbie, Dan & Stephen Janes), James Sinclair (Rhythm Custom Cues), CJ & Peggi Wilkinson (Baltimore City Cues), Don Kerns, Iwan Simonis (Ivan Lee), Aramith (Ivan Lee), Phil Capelle (Billiards Press), Mark Kulungian, Andrea Duvall (Utica Billiards On The Boulevard), Matt Tetreault, Steven W. Smith, Dave Dreidel & Kevin Bauccio. And thank you to everyone else involved.
Here are the official results for both events:
18 & Under:
1st Frank Spain III (Joss Cue & case, trophy, plus Cuetec cue & case from raffle)
2nd Jusin Bogdanffy (trophy)
3rd Dale Graven (LoreeJon Hasson autographed Pro Cup cue ball – raffle)
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour will be hosting its 3rd "Joss Junior 9-Ball Championship" on Jan. 26 & 27, 2019. The event will take place at the beautiful Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub in Amsterdam NY – www.sharpshootersbilliards.com At Sharp Shooters there is something for everyone. From a friendly game of Pool, Foosball, or Darts to meeting friends out for some great food, drinks & to watch the game – Sharp Shooters has it! And now they even have professional Bocce Ball courts downstairs. A fun and friendly atmosphere for all ages! Tim & Julie Berlin have been most generous to our tour having 3 regular season events both at Sharp Shooters and Trick Shot Billiards & Sports Pub, and now donating the use of their room for our Junior event. Many thanks to them for their continued support of the game.
Many people and companies have generously donated products and their time to help. I would like to acknowledge and thank them all as it is because of them that each participant will receive some of their items. There will also be free raffles for the players for some of the larger items. Our generous sponsors are, in no particular order: Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub (Tim & Julie Berlin), Joss Cues (Debbie, Dan & Stephen Janes), James Sinclair (Rhythm Custom Cues), CJ & Peggi Wilkinson (Baltimore City Cues), Don Kerns, Iwan Simonis (Ivan Lee), Aramith (Ivan Lee), Phil Capelle (Billiards Press), Mark Kulungian, Andrea Duvall (Utica Billiards On The Boulevard), Matt Tetreault, Steven W. Smith, Dave Dreidel & Kevin Bauccio. And thank you to everyone else, who has been, or will be involved. Any top or Pro players are encouraged to drop by if you have the time and are in the neighborhood. I'm sure the kids would love to meet you!
This time we have partnered up with the BEF & BCA to make this event a qualifier for their Junior Nationals in Las Vegas in July. More info can be found here: https://www.billiardeducation.org/
The event will consist of 2 divisions that will run concurrently. There will be an 18 and under plus a 12 and under tournament. Entry fees are $25 per event. Doors will open at 10:30 am Saturday January 26th and final registration is at 11:30 am. The format will be: races to 9, double elimination, on the 9 foot Diamonds for the 18 and under group and races to 7, double elimination, on the 7 foot Diamonds for the 12 and under kids. The winners of each division will receive a beautiful Joss Cue and case and trophy. Please keep in mind that due to attendance, some things could change. FYI, I have run hundreds of tournaments but this is only our 3rd Junior event. The ultimate goal is for everyone to have a great time!
For more information or to let us know of your intention to come (which is encouraged), please contact one of us. Tim Berlin – 518-944-6797, or Mike Zuglan – 518-356-7163
For those in need of accommodations, there are 2 nearby motels. Super 8, 5502 Rt 30, Amsterdam NY 12010 – 518-843-5888 & Valley View Inn, 1351 NY Rt 5s, Amsterdam NY 12010 – 518-842-5637. Other motels may be found by searching the Schenectady & Amsterdam NY area.
On another note, I am currently taking entries for our $25,000 Added "Turning Stone Classic XXXII 9-Ball Open" to be held on August 22-25, 2019. I strongly suggest entering now to avoid being shut out as I currently have about 50 paid entries and I have only been accepting entries for less than a week!!. Contact me at 518-356-7163 for entry info.
Thanks everyone and I hope you all come to Sharp Shooters to see the youth of our game in action & having fun!
Mike Zuglan
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour Is Proudly Sponsored By;
Demitrios Jelatis (Photo courtesy of Taylor Workman)
Day two at the Turning Stone Classic XXX looked to be coming to an end just like day one did; with no notable upsets. That was until the 8pm round, when fans had dual upsets finish at almost the same time on tables next to each other.
The first upset saw Minnesota’s Demitrios Jelatis stun Turning Stone I Champion, Mika Immonen, with a 9-4 beat-down. While the crowd was still talking about that upset, Dave Dreidel was sending Defending Champion Billy Thorpe to the one loss side via a hill-hill 9-ball break. Jelatis and Dreidel will face off on the winner’s side of the event today.
Matches continue all day Saturday, as the field is slimmed down to just eight players who will return on Sunday to crown a winner.
AzBilliards has online brackets and real time scoring for the duration of the event, and Upstate Al is streaming select matches on his Facebook page. Links to all of this coverage are available on our live page for the event.
Congratulations to stop 9 winners, Dave Dreidel (Main Event, $1,000), Chris Braiman (Second Chance Event, $300) & Phil Johnson ($1,200 Joss Cue Raffle Winner)
Snookers Billiards Sports Bar & Grill (Providence R.I.) and Mike Zuglan"s Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour are proud to present the 9th Annual New England Pool & Billiards Hall Of Fame Ray Desell Memorial 9-Ball Open. In addition to the actual tournament which will take place on Saturday March 3 & Sunday March 4, there will also be a Hall of Fame presentation ceremony on Friday evening March 2 at 6pm. All inductees will receive plaques in the New England Pool & Billiards Hall Of Fame located at, maintained, and funded by Snookers. This is just one more way that our hosts Regina & Steve Goulding continue to show their devotion and generosity to our sport. Also, Tom McGonagle deserves much credit for his time and effort in gathering the information, pictures and supervising the inductee process.
Snookers is also one of the best restaurants in the Providence area. Check them out at www.snookersri.com and thanks again to Steve & Regina for putting up the $3,000 added, and once again allowing us the use of their great room for our event. Trophies will be awarded to the top finishers in the main event. Also, Whether you come to play, or just watch, you will have the opportunity to win a gorgeous, custom, engraved Joss Cue, valued at $1,200, by participating in Snookers cue raffle. Anyone can participate and you don't have to be present to win! The drawing will be just prior to the final match of the main event on Sunday. So come on down and play and win, watch for free, have some great food and drink, and take a chance at a $1,200 Joss Cue. Can it get any better than that?
Snookers has arranged a special rate of $99 + Tax (based on availability) at the Holiday Inn Express just a few miles away in Warwick RI. 401-736-5000 mention Snookers.
This event at Snookers will consist of a $2,500 added Saturday and Sunday Main Event (entry Fee $120 for pro level or $70 for non pro level) and a $500 added consolation event on Sunday ($20 Entry Fee) for those non pro players eliminated from the main event on Saturday.
For those of you coming to play, please arrive on Saturday March 3 Before 11:30 AM, and in proper dress please. Yes, jeans and sneakers are permitted in our billiard parlor events. But please, NO T-shirts, tanks, shorts or sweats. Complete tour info can be found on our site www.joss9balltour.com
SCHEDULE UPDATE: Stop # 12 that was previously scheduled at King Smiley Billiards, HAS BEEN MOVED TO Hippos The House Of Billiards (Utica NY) and will be held on the original date of March 17 & 18. Please spread the word to avoid any confusion.
Our season finale, the $25,000 Added Turning Stone Classic XXX 9-Ball Open, is scheduled for August 23 – 26, 2018. I am currently accepting entries and strongly suggest that you pay your entry early to avoid being shut out. Entry fee for this great event is only $150 for Current tour members and only $200 for all others. As you can see, membership has its privileges! If you would like to enter, please contact Mike Zuglan at 518-356-7163 or see me at any of our Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour regular season events before it is full.
Lastly, I can't stress enough how important it is for all of you to please frequent your local billiard parlors and utilize the services of our most generous sponsors who are the backbone of our sport. These are the ones who keep our sport alive. So get out and play!
Mike Zuglan
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour Is Proudly Sponsored By;
Congratulations to stop # 7 winners Dwight Dixon ($1,000 main event), James Chemaly ($300 second chance) & Dave Dreidel ($1,200 Joss Cue raffle). Also to Nelson Oliveira (last season's tour point champion) who receives a $500 paid entry to the Super Billiards Expo Pro event courtesy of Allen Hopkins.
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour will be at Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub in Amsterdam NY on February 17 & 18 for our "Northeast 9-Ball Open XXX". Sadly, in this edition we Will Pay homage to yet another of our regular players, Jim Romanowski, who passed away suddenly. Jim was a regular at Sharp Shooters since it began and was a big help with my Junior events. He will be missed by all.
Tim and Julie Berlin, owners of Sharp Shooters, deserve much thanks for once again hosting our event and allowing us the use of their beautiful room. Sharp Shooters is the home of some of the Diamond Pro tables that were previously used at one of our Turning Stone events as well as six, 7 foot Diamond bar boxes. All covered in 860 Simonis, "The Cloth Of Champions". At Sharp Shooters there is something for everyone. You can enjoy a friendly game of Pool, Foosball, Darts and even two tournament quality indoor Bocce Ball courts, all while meeting friends out for some food, drinks & to watch the game. A fun and friendly atmosphere for all ages! They feature a Pub Menu that has all of your favorites, as well as a full service bar – Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub is one stop shopping for a great night out! Check them out at www.sharpshootersbilliards.com ; As always, there will be a custom engraved Joss Cue raffle. The cue is valued at $1,200, anyone can participate, and you do not need to be present to win! We will draw for the cue on Sunday Feb 18, just before the final match. Check it out here: https://josscues.com/cues/custom/joss-custom-26/
For those in need of motel accommodations, there are 2 nearby: Super 8, 5502 Rt 30 S, Amsterdam NY 12010 – 518-843-5888 OR
Valley View Motor Inn, 1351 NY Rt 5 S, Amsterdam NY 12010 – 518-842-5637. Both are just off exit 27 of I90 (NYS thruway) and very close to Sharp Shooters.
This event at Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub will consist of a $1500 added Saturday and Sunday Main Event (entry Fee $120 for pro level or $70 for non pro level) and a $500 added consolation event on Sunday ($20 Entry Fee) for those non pro players eliminated from the main event on Saturday.
For those of you coming to play, please arrive on Saturday February 17, BEFORE 11:30 AM, and in proper dress please. Jeans and sneakers are permitted in our billiard parlor events only. But please, no T-shirts, tanks, shorts or sweats. Complete tour info can be found on our recently updated site www.joss9balltour.com
Schedule Update: Please be advised that stop # 12 at King Smiley on March 17 & 18 has been cancelled due to the pending sale of the property. All equipment is for sale by contacting them directly at 518-812-9206.
Our $25,000 Added Turning Stone Classic XXX 9-Ball Open, Season Finale, will be held on August 23 – August 26, 2018. I began taking entries just last month and it is already close to 1/3 full. To enter you must contact me at 518-356-7163 or see me at any of our events Before the event is full at 128. I strongly urge everyone to act now if you are at all serious about playing in this great event!!
Please remember to spread the word to frequent your local billiard parlors and utilize the world class products of our most generous sponsors. They are the backbone of our sport and deserve our support!!
Thanks and I hope to see you all at Sharp Shooters.
Geoff Montgomery and Dave Dreidel won their respective events in 8-ball and 9-ball at the Dutch Mill Holiday Classic, held on January 13-14, under the auspices of the Western New York Tour. The two came within a single match of playing against each other in both finals. Each event drew 20 entrants to the Dutch Mill Restaurant, Party House and Pool Room in Greece, NY. Montgomery picked up a second title at a Friday the 13th Warm-Up, a single elimination event, which drew 16 entrants.
As is often, though not always, the case in double elimination tournaments, the finalists met twice in these two events. In the 8-ball tournament, Dan Miosi defeated Montgomery in the hot seat match, only to be unseated by him in a single-game final. Dreidel had been defeated by Montgomery in the opening round of the 8-ball tournament. Dreidel won nine on the loss side to earn a re-match against Montgomery in the semifinals, but a second win sent Montgomery to the finals, where he defeated Miosi. In the 9-ball tournament, Dreidel came back from a loss in the hot seat match to double dip Montgomery in the finals.
The Friday night 'warm up,' which featured races to 4, saw Montgomery and Mark Hatch square off in one semifinal, as tour director Nick Brucato faced Phil Johnson in the other. Montgomery shut Hatch out, as Johnson squeaked by Brucato 4-3. Montgomery took the final 4-1 over Johnson to add $400 to his weekend prize package.
In the 8-ball event, with Dreidel already long at work on the loss side, Montgomery advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Chris Bassett, while Dan Niosi faced Jeff Purall. Montgomery and Niosi moved into the hot seat match with 3-1 victories, and by that same score, Niosi grabbed the hot seat from Miosi.
On the loss side, five matches in to his nine-match streak, Dreidel eliminated Jake Miosi (son to Dan) 3-1, to draw Purall. Bassett picked up Jason DeWolf, who'd just defeated Chad Strong 3-2.
The two loss-side combatants handed the recent arrivals from the winners' side their second straight defeat; Dreidel downing Purall 3-1 and DeWolf defeating Bassett, double hill.
Dreidel won the subsequent quarterfinal, double hill, over DeWolf, and got a second shot at Montgomery with a 3-1 victory over Dan Niosi in the semifinals. Montgomery ended Dreidel's streak 3-1 for a second shot against Miosi. That second shot played out in a single game final, won by Montgomery to claim the title. Lynette Cooper and Tracy Roth picked up $65 each as the event's top two female finishers.
In the more traditional, double-meet-up way, Dreidel and Montgomery first squared off in the 9-ball event's hot seat match. Montgomery had shut out Jeff Purcell, as Dreidel was busy sending Nick Brucato to the loss side in a double hill fight. In another double hill fight, Montgomery sent Dreidel to the semifinals and sat in the hot seat, having won his final match.
On the loss side, Purcell picked up Tracy Roth (on her way to a second 'top two females' cash award), who'd defeated Chad Strong, double hill. Brucato picked up the elder Miosi (Dan), who'd just eliminated Mindy Hagar 3-1 (Hagar picked up the second $30 cash prize for top female finisher). Purcell and Niosi advanced to the quarterfinals; Purcell 3-1 over Roth and Miosi, double hill over Brucato.
Purcell took the quarterfinal match 3-1 over Niosi, but had his loss-side streak ended 3-1 by Dreidel in the semifinals. Dreidel completed his much-shorter-this-time loss-side run with a 3-1 victory over Montgomery in the finals.
Ron Casanzio went undefeated, while Mike Wishwanick came from the loss side, and benefited from a forfeit in the finals of a two-event stop on the Western New York Tour, held on Saturday, August 8. Casanzio's victory was in a 9-Ball Open-Pro event that drew 14 entrants, while Wishwanick competed in an 8-Ball Amateur event that drew 15, both to Eastridge Billiards in Rochester, NY.
Casanzio's five-match march to the Open-Pro 9-Ball winners' circle went through Tour Director Nick Brucato twice. They met first in the hot seat match. Casanzio had sent Dave Dreidel to the loss side 6-2, while Brucato defeated Wishwanick 6-1. Casanzio and Brucato locked up in a double hill battle that eventually sent Brucato to the loss side, leaving Casanzio in the hot seat.
On the loss side, every match played from the 9/12 slots to the semifinals finished with a 4-2 score. Dreidel joined up in the 5/6 slots and picked up Kyle Bova, recent winner over Dan Veinot and Dave Johnson. Wishwanick drew Jerry Sullivan, who'd eliminated Tracy Rothe and Ro Kam. Wishwanick took the quarterfinals over Dreidel (they would later be finalists in the 8-Ball event), but was eliminated by Brucato in the semifinals.
Fortunes were reversed somewhat in the finals. Casanzio and Brucato had fought a double hill, hot seat match, but the finals were a bit of a rout. Casanzio gave up only a single rack to complete his undefeated day and claim the 9-Ball Open-Pro title.
In the 8-Ball event, the eventual winner (Wishwanick) was sent to the loss side in the opening round by Jerry Sullivan, who advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Dreidel. Ro Kam, in the meantime, squared off against Andrew Bellimeo. Dreidel downed Sullivan 3-1 and in the hot seat match, squared off against Kam, who'd defeated Bellimeo 3-2. Dreidel's final match of the dual tournaments saw him claim the hot seat from Kam 3-1. An injury to his teenage daughter (reportedly serious, but not life threatening) forced him to leave the tournament early, which would eventually lead to Wishwanick's claiming of the event title.
On the loss side, Wishwanick was on a six-match winning streak that would eventually earn him that title. He shut out Dave Johnson and gave up just a single rack to Tom Cronin, which set him up for a re-match against Sullivan. Bellimeo drew Fran Imburgia, who'd eliminated Shane Longest and Charlie Kelly, both 3-1.
Wishwanick succesfully navigated his re-match against Sullivan, winning it 3-1, as Imburgia downed Bellimeo 3-2. Wishwanick finished Imburgia 3-1 in the quarterfinals, and in what proved to be his last hurdle, defeated Kam in the semifinals 3-1. Dreidel had left at that point, and the event title went to Wishwanick.
In planning, well in advance, for a four-event weekend, the Western New York Tour's director, Nick Brucato, looked at potential dates and seeing very little happening elsewhere on the weekend of April 23-26, he made his decision. His event would follow the Super Billiards Expo in Pennsylvania and he calculated a decent turnout would spill over from that event. As it turned out, though, a variety of other events popped up on the pool calendar after he'd made his decision, and the turnout wasn't "anything like (he) expected."
A total of 68 players (with duplication) filled out four events that began on Thursday April 23 with a bar box 8-ball tournament (22) and concluded with a big table 9-ball tournament (16) on Sunday, April 26. In between, were a bar box 10-ball event (15) and a triple elimination bracket 8-ball event (15). By the time the final match in the 9-ball event was scheduled to begin, it was 6:30 a.m. on Monday morning, April 27. The competitors (Brucato and room owner, Sean Zen) opted out of a final match and split the top two prizes. The entire event was hosted by Eastridge Billiards in Rochester, NY.
In addition to prize money awarded to each of the winners in four events (three players; Dave Dreidel won two), there was a $250-added Master of the Table award, won by Dreidel. The award was based on a combination of participation and performance, with each player assigned 100 points at the outset, three points per match played, and assigned points for place finish; from 10 for a win, down to 2 for a 10th place finish. This encouraged participation in all four events; a top player who opted out of any of the events would, in effect, be down 100 points, which would be hard to make up, thereby incentivizing players to participate in all four. Dreidel, Brucato, Melissa Spade and Sean Zen picked up the top four cash prize awards in this Master of the Table competition.
Dreidel got things rolling on Thursday with an undefeated win in the first of two 8-ball events, a short race (to 2) standard, double elimination tournament. The event's final four matches were shutouts. Dreidel got by Bruce Prince, Jr. 2-0 in the hot seat match. On the loss side, it was Luis Recio emerging to shut out both Junie Gelako in the quarterfinal match and Prince in the semifinal. Dreidel sealed the deal with a shutout over Recio in the finals. Melissa Spade picked up $40 as the event's top female finisher.
Dreidel went undefeated in the 10-ball event, as well. He got by Angelo Inness twice; once for the hot seat 7-4 and again (7-5) in the finals. The loss-side contender in this one was Tito Ortiz, who downed Bob Simmons 6-4 in the quarterfinals, only to be stopped by Inness 6-2 in the semifinals. Mindy Hagar picked up $20 as the top female finisher.
Dreidel played in the triple elimination 8-ball tournament, too, making it as far as a winners' side semifinal against room owner Sean Zen, who defeated him, double hill and then went on to win the event. Zen defeated Chris Bassett 3-1 to claim the hot seat, and downed Jerry Sullivan by the same score in the finals. Sullivan had emerged from a mind-boggling, triple elimination scenario to defeat Basset in the quarterfinals, and Melissa Spade in the semifinals. Normally, the loser of the hot seat match (Bassett, in this case) is guaranteed at least a third place finish, but a third two-loss bracket affords players the opportunity to emerge and challenge one-loss players. Spade was the final player out of that two-loss bracket, before being eliminated, with a third defeat, by Sullivan. Women were awarded a game on the wire for all matches in this event.
Nick Brucato and room owner Sean Zen split the top two prizes in the weekend's final event, a 'big table,' double elimination 9-ball tournament, and given the sheer volume of effort they put forth, along with Brucato's assistants, Bruce Prince, Sr. and Bob Simmons, they certainly earned it. Brucato defeated Bassett 9-3 to claim the hot seat. As with the triple elimination 8-ball event, women were awarded a game on the wire, which worked to Melissa Spade's advantage, though not for long enough. She was defeated by Sean Zen 7-4 in the quarterfinals. Zen moved on to defeat Bassett 7-3 in the semifinals, before, at 6:30 a.m., he and Brucato opted out of playing a final match. As the undefeated hot seat occupant, Brucato was declared the official winner.
In addition to profuse thanks to his assistants, Bob Simmons and Bruce Prince, Sr., Brucato thanked room owner Sean Zen, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Kamui Tips, McGinny's Pub, and Mooney's Mac and Cheese of Leroy, NY (donors of the $250 added to the Master of the Table awards). In addition, he thanked Premier Sunroom Solutions of Rochester, NY, for their donation of a patio set, valued at $800, that was raffled off and won by Pamela Goodfriend.
