Kristina Tkach, April Larson, Sofia Mast and Ming Ng
The Ninth Annual $14,000 added Big Tyme Classic was held over the last few days in Spring, TX – a suburb of Houston. Players and fans were treated to topnotch one pocket in addition to the open nine ball and ladies nine ball events.
Hosted by owners Billy Sharp, Mark Avery and Jim Henry, the local sponsors were Star City Amusements and Jim Stinson of AM, Inc.
The festivities kicked off on Thursday with the One Pocket Championship. Thirty players put up a $250 entry fee to play in this double elimination event. The format was races to 4/3 with the finals to be one extended race to five.
After the players auction, a players meeting was held, the brackets were posted and the matches started.
First round saw two of the heavyweights score knockouts! Robert Frost was defeated by Chip Compton while Alex Calderon fell victim to Fedor Gorst.
Tony Chohan and Josh Roberts met in the second round – Josh prevailed. Compton advanced after a battle with Charlie Bryant as did Gorst over Tommy Tokoph.
Compton then mowed down both Ernesto Bayaua and Roberts while Gorst continued his winning ways over Warren Kiamco and Ray Lopez.
Finally meeting in the hot seat match, Fedor locked up his seat in the finals and sent Chip west to await an opponent.
After losing their first round matches, Calderon and Frost were dismantling their opponents left and right! Alex defeated Bernard Walker, Kenny Price, Charlie Bryant, James Baraks, Warren Kiamco and Josh Roberts until he met up with Frost. In the lower portion of the chart, Robert defeated Darryl Amos, John Infante, Tommy Tokoph, Jake Weaver, Raed Shabib and Ray Lopez.
Locked in battle, Alex and Robert both fought hard but it was Frost who took it down leaving Calderon in fourth place.
In dead punch and playing great, Robert’s next victim was Chip Compton. Chip finished with a third place finish.
As previously mentioned, the finals were one extended race to five. Robert won the first game and the second game went down to the case ball. Robert won that one and then the third game. Then the unexpected happened! Since both Fedor and Robert were still in the Nine Ball, they had to halt the finals and go play their matches!
After several hours, play resumed and Fedor finally won a game – score 3-1. Gorst’s hopes to tighten up the match faded as Frost took the fifth game to make it 4-1. Not rolling over yet, Gorst clawed his way back to take the next two games! Score now 4-3! And then, 4-4! WOW! One game for it all!
Robert moved out to a 5-1 lead in the case game. Soon, the balls were all moved up table. Fedor banked a shot and left it deep in his hole. Robert gave him the ball making it 5-2. Two shots later, he made one for himself and then banked in another. Frost was on the hill – 7-2! With no reasonable safety options, Fedor was forced to bank towards his hole and left Robert a semi-tough shot at his pocket. Swish! Nothing but net! Robert Frost takes down his first major one pocket title leaving Fedor Gorst with a well-deserved runner-up finish!!!
What a match!!! After losing his first match, Robert won nine in a row to win the tournament! Congratulations, Robert!
The Open Nine Ball had started on Friday night with 136 players paying an $80 entry fee. Using a Magic Rack with the nine racked on the spot, players broke from the box. Played on seven foot Diamonds, the format was double elimination, races to 10/8, alternate breaks, three foul rule in effect – the nine didn’t count in the bottom two pockets.
In the top portion of the bracket, Justin Espinosa and Alex Calderon met in the third round with Alex sending Justin packing. Tony Chohan and Andy Jethwa collided in the fourth round – Andy was defeated and headed west. Warren Kiamco tore through his first four opponents until Calderon cut him off at the pass.
At the bottom of the bracket, Tommy Tokoph and Robert Frost defeated their first three opponents. They met in the fourth round with Frost notching the win. James Baraks and Kristina Tkach also won their first three matches – James put an end to Kristina’s march and sent her to the one loss side. Baraks and Frost duked it out in the next round – James prevailed. Meanwhile, Sergio Rivas and Charlie Bryant won their first four matches. Charlie beat Sergio when they also met in the fifth round.
Now down to four on the winners side, Calderon defeated Kiamco and Baraks took care of Bryant. Playing for the hot seat, James defeated Calderon and locked up his seat in the finals. Alex headed west to await an opponent.
Over on the one loss side, Rivas knocked Bryant out of the tournament leaving Charlie in fourth place. Next up for Sergio was the always tough Alex Calderon. Alex proved to be too tough for Sergio this time – Alex moved on to the finals leaving Sergio in third place.
Due to the very late hour, James & Alex decided to split with James claiming the title. Congratulations to both!
Last, but not least, was the Ladies Nine Ball Championship. This double elimination event had 44 ladies posting a $55 entry fee. Also played on seven foot Diamonds and using the Magic Rack, the format was alternate break with races to seven on both sides.
After defeating the always tough Ming Ng in the first round, Sofia Mast won five matches in a row to meet Russian star Kristina Tkach for the hot seat match. Kristina won the match sending junior champ to the one loss side to await an opponent.
After losing her first match, Ming fought her way through until she met April Larson. April had also lost her second match to Sofia. Both players played hard for another shot at her and when the dust had settled, it was April who won the match. Ming finished in fourth place.
Looking to make it into the finals, it was another hard fought match. Sofia survived the match leaving April in third place.
Kristina had smoked Sofia in the hot seat match 7-0. Sofia remarked on her Facebook page after the finals that her only goal when she made it back to the finals was to at least win one game. She won four! What a great attitude!
And, congratulations to Kristina for claiming the title! Great tournament, Sofia!
Once again, PoolActionTV.com would like to thank the owners of Big Tyme and their staff for taking such good care of all the players and fans. We’d like to thank Tournament Director Teresa Garland for doing an exemplary job running three events at the same time!
In addition, we’d like to thank our fans and sponsors for their support! Our sponsors include JB Cases, Hanshew Jump Cues, Lomax Custom Cues, StraightPoolEye, Durbin Custom Cues, Aramith, Diamond Billiard Products, Fort Worth Billiards Superstore of Fort Worth, TX and the Action Palace of Dayton, OH.
Our next stop is the Seventh Annual Buffalo’s Pro Classic in Jefferson, LA (New Orleans). Featuring $1,000 added One Ball One Pocket, $5,000 added Open Nine Ball and the main event – the $20,000 Pro One Pocket! Dates are May 25th-29th! Hope to see you there!
Once again, PoolActionTV.com would like to thank the owners of Big Tyme and their staff for taking such good care of all the players and fans. We’d like to thank Tournament Director Teresa Garland for doing an exemplary job running three events at the same time!
We’d also like to thank Larry Schwartz, John Henderson, Mary Kenniston and Ray Hansen for their topnotch commentary.
In addition, we’d like to thank our fans and sponsors for their support! Our sponsors include JB Cases, Hanshew Jump Cues, Lomax Custom Cues, StraightPoolEye, Durbin Custom Cues, Aramith, Diamond Billiard Products, Fort Worth Billiards Superstore of Fort Worth, TX and the Action Palace of Dayton, OH.
Our next stop is the Seventh Annual Buffalo’s Pro Classic in Jefferson, LA (New Orleans). Featuring $1,000 added One Ball One Pocket, $5,000 added Open Nine Ball and the main event – the $20,000 Pro One Pocket! Dates are May 25th-29th! Hope to see you there!
Jesus “Golden Boy” Atencio and Cesar Garcia racked up first-time wins at the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour 2021 “Comeback” Event, held March 27th-28th at Big Tyme Billiards in Spring, Texas. Atencio went undefeated in the 64-player, open 9-ball division, shutting out Wesley Escobar in the final, 7-0, while Cesar Garcia also went unmatched in the 64-player, amateur 9-ball division, conquering Victor “Champion” Rojas in the final, 5-1.
Producing only two events in 2020, the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour ceased tournament production in March 2020 and resumed business on March 27th, 2021, a little over one year later. Tour title sponsor, Poison by Predator Cues, sponsors Predator Cues, APA of North Harris County, Alamo Billiards, Outsville Billiards, Team StraightPool Eye, Southern Streaming, and flagship host venue, Big Tyme Billiards, helped facilitate a phenomenal “comeback” event for players all across Texas and Louisiana. There were 74 competitors, along with 52 women who participated in the Gulf Coast Tour women’s event, who couldn’t wait to get back to the business of playing competitive pool. The event garnered 126 players in all, and paid out nearly $15,000 in prize money. The tournament was played on twenty-three Diamond Bar Tables, with brand new Predator Arcos II Pool Balls, and Accu-Racks by Outsville Billiards. As always, Big Tyme provided a non-smoking atmosphere, impeccable equipment, and an attentive staff. All of these amenities made for a very enjoyable, tournament-going experience, and everyone was ecstatic to be back.
In the open 9-ball division, on his way to the winners’ side, final four, Jesus Atencio bested Gary Gunter, Steve Williams, 7-1, Stacy Benoit, 7-2, and Steve Lenz, 7-6, while Ernesto Bayaua blazed through Bobby Perez, Charlie Jenkins, 7-5, J.C. Torres, 7-0, and Derek Fontenot, 7-0. Wesley Escobar powered past Javier Alienes, 7-5, Justin Richard, 7-4, Theo Hoang, 7-3, and David “DG” Gonzales, 7-4. John Weeks of Lufkin, Texas tackled John Braud, 7-2, Kevin Frauenberger, 7-6, Brian Murphy, 7-2, and Victor Rojas, 7-3. In the final twelve, battling through the one-loss side, newcomer Dylan Chambers curbed Fontenot, 5-4, while Cesar Garcia dusted off Lenz, 5-3. It was Benoit over Gonzalez, 5-2, and Rojas toppling Coffman, 5-4. On the east side, Escobar took down Weeks, 7-2, while Atencio shut-out Bayaua, 7-0. In the hot seat match, Atencio was full steam ahead, derailing Escobar, 7-4. Back on the one-loss side, Garcia ended Chambers, 5-2, but fell to Weeks, 5-4. Rojas defeated Benoit, 5-1, and Bayaua, 5-4, but failed the test against Weeks, 5-4.
Waiting in the wings, Escobar overcame Weeks, 5-1, earning himself a rematch with Atencio. In the final set, Atencio showed no mercy, dominating Escobar, 7-0. Congratulations to Jesus Atencio on his first, Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour win.
In the amateur 9-ball division, on his way to the winners’ side, final four, Cesar Garcia bested Brian Murphy, Tracy Lacy, 5-4, Steve Lenz, 5-4, and Bill Fuller, 5-1. Justin Richard never let his guard down, defeating Rodolfo Rodriguez, Jr., 5-2, Bret Harlan, 5-3, Sonny Bosshamer, 5-3, and finally, Stacy Benoit, 5-4. Dennis Hadley took down Justin Hubacek, David Guerra, 5-1, Bart Bowman, 5-1, and lastly, Ray Porter, 5-2. Rounding out the final four, Victor Rojas overwhelmed Beau Courts, 5-0, Chuck Adams, 5-3, Jay Winters, 5-4, and Kevin Frauenberger, 5-2. As the east side, final four took shape, the west side went into elimination mode. Down to the final twelve, Lenz took out Porter, 5-4, and Frauenberger eliminated Robert Perez, 5-2. It was Coffman over Stacy Benoit, 5-3, and Fuller sliding by J.C. Torres, 5-4. On the winners’ side, Garcia secured his fifth win against Richard, 5-2, while Hadley fell to Rojas, 5-4. In the hot seat match, Garcia slid by Rojas to claim the victory, 5-4.
On the one-loss side, Frauenberger ousted Richard, while Hadley eased by Fuller, 5-4. Down to the final four, Hadley made his move against Frauenberger, 5-3, but was stopped by Rojas, 5-4. Once again, Rojas rose to meet Garcia, but was knocked once more, 5-1. Congratulations to Cesar Garcia on winning his first tournament, on the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour.
The Tour would like to welcome all the new players who attended from cities across Texas and Louisiana. Congratulations to Michael Presley and Debra Leger, who each won a set of Predator Arcos II Pool Balls. Tiffany Johnson scored, winning three Poison playing cues, along with Brittany Kromer, David Trevino, and Brian Murphy, who took home Poison Cues as well.
The next event will be April 24th-25th, 2021, at Slick Willies Family Pool Hall, located at 9315 Westheimer, in Houston, Texas. For more information about the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour, visit www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com.
Josh Roberts (Photo courtesy of Chris Lue, Next Action Media)
James Davis, Jr., “Junior”, of Austin, Texas, went undefeated in a 128-player field, to win the Space City Open VII, open 9-ball title, becoming the second player to win it twice. Josh “The Beast” Roberts not only defended his one pocket title, but finished second in banks, and thirty-third in the 9-ball, earning himself the “All-Around” title, and a hefty $1,500 bonus. First-time competitor, Evan Lunda of Detroit, Michigan, cleaned up in the 32-player, 9-ball banks division, going hill-hill with only a single opponent. In the 32-player, ladies 9-ball, Ming “The Empress” Ng redeemed herself in the second set of the true, double elimination final, securing her second title, and becoming the first, two-time winner in this division. Nine junior players, including eight young men, and one young lady, traveled from across Texas to compete in their very own division. Lazaro “Little Laz” Martinez, III, of San Antonio, Texas, went undefeated in this category, earning the first win in this division debut.
This year’s $7,500 added, Space City Open VII, was held December 6th-9th, 2018, and implemented a number of positive changes, including a $1,500 All-Around bonus, and a seventeen-and-under, juniors 9-ball division. In its seventh year, the “derby-like” event, now hosting five divisions over four days, was also held at a brand new venue. Big Tyme Billiards in Spring, Texas, stepped up to host, generously adding $4,000 to the purse, providing twenty Diamond bar tables and six nine foot tables, on which to compete. Twenty-six, brand new, Cyclop “Zeus” ball sets, and Accu-Racks by Outsville, were provided by Space City. The bar tables were a popular change from the eight foot tables used in previous years (for the open 9-ball division), and the format changes for one pocket and banks were also a huge hit. These divisions were still held on nine foot tables, but in a single elimination format as opposed to double, and the consensus was clear. Players loved the expediency, along with the added pressure and intensity of the “one-and-done” arrangement. For the first time, all divisions filled, with players on stand-by.
The open 9-ball division presented a monstrous, challenging field, played on the great equalizer; the bar table. On the road to victory, James Davis, Jr. defeated Matt Williams, Charlie Bryant, 9-8, Evan Lunda, 9-8, and Shelby Green, 9-5, to reach the winners’ side final eight. Espinosa logged wins over Angelina Dean, 9-1, Marshal Ward, 9-2, Eric Aicinena, 9-4, and Victor Rojas, 9-7, while Danny Smith defeated Mike Landry, 9-2, Colton Berzins, 9-1, John Morra, 9-5, and Mike Alonzo, 9-8. Jamie Baraks made quick work of Beto Cavazos, 9-3, Rick Moreno, 9-3, David Thomas, 9-7, and Shane McMinn, 9-4. Houston’s Andy Jethwa passed Grady Cooper, 9-1, Mark Galicia, 9-5, Sylver Ochoa, 9-8, and Corey Flud, 9-6. Richie Richeson ousted Alan Myers, Jerry Miller, 9-8, David Chow, and Billy “Big Tyme” Sharp, 9-4, while Alex Calderone overcame Chase Wheeler, 9-2, Ricki Casper, 9-6, Aaron Springs, 9-7, and Germany’s Can Salim, 9-8. On the one loss side and in the money, Kenneth Price upset Chris Robinson, 7-5, and bested Flud, 7-7, while Morra topped Curt Sheldon, 7-3, and Shelby Green, 7-2. Bryant subdued Angel Mentzel, but fell to Sharp by the same score, 7-2. Galicia upended Aicinena, 7-4, but fell to Salim, 7-2, while Moreno won an impressive five matches, ousting Springs, 7-3, and Rojas, 7-4. Following a second round loss to Morra, Ernesto Bayaua made a phenomenal comeback, securing five matches, including wins over Derek Fontenot, 7-3, and Poon, 7-0. Jesus Atencio, on a similar mission, marked up five on the one loss side, among the ruins, Reginal Samples, 7-1, and Alonzo, 7-5. Jimmy Krone racked up five victories on the one loss side, but was stopped by Ochoa, 7-4. Ochoa was taken out by McMinn, 7-6, wrapping up top sixteen action. Back on the east side, Espinosa throttled Perez, 9-1, Baraks triumphed over Smith, 9-7, while Davis, Jr. snuck by Jethwa, 9-7, and Calderone inched by Richeson, 9-8. Espinosa squeaked by Baraks, 9-8, and Davis Jr. served it up cold to Calderone, 9-4. The hot seat match-up marked an Austin-area shoot-out, and a short-lived set for Espinosa, who sustained his first blow from Davis, Jr., 9-5. On the west side, Morra took a stand, ending Price, 7-3, and Perez, 7-2, while Salim took out heavy hitters Sharp, 7-3, and Smith, 7-2. Bayaua recorded his seventh win on the one loss side, ending Moreno, 7-1, and Jethwa, 7-3. Ochoa finished off Atencio, 7-3, but fell to Richeson, 7-5. Salim went on to defeat Morra, 7-5, and Calderone, 7-3, while Bayaua buried Richeson and Baraks, 7-3. Bayaua registered his ninth win, but no more. Winning the case game against Bayaua, Salim secured his sixth win, and slid into third place. Espinosa was ready for Salim, but got off to a slow start. At a 6-3 deficit, Espinosa came back to win, 7-6, earning himself a second shot at Junior, and the title. Once again, Espinosa found himself in troubled waters, as Davis was in perfect rhythm with the table, and couldn’t be denied. Davis Jr. surged to a 9-3 win, and his second 9-ball title since the inception of Space City.
In the one pocket division, Josh Roberts took no prisoners, eliminating Charlie Bryant, Jamie Baraks, and Chris Robinson, 4-3, while Alex Calderone defeated Greg Trent, Jim McCary, and Sylver Ochoa, 4-2. Local favorite, Richie Richeson, defeated Marc Garza and Manny Perez, by the same score, 4-1, and John Morra, 4-1. Ernesto Bayaua rounded out the final four, booking wins over Bobby Roland, Aaron Springs, 4-3, and Evan Lunda. In the final four round, Roberts shut-out Calderone, 4-0, and Richeson slid past Bayaua, 4-3. For the first time, Richeson found himself at the end of the board, facing the defending champion. The pressure was on, as both players were in close running for the All-Around bonus. In the final, numerous games came down to the case ball. The fans were treated to an offensive juggernaut; a display of maneuvers and banks, not soon forgotten, but even the creativity of the venerable Richeson, was not enough. With an accounting of two, eight-and-out runs, Roberts was up 3-2, with one ball remaining in game six. Following an unforced error by Richeson, Roberts took it home, along with his second, Space City Open one pocket title.
Evan Lunda was in charge of the banks. The Detroit product eliminated Jim Walker, 4-0, Danny Smith, 4-3, and Jose Barbosa, 4-1. His upcoming challenger, Shane McMinn, took out Mike Alonzo, Gail Eaton and James Davis, Jr. by the same score, 4-2. Josh Roberts overwhelmed Marc Garza, 4-1, Kent Berthelot, 4-0, and John Morra, 4-1, while Richie Richeson completed the final four, with wins over Bret Harlan, 4-0, Jamie Baraks, 4-2, and Justin Hall, 4-3. Lunda ended McMinn, 4-2, and Roberts robbed Richeson, 4-1. Lunda and Roberts found themselves in their first, banks final, vying for new milestones; Lunda, aiming for his first title, and Roberts, going for first-time champion of two different divisions. Lunda’s casual style showcased epic moves, and wowed spectators as he banked his way to victory. He shut out Roberts in the final of the single elimination schedule, 4-0, to win his first Space City Open title.
On Sunday morning, thirty-two women started battling it out in the ladies 9-ball division. The 2013 ladies 9-ball division champion, Ming “The Empress” Ng, began her trek with wins over Terri Resendez, 7-2, two-time ladies 9-ball champion, Gail “Virginia Slim” Eaton, 7-6, and Kim “Texas Heat” Pierce, 7-1, as Robyn Petrosino plowed through Ruth Paine, 7-0, Brittany Kromer, 7-3, and Teresa “Princess of Pool” Garland, 7-1. Yvonne “Casher” Asher made her way to the cash, defeating Karen Reilly, Tam “MZ Tam” Trinh, 7-3, and Jillian Nickerson, 7-6, while Ricky “The Ghost” Casper, drifted past Matty Sword, 7-1, Sara Bork, 7-3, and Hopey “Hurricane” Lawrence, 7-2. Ng went on to shut out Petrosino, 7-0, and Casper stopped Asher, 7-4. In the hot seat match, Ng emerged victorious over Casper, 7-4. On the one loss side and in the final eight, Pierce and Eaton shut out Garland and Nickerson, respectively, 5-0. Pierce derailed Asher, and Eaton eliminated Petrosino, moving into the final four. Eaton went on to eliminate Pierce, 5-0, and Casper, 5-4, to meet Ng in the finals. Ng, going for her second title, and Eaton, searching for her third, battled to the bitter end. In the first set, Ng simply couldn’t get it together, and Eaton was on fire, taking the first set, 7-1. Following a five minute break, the second set got underway. This time, Ng took her turn, beating Eaton 5-3, to win her second, Space City Open title.
Nine players, seventeen and under, competed in the inaugural, juniors 9-ball division. Lazaro Martinez, III, aka “Little Laz”, outplayed April Gonzales, 5-2, and Alex Fonseca bested Jonathan Cortez, 5-1. Jacob Gonzales beat John Benavides, but fell to Kyle Yi, while Gabriel Martinez passed Nathan Garay, 5-1. Martinez, III logged a third win against Fonseca, 5-2, and G. Martinez ousted Yi, for a brother versus brother, hot seat match-up. G. Martinez denied his brother, and awaited his final opponent. On the one loss side, and in the final six, Fonseca eliminated Garay, and Yi overcame Benavides. Yi eliminated Fonseca, but fell to Martinez, III. Once again, “Little Laz” faced off with brother, Gabriel, in the final. The final told a different story, as Little Laz overwhelmed Gabriel, 5-2, 5-3, to win his first Space City Open title.
Space City Open VII goes down in the record books as the most successful one to date. “I have no words for the outpouring of support from the Texas pool community. Even with the last minute venue and format changes, the event over-filled. Billy Sharp and Deborah Sharp of Big Tyme Billiards came through for all of us” commented Kim Newsome, Space City Open Founder and Director. Space City Open extends a heartfelt “thank you” to everyone involved in the production of this event; John Newsome and Johnny Gonzales of Eagle Plumbing who sponsored the $1,500, All-Around bonus; staff members Kim Newsome, John Newsome, Erica Hanlon, and Chuck Adams who managed every facet of the event; Ceferina Ramirez and Ruth Paine for their contributions; Mike Fabacher with Southern Streaming who provided a free, four-day live stream; Chris Lue of Next Action Media, whose photographs captured the essence of the event; sponsors Roger Schuett with the APA of North Harris County, Mike McDonald of VaporKnightsUSA.com, Poison by Predator Cues, Cyclop Pool Balls, Chris Renfro with Outsville Billiards, Charlie and Heather Bryant of Brutal Game Gear, and David Taylor and Teresa Garland with Houston Best of Billiards; vendors Jerry Olivier Cue Repair, Joe Salazar Connoisseur of Custom Cues, Arthur Politte with Qxtender.com, Darrold Stiehl with Champions Cues, and Brutal Game Gear.
Finally, Space City would like to extend its deepest gratitude to the players who support this event, year in and year out. Without the players, none of this would be possible.
Space City Open is one of the biggest billiard events in Texas, and is held annually, the first week in December. For more information, visit www.SpaceCityOpen.com.
The Lone Star Tour’s amateur 9-ball division witnessed Houston’s own Marvin Diaz making his mark on tour, capturing the hot seat over Sonny “The Boss” Bosshamer, earning his first title in the second set of the true double elimination final, 5-3. Ernesto Bayaua took the open 9-ball division by storm, going undefeated, eclipsing Chase Rudder in the final, 9-7. There were 64 competitors at the inaugural 2014 Lone Star Billiards Tour 9-ball event, held on January 25th-26th, 2014 at Bogies Billiards in Houston, Texas. On Sunday, January 26th, there were an additional 23 female contenders who attended the WPBA sanctioned Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Tour 9-ball event, events which have now become “side-by-sides” with the Lone Star Tour offering competition weekends with a little something for everyone.
A vast number of Lone Star Tour players have witnessed drastic improvement in their games through consistent billiard competition. One case in point, Steve Williams finished his best ever (5th-6th) in this past weekend’s 58 player, amateur 9-ball field, reaching the final four winners’ side defeating Rich Rodriguez, Chuck Adams, and Yoko Joe along the way. Tour veteran Sonny Bosshamer waded through Richard Hernandez, Jerry Yang, and J.J. Manley. Contender Bobby Perez took down Jeff Kay, Alex Cardenas, and T.J. Klein while Marvin Diaz made quick work of Will Felder, Lupe Sanchez, and Brian Rosenbaum. Bosshamer defeated Williams, 7-4, and Perez fell to Diaz, 7-6. Diaz overcame Bosshamer in the hot seat match, 7-3. On the one loss side, after losing his third round match to Manley, Jonathan Poon won 6 consecutive matches, including a 5-3 win over Williams, while Daniel Herring lost his first match and won an incredible 8 straight matches to face off with Poon for a shot at third place. Poon lost to Herring, 5-3, and in turn was eliminated by Bosshamer, 5-2. Diaz was determined to take down his first win however Bosshamer had other plans. Bosshamer captured the first set, 7-4, but Diaz remained steadfast and determined, defeating Bosshamer in the second set, 5-3.
The open 9-ball division saw Bayaua annihilate a field of 41 players with wins over Erick Renteria, 9-5, and Victor Rojas, 9-5. Rudder had an impressive trek as well with wins over Justin Whitehead, 9-7, and Danny Lee, 9-3. Bayaua slid by Rudder in the hot seat match, 9-7, as the one loss side heated up with Marcus Flores winning an impressive 6 in a row after losing his first match to Yoko Joe. College Station’s Khahn Nguyen came on strong after a first round defeat at the hands of Brian Rosenbaum, winning 5 straight sets until he met his fate with Whitehead, 7-4. Lee eliminated Flores, 7-1, and in turn was sent packing by Whitehead, 7-5. Rudder made quick work of Whitehead, 7-1, but fell to Bayaua in the final, 9-7.
Special congratulations to junior billiard competitor Joey Bourgeois, Jr., on his top 16 finish in the 58 player, amateur field.
This year, each Lone Star Tour open division event will be a qualifier for the 2014 Space City Open, held December 4th-7th. Each open division winner will receive a “free” Space City Open 9-ball entry valued at $75.
The Lone Star Tour would like to thank its sponsors, Poison by Predator cues www.poisonbilliards.com (official cue), Delta-13 rack www.delta-13.com (official rack) www.OzoneBilliards.com, www.ImproveYourShot.com, and the APA of North Harris County. For more information, please visit www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com.
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.
Manny Chau, Jim Henry (room owner) and Jason Pearce
The Tiger Tour stop #3 of the season was changed at the last minute to a new venue Big Tyme Billiards , and we had 55 players show up, as there was some APA event going on the same day it took some of our players, but anyhow we played it down to the final 3 and they finished up along side the second chance event on Sunday. I will update you to the final 12 spots, all of whom cashed.
The winners side final 4 pitted Jason Pearce against Ernesto Bayaua and it was a thriller and the final score was 9-8, on the other half of the winners side Manny Chau put on an exhibition against Jason Brown, Jason won the lag and that was the end of him basically, after not getting out the first rack Manny cleaned the table, then Jason did not see the table again until the score was 8-0, Manny laid down a 7 pack on him. The final score of this match was 10-1. This matched Manny up against Jason for the hot seat match, Manny had to give up 2 games to 10 and the final score was 10-7 in favor of Manny.
Toe round of 7/8 saw 2 hill hill matches and in a very unlikely finish we saw some crazy stuff in the case game as Sonny B got by Derek and on the other half Gus nudged Brian R.
The round of 5/6 Ernesto oust sonny B and Jason B. sent Gus packin. This setup the final 4 and Ernesto got by Jason B. pretty handily. Now the final of the one loss side pitted Ernesto gettting a rematch with Jason P. and as before these 2 played a very close match but in the end the result was the same, Jason P came out on top to advance and get a shot at Manny in the finals.
The finals was a close one and in the end Manny squeaked out a hill hill win, giving up the 2 game spot. Congrats to both players on a great run.
The Second Chance Event on Sunday had 20 players in it. The top 4 spots got paid and those results are below, this is a handicapped event also. 1st- Victor Rojas $330, 2nd- Will Felder $245, 3rd- Chase Rudder $165 and 4th- Brent Thomas $80
We would like to thank everyone for playing and expect to see everyone at our next event April 21-22 at Bogies Billiards. Also Mike Gulyassy will be on hand at this event for all your cue repair needs and he always brings a big assortment of cues to sale. So come check out what hes got.
Thanks to all of our sponsors that make these events possible:
Ricky “The Rocket” Hughes Wins Stop 2 On The Tiger Tour Texas
The Tiger Tour held stop #2 of the season at Slick Willies off of Dairy Ashford on Westheimer on the weekend of Feb 18/19th . The event drew 90 players, not bad after event 1 of the season drew 96, I think everyone is liking the new handicap system we put into play. So this event was played down to the final 16 players on Saturday whom would come back to fight it out for the cash on Sunday.
Winners side final 8 matches included Andy Jethwa getting by Jason Pearce 9-5, current BCA open champion Mike Alonzo knocked Cesar Arechiga west by a score of 9-7, Ricky Hughes got by Chuck Adams 8-1, and Tom Wallace won 9-3 over John McGarvey. Now in the final 4 portion Ricky Hughes won a thriller over Tom Wallace 8-7, and Mike Alonzo sent Andy Jethwa packin 9-4. This setup the hot seat match next between Machine Gun Mike and Ricky The Rocket, Mike had to give Ricky 2 games on the wire to 9 and the score ended up being 7-2 in favor of Ricky.
The round of 9/12 saw Jason Pearce end Joey Torres run 9-4, Sylver ended Cesars run 9-6, Ernesto 9-4 over Chuck, and Bobby G. 9-1 over john Mcgarvey.
The round of 7/8 had Sylver cruising past Jason P 9-1 and Ernesto squeaked by Bobby G 9-7.
The round of 5/6 had Sylver getting by Tom Wallace 9-4 and Andy handily over Ernesto 9-2. This set up the final 4 match on the one loss side with Andy facing off against Sylver, it was a great match and in the end Sylver won his 7th match in a row on the one loss side by a score of 9-7.
Now the one loss side finals had Sylver against Mike, and Mike put on a show here as he was getting a 1 game spot from Sylver and he blanked him by a score of 8-0. Wow.
The finals is now set and it is Ricky The Rocket hughes on the winners side against Machine gun Mike Alonzo, Ricky gets a 2 game spot to 9, and this match was game for game all the way to 7, which brought the end with the final score being 7-7. Congrats to Ricky Hughes.
The Second Chance Event on Sunday had 26 players in it. The final 6 with payouts are listed below.
This past weekend the Lone Star Event hosted its second 9-ball stop of the year at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas with 73 Amateur players and 52 Open players in attendance. Participants came from all over including Tyler, Temple, San Antonio, and Austin to take the Lone Star plunge. Open side notables included Joey Barnes, James Baraks, Manny Chau, and Sylver Ochoa. Amateurs included Calvin Trimont, Robert Hitchcock, Rocky Esquivel, Robert Odom, Steve Espinosa and many more.
Match play commenced at approximately 3pm on Saturday after 125 players were auctioned off. The Amateur division winners' side final 8 saw Jason Pearce defeat Steve Lindgren 7-1, Raul Escobedo oust Calvin Trimont 7-4, Victor Rojas best Sonny Bosshamer 7-1, and Karl McClendon defeat Rocky Esquivel 7-2. On the one-loss side it was Bobby Perez making a great comeback with 6 straight wins after a second round loss to Steve Lindgren. His end came at the hands of Will Felder 5-3. It was Mikey Frost over Charlie Buckner 5-3 and David Massie over Eric Olivo which moved them into 9th -12th position on the one-loss side along with Felder and Perez. It was Felder and Rojas who dueled for 3rd after Rojas was dealt a blow by MCclendon 7-5 on the winners' side. Pearce sent Escobedo west 7-4 and earned himself a first-time hot seat match up with McClendon. Pearce secured his place 7-3 while Rojas defeated Felder 5-3. McClendon overcame Rojas but fell to Pearce in the final.
The Open division winners' side final 8 saw Andy Jethwa skim by Manny Chau 9-8, Raul Escobedo best Bill Fuller 9-3, Sylver Ochoa defeat Brent Thomas, and James Baraks glide by Brian Rosenbaum. On the west side, Danny Lee defeated Thomas, Joey Barnes bested Brian Rosenbaum, Chau sent home McClendon, and Mike Alonzo eliminated Fuller. Upsets included Barnes and Chau who suffered winners' side blows from Jethwa by the same score of 9-8, but when the smoke cleared it was Ochoa over Escobedo for the hot seat 9-6. On the one-loss side, Barnes and Escobedo were stopped short by Chau 7-4, 7-2, respectively. Ochoa made quick work of Chau and finished the event undefeated by a final score of 9-2.
Other winners included Courtney Peters and Loretta Lindgren who split the $100 Top Lady prize awarded in the Amateur division. Nick Calderaro, Houston's hottest young up-and-comer took home first for his efforts in the Junior division held on Sunday. Rocky Esquivel, Steve Espinosa, and Brittany McCombs all took home a Poison Cue from the Poison Cue Raffles. Congratulations!
The Lone Star Tour would like to thank its sponsors, www.PoisonBilliards.com, www.PredatorCues.com, www.Delta-13.com, www.PoolWebsites.com, the APA of North Harris County, Roger Allen Cue Repair, Gulf Coast Billiards, www.Pool-Trax.net, and James Walker who donated two T-Shirts to our Junior event winners. Our tour referee, Derrell Montgomery, did an outstanding job of keeping the event running smoothly as well as John Newsome who took over the tournament command post on Sunday.
The next Lone Star Event is April 14th-15th at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar. We would love for you to join us! Here is another chance to qualify for the Poison by Predator Tour!
For information on how to become a Lone Star Tour Sponsor, host an event, or general information, please call Kim White-Newsome at 713.825-1411.
Open
1st Sylver Ochoa $600/$1000
2nd Manny Chau $420/$700
3rd Raul Escobedo $280/$500
4th Joey Barnes $120/$200
5th-6th Andy Jethwa, James Baraks $70
7th-8th Danny Lee, Mike Alonzo $50
9th-12th Brent Thomas, Brian Rosenbaum, Karl McClendon, Bill Fuller $35
Amateur
1st Jason Pearce $570/$750
2nd Karl McClendon $400/$500
3rd Victor Rojas $250/$300
4th Will Felder $100/$115
5th-6th Mikey Frost, Raul Escobedo $70/$50
7th-8th Calvin Trimont, Bobby Perez $50/$30
9th-12th Steve Lindgren, David Massie, Sonny Bosshamer, Rocky Esquivel $35
13th-16th Charlie Buckner, Eric Olivo, Dee Davis, Brent Thomas $25
The 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 LSBT hosted its tenth stop of 2011 on August 27th-28th at Bogies Billiards in Houston, Texas. The event drew 53 competitors and 67 entries, fairing quite well in spite of a very recently scheduled event across town which overlapped the LSBT date set in early January. Bogies Billiards owner David Richardson added $1,000 to the ONE DAY EVENT, $500 to the Amateur and $500 to the Open divisions, which wrapped up late Saturday night!
The Open division winners’ side final 8 saw Chad Hensen defeat Rick Castillo 9-2, Sonny Bosshamer fall to Chris Young 9-4, Brian Rosenbaum overcome Nolan Edds 9-5, and Danny Roland best Sylver Ochoa 9-8. Young then fell to Hensen 9-4, and Rosenbaum defeated Roland 9-3. Hensen squeezed by Rosenbaum for the hot seat 9-8. On the east side, Bill Fuller was making his move after a first round loss to Rosenbaum. Joey Torres and Will Felder glided through the east side until they crossed paths. Torres advanced 7-4 but fell short to Chris Young 7-6. Fuller won 5 consecutive matches then eliminated Young 7-6 to meet Rosenbaum for the second time. Rosenbaum dealt Fuller a final blow, 7-3, but fell to Hensen in the final 9-8. This was Chad Hensen’s first Lone Star event and consequently his first win, congratulations!
The Lone Star Amateur division winners’ side final 8 yielded Brian Rosenbaum over Doug Gray 5-2, Victor Rojas over Tony Scott 5-4, Chad Hensen passing Chris Young 5-2, and Charlie Buckner squeezing past Rick Castillo 5-4. The east side saw Young defeat Eric Olivo 5-4, Will Felder eliminate Castillo, Joey Torres pass Gray, and David Mendiola fall to Tony Scott. The hot seat pitted an all too familiar match-up between Rosenbaum and Hensen, with Rosenbaum taking the seat 5-4. Back east, Torres and Felder were on a streak until Felder was stopped in 7th-8th by Young. Rojas ousted Young 5-0, then Torres, 5-1, but fell to Hensen 5-4. In the familiar final, Rosenbaum didn’t waste any time with Hensen, defeating him 5-3, and securing his first ever Lone Star tour win. Way to go Brian!
In the Junior division Joey Torres breezed through the bracket undefeated while Nick Calderaro finished a respectable second. Ladies champ Courtney Peters also went undefeated on Sunday delivering a final blow to Terry Petrosino 7-2.
Congratulations to David Mendiola who won a VX Jump Cue along with Jerald Jackson and Brittany McCombs who won a VX2.9 Break Jump and Nitro 6 cues respectively, donated by Poison by Predator.
Gulf Coast Billiards became the newest Lone
Star tour sponsor this past weekend when owner Gavin Miller donated 14 Pro Cup Aramith cue balls for the players to enjoy from here on out. For all your pool table or billiard product needs, contact GCB at www.GulfCoastBilliards.biz or call 832.894.1916. Longtime sponsors of the LSBT include Poison By Predator Cues www.predatorgroup.com, Delta-13 Rack www.delta-13.com, www.PoolWebsites.com, and the APA of North Harris County. Thank you for supporting pool in the great State of Texas!
The September 17th-18th Lone Star Event at Houston’s Sports Bar will be postponed until 2012. In lieu of this postponement, the Longhorn Amateur Tour will be hosting an evening 9-ball event on Saturday, September 17, at Bogies Billiards. Free practice starts at 8pm and matches will be called at 9pm sharp. All Amateur players are welcome! And don’t forget, Bogies has an 8-ball bar box tournament every Friday night with a break pot that’s up to $300!
The next Lone Star Event is October 29th -30th at Bogies Billiards & Games which is expanding its already 10,000 square feet room to accommodate poker tables, a pro-shop, and an additional bar! If you’ve never been, October 29th-30th is a great weekend to come by and visit the only 24 hour pool room in Houston. See you there!
