Oklahoma’s Justin Whitehead captured the fourth stop and his first win on the Poison by Predator Tour held at Bogies Billiards & Sports Bar this past Sunday, November 3rd, 2013. A plethora of pool talent converged on the Houston pool room to compete in the $500 added, races to 6 format, which produced a one-day prize fund of over $2,400. Whitehead made his mark on the city defeating Houston professional Sylver Ochoa in the second set of the true double elimination finals, 6-5. Notable participants in this event also included Manny Chau, Ernesto Bayaua, Mike Alonzo, Blaine Barcus, and veteran player Lanny Herrin. From the word “go” Whitehead had his work cut out for him. On his path to victory, he left a wake of destruction including wins over Barcus, 6-4, Bayaua, 6-5, and Ochoa, 6-3. On the bottom side, Chau was upset by Sonny Bosshamer, 6-4, and Herrin defeated Sonny Demetro, 6-4. Herrin went on to shut out Bosshamer, 6-0, and meet Whitehead for the hot seat match. After suffering a second round loss to Ochoa, Houston’s own David Taylor came back to finish 7th-8th with wins over Richard Hernandez, Eric Gauthier and Mike Alonzo until he was eliminated at the hands of Bayaua, 6-1. Demetro was sent home by Chau who in turn was decimated by Ochoa, 6-1. Bayaua went on to oust Bosshamer, 6-5, but fell to Ochoa, 6-2. Back on the east side, the hot seat match was as close as they come as Whitehead squeezed by Herrin, 6-5. On the flip side, Ochoa was on fire with two landslide wins. Making Herrin his third, consecutive victim, 6-5, he set the stage for a bitter rematch with Whitehead. In the first set it was bloody revenge as Ochoa annihilated Whitehead, 6-1. In the second set, Whitehead took a brilliant 4-1 lead until a brutal roll cost him two games, bringing the score to 4-3. Justin answered back with a game bringing the score to 5-3. Sylver replied with two games of his own upgrading the match to hill hill status. In turn, Whitehead responded winning the final game and ending the event with 2 out of 3 sets won against the local champion. Congratulations to Justin Whitehead on his first Poison by Predator Tour victory!
The tour would also like to recognize female competitors Teresa Garland and Ricki Casper who split “Top Lady Finisher” at this event. Well done ladies!
The PxP Tour would like to thank Bogies Billiards & Sports Bar and their entire staff for hosting another first-rate event. The PxP Tour is title sponsored by Poison by Predator cues, www.poisonbilliards.com, sponsored by Delta-13 Rack, www.delta-13.com, and the APA of North Harris County. The Tour Championships will be held November 9th-10th and Skinny Bob’s Billiards in Round Rock, Texas with Open and Amateur 9-Ball divisions.
Chase Rudder went undefeated through an impressive field of 41 players at the Poison by Predator Tour 8-ball event held Sunday, July 7th, 2013 at Bogies Billiards in Houston, Texas. This was not a first for Rudder who captured the PxP Tour season 8-ball opener earlier this year, besting 53 top players including BCA Champion, Mike Alonzo, in the final. This time around, Rudder’s 8-ball game proved just as deadly. Rudder faced-off with formidable 8-ball veteran Rene Rendon for the hot seat, and the crowd was torn. It was youth versus experience in this race to 4, winner break format, that generated a plethora of 4-0 matches throughout the day. This wouldn’t be one of them.
On his way to the final four winners’ side, Rudder bested veteran Sonny Demetro, 4-1, and David Taylor 4-3, to meet BCA State Champion, Billy “Big Tyme” Sharp. On the winners’ south side, Rendon came on strong with wins over Marc Garza, 4-1, and APA Amateur Nationals Champion Ernesto Bayaua, 4-2, to meet Lone Star Tour Champion, Andy Jethwa. It was Rudder over Sharp, 4-1, and Rendon over Jethwa, 4-2, which set the phenomenal hot seat stage. After losing his third round to Sharp, 4-1, Will Felder eliminated Bill Fuller, Sonny “The Boss” Bosshamer, and Bayaua, until Sharp dealt him a final blow, 3-1. After losing to Bayaua, 4-1, Marvin Diaz made a run for the money winning 4 consecutive matches with wins over Taylor and Louisiana’s own Mike Singleton, only to be eliminated by Jethwa, 3-0.
Hot seat action saw Rendon take an early 2-0 lead over Rudder, but the young gun knew all too well that getting on the board may put him back in the driver’s seat. Rudder answered back with a win, taking control, and winning 3 more consecutive games to clench the set. On the one loss side, Sharp slid by Rendon, 3-2, earning himself a rematch with Rudder. With two champion 8-ball players at the helm, this wasn’t going to be easy pickings. Chase jumped to a quick 2-0 lead against Sharp. In the third game, Rudder’s cue ball skidded and he foiled a two ball out to go up 3-0. The old saying, “one always costs you two”, rang true for Rudder as Sharp tied the score at 2. Rudder took the next game as Sharp returned fire. It was now hill hill and Sharp was breaking. With control and speed, the final rack spread perfectly for Sharp as he waited patiently for a ball to find a pocket. To his own demise, each ball remained in perfect position for Rudder, who took full advantage, and the set, 4-3.
Teresa Garland, Brittany Koon, Marie Rodriguez, and Darcy Whatley all competed for “Top Lady” amidst a field of tough PxP Tour competitors. Teresa Garland took home the honors and $120 for her efforts.
Thanks to the fans, players, sponsors, and room owner David Richardson, this one-day event paid out in excess of $3,000. The PxP Tour is title sponsored by Poison by Predator Cues www.poisonbilliards.com , sponsored by Delta-13 Rack www.delta-13.com and the APA of North Harris County www.facebook.com/apanorthharriscounty. The next PxP Event is 8-Ball on September 14, 2013 at Bogies Billiards in Houston, Texas.
Chase Rudder dominated the Open 9-Ball division in this past weekend’s $1,000 added Poison by Predator Tour event which spawned 57 entries overall, held at Bogies Billiards & Sports Bar in Houston, Texas. Rudder annihilated North Carolina’s Younger Chapman, 9-1, in the final after an undefeated run where he held each of his victims at 4 games or less. Chapman, Great Southern Billiards Tour player and North Carolina State Senior Champion, succumbed to Rudder in the hot seat match, 9-1, after an impressive showing which included wins over resident players Brent Thomas and Bill Fuller. The final four winners’ side saw #7 ranked Raul Escobedo fall to Rudder 9-4, while #9 ranked Will Felder fell to Chapman, 9-5. After a first round blow at the hands of Eric Hsu, Sonny “The Boss” Bosshamer won 6 consecutive matches including wins over Andy Jethwa, 7-6, and Escobedo, 7-1, but was stopped dead in his tracks by Felder, 7-2. Once again, Felder was defeated by Chapman, 7-4, settling for a respectable third place finish.
The Amateur 9-ball division saw Bobby Perez move swiftly through the winners’ side with wins over tour newcomer Matthew Sales, Bobby Garcia, and Steve Williams. On the final four winners’ side, Perez ousted Chuck Adams, 7-4, while the indomitable Sonny Demetro defeated Raul Escobedo, 7-4. After a first round loss to Jonathon Poon, Jerald “Topwater” Jackson won 6 consecutive matches including wins over Errol Sanders, Alex Cardenas, Mike White, and Jack Cavalier. Escobedo ended Jackson’s run, 5-3, but was eliminated by Adams, 5-1. Hot seat action saw Demetro handily defeat Perez, 7-4, staging a rematch between Perez and Adams. Perez stayed the course, defeating Adams once again, 5-4, earning himself another shot at Demetro. In the final match both players were collected and calculating, shot for shot. Despite his raw determination, Perez fell short against the veteran player by the same score, 7-4.
The next event on the Poison by Predator Tour will be held Sunday, July 7th, 2013 at Bogies Billiards in Houston. The game will be 8-ball, played on 8’ Gandy tables with Simonis cloth and Aramith Pro Cup cue balls.
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.
The Poison by Predator tour held its third stop of the year on June 2, 2012 at Bogies Billiards in Houston, Texas. Bogies added a generous $1,000 to the players’ purse for the one-day, 9-ball event that paid out in excess of $3,500. The field consisted of 38 “b” players which included tour regulars Brent Thomas, Victor Rojas, Brian Rosenbaum, Valian Charles, Mark Fusina, Danny Lee, Anthony Demetro, and many more!
Match play began at approximately 2pm following the player auction. The swift races to 6, winner break format, produced numerous upsets throughout the day and into the evening. Brent Thomas took an early 6-5 hit from newcomer David Mendiola while Chris Penry upset tour regular Sonny Demetro. Mickey Woinicki ousted former champ Sonny “The Boss” Bosshamer 6-1 and Junior Jueco slid by Victor Rojas 6-4 to meet one another for the hot seat match. Rojas and Chauncey were defeated on the one-loss side by Demetro and Bosshamer respectively while Jueco secured the hot seat 6-1. Bosshamer punished Demetro and Woinicki to meet Jueco in the true double elimination final. Bosshamer took the first set 6-2 but lost his focus in overtime. Jueco ended the battle, 6-4, securing his first Poison Tour victory!
The Poison by Predator Tour would like to thank its exclusive venue host, Bogies Billiards and Games. Referee services were provided by BCA’s own Derrell Montgomery. Racks were provided by Delta-13 and measle cue balls compliments of Gulf Coast Billiards. Also, congratulations to Brittany McCombs who won the Poison Strychnine cue raffle.
The next Poison by Predator Tour 9-ball event is November 3rd and will be open to ANY and ALL amateurs who wish to participate! No qualification necessary!
Want to take your game to the next level? Visit www.poisonbilliards.com or www.predatorcues.com then call 713.825.1411 to place your order with Kim White, Authorized Predator/Poison Dealer.
The Poison by Predator 9-ball event hosted on March 31, 2012 by Bogies Billiards and Games in Houston, Texas proved to be just as successful as the first. The one day event boasted a tournament payout in excess of $5,000 with 50 invited, amateur players. The field included tour regulars Dalton Riley, Brian Rosenbaum, Steve Lindgren, Loretta Lindgren, Bill McCormick, Robert Hitchcock, Eric Gauthier, Val Charles, Mark Fusina, and many more!
Match play began at approximately 2pm following the player auction. The swift race to 6, winner break format, produced numerous upsets throughout the day and into the evening. Winners’ side final 16 upsets included Will Felder over Chase Rudder 6-2, and Brian Rosenbaum over Brent Thomas 6-5. One-loss side upsets included Dave Ramirez over Casey Crews 6-3 and Chris Penry over Jerald Jackson 6-5. New faces on Tour included J.J. Manley, Dee Davis, and Kyle Perry who all made the east side final 8 and had a great finish! Newcomer Jeff Chauncey lost his second match, then defeated Bill Fuller, Val Charles, Chuck Adams and Bobby Perez, but was stopped cold by Rosenbaum for a top ten finish. The final four winners’ side saw Felder best Perry and Oklahoma’s Dee Davis fall to Sonny Bosshamer, 6-3. This pitted Felder against Bosshamer for the hot seat. Meanwhile, after suffering defeat at the hands of Bosshamer 6-3 in the east side final 8, Sonny Demetro made his bid for first eliminating Thomas, Manley, Perry, and Riley. Back east, it was a hot seat heartbreaker for Felder, losing 6-5 to Bosshamer. Adding insult to injury, Felder became Demetro’s fifth and final victim on his trek to the finish line. Bosshamer ended Demetro’s run, 6-3, for an undefeated Poison Tour victory. Congratulations to Sonny Bosshamer who has now captured both Lone Star and Poison Tour titles using his Poison VX playing cue and his Poison VX2.9 break/jump cue.
The Poison Tour would like to thank its exclusive venue host, Bogies Billiards and Games.
Live streaming was provided by Eugene Lee and official BCA referee services by Derrell Montgomery.
The next Poison by Predator Tour 9-ball event is June 2nd. To qualify for this event, simply participate in the April 14th-15th Lone Star Tour stop’s amateur division at Bogies Biliards.
Want to take your game to the next level? Visit www.poisonbilliards.com or www.predatorcues.com then call 713.825.1411 to place your order with Kim White, Authorized Predator/Poison Dealer.
The Tiger Tour Texas formely the Tiger Amateur Tour last season kicked off its new season January 21-22nd at Big Tyme Billiards in Spring,Tx. This event is now open to all players, but with a handicapped format and it drew 96 players to the main event and another 20 in the Second Chance Event for a total of 116 entrants and the total prize pool of $12,170. The handicaps range from C, C+, B, B+, A, A+, AA, AAA.
The event kicked off Saturday with 96 and was played down to 24 players whom all made the cash. We had 16 come back on the one-loss side and 8 on the winners side. The winners side matches went like this: Rodney Stewart(B+) over John Conkin(B+), Richard Rodriguez(B) over Wendell Moser(B), David Chow(B) over Sonny Demetro(A), and Bobby Gonzales(A) over Yoko Joe(B+). This left 4 on the winners side and Richard got by Rodney in one semi-final and in the other semi-final Bobby snuck by David. This pitted Bobby against Richard for the hot seat match and it came down to hill hill with Bobby going to 9 and Richard to 7, in the end Richard got the nod.
So now the round of 13/16. Cesar got by Ronnie F., Jerald sent young gun J.C. Packin, Brian ended the run of Top Woman Belinda, and Ty in his usual form squeaked by Leon.
The 9/12 round saw these matches. Cesar ousted Yoko, Sonny D. blasted Jerald, Brian squeaked by Wendell, and Ty won a hill hill thriller against John C.
The 7/8 round matches were Cesar(B) kept rollin and got by Sonny D(A)., and Brian(A) got by Ty(A).
Next was the 5/6th round matches and Cesar Arechigas(B) strong run came to a crazy hill hill close as Houdini got the miracle win here, and yes it was a miracle. On the other side Brian(A) ended a deep run by David Chow(B). Good job Cesar and David.
The 4th place match was a rather quick one as Brian Rosenbaum(A) wasted no time in sending Rodney “Houdini” Stewart home. Great run Rodney.
This left the final 2 on the one loss side and it was two (A) players about to do battle in the race to 9 to see who would get to the finals. In the end it was a tight match but Slow N Low Bobby Gonzales got the nod and the chance at a rematch with the guy whom defeated him earlier.
The finals: Richard Rodriguez(B) the winner of the hot seat would have to play the man he defeated earlier hill hill Bobby Gonzales(A), and at the end of the first set it was another thrilling hill hill match and Bobby got the nod. These two decided to split the money at stake and flip for the title and points, Bobby got the nod and was the season opener champion. Congrats to both players, they both played great.
The Second Chance Event drew 20 players with $250 added, and it paid 4 spots. At the end of this eevnt it saw sharp shooter and hose pro (AA)Billy Sharp take it down, second went to Blaine Barcus(A), third was Victor Rojas(A) and fourth was WPBA player Nicole Keeney(B+). The payouts were as follows for this event. 1st- $275, 2nd- $200, 3rd- $140, 4th- $75.
We would like to thank Big Tyme Billiards for hosting the event, Big Tyme is the newest pool room in the greater Houston area, this was the weekend of their 1 year anniversary. Owners Mark Avery, Jim Henry, Bob McFerren and Deb Sharp do a wonderful job.
We would also like to send out a special thanks to all of our sponsors:
The next event of the season will be held February 18-19 at Slick Willies (Dairy Ashford & Westheimer). We look forward to a big turnout at this venue as always.
For more information you can visit the website address at www.TigerAmateurTour.com
The Tiger Amateur Tour held stop #11 of the season the weekend of November 5/6th at the home of the Houston Open, Legends Billiards. We had a great showing for the main event with 81 players showing up to do battle, and what a battle it was. This event had $1,000 added, $750 to the main event, and $250 to the Second Chance Event.
So with 81 players we played down to the final 16 players whom all made the cash. We brought back 8 on the winners side for Sunday and their matches with scores are as follows. Ricky Hughes knocked Jerry Avery to the one loss side 9-4, Manuel Ayala bested Victor Rojas 9-5, Jason Pearce squeaked by Sonny Demetro 9-7, and Leon Contreras got by Jake Pallando 9-4. This set up the final 4 of the winners side and it saw Leon run thru Jason P. 9-4, while at the same time Manuel was roasted Ricky 9-5. The hot seat match pitted Manuel against Leon, and they battled close up to 6-6, then Leon edged away for a 9-6 victory and king of the winners side.
The round of 12 saw Jerry get by Ismael 9-8 in a thriller, Victor sent Will packing 9-6, Sonny got by Grady 9-6, and Jake bested Jason B. in another hill hill thriller 9-8.
The round of 8 saw Jerry concede midway thru the match with Victor due to fatigue, Jerry is pushing 70 and had a great run in this event. Also Sonny got by Jake by a score of 9-7.
The round of 6 matched Jason Pearce up with Victor Rojas, and Jason got the win by a score of 9-5. On the other side of the bracket Sonny took care of Ricky “The Rocket”Hughes 9-7.
This set up the final 4 and on the one loss side Jason P. squared off with Sonny D. once again, like earlier in the event Jason got by Sonny 9-7.
The one loss side final was now set, it was Jason Pearce against Manuel Ayala, this match was close all the way thru, in the end Jason got the nod 9-7.
The Finals: The Tiger Amateur Tour was going to produce yet another first time winner on the tour, Leon Contreras won the hot seat earlier and was eagerly awaiting for his chance at the title. His opponent would be none other than Jason Pearce, a player Leon had sent to the one loss side earlier in the event. But this time would be different as Jason shot spectacular and double dipped Leon by scores of 9-6, then 9-4 to take the title and nearly $2,400 for 1st. Congrats to both players for their first appearance in the Tiger Amateur Tours Finals.
The Second Chance Event had 17 players enter with $250 added to it. At the end of the event Forest Boyd from Dallas had won his 2nd Second Chance Event in a row on the tour. He took home $240, Danny Lee got 2nd ($180), Lee Brown 3rd ($120) and David Parker 4th ($60).
** Also on a side note the Tiger Amateur Tour would like to congratulate tour regular Ernesto Bayaua whom could not attend this event as he qualified for the U.S. Amateur Event held in Florida, and he did more than qualify as he snapped it off, he had a lot of support at this Legends tourney as there was plenty of us sweating the stream and rooting him in. Congrats again.
We at the Tiger Amateur Tour would like to think Mindy and Craig Cohen for allowing us to hold an event at their room.
We would also like to thank all of our sponsors Tiger Products, Htownbilliards, Mueller Recreational Products, Jay Helfert, Dreamline Promotions, and Mark Griffin of CSI.
The Season Finale is the next event, it will have $3,000 added and be held at Deep Pockets Billiards in Alvin,Tx. December 2-4th . Players that have qualified for this have until November 18th to pre register, after that date the field will be opened to players whom have played once during the year, at which point it will fill fast, so don’t try and wait cause you will be left out.
For more info you can visit the tour website at www.TigerAmateurTour.com
The Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour was at Moreys Billiards in Charlotte, North Carolina this weekend and tour director Tommy Kennedy took Keith Bennett to a second set in the double elimination finals but was not able to put him away. Bennett sent Kennedy to the one loss side early with a 7-1 victory that included Bennett running 5 consecutive racks from the break. Kennedy would not go away though as he defeated local player Chuck Abernathy to set up the rematch with Bennett. Kennedy won a close first set 9-8 but it was all Bennett in the final set as he raced to an 8-2 lead before letting Kennedy win 3 in a row. Bennett then won the final game to win the set 8-5.
Bennett won $720 for first while Kennedy took $500 for second. Abernathy and Sonny Demetro filled out the top 4 spots. The SE Open tour will be at Veteran's Billiards in Port Charlotte, FL next week.
Tommy Kennedy bounced back from an early loss to Sammy Monday and won the Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour stop at Burrkat's Billiards in Monroe, NC. Monday cruised through the field until the double elimination finals where he fell to Kennedy 9-6 and 9-7 to settle for second place.
Kennedy collected $750 for first and Monday took $525 for second. Brian White and Sonny Demetro filled the top 4 spots. The SE Open tour will take a two week break and then be at Breakers Billiards in Palatka, Florida on Oct 27-28.
