Amsterdam Billiards is Getting Ready to Rock NYE in NYC!

New York City is only 24 hours away from the biggest party day of the year… New Year’s Eve!  To ring in the New Year with fun, games, and great drink specials, the hot spot in NYC has got to be Amsterdam Billiards!

With hot specials on pool table rates, ping pong, and open bar… along with free foosball, darts, and beer pong… this will be a party not to miss!

For more info, email info@amsterdambilliards.com or call 212-995-0333… and read on to view the full party flyer.

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Billiards Instruction: CueTips #46 – Character Traits of a Great Player

By NYC Grind Contributor, Mark Finkelstein

I hope you all had a great Christmas holiday, and I wish you a healthy and happy New Year’s.

What the plan is for this year is to have a theme every month covering a different aspect of the game of pool.  This will be a mini course in pool so that by the end of the month, if you have been following along and doing your exercises, you will see an improvement in your game.  At the end of the year, hopefully you will have come a long way in your game.  Not a bad deal.  These first few articles will be about the character traits of good players and some of the goal setting and assessment skills we need to start this journey to pool excellence.

I thought it would be interesting to first look at some of the qualities of good players, the ‘what it takes to be really good’ stuff, and give you a yardstick to measure yourself with.  Last time we talked about assessing your game, this week I want to look a  little at how you go about improving.  My goal is to start you off in the New Year with a solid plan to improve your game and get you on track for your best pool year ever.

The first trait I want to look at is INTENT.  Do you want to get better?  Not just paying lip service, but really get better.  Some folks just like to play and have fun or be sociable.  And that is a good thing.  But do you really want to improve, and do the things necessary to get better?  Are you willing to do the work and suffer the pains of growing?  That’s having intent.

Next  up is DESIRE.  It is easy to say you want to get better, but do you have that burning desire eating inside you every day, driving you to practice and improve.  This DESIRE is the fuel that drives your improvement engine, and I can’t give this to you.  This is something that has to come from within you.  Every great athlete has this desire.  Is getting better something you really want?  Are you willing to go the extra mile and get there?  That’s desire.

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Joey Testa and Josh Brothers Share Top Honor in the Mezz Tour at Hot Shot Billiards

The Mezz Pro-Am Tour made its way to Hot Shot Billiards in Deptford, NJ on Sunday, December 19th.  Special thanks to the staff of Hot Shot Billiards for their wonderful job with the event.  A strong field came out to play players like Joey Testa, Josh Brothers, Mike Miller, Michael Wong, Bob Madara, Trenton Marty Ciccia and Matt Krah

Leading the top half of the bracket was Joey Testa with wins over John Greshock 7-1, Carl Khan 7-3, and Evan Brostron 7-6.  The dominant player on the bottom half of the bracket was Josh Brothers, who ran through Jay Brotherton 7-2, Phil Wines 7-6, and Michael Wong 7-3.

Playing for the hot seat were Joey Testa and Josh Brothers, who would have a tough battle in this match, but when it was all said and done, Joey Testa came away with the win at 7-5 and sent Brothers to the one-loss side .

Waiting for Josh Brothers on the one-loss side was Mike Miller, but this would be a one-sided match where Brothers took control from the start to win easily 7-0 to get to the finals for a rematch against Joey Testa.

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Ed Culhane Fights Back on the One-Loss to Win the Tri-State at Sandcastle

The Christmas weekend Tri-State Tour event on Sunday, December 26 brought out 16 players to compete in the B/C/D 9-ball tournament.  Despite the nasty blizzard conditions in the area, which dumped 31 inches of snow, these dedicated players still managed to make their way to Sandcastle Billiards in Edison, NJ.

Veteran New Jersey player Ed Culhane would be the one to rise to the occasion at this event.  After only one victory on the winner’s side versus Raj Vannala 7-3, Ed was given his only loss by Rick Shellhouse 7-2.  He then proceeded to go through Mike Davie 7-2, Christian Smith 7-4, George Osipovitch 7-6, and avenged his earlier loss to Rick Shellhouse by defeating him 7-2 in the semifinal to reach the finals.

Waiting for Ed in the winner’s bracket hot seat was Brian Cap, who had gone through undefeated with wins over Antonio Navarro 8-6, Christian Smith 7-4, Rick Shellhouse 8-6, then Mike Strassberg 9-5.

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John Schmidt Wows NY Crowd in His Exhibition at Cue Nine

Story and Photos by NYC Grind Contributor, Charles Eames

Once again, John Schmidt wowed a crowd of approximately 40-50 people last Wednesday night (December 22) at Cue Nine Billiards Bar and Restaurant in Levittown NY. Accompanied by his lovely girlfriend Nancy, who was all smiles and extremely friendly during the exhibition, you can truly tell she cares about what John does and who he is doing it for and to see him in his element was pure joy. On to John… John walked in out of the cold and without a single warm up stroke ran 160 balls in straight pool. Now, 160 balls is a massive feat in itself and one that some people in their lifetime will never achieve, but to do it cold is almost unfathomable. The onlookers were overjoyed as each rack ended and as John got closer and closer to the hundred each rack would end with a thunderous applause.

Now for the best part, as John was shooting whether it was ball one or ball one hundred he spoke to onlookers, answered questions, made jokes, and imparted massive amounts of knowledge to the crowd huddled around the table at Cue Nine. It just goes to show how much class John has and how much he truly cares for our sport and its players. Each question that was asked was met with a knowledgeable and positive response as John’s patience seemed almost limitless. Ball after ball continued to go in the pockets as spectators looked on speechless. After asking around it turns out most of the people watching Schmidt had never seen a player of that caliber in person and it was visibly noticeable on their faces. The looks of awe and jaws wide open were proof enough that something special was taking place right in Levittown NY.

Click here to check out photos from the exhibition & read on for more on this special event…
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Actor & Amsterdam Billiards’ Team 9-Ball League Director John Leyman Featured in New Kings of Leon Music Video “Pyro”

By NYC Grind Contributor, Alison M. Fischer

As one of the most prominent figures in New York’s pool scene, John Leyman wears many hats.  Along with directing Amsterdam Billiard Club’s Team 9-ball League, John Leyman is also the executive director of The Tri-State Tour, is a BCA-certified referee, and has also directed and ref’ed some of the most prestigious events in the nation, including the World 14.1 Championships, The Predator World 10-Ball Championships, and the BCAPL National 8-ball Championships.

However, many people may not be aware that John Leyman is also an actor.  Having studied acting at various schools around New York, John has made appearances on TV shows including Law & Order, 30 Rock, Sex & The City, The Sopranos, and most recently, he was featured in the music video just released by Kings of Leon for their song “Pyro”.

Ironically, the video takes place in a location that may stereotypically be associated with playing pool: an old dingy bar.  In the scene in this video, the viewers take in a number of sad interactions between the different characters who literally seem to “haunt” the bar, including one played by John Leyman.  The slow-motion effects used in the video gives the scene an air of surreal drama that can often permeate the atmosphere of a dive bar.

Check out the video for “Pyro” by Kings of Leon below…

Read on to watch the video in a larger player…

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Billiards Instruction: CueTips #45 – Tips to Get Your Practice Routine Started Right in 2011

By NYC Grind Contributor, Mark Finkelstein

I hope you are all doing well and having a healthy and happy holiday season.  I’d like to thank you for reading this column and the comments that I get from the pool world are encouraging and appreciated.  Thank you.

This article is going to look at setting goals for the coming year.  I’m a big believer in having a structure or plan for things that you do in your practice routine.  Getting better in pool takes three things.  First, you need to know what to practice.  Sometimes, what you want to learn and what you need to learn are two different things.  Next, you need to practice correctly, just throwing balls on the table and running them down aimlessly doesn’t do as much for your game as focused practice.  Finally, you need to compete to test yourself, your knowledge and your skills against other players.

Then we do this process all over again, taking the lessons we learned from competition, getting our coaching and focus, and hitting the practice table in an ongoing “wash, rinse, repeat” pattern.

Setting goals for the coming year will help us realize our dreams of being the pool player we want to be.   The first step is deciding what kind of pool player that is.  This is not as easy as you may think.  Match play and tournaments are two different skill sets!  In head-to-head play, starting slow may not be a problem, but in a tournament, a slow starter could be out before they get warmed up.  So step one in setting our goals for 2011 is deciding what we want to accomplish.

Step two is assessing where we are.  This is the hard part for most people as they tend to overestimate their ability.  Let’s look at some tests I give to students to assess their fundamentals in stroke and speed control.  The first test is the ability to hit the cue ball where you are aiming.  The balls are separated by a very little margin, and your job is to roll up and down the table without hitting the balls.  Can you do it 5 times in a row?

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Corey Deuel Takes Down Turning Stone XVI

By NYC Grind Contributor, Alison M. Fischer

After returning to the States from a devastating loss in London at the Mosconi Cup, the members of Team USA were thrown into the fire at the Joss Tour’s Turning Stone Classic XVI, this time against one another, as well as other top players from around the country battling in one of the toughest events of the season.

And one Mosconi team member would indeed rise to the top at the end of the four-day battle, in the form of Corey Deuel, former US Open Champion and 2010 US Open runner-up.  Deuel, who was shot down by Ralf Souquet in Europe’s final winning game in the Mosconi Cup, would grind through the field of 128 players undefeated.

Corey Deuel had a trail of wins against buckeye Souvanthong 9-2, Marco Kam 9-1, Charlie Williams 9-6, five-time Turning Stone Champion Johnny Archer 9-7, Raj Hundal 9-3, and a monster battle against Mosconi teammate Dennis Hatch in the Final Four that ended 9-7, to then move on to the hot seat match.

In the other side of the bracket, a number of other U.S. top guns were set on a crash course.  This bracket featured other former U.S. Open Champions Shane Van Boening and Gabe Owen, along with Mike Davis, Stevie Moore, and Shawn Putnam… not to mention the region’s top rising stars including Mike Dechaine, Shaun Wilkie, and Jeremy Sossei.

As one of the most consistently-top performing young players in the Northeast, 23-year-old Mike Dechaine did not disappoint at Turning Stone, as he fought through Chuck Raulston 9-2, Dwight Dixon 9-6, Jarrod Clowery 9-5, then knocked out Shane Van Boening 9-6 to move on to the Final Four.

However, Dechaine was then set to tangle with Stevie Moore, who lived up to his nickname of “The Blade” in this event.  Moore was virtually unchallenged in his run through the winner’s bracket, as he defeated Earl Herring 9-2, Yesid Garibello 9-4, Dustin Morris 9-2, Justin Bergman 9-4, and Gabe Owen 9-4, to then meet Dechaine in the Final Four, who he decimated 9-1.

It was then down to the two undefeated players Stevie Moore and Corey Deuel, while the remaining players on the loser’s side fought for a second chance in the finals.  Read more details in AZ Billiards’ in-depth story here: http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.php?storynum=8275

Keep Your Pool Game Hot with Amsterdam Billiard Club’s Winter Leagues

Amsterdam Billiard Club has announced its upcoming Winter League Season, giving players of all levels a chance to compete for some hot cash during the cold season!

As in every season, Amsterdam offers pool players top competition in a number of different disciplines of pool… 9 ball, 8 ball, and Straight Pool.  All leagues are BCA-sanctioned so players are able to qualify for the BCAPL National Championships in Las Vegas in May, along with other BCAPL-sanctioned events.

Registration for all leagues will be due on January 17th, so be sure to sign up early to ensure your spot!  To learn more about Amsterdam’s league offerings and other events, email info@amsterdambilliards.com.

Read on for the full league announcement flyer!

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“A Holiday With Champions” Free Exhibition Will Feature John Schmidt & Loree Jon Hasson at Cue Nine on December 22

This Wednesday, the 22^nd of December, Cue Nine in Levittown, NY, partnered with Charles Eames of CME-IMAGES, will be bringing you a “Holiday With Champions”. Join them at Cue Nine as John “Mr. 400” Schmidt and Loree Jon Hasson (Jones) take to the tables for an evening of fun and excitement. Expect to see some incredible trick shots from Loree and of course play challenge matches with John and Loree both. John of course will be imparting some of his vast straight pool knowledge for attendees as he has guaranteed to run 100 balls for the event for all of the spectators involved.

There is no cover for this event, as Cue Nine and CME-IMAGES invite everyone to come down for an evening of fun, food, and of course some world class pool. The bar and restaurant staff will be on hand of course in an event that is going to truly be a memorable one.  Click here to RSVP for the event on Facebook.

Cue Nine is quickly becoming a NY pool hotspot with events like qualifiers for the Dragon Promotions World 14.1 Championships, The Olhausen Ozone Tour, The Joss Tour, and many more to come. In house nine ball tournaments and straight pool leagues are also available midweek on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

CME-IMAGES and Charles Eames have been producing high quality event photos both in and out of the pool world for the last two years. Whether it be the Maryland State 14.1 Championships , the World Straight Pool Championships, The Mezz Tour, to family events, social gatherings and more, Charles Eames and his knowledgeable staff are a great addition to any event. Feel free to visit CME-IMAGES on the web at www.cme-images.com

Once again this holiday season do something special and spend “A Holiday With Champions” this Wednesday December 22^nd from 6:00PM to 10:00PM at Cue Nine in Levittown NY. Feel free to visit their website at www.cue-nine.com for location and directions and more information or feel free to call House Pro Charles Eames at (516)-581-3209.

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