Robb Saez Goes Undefeated at the Top Hat Cue Club Planet Pool Tour Stop

The Planet Pool Tour made its way to Top Hat Cue Club in Parkville, MD on Sat March 26, 2011.  A strong field of 55 came out to play, including players like Robb Saez, Kevin West , Ryan Mcreesh, Josh Brothers, Karen Corr, Shaun Wilkie, Danny Green Matt Krah, Tony Long, Alan Duty, Mark Ford , Elier Jaho, and Tom McDonald to name a few.

Leading the top half of the bracket was Kevin West with wins over Ozzie Reynolds 9-5,Donimic Noe, 9-2 Freddie Scott 9-4, Water Koch 9-7,and Danny Green 9-7.  Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Rob Saez with wins over Tony Long 9-2, Dan Madden 9-4, Ed Moody 9-3, Kyle Dilly 9-2, and Karen Corr 9-3

Playing for the hot seat was Kevin West vs Robb Saez this was a great match that had Rob Saez pulling away late in the match to win 7-5 sending Kevin West to the one lost side. Waiting for Kevin West was Ryan McCreesh who just came off wins over Dominic Noe 7-3, Shaun Wilkie 7-4, Karen Corr 7-2 and Josh Brothers 7-3. This was a good match that had Kevin West pulling off the win 7-5 and getting another chance at Robb Saez in the finals.

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New Video – 1st Ever Amsterdam Billiards Club Bar Triathlon

The first-ever Amsterdam Billiards Bar Triathlon and drew a full field of sixteen teams, playing in a Scotch Doubles format in the fields of pool, darts, and foosball. Be sure to watch the video below!

Click here to Read the Story written by Tournament Director and Creator Kim Phillips.

1st Ever Amsterdam Billiards Club Bar Triathlon from NYC Grind on Vimeo.

Chuck Giallorenzo Takes Down His First Predator Tour Win at BQE Billiards

By NYC Grind Contributor, Alison M. Fischer

The fourth stop on Tony Robles’ Predator Tour in the 2011 season was held on Sunday, March 27th at BQE Billiards in Jackson Heights, NY.  This special one-day, amateur-only event was worth double points for the tour’s standings, where sixty-two players came out to compete for the $1,000 first prize.

With the event being limited to one day, since the room was unavailable on Saturday, the marathon all-day tournament was a test of patience, stamina, and overall consistency for the players at BQE.

While this event saw a number of strong performances by top up-and-coming players, Chuck Giallorenzo would be the player to break through to win after a third-round loss on the winner’s side of the bracket.  After having defeated Frank Ramos 7-5 and Rene Villalobos 7-3, Chuck lost to Sam Mohamed 7-6.

Chuck stayed focused and played with a lot of heart, going on to defeat Gus Mokkas 7-3, Frank Ramos 7-5, Michael Toohig 7-6, Gail Glazebrook 7-4, Sam Mohamed 7-2, Junior Sanchez 7-0, and Steve Way 7-6 on the one-loss side.

Continue reading “Chuck Giallorenzo Takes Down His First Predator Tour Win at BQE Billiards” »

Amsterdam Billiards Draws a Full Field for the First-Ever Bar Triathlon Won by “Still Mets Fans”

The first-ever Amsterdam Billiards Bar Triathlon was held last Saturday, and drew a full field of sixteen teams, playing in a Scotch Doubles format in the fields of pool, darts, and foosball.  Read on for the results of the event, written by Tournament Director and Creator Kim Phillips

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Saturday, March 26th, witnessed a new event in sports history, The Amsterdam Billiards Bar Triathlon. Players in this groundbreaking event represented all local boroughs, while others came in from Chicago, and one from Florida. The first round consisted of two games each of pool, darts, and foosball, and points were given for balls sunk, points scored, and darts landed. The top teams who made it to the playoffs then duked it out over one game of each. However, the tournament creator and director also added a slightly-devious twist: players could make up for weaker games by receiving one point per alcoholic drink consumed. These bonus points were tracked by “drink bling”, in the form of paper bracelets so players could survey the situation, and aim to either beat ‘em or join ‘em, at the bar.

In the end, husband & wife team “Still Mets Fans” won top prize of $250 in cash. Team “R&R” came in second, winning 2 hours of free pool and open bar for four, while “Foosfighters” rounded out third, winning one hour of free pool and drinks for four. Best team name and a free round went to “Boobs ‘n’ Balls” who would also have won best team costume, a category that will definitely be added to the next event. Speaking of which, the next Bar Triathlon will be in about six weeks, so all you Triathletes out there, don your sweats, download Eye of the Tiger, and get down to training.

Check out more photos from the event by WilliamFuentes.com below!

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Yu-Ram Cha Wins the 2011 WPBA Regional Tour Championship

Hundreds of dedicated ladies playing on the nation’s WPBA Regional Tours compete every year for a chance to get a spot on the WPBA Pro Tour.  This year, the WPBA Regional Tour Championship was held in Houston, TX, giving the top players from each tour the chance to compete for eight spots on the pro tour.  Read on for the results of this event, written by Carl Miller.

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On March 24-27, sixty-three women players gathered at Bogies Billiards in Houston, Texas to compete in the annual four-day WPBA Regional Tour Championship. This was an invitation-only pro tour qualifier, sanctioned by the WPBA and hosted by touring professional Kim White-Newsome and poolroom owner Bobby Rone.

At stake was more than $13,000 in total prize money, plus the opportunity for eight of these women to earn the final eight WPBA tour cards available for 2011.  The field included WPBA players who had finished out of the Top 40 at the close of 2010 and top players from the nine regional tours.  Each regional tour had been allocated invitations proportional to its membership.

Notable players competing in this tournament included international star Yu-Ram Cha, veteran WPBA Hall of Famer Vicki Paski, and perennial regional tour champions Lisa Marr and Janet Atwell.  Also in the field was 15-year-old Briana Miller, who has won multiple junior championships and had finished second in point standings on the 2010 J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour.

Cha was considered the pre-tournament favorite to win this event.  The poised Korean immediately served notice that despite having been away from the WPBA for a year, she was at the top of her game, rolling over Becky Jones 9-1, Jana Montour 9-0, and Lisa Marr 9-3.  At the same time, Briana Miller showed she was quite capable of making the move up from junior events by defeating Ashley Nandrasy 9-7, Monica Anderson 9-1, and Jacqui Herrera 9-4.  Then, matched against Cha, the unflappable teenager fought gamely, but succumbed, 9-4.

Meanwhile, Susan Williams opened by winning her first three matches before dropping a hill-hill set to Janet Atwell 9-8.  Canadian Joanne Ashton won her first four matches, but relinquished the hot seat to Cha, 9-4.

Continue reading “Yu-Ram Cha Wins the 2011 WPBA Regional Tour Championship” »

Tony Ignomirello Wins the First-Ever Tri-State Event at Cue Nine

On Saturday, March 19, Cue Nine in Levittown, NY (formerly Leisure Time Billiards) thirty-four players turned out for their first-ever Tri-State Tour stop.  This $1,000-added event was open to A/B/C/D level amateur players, and included tough regional players including Wali Muhammed, Stew Warnock, Phil Davis, and Gary Murgia.

In this event, Tony Ignomirello went undefeated through the winner’s bracket, taking wins over Mike Davie 6-3, Mike Strassberg 6-4, Chuck Giallorenzo 6-5, and Ray Romanski 9-8 to claim the hot seat.  After Ray fell to Tony, he successfully defeated Wali Muhammed 7-3 in the semifinals.  While Ray was rematched to play Tony again in the finals, they opted not to play it out and the two players split 55/45, and Tony took the win.

The Tri-State Tour would like to give special thanks belong to John Brendle for providing a gorgeous venue with great food and spirit, as well as thank Sterling Gaming, Ozone Billirds, Ron Tarr Cues, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Dr. Dave Billiards Intructional Products for their sponsorship leading to this event.

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Part 3 of the 2010 US Open 9-Ball Championships Mash-Up Series: History is Made

We are excited to present the third and final part of our 2010 US Open 9-Ball Championships Mash-Up Series.  This groundbreaking event which featured a full field of 256 players from around the world was fought out over a series of seven days.  The first and second videos in the series highlight Days 1-3 of the event and Days 4-5 respectively, including the 2010 Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

In the final segment of the mash-up series, the final two days of the event culminate in the high-pressure final match between former US Open Champion Corey Deuel and Darren Appleton, who made his first appearance in the finals of the US Open, to become the eventual 2010 Champion.

The video is also unique as it paints a visual picture of the brackets between players… leading up to the thrilling final match. For more cool videos be sure to visit NYCgrind.com.  The video was created by director and producer Jerry Tarantola and video effects specialist Dwayne Gayle.

Watch the video below, or check it out on Vimeo here: http://vimeo.com/21333923

2010 US Open 9-Ball Video Highlight Mash Up (Part 3 of 3) – History is Made! from NYC Grind on Vimeo.

Also, check out parts 1 and 2 of the series here:

1: http://www.youtube.com/onthenycgrind#p/u/5/8Utci16rbKk

2: http://www.youtube.com/onthenycgrind#p/a/u/2/3UDZp0bltVU

Continue reading “Part 3 of the 2010 US Open 9-Ball Championships Mash-Up Series: History is Made” »

2011 Expo Wrap-Up: Amateurs, 14.1 Challenge, Artistic Pool, and Tons of Photos!

By NYC Grind Contributor, Alison M. Fischer

The 2011 Super Billiards Expo brought together over 2,000 amateur players from across the country together for one of the most exciting events of the year.  Every year, the Expo’s Amateur Players Championship series of tournaments offers amateur players  of all levels the chance to compete in a thrilling single-elimination format, where each match is played to the best two out of three races to five.

Click here to view our photo galleries from all four of the Super Billiards Expo, encompassing the Pro 10-Ball Event, Amateur Events, the World Artistic Pool Championships, and more.

By far the largest of the seven divisions is the Amateur Open Division, which featured 1,144 players this year, divided into sixteen preliminary brackets.  Only one player from each bracket would move on to the final single-elimination bracket, which began on Saturday at 9pm.

Rising through the final bracket, Baltimore, MD player Tony Long knocked out Greg Antonakos, Alex Olinger, and Ben Zimmer to move into the finals.  Meanwhile, one of the Northeast’s top breakthrough players on the Joss Tour, Bucky Souvanthong defeated Jorge Rodriguez, Chris Mitchell, and Gary Lutman, to then defeat Tony Long in the finals and become the 2011 Open Amateur Champion.

Continue reading “2011 Expo Wrap-Up: Amateurs, 14.1 Challenge, Artistic Pool, and Tons of Photos!” »

This Saturday Amsterdam Billiards Debuts the First-Ever Bar Triathlon

Bar games: whether it’s pool, darts, or foosball, most everyone has a favorite game.  So, this Saturday, March 26, Amsterdam Billiards is debuting a brand-new event… the first-ever Bar Triathlon, combining all three!

In a two-person, guy-girl Scotch doubles format, teams will battle head-to-head to become the first Amsterdam Billiards Bar Triathlon Champion.  The entry for the event is only $24, and limited to 16 teams, so be sure to get your entry in early.  Kick-off starts at 2pm!

Check out the flier below for more details…

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Klatt Crowned New NYC 9-Ball Champion at Skyline Billiards

By Samm Diep, PoolTipJar.com on behalf of AzBilliards.com

On March 19-20, the sixth annual NYC 9-Ball Championship was held at Skyline Billiard Club in Brooklyn, NY. Skyline graciously adds $3,000 each year to this event. The format was a race to 9/7 with an affordable entry fee of $150 to draw players of all levels. Hot homemade entrees were brought in on Saturday for players, catered by co-owner Rob Pole’s own mom.

“This tournament used to be held the weekend before the world straight pool tournament,” said tournament director, Jose Burgos. This event has always boasted an impressive attendance record, most notably Francisco Bustamante’s win in 2008 with Mika Immonen, Mike Davis, and Johnny Archer among the field and, Niels Feijen’s victory in 2007 when the Filipino contingency of Dennis Orcollo, Ronnie Alcano, Lee Van Corteza, and Jose Parica all made appearances.

This year was no different. A tough field of 39 players showed up, including reigning U.S. Open 9-Ball Champion Darren Appleton, as well as Mike Davis, Jason Klatt, and John Morra. Two-time reigning champion, Stevie Moore’s hope of bringing home a third title was shattered when he got the one-two k.o. from Appleton. Moore was defeated 9-7 in a first round match deemed worthy of the finals. He was later eliminated by Appleton 7-1 in 30 minutes flat and settled for 7^th place.

Continue reading “Klatt Crowned New NYC 9-Ball Champion at Skyline Billiards” »

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