On June 16th-17th, Houston’s Sports Bar held its first $1,000 added Lone Star event of 2012, drawing 57 entries over Open and Amateur divisions. Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant, Manny Chau, David Gutierrez, Al Mason, and Sylver Ochoa helped make up the 25 player, star-studded Open division. New faces in the 32 player Amateur division included Bobby Pacheco, Ray Porter, Derrick Ray, Henry Rocha, Robert Garcia, Isai Rodriguez, and David Rodriguez.
Saturday’s Open play narrowed the field to 12 finalists for Sunday. Grady Cooper and Henry Rocha were two unusual suspects who played their way into the final four winners’ side for Sunday. Cooper defeated Al Mason 9-5 and Henry Rocha bested Sonny Bosshamer 9-6 to get there, but were both defeated in their hot seat bids by Sylver Ochoa and Charlie Bryant respectively. Cooper and Rocha secured 7th-8th place finishes. David Gutierrez suffered a first round loss to Mason and won 5 consecutive matches until he was upset by Bosshamer, 7-2. It seemed like old times as Ochoa and Bryant hammered it out for the cat bird’s seat. They traded racks, executing dead-lock safes and kicking in balls, until Ochoa pulled ahead and closed it out, 9-7. The “Hillbilly” made quick work of Bosshamer then exacted dual-set revenge on Ochoa to win his first Lone Star Open division title in 2 years!
There were several big stories on the “B” side. Pasadena, Texas newcomer, Ray Porter, stormed the Amateur division escaping 3 hill-hill matches to reach the hot seat. Surprise player Bill Fain reached his bid for the final four winners’ side with wins over Steve Williams, Carlos Martinez, and Henry Rocha. Fain lost to Bosshamer, 7-4, and was then eliminated by Brent Thomas, 5-3. Demetro depleted Thomas in the first round, but after 6 rounds of wins, Thomas exacted revenge on Demetro in the quarter finals. After a 7-4 loss to Porter for the hot seat, Bosshamer faced off with Thomas’, ending his 7 match winning streak. Victory was short-lived for Bosshamer as the indomitable Porter swiftly secured the final set to win his first Lone Star Amateur division event.
Congratulations to Tiffany Boysen who finished “top lady” in the Amateur division. There were 2 juniors who participated in the Amateurs, Mike Calderaro and Michael Fain. Junior Nick Calderaro competed in the Open, drawing Sylver Ochoa his first round and losing by a score of only 9-6. Many Lone Star tour players continue to reach for, and accomplish their goals, with each and every event in which they compete. Keep your momentum going!
The Lone Star Billiards Tour would like to thank its exclusive cue sponsor, Poison by Predator cues, www.poisonbilliards.com, its exclusive rack Delta-13, www.delta-13rack.com, www.PoolWebsites.com, APA of North Harris County, and Gulf Coast Billiards. The tour would also like to acknowledge and give special thanks to Carlos Ledson Miller, who generates the tour standings. Many thanks to BCA referee, Derrell Montgomery, and Jerald “Topwater” Jackson for their tournament assistance.
Paul Holleman from Baytown, Texas won a Poison VX Jump Cue and Cleveland, Texas’ Mike Terry won a VX2.9 Break/Jump in the Poison by Predator cue raffles. Enjoy your new cues gentlemen!
The Tour would like to thank Houston’s owner Eric Hill and his wonderful staff for making this a first rate event. The Olhausen tournament tables were recovered in brand new 860 Simonis cloth for the players to enjoy. Tour Director Kim White says, “Houston’s was so accommodating to the Tour and its players. We look forward to coming back.”
The next event is July 7th-8th at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar. We hope you’ll join us.
This past weekend the Lone Star Event hosted its second 9-ball stop of the year at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas with 73 Amateur players and 52 Open players in attendance. Participants came from all over including Tyler, Temple, San Antonio, and Austin to take the Lone Star plunge. Open side notables included Joey Barnes, James Baraks, Manny Chau, and Sylver Ochoa. Amateurs included Calvin Trimont, Robert Hitchcock, Rocky Esquivel, Robert Odom, Steve Espinosa and many more.
Match play commenced at approximately 3pm on Saturday after 125 players were auctioned off. The Amateur division winners' side final 8 saw Jason Pearce defeat Steve Lindgren 7-1, Raul Escobedo oust Calvin Trimont 7-4, Victor Rojas best Sonny Bosshamer 7-1, and Karl McClendon defeat Rocky Esquivel 7-2. On the one-loss side it was Bobby Perez making a great comeback with 6 straight wins after a second round loss to Steve Lindgren. His end came at the hands of Will Felder 5-3. It was Mikey Frost over Charlie Buckner 5-3 and David Massie over Eric Olivo which moved them into 9th -12th position on the one-loss side along with Felder and Perez. It was Felder and Rojas who dueled for 3rd after Rojas was dealt a blow by MCclendon 7-5 on the winners' side. Pearce sent Escobedo west 7-4 and earned himself a first-time hot seat match up with McClendon. Pearce secured his place 7-3 while Rojas defeated Felder 5-3. McClendon overcame Rojas but fell to Pearce in the final.
The Open division winners' side final 8 saw Andy Jethwa skim by Manny Chau 9-8, Raul Escobedo best Bill Fuller 9-3, Sylver Ochoa defeat Brent Thomas, and James Baraks glide by Brian Rosenbaum. On the west side, Danny Lee defeated Thomas, Joey Barnes bested Brian Rosenbaum, Chau sent home McClendon, and Mike Alonzo eliminated Fuller. Upsets included Barnes and Chau who suffered winners' side blows from Jethwa by the same score of 9-8, but when the smoke cleared it was Ochoa over Escobedo for the hot seat 9-6. On the one-loss side, Barnes and Escobedo were stopped short by Chau 7-4, 7-2, respectively. Ochoa made quick work of Chau and finished the event undefeated by a final score of 9-2.
Other winners included Courtney Peters and Loretta Lindgren who split the $100 Top Lady prize awarded in the Amateur division. Nick Calderaro, Houston's hottest young up-and-comer took home first for his efforts in the Junior division held on Sunday. Rocky Esquivel, Steve Espinosa, and Brittany McCombs all took home a Poison Cue from the Poison Cue Raffles. Congratulations!
The Lone Star Tour would like to thank its sponsors, www.PoisonBilliards.com, www.PredatorCues.com, www.Delta-13.com, www.PoolWebsites.com, the APA of North Harris County, Roger Allen Cue Repair, Gulf Coast Billiards, www.Pool-Trax.net, and James Walker who donated two T-Shirts to our Junior event winners. Our tour referee, Derrell Montgomery, did an outstanding job of keeping the event running smoothly as well as John Newsome who took over the tournament command post on Sunday.
The next Lone Star Event is April 14th-15th at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar. We would love for you to join us! Here is another chance to qualify for the Poison by Predator Tour!
For information on how to become a Lone Star Tour Sponsor, host an event, or general information, please call Kim White-Newsome at 713.825-1411.
Open
1st Sylver Ochoa $600/$1000
2nd Manny Chau $420/$700
3rd Raul Escobedo $280/$500
4th Joey Barnes $120/$200
5th-6th Andy Jethwa, James Baraks $70
7th-8th Danny Lee, Mike Alonzo $50
9th-12th Brent Thomas, Brian Rosenbaum, Karl McClendon, Bill Fuller $35
Amateur
1st Jason Pearce $570/$750
2nd Karl McClendon $400/$500
3rd Victor Rojas $250/$300
4th Will Felder $100/$115
5th-6th Mikey Frost, Raul Escobedo $70/$50
7th-8th Calvin Trimont, Bobby Perez $50/$30
9th-12th Steve Lindgren, David Massie, Sonny Bosshamer, Rocky Esquivel $35
13th-16th Charlie Buckner, Eric Olivo, Dee Davis, Brent Thomas $25
The LSBT hosted its tenth stop of 2011 on August 27th-28th at Bogies Billiards in Houston, Texas. The event drew 53 competitors and 67 entries, fairing quite well in spite of a very recently scheduled event across town which overlapped the LSBT date set in early January. Bogies Billiards owner David Richardson added $1,000 to the ONE DAY EVENT, $500 to the Amateur and $500 to the Open divisions, which wrapped up late Saturday night!
The Open division winners’ side final 8 saw Chad Hensen defeat Rick Castillo 9-2, Sonny Bosshamer fall to Chris Young 9-4, Brian Rosenbaum overcome Nolan Edds 9-5, and Danny Roland best Sylver Ochoa 9-8. Young then fell to Hensen 9-4, and Rosenbaum defeated Roland 9-3. Hensen squeezed by Rosenbaum for the hot seat 9-8. On the east side, Bill Fuller was making his move after a first round loss to Rosenbaum. Joey Torres and Will Felder glided through the east side until they crossed paths. Torres advanced 7-4 but fell short to Chris Young 7-6. Fuller won 5 consecutive matches then eliminated Young 7-6 to meet Rosenbaum for the second time. Rosenbaum dealt Fuller a final blow, 7-3, but fell to Hensen in the final 9-8. This was Chad Hensen’s first Lone Star event and consequently his first win, congratulations!
The Lone Star Amateur division winners’ side final 8 yielded Brian Rosenbaum over Doug Gray 5-2, Victor Rojas over Tony Scott 5-4, Chad Hensen passing Chris Young 5-2, and Charlie Buckner squeezing past Rick Castillo 5-4. The east side saw Young defeat Eric Olivo 5-4, Will Felder eliminate Castillo, Joey Torres pass Gray, and David Mendiola fall to Tony Scott. The hot seat pitted an all too familiar match-up between Rosenbaum and Hensen, with Rosenbaum taking the seat 5-4. Back east, Torres and Felder were on a streak until Felder was stopped in 7th-8th by Young. Rojas ousted Young 5-0, then Torres, 5-1, but fell to Hensen 5-4. In the familiar final, Rosenbaum didn’t waste any time with Hensen, defeating him 5-3, and securing his first ever Lone Star tour win. Way to go Brian!
In the Junior division Joey Torres breezed through the bracket undefeated while Nick Calderaro finished a respectable second. Ladies champ Courtney Peters also went undefeated on Sunday delivering a final blow to Terry Petrosino 7-2.
Congratulations to David Mendiola who won a VX Jump Cue along with Jerald Jackson and Brittany McCombs who won a VX2.9 Break Jump and Nitro 6 cues respectively, donated by Poison by Predator.
Gulf Coast Billiards became the newest Lone
Star tour sponsor this past weekend when owner Gavin Miller donated 14 Pro Cup Aramith cue balls for the players to enjoy from here on out. For all your pool table or billiard product needs, contact GCB at www.GulfCoastBilliards.biz or call 832.894.1916. Longtime sponsors of the LSBT include Poison By Predator Cues www.predatorgroup.com, Delta-13 Rack www.delta-13.com, www.PoolWebsites.com, and the APA of North Harris County. Thank you for supporting pool in the great State of Texas!
The September 17th-18th Lone Star Event at Houston’s Sports Bar will be postponed until 2012. In lieu of this postponement, the Longhorn Amateur Tour will be hosting an evening 9-ball event on Saturday, September 17, at Bogies Billiards. Free practice starts at 8pm and matches will be called at 9pm sharp. All Amateur players are welcome! And don’t forget, Bogies has an 8-ball bar box tournament every Friday night with a break pot that’s up to $300!
The next Lone Star Event is October 29th -30th at Bogies Billiards & Games which is expanding its already 10,000 square feet room to accommodate poker tables, a pro-shop, and an additional bar! If you’ve never been, October 29th-30th is a great weekend to come by and visit the only 24 hour pool room in Houston. See you there!
On December 10th-11, 2011, the 3rd Annual Lone Star Tour Championships was held at Bogies Billiards in Houston, Texas. The 5 division 9-ball event was $2,000 added and live streamed for all the fans unable to attend. The Amateur and Open divisions saw 77 entries with One Pocket, Ladies, and Junior divisions totaling 28 entries. Super talent included James Baraks, Sylver Ochoa, Andy Jethwa, current U.S Amateur Champion Ernesto Bayaua, and Tommy Tokoph of Albuquerque, N.M. The “B” side boasted Kenneth Price, Val Charles, Steve Lindgren, Wendell Moser, Jason Smiser, Jason Pearce, and Brian Rosenbaum, all of whom will be competing with 43 other players in the first Poison by Predator 9-ball Tour event on Saturday, January 7, 2012 at Bogies Billiards.
Saturday’s Open action saw upsets including junior phenom Joey Torres over Lanny Herrin and twice over Ernesto Bayaua. Tommy Tokoph fell to Bayaua in the second round 9-6, but came back with 5 straight wins over Bill Fuller, Sonny Bosshamer, Kenneth Price, Sylver Ochoa, and Herrin, until he met a vengeful Bayaua. The hot seat match featured Torres and the indomitable James Baraks who had earlier eliminated Tim Heath, Sylver Ochoa, and Bernard Walker during his trek. Torres lost the set when he missed a crucial 9-ball at 8-7. After Torres passed Bayaua 7-6, Baraks made quick work of Torres in the final, settling the question 9-4. This is Baraks second consecutive Open division title win.
Brand new to the winners’ circle and the talk of the tournament was Kenneth Price. He conquered the Amateur field undefeated with wins over Allen Baker 7-4, Tim Heath 7-3, and Ty Few 7-1. Will Felder was on roll of his own with wins over Bobby Perez 7-6, Charlie Mora 7-6, and Mitchell Lang 7-6. It was Price v. Felder for the hot seat match with Price moving forward, 7-4. This loss earned Felder another round with Mora, but this time, Mora took it down 5-2. Grady Cooper and Brian Rosenbaum made incredible bids after losing in the first round. Cooper fell to Bill Fuller after 4 consecutive wins while Rosenbaum secured 5 straight wins before falling to Tim Heath, 5-4. When the smoke cleared on the one-loss side, it was Mora who eliminated Heath 5-4 and earned himself a rematch with Felder. This time Mora took down Felder 5-2, but was brought down by Price in the final, 7-5. Kenneth Price has competed in many Texas’ tournaments, but never executed a “win” until now.
Sylver Ochoa and Courtney Peters were crowned “2011 Lone Star Tour Champions”, accumulating the most points for their ranking divisions. Peters also captured a final victory in the Ladies division while Ochoa captured the final One Pocket event, both undefeated. For their year-long efforts they each received plaques, Delta-13 Elite Racks, and Poison VX Jump Cues.
In the Junior division, Nick Calderaro captured his second Lone Star Tour Junior event, this time from the one-loss side. He bested the undefeated Joey Torres, 7-5 then 5-1, to win the final Junior event of 2011.
The Tour would like to thank its longtime sponsors: Poison by Predator Cues, Predator Cues, Delta-13 Rack, www.PoolWebsites.com, APA of North Harris County, and the newest additions, Gulf Coast Billiards and Www.Pool-Trax.net. Many thanks to Damien Nelson, Nelson & Company, and James Painter for producing an impeccable HD live stream, and Mark Fusina and John Newsome of the “Run Out Review” for keeping the fans at home informed and entertained. A special “thank you” goes out to long-time friend and author, Carl Miller, for updating all of the point standings.
The owners of Bogies David and Shannon Richardson and their incredible staff hosted a first rate event. In 2012 they will play exclusive host to the Poison by Predator 9-Ball Tour, www.PxPTour.com.The first event is Saturday, January 7th, 2012. This will be a true spectator event, hosting 50 invited, pre-paid players, competing in a $1,000 added, one day, live streamed event. Spectators will be able to enjoy all the excitement of a two day event, packed into one day. The player auction will begin promptly at 12pm and match times will be posted.
The first Lone Star Tour event of 2012 will be held at Future Cues, February 4th-5th. Visit www.futurecues.com for more information on this fabulous, 10,000 square foot room nestled in the heart of Temple, Texas. The Tour will also be coming to Hawley’s Billiards in Dallas, Texas in October, and re-visiting Big Tyme Billiards in Spring, and Skinny Bob’s Billiards in Round Rock.
The Tour extends its deepest appreciation to all the players, fans, rooms, sponsors, and press who help make these events possible. We hope you and your families have a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year.
Open
1st James Baraks $550/$360
2nd Joey Torres $370/$270
3rd Ernesto Bayaua $250/$180
4th Tommy Tokoph $160/$90
5th-6th Lanny Herrin, Tim Heath $100 ea.
7th-8th Sylver Ochoa, Bobby Perez $35 ea.
Amateurs
1st Kenneth Price $600/$435
2nd Charlie Mora $475/$275
3rd Will Felder $290/$190
4th Tim Heath $125/$110
5th-6th Ty Few, Mitchell Lang $75 ea.
7th-8th Jason Pearce, Brian Rosenbaum $50 ea.
9th-12th Jason Smiser, Bill Fuller, Jeff Fox, Joey Torres $25 ea.
