The players appear to like the new format for the Diamond Pool Tour, as a field of 54 players made their way to Pockets Pool and Pub in Tucson, Arizona for stop #2 on the tour. Even with that size of a field, it was still local Tucson players dominating the final stages of the event.
As is always the case, Saturday held it’s fair share of early upsets with Ruben Silva dropping matches to Brian McIntyre and Hugo Villanueva for a “two and out” finish. Another early round upset saw Derek Kawamura drop matches to Terri Adams and Carl Stewart for an early exit.
Saturday play on the winner’s side saw Tucson’s AJ Jones (sans headphones) scoring wins over Marcus Teufel, Brian Long and Ed Scott to remain undefeated. Jones would be joined by Kevin Nguyen, Max Maurer, and Tim Daniel as the final four undefeated players.
The final eight on the one loss side included a handful of lower rated players with Vincent Sbelgio, Steve Adams and Tony Whiting all guaranteed cash finishes. McIntyre and Ricky Teyechea finished one spot out of the money on Saturday night.
Winner’s side action on Sunday saw Jones and Daniel scoring lopsided wins over Nguyen and Maurer to find themselves in the hot-seat match. That match would be a real battle with Jones coming out on top of a hill-hill match.
The story on the one loss side was (Fargo 444 rated) Steve Adams. Adams had remained undefeated almost all day Saturday, finally dropping an 8-1 match to Kevin Nguyen in his final match on Saturday. Adams picked up on Sunday where he left off on Saturday, with wins over Tony Whiting, Ed Scott and Max Maurer. Adams next faced off against Nguyen again, and apparently Nguyen is the only one who knows Adams’ weakness as he defeated Adams 8-0 in the rematch. Adams was so happy with his 4th place finish that he promptly stepped up to become a tour sponsor with his business, Discount Mattress Barn in Tucson.
Nguyen then dropped the semi-final match to Tim Daniel 10-4, setting up a Daniel/Jones rematch in the finals. The players traded racks on the other’s breaks early in the match until AJ Jones finally won rack seven on his own break for a 4-3 lead. That was all the momentum that Jones needed, as he then ran out to a 7-3 lead. Jones would reach the hill first at 9-4 and finally win the match 10-5 for first place.
The Diamond Pool Tour will brave the cold at Freezer’s Ice House on June 9th – 10th for the third stop of the season.
Michelle Jiang, 16, Harvard, Mass., winner of the Women’s 8-Ball Singles Platinum Division
The 8-Ball divisions at the 2017 BCAPL National Championships are wrapping up and more champions have been crowned! The 41st BCAPL National Championships started July 19 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. More than 5,000 players are participating in this year’s event, which has more than 40 divisions.
Here are the top finishers in the divisions that have concluded:
Tour newcomer Peter Charles was the big story at the first official Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour Spring 9-Ball Event, held on February 27-28, 2016, at Bogies Billiards West. This event drew a staggering 73 entries in the amateur 9-ball division, and 53 in the open 9-ball division. After losing in the fourth round to J.C. Torres, 7-6, Pete Charles went on to decimate the amateur division, besting Anthony Gepayo in the finals, 7-3, 5-1, to capture his first amateur 9-ball division title. Former tour champion, Andy Jethwa, went undefeated in the open 9-ball division, overcoming Blaine Barcus in the final match, 9-8, adding yet another title to his Poison Lone Star Tour resume.
Bogies Billiards West, along with tour sponsors www.OzoneBilliards.com, Delta-13 Rack www.Delta-13.com, and the APA of North Harris County www.facebook.com/apanorthharriscounty, aided the tour in facilitating another successful event, with a 126 player turnout, and providing an additional $1,500 for the prize fund.
On the winners’ side of the amateur 9-ball division, newcomer Eduardo Hernandez made his bid for the final four with wins over Fernando Lopez, Chuck Adams, 7-6, Michael Pickering, and Tyler Partin, 7-3, while Dickinson’s Josh White ousted Charlie Jenkins, 7-2, Matt Peters, 7-0, Masahiro “Hiro” Nakahara, 7-6, and Viet Do, 7-3. Anthony Gepayo took down J.J. Manley, Barry Titus, 7-6, David Massie, 7-0, Jacob Watson, 7-2, and Will Felder, 7-6, while J.C. Torres logged wins over Marty Walker, Daniel Wise, 7-2, Lester Foy, Pete Charles, 7-6, and David Leal, 7-3. White shut down Hernandez, 7-6, and Torres fell to Gepayo, 7-3. While the winners’ side was playing out, the one loss side was heating up. After losing his first match to Kevin Nguyen, Bobby Perez won 6 consecutive matches, including wins over Chris Collette, 5-2, and Jesse Langston, 5-3. Notching his belt once more with a victory over Jacob Watson , Perez advanced to the final 12, along with Pete Charles who defeated Joshua Pangilinan, 5-2, Abel Lara who ousted Michael Pickering by the same score, and Nakahara who ended Nguyen’s run, 5-3. It was Perez over Partin, Charles defeating Do, 5-3, Lara ousting Felder, 5-4, and Nakahara over Leal, 5-4, to round out the final four survivors on the one loss side. Back on the east side, White and Gepayo teed off for the hot seat. Gepayo proved too much for White, sending him west, 7-2. On the one loss side, Charles eliminated Perez, 5-2, while Felder ended Nakahara, 5-3. Charles went on to shut out Torres, 5-0, and Felder fell to Hernandez, 5-4. Charles was on a role and on his way to the finals as he made quick work of Hernandez and White, by the same score, 5-2. After two days of grueling play, Gepayo and Charles faced off in Sunday’s finals. Charles maintained his consistent play, and although Gepayo put up a good fight, he succumbed to Charles two sets, 7-3, 5-1.
In the open 9-ball division, resident player and former tour champion Andy Jethwa began his quest for the hot seat, defeating Jesse Langston, J.C. Torres, 9-3, and Phillip Tieu, 9-4. Bobby Perez played his way out, with wins over Charlie Jenkins, Blaine Barcus, Chuck Adams, 9-4, and Chase Wheeler, 9-2. Chase Rudder made an impressive run for the final four on the winners’ side, besting Rick Johnson, Greg Deyo, and Jacob Cantu, 9-1, while Sonny Bosshamer overcame Gerardo Alvarez, 9-5, J.J. Manle y, 9-4, and Anthony Gepayo, 9-3. Jethwa made quick work of Perez, and Rudder sent Bosshamer west, by the same score, 9-2. True to form, Jethwa defeated Rudder for the hot seat, 9-3. On the one loss side, Tieu won 4 straight matches, including victories over Aldo Rosso, 7-5, Michael Pickering, 7-4, and Tom Welch, 7-1. Nguyen took down 6 consecutive matches, eliminating David Leal, 7-6, Jesse Langston, 7-1, and Anthony Gepayo, 7-5. Nakahara was blazing his own trail on the west side, with wins over Steve Williams, 7-4, J.C. Torres, 7-3, and Mike Wheeler, 7-8. Perhaps the biggest comeback on the one loss side came from Barcus, who won an impressive 5 consecutive matches to meet Nakahara in the final four on the one loss side. Tieu eliminated Nguyen, 7-5, but fell to Perez, 7-2, while Barcus took down Nakahara, and Bosshamer, 7-5. Barcus went on to defeat Perez and Rudder, by the same score, 7-2, amassing 9 consecutive match wins to meet Jethwa in the finals. The first set was a real crowd-pleaser, as Jethwa and Barcus took it to the hill. Jethwa’s intense focus and determination served him well, as he secured the final game, and became the first open 9-ball title holder on the new Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour.
The Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour would like to thank all the players throughout Texas who attended this event. Tyler, Laredo, Dickinson, Austin, and many other cities were well represented! Congratulations to all the raffle winners who took home Poison by Predator products, and many thanks to the wonderful, attentive staff at Bogies West.
The next PLSBT event will be held at Ariana’s, located at 13802 Homestead Rd., Houston, Texas, on May 14-15, 2016. The Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour encourages everyone who loves to play pool and compete in a friendly atmosphere, to attend an event.
Our NEW WEBSITE is coming soon! For the most current information, please visit:
After a 47-year retirement from pool, 72 year-old Houstonian Jeff Sparks captured his first tournament win since 1972. Sparks went undefeated in the Lone Star Billiard Tour’s 52-player amateur 9-ball division, overcoming Deer Park’s Bobby Pacheco in the final set, 7-6, becoming the oldest player to ever win the amateur division. Pacheco also fought his way through the elite, 44-player open 9-ball division, defeating John McDowell in the finals, 9-3. This was Pacheco’s second, consecutive win on tour, with an amateur division win in July, and now this month’s open division. Congratulations to Bobby Pacheco who will advance to “open” player status in 2016! Kevin Nguyen and Chase Rudder were crowned the 2015 Lone Star Tour Champions, amateur and open divisions, respectively, for their year-end, number one rankings. These players will join the multitude of title-holders in the Lone Star Tour archives, documenting division and tour champions since 2009.
On October 10th-11th, 2015, Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar, 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 another successful Lone Star Billiards Tour event in addition to a women’s Gulf Coast Tour side-by-side 9-ball event, for players all across Texas and surrounding states, with a generous $1,500 added which drew 96 players and paid out over $9,000 in prize money.
In the amateur 9-ball division, all eyes were on Jeff Sparks, the super-senior pool veteran who came out of retirement to compete in the grueling, 2-day event; the ultimate test in player resolve and stamina. Sparks went undefeated, archiving wins over Will Felder, 7-3, Jack Cavalier, 7-2, Gabriel Romo, 7-5, and Kenneth Price, 7-3. The number one ranked amateur player and strong contender for the 2015 Lone Star Tour Champion title, Kevin Nguyen, kept his eye on the prize, logging wins over Logan Tunnell, 7-1, Tom Welch, 7-6, Chuck Adams, 7-6, Jesse Langston, 7-3, and Bobby Pacheco, 7-3. On the one loss side, after a first round loss to Jonathan Poon, 7-2, Mike White won an impressive five consecutive matches, with victories over Chance Allison, 5-3, Charlie Jenkins, 5-1, Ron Wrobleski, 5-2, Jack Cavalier, 5-2, and Bob Eaton, 5-0, before falling to Langston, 5-4. Welch also blazed through the one loss side, eliminating Keith Keithley, 5-0, Greg Trent, 5-3, Jonathan Poon, 7-0, and Curt Bovenzi, 5-4, before falling to David Chow, 5-1. Lassek ousted Erick Renteria, 5-2, while Romo eliminated Chuck Adams, 5-3. Langston and Lassek overcame Chow and Romo, respectively, by the same score, 5-2. In the next round, Langston found himself on the receiving end, losing to Price, 5-1, as did Lassek, who succumbed to Pacheco, 5-1. The one loss side was down to its final, two players, as Sparks and Nguyen geared up on the west side for a hot seat showdown. In the end, it was age over youth, as Sparks secured the hot seat over Nguyen, 7-4. Pacheco took care of business on the east side, as he finished off Price, 5-1, and dealt payback to Nguyen, 5-4. In the true, double elimination format, Pacheco would have to beat Sparks two sets; the first race to 7, and the second race to 5. Unfortunately for Pacheco, that didn’t happen. Sparks narrowly escaped Pacheco in the first set, 7-6.
Open 9-ball division action witnessed Pacheco defeat Gabriel Romo, 9-4, Will Felder, 9-0, Steve Williams, 9-1, and Erik Renteria, 9-4. Ernesto Bayaua made a strong bid for the hot seat as well with wins over Chuck Adams, 9-1, Lester Foy, 9-4, John Newsome, 9-6, and John McDowell, 9-6. Following a second round loss to tour newcomer, John Lassek, 9-5, Chase Rudder came back to win four consecutive matches until he was eliminated by John Newsome, 7-6. After suffering a 9-3 loss to McDowell in the third round, Lassek went on to eliminate Charlie Jenkins, 7-4, Sonny Bosshamer, 7-5, Steve Williams, 7-4, and Cesar Arechiga, 7-5, until he was ousted once again by McDowell, 7-4. Following a tough battle with Rudder, Newsome overcame Kenneth Price, 7-1, but was eliminated by Erik Renteria, 7-3. While McDowell and Renteria teed off on the one loss side, it was a battle to the finish for Bayaua and Pacheco. Pacheco slid past Bayaua for the hot seat victory, 9-8, while McDowell made quick work of Renteria, 7-2. McDowell went on to eliminate Bayaua, 7-6, setting the stage for a first-time match-up between McDowell and Pacheco. The finalists appeared fresh and full of energy as play commenced. Throughout the set, Pacheco’s ever-increasing momentum overwhelmed McDowell, who found it difficult to gain the least bit of ground. Pacheco captured the first set of the true, double elimination final, 9-3.
New at this event were “live” online brackets, making it possible for players to follow tournament progress on their mobile devices. “The Lone Star Billiards Tour looks forward to implementing new programs for 2016 aimed at increased visibility and value for our venues, sponsors, and players. Online brackets will be accessible through LoneStarBilliardsTour.com, however, we will still use paper charts on-site for our not-so-tech-savvy players and fans” says LSBT founder and tour director, Kimberly Newsome.
The Lone Star Tour would like to acknowledge, and thank, its 2015 venues, sponsors, and supporters: Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar, Bogies West, Skinny Bob’s Billiards, Ariana’s, Poison by Predator Cues, Delta-13 Rack, APA of North Harris County, Ozone Billiards, Derrell Montgomery, Chuck Adams, John Newsome, Roger Allen Cue Repair, James Hanshew Cue Repair, Walter Kelley Cue Repair, and Bobby Garcia at RE Visual Concepts who captured some spectacular action shots during the finale. Special thanks to Teresa Garland and Ricki Casper for assisting with the online brackets and raffle ticket distribution for the Poison “players only” free raffle. Congratulations to Lone Star Player John Lassek who took home a brand new Poison Jump Cue, just for participating in the event!
The next event big event on the Texas tournament calendar will be the Space City Open IV, December 3rd-6th, 2015, held at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar, 3040 FM 1960 E., Ste. 101, Houston, Texas, 77073. For more information, visit www.Facebook.com/SpaceCityOpen or email SpaceCityEvent@gmail.com. Space City live streaming will be featured at www.SpaceCityOpen.com.
The Lone Star Billiards Tour would like to thank all of the players who participated this year, and encourage everyone who loves to play pool and compete in a friendly atmosphere, to attend a Lone Star Billiards Tour Event. For the most up-to-date information, visit www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com. Please “Like” us at www.Facebook.com/LoneStarTour and “Follow” us at www.Twitter.com/LoneStarTour09.
There were 88 players in attendance this past weekend at Bogies West in Houston, Texas, the newest Lone Star Billiards Tour venue, hosting its first two-day, 9-ball event in addition to a Gulf Coast Women’s 9-ball event. Former Lone Star Tour Champion Chase Rudder fought his way through an elite field of 39 players, while Marvin Diaz took care of business in his 51-player division, to capture 2015 Lone Star titles.
The Lone Star Tour Spring 9-Ball Event kicked off on Saturday, March 7th, and played through Sunday afternoon. Chase Rudder surged to a hot seat victory over Austin’s Tom Mooney, 9-3, and Abel Lara took down Bill Fuller in the amateur side hot seat, 7-1, but the finals would shape up a bit differently than expected.
Saturday’s competition brought back the final 40 competitors on Sunday. Open division action saw Rudder defeat Joey Torres, 9-6, James Davis, Jr., 9-3, and Raymond Cardenas, 9-6. Mooney bested Josh Dordek, 9-5, Jesse Langston, 9-7, and Mike Liang, 9-1, to meet Rudder for the hot seat. After a second round loss to Kevin Nguyen, League City’s Denis Strickland had an epic run with wins over Chuck Adams, Will Felder, Marc McClure, David Gutierrez, and Jesse Langston, to meet Joey Torres. On the topside, it was Davis, Jr. over Dordek, and Strickland put another notch in his belt with a 7-4 win over Torres. Davis Jr. ousted Liang, 7-3, and Strickland secured his seventh win over Cardenas, 7-6. On the east side, Rudder defeated Mooney for the hot seat, 9-3, while Strickland eliminated Davis, Jr. on the east, 7-6. After eight straight match wins, Strickland was still going strong. The former Houston Open Champion went on to secure his ninth straight win, eliminating Mooney, 7-4, earning himself a well-deserved shot at first place. In an amazing display of stamina, the veteran Strickland mustered enough steam to overcome Rudder for a tenth straight win, 9-5. Rudder knew it was time to tighten his belt and end Strickland’s reign. Stepping up his game, Rudder shut-out Strickland the second set, 7-0, to win his first event of 2015.
In the amateur division, Houston’s own Abel Lara reached the winners’ side final four with wins over Bobby Dominguez, Tyler Partin, Erik Renteria, and Horacio Cortez while Marvin Diaz bested Scooter Thweatt, Kevin Nguyen, and Josh Dordek, to meet Lara. Bill Fuller overcame Viet Do, Raymond Cardenas, and Anthony Gepayo, while Austin’s Justin Espinosa made his way through Sonny Bosshamer, John Newsome, and Tom Mooney. On the one loss side, Gepayo eliminated Renteria, 5-3, and Mooney bested Nguyen, 5-2. On the bottom side, Dordek ousted Newsome, 5-2, and Derrell Taylor fell to Cortez, 5-3. Back on the east side, Lara bested Diaz, 7-3, and it was Fuller over Espinosa, 7-5. On the one loss side, Diaz defeated Mooney, 5-3, while Dordek shut-out Espinosa, 5-0. Lara claimed the hot seat, dealing Fuller his first loss, 7-1. Diaz made his way back through Dordek, then Fuller, for a rematch with Lara. Diaz sent the finals into overtime, capturing the first set, 7-5. During the second set, after a few unforced errors by Lara, Diaz took the lead and secured the win, 5-2.
This year the Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Tour (www.facebook.com/gulfcoasttour) will stage a women’s 9-ball event at each Lone Star Tour stop. There were 29 ladies competing in Saturday’s event, with Natalie Esparza emerging undefeated with a 7-5 win over Terry Petrosino. Read the complete article at www.wpba.com.
The Lone Star Billiards Tour would like to thank sponsors Poison by Predator Cues, www.poisonbilliards.com, Delta-13 Rack, www.delta-13.com, Ozone Billiards, www.OzoneBilliards.com, www.ImproveYourShot.com, and the APA of North Harris County, www.facebook.com/apanorthharriscounty.
"Thank you" to Bogies West, GM Stephanie Verron and staff, for hosting a first-rate event. The tour would also like to recognize Chuck Adams and Ricki Casper for their assistance with tournament direction.
Last but not least, congratulations to Robyn and Richard Petrosino who each won a Poison VX Break/Jump Cue in Saturday’s raffles.
The next event will be May 16-17 at Ariana’s (the old Rose Country), 13802 Homestead Rd., Houston, Texas. This will be the first bar table event on tour since 2011 and we look forward to a big turnout. There are (16) tables and they will be open. For more information about Ariana’s, visit www.facebook.com/arianashonkytonkcantina.
For event details and information on the 2015 season, visit www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com. “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LoneStarTour.
