The 2011 WPA World Artistic Pool Championship was held March 10th – 13th at the Allen Hopkins Super Billiards Expo in the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA. Thirty three finely tuned players from around the globe competed for 9 World Titles consisting of 8 World Artistic Pool Discipline Champions and 1 Overall World Artistic Pool Champion. The World Pool Billiard Association (WPA) sanctioned this prestigious event.

The 2011 WPA World Artistic Pool Championship was held March 10th – 13th at the Super Billiards Expo in the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.

The stellar group of artistic pool playing artists competed in eight skilled and varied disciplines of the sport as follows: Trick and Fancy, Prop / Novelty / Special Arts, Draw, Follow, Bank / Kick, Stroke, Jump, and Masse. In addition, a special Sportsmanship award was presented to one player selected by player vote. Over $15,000 in prize money was paid out. (See accompanying results)
The sport of Artistic Pool made billiard history once again as players in the semi – finals and finals were filmed for television in 3-D, which has never been done before. Center City Film and video did the production for Comcast, and it was absolutely amazing. Helping the film crew, I was fortunate to get a sneak preview back stage at several artistic pool shots the players were demonstrating for the cameras – balls jumping off the screen and players moving around the table in special depth perception effects via a process that created a totally awesome and unique viewing experience.

By Sunday the field was reduced to 4 players with Andy Segal (USA) vs. Gabi Visoiu (Romania) in one semi final match, and Tim Chin (USA) vs. Jamey Gray (USA) in the other semi final match. The finals found Jamey Gray and Andy Segal battling for the title. This head to head shootout started very close, but a little over half way through the match, you could tell that Andy was in dead stroke. Taking no chances Andy finished strong, leaving nothing in question as to who was the 2011 WPA World Artistic Pool Champion.

Players and fans alike had a wonderful time as they expressed special appreciation to Allen Hopkins for hosting this championship. Valued sponsors that made it all possible were Allen Hopkins Productions, Dr. Cue Promotions. Professor Q-Ball Promotions, the USBA, Simonis Cloth, Diamond, Mueller, Run Out Sportswear, and Crown Cues. A special thanks also goes out to the WPA Artistic Pool Division and APTSA boards and select player / staff members for their dedication and effort in making this event a complete success.

If anyone has an interest in becoming part of our growing artistic pool movement as a player, fan, or sponsor, please go to the official website for Artistic Pool – APTSA.US. Artistic Pool event and sport history, tour updates, membership options, special player and event features, and detailed information for the APTSA (Artistic Pool and Trick Shot Association) new tour initiatives program for 2011 and beyond can be found there.

by InsidePOOL Staff

Ralf “The Surgeon” Souquet collected a cool $20,000 for his first-place finish at the Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship, defeating Robb Saez for the second time in the finals. The four-day event attracted a 72-player field to the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA, which hosted the 19th Annual Super Billiards Expo.

Souquet collected a cool $20,000 for his first-place finish at the Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship, defeating Saez for the second time in the finals.

The morning’s matches featured Shane Van Boening trying to defend his title from the one-loss side by playing Dennis Hatch, another former winner of this event. Hatch didn’t have much of a chance against Van Boening, though, who quickly eliminated him in fourth place 10-3 to advance to the semifinals.

View the Super Billiards Expo image gallery

Meeting him there was Saez, who had just suffered his first loss to Souquet in the hot seat match 10-7. Saez and Van Boening had played the night before in the winners’ side final four, with Saez edging past him 10-9. Saez took an early 5-1 lead but let “The South Dakota Kid” back in the match at that point as the score reached 7-all. A kick shot put Saez up 8-7 and then a break and run-out earned him the hill. However, Van Boening had other ideas and broke and ran out the next game and then tied things up on the hill when Saez badly missed the 4 ball. It was a safety scuffle in the last rack, and it looked over for Saez when he flubbed the 2 ball. But Van Boening returned the favor by rattling the 4 ball, and Saez took that opportunity to clear the rest of the balls to win 10-9.

View the Super Billiards Expo tournament brackets

The finals were an extended single race to 13, with Souquet drawing first blood and going up 4-1. Saez was able to take the next two racks to draw within one game, but Souquet lengthened his lead again by going up 7-4. The match was filled with defensive moves throughout, and the score slowly progressed to 10-7 Souquet. A break and run-out by the German followed, and in the next Saez left an easy 3 ball after executing a dicey jump shot on the 2 ball. Souquet cleared that table to claim the hill. After the safety battle over the 1 ball it looked like the next would go to Saez, but he got out of line on the 7 ball and missed badly, leaving a simple out for Souquet, who won 13-8.

The event was live streamed in HD for free by Inside POOL video and will be available on the Inside POOL Youtube Channel later this week.

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by InsidePOOL Staff

All but 4 of the 72 players who entered the Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship have been eliminated. Sunday morning will see Ralf Souquet versus Robb Saez in the hot seat match, while Dennis Hatch battles Shane Van Boening in the quarterfinals. The $25,000-added event is one of the prime draws at the 19th Annual Super Billiards Expo.

The $25,000-added event is one of the prime draws at the 19th Annual Super Billiards Expo.

On the winners’ side in the afternoon round, Alex Pagulayan and defending champion Van Boening matched up to see who would advance to the final four on that side. Van Boening took a commanding 5-0 lead at the beginning but let “The Lion” come roaring back into the match to tie it at 5-all. Van Boening countered by taking the next three racks, but Pagulayan wouldn’t give up and fought to make it 9-8. However, a wide-open table in the final game gave Van Boening the opportunity he needed to win the match 10-8.

Also in that round, Saez bested Jason Klatt, Johnny Archer defeated Gabe Owen, and Souquet won over Stevie Moore. Van Boening ran into trouble in the next round against Saez, who edged him out 10-9 to advance to the hot seat match against Souquet, who had just defeated Archer 10-5.

View the Super Billiards Expo image gallery

The west side saw the end of all but two players by the end of the evening. Hatch, who suffered his first loss to Souquet, went through John Morra, Tony Robles, Jason Klatt, and Pagulayan to reach Archer. “The Hatchetman” took a commanding 7-1 lead before the seemingly weary Archer began chipping away and brought the score to 7-5. Hatch broke and ran out the next rack to inch closer to the goal, and though Archer had a chance in the following game, he hung the 7 ball in the corner pocket, and Hatch cleared the table to reach the hill. A last break and run-out for Hatch advanced him to the quarterfinals 10-5.

View the Super Billiards Expo tournament brackets

Hatch’s opponent will be Van Boening, who capped his evening off with a strong victory over Darren Appleton. After his loss to Jason Klatt, the 2010 Player of the Year buzzed through Thorsten Hohmann, Shawn Putnam, Stevie Moore, and Gabe Owen to reach Van Boening. Though Van Boening held the lead at the beginning of the match 7-4, Appleton fought his way back and drew within a game at 8-7. Van Boening took the hill but Appleton followed that up with a win to make it 9-8. A safety battle in the final rack ended with Appleton fouling, and Van Boening was left with ball in hand and an open table, which he ran out for the 10-8 win.

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by InsidePOOL Staff

It was a busy day at the Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship at the 19th Annual Super Billiards Expo. The field of 72 has been trimmed down considerably, with one notable exit in Earl Strickland.

The field of 72 has been trimmed down considerably, with one notable exit in Strickland.

Early in the afternoon Strickland was given his final warning by tournament director Frank Del Pizzo. Upon Strickland’s arrival for his one-loss side match with Steve Hancock, he exchanged words with the tournament director and was consequently ejected from the tournament. As this event is a BCA ranking tournament, it is unknown what effect that will have on Strickland’s ranking.

Stevie Moore and Matt Clatterbuck matched up on the one-loss side. Down 8-5, Clatterbuck conceded the 10 ball to Moore in that rack, which resulted in him losing not only that game but the next because of the no concession rule.

On the winners’ side Mike Davis was up 8-5 against Shaun “Get Some” Wilkie and let him back into the match 9-8. Wilkie pocketed a 1-10 combo to make it hill-hill. Davis was running out but got poor shape on the 10 ball. He left a bank, which Wilkie missed but left tough. Davis also missed but left it straight in, and Wilkie pocketed it to take the match 10-9. Davis went on to oust John “Mr. 400” Schmidt in a hill-hill thriller 10-9.

View the Super Billiards Expo tournament brackets

In a featured match on the one-loss side, Corey Deuel and Jose Parica faced each other. “The Leader of the Filipino Invasion” took a 4-1 lead, but Deuel countered to stay in the race at 6-5 Parica. When Parica missed the 2 ball in the next rack, Deuel was left with a 2-10 combo that he pocketed to tie the match at 6 apiece. Deuel took the next couple of racks as well and then was left with another 2-10 combo when Parica pushed after an empty break by Deuel, which he made to reach the hill. The players traded innings in the last rack, but Deuel was able to come out the winner 10-6. In the next round Deuel was eliminated by Jeremy Sossei 10-7.

Saturday’s matches begin in the early morning hours. There are 16 players on the winners’ side and 16 on the one-loss side.

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by InsidePOOL Staff

The Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship kicked off Thursday morning with a field that was expanded to 72 players. Boasting a $25,000-added prize purse with a whopping $20,000 going to first place, this four-day event is one of the biggest draws of the Super Billiards Expo, held at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.

The Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship kicked off Thursday morning with a field that was expanded to 72 players.

With the amended 72-player format, 8 players participated in the first round, notably with Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan moving past Matt Krah hill-hill. In the second round Pagulayan delivered Corey Deuel to the one-loss side 10-8 and will face Earl Strickland, who defeated Jose Parica, in the third.

The second round involved all of the players, including 2010 Player of the Year Darren Appleton. He barely had retrieved his cue stick from the airline when he went up against his first competitor, John “Mr. 400” Schmidt. “Daz” was on fire the entire match and kept Schmidt in his seat for most of it, making his 10-0 victory look easy.

Defending champion Shane Van Boening skated past his opponent, Cary Dunn, 10-4. Van Boening’s next match will be against Mike Dechaine, who just took fourth place last week at the Masters 10-Ball Championship.

Former player of the year Mika Immonen was sent to the west side after his match with Matt Clatterbuck ended with Clatterbuck advancing 10-5. Clatterbuck’s next opponent will be Stevie Moore, who defeated Masafumi Mochizuki in the second round.

Tony Robles faced Thorsten Hohmann in the second round and edged past him 10-8. Robles will play Rodney Morris, who bested Dave Grau, in the third round. Grau and Hohmann play on the one-loss side Friday.

Mike Davis, who just took third place at the Masters 10-Ball, bested former amateur player of the year Scott Tollefson and will next play Shaun Wilkie, who was runner-up at this event in 2008.

Dennis Hatch, another former champion of this event, is present and won his first match over Robert Hart. His next match will be against Dee Adkins, who bested Chris Orme.

View the Super Billiards Expo tournament brackets

In the elimination round Deuel ousted Jonathan Smith 10-6 and will play Parica next. Scott Tollefson was eliminated by Matt Krah 10-2, and Schmidt eked out a tight 10-8 win over Robert Krull.

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KING OF PRUSSIA, PA (February 26, 2011): Allen Hopkins, promoter of the annual Super Billiards Expo, has announced that he will be adding a total of $35,000 to its three professional events at this year’s Super Billiards Expo, to be held March 10-13 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.

Allen Hopkins, promoter of the annual Super Billiards Expo, has announced that he will be adding a total of $35,000 to its three professional events at this year’s Super Billiards Expo, to be held March 10-13 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.

The majority—$25,000—will be added to the Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship. This 64-player tournament is open to men and women and is a ranking event for the Billiard Congress of America points list. The winner will receive $20,000, as well as a trophy and free entry into the following year’s event.

An additional $5,000 will be added to the prize purse for the WPA World Artistic Pool Championships, which is a much-anticipated event by both the participants and the fans. This event will feature some of the most talented and entertaining international players in artistic pool.

Also, $5,000 will be added to the prize pool of the Professor Q-Ball Promotions Invitational Three-Cushion Champion of Champions event. Sponsored by Gabriels Billiards, Simonis cloth, and Longoni, this event will showcase the top players in the world today.

Participation in the events is the highest it has ever been. Entry fees for juniors are now a thing of the past. The junior players’ age classifications have changed this year to 17 and under or 12 and under. Hopkins has also added an amateur division: Super Seniors. This event is available to all senior players 65 and over.

The Super Billiards Expo will be available in 3D this year. Comcast video will be at the Valley Forge Convention Center filming the World Artistic Pool Championships and other areas of the multi-pronged event.

“This is the first time ever that Comcast is televising pool, and they’re doing it in three-dee,” Hopkins said. “It could be the future of trick shots. They will also be taking film of exhibitors and the other tournaments.”

Hopkins also decided to cut down on the booth space to give players more room to play. “I want to keep it more available for the players.”

The free live stream will be available at Inside POOL Magazine and Inside Pool Streaming Channel at Ustream.

About the Super Billiards Expo:
Celebrating its nineteenth year in 2011, Allen Hopkins’ Super Billiards Expo is the largest consumer-oriented billiards show in existence, bringing together the finest manufacturers, retailers, and custom cue makers in the world. This unique show unites customers, fans, and professional and amateur players annually at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and is sponsored by Iwan Simonis Inc., Diamond Billiard Products Inc., Mueller Recreational Products, and Run-Out Sportswear. InsidePOOL Magazine is the official magazine of the Super Billiards Expo.

The Billiard Congress of America, after conducting an email survey of the top male professional players in America, has now added the Players Championship to the roster of BCA ranking events for 2011. The BCA was informed on Monday of this week by promoter Allen Hopkins in a phone call to Jerry Forsyth of the BCA/WPA committee that the event, held annually at the Super Billiards Expo in Valley Forge, PA, would have sufficient added money ($25,000) to qualify as a points event.

The Players Championship, which occurs annually at the Super Billiards Expo, is now a BCA ranking event.

“I told Allen that the BCA requires a six month lead time for an event to be included as a ranking event, but that exceptions could be made if the players were in agreement with the exception. 100% of the players who responded to our email said they wanted this event to be a points event. It only makes sense. They will all be in the area already for the Masters Championship in nearby Chesapeake so by having another event so close the players can save in travel expenses while being offered the opportunity to participate in two prize pools. This is definitely an exception to the rule for ranking events but Allen has a long legacy as a promoter that the players support and he deserves the exception.” said Mr. Forsyth.

The Players Championship will be held March 10-13 at the Valley Forge Convention Center. More information may be found at Super Billiards Expo Official web site.

The Super Billiards Expo is considered to be the biggest and best event in the billiards industry. With amateur events, pro events, league players, vendors, and thousands of attendees the event has become a must-see event for any person or company in the billiards industry. The 2011 Super Billiards Expo will be held March 10-13 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.