The American CueSports Alliance (ACS) has teamed up with the Canadian Cue Sport Association (CCS) to update and standardize the Tournament Formats and Player Rankings between the two affiliated organizations.

For ACS, the biggest change is the adoption of a new top level ‘Advanced’ Division for all Events and a new ‘Advanced’ Player Ranking, which the CCS has used since its incorporation six years ago.

Here is a full summary of all the changes which will be effective for the 2011 ACS Nationals, May 7-14, at the Tropicana Las Vegas:

The American CueSports Alliance (ACS) has teamed up with the Canadian Cue Sport Association (CCS) to update and standardize the Tournament Formats and Player Rankings between the two affiliated organizations.

* The ACS will now offer Divisions categorized as Standard, Open and Advanced for all events – Singles, Scotch Doubles and Team – for both 8Ball and 9Ball, where applicable.
* There will no longer be a Division category labeled as Master in any event.

2. ‘Bump Up’ Ratio

* The player and team ‘bump up’ ratio for both the 8Ball Singles and 8Ball Team events will be set at 12% between Standard / Open and 12% between Open / Advanced.
* This ratio is being applied retroactively to 2005.

3. Player Rankings

* All players will be given a separate Singles Player Ranking and a Team Player Ranking of either C – Standard, B – Open, A – Advanced or M – Master.
* The Player Rankings will be based on the highest of their last 2 Performance Rankings in the 8Ball Singles event and the 8Ball Team event, as follows:

Advanced

(i) Finished in top 12% – M Master

(i) Finished in money but not top 12% – A Advanced

(ii) Finished out of money – B Open

Open

(i) Finished in top 12% – A Advanced

(ii) Finished in money but not top 12% – B Open

(iii) Finished out of money – C Standard

Standard

(i) Finished in top 12% – B Open

(ii) Finished in money but not top 12% – C Standard

(iii) Finished out of money – C Standard

* This means that there will now be a full performance history for every player who has played in these two events regardless of their finishes.
* Since your Player Ranking will be based on the highest of your last two finishes, any move up is immediate but the move down will only happen after you come back and finish out of the money in (2) consecutive appearances at the ACS Nationals.
* There will be no automatic dropdown for those with an M – Master Player Ranking.
* A Player’s Team Ranking cannot be lower than their Singles Ranking.
* The ACS will continue to recognize the Player Ranking Lists of both the VNEA and the BCAPL and ACS administration will have the right to assign Player Rankings based on KA – Known Ability.
* The ACS Player Ranking Records will be maintained in an online database accessible by everyone on both the ACS and CCS websites by September 1, 2010..

4. 8Ball Team Event Restrictions

* The above Team Player Rankings will be applied as follows:

Advanced – No restriction as to the number of A Advanced or M Masters players.

Open – Maximum (1) A Advanced player or (1) M Master player.

Standard – Maximum (1) B Open player. No A Advanced or M Master players.

5. 8Ball Entry Fees

* A progression has been given to the 8Ball Entry Fees between the Divisions:

Singles – Standard $125, Open $150, Advanced $175

Team – Standard $200, Open $300, Advanced $400

6. Original Member Rule

* The ‘Original Member Rule’ has been eliminated for all Advanced Team divisions.
* The ‘Original Member Rule’ has been eliminated for all Women’s Team divisions.
* The ‘3 Original Member Rule’ will remain in effect for Men’s/Mixed Standard and Men’s/Mixed Open Team divisions.
* The ‘Same League Rule’ will continue to be in effect for all Team events.

7. ACS Hotel Room Voucher Program

* The economic reality today for the ACS Nationals to remain in Las Vegas and be at a host property like the very desirable Tropicana, is that the majority of players must support the host property by staying there during the tournament.
* If they don’t, then the deal that the ACS struck with the Tropicana no longer works financially, the ACS would be subject to very severe financial penalties and any future Event would be in jeopardy.
* In dealing with this critical issue and to encourage players to stay at the Tropicana, the ACS Board felt it had no choice but to introduce a Hotel Voucher Fee with every entry to the ACS Nationals.
* So, if you stay at the Tropicana, the Hotel Room Voucher acts like a Room Deposit and you will have prepaid a part of your Room Bill.
* If you don’t stay at the Tropicana, the unredeemed Hotel Room Voucher will be used to help offset any financial penalties charged to the ACS by the Tropicana.
* The Hotel Room Voucher amount per Entry at the ACS Vegas 2011 Nationals are as follows:

$50 – Singles

$50 – Scotch Doubles

$75 – 9 Ball Team (3 player)

$100 – 8 Ball Team Womens (4 player)

$125 – 8 Ball Team Mens Mixed (5 player)

The ACS is very excited with the move to the Tropicana Las Vegas in early May and complete information and entry forms will be posted on the ACS website – www.americancuesports.org – by September 1, 2010.

ACS: www.americancuesports.org // Toll-free 1-888-662-1705

On July 24 & 25, Tables Steaks South (soon to be known as Billiards Ink) in Englewood, Colorado hosted the Denver 10-Ball Open and Cue Show. This inaugural $1,500 added event boasted 47 of the best players from across the state, including a couple from New Mexico and Ontario, Canada. Chris Byrne Custom Cues and many other local cue makers and vendors also took the opportunity to display their handcrafted work.

This inaugural $1,500 added event boasted 47 of the best players from across the state, including a couple from New Mexico and Ontario, Canada.

But once the tournament kicked off, the slimmer new healthier Hlavachek came alive and tore through the field to go undefeated into the finals. In the first match on Sunday, Hlavachek would send Bill Skinner to the B-side with a 7-4 victory. While there, the senior player eliminated Tony Piazza, Reuben Silva, and Kiko Ibarra for a chance at a rematch with Hlavachek.

Skinner came on strong claiming the first set 7-2. Now, in a shorter race to 5, it seemed he still had the momentum, taking the first game. The two kept it close, exchanging racks until 3-3 when Hlavachek pulled away to close out the set 5-3. “I’m excited. It feels good to win. This is something to improve on,” said the modest Hlavachek.

1st $1,330
Jay Hlavachek

2nd $640
Bill Skinner

3rd $330
Kiko Ibarra

4th $240
Reuben Silva

5/6th $150
Rick Field
Tony Piazza

7/8th $110
Nelson M
Chuey Rivera

9-12th $70
Mike D
Bill Meacham
Sam Cordova
ATM Andy

BROOMFIELD, Colo., July 27, 2010 — Francisco Bustamante, one of the most accomplished players to come out of the Philippines, has been elected for induction into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in voting conducted by the United States Billiard Media Association. Also, in the Meritorious Service, Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart, founders of the American Poolplayers Association league system in 1979, were elected for induction. Bustamante, 46; Bell, 66; and Hubbart, 69, will be formally inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame on Oct. 21 during ceremonies in conjunction with the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship in Chesapeake, Va.

Bustamante, one of the most accomplished players to come out of the Philippines, has been elected for induction into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in voting conducted by the United States Billiard Media Association

Bustamante finally garnered his first recognized world title in 2010, winning the WPA World 9-Ball Championship in Doha, Qatar. His strongest game is 9-ball, where his blockbuster break is legendary; although he is more than proficient at all the major games, as witnessed by his All-Around title at the 2008 Derby City Classic.

Upon hearing the news that he would be the second Filipino in the BCA Hall of Fame (after Efren Reyes’ 2003 induction), Bustamante was completely shocked.

“Really? I’m still young!” Bustamante said. “Two things that I always dreamed of were to be world champion and to be in the Hall of Fame. This year both dreams came true. We all dream to be in the BCA Hall of Fame, so I am very happy today. We are heroes in the Philippines, but for the American people to recognize me like this makes me very proud.”

Bell and Hubbart spent several years pouring all of their time and resources into developing the APA and its franchise system.

Bell and Hubbart spent several years pouring all of their time and resources into developing the APA and its franchise system. With the support of sponsorship from Busch beer as a title sponsor beginning in 1981, the APA grew from 1,000 to 100,000 members over the next decade. Their ability to garner such non-endemic national sponsorship allowed the APA to grow into a league that today has more than a 250 thousand players and 270 franchisees. As a matter of fact, the APA was listed earlier this year as one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s “10 Great Franchises For Less Than $20,000.”

“We were outcasts for a long time because we were looked at as competition,” Bell said. “But Larry and I just tried to build a business and do something worthwhile. We’ve always felt like we’ve done things that have helped the industry.”

Voting was conducted by the USBMA Hall of Fame Board, which consists of USBMA members, elected At-Large members and living members of the BCA Hall of Fame. Induction is awarded to the player named on the most ballots. A second player is elected if he or she is named on more than 70 percent of the ballots. Bustamante (56 percent) was the leading vote getter, edging out familiar foe Ralf Souquet (46 percent) and fellow Filipino Jose Parica (44 percent). No other players were named on more than a quarter of submitted ballots.

According to BCA Hall of Fame voting rules, this was the last year of eligibility for Parica and Jim Mataya in the Greatest Players category. Both individuals will be past the age of 60 in 2011, which means the Veterans Committee will consider them for possible induction in future years.

To be eligible for consideration in the Greatest Player category, a player a) must be 40 years old by Jan. 1 of the year of their induction; b) must have a professional playing career of at least 10 years; and c) must have recorded significant achievements in U.S.-based events.

Hubbart and Bell were placed on the general election ballot after the USBMA’s Board’s 10-member Meritorious Service Committee named them as its official nominee. Thirty-one of 39 board members voted to approve Hubbart and Bell, with a simple majority required for induction.

About Billiard Congress of America
Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through BCA leadership. The BCA seeks to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards though educational, marketing and promotional efforts, annual industry trade shows and other programs designed to encourage billiards as a lifestyle and make pool everybody’s game. For more information, visit www.bca-pool.com or call 303.243.5070.

Broomfield, Colo. – July 28, 2010 – During its general membership meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 13, 2010, the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) announced the results of the 2010-2011 Board of Directors elections, which are as follows:

Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through BCA leadership.

* Austin Rothbard (Brunswick Corporation), three-year term
* Elaine Gerber (Presidential Billiards, LP), three-year term
* Martin Bloom (Olhausen Billiard Mfg., Inc.), three-year term
* Thomas Rodgers (Robertson Billiard Supplies), three-year term

Category 2 (Retailer)

* Tony Stick (The Billiard Factory), three-year term

Category 3 (Room Operator)

* Nick Alexander (Clicks Billiards), three-year term

In follow-up elections, Ivan Lee (Iwan Simonis, Inc.) accepted a one-year term as BCA Board Chairman, as did each of the remaining seated officers: First Vice Chairman Karim Belhaj (Predator Group); Second Vice Chairman Kathy Vegh (Danny Vegh’s Billiards & Home); Secretary Skip Nemecek (Tweeten Fibre Co., Inc.); and Treasurer Mike Serra (MBS Group).

The remaining directors include: George Darafeev (Mikhail Darafeev, Inc.); Tom Gregory (Toltec Lighting); Danny Kuykendall (Danny K’s Billiards); Fred Cohen (D&R Industries/Championship LLC) and Eric Weber (CueStix International, Inc).

“I look forward to teaming with a very experienced and talented group of individuals who are committed the Billiard Congress of America and its mission to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards,” said Chairman Lee. “The additional representation from the table manufacturers is welcome and their support and input will be invaluable over the next three years.”

About Billiard Congress of America

BCA logo
Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through BCA leadership. The BCA seeks to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards through education, marketing and promotional efforts, an annual industry trade show, tournaments and other programs designed to encourage billiards as a lifestyle and make pool everybody’s games. For more information, please visit bca-pool.com or call 303.243.5070.

by Lea Andrews

Brian White, who earned his first Great Southern Billiard Tour victory in March, made an undefeated run through the tour’s July 25-26 stop to earn his second. The $1,500-added event, which was sponsored by Nick Varner Cues and Cases, brought 57 competitors to World Cup Billiards in Greenville, SC.

Brian White, who earned his first Great Southern Billiard Tour victory in March, made an undefeated run through the tour’s July 25-26 stop to earn his second.

On the left side of the bracket, recent winner Jordan Grubb, who’d suffered an earlier loss to White, moved past B-ranked John Thompson 9-3 and A-ranked Matt Mancini 9-6 to face Megia. Meanwhile, Josh Newman, a past winner who’d fallen to Megia, ousted B players Justin Price 9-5 and BEF Junior Nationals 14-and-Under Boys’ champion Billy Thorpe 9-5. Newman continued his quest for another first-place finish by planting King in fifth 9-3 to reach the quarterfinals against Grubb, who’d had his own 9-3 win over Megia. The two A players had a close battle, but it was Newman who advanced 9-7 to meet Cairnes in the semifinals. Newman’s smooth shutout earned him a ticket to the finals, while Cairnes settled for third.

The true double-elimination final match was, unfortunately for Newman, a replica of the stellar performances that White had put on the rest of the weekend. White gave it everything he had to earn his first-place finish by a decisive 11-5 margin.

Results:
1st Brian White $1,000
2nd Josh Newman $500
3rd Gary Cairnes $300
4th Jordan Grubb $200
5th Aaron Megia $125
David King
7th Matt Mancini $80
Billy Thorpe
9th John Thompson $45
Tony Morrison
Justin Price
Daniel Rutledge

Asia will be getting another huge event under its belt with the recent acquisition of the Predator International 10-Ball Championship. The 10th annual event is produced by Dragon Promotions and will take place at SM North Mall Edsa in Manila, Philippines on September 15-19,2010 right after the Predator Sweet Sixteen Tournament the day before. The Predator International 10-Ball Championship is the very first event The Predator Group had ever sponsored starting a decade ago and the oldest Dragon Promotions production.

Asia will be getting another huge event under its belt with the recent acquisition of the Predator International 10-Ball Championship.

“The Predator International Championship is the longest running Dragon Promotions event, and we can think of no place better than the Philippines to host it. The level on which Asia values the sport of billiards is higher than any other continent, and we feel this event belongs in that kind of environment”, explained Dragon Promotions CEO Cindy Lee on the huge decision to move the event.

“This is a class event. It’s one of the most well run and well organized events I’ve ever played in”, said Tony Drago, a former winner of the event.

Over 30 countries is estimated to be represented at this year’s event including Germany, India, Sweden, China, England, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Australia, Finland, Hong Kong, Norway, Pakistan, Mexico, Canada, Curacao, Venezuela, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Austria, Hungary, Netherlands, Italy, Malta, and the USA. Defending champion Dennis Orcullo of the Philippines will be one of the 96 world class pros from across the globe who will make their way to the far east to get a share of the $50,000+ prize fund. The event will take place over five days and will air live on ABS-CBN and re-broadcasted on Eurosport.

“The move to Asia is brilliant. The market is huge for us there and the event will attract even more people than when we hosted it in Las Vegas. Predator is committed to improvement on every level, and now thousands of fans will be able to watch it live in person and millions around the world through television. The players love this event and it has become a staple tournament in the pool world. We are proud to be able to continue this long tradition between the pro players and Predator”, said Predator Group CEO Karim Belhaj.

Dragon Promotions will also be handling the production finalization of The Predator Sweet Sixteen, the continuation of the Predator Group’s event from Spain earlier this year which was uncompleted due to traumatic weather conditions. The Sweet Sixteen event will be completed in the two days prior to the Predator International 10-Ball Championship, which Predator will be paying the flight and hotel costs for those sixteen players. Expenses paid and a chance to play in two big tournaments? A pretty sweet bonus for those qualified players.

” As a top pro player, being able to play in back to back events is a huge benefit. And the players love going to Asia to play! It’s the one place where it’s viewed as a real sport, and the pro players are treated like stars,” explains top 5 USA ranked Charlie Williams, who also founded Dragon Promotions. Williams continues, ” Looking back at the origins of the Predator International Championship, this thing started in a poolroom in Orlando ten years ago. Then it moved to Jacksonville where Predator headquarters is located. Then we moved it to Las Vegas. And now to a whole new world with global television and live broadcast. It’s really amazing to see how huge this event has grown.”

Fans and players who wish to attend the event can stay at the luxurious 4 star Crowne Plaza Hotel in the heart of Manila. The Crown Plaza Hotel is conveniently connected to the Robinson Mall full of restaurants, movie theatres and great shopping. Transportation will be provided daily to the venue. Dragon Promotions has blocked off a superb rate including the Crowne’s award winning breakfast buffet daily and free internet. Rate is $79 per night reserve online http://tinyurl.com/DPevent

For fans and players attending The World Mixed Doubles on September 4-6 and all the Predator events, the rates are good for September 3 – September 20, 2010
Fans and players can find info online at www.dragonpromotions.com and www.predator10ball.com .

Predator Group, an international billiards industry leader, is focused on bringing constant innovation and game-improving equipment to billiards players worldwide. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Predator Group’s core brands include Predator Cues – high-end (professional level) cues with revolutionary technology to enhance performance, Poison Billiards – recreational cues with cutting-edge designs and Predator engineering for best-in-class playability, and Uni-Loc® – precision billiards equipment manufacturer. For more information regarding Predator Group’s products, visit www.predatorgroup.com.

Dragon Promotions is one of the leading producers of billiard programming in the world today. Dragon produces over 40 events a year airing on networks in the Philippines, USA, Korea, India, and Europe such as ESPN, MBC ESPN, XTM, XPORTS, ABS-CBN,ESPN STAR, and Euro Sport. Events include The Women’s World 10-Ball Championship, The World 14.1 Championship, The Predator International 10-Ball Championship, King & Queen of Carom, Empress Cup, Pro Pool Schools, Women’s Trickshot Challenge, World Junior 10-Ball Championships, Korea vs USA, and many more. Dragon also manages some of the world’s best players including Mika Immonen, Shanelle Loraine, Mike Davis, Yu Ram Cha, Raj Hundal, , Rodney Morris, Charlie Williams, and many more.
Visit www.dragonpromotions.com or www.dragonpromotions.co.kr

Taylor Reynolds – Growing up in the Sport
The July/August 2010 online issue of Inside POOL Magazine, featuring teen pool player Taylor Reynolds as she grows up in the sport of billiards, has been made available for free viewing at InsidePOOLmag.com. This month the download features more banking secrets from new instruction writer Freddy “The Beard” Bentivenga along with tons of great new technology in online billiards magazine viewing such as enhanced clarity, Bonus Content, loads of videos, links to favorite web sites, flipping pages, zooming, emailing, sharing, and printing.

Taylor Reynolds grows up in the sport of billiards.

Taylor Reynolds graces our front cover for July/August 2010. Lee Van Corteza claims the Mezz Hard Times event and the U.S. Open 10-Ball. Dennis Orcollo wins the World Pool Masters in Las Vegas. “Rocket” Rodney Morris snaps off the Seminole Pro Tour event in Hollywood. See coverage of the APA National Singles Championships. Want to know what’s hot for Summer? Check out our Summer Buying Guide for Billiards. Get pool lessons from the top instructors in the world. Tom Simpson teaches us how to own the line. Jason Lynch shows us how to get a kick out of pool. Bob Henning gives us a lesson on knowing your limits. Freddy Bentivegna romances the stone while Matt Sherman teaches us that pacing beats chasing. Check out the APA Player of the Month and get to know the BilliardCommunity.com featured member. Get the latest regional billiard news from around the U.S. and internationally.

View the July/August 2010 issue of Inside POOL Magazine for Free

View in Hi-Res viewer for free

Inside POOL Magazine publishes both print and online versions of each issue. The online version is usually made available for FREE (without a membership) viewing and downloading around the second week of each month. If you would like to receive the print version of this wonderful magazine, please visit InsidePOOLmag.com to subscribe.

About Inside POOL Magazine
Inside POOL Magazine launched in 2001 and, with pool player-based content and high impact photography, quickly became the largest magazine in the world for the sport of billiards. The official web site, InsidePOOLmag.com, followed shortly after and became one of the largest web sites in billiards. The web site features videos, image galleries, pool lessons, custom Pool Cue makers, online games, player profiles, tournament brackets, live streaming video, rules, product reviews, and the latest billiard news from around the world.

by Suzanne Smith

Jana Montour came out on top of the July 17-18 stop of the Northwest Women’s Pool Association by going undefeated to take the title. A total of 27 ladies attended the event and represented Alberta, Washington, Colorado, and Oregon. Stixx and Stones Billiards in Bremerton, WA, was host to the event.

The weekend’s typically festive atmosphere was overshadowed by the loss of fellow player Martha Hartsell, who succumbed to cancer the previous week. In her memory, the NWPA will be hosting a memorial event every year starting in 2011 at The Cue Ball in Salem, OR.

Montour advanced over Shelby Locati 7-1 to advance to the hot seat match. There she met Kimberly Kirk, who had just bested Sandra Badger 7-5. Montour was able to best Kirk 7-3 and send her to the one-loss side while she waited for her last opponent.

One the west side, June Maiers bested Mary Hopkin 7-2, while Jackie Karol ousted Cindy Sliva 7-3. In turn they were eliminated by Badger 7-4 and Locati 7-5, respectively. Badger and Locati then squared off for a hill-hill bout that saw Badger earn a rematch with Kirk, who sent her to the left side earlier in the event. Badger was ready this time and defeated Kirk 7-2 to head to her first finals appearance in an NWPA event.

The final match was close initially as some uncharacteristic errors by Montour provided Badger with some early opportunities that she took advantage of. Though the score was knotted at 3 apiece, soon some missed chances saw Montour take a three-rack lead. Back and forth misses in the following game saw Badger bring the match within two games. But Montour again took every opportunity afforded in the next three racks to close out the match 9-4 and win her second stop of the year.

Jana Montour came out on top of the July 17-18 stop of the Northwest Women’s Pool Association by going undefeated to take the title.

by InsidePOOL Staff

George Osipovitch went unchallenged through the Tri-State Tour’s July 24 event to take top honors over Mark Alicea in the final match. The tour’s 24-player field was hosted by Edison Billiards in Edison, NJ, who vied for a piece of the $750-added purse.

Osipovitch sent Rick Shellhouse to the one-loss side after their 7-5 match in the winners’ side final four, while Duane Toney delivered Gary Murgia there as well 7-2. In the following hot seat match, it was a close call, but Osipovitch overcame Toney 7-5 and rested while he waited for his finals opponent.

Once on the west side, both Shellhouse and Murgia were eliminated quickly. Ken DeBroske ousted Shellhouse 7-5, and Alicea took care of Murgia 7-4. DeBroske and Alicea then faced each other in the quarterfinal match, which turned into a hill-hill nail-biter before Alicea edged out DeBroske 6-5. Alicea had fewer troubles with Toney, defeating him in third place 7-3. But he could not conquer Osipovitch, who won their final match by a decisive 6-2 score.

George Osipovitch went unchallenged through the Tri-State Tour’s July 24 event to take top honors over Mark Alicea in the final match.