April 2009 page 2

Order Online:www.onthebreaknews.com/Marketplace.htm

April 2009 page 3

About Us at StrokeStroke is a monthly publication, dedicated to the advancement of the sport of pool and to promoting enthusiasm and encouragement among the players at all levels, regardless of their league affiliation, in addition to recognizing those businesses who support them all. Covering the Eastcoast and adjoining states.The opinions expressed are those of the author or advertiser and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rackem or its staff. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material submitted for publication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher. © 2009 Stroke

DEADLINE: 30th of each Month - CALL IF LATE

StrokeP.O. Box 100Three Forks, MT 59752Phone 1-406-285-3099Fax 1-406-285-3098Email strokemagazine@aol.comwww.StrokeMagazine.net

Contact us at:

Classic

All times are Eastern Standard Time - These schedules have been provided by ESPN.

These are tentative dates and are subject to change

Stroke StaffPublisher/Editor

Don “Cheese” AkerlowMarketing Director

Becka LarkinLayouts & DesignFelicia Reynolds

Becka LarkinSunshine Ross

Don “Cheese” AkerlowMary AkerlowDistributionSheila Papke

AdvertisersAtlas Billiard Supply 2Cap’s Cue Club 9CSI/NCS 15Diamond 8 Billiards 4Hippo’s Billiards 4Jordan Pool Room 15Marketplace 2Mueller 3OB Cues 16pooldawg 13Rockaway Billiards 12Ryno Room 15sammspocket.com 10T J’s Billiards 9Ultimate Billiards 5

04-02-2009 11:00 AM 2002 Sudden Death 7-Ball04-08-2009 10:00 AM 2002 Trick Shot Magic04-14-2009 11:00 AM 2002 Wmn’s Tourn of Champions04-15-2009 11:00 AM 2002 Wmn’s Tourn of Champions04-27-2009 11:00 AM Mosconi Cup 200304-28-2009 11:00 AM Mosconi Cup 200304-29-2009 11:00 AM Mosconi Cup 200304-30-2009 11:00 AM Mosconi Cup 200305-01-2009 11:00 AM Mosconi Cup 2003

05-03-2009 1:00 PM 2009 San Diego Classic Semi #105-03-2009 2:00 PM 2009 San Diego Classic Semi #205-03-2009 3:00 PM 2009 San Diego Classic Finals

05-04-2009 11:00 AM Mosconi Cup 200305-05-2009 11:00 AM 2003 Sudden Death 7-Ball05-06-2009 11:00 AM 2003 Sudden Death 7-Ball05-07-2009 11:00 AM 2003 Sudden Death 7-Ball05-08-2009 11:00 AM 2003 Trick Shot Magic05-09-2009 3:00 PM 2001 Trick Shot Magic05-09-2009 4:00 PM 2003 Trick Shot Magic05-09-2009 5:00 PM 2004 Trick Shot Magic Massey vs Nikolaidis

Cover Photo by Padi O’Rourke

courtesy of TotalPool.info

The Pool Players Voice

ColumnistsBob Jewett 10Samm Diep 10

Watch live streaming tournamentsThis list was put together by Bob from the state of Washington. Bob told me that I didn’t have to give him credit for this. Yes I do. Bob took the time, effort, researched and put this list together. On any given weekend you can find someone streaming if not 2 or 3. There are challenge matches and much more.Go to Ustream.tv, register for a user name, it is free then go to the different shows for pool that are listed below on Ustream click on “Follow”. And you will get and update or every time you go into the main page on Ustream.tv and click your “Dashboard” or “My Feeds” button (top of main page) you will be able to tell who is live streaming at that time. Most of the sites have archived videos -- just in case nothing is streaming and you have to satisfy that “pool fix”! I want to thank Bob for his hard work.If anyone else has any sites please send them to rackemmag@aol.comThank you -- Don Akerlow, Publisher

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ob-cues-ladies-tourhttp://www.ustream.tv/channel/fast-e...en-9-ball-tourhttp://www.ustream.tv/channel/azpoolscene.comhttp://www.ustream.tv/channel/usba-regional-qualifierwww.ustream.tv/channel/roydfish.blogspot.comhttp://www.thebilliardstour.com/dd-bigwebcam.html

http://www.ustream.tv/TheActionReporthttp://www.ontherailtv.comhttp://www.ustream.tv/rackemhttp://www.ustream.tv/channel/samielhttp://www.ustream.tv/Pool-Arizonahttp://www.ustream.tv/GSBThttp://desertclassictour.com/videos.htmlhttp://www.ustream.tv/InsidePOOLmaghttp://www.ustream.tv/cuesportsvideohttp://www.CueSport.tvhttp://www.ustream.tv/scottishpool.comhttp://www.ustream.tv/sde2http://www.OTBnTV.comhttp://www.ustream.tv/jfredwmdkhttp://www.ustream.tv/fargopool

http://www.ustream.tv/AzBtvhttp://www.ustream.tv/tonycrosbyhttp://www.ustream.tv/FastMikiehttp://www.ustream.tv/chemicalpixelhttp://www.ustream.tv/jhoward121http://www.justin.tv/forcefollowhttp://www.ustream.tv/channel/actionhttp://www.ustream.tv/SKNBFhttp://www.ustream.tv/biavnhttp://www.ustream.tv/SactownTomhttp://www.ustream.tv/dpmpoolhttp://www.ustream.tv/Pool-Arizonawww.justin.tv/sportstimehttp://www.justin.tv/mordane2http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mordane

Read Stroke Online at:www.strokemagazine.net

April 2009 page 4

As the old saying goes, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself”. For weeks now, players on the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour have been wondering when someone will keep Dennis Hatch from the winner’s circle. This week at Trick Shot Billiards in Clifton Park NY, tour director Mike Zuglan took on the that task. And he almost succeeded.Things did not go so well for Zuglan early Sunday when he faced Hatch for the first time. Hatch ran away with that match by the score of 9-1. Hatch then went on to defeat Greg Antonakos 9-4 for the hot-seat.Zuglan bounced back on the one loss side and made his way to the semi-finals, where he defeated Antonakos 9-5 to earn the rematch with Hatch in the double elimination finals.Zuglan knew he would have to defeat Hatch twice in order to win the event, but just beating Hatch once was too big an obstacle on this day. Hatch won the first and only set of the finals 9-6 to notch his seventh win of the season.1st $1,300 Dennis Hatch2nd $900 Mike Zuglan3rd $750 Greg Antonakos 4th $570 Norm Pomainville 5/6 $400 Bucky Souvanthong, Reggie Cutler 7/8 $200 Jason Michas, Angelo Hilton

by AzB staff AZBilliards.com

Lucky Number 7

Dennis Hatch

The GSBT hosted the Tarheel Amateur Classic at Brass Tap & Billiards in Raleigh, NC the weekend of March 28-29, 2009. The 50 player field

may have been short compared to the previous events, but it wasn’t short of talent. Several top regional players turned out for the $2,000 added guaranteed a/b amateur 9-ball event including Danny Smith, Sam Monday, Mike Fuller, Ben Zimmer, and junior champ Jackson Jeffries. After a full day of play on Saturday, the tour brought back 8 players on the winners side and 8 players on the one-loss side. Sundays winners were Wilson over Dearing (9-7), Monday over Page (11-7), Zimmer over Murrill (11-5), and Kerekes over Williams (9-4).On the one loss side, Shearer ended Morrision’s hopes (7-9). Junior champ, Jackson Jeffires, ousted regional champion Mike Fuller by the same score. Smith ended Faulk’s day (11-4), and Basha over Jones (7-6).The winners side final four ended with Wilson taking the win over Monday (9-9), and Zimmer sending Kerekes to the losers bracket (11-8). This set up a hot seat match between Zach Wilson and Ben Zimmer. Zimmer won

Ben Zimmer, Shannon Daulton, Tony Coates (owner of Brass Tap), & Sam Monday

the match (11-7).Meanwhile, Monday continued battling on the left side of the chart trying to find his way to the finals. After polishing off Shearer (11-3), Smith (11-7), and after getting his revenge against Wilson (11-6) he went after Zimmer in the finals.In the true double elimination finals, it looked as though Zimmer was fairly comfortable with his game. With the score 3-0 in favor of Zimmer, Monday turned it on and took the first set convincingly by a score of (11-5). In the second set, both players played well running out on their break and chalking up games. After the smoke cleared, Zimmer emerged as the victor by a score of (11-8).The GSBT would like to thank Tony Coates (owner), and Michelle Brown (manager), of Brass Tap & Billiards for hosting a great event this past weekend.1st $1000 Ben Zimmer2nd $600 Sam Monday3rd $400 Zach Wilson4th $250 Danny Smith5/6 $150 Brad Shearer Ken Kerekes7/8 $100 Jackson Jeffries Mike Basha9-12 $55 Steve Murrill, Tony Williams, Michael Dearing, Steve Page

Zimmer Zooms

April 2009 page 5

Ultimate Billiards in Fort Pierce, Florida opened its doors in November 2008. The room’s name speaks for itself located in 10,500 sq. ft. of space in the Orange Blossom Business Center. Ultimate Billiards features the best equipment available with 9 Brunswick Gold Crown IV’s, 11 Diamond Professional’s, 4 Diamond Smart tables, 2 Valley Bar Boxes, 5 x 10 heated Gabriels Billiards table, and one of only a few 6’ x 12’ Russian Pyramid table known to be in the U.S.A. The owners of Ultimate Billiards found each other through their young sons and the game itself. Bill Mallen and his family moved to Florida in 2005. Gary Gilsinan and his family have lived in the area for over thirty years. Both men had teenage sons. Gary’s son, Justin was playing in a junior tournament tour based in Orlando when Bill noticed that they lived in the same city, Port St. Lucie. Bill took a ride down to the local pool room to find out more about Justin and to see if maybe the boys might hook up to practice. Well there he found out that Justin’s Dad’s name was Gary and he went back to tell his wife that after finding a similar name in the local phonebook he was going to call up Gary to see if they could meet with the boys to practice. After the call Bill and Gary made arrangements for Mike and Justin to meet. You know, some place safe such as the local pool hall. Well everything was great and better yet the two fathers shared a similar interest in playing pool as well. For the next scheduled event on the junior tour they all got together and started to travel to the different tour stops in the Florida area as well as any of the major tournaments as spectators to watch the big dogs play. That summer they traveled to the Junior Nationals that were held on the University of Michigan’s campus. Everyone had a great time and that’s when the planning for Ultimate Billiards started. Also at that time, a commitment was made to develop a premier Junior program, and if they have it their way, it will go nationwide to develop the potential

of all up and coming junior players.Ultimate Billiards has quickly become the premier tournament room in Florida. Within 4 days of opening, we hosted the biggest drawing for the J. Pechauer South East Open 9-ball Tour event. A very strong field was held at bay with locals, Mark Coates winning the open event and Jeff Maubry winning the amateur event. Next was Tony Crosby’s KF Cues Tour. The word was out on Ultimate Billiards, and a record breaking 47 players in the Open event and 74 players in the Amateur event showed up to battle for the cash. The next scheduled major event is the Treasure Coast Open June 6th & 7th. With the help of our local business owners, big money is going to be added to both open and amateur events. Please contact us for more info.The month of July brings Tony Crosby and his KF Cues Tour to Ultimate Billiards for his last event of the regular season on July 25 & 26. This event has $1500 added, and is expected to be a great event as all. Ultimate Billiards is also host to the premier Billiard Academy on the planet. The Old School Pool School is a 2 ½ day event that includes instruction on Straight Pool, One Pocket, Bank Pool, and 3 Cushion Billiards. The

instructors are Danny Diliberto, Freddy Bentivegna, Grady Mathews, and Bill Smith. The course will also go into strategies, moves, safety play,

handicapping, and how to win, all taught by champions. For more info, visit www.oldschoolpool.net or call Chip Davis at 561.307.2232 to register in the Ultimate Billiard experience. For more info about tournaments, and all other events at Ultimate Billiards, please visit us online at www.ultimate-billiards.com or call 772.GO4.POOL (772.464.7665)

Highest Finishing Female Borana Andoni

April 2009 page 6

There was also local Long Island players, including Beau Bear,

James Swanson, Frankie Cologne, Joe Hunter, Erin McManus, Dennis

Tony Robles and the Blatt Billiards Predator 9-ball Tour held their first

“ABCD” tournament of the season this past weekend at Mr. Cue’s Billiards in Lindenhurst, NY. The tour’s 3rd $1,000-added stop welcomed a total of 80 of its players to this new pool room on the tour’s schedule.The main tournament drew a full field of 64 players, which comprised a perfect mix of 32 C’s and D’s and 32 B’s and A’s. After day one came to an end, Justin Muller, Marco Dy, Borana Andoni, and Lionel Rivera were impressive in staying in full control as they remained undefeated.

(l to r) Bob Mammarella, Tony Robles, Dave Manasseri

Predator Tour Update

(l to r) William Finnigan, Marco Dy

1st $1000 Marco Dy2nd $650 W. Finnegan3rd $500 Lionel Rivera4th $325 Thomas Wan5th $250 John Mazes Jose Soto7th $150 J. Swanson F. Cologne9th $100 Justin Muller Joe Hunter Dennis Lake B. AndoniDelta 13 Highest Finishing Female:Borana AndoniRunner-Up: Erin McManus $100*Prize awarded to runner-up as cashing nullifies winning highest finisher awardBCD Results:1st $160 D. Manasseri2nd $100 B Mammarella3rd $30 P Tascarella Jr4th $30 Keith Jones

Written by Jerry Tarantola. www.nycgrind.comLake, and John Mazes, who brought their A-game. Erin McManus was awarded $100 for the runner-up Delta-13 highest finishing female. The story was all about players who showed a no-quit attitude on the table. In the Finals, Finnegan met up with Marco Dy, who won an undefeated spot in the finals. Finnegan had a chance to earn the title and the personal victory of having gone through 10 consecutive players... Uncharacteristically, he missed an easy 2-ball to the crowd’s surprise, giving Marco the easy run out and his 1st Predator Tour victory. Congratulations to both Marco and Finnegan, who showed true performances of heart.The Predator Tour also hosted a

second day B-C-D event, which brought o u t 1 6 p l a y e r s t o c o m p e t e o n Sunday afternoon. In the finals, Dave Manasseri faced Bob Mammarella, but it was Dave Manasseri who would come out on top in the finals with a dominant 7-2 win over Mammarella.

The Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour was in Virginia for its second weekend in the state. Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA hosted both the Open and the

Amateur Division on April 4th & 5th, 2009. Diamond Billiards and The Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour hosted 168 entries (including 24 free entries given to women and junior players and 43 League discounts) over the weekend and paid out over $7400 in prize monies. The Viking Cue 9-Ball Open Tour kicked off on Saturday and featured some of the favorites in the area including Brandon

Shuff, Manny Chau, Mark Ritter (from Detroit) and Matt Clatterbuck (Clatterbuck is sponsored by Blue Fox Billiards). In the finals Clatterbuck made a comeback from the one loss side, where he had been sent by Brandon Shuff in the match for the hotseat, and was able to defeat Shuff in both sets of the finals. The Brackets were provided to all that could not make their way to Diamond Billiards this weekend by Maxim Billiards (www.maximbilliards.com) and The Tournament Guide Magazine(www.tournamentguidemag.com). Saturday Night also held a 6 player, $200 entry ring game with Matt Clatterbuck winning the $1000 first prize and Mark Ritter taking $200 home for second place. Chris Adams was the

lucky winner of the $310 Viking Cue that was raffled on Saturday.Sunday kicked off The Viking Cue 9-Ball Amateur Tours event which hosted 62 entries. The event had a strong showing for the area. Players from all over the region were in attendance as they battled their way towards the prize monies up for grab. The event was won in set one by Chris Hansen who defeated Mitch Trainham 5-0 to take home the first prize. This was only Hansen’s second Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour Event and his first Amateur Divison win. The Brackets for the Amateur event have also been provided online at Maxim Billiards and The Tournament Guide Magazine for viewing. Jason Paley won the $310 Viking Cue that was raffled on Sunday.

Open Division Payouts1st $1040 Matt Clatterbuck2nd $650 Brandon Shuff3rd $450 Manny Chau4th $300 Mark Ritter5/6 $150 John Newton Chris Adams7/8 $75 Sean Sporleder Reggie Jackson

Amateur Division Payouts1st $920 Chris Hansen2nd $450 Mitch Trainham3rd $300 Ken Murphy4th $200 Reggie Jackson5/6 $125 Vernon Steinke Danny Mastermaker7/8 $75 Robert Anderson Walter Black9/12 $50 Jason Kuhn John Hines Luther Farley Mike Janis

Clatterbuck Double Dips

Mat

t Cla

tterb

uck C

hris

Han

sen

Article and photos courtesy of Viking 9-Ball Tour

April 2009 page 7

March 21st brought out 13 players to Strokers in Palm Harbor, for the $500 added Tiger Bay Area Amateur’s 3rd stop of the year. With the competition constantly on the rise, two players emerged to the finals.Tour Director, Stephanie Mitchell let it be known, that she was here to play as she quickly made work of the winner’s bracket, allowing no

opponent more than 3 games against her. She sent some top names, such as Jamie Toennies, Bettina Chase and Melissa Morlan to the one-loss side.L a s t m o n t h ’ s winne r Me l i ssa Morlan, started out strong as she sent last season’s 2nd in points, Michell Monk to the one loss bracket in the first round. Receiving a bye in the next round, Monk then retaliated by going

on a collision course through the one-loss bracket, also allowing no opponent more than 3 games. Having the opportunity of a rematch against Morlan, this time it was Monk who came out on top.Monk then forced Jessica Barnes to settle for 5th place. On the top half of the bracket, Toennies forced Stephanie McFarlin to also settle for 5th place.Barnes and McFarlin received ‘one-out-of-the-money’ prizes for their admirable efforts in such a tough field.Toennies and Monk then faced off for the chance at the semi finals. Monk stepped it up and won the match 6-2. Toennies finished with a very respectable 4th place finish.However, on the winner’s side bracket, Mitchell and Chase were battling it out for the hot seat. The match reached double hill, and fell down to the 9-ball…..it was Mitchell who sunk it, and redeemed the title of Queen of the hill.The semi-finals were set, Chase versus Monk. Monk’s drive proved to be too much as she won the match 6-2 and Chase settled for 3rd.The stage was set for the final match up between Mitchell and Monk. Being true double elimination format, Monk had to beat Mitchell (6-5) twice for the win. The set started out with both players stepping up to BAAT, trading wins for the first six games. With the score tied at 3-3, both players began playing more safeties to try to gain control of the match. Monk edged out the next couple of games to reach the hill first. On the hill, Monk broke, made a tough shot on the one and then made a carom on the 2-9, forcing a second set.Mitchell came out on fire in the second set, steam rolling out to a 3-0 win. Well on her way to reach the hill, without Monk even winning a game, Mitchell missed an extremely tough shot on the 8-ball, and after trading misses, Monk won that game to get on the board. Monk then won the next game to finish out the 8-ball set 2-3. Monk’s switch turned on during the 9-ball set, as she seemingly ‘woke up’ and steamrolled the next 4 games, and won the set 6-3.1st $325 Michell Monk2nd $250 Stephanie Mitchell3rd $150 Bettina Chase4th $75 Jamie Toennies

Michell Monk returns

Michell Monk

Blaze 9 Ball Tour made it way to Q-Ball Billiards Vineland NJ on Sunday March 15th. A field of 44 players came out to play, players like: Jennifer Barretta, Josh Brothers, Matt Krah, Eddie Abraham, Adam Kielar, Joey Testa, Sam Quinzi, Jose Feliciano Sr. and Jose Feliciano Jr.Leading the top half of the bracket was Matt Krah with win over Charles Walker 7-0, Erin Mcmanus 7 -4 , Tom White 7-2, Eddie Abraham 7-6, and Joey Testa 7-1. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Josh Brothers with wins over Jim Kallas 7-1, Ariel Rivera 7-3, Randy Schwager 7-3, Shaun Wilkie 7-1, and Adam Kielar 7-3.Playing for the hot seat was Josh Brothers VS Matt Krah this was a one way match with Josh Brothers winning easily 7-1 sending Matt Krah to the one lost side. Waiting for Matt Krah on the one lost side was Eddie Abraham this was a good match with Matt Krah winning 6-4 to get back to the finals.In the finals it was Matt Krah VS Josh Brothers, Matt Krah has to beat Josh Brothers twice, but it didn’t take that Josh Brothers ran through Matt Krah easily winning 6-0.

Josh Brothers Sinks the 9

Josh Brothers Owner Jose Garcia, Matt Krah

1st $1175 Josh Brothers2nd $525 Matt Krah 3rd $350 Eddie Abraham 4th $220 Joey Testa

5/6 $150 Adam Kielar Shaun Wilkie7/8 $100 Jose Feliciano Sam Quinzi

Kenny Rutman Wins

Kenny Rutman, Owner John Sheppard

Hot Shot Billiards hosted the Blaze 9 Ball Tour on Sunday March 1, 2009. A field of 39 players came out to play.

L e a d i n g t h e top half of the bracke t was Kenny Rutman with wins over Eddie Abraham 7-6, Rob Palm 7 - 4 , B r a d y J o n e s 7 - 6 , Matt Douglas 7-5, and Keith Christman 7-4. L e a d i n g t h e bottom half of the bracket was Matt Krah with

wins over Jack McPoyle 7-0, Al Tonelli 7-3, Pam Cimarelli 7-0, Jose Feliciano 7-5, and Adam Kielar 7-0.Playing for the hot seat was Matt Krah VS Kenny Rutman this was a great match that went hill hill with Kenny Rutman winning the match 7-6, sending Matt Krah to the one lost side were he lost to Adam Kielar.In the finals it was Adam Kielar VS Kenny Rutman, Adam had to beat Kenny twice but all it took was one set with Kenny winning hill hill 6-5 to win his first ever Blaze Tour.1st $975 Kenny Rutman 2nd $500 Adam Kielar 3rd $350 Matt Krah 4th $200 Mike Miller

5/6th $150 Joey Testa Keith Christman 7/8th $100 Pam Cimarelli Jose Feliciano

April 2009 page 8 Tarantola Shutters Field

Immonen Topples San SouciQueens, NY - March 7, 2009When the Tri-State Tour rolled into Master Billiards in Queens, NY, all the regular guys were there. Gary Murgia, Danny Clinton, Michael Yednak, all the regular guys. Oh, and two newbies, Mika Immonen and George San Souci. In the pool version of fishing with dynamite the two pros blew through the field and (surprise, surprise) wound up facing one another first for the hot seat and again for the finals.This would be Imonnen’s day. He beat Ginky on the hill to claim the chair and then took him down again, 11-9 to win the event. Other players who

Parsippany, NJ - March 14, 2009The Tri-State Tour retuned once again to Comet Billiards over the weekend and Jerry Tarantola came out from behind the camera long enough to snap off the big win. Tarantola was never in trouble as he controlled his matches well and never came close to a loss. In the finals he bested Mark Pantovic 7-3. The hot seat match was more of the same with Tarantola taking down the same cue, Pantovic, by the score of 7-2. Just prior to that it was Gary Murgia that Tarantola sent left by the score of 7-4.Except for his run-ins with Tarantola, Pantovic has a fine day. He took down Gary Murgia 7-4 in Jerry Tarantola (courtesy of Diana Hoppe - Pool Pics by Hoppe)

Mika Immonen (courtesy of Diana Hoppe - Pool Pics by Hoppe)

Lewis Undefeated

the semi’s and beat Scott Abramowitz 9-6 in the right-side final four. For his efforts, Pantovic took second place, Gary Murgia claimed third, while Guy Iannuzzi waded through the long loser’s side to finish in fourth. 1st $650 Jerry Tarantola2nd $450 Marc Pantovic3rd $250 Gary Murgia4th $150 Guy Iannuzzi5/6 $100 Christian Smith, Scott Abramowitz7/8 $80 Beau Baer, Jason Egein9-12 $70 John Pannucci, Mark Mallari, Joe Fego, Dennis Quinn

should be commended include Danny Clinton who finished in third with a record of 6 wins ands two losses and to Gary Murgia who had his personal best performance at an open event with a 5 and 2 record and to Michael Tosado who finished in fourth.1st $850 Mika Immonen2nd $560 George San Souci3rd $350 Danny Clinton4th $210 Michael Torsado5/6 $130 Sean Morgan, Gary Murgia7/8 $100 Mike Yednak, Jorge Rodriguez

The players on the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour got to take a small break from the Dennis Hatch winning streak as he was a no-show at Classic Billiards in Rochester NY on March 28th-29th.Even without Hatch, there was more than enough firepower in the field of thirty nine players.The winners side came down to Chris Orme and young gun John Morra on Sunday. This match went to Orme by the score of 9-7.On the one loss side, Chance Chin was fighting his way through the

Orme Tops Chin brackets after a second round loss to Orme. On the one-loss side, Chin won seven straight matches. This left Chin and Orme fighting for the win. Chin rode his momentum to an early lead 5-2, but Orme came back to tie the match at 7-7. From there, Orme won the last two racks for the 9-7 win.1st $1200 Chris Orme 2nd $920 Chance Chin3rd $750 John Morra4th $550 Dave Grau 5/6 $400 Shane Winters, Bucky Souvanthong7/8 $200 Mike Zuglan, Tom Wendt9-12 $100 Erik Hjorleifson, Tom DiMatteo, Ron Casanzio, Ron Kingley

The weekend of March 14-15, 2009, the Great Southern Billiard Tour hosted a $1500 added South Carolina Amateur at GJAYS in Inman, SC. The 93 player field was a record for the tour that is now having a/b amateur 9-ball tournaments in the southeast. On Sunday Basha and Roberts were both fighting for a spot in the finals against Lewis. Basha had wins over West (7-5), Benish (7-4), and then eliminated Roberts (7-6), and then gave Branham a third place finish by

Joel Cain (owner of GJAYS), Mike Basha, Shannon Daulton, Scott Lewis

a score of (7-5).The true double elimination finals would have Lewis in total control from the lag. Scott played very confidently not giving Basha many chances at the table. Lewis took the victory by a score of 10-2 while Basha had to settle for second.The tour would like to thank GJAYS and the staff for their hospitality.. We had a great time and really enjoyed the tournament. Look for another event in the fall of 2009.1st $1000 Scott Lewis2nd $500 Mike Basha3rd $300 Clay Branham4th $200 Josh Roberts5/6 $150 Steve Cox & Ray Benish7/8 $125 Dustin Gosnell & Richard West9-12 $70 Rory Dover, Andy Twitchen, Matt Mancini, & Chase Smith13-16 $50 Tommy Chavis, Scottie Thomas, Matt Johnes, & Matt Reed17-24 $30 Rob Hart, Bert Murphy, Barry Medlock, Casey Looper, John Thompson, Chris Zayas, Rick Campbell, & Greg Dix

April 2009 page 9

TJ’s New Port Richey Florida hosted this week’s $1700 Added event. The $1000 added open event kicked off with a very strong 25 player field.With players like Corey Deuel, Tony Crosby, Ronnie Wiseman, Richie Richeson, James

Roberts, Julio Aquino, Justin Ha l l jus t to m e n t i o n a few this event would be wide open. Corey Deuel would go onto capture the ho tsea t w i t h w i n s over Ronnie Wiseman 7-5, Tony Crosby 7 - 6 , R i c h i e Richeson 7-4 and then in the hotseat match a w i n o v e r James Roberts 7-2.

On the one loss side Tony Crosby was looking very determined and after dropping a hill hill match to Deuel earlier he would go onto record wins over Bill Dunsmore 7-4, Julio Aquino (tour points leader) 7-6, Jason Richko 7-3, Richie Richeson 7-4 and a semi final win over James Robertsw 7-6.In the final Deuel would take a 2-0 lead only for Crosby to level it and stay level trading games till it got to 4-4 Deuel would scratch on the break and Crosby would run out and never look back as he broke and ran the next game and would stay in control and take the match 9-6 with first place money of $650.1st $650 Tony Crosby 2nd $400 Corey Deuel3rd $300 James Roberts4th $200 Richie Richeson 5/6 $100 Jason Richko, Ronnie Wiseman7/8 $85 Julio Aquino, Dave Ross The $700 Added Amateur event would draw another full field. We had to close the field at this event to 64 players due to only 10 tables for match play. The field also was a big draw for Junior players with 9 taking advantage of reduced entry fees and also 6 ladies.Tony Pete would come out on top of this strong 64 man field and go onto be only the 2nd player this season to win 2 events along with Albert Howe. Albert Howe was looking like taking his 3rd title of the year as he put himself in the hotseat with wins over Brenden Sorrentino, Matt Bauris and points leader Mark Wathen, Tim Heath and a hotseat match win over Rich Johnson 6-2.On the one l o s s s i d e Tony Pe te w o u l d w i n 5 matches in a row to get himself back to the final to play Howe. Pete was in no mood to let Howe extend his winning s t r e a k t o 3 and went onto take this match 7-4 in the single race final. Pete is now level with Howe on 2 wins each for the season this also has made the points race for Amateur player of the year a little tighter.1st $600 Tony Pete 2nd $400 Albert Howe 3rd $300 Rich Johnson 4th $200 Tim Heath 5/6 $125 Mike Clay, Prescott Buckwold 7/8 $80 Mike Delawder, Jarred Schlaugh9-12 $65 Johnny Aguilar, Mark Wathen, Chip Dickerson, Richie PearsallTop Juniors: $20 Taz Naravane, Tevin Young Top Ladies: $20 Jessica Barnes, Cassidy Mulligan

Corey Deuel, Tony Crosby

Albert Howe, TJ - Room Owner, Tony Pete

Crosby & Pete Take Down TJ’s

by Skip MaloneyDennis “The Hatchetman” Hatch captured his sixth consecutive Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour victory the weekend of March 7-8. This $1,500-added event, with a total purse of $4,620, drew 39 entrants and was hosted by Cap’s Cue Club in Syracuse, NY.From among the winners’ side final four, Hatch defeated Dan Heidrich 9-2. Jose Mendez, in the meantime, was busy sending Dave Grau west 9-4. Hatch gained the hot seat with a 9-4 win over Mendez and waited, as it turned out, for Grau.On the one-loss side, Dennis Hatch’s uncle, Mark Hatch, after wins over Bucky Souvanthong and Andrew Attard, was waiting for Heidrich. Dan Doerner, after defeating John Morra and Jason Michas was there to meet Grau. Heidrich survived a hill-hill battle versus Mark Hatch, as Grau got past Doerner 9-7. Grau dropped Heidrich into fourth place with a 9-3 win and then defeated Mendez 9-2 in the semifinals.In the true double-elimination finals that ensued, Grau handed Hatch the only set defeat he’d experienced since his five-match winning streak began in October of last year. Grau took the opening set of those finals 9-5. Hatch, however, returned the favor and bested Grau by the same score in the second set to complete his sixth straight tour win.Dennis “The Hatchetman” Hatch captured his sixth consecutive Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour victory the weekend of March 7-8.1st $1200 Dennis Hatch2nd $800 Dave Grau3rd $620 Jose Mendez4th $500 Dan Heidrich5th $350 Dan Doerner, Mark Hatch7th $200 Jason Michas, Andrew Attard 9th $100 Mike Zuglan, John Morra, Bucky Souvanthong, Dan Cee

Another for Hatch

Aiming With Your Bridge HandApril 2009 page 10

Samm Diep

Bob Jewett

By: Bob Jewett

What part of your body do you aim with? You might say your eye, but your bridge is actually more important in the process than what you see. World Champion Irving Crane had an aiming demo he did in exhibitions. He would set up a spot shot -- object ball on the foot spot and the cue ball behind the head string -- using a goodfirm bridge and a solid stance. Before he shot, he would look completely away from the shot, take

the stick out of his bridge, point it off towards the audience, and then without looking back at the cue ball, he would put the cue back in his bridge and shoot the shot. He didn’t have to see the shot to aim.The point I’m making is that if your bridge is in the right place, shots are easy -- you can shoot them blindfolded. The other side of this is that if your bridge is in the wrong place, it will be very hard for you to make anything. You aim with your bridge.I’ve seen lots of beginners who during aiming will realize they are hitting the object ball too much to one side. They try to correct the error

without moving their bridge hand by swingingthe back of the stick over so it’s pointed along the right line. This causes several problems, including getting side spin on the cue ball that’s not really necessary. What they should do is move their brige hand to the appropriate side and make sure the stick is lined up through the center of the cue ball. Changing your aim really consists of moving your bridge hand the right amount. It’s remarkable how many players don’t realize this fact that’s obvious once it’s pointed out. This idea is probably aleady at work in your aiming routine, but if you find unwanted side spin on the cue ball on lots of shots, you should check on how you get the stick in position for the shot. After moving your bridge hand, do you always recenter on the cue ball?There is one particular shot where the idea of aiming with the bridge hand is particularly helpful: the break shot. For smash breaks, you need to be pretty accurate on the hit, but usually your

stance is higher to get more power and your mechanics are stretched to the limit of stability. Aim with your bridge. Suppose you are breaking from the side rail, which is a popular break at nine ball and sometimes used at eight ball. Aim at the head ball with your normal best aiming stance, which for most people is with the chin near the cue. Use the type of rail bridge which brings your thumb along side the cue stick and on the left side of the stick for right-handed players. Straighten your thumb a little so that your thumbnail is pressed against the shaft of the cue stick, and loop your index finger over the top of stick. The thumb, if held firmly in place after your careful aiming, will provide precise aim for the break shot. As long as you planted your thumb solidly on the cushion, you can raise up to break stance and still have perfect aim. On the power stroke, pay most attention to bringing the cue stick straight through the center of the cue ball; there is no need to look at the object ball.The diagram shows the break position. The “thumbnail guide” bridge will also work if you are breaking from the middle of the table, but the cue ball will have to be close to the head cushion. One other suggestion for the break shot: Aiming as above should improve the accuracy of your hit on the head ball, and you should nearly always be aiming to hit the head ball full. If you are consistently off to one side after “thumbnail aiming”, there are two ways to fix the problem. The long-term fix it to work on either your aim or your mechanics to make the shot you get the shot you planned and set up for. The quick fix, which I’d recommend you try in tournament situations where your opponent isn’t going to give you ten practice breaks, is to aim for something other than a full ball hit on the head ball. In the rack shown, if you consistently hit on the right side of the one ball -- which tends to scratch into the side pocket -- aim for something to the left. For a little change in the aim, you could line up to the right edge of the nine ball. For more change, in case your fundamentals have serious issues, you could aim full ball at the nine ball.

A Pool Player’s Guide to Savvy Air Travel

By Samm Diep, PoolTipJar.com © March 2009

Tournament season is in full force and Vegas Nationals are just around the corner. With the soaring prices of fuel these days, more and more people are choosing to fly to events instead of drive. When flying, here are some useful tips for hassle-free traveling:As pool players, it’s safe to assume that if you’re flying to a tournament with your cues, you will be checking a bag, no questions. The days of carrying our cues on the plane are behind us. To make sure your cues arrive where you do, always get to the airport AT LEAST one hour prior to boarding. Depending on the airport, you may want to arrive even earlier.Checking in

♦ Most airlines currently charge a $15 fee to check your first bag and an additional $25 fee for the second. If you haven’t already, you may want to invest in an oversized duffle that will fit both your cues and clothes together. [see SammsPocket.com for an assortment]

♦ Make sure none of your bags are over 50 pounds. There’s typically a charge for that too.

♦ If you’re connecting, confirm that your bags are checked in all the way to your final destination.

♦ Check in online whenever possible. Just about every airline offers online check-in within 24 hours before your flight time. Even if you don’t have a printer, you can usually (re)print your boarding pass when you arrive at the ticket counter to drop off your bag(s).

♦ Have your photo ID out of your purse/wallet from the time you arrive at the airport until after you get through security.

♦ If you checked in online, you still want to (re)confirm the departing gate number with the ticket agent after checking your bag(s).

♦ Once you’ve checked your bag(s) in and they’re confirmed on the flight – Now, RELAX… You should still try to get to your gate on time, but don’t panic if the security line is a mile long. It’s unlikely that the plane will take off with your bags on board without you. They’ll generally page you until you get to the gate.

Security♦ Try to wear comfortable, slip on shoes that are easy to remove.

Please wear socks.♦ Have your boarding pass and ID out and ready when entering the

security line.♦ Make sure you do not have

any liquids/gels over 3 oz with you.

♦ Once your boarding pass and ID have been checked, put away your ID (you don’t need it again) but keep your boarding pass out.

♦ Get your electronics out and in a bin alone.

♦ Your shoes, belt, and jacket can go into a separate bin together.

♦ Cell phone, loose change, watches, keys, etc. can all go together in one of the smaller bins.

♦ Make sure you zip up and secure all your bags before placing them on the conveyer belt.

(continued on page 13)

April 2009 page 11Robb Saez Takes Down RaxxOn Sunday March 8th, the Blaze Pro-Am 9-Ball Tour brought 43 of the Northeast’s toughest pool players out to Raxx Pool Room in West Hempstead, NY for their fifth stop of the 2009 season. Raxx Pool Room and Grill has 29 beautiful AMF tables with royal blue Simonis 860 cloth and is an enjoyable room to play at. Some of the top names to turn out for this event were Shaun Wilkie, Mika Immonen, Eddie Abraham, Matt Krah, Robb Saez, and Ignacio Chavez. This Blaze stop was also attended by two of the area’s top female players, WPBA pro Caroline Pao and Erin McManus.The f i f th Blaze stop saw great performances from many of the players, but it was Robb Saez who pulled ahead of this tough pack to win the event.One of the surprises of this event was that current #1 world-ranked player, Mika Immonen, did not make it to the money rounds. Although he played well, Immonen took two losses to Shaun Wilkie (7-4) and Ignacio Chavez (7-3).A less-common face on the Blaze Tour, Jamie Gremmo, turned out at Raxx with a solid 7/8 finish. Gremmo faced Robb Saez on the one-loss side, but could not get into his comfort zone, losing 7-3.Waiting in the hot seat for Robb Saez was 21-year-old Adam Kielar from Quakertown, PA. In this feature match, Adam came back from being down 5-3 in the set and pulled out the clutch win.Amazingly, this win marked Kielar’s fourth consecutive appearance in the finals of the Blaze Tour. In the semi-final match, Robb Saez would avenge

his winner’s side loss to Eddie Abraham, winning by the same score of 7-5 to move him into the finals.

In the finals, it was a match-up of between the up-and-coming phenom vs. the battle-tested road warrior. This was a true double-elimination format, so Robb Saez would have to defeat Adam Kielar two sets, both races to six.In the first set, Robb pulled out a strong 6-3 win, to close the gap to one final race to six to determine the winner. In the first game of the second set, Robb makes a error in misjudging the rails as he made the 3-ball and sent the cue ball three rails around the table before barely scratching. This gave Adam ball in hand, which he took advantage of to run out and take a 1-0 lead in the short race to 6 games. Adam and Robb then traded games back and forth until Rob pulled ahead to the hill 5-3. Adam

won the following game, and with the score 5-4, Robb scratches on the break, giving Adam an opportunity to tie the match 5-5. However, Adam had an uncharacteristic miss on the 4-ball, allowing Robb to take the win.Congratulations to Robb Saez and Adam Kielar, as well as all the players that turned out for this event, for their outstanding play.1st $1325 Robb Saez2nd $725 Adam Kielar3rd $475 Eddie Abraham 4th $200 “The Mexican” Ignacio Chavez $2005/6 $150 “Get Some” Shaun Wilkie, “Alaska” Sean Morgan 7/8 $100 Kenny Rutman, Jamie Gremmo

Robb Saez, Owner Holdin Chin, Adam Kielar

The Dominiak Cues Northeast Amateur 10-Ball Tour stop #5 was held on Saturday March 28th hosted by Mark Kulungian at his popular Pool Table Magic in Windsor Locks, CT. A strong field of 28 players from throughout the northeast made the trek from Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York and Massachusetts in attempt to capture the title of the 5th $500 added cash & prizes Dominiak Cues tour stop.Many tour regulars were in attendence including Kevin Blackstock, Art Houghtaling, Chuck Hill, Ben Gauthier, Tom Acciavatti, Al Yagmin, Gene Hunt, Rogers Hill, Rodney Polak, Joe Sobowicz, Tim Haley and Dana Kroll. This tour stop saw many new faces in attendence as well, we welcomed Ken DeBroske, Ben Edwin, Casey Francis, Jason Noble, Jeff Michaud, Chris Grader and a host of other new players to the tour. The lone woman in the field taking advantage of the free entry for women was Dena Brayson, some of the guys would have rather seen Dena stay home as she sent many on their way earlier than they planned.The double elimination format would see Al Yagmin make his way through top half of the winners side brackets to the hot seat match with a bye in the opening round then wins over tour photographer Rob Francoeur, Gene Hunt and Kevin Blackstock. Next up for Al in the hot seat match was Chuck Hill who made his way through the bottom half of the winners

Kevin Blackstock, room owner Mark Kulugian, TD Kevin Vidal, Chuck Hill

side with victories over Greg Anzelotti, Ben Edwin, Tim Haley and Casey Francis. In a hard fought match it was Chuck Hill taking this match for a spot in the race to 5 finals.Meanwhile making his way steadily through the 1 loss side of the chart and battling to win some hill/hill matches after a first round loss was Rogers Hill, but Kevin Blackstock had the finals in his sights and defeated Rogers Hill and Al Yagmin to meet up with Chuck Hill in the finals. The finals match would be a closely contested battle, but Chuck Hill made some nice outs when he needed to, and a couple of fantastic full ball jump shots to get out and take home his 2nd tour stop title!Tour stop #5 saw a new co-sponsor of the tour aboard! We would like to thank www.LeagueShirts.com for their sponsorship and designing our new tour

T’s and generously adding them into our prize pool through the remainder of this season and the upcoming 2010 season.All amateurs are encouraged to come out and play on the tour. All league players are eligible as well as all non-pro players. All Women and Juniors (under 18) recieve free entry and only pay $10 table time.Info for the tour can be found on www.DominiakCuesTour.com .1st $245 Chuck Hill + New $320 Dominiak Cue2nd $175 Kevin Blackstock + Tour T-Shirt3rd $105 Al Yagmin4th $70 Rogers Hill5/6 $50 Ken DeBroske, Casey Francis

Chuck Hill Tops the Field

Photo by Padi O’Rourke courtesy of TotalPool.info

school session for their enrolled students then put on a trick shot exhibition and finally Jonathan Castillo played Johnny Archer in a race to 7 exhibition match.

April 2009 page 12

On The Snap Billiards in Fuquay Varina, North Carolina hosted the sixth stop on the 2008-2009 Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour March 7-8. A nineteen-player field turned out for the $1000 guaranteed added Main Event in which Keith Bennett defeated Mike Davis, earning $1000 for his first win on the Jacoby Tour.

In the Main Event, Davis had a bye in the first round, and continued to the hotseat.Meanwhi le, Bennett started the tournament with a couple of wins before his loss to Mike Davis (7-3) sent him west. From that point through to the f inal match, only one player would get more than one game against Bennett. In the final match, a

single race to nine, Davis won the lag and pushed out. Bennett played a semi-masse to pocket the 2-ball and run out. Davis ran the last seven balls in the second rack and ran the next two racks to take a 3-1 lead. Midway through the thirteenth rack, Davis missed and Bennett took control, clearing the table. Two break-and-runs later and it was over. Final score: 9-6.Rock City Promotions wishes to extend special thanks to the staff and ownership of All Star Billiards and to OB-1 Cues for supporting the Jacoby Tour.

Bennett in it to Win

Doug Ennis (tournament director), Keith Bennett, Mike Davis, Billy Wood (room owner)

Jonathan Castillo is at home in a pool hall, practicing shot after shot for hour after hour as his father watches. Just 14 years old, he plays in tournaments across several states and already has sponsors.He gets his cue sticks, including one worth $1,500, from a company called KwikFire. He wears a watch company logo. And he has a Rockaway Billiards shirt, because that's where he first learned to play pool, and where he said older players nurture his interest in the game.Jonathan, an eighth-grader at Dover Middle School, will play an exhibition match this evening at Rockaway Billiards, starting at 7 p.m., against Johnny Archer, one of the top pool players in the world. Next week, he'll play in a national tournament in Pennsylvania, called the Super Billiards Expo, where he previously placed fifth in the 14-and-under category. He expects to play in a junior national championship tournament later this year in Minnesota.He met Archer last year at a tournament in Syracuse but doubts the older player would remember his name. But Jonathan knows a lot about Archer."He has a powerful break, a good positional player," Jonathan said.Jonathan studies the game's best players, reading about them in magazines, watching them on TV and at tournaments. His keen interest in the game led to the KwickFire endorsement last year, according to Mary Deininger, his stepmother. "She was impressed with his charisma and dedication," Deininger said.Jonathan first played pool at Rockaway Billiards four years ago when his parents were looking for something to do. Roberto Castillo, Jonathan's father, knew his son was serious about the game weeks later when he asked how to get a cue ball to do what you want it to do. Jonathan said playing pool has helped him in other areas.His parents say he's a good student, and he plans to attend the MorrisCounty School of Technology's Academy of Networking and Information Technology next year."I know you can't live off of pool," Jonathan said.So he's thinking about a career in computer networking, and dreaming about continuing to play pool, hoping someday to be able to compete against some of the best players. Eventually, he said, he'll need a nickname, like the most serious pool players. "We're still waiting for the right one," Roberto Castillo said. Copyright 2009 Daily Record. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Here Come the LegendsThe weekend of March 15th, the Legends & Champions Pool School visited Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway NJ.Johnny Archer and Nick Varner conducted a pool

(l to r) Nick Varner with Jonathan Castillo

Photo by Padi O'Rourke courtesy of TotalPool.info

Jordan Pool Room just completed another season of the Handicap Straignt Pool League. This league had twelve fantastic players and the season lasted 3 months. Jordan Pool Room will be holding another Straight Pool session soon. Also, Jordan would like to welcome the newest BCA Team, “Cue-Tips” to the Thursday night 8 Ball League. And a special thanks to league photographer Angel Geigel for a job well done. Straight Pool League Results1st Devon Cataldi $500.002nd Justin Romanot $250.003rd Tony Cataldi $120.004th Eric Walz $60.005th Bill Miller $30.00

Devon Cataldi

Straight Pool Season

1st $1,000 Keith Bennett2nd $500 Mike Davis3rd $200 Mark Boren

4th $100 Cary Dunn5/6 $75 Johnny Griffin Chris Vollmar

April 2009 page 13

♦ Keep your boarding pass with you!♦ Do not walk through the metal detector until you see the last of

your items enter the x-ray machine.Special Needs

♦ If you suffer from motion sickness, make sure you take and pack (conveniently in a carry-on bag) your air sickness pills.

♦ If you are susceptible to catching colds, make sure you take your Airborn and stock up on vitamin C and zinc approximately 2-24 hours prior to airport exposure.

o You may also want to carry anti-bacteria wipes with you. o Keep your hands clean.o Avoid unnecessary contact with your eyes, ears, and nose.o Try to practice good basic hygiene.

General♦ Use a list when packing to help ensure you don’t forget anything

before and after.♦ Clean out your pool case! You should consider doing this often

anyway but it will definitely help reduce any unnecessary weight. Also, get change/tokens at the tournament. This will also help keep the weight to a minimum.

♦ Bring an extra bag. Find a lightweight duffle or backpack that can fold up and fit into your luggage. Be prepared in the event that your luggage is overweight or you bring some extras back with you.

♦ Once you get through security, check the gate assignment again before walking all the way there and realizing that it’s changed.

♦ Try to wear clothes with pockets. They come in handy.♦ If you need a pillow or blanket, make sure you grab one or ask for

one as soon as you board. Supplies are usually limited.♦ Dress in layers. It can get chilly on the plane.♦ Dress comfortably. You’ll be sitting in whatever you’re wearing for

the next couple hours, or longer.♦ Don’t forget to pack your music, books, games, pillow, snacks, and

any other essentials.♦ And, of course, never leave your personal belongings unattended

and always check to make sure you haven’t left anything behind where ever you stop.

There you have it! Now you’re a savvy flyer. We’ll see you in Vegas!Please be sure to visit PooltiPJar.com. You can take polls, view article archives, and read tournament and training updates.samm DieP, “cherry bomb” house Pro at mile NiNe iN aurora, coloraDo

author of “you might be a D Player if… (101 classic moves that all Pool Players caN aPPreciate)” visit: www.sammsPocket.com, fuN & uNique ProDucts for Pool Players

also check out: PooltiPJar.com raNDom smatteriNgs of Pool thoughts & articles

www.pooldawg.com

On The Snap Billiards in Fuquay Varina, NC was the site of our highest turnout yet! Players fought it out for nine hours, coming from as far away as Asheville to shoot in the sixth stop of the Stick Built Tour to Benefit Habitat for Humanity on March 15, 2009. Due to the higher t u r n o u t , C u e Sport Promotions w a s a b l e t o offer more than the guaranteed minimum payouts and added three payout spots to pay down to sixth place! On The Snap Billiards is a relatively new hall with 10 full size tables (all Diamonds), a full bar and food menu, and great staff. It was a great place to play. So great, in fact, that it is now the new location for our end of tour Tournament of Champions. As soon as we saw the high quality equipment at On The Snap, we knew it would be the perfect place to hold the TOC. So come out on April 5th and watch our top eight players compete for a winner-take-all $500 prize!The final six players at stop six were Johnny Griffin, Tony Williams, Daniel Hill, Jerry Hilton, Andy Moore, and Adrian Warden. Warden and Moore took sixth and fifth respectively. Fourth went to Jerry Hilton, and Tony Williams, after being handed a hard 5-1 defeat at the hands of Daniel Hill, left with third.Hill left the loser’s bracket to face

an undefeated Griffin in the finals. Griffin played strong, as we’ve come to expect, and took the first two games in the race to five. In the third game both players struggled

through the first exchange un t i l Johnny went on a run and cleared the table to make it 3-0. Griffin came up dry on his break but Hill handed it back to him after missing a tough combo. Griffin ran with it for a 4-0 lead.Griff in broke on rack five, running two balls until a miss gave it back to Hill. Hill missed on a difficult shot,

handing it right back again. Griffin was forced to play defense on Hill. Hill managed to get out of it but couldn’t run out. Griffin pocketed his last ball but rattled the eight. Hill closed the game out, putting his first win of the match on the board.Hill pocketed three balls before letting Griffin shoot. Griffin ran it down to one ball but failed to put it in, letting Hill shoot again. Hill took full advantage, running out to make it 4-2. A dry break on rack seven gave Griffin an opportunity to close the match. Griffin missed, but Hill did too, handing it back to Griffin who closed it out 5-2, taking his third 1st place finish in the tour! Congratulations to Johnny Griffin!Thanks to everyone for playing, to On the Snap for hosting stop six, and to our sponsor Poison Billiards for helping to make it all possible.

Johnny Griffin

Hunter Lombardo and Matt Bauries won the open and amateur events, respectively, of the J. Pechauer Southeast 9-Ball Tour stop the weekend of February 28-March 1.Main Event): 1st $740 Hunter Lombardo2nd $450 Tommy Kennedy3rd $350 Rich Johnson4th $250 Jim Sandaler5/6 $150 Adam Wheeler, Tony O’DonnellAmateur/semi pro event:1st $465 Matt Bauries2nd $325 Jeff Mabry 3rd $225 Trevor Moore4th $125 Prescott Buckwold5/6 $75 Rich Johnson, Mel Lowe7/8 $50 Tony O’Donnell, Todd AndersonHighest Senior finisher received $ 50 Larry CharbonnetHighest Lady finisher recieved $25 Shirley JacobsenHighest Junior finisher received $ 25 Shane Yurku s(Also active Military)Local non-profit charity of Mississippi received $ 25.00

(continued from page 10)

Lombardo and Bauries on Top Habitat for Humanity Benefit

Savvy Air Travel

Cal

l Fir

st -

All

Tou

rnam

ents

are

su

bje

ct t

o c

han

ge

wit

ho

ut

no

tice

April 2009 page 14

DATE CITY LOCATION PHONE EVENT / RULES ENTRY ADDED TIMEApr 3-5 Atlanta, GA Mr Cues 2 (770) 454-7665 Seminole Florida Pro Tour Call $3,000 CallApr 4-5 W. Hempstead, NY Raxx Pool Room & Grill (518) 356-7163 Joss North East Tour $100 $2,000 CallApr 4 Sunnyside, NY Master Billiards Cafe (718) 706-6789 Tri State Tour B-C-D Call $750 Call Apr 4-5 Rock Hill, SC Breakers Sports Bar & Grill (803) 325-2091 Great Southern Billiard Tour Call $1,500 guar CallApr 5 Raleigh, NC New York Billiards (919) 872-6699 Stick Built 8-Ball Tour Call 1:00 PMApr 5 Ft Pierce, FL Ultimate Billiards (772) 464-7665 10-Ball Race to 7 $25 (incl g.f.) 1:00 PMApr 11-12 Spring Hill, FL Capone’s Billiards kfcuetour.com KF Cues 9-Ball Tour $50 (incl gf) $1,600 Log onApr 11-12 Raleigh, NC Browns Billiards (919) 878-9092 8-Ball Handicap $50 (incl gf) $1,000 NoonApr 11-12 Bayside, NY Cue Bar (718) 631-2646 Predator 9-Ball Tour Call $1,000 CallApr 11 Largo, FL Side Pockets (727) 518-2608 Tiger Bay Area Amateur Call $500 CallApr 12 Ft Pierce, FL Ultimate Billiards (772) 464-7665 Billiards Race to 9 pts $20 (incl g.f.) 3:30 PMApr 12 Woburn, MA Silver Cue Billiards (978) 836-6818 New England 9-Ball B-C-D Call CallApr 12 Worcester, MA London Billiards londonbilliards.com Dominiak 10-Ball Tour $35 $500 NoonApr 18-19 Albany, NY Golden Cue Billiard Lounge (518) 356-7163 Joss North East Tour $100 $2,000 CallApr 18-19 Goldsboro, NC Fast Eddie’s Sports Bar (252) 908-0754 Jacoby Carolina Tour Call $1,000 CallApr 18-19 W. Hempstead, NY Raxx Pool Room & Grill (516) 538-9896 Predator 9-Ball Tour A-B-C-D Call $1,000 CallApr 18 Edison, NJ Sandcastle Billiards (732) 632-9277 Tri State Tour A-B-C-D Call $750 CallApr 18-19 Midlothian, VA Diamond Billiards (804) 797-8787 Great Southern Billiard Tour Call $1,500 guar Call Apr 18-19 Sayreville, NJ Primetime Sports Bar (732) 721-6555 JPNEWT Call $1,500 CallApr 19 Ft Pierce, FL Ultimate Billiards (772) 464-7665 One Pocket Race to 3 $25 (incl g.f.) 1:00 PMApr 24 Kokomo, IN Ryno Room (765) 868-8171 8-Ball Ryno Cup - Race to 3 $40 1 PMApr 25 Kokomo, IN Ryno Room (765) 868-8171 One Pocket - Race to 3 $40 1 PMApr 26 Kokomo, IN Ryno Room (765) 868-8171 Straight Pool - CSI Qualifier $40 1 PMApr 24-26 Holiday, FL Hammerheads (727) 939-9494 Seminole Florida Pro Tour Call $6,000 CallApr 25-26 Parsippany, NJ Comet Billiards (518) 356-7163 Joss North East Tour $100 $2,000 CallApr 25 E. Rutherford, NJ Castle Billiards (201) 933-6007 Tri State Tour B-C-D Call $500 CallApr 26 Ft Pierce, FL Ultimate Billiards (772) 464-7665 9-Ball Race to 7 $25 (incl g.f.) 1:00 PMApr 26 Springfield, MA Snookers Billiards snookersbilliards.com Dominiak 10-Ball Tour $35 $500 NoonMay 2-3 Providence, RI Snookers Billiards (518) 356-7163 Joss North East Tour $100 $2,0000 callMay 2-3 Holiday, FL Hammer Heads Billiards kfcuetour.com KF Cues 9-Ball Tour $50 (incl gf) $1,600 Log onMay 2-3 Raleigh, NC Browns Billiards (919) 878-9092 Browns 8-Ball Teams $150 (incl gf) $1,000 NoonMay 2 Sunnyside, NY Master Billiards Cafe (718) 706-6789 Tri State Tour B-C-D Call $750 CallMay 2-3 Fairfield, OH Micheal’s Billiards (513) 860-0044 Great Southern Billiards Tour Call $1,500 guar CallMay 3 Somersworth, NH Buster’s Billiards (978) 836-6818 New England 9-Ball/10-Ball Call $150 CallMay 3 Ft Pierce, FL Ultimate Billiards (772) 464-7665 10-Ball Race to 7 $25 (incl g.f.) 1:00 PMMay 9-10 Pittsfield, MA Casey’s Billiard Emporium caseysbilliards.com Dominiak 10-ball Tour $50 NoonMay 9 E. Rutherford, NJ Castle Billiards (201) 933-6007 Tri State Tour A-B-C-D Call $500 CallMay 10 Ft Pierce, FL Ultimate Billiards (772) 464-7665 Billiards Race to 9 pts $20 (incl g.f.) 3:30 PMMay 16 Latham, NY Diamond 8 Billiards (518) 786-8048 NCS 14.1 Continuous Qualifier $60 CallMay 16-17 Rocky Mount, NC Sharks-N-Shooters (252) 908-0754 Jacoby Carolina Tour Call $1,000 CallMay 16-17 Greenville, SC Palace Billiards (864) 234-0428 Great Southern Billiard Tour Call $1,500 guar CallMay 16-17 E. Rutherford, NJ Castle Billiards (201) 933-6007 JPNEWT Call $1,500 CallMay 16 Tampa, FL Strokers Billiards (813) 814-2277 Tiger Bay Area Amateur Call $500 CallMay 17 Ft Pierce, FL Ultimate Billiards (772) 464-7665 One Pocket Race to 3 $25 (incl g.f.) 1:00 PMMay 23-24 Parsippany, NJ Comet Billiards (973) 334-7429 Predator 9-Ball Tour Call $1,000 CallMay 23-24 New York, NY Amsterdam Billiard Club (212) 496-8180 Tri State Tour B-C-D Call $1,000 CallMay 23-25 Springhill, FL Capone’s Billiards (352) 688-9965 Seminole Florida Pro Tour Call $6,000 CallMay 24 Ft Pierce, FL Ultimate Billiards (772) 464-7665 9-Ball Race to 7 $25 (incl g.f.) 1:00 PMMay 24 Pittsfield, MA Casey’s Billiard Emporium (413) 212-6390 NCS 14.1 Continuous Qualifier $60 CallMay 30-31 Derby, CT Fat’s Billiards (203) 734-7713 NCS 14.1 Continuous Qualifier $60 CallMay 30-31 Egg Harbor Twsp, NJ Atlantic City Billiards (413) 212-6390 NCS 14.1 Continuous Qualifier Call Call May 30-31 Jacksonville, FL Bank Shot Billiards kfcuetour.com KF Cues 9-Ball Tour $65 (incl gf) $1,600 Log onMay 30-31 Allentown, PA Gallery Billiards (610) 841-4828 Predator 9-Ball Tour Call $1,000 CallMay 30 Edison, NJ Sandcastle Billiards (732) 632-9277 Tri State Tour B-C-D Call $500 CallMay 30-31 La Grange, GA Chalk It Up Billiards (706) 616-3541 Great Southern Billiard Tour Call $2,000 guar CallJun 6-7 Allentown, PA Buzzy’s Billiards (484) 554-9397 NCS 9-Ball Qualifier $50 CallJun 6-7 Ft Pierce, FL Ultimate Billiards (772) 464-7665 Treasure Coast Open Call $$$ CallJun 6-7 Sunnyside, NY Master Billiards Cafe (718) 507-1660 Tri State Tour A-B-C-D/Dbl Pts Call $1500 CallJun 13-14 Palm Harbor, FL Stroker’s Billiards (727) 786-6683 KF Cues 9-Ball $65/$50 $1600 CallJun 13-14 Kokomo, IN Ryno Room (765) 868-8171 NCS 9-Ball Qualifier $60 $1000 w/64 CallJun 14 Ft Pierce, FL Ultimate Billiards (772) 464-7665 Billiards Race to 9 pts $20 (incl g.f.) 3:30 PMJun 21 Manchester, CT World Championship Billiards (860) 647-1711 NCS 14.1 Continuous Qualifier $60 CallJun 21 Ft Pierce, FL Ultimate Billiards (772) 464-7665 One Pocket Race to 3 $25 (incl g.f.) 1:00 PMJun 27-28 Glen Burnie, MD Big Daddy’s Billiards (410) 760-1332 MD Open 14.1 Championships Call CallJun 27-28 Chattanooga, TN Diamond Billiard Club (423) 877-5882 GSBT A/B Amateur Call $1500 CallJun 28 Ft Pierce, FL Ultimate Billiards (772) 464-7665 9-Ball Race to 7 $25 (incl g.f.) 1:00 PMJul 18-19 Parsippany, NJ Comet Billiards (973) 334-7429 NCS 14.1 Continuous Qualifier $60 CallJul 18-19 Whitehall, PA Jordan Pool Hall (484) 554-9397 NCS 14.1 Continuous Qualifier $60 $500 w/32 CallAug 1-2 Derby, CT Fat’s Billiards (203) 734-7713 NCS 10-Ball Qualifier $60 $500 CallAug 8-9 Derby, CT Fat’s Billiards (203) 734-7713 NCS 9-Ball Qualifier $60 $500 CallAug 8-9 Whitehall, PA Jordan Pool Hall (484) 554-9397 NCS 10-Ball Qualifier $60 $500 w/32 CallAug 15-16 Kokomo, IN Ryno Room (765) 868-8171 NCS 10-Ball Qualifier $60 $1000 w/64 Call

Call to see how to get your tournament listed 406-285-3099Read Stroke online at www.strokemagazine.net

April 2009 page 15