OB Cues welcomes Shane Sinnott to the OB Cues family

OB Cues is proud to announce that Shane Sinnott, a 15 year veteran of the billiards industry, joined OB Cues on Monday, January 2, 2012. Shane joins OB Cues in the position of Sales and Marketing Director.

OB Cues is proud to announce that Shane Sinnott, a 15 year veteran of the billiards industry, joined OB Cues on Monday, January 2, 2012.

“We have been looking for just the right person to take charge of our Sales and Marketing focus, and Shane will fit that position perfectly”, says Royce Bunnell, co-owner of OB Cues. “Within our industry, very few people have represented all aspects of the Billiard business like Shane has. He brings an understanding of not only the industry but the people, and that is very hard to find.” “OB Cues is in the position of high potential growth, and Shane is just the right person to take us there.

About OB Cues
Since 2005, OB Cues has been pushing the limits of technology in billiards and pool cue and pool cue shaft design.

Starting with the OB-1 cue shaft, its premier product, OB Cues has been at the forefront of “Low Deflection” development. The complete line up now includes 5 Low Deflection cue shaft designs offering modern day performance for all styles and types of play.

From the time tested J-line and the OB Break cue, to the soon to be released OB Cue Line, OB Cues is now advancing into the complete cue like never before, and bringing all new technology with it.

After closing doors on Pool Cue manufacturing in 2010, billiards leader Viking Cue has reopened under the leadership of local businessman Mark Larson.

Larson, a longtime friend of Viking’s 27-year veteran VP of Manufacturing, Rick Rolli, placed a bid on the business after a visit to the company’s facilities. “I really fell in love with the operation and the rich history of Viking. I knew that there was another chapter just waiting to be written,” said Larson, who purchased the company on May 9.

Founded in 1965 by Gordon Hart, who remains with the company as a consultant, Viking has a worldwide reputation for craftsmanship and excellence. “Viking has always had a superior product line and an incredibly loyal following in the billiards industry,” said industry veteran Rolli. “We’re going to breathe life back into this company. We’ve got the same facility, a great inventory of product, state of the art equipment and the same artisans, many who have been here for over 25 years.”

Since the company has rehired nearly all of the same employees, little will change within its basic infrastructure, though the company has plans for new initiatives. “We’re bringing back the family and the employees, and we’ll never lose sight of the quality Viking is known for. But we’re about to make big pushes in marketing and product offerings. It’s what this company needs to thrive.”

One of Viking’s main goals is to create a top-notch interactive website so that dealers and individual customers alike have easy access to Viking products. “In the past, Viking didn’t have a strong web presence. Dealers couldn’t just go online and buy cues. We want to make ordering easy for everyone, and create an online image that reflects Viking’s unmatched craftsmanship,” said Rolli.

The company also plans to reach out to new markets, and make the company’s products accessible to more people: plans for additional product and accessory lines with multiple price points to appeal to a broader audience. Though the goals are largely customer-focused, another main concern is giving dealers the tools they need to succeed.

Reflecting on his plans for the company, Larson stressed his interest in the company’s history and tradition. “The main thing we want to let Viking fans know is that the core product isn’t changing. The quality remains the same. But let’s put it this way — we’re racking up for a fresh new break. Our game is about to get a lot more interesting, and we’re more than excited to share what we’ve got.”

About: Since 1965, Viking Cue Manufacturing, Inc. has been an industry leader in two-piece Pool Cue production. With headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin, Viking products are proudly made in the USA with commitment to quality, craftsmanship and time-honored tradition.

For more information about Viking Cue, visit http://www.vikingcue.com or call 800-397-0122. Inquiries may also be directed to info@vikingcue.com

Billiard legend and BCA Hall of Fame member Mike Sigel has launched his official web site. The site will offer pool lessons, advice and Pool Cue and billiards supplies. The official web site is MikeSigelBilliards.com.

Sigel has launched his official web site which will offer pool lessons, cues and billiards supplies.

MikeSigelBilliards.com is dedicated to providing players with knowledge and billiards instruction from Mike Sigel. Mike Sigel has amassed over 105 professional titles during his career and has created this site to share his knowledge and experience with the world.

Additionally, Sigel makes and offers a line of cues and cases. These cues and cases headline an assortment of 1400 pool and billiard products for players, pool rooms, and game rooms.

MikeSigelBilliards.com also will be offering a Premium Membership that allows members to enjoy premium content provided by Mike Sigel on a regular basis.

About Mike Sigel

Mike “Captain Hook” Sigel was voted the Greatest Living Player of the 20th century, and at age 35, is the youngest member to be inducted into the Billiard Hall Of Fame. Mike Sigel began playing at the age of 13 and turned Pro when he was 20, winning the first US Open. He has won 105 Professional Pool & Pocket Billiard tournaments. Including 6 US Opens and 10 World Championships.

Hall Of Fame legend Mike Sigel earned his moniker by hooking opponents with lock safes and though his incredible offensive skills. Early in his phenomenal 9-ball career, most tournament wins in the 1980′s and 90′s, the Captain would break and run a game or two before playing defense so clamping, so vicious, his opponent would wish they made a living at ping-pong or darts instead of pool.

Mike also holds the World record for the quickest 150-and-out in the 14th Annual US Open Championship. Named Player of the Year 4 times, Sigel has appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC, and ABC Wide World OF Sports, CBS Sports Cable, Fox Sports, ESPN, Good Morning America, Night Watch, PM Magazine, The Bert Sugars Show, Charlie Rose, The Best Damn Sports Show Period, FSN, and many others.

In addition he appeared as himself in the movie Baltimore Bullet and performed many of the trick shots for the opening sequence in that film. Mike was the technical advisor, choreographer, instructor for the movie “The Color of Money” staring Paul Newman (who won an Academy Award for Best Actor) and Tom Cruise. Sigel coached both Newman and Cruise to play like a pro. Mike has been on the cover of magazines such as Inside Pool, Billiard News, Bike Week, and many others numerous times. He has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Life, People, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Playboy, Parade, Baltimore Magazine, Orlando Sentinel, Silver Screen, Cigar Aficionado, Japan, and many Newspapers around the World! He had retired in 1994 after having the most successful tour victories of any player and continued to do special appearances, charity events, exhibitions for major corporations, ESPN guest commentator and lessons.

In 1998 he won an Invitational 9 ball event in Paris, France, his first tournament since retiring and went on to come out of retirement again in 2004 to play and WIN the Steve Mizerak 9 Ball tournament. The last 11 years he has been personally handcrafting the best hitting pool cue on the market. August of 2005 has brought Sigel out of full retirement to Play Professionally for the International Pool Tour; at the World Championship in Las Vegas to win the tournament and take home $150,000.00 . His focus today is to play and promote the new tour.

Sigel’s historic match for the IPT was for “8-Ball Championship Of The World” against Loree Jon Jones (Hasson), with both players then ranked far below the several top dozen men and women in the world. Sigel handily won the $200,000 first prize and was later crushed by Efren “The Magician” Reyes, in the match that followed.

The Virginia State Pool and Billiards Association is pleased to announce that McDermott Cues will be the Official Cue of the 2010 Virginia State 9 Ball Championships. The event features a $10,000 prize fund and will be held on July 17-18, 2010 at Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.

Joshua Dickerson, Founder of the Virginia State Pool & Billiard Association and Director of the Virginia State 9 Ball Championships is extremely optimistic about the agreement with McDermott Cues. “McDermott Cues has a long standing tradition for being a family owned company that produces quality cues and is an asset to the billiards industry. I am proud to have the McDermott name attached to the Virginia State 9 Ball Championships,” said Dickerson.

The Virginia State Pool and Billiards Association is pleased to announce that McDermott Cues will be the Official Cue of the 2010 Virginia State 9 Ball Championships. The event features a $10,000 prize fund and will be held on July 17-18, 2010 at Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.

The event will be streamed live for free by Inside POOL Magazine. For more information about the event or to watch the free live stream, visit VA-Pool.com.

McDermott Cue Mfg
McDermott Cue Mfg. is headquartered in Menomonee Falls, WI and produces ands markets under the brands of McDermott Cue, Star Cue, Lucky Cue, Intimidator Shafts, G-Core Shafts, Big Boy Shafts, Sledgehammer Cues, Stinger Jump/Break Cues and Elephant Balls. For more information about this press release contact Marketing Director, Michael Slowik at mslowik@mcdermottcue.com or call 1-800-666-2283. More information can be found at McDermott Cues.

About the Virginia State Pool and Billiards Association
The Virginia State Billiards Association is dedicated to the professional promotion of pool and billiards with a focus on events that showcase billiards in high profile and upscale establishments around the great state of Virginia. The events currently being produced include the Virginia State 9-Ball and the Virginia State 14.1 tournaments. For more information, please visit the web site at VA-Pool.com.

Shane Van Boening Takes Two U.S. Open Bar Table Titles

The April issue of Inside POOL Magazine features Shane Van Boening as he grabs two title at the U.S. Open Bar Table Championships has been made available for free download at InsidePOOLmag.com. This month the download features 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, full-screen full length videos, links to favorite web sites, flipping pages, zooming, emailing, sharing, and printing.

Van Boening graces our cover after snapping off two titles at the U.S. Open Bar Table Championships.

The April 2010 issue of Inside POOL Magazine features Shane Van Boening as he hits the cover with style taking down two titles at the U.S Bar Table Championships. Gerda Hofstatter snares a victory on the WPBA Tour in San Diego. The pool and billiard community raises money for cancer. Get a trick shot lesson from Jason Lynch. Get a bank lesson from new instruction staff writer Freddy “The Beard” Bentivegna get a lesson on Rolling Balls from Tom Simpson. Get the low-down on how pros grip the Pool Cue. Know your basic tickies? Brush up on the rules of pocket billiards with Ken Shuman. Of course, get the latest regional tour news from around the US and internationally.

View the April 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 middle 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.

Efren Reyes Wins Fifth Derby City Classic Master of Table

The February issue of Inside POOL Magazine, which again features Efren Reyes on the cover as he captures his record fifth Master of Table tile at the Derby City Classic has been made available for free download at InsidePOOLmag.com. This month the download features new technology in online billiards magazine viewing such as enhanced clarity, Bonus Content, full-screen full length videos, links to favorite web sites, flipping pages, zooming, emailing, sharing, and printing.

March 2010 Inside POOL Magazine features Efren Reyes on the front cover as he wins his fifth Master of Table award. Get to know Shaun “Get Some” Wilkie. Figure out whether to shoot or bunt from Grady Mathews. Get a trick shot lesson from Jason Lynch. Get the secret on how pros aim. Ever wonder what it takes to choke like a pro? Check out what Donnie Mills has in his Pool Cue case. See Corey Harper’s new vision of sports marketing. Get the pool on TV lisitngs and check out some cool places to play pool and buy billiards supplies. See what’s new in the pool world. Ken Shuman gives us a lesson in being a referee. Get the latest billiards news from tours and tournaments around the U.S. and the rest of the world.

View the March 2010 issue of Inside POOL Magazine for Free

View at in viewer

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 middle 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.

Inside POOL Magazine is pleased to announce an agreement with McDermott Cue Mfg., LLC, to sponsor the free live stream of Allen Hopkins’ Super Billiards Expo, which takes place March 18-21, 2010. Widely considered the most successful billiards event, the Super Billiards Expo will feature thousands of professional and amateur pool players, vendors, spectators, and attendees.

The free live stream will be available at the Inside POOL Magazine Ustream channels and at InsidePOOLmag.com. The stream will mainly consist of two events, the Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship and the Artistic Pool Masters Championship. The finals of the 14.1 Straight Pool Challenge are also scheduled to be streamed, time permitting.

Throughout the stream, segments showing action from around the Super Billiards Expo will be aired to inform and give the stream viewers a feel of the action at the event.

“After 40 years in business, we remain excited to participate in opportunities to promote billiards. This groundbreaking event encompasses a truly promising vision that can revolutionize and expand billiards, and we are happy to be involved.” said, Jayme Cernicka of McDermott Cue.

Inside POOL Magazine is pleased to announce an agreement with McDermott Cue Mfg., LLC, to sponsor the free live stream of Allen Hopkins’ Super Billiards Expo, which takes place March 18-21, 2010.

The Super Billiards Expo is one of the most exciting events in the billiard industry every year. Started back in 1993, Allen Hopkins’ vision for the ultimate billiard experience has been growing year after year. Thousands of players and fans look forward to this event every year. The Super Billiards Expo has become the largest consumer-oriented show in the industry.

If you miss the stream, check out the May/June issue of Inside POOL Magazine for information on viewing the videos created during the event.

About McDermott Cue Mfg, LLC
McDermott Cue Mfg is headquartered in Menomonee Falls, WI and produces and markets under the brands of McDermott Cue, Star Cue, Lucky Cue, Intimidator Shafts, G-Core Shafts, Big Boy Shafts, Sledgehammer Cues, Stinger Jump/Break Cues and Elephant Balls. For decades, McDermott Cue has consistently raised the performance standards for what billiard players expect from a high performance cue. McDermott builds billiard equipment for people who view playing pool as an end in itself, drawing on cutting-edge technology and tasteful yet aggressive design. McDermott equipment is rooted in performance, using the latest technology in a state-of-the-art facility and utilizing the finest materials available.

About Inside POOL Magazine
Inside POOL Magazine started in 2001 and quickly became the largest print billiard magazine by circulation by portraying the action of pool and billiards like no other magazine had done before. Since the first issue, Inside POOL Magazine has published online. The online version of the magazine has evolved to include flipping pages, zooming, clickable links, email sharing, and full-screen videos that can includes hours of full unedited matches. The current online version receives 450,000 readers per month.

Exposition Novelty Cue Combines Modern Performance with Unique Design

BRISTOL, Wis. (November 10, 2009) – For 165 years Brunswick Billiards has been a leader in the billiards industry, connecting generations of billiards enthusiasts with rich designs, magnificent craftsmanship and superior playability. To commemorate this anniversary, Brunswick is introducing an exclusive, limited edition Cue, the Exposition Novelty Cue.

Modeled after the 1878 Brunswick pool table of the same name, the Exposition Novelty Cue features solid maple with inlay patterns mirroring the table’s stunningly traditional design. These individually numbered cues are manufactured by Predator Cues, and feature the company’s high performance 314Z shaft and Everest tip by Tiger, providing game changing accuracy and a consistent and comfortable feel.

“Brunswick has a rich history of bringing together billiards players of all ages for 165 years. This limited edition Exposition Novelty Cue is an elegant addition to any table and represents Brunswick’s long-standing commitment to enhancing the billiards tradition at home,” said Austin Rothbard, president of Brunswick Billiards.

Brunswick Billiards is celebrating their 165 anniversary.

Only 165 cues will ever be produced. The first 25 will be packaged with the limited edition replica Exposition Novelty table and 140 individually numbered cues are available for order now in preparation for the company’s 165th anniversary celebration in 2010.

The Exposition Novelty Cue retails for $999.

About Brunswick Billiards

Connecting generations through superior craftsmanship and innovation since 1845, Brunswick Billiards has been the leader in designing the highest-quality billiards and pool tables and game room furnishings preferred by experts around the world. Based in Bristol, Wis., the billiards division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), has more than 300 retail dealer locations across the United States and international distributors in more than 40 countries. For more information about Brunswick Billiards and its product line, visit www.brunswickbilliards.com.

Professional pocket billiards player Vincent Facquet is pleased to announce the inception of a dynamic and innovative blend of pool and poker tournaments—PoolPok. Combining the intensity of Texas Hold ‘Em with the thrill of 8-ball tournaments, PoolPok’s ground-breaking new format will have twice the excitement and feature a million-euro prize fund.

Stage 1 of PoolPok will consist of an online Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournament with an unlimited amount of participants. Only 1 percent of the players from each tournament will qualify for the next stage of PoolPok. Once 128 players qualify, the second stage begins. This will comprise a single-elimination 8-ball tournament with a field of 128. Last place pays 4,000 euros to a man and 5,000 euros to a woman, while first place pays 150,000 euros. The top 8 finishers in the first tournament will automatically be invited to return to the second.

PoolPok is using online poker and pool to create a new tournament format that plans to build prize large funds.

CEO and founder Vincent Facquet said, “I was inspired to create PoolPok after performing extensive research into the structure of successful poker tournaments. With the success of poker and the fact that many pool players also play poker, I feel that having an online tournament to qualify is a great way to introduce a tournament that has a true global reach and give pool players the opportunity to compete for the larger prize funds that they deserve and that this sport has been missing.”

About Vincent Facquet
Vincent Facquet, born in Forges-Les-Eaux (Normandy, France) on December 20, 1968, first picked up a pool cue at the age of 7. By the age of 19, he had discovered English 8-ball and snooker. After winning tournaments on the local and then national level, Facquet began to represent France at pool tournaments in Europe and throughout the world. He competes on the Euro Tour, at the world championships, and at other professional events. Facquet won three world titles in 1997, 2005, and 2006 on both pool and snooker tables. Additionally, his ability to entertain led him to artistic pool, and he is a renowned trick shot performer in much demand.