They call it The Freeze; an annual event, hosted by Malarkey's Pool & Brew in Tacoma, WA. Given that temperatures throughout this year's March 5-6 event ranged in the upper 50s to low 60s, the title's a bit of a misnomer, and given the level of competition generally on display, you'd think it would boast a title with a touch more heat to it. Last year, Shane Van Boening defeated Rafael Martinez in the finals. This year, Marc Vidal and Simon Pickering worked their way around a host of other marquee names (Warren Kiamco, Jeffrey Ignacio and John Morra, for example) to be the last two standing. Vidal went undefeated in the $1,500-added event that drew 72 entrants to Malarkey's.
Vidal and Pickering met first in the hot seat match. Vidal had sent Kiamco to the loss side 7-4, as Pickering was doing likewise, 7-5, to Ignacio in the winners' side semifinals. Vidal moved into the hot seat 7-5 over Pickering and waited for him to get back.
On the loss side, Kiamco had the misfortune of running into a surging John Morra, who'd defeated Paul Poitier 7-4 and Eddie Carrido 7-2 to reach him. Ignacio picked up Damian Pongpanik, who'd just eliminated Sean Lewis and Dan Louie, both 7-3. Ignacio and Morra moved on to the quarterfiinals, both 7-5, over Pongpanik and Kiamco.
Morra defeated Ignacio 7-4, and then, by the same score, was himself eliminated in the semifinals by Pickering. Vidal required only a single set of the potential double elimination final, defeating Pickering 7-3, to complete his undefeated run and claim the 2016 Freeze title.
The final day at the US Open 8-Ball Championship started out with more of a whimper than a bang, as Shane Van Boening misread the tournament chart and ended up forfeiting his 10am match against Rafael Martinez. Shane ended up settling for $2250 in prize money, and Rafael got to enjoy a stress free morning.
Noon brought Dennis Orcollo and John Morra to the table to compete in the other 5/6 match on the one loss side. This match got off to a slow start for Orcollo, as he scratched on the break in game one and then couldn't get out when Morra missed a shot in game two. Morra kept the lead until rack 8 when he scratched on the break and Orcollo was able to pull back into a tie at 4-4. Things stayed "on serve" after that, with the players trading table runs until rack sixteen when Morra left himself hooked on a ball mid-run and left Dennis with a chance to win on John's break. Orcollo maneuvered his way through the rack and scored the 9-7 win.
Orcollo was right back in action at 2:00; facing a rested and relaxed Rafael Martinez. Dennis took a quick 2-0 lead, but Rafael fought back and tied things at 2-2. Rack 10 saw Orcollo regain his two rack lead at 6-4 when Rafael broke dry, and then Orcollo extended that lead to 8-4 after a table run and then another dry break by Rafael that lead to another table run for Orcollo. Breaking for the match, Orcollo jumped his cue ball of the table and watched Rafael run out that rack and then the next to draw back to 8-6. Orcollo broke for the match again in rack fifteen, but left the 8-ball hanging in the pocket and was forced to take on an off angle bank to try to remove his ball from the proximity of the 8-ball's locked up pocket. The bank missed and Rafael ran out to get back to within one rack at 8-7. Martinez made a ball on his final break, but missed a tricky carom on his first shot and there was nothing he could do but sit and watch Orcollo run the case rack for the 9-7 win.
The next round shifted back to the winner's side, where Rodney Morris took on Mike Dechaine for the hot-seat. Morris broke a 3-3 tie in this match with table runs in three straight racks (thanks to a Dechaine scratch in rack eight) and held a comfortable 6-3 lead. Dechaine got it back to 7-6 down and was watching Morris run out a rack when Morris uncharacteristically jawed an 8-ball. Dechaine was more than happy to take advantage of the second chance and run out the rack to tie things again at 7-7. The two players exchanged table runs and the match was tied at hill-hill, much to the crowd's delight. Rodney had the break in the final game, and made a ball on the break, but couldn't successfully complete the run. A tough shot came up short for Morris and Dechaine smoothly ran out the final rack for the 9-8 win.
Rodney Morris had started his quest for the title with a lopsided 9-0 victory in round one. In his semi-final match against Dennis Orcollo, Morris learned what the other side of a blowout feels like. Two dry breaks by Morris led to Orcollo table runs. Orcollo had no such problems as he broke and ran in his first two breaks. Morris did bring the crowd to their feet in rack five when he ended a table run with back to back table length kick shots. Morris wouldn't be able to gather any momentum with that rack though, as he would not make a ball on the break again and Orcollo would run out every opportunity he got at the table.
The final match saw Mike Dechaine take early control with four straight wins and a 4-0 lead. Just as quick as he took the lead, he then gave it back as Orcollo won four straight games to knot the scoreline at 4-4. The two players alternated table runs over the next six racks and the score was tied at 7-7 when Dechaine was able to win a rack on Orcollo's break. Dechaine then broke and ran on his own break and held a 9-7 lead in the race to 11. Orcollo would break and run in rack seventeen, but Dechaine still held a one rack lead and only had to win on his break to win the event. Rack eighteen would be a turning point as Dechaine scratched early in a run-out attempt and Orcollo tied things back up at 9-9. A break and run in rack nineteen put Orcollo on the hill and a dry break by Dechaine in rack 20 was the end of his hopes as Orcollo ran out for the 11-9 win.
Orcollo earned $11,000 for first place, while Dechaine settled for $7,000. Day three was a testament to Orcollo's drive to win as he went from struggling with his break on day two to a dominating break on day three. He put in the time early, honing a second ball break that led to successful table runs in eleven of his last fifteen games.
As the US Open 8-Ball Championship is a Mosconi Cup points event, Dechaine made serious strides to earn a place on the team with his second place finish. All eyes will be on Dechaine in the last two Mosconi Cup events (Turning Stone Classic XXIV and the US Open 9-Ball Championship).
Play began bright and early at 10:00 AM at the US Open 8-Ball Championship, with forty eight players still harboring hopes of earning the $11,000 available in first place prize money. Thirty nine players had already been eliminated here at the Rio in Las Vegas, with another sixteen players fated to join them after the first round of the day.
Erik Hjorliefson led Corey Deuel 2-1 before the wheels fell off and Deuel won eight straight games for the 9-2 win, sending Erik back to Canada in 33rd place.
Filipino Raymond Faraon had a longer trip home after his 9-4 loss to Johnny Archer on the TV table. Faraon failed to get out twice after making a ball on the break in this match, and that was two times too many against a veteran the likes of Archer.
Noon play saw the winner’s side in action, and there was no shortage of marquee matches. Mike Dechaine rebounded from an early 0-2 deficit and defeated Oscar Dominguez 9-5.
Warren Kiamco won what was most likely the match of the day with his hill-hill win over Darren Appleton. Neither player could take any control in this match, and neither player managed a lead of more than one rack. It finally came down to Kiamco, who had won the opening lag, breaking and running the rack to send Appleton to the one loss side.
The 2pm round did see a successful comeback by Jayson Shaw as he clawed back from a 4-0 deficit to defeat Tony Robles 9-8. Darren Appleton couldn’t find his game after the heartbreaking loss to Kiamco and went on to lose to Skyler Woodward 9-6 in the 2pm round. Oscar Dominguez’s campaign also came to and end at the cue of Thorsten Hohmann in another hill-hill match.
The 4pm round saw action on both sides of the brackets with Shane Van Boening showing the remaining players that he isn’t letting up in his quest for another tournament win. He ran over Jeffrey Ignacio 9-3 in a match that wasn’t even that close. Other 4pm winners were Mike Dechaine over Warren Kiamco 9-5, John Morra over Ike Runnels 9-4 and Rodney Morris over Craig Riley 9-3.
By the 6pm rounds, the long hours under heat were finally starting to get to the players. John Morra took on Rodney Morris on the TV table in one of the winners side final four matches, and it was definitely a match that Morra will want to forget. Morra missed balls in the first two racks and it was all downhill from there as Morris showed no mercy in a 9-2 final scoreline. The other final four winners side match saw Mike Dechaine taking on reigning US Open 8-Ball Champion Shane Van Boening. Shane led this match 4-1 before Dechaine won five straight games to take a 6-4 lead. Shane would fight back, but not be able to overcome the two rack deficit as Dechaine won the match 9-7.
The final round of the day contained two matches on the one loss side with Rafael Martinez facing Skyler Woodward and Jason Klatt taking on Dennis Orcollo. Woodward came out strong early against Martinez, but faded down the stretch as Martinez came back for the 9-7 win. The Orcollo/Klatt match was slightly less competitive as Klatt seemed lost at the table and lost to Orcollo 9-1.
This leaves six players with hopes of winning the event. Mike Dechaine will face Rodney Morris for the hot-seat, while Shane Van Boening takes on Rafael Martinez and John Morra plays Dennis Orcollo on the one loss side.
To follow the tournament in real time please visit PlayCsipool.com where you can find links to the live streaming and to the constantly updated brackets.
Corey Deuel drives a run-out pace and ran through the loser’s bracket, beating Canadian Champion John Morra in finals. John Morra chopped through a star studded bracket to get to the point and showed he was in total command until coming up against Corey who held John to only 6 combined in games in both the finals matches on his way to the $10,000 1st place prize.
Vivian Villarreal came out of the loser’s bracket, where she was sent packing by Cindy Sliva who waited on the point. Vivian got through tough competitor Kim Jones, to return to Cindy again. The finals match featured a lot of great play from both women. They both played like champions and Vivian had to struggle to capture the $4000 1st place check. Cindy once again showed why she is one of the Northwest's finest, keeping up with seasoned professional, Vivian Villarreal.
Chinook Winds added $21,000 to the 8-Ball Open events, $17,000 to Men’s division with guaranteed $10,000 for 1st and $5,000 to the Women’s division with $4000 guaranteed for 1st place. Western BCA added an additional $4000 to the events. The Men’s division raced to 7 and the Women's raced to 5. 128 men and 38 women entered, trying to get into the money.
A $1000 added Warm up 8-ball tournament took place Thursday before main event. League players and those entered in Main event were welcome to play. 83 men entered the $25 entry, race to 3, Double elimination event. The short race can be an equalizer with top players. It was a smash event. There was over $3000 in prize money. Rafael Martinez took 1st, Jason Shaw 2nd, Josh Roberts 3rd, Stan Tourangeau 4th, Ace Brown and Corey Deuel 5th/6th, Steve Lingelbach and Marc Vidal 7th/8th.
The Calcutta went off well. Auctioning through both fields took some time but it was well worth it. There was a net $25,280 in the men’s and $6425 in the women's. Paul “Kez Dog” Marquez and Carissa Biggs helped out calling on bidders. It was a fun and exciting event.
It took a lot of hard work producing the Chinook Winds Open event. Co-coordinators/directors Andrew Monstis and Mike Jensen worked 100’s of volunteer hours to make this event successful as it was. It was about pool. It was very rewarding to hear the praise coming from both participants and spectators. The top players all said it was the best event they have ever been too. First timers to the event said they had never seen such a great event. Others said this was the biggest event in the Northwest since “Ocean Shores” event in the early eighties.
Special thanks to Mike Howerton, “Azbilliards”, Lenny Marshall “On The Rail TV”, Ozzy Reynolds of “Cuesports International” Ric and Bonnie Jones of Bad Boys Production and Chinook Winds & WBCA staff for their considerable help.
They say it’s better at the beach and they are right! Chinook Winds Casino Resort is a full service facility and is an exceptional place for a tournament venue. Having this event tucked in at the beach in Lincoln City, Oregon creates an atmosphere you can’t find anywhere else.
The huge gallery of spectators did watch many excellent matches as the Tournament unfolded. People were able to watch and learn what great pool playing is about. The crowds were in awe of top players like Vivian Villarreal, Stacy Allsup, Rebecca Wagner, Kathy MacDonald, Shane Van Boening, Scott Frost, Rodney Morris, Joshua Roberts, Danny Olson, Ace Brown and Jayson Shaw. They were equally dazzled by top local players like Cindy Sliva, Kim Jones, Carissa Biggs, Liz Cole, Danny Louie, Rafael Martinez, Stan Tourangeau, Matt Horner and Randy Baker. These great pool players showed their talent. Mike Massey Shared with the crowd some of his patented trick shots, What fun!
The 2014 Malarkey’s Thanksgiving 9-Ball Classic Tournament attracted 77 pool players from Washington, Oregon, California and Canada. The weather wasn’t cooperating on Nov. 29-30, dumping 4-6 inches of snow that Saturday morning, but none of the pool players let that stop them from getting to Tacoma to for some of the best competition in the Pacific Northwest. Entry fee was $75 and the field filled up fast. Malarkey’s added $1,500, to make the total prize money $5,350. With 77 players, the race was to 7 on the A side and was shortened 6 on the B side. Once we got to the money rounds, the B side race went to back up to 7. Played on nine 9 ft Gold Crown tables, it took 16 hours on day 1 to get down to the final 16 players for day 2. Rail2Rail Productions furnished the live stream coverage and a new company from Canada, ScoreSaloon provided live match scoring on their website.
The competition was intense and two players, one from WA and one from Canada, immediately stood out from the crowd, demolishing their opponents as they charged through the brackets: Dan Louie and Simon Pickering. Dan Louie won the point against Leroy Dorsey and waited for the rest of the B side battle it out. On Day 2, Simon was sent to the B side by Rafael Martinez, but that didn’t stop Simon’s charge to the finals. He defeated some really top notch players, including Bob Zack, Stan Tourangeau and LeRoy Dorsey for a shot at Dan Louie in the Final Match. Simon won the first set against Dan Louie 7-3, but Dan was not going to be doubled dipped. Dan came back for the second set, stronger than ever and beat Simon 7-5 in that last set, winning the $1,400 first prize money! Simon took home $800 for his efforts. LeRoy Dorsey finished 3rd place. 1st High Woman was Jenny Lewis and 2nd was Joyce Robinson. Congratulations to the players finishing in the money.
Thanks to all the players that participated, Clark Smith, owner of Malarkey’s for sponsoring this event and adding $1,500 to the prize money, Rebecca Easley, the tournament director, for managing 77 players in one weekend, ScoreSaloon for introducing live match scoring and Rail2Rail for their complete live stream coverage so no one had to miss any of the Malarkey’s Annual Thanksgiving 9-Ball Classic.
Rafael Martinez, a wily veteran pool player if ever there was one, was coasting along pretty smoothly in the early going of the $10,000-added Chinook Winds 10-Ball Open, held on the weekend of October 11-12 in Lincoln City, Oregon. Through 25 games in the opening three rounds, he'd given up only five racks. Then he ran into Damian Pongpanik, who not only sent him to the loss side, but did so by shutting him out. Martinez moved to the loss side, won five and then beat Danny Gokhul twice in a true double elimination final to claim the title.
With Martinez at work on the loss side, Pongpanik moved into a winners' side semifinal against Pete Gates, as Gokhul squared off against Todd Marsh. Identical 7-4 wins by Gohkul and Gates put the two of them into the hot seat match, won by Gokhul, 7-2.
Martinez did not get the opportunity he no doubt fervently desired for a re-match against Pongpanik. After defeating Nick Kruger 7-5 and Darin Walding 7-2, Martinez drew Marsh, while Pongpanik squared off against Stan Tourangeau (another wily veteran), who'd defeated Michael F. Jensen 7-1 and shut out Bob Zack.
The two veterans chalked up identical 7-2 scores over Pongpanik and Marsh and met each other in the quarterfinals. Martinez gave up only a single rack in those quarterfinals, and then downed Gates 7-2 in the semifinals.
Martinez was challenged in the true double elimination finals, but prevailed in both sets. He took the opener 7-5, and improved on that in the second set, winning it 7-3 to snatch the event title from Gokhul.
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
Rafael Martinez went undefeated at the second Poison by Predator stop defeating Chase Rudder in the final, 4-1. Martinez conquered a talented field of 36 players in the one-day, $500 added open 8-ball event, which yielded a purse in excess of $2,500. Players ventured from far and wide to compete against the likes of Sylver Ochoa, Manny Chau, and Sam Manaole, but it was business as usual for flamboyant pool superstar Martinez who “wowed” the crowd, coasting to a near flawless victory.
Winners’ side action saw hot seat contender Manny Chau tear his way through Ben Zamudio, 4-0, Blaine Barcus, 4-3, Chase Rudder,4-1, and Bill Fain, 4-0, while Martinez made quick work of Sylver Ochoa, 4-0, Eppie Madrigal, 4-2, Sam Manaole, 4-1, and Ricky Hughes, 4-0. On the one loss side, Ochoa captured an incredible 6 consecutive matches including wins over Chris Villanueva, 4-0, Sam Manaole, 4-2, and Bill Fain, 4-1. On a mission of his own, Rudder ousted Jack Cavalier, 4-2, and Ricky Hughes, 4-1, for a third place face-off with Ochoa. Rudder took full advantage after a couple of unforced errors by Ochoa, ending the set, 4-2. East side, hot seat action saw Martinez best Chau, 4-1, presenting Rudder with a chance at redemption. Little time passed as Rudder quickly, calmly, and confidently, claimed the set, 4-1. Holding strong, Martinez had lost only 4 games heading into the finals. Going toe to toe with 3x PxP event champion Rudder, the finals were shaping up to be a sheer explosion of wit and skill. In the final set, it was more of the same for Martinez, who came out firing, and on this day, proved a bit much for the PxP champ. Not only did Martinez take home $500 for his first place victory, but also a free entry into the Space City Open III 9-Ball division, coming December 4th-7th, 2014, to Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar, Houston, Texas. For more information on the Space City Open, visit www.facebook.com/spacecityopen.
The title sponsor for the PxP Tour is Poison by Predator cues. Find your Poison at www.poisonbilliards.com. The official tour rack is Delta-13, www.delta-13.com and the official league is the APA of North Harris County, www.facebook.com/apanorthharriscounty. Finally, the tour would like to thank David Richardson and Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar for their continued support. For more information about the PxP Tour, please visit www.pxptour.com.
Sylver Ochoa captured his ninth open division title while young gun Joey Torres took home his first-ever title in the amateur division at the Lone Star Spring 9-ball event held March 8th-9th, 2014, at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas. Ochoa defeated the renowned Rafael Martinez, 9-7, in the final while Joey Torres came from behind to defeat hot seat winner Erik Renteria two sets, 7-6, and 5-0.
There were 71 players competing for over $6,000 in prize money at the second Lone Star stop of 2014. New to the tour, top ten Taiwanese player Kevin Cheng, the “Taiwanese Typhoon”, joined the illustrious, star studded field, but failed to make the cut. The open division yielded little surprise as Manny Chau teed off against Rafael Martinez, and Sylver Ochoa faced off with Danny Lee in the final four, winners’ side. After suffering a 9-1 defeat at the hands of Martinez, Cheng faced off with Chase Rudder, while Ernesto Bayaua battled Bill Fuller. Back on the east side, Martinez defeated Chau, 9-7, while Ochoa dusted off Lee, 9-2. On the west side, Bayaua eliminated Fuller, then Chau, 7-6, while Cheng overcame Rudder, but fell to Lee, 7-6. Ochoa oustEd Martinez for the hot seat, 9-3, while Bayaua eliminated Lee, 7-5. Determined to make a comeback, Martinez eliminated Bayaua, 7-5, for a rematch with Ochoa. Steady as ever, in the final match, Ochoa coasted his way to victory, 9-7.
There were 49 entries alone in the amateur division which saw Joey Torres lose his fourth round match to Will Felder, 7-6, and come back to win six straight sets, and his division. Danny Roland and Bob Guzik made their way to the final four on the winners’ side along with Will Felder and Erik Renteria. Roland overcame Guzik, 7-6, while Renteria sent Felder west, 7-5. On the east side, Torres was cleaning house. He eliminated Bobby Perez, 5-3, Guzik, 5-2, and Felder, 5-1. Meanwhile, it was Renteria over Roland for the hot seat, which pitted a first time match-up between Roland and Torres. The match was a coin toss as players traded racks, until Torres pull ahead and ended the battle, 5-4. Torres made his way back to challenge Renteria for the title. In the first race to 7, Renteria missed a crucial 8-ball shot and Torres took full advantage, winning the set, 7-6. The second set was a different story as Torres won the flip and broke. Renteria never made it to the table.
The Lone Star Billiards Tour would like to thank its wonderful sponsors, Poison by Predator Cues, www.poisonbilliards.com, Delta-13 Rack, www.delta-13.com, Ozone Billiards, www.ozonebilliards.com, Improve Your Shot, www.ImproveYourShot.com, and the APA of North Harris County, www.facebook.com/apanorthharriscounty. For the latest event information, please visit www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com.
Sponsored by Diamond SMART TABLE, True Blue Simonis 860 Cloth, and Cyclop Pool Balls.
Oscar Dominguez after defeating Hall of Famer Cliff Joyner commented, " The game's changed. You don't have to move as well as you had to in the past; Today, you have to be able to run out."
Well, the man who introduced run out one-pocket, even when spotting into double digits, was doing just that today. Efren Reyes, 5 time DCC All Around Champion, or Master of the Table, was running out…and moving.
Let's face it, "The Magician" is the complete package. One of the events more notable matches had him pitted against Rafael Martinez on the Accu-Stats' TV table.
Here, Efren had to "move." And, every move he made, Martinez had the remedy. The crowd loved the contest then, suddenly, tied at two, Rafael finally fell under the magician's spell.
Now, Efren, along with another one-pocket master on the table, Shannon Daulton, are the only two men left undefeated. The buy-back booth awaits.
More Accu-Stats' action had Bustey against Van Boening. Francisco was running balls like he did in the Banks finals and at 2-0, and needing one ball while Shane needed them all, made the definitive one pocket move: At every opportunity, he sent balls out of play into the kitchen. Any player who can run out from here isn't a magician, he's a trick shot artist.
At one point, all 8-balls were touching each other near the corner pocket opposite Shane's. They were now playing the "Wedge," a strategy attributed to another one-pocket virtuoso, Nick Varner.
Bustey would nudge one ball into play as that was all he needed to win the match. Every time he got the ball in play, Shane made it. And, then there were 7…and then there were six…
When there were four, Shane made a smidgen of a move to the "Wedge" and collapsed, head in his hands, on the table. He'd left a two railer. Instinct told him that it was over.
Francisco stroked it at such impeccable speed that, had it rolled off, it would be dangling in his hole. At perfect pace, it ran in perfect line off the second rail, and slowly trickled into his pocket.
He was in the last 7, as are the aforementioned Efren and Shannon, Orcollo, Justin Hall, Scott Frost and the one to watch, Josh Roberts. This young, salty pepper shaker ain't no slouch. He sent Corteza bye, bye.
On another note: Efren was observed breaking from the head spot, sending the cue ball off the side of the stack, two rails off the long rail, back into the stack. I'm getting dizzy just thinking about the spin he put on the ball. Please do not try it at home.
The Derby City Classic 9-Ball Championships
Sponsored by Lucasi Cues.
After round one, there were no memorable, or noteworthy, upsets. The usual suspects are still in play: Bergman, Biado, Van B, Breedlove, Brumback, Can, Corr (Yup, happy to say, that's Karen), Vann C, Dechaine, Hohmann, Hunter, Frost, Joyner, Kiamco, Saez, Schmidt, Strickland, and Woodward, just to name a few.
Kudos to Dennis Walsh for keeping this great DCC event alive.
The format allows any player with a C note, 3 sessions in four attempts, that's 12 in all, to run balls until they drop–pun intend. Each miss counts as an attempt.
What a deal: That's 12 attempts at a high run for a hundred dollars. There is no limit to the amount of times a player can ante up the entry money and enter.
The two tables, in a private room upstairs, that are dedicated to the event, are in constant action as competitor after competitor waits in line for their shot to string racks together.
Then, the format evolves as the top 8, point scoring players, are then drawn to a single elimination tournament.
Schmidt, Van Den Berg, Chinakov, and Hunter have one session left to beat those current top scores to qualify. As you can see by the results posted above, Souquet, Appleton, Feijen, Orcollo, Stepanov, Shaw, Lely, and See are the top 8, to date.
