The BCAPL Crowns New Champions in the 2011 National 8-Ball Championships in Vegas

By NYC Grind Contributor, Alison M. Fischer

After eleven days of all-day competition, BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships completed its 35th year in running, at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 11-22.  The tireless grind and focus required of the players who fought through every event spanning the week and a half was what set the champions apart from the rest of the crowd… bringing both repeat champions and new title holders into the winner’s circle.

With divisions designed for every level of player and a reputation for being one of the most professionally-run organizations in the pool industry, CSI (CueSports International), the parent company of the BCA Pool Leageus, garners competitors from coast-to-coast along with Canada and elsewhere, making Las Vegas the destination for thousands of players to test their skill and grit against the best in the world.

Open Scotch Doubles

After the 9-ball events had completed, the BCAPL Scotch Doubles Championships began on May 13th, in both Open and Masters divisions.  This dynamic format draws upon the ability of male/female duo teams meld their styles and become one force at the table, making it one of the most engaging formats of play to watch.  In this year’s Scotch Doubles Championships, NYC teams would excel in both divisions, both finishing impressively in fourth place.

In the Open Scotch Championships, a number of NYC’s strongest amateur players partnered up to take on other teams from across the country.  Among them were Amsterdam Billiards-based teams Ken Kerner/Naomi Fingerhut, Ron Mason/Michele Li, Jimmy Martinez Jr./Kim Meyer-Gabia, Roger Pachebat/Holly Pachebat, Jeff Quintana/Neslihan Gurel, and Supadra Geronimo/Brian Lau.

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Association of Billiard Professionals (ABP) Announces Members & Goals

In a sport where only the elite few are able to make a living playing professionally, pool pros have decided to take matters into their own hands.  Bringing about positive change and making pool “work” for the players are some of the initiatives that brought about the creation of the ABP: Association of Billiards Professionals.  Read on in the press release written by ABP Secretary & Treasurer Oscar Dominguez for more details on the mission of this new group, which is spearheaded by some of the biggest names in the sport…

The ABP represents the world’s best billiard players that are uniting together for a common goal. Over the years, players have endured many hardships and has found it necessary to try to reach common ground between the promoters of events, international associations, and the professional players. Without a voice, players have not been able to adequately communicate and work with promoters and other industry entities. Promoters and associations likewise have been lacking in instruction and guidance from the pro players.

Some events and associations have not been able to sometimes protect the players from issues ranging from prize money payments, equipment issues and conditions, and rules/format. As the saying goes, “there is strength in numbers”, and this has led to the formation of the ABP. The ABP led by some notable names such as Johnny Archer, Mika Immonen, Rodney Morris and many others in a committee of top players unified under a common purpose: To elevate the sport of pocket billiards and protect and assist in the well being of every player.

The ABP is an association for the players and by the players. The players now have a united voice to help bring resolutions to seemingly never ending issues we face in the industry.  The ABP, with your help, can bring about a positive change in a fair and appropriate manner. From standardizing equipment, rules, and creating systems to insure the payment of prize money so the players can get paid and in a timely fashion. The ABP is for unification. The ABP is for change. Please join, support us, and see your name stand next to the world’s greatest.

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Jane Bang Releases a Hot New Music Video: “Crunk It” Featuring Gigi Barocco vs Jane Bang

Breakthrough DJ and musical artist Jane Bang has just released a brand new music video for her song “Crunk It,” featuring Gigi Barocco.  Jane has been quietly “banging it out” through the underground dj, club, and nightlife scene. The emerging artists is going from breakout buzz to delivering progressively tighter tracks for her fans, and her new video titled “Crunk It” is destined to be an underground hit.

I had the opportunity to film some behind the scenes “making of the video” footage which will be coming out soon. Jane and managing partner of Cross Street Productions, Amanda Leigh Dunn invited me to be in the video, which was an awesome experience.

Watch it here:

NYCgrind.com used Jane Bang’s “She’s Hott” track as the opening song to the 1st episode to the first ever-web series in the billiards world, featuring the ladies pool team “Kiss of Death”.  The 12-episode web series followed the team of strong, intelligent, sexy women as they attempted to repeat as champions in the annual National BCAPL Championships in Las Vegas.

NYC Grind’s Jerry T has also filmed Jane perform live at Mating Season, and has been keeping NYCgrind.com viewers plugged in with her progress.

The passionate go-getter is a stock on the rise in the music and entertainment world, and this new video is super high on the HOTT factor.

Not the girl next door.

Jane Bang is a provocative rapper with strong sex appeal and no censor button. With some select teaser tracks available through Myspace and the hype machine, Jane has built an uncanny following over the Internet practically overnight.

She made her first entrance with the song “Untame”, which depicts her racy beats with playful, biting dialogue — which was accompanied with the music video. Staying true to her Brooklyn roots with old school rhyming techniques, she infuses beats from European influenced electro.

Progressing from “Untame,” Jane has finally released her first official single, with an entire album due to be released before years end. “Crunk It” features official remix covers by Dirty Disco Youth, Tom Deluxx, and Symone. Jane embodies a femme take on edgy street style and is managed by five-time Grammy winner Carlisle Young.

Jane Bang released her single “Crunk It” under Zooland Records Label. The song and official remix covers are available on iTunes and Beatport.

The Music video for “Crunk It” was executive produced by Jay Schweid for VIC-ART (VIC-ART.com) along side Amanda Leigh Dunn’s company, Cross Street Productions Inc. and directed by Gianluca Fellini.

Continue reading “Jane Bang Releases a Hot New Music Video: “Crunk It” Featuring Gigi Barocco vs Jane Bang” »

Mika Immonen Wins the 14.1 Challenge at the 2011 BCAPL National Championships

While many pros were still contenders in the US Open 10-Ball Championships, others took to the 14.1 Challenge held in conjunction with the BCAPL National Championship at the Riviera Hotel & Casino.  Players of all levels competed in different divisions for a chance at cash prizes, awarded to the players achieving the top four high runs in each division, within four attempts.

The BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships (May 11-22, 2011 at the Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV) is catered to a special 14.1 High Run contest. The Inaugural Straight Pool Challenge took place alongside the BCAPL event on two Diamond 9’ Pro Cut tables, located in booths 30-32 in the Grande Ballroom of the Riviera Convention Center.

The main contest featured several divisions: pro, amateur men, amateur women, and amateur seniors. Each participant who signed up paid $20 for four turns at the table, with their recorded run being an accumulation of their four turns. Each division was awarded cash and prizes based on the top scores. The top eight highest accumulative scores will have a tournament on Saturday, May 21^st. The goal of the CSI high run contest is to encourage more interest in the great game of Straight Pool.

The 14.1 contest also offered a special opportunity that has room to grow in cash and interest towards straight pool. CSI will match up to the $10,000 (cash only) for a potential grand total of $20,000 to award to any player that beats or ties the straight pool single-run record of 526 balls, set by Willie Mosconi in 1954. The shooter who breaks or ties the record must do so in a single, not accumulative, run at the table. CSI was videotaping the matches which fans watched live, offering a real time top view perspective of the layout of the balls.

The top eight players in the pro division faced off in a single-elimination tournament, which featured a race to 100 point format, with the final match being a race to 150.  In this event, “The Iceman” Mika Immonen went through to the finals with wins over Miguel Silva 100-14 and Danny Harriman 100-56.  In the finals, Immonen would beat fellow NYC-based player Tony Robles with a score of 150-59 after running out 101 points to win the match.

Continue reading “Mika Immonen Wins the 14.1 Challenge at the 2011 BCAPL National Championships” »

Shane Van Boening Becomes the New US Open 10-Ball Champion in Las Vegas

By NYC Grind Contributor, Geoff Conway “Pool Junkie”

On Friday evening, leading into the final day of competition, David Alcaide had to wait for the loser of the 8:30 pm winner’s side match between Scott Frost and Shane Van Boening, after previously defeating two of the event’s favorites, Ralf Souquet and Efren Reyes.

Shane, who seems to have found his old winning form of late, just never allowed Scott to the table, as shown by the score line of 8-0. This win, by way of his brilliant break, made him a favorite to win this event. But, watch out for Mr. Alcaide, who may have something different to say.

David Alcaide would have to play Scott Frost at 11:00pm, and the match was nip and tuck at 3-3, but David seemed to find another gear at this point and soon had the score to 7-3. Scott managed to put one more bead on the wire, but soon bowed out at 8-4. I have the feeling that Scott has generated quite a few fans this week by his stellar play in this 10-ball event, and let us hope that we see Scott in more of the big events, now that we know he can compete with the best in the world at this discipline.

Meanwhile, in the top half of the bracket, Johnathan Pinegar took on Dennis Haar, who had upset Mike Dechaine in the previous round.  Pinegar, on the other hand, had just come over from the winner’s bracket, after losing in the winner’s bracket final four to Corey Deuel, 7-5.  Haar continued his winning form in this match to defeat Pinegar by a convincing score line of 8-3, and would then move on to the final day of competition.  Finishing tied for 5th place, Johnathan Pinegar has again shown himself to be a strong contender in the international field.

Continue reading “Shane Van Boening Becomes the New US Open 10-Ball Champion in Las Vegas” »

David Alcaide Strikes Down Reyes and Souquet on Day 5 as the Winner’s Bracket Final Four Face Off in the US Open 10-Ball

By NYC Grind Contributor, Alison M. Fischer

The 2011 US Open 10-Ball Championships has now made its way into the fifth day of competition.  Starting on Monday, May 16 with a field of 96 top-caliber players from around the world, only six now remain.  Playing in a winner breaks, race to eight format on Diamond tables, this Vegas show has been an exciting one, and the fans will have the best yet to come as the field has narrowed to six elite players as they battle for the US Open 10-Ball title and a prize of $15,000.

There are now only four players holding strong in the winner’s bracket… and all four of them are Americans, hailing from different regions of the U.S.  Arguably the most dominant player to come out of the U.S. in the last decade, “The South Dakota Kid” Shane Van Boening, is one of these four undefeated players.  Thus far, Shane has taken wins over Donny Mills (8-4), Danny Harriman (8-3), CJ Wiley (8-3), Brandon Shuff (8-0), and Dennis Haar (8-5).

Meeting up to take on Shane tonight is a player seen less-often in the final rounds of a major 10-ball event…Tempe, Arizona player Scott Frost.  Although better recognized for his achievements in one pocket (having won the Casper Classic One Pocket Championship in February and recently taken second in the California One Pocket Challenge), Frost has had an impressive run in this event thus far, with by no means an easy draw.  To make it to the final four, Frost defeated Darren Appleton (8-4), Tony Robles (8-5), David Alcaide (8-4), and Charlie Williams (8-5).

Van Boening and Frost’s match is now being featured on the live stream at 8:30pm Pacific, 11:30pm Eastern time, visit www.TheActionReport.com.

In the bottom of the bracket, Johnathan Pinegar of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has had a strong five-match run so far to make it to tonight’s winner’s bracket semi.  Leading up to today, Pinegar defeated Gabe Owen (8-1), Li Jia (8-2), Jeff Carter (8-3), and Jeremy Sossei (8-2).  However, Pinegar’s big upset came in the fourth round of the winner’s bracket, held earlier today at 12:30pm, were he defeated Efren Reyes by a score of 8-4.

Johnathan Pinegar will next face former US Open 9-Ball Champion Corey Deuel.  After a first-round bye, Deuel defeated Jeremy Jones (8-6), Stan Tourangeau (8-5), and Mike Davis Jr. to move into the fifth round of the winner’s bracket today.  In Corey Deuel’s 12:30 winner’s bracket round, he was paired with German champion Ralf Souquet.

In an unforeseen turn of events, en route to the Riviera, Souquet was victim to a minor fender bender, and alerted tournament officials that he may not make it to the match on time.  Corey Deuel was given the option to move the match to a later time, but declined.  Souquet did his best to make it to the match on time, but a couple minutes past the match deadline, and had to forfeit.

Continue reading “David Alcaide Strikes Down Reyes and Souquet on Day 5 as the Winner’s Bracket Final Four Face Off in the US Open 10-Ball” »

Americans Lead the Charge at the US Open 10-Ball Championships as the Field Narrows

We are in the thick of Day 4 here at the US Open 10-Ball Championships in Las Vegas, where fans as well as amateur players competing in the BCAPL Nationals are witnessing some world-class play.

In both the pro arena and in the adjoining BCAPL arena, there are projector screens showing the feature matches being streamed live by The Action Report.  Check out the live streaming on www.TheActionReport.com and read on to scroll down in the story for live-updated bracket.

Geoff Conway brings us the nitty gritty on yesterday’s matches in the fourth day of competition...

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One-Loss Side 10am Matches:

There were no surprises in the 10 am loser’s bracket session, as the pros that found their way onto the loser’s side and clearly showed that they were still had the talent to be reckoned with.  First up, we saw Jason Klatt get the better of Manuel Herrera 8-3.  Meanwhile, Dennis Hatch stamped his authority on his opponent Craig McPartlin with a score line of 8-1. John Schmidt made light work of Dan Heidrich at 8-2. Finally, Donny Mills who lost to Shane Van Boening on date two, clearly took it out his revenge on Li Joi with a score of 8-3.

Other pairings in this time slot were Tommy Tokoph who beat Brian Brekke 8-6, while Vincent Go Pk did not let Michael Yednak put a bead on the wire, and closed out the match at 8-0. Mitch Ellerman got the better of Cleiton De Rocha at 8-6, and Steve Lillis beat Joe Hughes 8-5 to round out the early Wednesday morning loser’s side matches.

One-Loss Side 12:30pm Matches

Once again the top names really stamped their authority on the proceedings and were lucky not to come up against each other in this round. Ws we saw Johnny Archer take down Manuel Gama 8-4. Max Eberle beat Jeff Pillon 8-2 . Mike Dechaine was on a tear having no respect for Bob Weirman allowing him to put one bead on the wire in this 8-1 match. Glen Atwell put the metal to the pedal against Paul Juarez winning 8-4. WPBA Touring Pro Melissa Little was having a bad hair day losing to Ike Runnels 8-0.

Rodney Morris is still cruising through the loser’s bracket after his shocking first round loss to Marc Vidal, as we saw from the score line when he knocked out Francis Crevier 8-0. Jeremy Jones caught a gear in his match up with Rafael Martinez Chavez. Jones who was dumped into the losers bracket last night in his 11 pm match with Corey Deuel was probably still smarting from that defeat as he beat Mr. Chavez 8-3. Finally, we saw Bill Dunsmore get the better of Randy Whitehead at 8-3.

One-Loss Side 3:00pm Matches

We saw two matches forfeited in this round. Gabe Owen was a no-show against Danny Harriman, and Feng Chen did not turn up to play against the “Leader of the Invasion” Jose Parica. Rick Burns fought a hard match right to the hill against Miquel Silva losing 8-7.  Fu Xiaofang, one of the few ladies left in the tournament, took down Brady Gollan in a hill-hill match at 8-7.
Continue reading “Americans Lead the Charge at the US Open 10-Ball Championships as the Field Narrows” »

The CSI US Open 10-Ball Championships Moves Into Day 3

By NYC Grind Contributor, Geoff Conway “Pool Junkie”

The CueSports International US Open 10-Ball Championships got underway on Tuesday morning at 10:00am with an all-day extravaganza of winner’s side matches going on until the last round of the day at 11pm, featuring many of the worlds top competitors.  The 96-player field is now entering Day 3 of competition, beginning with the 10:00 am (Pacific) loser’s bracket matches, which will be the first elimination round in the event.

Once again, The Action Report is providing live streaming for feature matches in the US Open 10-Ball, which is being held in an arena adjoining the amateur BCAPL National Championships in the Riviera Hotel & Casino here in Las Vegas.  Visit www.theactionreport.com to check out the live stream.

CSI is also providing live score updates here, read on in the story and scroll to the bottom of the page to view the live score box.

Also, check out the updates on the tournament bracket: http://www.ctsondemand.com/BracketViewer.aspx?BracketID=16772187

Read on for the breakdown on yesterday’s Day 2 matches…

10am Matches:

In the 10:00am match ups we saw very few surprises, as Sylver Ochoa easily got the better of Bill Dunsmore, and Sal Butera (son of the legendary Lou “Machine Gun” Butera) beat Jonathan Smith 8-0. Jose Parica just did not have the fire power to stop Alex Pagulayan from running over him with a score of 8-4. Whereas Jeremy Jones continued his stellar play that recently earned him second place at the Ultimate 10-Ball Challenge in Frisco, Texas as he beat Steve Lipsky from New York 8-6.

Francis Crevier just back from his appearance in the World 10-Ball event in the Philippines, but seemed to not notice the jetlag as he took down Angelina Paglia 8-5. Ike Runnels from Chicago who we normally associate with the big bar box events, gave us the pleasure of his company in the pro event and made light work of Dan Wallace at 8-5.

Paul Song got the better of Ronnie “Show Me the Money” Wiseman, and did not even have to open his wallet as he ran out the winner at 8-5. Finally, Manuel Gama beat Dave Hemmah 8-0 to round out these first matches of the day.

Continue reading “The CSI US Open 10-Ball Championships Moves Into Day 3” »

Efren “The Magician” Reyes Wows the Vegas Crowd at the 12th US Open One Pocket Championship

In 1985, a young man by the name of Efren Reyes snapped off the Houston Open while playing with a $10 pool cue. Efren was completely unknown to any American player when he first came to the US, and in fact, he went by the name Caesar Morales.

After Efren won that event and signed with his real name… which would be the first time that people in the USA would hear of the name “Efren Reyes”–a name that would become unforgettable to anyone who met him on the table or had the pleasure of watching him in action.

Since 1985, Efren has been one of the most dominant players in the US, as well as the world. His amazingly fluid stroke, huge heart, amazing shotmaking skills, and incredible knowledge of all games are highly unique.  His tremendous talent and relentless spirit gained him induction into the BCA Hall of Fame in 2003, and has made him an icon to those who love the game all around the world.

Fast forward to 2011, Efren “The Magician” Reyes, the soft-spoken loveable Filipino continues to play the game at the highest level. “The Magician” snapped off the $10,000-added 12th Annual US Open One Pocket Championships, produced by Cue Sports International (CSI) at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas.

Feature matches in the event were streamed live by The Action Report (TAR), and brackets were provided on the web via CSI’s CueSports Tournament System (CTS) at www.ctsondemand.com.  The Action Report is continuing to stream matches through the US Open 10-Ball Championships which is now underway.  Visit www.theactionreport.com to watch it live.

Efren bested the full field of sixty-four players to capture the title and a $8,000 prize, undefeated.  His path to the title saw him take wins over Ike Runnels 4-1, Marc Vidal 4-3, Jeff Carter 4-0, Brian Butler 4-0, and Corey Deuel 4-3 to go to the hot seat match.  Known as one of the best, if not the best One Pocket players in the world, Efren has won the Derby City Classic One Pocket an incredible five times in its thirteen years running.

For those who aren’t familiar with One Pocket, is a game in which banking skills, concentration, and knowledge of strategic chess-like moves are paramount. The race format for this event were to four games in the winner’s bracket, and three games on the one-loss side of the bracket.  The field for this event featured most of the world’s top One Pocket talent, including Scott Frost, Corey Deuel, John Brumback, Cliff Joyner, Brandon Shuff, Danny Harriman, Earl Strickland, and Chris Bartram.
Continue reading “Efren “The Magician” Reyes Wows the Vegas Crowd at the 12th US Open One Pocket Championship” »

Huidji See Takes the 2011 World 10-Ball Title in Manila

(Photo – WPA-Pool.com)

The WPA World 10-Ball Championships concluded in Manila on Sunday, May 16… where a new champion, Huidji See, found victory. Huidji See, who hails from the Netherlands, has been a rising contender in the international field, but made his breakthrough to the winner’s circle in Manila.

A true dark horse in this event, Huidji See lost his first-round match in the preliminary bracket versus David Rothall, but emerged after eliminating Ralf Souquet to go to the final single-elimination bracket, where he defeated Yousseff Jalal (9-3), Ricky Yang (9-7), Pin-Yi Ko (9-6), Tony Drago (9-4) to go on to the semifinal versus Japanese champion Yukio Akakariyama.

Read on in the WPA press release below for the details on See’s final rounds to the title, and check out www.wpa-pool.com to view the World 10-Ball brackets.

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Huidji See began our first semi-final match with a 4-2 lead over Yukio Akakariyama in the race to 9 games. A behind-the-back shot on the 9 ball left him a bit rough on the 10 in the next rack but he was able to put it away in the corner pocket to go 5-2.  See missed a cut on the 1 ball in the next rack but Akakariyama could not capitalize on the opportunity as he missed the shot he had to bring See back into play. But See also missed the 1 and Akakariyama played a safe that left only a bank into the corner. See jawed it and Akakariyama had the chance he needed to get going and gain some confidence and poise. But he fell out of line on the 2 ball and again a safety was in order. He failed to snooker See but left only a bank or a safety opportunity. See chose the safety and Akakariyama missed his jump shot. See looked to clean up but scratched on the 6 ball and left Akakariyama a road map out. He would not falter from here and brought the score closer at 5-3 as the nerves began to show in the arena.

Continue reading “Huidji See Takes the 2011 World 10-Ball Title in Manila” »

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