About eight years ago, when Hungary’s Vilmos Foldes shifted his pool-competition activity to these United States, settling in Las Vegas, he started to make appearances on the Mezz West Tour, chalking up two wins in four cash-payout performances on that tour in 2014. The following year, he cashed in 11 appearances on that tour, including one victory. He also began a string of appearances on the Jay “Swanee” Swanson Memorial Tournament, finishing as runner-up to Rodrigo Geronimo that year. He has cashed in every “Swanee” Memorial since then, winning it finally in 2019.
In 2016, Foldes appeared in six memorial tournaments, winning the Chuck Markulis and Bob Stocks Memorial, and cashing in the “Swanee” (4th), the Don Coates (9th), the Cole Dickson (5th), and in his first cash finish on the Las Vegas-based Andy Mercer Memorial, he finished 7th.
In 2017, Foldes added attendance at the Cole Dickson and Brendan Crockett Memorials, at which he finished as runner-up to Beau Runningen. In the same year that he chalked up his first, and so far, his only win on the “Swanee,” Foldes won his first of three straight titles at the Andy Mercer Memorial Tournament, downing Shane Van Boening in the finals. In 2020, he defended that title, winning nine on the loss side to down Chad Vilmont in the finals, leaving such pool luminaries as Dennis Orcollo, Warren Kiamco and Van Boening in the dust, so to speak.
In all, since 2015, he’s cashed in 17 memorial tournaments, winning six of them. He won the 6th this past weekend (March 18-20), going undefeated at the $3,750-added, 31st Annual Andy Mercer Memorial, hosted by Rum Runner in Las Vegas, NV. He may not be the only person to have appeared in all of the mentioned memorial tournaments (the actual number of them, being hard to determine), but he is certainly doing his part to keep the memories of eight esteemed members of the US pool community alive.
Foldes’ path to the winners’ circle that saw him win 24 of the first 34 games he played, went through Goran Mladenovic, Sal Butera, Donnie Branson and Max Eberle to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal versus Sam Cordova. Dave Datillo, in the meantime got by Gary Onomura, Tommy Baker, Jeff Gray and, in a winners’ side quarterfinal, Gary Lutman, who’d return to challenge Foldes in the finals. This set Datillo up to face Blake Baker in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Datillo moved into the hot seat match with a double hill win over Baker. Foldes downed Cordova 6-1 to join him. Foldes checked in with another 6-1 victory, this time over Datillo, to claim the hot seat, sporting a ‘three out of every four,’ game-winning percentage (75%).
On the loss side, Baker picked up Ian Costello, who’d lost a winners’ side quarterfinal to Cordova and then defeated John Farris 6-3 and Max Eberle 6-4. Cordova ran into Lutman, who’d followed his loss to Datillo with a double hill win over Mladenovic and a shutout over Donnie Branson, who’d just knocked Shane Van Boening out of the tournament 6-4.
Lutman chalked up his second loss-side double hill win, against Cordova and advanced to the quarterfinals. Baker joined him after knocking Costello out 6-4.
In his third double hill match of four played on the loss side, Lutman downed Baker in those quarterfinals and then, gave up only one to Datillo in the semifinals. Foldes completed his undefeated run with a 6-4 victory over Lutman in the finals to claim his third straight Andy Mercer Memorial title.
Tournament director Jack Murray thanked Geno Hill and his Rum Runner staff for their hospitality, as well as all of the players who have in the past and did, this year, gather to pay homage to Andy Mercer, who passed away in 1990.
That was Shane VanBoening’s reaction to winning the 8-Ball Division at the 23rdAnnual US Bar Table Championship, which concluded Sunday at the Westgate Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
There’s few titles in the sport of pool that VanBoening hasn’t captured. Many he has taken in multiples — including being a three-time USBTC 9-Ball champion as well as a three-time USBTC 10-Ball Champion. But when it came to the 8-Ball division, the title was elusive and the closest VanBoening had gotten was second.
Until today, when VanBoening bested Jason Klatt in the finals by a score of 5-3 and captured the title as the undefeated winner. VanBoening’s path through the 101-player field included wins over: David Espinoza, 5-2; Sal Butera, 5-1; Ronald Solgot, 5-0; Manuel Perez, 5-3; Chris McDonald, 5-3; Hector “Robb” Saez, 5-3; and Klatt.
Klatt’s tournament trail included wins over: Bret Huth, 5-4; Ronny Park, 5-2; Justin Bergman, 5-3 and Roberto Gomez Jr., 5-4 before losing to Hector ‘Robb’ Saez, 1-5. In the loser’s bracket, Klatt beat Sal Butera, 5-1, and Billy Thorpe, 5-0. Then he faced Saez again and beat him 5-1 to earn his place in the finals, where he lost in the first set.
Van Boening earned $4,400 for the win and Klatt received $2,700. Full standings and payouts are listed at playcsipool.com.
The $20,000-added 23rd Annual US Bar Table Championship concludes today with the finals of the Men’s 8-Ball Division. Sponsors include: OB Cues, the Official Cue; Kamui, the Official Tip; Diamond Billiard Products, Cyclop Balls, Simonis Cloth, BadBoys Billiard Productions, FargoRate, Magic Ball Rack and Matchroom Sport.
The 2016 US Bar Table Championships are produced by CueSports International, the parent company of the BCAPL and USAPL. CSI also produces independent events, such as the US Open 10-Ball Championship, the US Open 8-Ball Championship and much more. For more information, visit www.playcsipool.com or call 702-719-POOL.
The opening day of the 23rd Annual US Bar Table Championships began with a field of 74 players at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. And by the time the first day’s matches concluded, just three remained on the winner’s side of the bracket: Sky Woodward, Justin Bergman and Billy Thorpe — all among a growing group of strong, young players.
Woodward and Bergman will face off at Noon Tuesday and the winner of the match will play Thorpe for the hot seat.
Bergman also play strong all day, with sound wins over Miguel Batista, 7-6; Jason Klatt, 7-1; Jesse Piercey, 7-4; Dale Stanley, 7-2; and Vilmos Foldes.
But there are plenty of solid players on the B-side of the bracket hoping to take home the $3,800 first prize, including Manny Perez, who plays Rodrigo Geronimo at 9 a.m. and Mike Massey, who plays Dale Stanley. Others still on the one-loss side include Van Boening, Sal Butera, Bret Huth, James Adams, Jamie Bruce, Salim, Shane McMinn, Foldes, Piercey, Hattan, McDaniel, Belobradie, Nevel and Josh Roberts.
On the one-loss side, Nakamura takes on Whitney at 9 a.m. and Kimberly Kirk plays Deb Aarens, also at 9 a.m. The winners of those matches play Pelletier and Coffman.
The US Bar Table Championships take play through Aug. 28 and offer 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball divisions, as well as a Master of the Table bonus for both the open and women’s divisions.
In addition, players who place in the top 32 of each open division receive Mosconi Cup USA Team points on a sliding scale. The top three American players with the most points at the end of the year will be selected for the USA Mosconi Cup Team.
Sponsors include: OB Cues, the Official Cue; Kamui, the Official Tip; Diamond Billiard Products, Cyclop Balls, Simonis Cloth, BadBoys Billiard Productions, FargoRate, Magic Ball Rack and Matchroom Sport.
10-Ball Divisions Aug. 22-24
Open 10-Ball: Race to 7/$5,000 added
Women’s 10-Ball; Race to 5/ $1,000 added
9-Ball Divisions: Aug. 24-26
Open 9-Ball: Race to 9/$5,000 added
Women’s 9-Ball; Race to 7/ $1,000 added
8-ball Divisions: Aug. 26-28
Open 10-Ball: Race to 5/$5,000 added
Women’s 10-Ball; Race to 4/ $1,000 added
Master of the Table Bonuses*
Open Divisions: $1,500/Women’s Divisions: $500
*Players must compete in all three divisions to be eligible for the bonus.
The Mezz West State Tour is back after a successful end to season 2 with some improvements for season 3. Traditionally, MWST were $2000 added, however, with the addition of several sponsors, we were able to push that added money to a standard of $2500 each event, with 18 events scheduled.
The first stop proved to be a successful one with 106 players from all over the west coast assembling at one of America's finest pool rooms, Hard Times Billiards. Room owners Mike and Karen Markulis are some of the biggest supporters of tournaments for decades and their love for their players continues. The MWST is proud to have three events this season at Hard Times and all the players have rave reviews on playing on their pristine equipment.
Leading the top half of the field was Stockton, CA young gun, Francis Ritarita. Francis, rated a 7 on our tour, has improved dramatically as his play is steadily becoming more consistent. With wins over Aaron Thompson, Bobby Yamasaki, Brendan Crockett, Cole Gibbons, Rudy Estoque, and Tommy "Too Good" Soria; Francis was able to play for the hot seat with solid play for two consecutive days.
The bottom half of the bracket was littered with professional players by the luck of the draw. Heavy hitters such as Mika Immonen, Rodney Morris, Ruben Bautista, Sal Butera, Amar Kang, and Oscar Dominguez all were placed in neighboring positions. However, it was Hungarian sharpshooter and former Junior World Champion, Vilmos Foldes who swam through a river of sharks. His victories included wins over Amar Kang, Jason Freeman, Jaynard Orque, Rodney Morris, Oscar Dominguez, and Jason Williams to set up the hot seat match between Francis Ritarita and himself. However, it was the seasoned pro who put a temporary halt to Ritarita's Cinderalla run to the finals with a dominating 9-4 scoreline.
While Vilmos Foldes dispatched top players to the B side of the chart, it set up marquee matches on who would face the Hungarian for the finals. World Champion Mika Immonen succumbed to San Francisco native, Rylan Hartnett who played excellent to defeat the Finnish champ to a 9-12 finish. The current points leader to the Mosconi Cup points race, Rodney Morris had a massive run through the one loss side with wins over Brendan Crockett, Ernesto Dominguez, Skip Nikakis, and Jason Williams. It wasnt until he faced Oscar Dominguez who himself had recorded several consecutive wins where Dominguez put a halt to the Rocket's quest for first prize. It was Dominguez who then faced Francis Ritarita in the finals of the one loss side and Francis led 8-6 in a race to 9. However, with some gritty safety shots and play, Oscar took the match to end Francis' vision of being the first 7 to win a MWST stop.
The single race finals to 11 between Vilmos Foldes and Oscar Dominguez was an epic battle to say the least These two players fought tooth and nail for every inning and after a quick 6-3 lead by Foldes, a slight hiccup gave all the opportunity Dominguez needed to come storming back. After the dust settled, it was Dominguez who emerged victorious with an 11-8 scoreline and earned himself the first win of season 3 on the Mezz West State Tour.
The staff at MWST would like to thank the Markulis Family and the staff at Hard Times Billiards in Sacramento for all their hard work and continued support. In addition, none of this would be possible without our loyal sponsors which include: Mezz Cues (Mezzcue.com), West State Billiards Supply (WestStateBilliards.com), Aramith Billiard Balls (Saluc.com), Andy Billiard Cloth (AndyClothUSA.com), Turtle Rack (MezzWestStateTour.com), ZAN Tips (ZAN-Tip.com), Tony Rodriguez of RE/MAX Gold Coast Real Estate, Kurzweil's Country Meats (KurzweilCountryMeats.com), James Hanshew Custom Cues (HanshewCustomCues.com), Cue Sports International (playcsipool.com), Fast and Loose Designs (FastnLooseDesigns.com), Contact Point Media, and On The Wire Creative Media (OTWPromotions.com)
The 2015 US Open 10-Ball Championship was held July 24-26 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. The matches were recorded in “The Predator Arena” with high definition equipment and full-time commentary by Jay Helfert, Ken Shuman, and Robert LeBlanc.
CSI would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to the sponsors of this exciting event:
Predator: The Official Cue of the 2015 US Open 10-Ball Championship!
Kamui: The Official Tip of the 2015 US Open 10-Ball Championship!
Omega Billiards: The Official Store of the 2015 US Open 10-Ball Championship!
Our final day at the U.S. Open Championships at the Rio hotel in Las Vegas began with two one-loss side matches. On table one Sal Butera and Shane Van Boening were locked in battle while table two saw Shane McMinn facing Dennis Orcollo. Shane drew first blood against Butera while McMinn took the first mark on his table.
The Butera/Van Boening match stayed tight early on as we were tied at two apiece while Dennis Orcollo slid out to a slim 3-1 lead on his table. When McMinn broke dry in rack #5 Orcollo saw an opportunity to stretch that lead into something impressive. But when Orcollo played a safety off the two ball McMinn dug deep and jumped into the two ball which comboed the ten ball into the corner for the win. At 3-2 Orcollo would have to await another opportunity to stretch out. When McMinn took the next rack to tie things up that opportunity moved further away. McMinn took the next rack as well to lead Orcollo 4-3. McMinn had defeated Alex Pagulayan the night previous and his confidence was remaining unperturbed. With the lead in his possession McMinn took the next game as well and then led 5-3 while owning the break for the next rack. Now it was Orcollo's turn to fret.
Van Boening was doing nothing spectacular, he just played steady, solid pool and soon led Butera 5-2. Butera was not making any errors, but Van Boening can make the tough shots that count when he needs them and the table was under his command. After the next rack Van Boening led 6-2 and Butera was looking for any opportunities he could find. Van Boening does not sell opportunity cheap and the balls kept falling away for him. Soon it was 7-3. When Butera broke dry in the next rack the skies grew dark in the Butera corner. Two racks later Van Boening was on the hill at 9-2. Then Butera took the next rack to bring us to 9-3. That would be his last hurrah as Van Boening ran the next rack to take the match 10-3.
Orcollo took a break to regroup. He then won the next rack to get within one game at 5-4. In the next game Orcollo missed a safety and left McMinn a shot on the one. He took a chance on a three-ten combo that missed, however, and Orcollo was back shooting. But Orcollo let go of the cue ball when he made the four and whitey rolled into the corner for a scratch. That was all McMinn needed to get back to a two-game margin at 6-4. In the next rack McMinn had to bank in bothe the four and the five and then shoot a thin cut on the six down the rail into the corner. When he succeeded at all of that Orcollo conceded the rack to trail 7-4.
Orcollo broke and ran the next rack and then McMinn broke dry, turning control of the table back over to Orcollo. Orcollo made quick work of this rack with a two-ten combo and just like that he was back in the match trailing only by a single game at 7-6. After the next rack we were tied at seven and our race to ten had become a do or die race to three to stay alive. Two racks later McMinn was on the hill 9-7 and it was his turn to break. THe table broke too tough to run and after some back and forth Orcollo was able to clean up and pull us to 9-8.
Orcollo now had the chance to break and run to get to the hill with McMinn. The one ball dropped on the break but the two ball went and hid behind the ten ball. He pushed out and McMinn took on the shot and left Orcollo with a pretty good safety. Orcollo made the hit and left a nice safe of his own. The safeties ended with Orcollo in control and he made it to the hill. 9-9. A race to one for the match. It was McMinn's break. He made a ball but faced a tough bank on the one. He missed the bank and left Orcollo with the one sitting in the corner pocket and an open shot to begin his run. Orcollo ran the table and looked forward to his next match against Darren Appleton as McMinn packed his cue thinking about what might have been.
The next round was one-loss action as Dennis Orcollo took on Darren Appleton while Corey Deuel faced Shane Van Boening, When we joined the fray Orcollo was leading 4-1 and Shane Van Boening was ahead 4-3.
After twenty minutes of solid playing on both tables our scores were 5-2 with Orcollo leading Appleton while Shane Van Boening led Corey Deuel 6-4. Orcollo scratched on his next break and Appleton had no choice but to try a six-ten combo that he converted to trail 5-3. On his table Van Boening broke and ran to lead 7-4. Deuel helped Van Boening along when he scratched on his next break. Van Boening ran out to lead 8-4. Van Boening then broke and ran to get to the hill and lead 9-4.
Orcollo tried to extend his lead but missed the six ball to give Appleton the table and the bead to bring him within one at 5-4. But Orcollo ran the next rack and got a little wiggle room at 6-4.
Corey Deuel was trying hard to get back into the match but an unfortunate kiss put him in trouble on the three ball. He tried to bank it but came up a tad short. But he did not leave much, only a long-rail bank shot that did not fall. Deuel then had to go rail first on the three ball to have any chance at position on the next ball. While he failed the shot the cue ball rolled safe and Van Boening had to shoot a carom that would not go. Deuel made a thin cut on the three in the side and the shot caused the six ball to snuggle up near the eight. Deuel played safe but left Van Boening a look at the six which he would have to bank if he were to continue at the table. He chose to play safe instead. Deuel could not escape the safety and left an open table for Van Boening who converted that into the win 10-4.
Darren Appleton won the next rack against Dennis Orcollo and trailed 6-5. Orcollo ran the next rack to take us to 7-5 and then Appleton made an error in the next rack and snookered himself behind the eight. Orcollo had to navigate a tough cut on the five but made it and finished off the rack to go three ahead at 8-5. Now Appleton had to win five games before Orcollo won two to be able to win. Orcollo would have none of that as he broke and ran to get to the hill.
For Appleton the hole had gotten deep. But it was his break and he never just rolls over and plays dead. His break sank a ball but he had to carom off of the one to make the three and that did not work. He did leave a big problem on the table in that the three was behind the five near the corner and had to be either broken out or made with a three-ball combo. Orcollo broke it out with a bank on the two but forgot to tell the two to fall. When Appleton missed his next shot because he was jacked up over a ball he conceded the match and Orcollo took the win 10-5.
Our next match found Shane Van Boening playing Dennis Orcollo. The loser of this match would take fourth place while the winner got to fight on. Van Boening surged out to an early 4-1 lead and Orcollo was keeping busy trying to kick himself into an opportunity. He got that chance in rack #6 and took it home to trail 4-2. But he broke dry in the next rack and left Van Boening an open shot on the one ball. That was all he needed to bring us to 5-2. He then broke and ran to enlarge his lead to 6-2.
Orcollo made the five ball on the next break but the one ball was not makable. Orcollo played safe and left Van Boening a table length away with blockers. Shane kicked into a safety. Orcollo made the hit and Van Boening was forced to play safe again, this time locking Orcollo up against a ball. Orcollo could not find a hit and Van Boening had ball in hand. All the remaining alls had a pocket and Van Boening filled them all to lead 7-2.
Van Boening broke and ran the next rack. 8-2. Orcollo made three balls on the next break but had no opening shot. He attempted a jump shot but fouled and turned the table over. Van Boening cleaned up to go to the hill and lead 9-2. Van Boening broke and the table held early trouble. He had to play safe on the two and the safeties that ensued ended when Orcollo took an intentional foul to tie up another pair of balls. That worked well enough to cause Van Boening to miss a combo on the three ball and that allowed Orcollo to access the rest of the rack to finally win another rack and trail 9-3. Orcollo had to bank the one ball in the next game and left it hanging in the pocket. But Van Boening over-ran his shape and scratched on his three ball attempt. Orcollo ran out to fill the hole a little as the score stood at 9-4.
Van Boening scratched on his next break. Orcollo cleared the table to get the score into respectable range at 9-5. When he broke and ran the next rack we stood at 9-6 and the comeback began to feel real. Next it was Van Boening's break and he made a ball and had an easy opening shot. He had a problem though as the four ball had no pocket, being nestled up near the five ball. He was able to break it out when he shot the three but all it left him was a bank shot with questionable odds of being able to get shape for the next shot. He chose to play safe and Orcollo was staring at a four ball seven feet away in the middle of the head rail. He made an unreal thin cut to put it away into the corner pocket but he would have to hop over the edge of the ten to make the five-six combo that was wired into the side. He made it and all the rest to bring himself well within reach at 9-7. Remember, when he began this march he was behind 9-2.
Orcollo broke dry but left little for Van Boening. The opening shot was a bank combo that he really used to make a safety. The one ball was near the head rail while the cue ball was two diamonds up from the foot rail. Orcollo tried to bank the one to the left and send the cue ball right but he did he did not quite hide the ball. Van Boening banked into another safety. Orcollo safed back. The safety play went on only a short while longer before Van Boening got an opening. He took it all the way home to win 10-7.
Our next match featured Justin Hall V Thorsten Hohmann playing for the hot seat.. These two gentlemen had both come this far without a defeat and both had been displaying remarkable skills in the previous two days. Hohmann had taken out Darren Appleton and Mike Dechaine as well as Tony Robles to get here while Justin Hall had toppled the likes of Jayson Shaw and Jason Klatt and Erik Hjorleifson.
Hohmann won the lag and broke two balls into the pockets but was left with only a kick or jump on the two. So he elected to push into a bit easier kicking situation. Hall gave him the shot back and Hohmann tried to kick into a safety but the two ball leaked out from behind cover and Hall had an opening. He took full advantage and grabbed the first bead to lead 1-0 and own the break.
Hall's break evaporated two balls from the table and left him a very thin cut on the one with little hope of position on the two. But the ten ball was in the area and Hall bravely called a one-ten combo that he fired into the center of the pocket to lead 2-0. Hall was sending a message early that he was not one with whom you could easily trifle.
Hohmann's next break served up some better fare. He had a shot on the one ball and everything had a pocket it could find if coaxed. There were two troublesome position moves that would need to be negotiated, however. This was no roadmap. Hohmann unexpectedly missed the three ball and left it in the jaws. Hall again pounced on the opportunity and quickly led the match 3-0.
Hall made the one ball on the next break but the only shot he had at the two was a kick-combo on the ten. He freaking made it. Now Hohmann was in a dark corner. His opponent had four marks and he was yet to leave the gate. But there is no give-up in the German. He gave the next break a huge lick but everything just ran around the table real fast and stayed up. Hall made a thin cut on the one in the side and then needed to break the three ball away from the six when he made the two. His shot was a little bashful and while he got the contact he wanted there was not enough energy left to break them far apart. But it was enough. He tickled the three against the side of the six and the three fell into the side.
Hall was beginning to believe. He ran through the balls and was now halfway home at 5-0. He made four balls on the next break but one of them was white. Now it was Hohmann's turn to seize an opportunity. He did. 5-1. He then broke and ran the next rack to get to 5-2.
Now it was Hall's break. This one shot could make a huge swing in the match. If Hall wound up with no opening shot Hohmann could get back within two and own the break for a chance to be right back in the match. ANd the table broke tough. THere was no way to break out the tow ball from the six so Hall called aa two-rail bank that failed to open. But it was a two-way shot that left Hohmann only very tough cut. That shot did not go but he did get Hall safe behind blockers. Hall kicked the two all past a cluster of balls ad left the cue ball on the other side. Hohmann went for his jump cue. He made the jump ad had a shot on the four but the five was hidden from the closest pocket by the five. He needed to find a way to make something happen. He cut the four in the corner with extreme left english had a shot on the five into the far corner. When it fell the rest of the table looked like a rose for the picking. 5-3, Hohmann breaking.
Hohmann made the two ball on the snap and had a shot on the one. But it was nearly straight in and he had to pound/stun the shot. He still came up shy of shape and was again jumping. The shot did not go but the safety that he got was impressive. Justin could easily kick to the hit but the there was no pocket open to accept the ball. The shot he left Hohmann had no future in it except for a safety. He got a good one but Hall swerved the cue ball and made the shot. The rest of the table was waiting for him and Hall walked it home even though he had to bank the final shot to lead 6-3.
Hall's next break was beautiful. Three balls down and a connect the dots layout. He wound up on the fifty yard line on the ten ball, however, and gifted the game to Hohmann with the ten ball just sitting in the pocket. 6-4, Hohmann breaking. But Hohmann scratched on the break. Justin Hall with ball in hand is a dangerous animal. The table was not easy. The four ball lay tough with only a single side pocket. Hall got the shape and the shot. That would send us to 7-4 with Hall on the break.
The break was good. Two balls down and a shot on the one but no easy way to get to the two. He played for a safe but left Hohmann an alley to the one. Not quite wide enough to make the shot but good enough for a return safety. Hohmann made contact and left Hall a table length away with blockers. The kick was one rail and Hall only had a bank safety which he executed very well. Hohmann tried a jump shot that exceeded its' goals and left the table. Hall ran out for the 8-4 lead.
Hohmann broke dry but left not a cherry on the tree. The one was easy but four balls were tied up nearly in a line. There was lots of work to be done. Hall was pretty straight on the two so he elected to make that, stop, and play safe. He tucked the three ball behind the six with the cue ball on the other side. Hohmann made the hit but Hall could see an edge. But he miscued, fouled, and Hohmann sprang back to the table. The miscue had broken up the problem line of balls and Hohmann marched the rest of them home. 8-5.
The table was just breaking tough. Blockers were common. Hall had a terribly tough cut on the one that he hung up and Hohmann was able to convert the rack to bring himself closer at 8-6. On his break Hohmann had no shot but he could catch an edge of the one for safe or he could push out. He pushed the cue ball into the jaws of a corner pocket and Hall could see about a quarter of the one. He left Hohmann able to make full contact but with no pocket except for banked ones. Hohmann used the edge for a safety and left Hall a bank into the side. Hall took it on and made it plus he got good shape on the three. He got out from there and breathed the air one finds on the hill 9-6.
It was Hall's break. All he needed was one good break and spread to take this baby home. He got his wish with one exception. The six ball was fully behind the eight ball in the jaws of the corner pocket. It had to be broken out or conboed in. Perhaps that problem is what made Hall miss the three in the side. Hohmann tried to get rid of the trouble right away by shooting the three off the rail into the cluster and into the pocket. But he missed the two balls on the way into the pocket and that threw his po on the four off. He missed a tough masse and Hall was astraddle the table again. Hall played a fantastic shot on the five where the cue ball came over and edged the eight all out of the way. He finished off the last two balls and owned the hot seat. Whomever wins the semis of Hohmann V Van Boening will have a tough nut to crack to get past Hall in the finals.
Our semi-final began with Van Boening winning the lag. He broke well but the one ball was only a bank opportunity. Van Boening tried a safe but fell short of the goal and Hohmann had an opening. That was all he needed. Hohmann claimed the rack and our first mark at 1-0. Finally the table broke open wide. Hohmann had a tough shot on the four to get to the five ball but otherwise the table was a cherry. He got that shape he needed and stormed home to lead 2-0.
Now Van Boening had to break. He had seen the way Hohmann had broken the table open and he would try to mimic the result in his own style. He succeeded. But then he missed a shot on the one ball, a slide two feet down the rail, that no one had expected him to miss. The ball just stopped short of the pocket. Hohmann was back at the table. But when he got to the five ball he had to shoot jacked-up over the eight and missed the shot. He left Van Boening only a safety or thin reverse cut to the corner or a carom. Van Boening took the carom and the table to get on the board trailing 2-1.
Hohmann's break was now working well. He made three balls with shape on the one. The rest of the table was soon history and Hohmann led 3-1. Van Boening broke and the one was hidden by the four ball. He played safe by using the cue ball into a jump shot position. Hohmann went for his jump cue. But at the last moment he turned down the shot and sent Van Boening back to solve his own riddle. The shot was narrowly missed but Hohmann would have to bank the one cross-corner.He played a two-way shot and got the safe but not the bank. Van Boening kicked and left a one-ten combo down the rail that Hohmann converted to stretch his lead to 4-1. This was twice now that he won off of Van Boening's break.
Again Hohmann made three balls on the break but he would have to bank the one to proceed. He did and wound up with fifty-yard line shape on the two. When the two fell away the rest of the table was no challenge. Hohmann leads 5-1. Van Boening broke the next rack and had an early problem where he would have to carom the two off of the six to get into the side pocket. He made it look easy and cruised through the rest of the rack to get himself to 5-2. The goal for Van Boening now was to win the rest of his break racks and two of Hohmann's.
When Hohmann broke dry Van Boening went to work. He needed this rack. But he had no direct shot at the one ball. There were at least two balls locking his path. He measured a kick shot and pulled the trigger and the one ball fell away. There was till a lot of traffic on the board that would need to be avoided. He steered himself cleanly through the rack and won one off of Hohmanns break. This put him back in reasonable action at 5-3 with the next break being his.
Van Boening just could not find the sweet break he needed. Again he wound up with the one near a pocket but with interfering balls blocking his path. He pushed. Hohmann took on the jump shot and actually hung it up but the cue ball came down and nudged it into the hole. Hohmann then played a safe on the two, wedding the cue ball to the side of the six. Van Boening made the hit but left Hohmann a long cut up the rail which he made with shape on the three. Hohmann got out to lead 6-3 and he did it off of Van Boening's break so that hole widened out once again.
Hohmann sent three balls home again on the break and had a nice shot on the one. He swept the table to extend his lead to 7-3. With the alternating break format Van Boening's odds of winning the match now stood at less than 20%. He would still give it his all. He broke the next rack well and finished off the rack to trail Hohmann 7-4. Hohmann had the next break and created a runable table. The three was behind the 6 but he had two shots to use to get into position to manage that. He got a bit out of line for the two ball and that made the three ball problem larger. Hohmann solved that one by using the five ball as a rail to send the three into the corner. He was out from there and led 8-4. His nostrils had begun to pick up the scent of the finish line.
Still, Van Boening would not shake. His arm was as fluid as ever and he worked effortlessly through the next rack. 8-5. Hohmann was well on his way home when an unfortunate rub scratched him on his bank of the four ball. Van Boening again won off of Hohmann's break and was now behind 8-6. He then broke and ran the next rack to close the gap to 8-7. He would still need to win another of Hohmann's break racks.
Hohmann nearly scratched in the corner on the next break. The white ball was deep inside the jaws. He managed to hit the one and his safety was certainly challenging with the nine ball acting as a wall. Van Boening played safe and Hohmann missed his shot on the one and left an open table for Van Boening that Van Boening took to tie us at eight apiece with the break and a shot at gaining the hill first.
Van Boening broke in three balls next and the three ball wound up right near the ten. He found position on that shot though and the rest of the table was his for the taking. Van Boening on the hill at 9-8. He was now favored to win 6-4. Hohmann broke the next rack well but the one was a super-thin cut that held a lot of risk. He elected to play safe and Van Boening would have to kick. He kicked into a position where Hohmann could only find the edge of the one ball. Hohmann used that edge to bank the one cross-side and go three rails for perfect shape on the two ball. The rest of the table succumbed to his shotmaking and we were at double-hill. One rack, with Van Boening breaking, to determine who would go to the finals.
Van Boening broke and the table opened up nicely for him. But Van Boening got funny on the four ball and would have to cut it all the way up-table or play safe. He took the safe and put the cue ball behind the eight. Hohmann kicked off of the side rail and sank the four in the corner. He still had a hill to climb as the six was now behind the eight ball. Hohmann played the five into the side and wound up with a thin cut on the six. He made it and took out the eight and the ten for the win. Hohmann would move on to face Justin Hall in the finals while Van Boening was awarded third place.
Our finals was a race to thirteen. After three racks Hohmann led 2-1 and Hall was running out the next rack when he missed the five. Hohmann welcomed the unexpected gift and ran out to lead 3-1. After his break Hohmann faced a table with a few problems to solve. He took care of the first one by caroming the six in off of the four and everything else consisted of positional challenges. One of those came up and bit Hohmann when he wound up blocked from the five ball by the ten. He kicked safe. Hall tried to jump and made contact but missed the shot. He did, however, leave a safe for Hohmann to tackle. Hohmann could only create distance and the five ball wound up on the rail less than a diamond from the corner. Hall tried to bank five safe but left a long cut on the five. Hohmann made the five in the corner and then walked through the rest of the rack to lead 4-1.
The next rack found Hall hiding Hohmann behind the four. Hohmann made a good hit on the one but left it straight in the side for Hall. Hall made the one through three balls but came up way short on his shape for four. Still, he was able to slice it in and he continued with a thin slice on the five to gain access to the rest of the rack which he then conquered to get himself to 4-2.
Hohmann had a tough table to get through after his next break. He just took the shots one at a time and had the cue ball on a string to win the rack and adjust the score to 5-2 in his favor. Hall broke well the next game but again the one ball could not be made. He pushed and Hohmann took the shot to play safe using both distance and blocking balls. But Hall kicked that ball in like it was nothing and got shape on the three to boot. With that shot to oil his arm he easily cleared the table and we stood at 5-3 in favor of Hohmann.
Hohmann sank three on the break with a thin cut left on the one. He made that but bumped the five into a position where it was blocked from the closest corner by the seven ball. He broke those two friends up on the next shot and that gave him the rest of the rack to bring us to 6-3. Hall broke and ran a tough table to get the next rack. 6-4.
Hohmann answered with a break and run of his own. 7-4. Hall scratched on the next break but four balls were within a diamond of one another laying up against the side rail. Hohmann used his ball in hand to break two of them, the six and nine, away from the side. They rolled together and clustered up again on the foot rail. Hohmann broke them up again when he made the four ball. With that effort behind him Hohmann claimed the rest of the table to lead 8-4.
Hohmann broke dry and the cue ball wound up so deep in the corner pocket that Hall could not hit the one ball and was forced to push out. Hohmann converted a bank-combo on the ten to take the rack home early. 9-4. When he also won the next rack the score went to 10-4 and Hall had only a 4% chance of winning.
Hohmann broke dry next rack but left a table with six balls clustered together. He missed his shot on the one ball and it was then up to Hohmann to negotiate all that traffic. Hohmann would take no foolish chances now. He did not need to do so with his lead. He went gently into the cluster off of the two ball and then played safe off the three. Hall kicked two rails to contact the three but left a shot for Hohmann who converted the opportunity into another rack win. 11-4. Hohmann had now won five consecutive racks. When Hall broke the one ball again went and hid. Again he would have to push, kick or jump to start the game. He chose the push and unfortunately left Hohmann an easy one-ten combo to get to the hill 12-4 and own the break.
Hohmann broke the table open. He easily took on the layout and ran home to win the U.S. Open Championship in convincing style 13-4.
On the weekend of July 11th and 12th, a very talented group of 79 pool players escaped the blistering heat of Phoenix, Arizona to compete in the Mezz West State Tour's 5th event of their 17 stop season. Room owners of Bull Shooters, Mike and Julie Bates have one of the premier pool rooms in the nation boasting a huge array of tables, full kitchen, and full bar catering to both the recreational and serious pool fan. This is the second time the tour has visited Bull Shooters and the players thoroughly enjoy the venue.
Several of the tour "regulars" were in attendance who came from California and Nevada to compete against the top players from the Arizona area including Bernie Pettipiece, Tim Daniel, Bobby Emmons, Tres Kane among others. Leading the top half of the tournament board was co founder of the MWST, Oscar Dominguez with wins over Mike Massey, James Main, Nick De Leon, Bobby Emmons, Tim Daniel, and Beau Runningen setting up for the hot seat match.
The bottom half of the bracket was lead by one pocket specialist Bernie Pettipiece with wins over Marshall Anonby, Michael Langarica, John Ritonya, George Tehachea, and Mark Whitehead to face Dominguez for the hotseat.
Meanwhile on the one loss side, early tounament favorites such as Sal Butera, Dave Hemmah, Rodney Morris, Vilmos Foldes, Brian Parks, and Ernesto Dominguez all faced early defeats making the one loss side littered with top players and amateurs. Once the dust settled, it was former Junior National Champion Beau Runningen clawing his way through the B bracket with wins over Bobby Emmons, 17 year old sharpshooter Chris Robinson, and Bernie Pettipiece to set up an all Southern California finals between Dominguez and Runningen for the title in the single extended race finals. After a few critical mistakes by Oscar, Beau capitalized with solid safety play and firepower to take tour stop #5 and first prize.
The top female bonus was awarded to Melissa Herndon and we would like to thank all our sponsors and players for their continued support.
The Mezz West State Tour would like to thank all their sponsors: Mezz Cues (Miki-Mezz.com), West State Billiard Supply (WestStateBilliards.com), Zan Tips (Zan-Tip.com), Taom Break/Jump Tips (TaomTips.com), Andy Cloth (AndyCloth.com), Ozzy Reynolds and CSI (PlayCSIPool.com), PiUs Company, So Cal Tap, Kurzweil Country Meats, fast&loose desgins (fastnloosedesigns.com), Contact Point Media, Turtle Rack, NYC Grind (NYCGrind.com) and AZ Billiards (AZBilliards.com).
We would also like to thank Mike and Julie Bates, along with their two daughters and the entire Bull Shooters staff for hosting the event. We would also like to thank all the players for coming out and supporting the tour.
The Mezz West State Tour headed south to beautiful La Mesa, CA, right outside San Diego for stop #4 of their 17 event season. A very strong field of 94 players made the trek to compete in the $2000 added 10 ball event and the field was littered with pros and amateurs alike.
Leading the top half of the bracket was Mexican champion, Ernesto Dominguez with solid wins over Jay Beatty, Paul Langley, Anthony Ortega, Joey Chin, Henry Brodt, and Victor Ignacio all the way to the hot seat match. The 60 year old veteran showed his experience and grinded his way each match with solid safety play and decision-making skills.
Meanwhile, on the bottom half of the bracket, San Diego pro Victor Ignacio took full advantage of his home court by defeating some very solid MWST regulars such as; Danny Gokhul, Beau Runningen, Ben Yumal, Attila Csorba, and Sal Butera until he ran out of gas against Dominguez for the hot seat.
While Ernesto and Victor slithered their way through the winners side, a very strong group of players grinded their way through the B bracket. Three pro players consisting of Beau Runningen, Vilmos Foldes, and Oscar Dominguez all lost early in the event until they all ran out of steam to end up in the 9-12 bracket for the event. 3rd place finisher from event #3, Attila Csorba kept his solid form with another strong finish, 7-8th with pool player turned poker player, Scott White. Former APA national champion, Henry Brodt displayed his experience and solid play with a very respectable finish in 5th place alongside Ben Yumul, filipino local sharpshooter. However, quietly stomping through the losers side was Sal Butera on the upper half and Rocket Rodney Morris on the south side. These two seasoned veterans played solid pool all weekend and it was unfortunate they met for the second time on the losers side to decide 4th place. After losing to Butera on the winners side, Rocket Rodney avenged his earlier loss with authority playing flawlessly winning 9-1.
The finals on the losers side was between hometown semi pro Victor Ignacio and Mosconi Cup legend, Rodney Morris. The match ended quickly in favor of the Rocket and at the end of the tunnel awaited senor Ernesto Dominguez. It was a battle of the veterans but too many early mistakes combined with Rodney's powerful break, Rodney ran away with the match with an 11-6 scoreline. This now makes Rodney the leader in the points department and marks his third victory of the 4 events held this season.
Also, a big congratulations to Brook Thomason for taking home the $100 top female bonus out of 6 female entrants.
The Mezz West State Tour would like to thank all their sponsors: Mezz Cues (Miki-Mezz.com), West State Billiard Supply (WestStateBilliards.com), Zan Tips (Zan-Tip.com), Taom Break/Jump Tips (TaomTips.com), Andy Cloth (AndyCloth.com), Ozzy Reynolds and CSI (PlayCSIPool.com), PiUs Company, So Cal Tap, Kurzweil Country Meats, fast&loose desgins (fastnloosedesigns.com), Contact Point Media, Turtle Rack, NYC Grind (NYCGrind.com) and AZ Billiards (AZBilliards.com).
We would also like to thank Clyde Norris, along with the entire On Cue Billiards staff for hosting the event. We would also like to thank all the players for coming out and supporting the tour.
The Mezz West State Tour travelled to gorgeous Stiix Billiards in Ventura, California over the weekend of May 23rd and 24th. The event attracted 93 players, which Rodney Morris, Oscar Dominguez, Sal Butera, Beau Runningen, Dave Hemmah and Vilmos Foldes were just a few heavy hitters that made it out to the tournament. Not to be taken lightly, the open players made their presence known with the attendance of Chris Robinson, Attila Csorba, Manny Herrera, Joey Chin, Geoff Somers and newcomer Brian Cady.
The top half of the bracket was all about the “7”players with Brian Cady, Melissa Herndon, Manny Herrera and Joey Chin making it out of a tough top bracket to find themselves in the final eight winners side. The bracket included big names such as Brian Parks, Sal Butera and Dave Hemmah. Newcomer, Brian Cady made his way to the final eight winners by finding victory over tour regulars James Harris, Bob DePlachett and Justin Logan before running into Manny Herrera in the final eight. Manny found himself there after wins over Rich Hodge, Spencer Ladin, Jay Beatty and Chino Reyes. The match between Brian and Manny went HILL-HILL with Brian taking the W, securing him into the final four winners of the event to face off against LA local Joey Chin. Joey Chin secured his spot in the final four by winning against Mark Anthony Hernandez, Brook Thomason, Sal Butera and Chris Santana before running into Melissa Herndon in the final eight. Melissa took wins over Juan Smith, Geoff Somer and Bob Jocz. The Melissa and Joey match up went HILL-HILL as well, with Joey making a great out to secure the win. In the final four, Brian Cady vs Joey Chin was one to be seen. The match stayed tied the entire set, eventually reaching HILL-HILL once again, with Brian Cady moving onto the hot seat match.
The bottom bracket was also loaded with killers like Oscar Dominguez, Rodney Morris, Vilmos Foldes, Corey Harper, Attila Csorba, Daminen Rebman, Beau Runningen and young-gun Chris Robinson. Making their way to the final eight winners were Attila Csorba with wins over Frank “The Barber” Almanza, Ashton Schaffer and Rhiyan Qi, where he was met with top player Corey Harper. Corey Harper found his way there with wins over Rodney Morris, a match that he was down 8-2 in and grinded back to win 9-8, Henry Brodt and Marshall Anonby. The match between Csorba and Harper was heavily one sided, with Csorba taking the win and moving on the final four winners , where he would meet Oscar Dominguez who took wins over Cole Gibbons, Dan Aguiar, Vilmos Foldes and Chris Robinson. The face-off between Dominguez and Csorba was a tough one, but in the end Csorba made a few errors that Dominguez took advantage of, allowing Dominguez to be victorious 9-5 and sending him to face Brian Cady in the hot seat match.
In the hot seat match, Dominguez showed complete domination over Cady winning 9-4, without Cady making too many errors. Cady would then travel to the loser side and await his chance to make it to the finals.
The losers side was a battle with Dave Hemmah winning 7 matches straight until being knocked out by Chris Robinson and forcing him to take 7th/8th. Chris Robinson went on to knock out Joey Chin, before losing to Attila Csorba, forcing him to take 4th place in the 93 player field. Csorba would now face a determined Cady for his chance in the finals. Cady out played Csorba winning 9-5 and giving him another chance at Dominguez in the finals.
During the finals, each player struggled with the break, forcing several dry breaks and push outs. In the end Dominguez took advantage of every error Cady made found himself winning 11-6. This was the first ever win for Dominguez on the MWST and would push him into the #1 spot in the point rankings.
The Mezz West State Tour would like to thank all their sponsors: Mezz Cues (Miki-Mezz.com), West State Billiard Supply (WestStateBilliards.com), Zan Tips (Zan-Tip.com), Taom Break/Jump Tips (TaomTips.com), Andy Cloth (AndyCloth.com), PiUs Company, So Cal Tap, Kurzweil Country Meats, fast&loose desgins (fastnloosedesigns.com), Contact Point Media, Turtle Rack, NYC Grind (NYCGrind.com) and AZ Billiards (AZBilliards.com).
We would also like to thank owners Jerry and Peggy Matchin, along with the entire Stiix Ventura Billiards staff for hosting the event. We would also like to thank all the players for coming out and supporting the tour.
The Mezz West State Tour held its second stop in beautiful Northridge, CA over the weekend of May 9th and 10th. This 9 ball event attracted 90 players, including Mika Immonen, Oscar Dominguez, Rodney Morris and Vilmos Foldes. This event was held at Plush Pocket Billiards, which is an old school style pool room which has 17 nine foot tables and 3 Diamond bar tables.
The event started with a heavy hitter top and bottom bracket. The top bracket held big gun players; Brian Parks, Fach Garcia, Oscar Dominguez, Mika Immonen and Johnny Kang. Making their way through the top half of the upper bracket was Fach Garcia who had wins over Justin Marks, Jaden Brock, Al Moreno and Attile Corsba. He was met in the final four winners by Oscar Dominguez who had wins over James Harris, Laurie Butera, Sal Butera, and Mika Immonen. Garcia was up early leading 7-2. But in true Dominguez style Oscar grinded back to eventually win 9-7 sending him to the hot seat match.
The lower bracket was even tougher with heavy hitters like Rodney Morris, Melissa Herndon, Vilmos Foldes, Danny Gohkul, Dave Hemmah and Ernesto Dominguez. Melissa Herndon showed her dominance with wins over Dave Hemmah, Shaun Smallwood, Manny Herrea, Henry Bodt and Aaron Estrada. She was met in the final four winners by “Rocket” Rodney Morris who had wins over Dave Martineau, Jeremy Long, Danny Gohkul and Vilmos Foldes. This was tight match with it tied at 3, 4 and 5. Eventually the “Rocket” took off, winning 9-6.
Meanwhile on the losers side, Beau Runningen, Billy Dyke, Brian Parks, Jerry Lin, Johnny Kang, Ernesto Dominguez and Dave Hemmah were all duking it out. Beau Runningen made a tough fight winning four matches on the losers side before being beaten by Attila Corsba, forcing him to settle for 9th-12th. Attila then moved on to face “Iceman” Mika Immonen who was on fire and ran through him 9-3. Mika would continue his streak by beating Melissa Herndon and then Dave Hemmah. Dave Hemmah had a great run with wins over Fach Garcia, Aaron Estrada, Vilmos Foldes, Johnny Kang, Sal Butera, Lawerence Rocheda and Mark Anthony. His loss to Immonen forced him to settle for 4th place.
The hot seat match between Rodney Morris and Oscar Dominguez was a nail biter, with several break and runs, along with phenomenal safety play. The match went hill-hill, with Rodney Morris coming away with the win. This sent Dominguez to the 3rd place match to face Immonen. This match was heavily one sided and we did not see Immonen in his best performance, allowing Dominguez to win 9-2 and sending him to a rematch with Morris in the finals.
The finals are an extended race to eleven and both Dominguez and Morris both breaking and running almost every rack. Both players played what could have been a 900 Accu- Stats. The match was tied the entire time at 7-7, 8-8, 9-9 and 10-10 (hill-hill). In the hill-hill game Dominguez was breaking. Dominguez broke in 2 balls, but had a tough opening shot on the two. He opted to play safe, but Morris played a great safe back. Dominguez executed an incredible kick-safe. Morris then kicked but accidentally made the two ball and was hooked on the three ball. Morris made an incredible kick and left Dominguez a tough cut on the three down the rail. Instead of trying to fire the shot, Dominguez played a creative safety. Morris made a good hit and left Dominguez still in a tough spot. Dominguez made the three, the four and played safe on the five. Morris then jumped in the five and ran out, winning the hill-hill set.
The Mezz West State Tour would like to thank all their sponsors: Mezz Cues (Miki-Mezz.com), West State Billiard Supply (WestStateBilliards.com), Zan Tips (Zan-Tip.com), Taom Break/Jump Tips (TaomTips.com), Andy Cloth (AndyCloth.com), PiUs Company, So Cal Tap, Kurzweil Country Meats, fast&loose desgins (fastnloosedesigns.com), Contact Point Media, Turtle Rack, NYC Grind (NYCGrind.com) and AZ Billiards (AZBilliards.com).
We would also like to thank owner Steve, along with the entire Plush Pocket Billiards staff for hosting the event. We would also like to thank all the players for coming out and supporting the tour.
