Shane Van Boening Captures Diamond Players Championship
The May/June 2010 online issue of Inside POOL Magazine features Shane Van Boening as he punishes the field at the Super Billiards Expo 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, 40 full-screen full length videos, links to favorite web sites, flipping pages, zooming, emailing, sharing, and printing.

The May/June 2010 issue of Inside POOL Magazine features Van Boening crushes the competition at the Super Billiards Expo.

The May/June 2010 issue of Inside POOL Magazine features Shane Van Boening crushes the competition at the Super Billiards Expo. Get 40 full length, full screen videos from the Super Billiards Expo. Receive coverage of Karl Boyes winning the World 8-Ball Championship. Get pool lessons from top billiards instructors like Tom Simpson, Bob Henning and Freddy Bentivegna. Check out Steve Moore’s Seminole Pro Tour victory at Bank Shot Billiards. Get the latest regional billiard news from around the world and of course, get the latest regional tour news from around the US.

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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. Purchase a subscription now and you can receive the next issue.

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 InsidePOOL Staff

The field at the Hard Times Mezz 10-Ball Open is closing in on the $4,000 first-place prize. Only eight players remain at the event, which is being hosted by Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA, and sponsored by Mezz Cues.

Fittingly, it’s the local players who have risen to the top. Oscar Dominguez is one of four players remaining on the winners’ side, having defeated both Eddie Mataya 9-5 and then Sal Butera 9-2 today. Mataya, as the highest-finishing amateur in this event, earned a Mezz break cue. “The Big O”’s next match will be against another L.A. player, Max Eberle. “Mad Max” bested Dave Grau 9-6 and then former world 9-ball champion Thorsten Hohmann 9-4 today.

“Rocket” Rodney Morris had to play two tough Filipinos Saturday, starting off with the legendary Efren Reyes. After a 9-6 defeat of “Bata,” Morris went on to face Roberto Gomez, whom he bested in record time 9-1. Sunday Morris will play another Filipino, Lee Van Corteza, whose day consisted of a 9-1 routing of Steve Moore followed by another 9-1 drubbing, this time of Corey Harper.

View the Inaugural Hard Times Mezz Open tournament brackets (updated continuously throughout event)

The field at the Hard Times Mezz 10-Ball Open is closing in on the $4,000 first-place prize. Only eight players remain at the event, which is being hosted by Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA, and sponsored by Mezz Cues.

Rafael Martinez is another player who endured a long day on the left side of the chart. But he eliminated 2009 Player of the Year Mika Immonen, Grau, Hunter Lombardo, and Harper to make it to Sunday’s matches. His opponent will be Gomez, who, after his 9-1 loss to Morris, went hill-hill with Marc “Spain” Vidal and won.

Matches Sunday begin at noon, and the final will be a single race to 11. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

by InsidePOOL Staff

The First Annual Hard Times Mezz 10-Ball Open kicked off today at Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA. The $5,000-added prize purse attracted a 76-player field, with the winner guaranteed $4,000.

Many in the international field stopped in Los Angeles to warm up for the World Pool Masters, which begins next week in Las Vegas, NV. Already some top names are faced with a long, uphill climb through the one-loss side. Player of the Year Mika “Iceman” Immonen was delivered west after a 9-1 trouncing by Efren “Bata” Reyes, while fellow Filipino Lee Van Corteza cooled house player Ismael “Morro” Paez by the same score.

The winners’ bracket is already down to 16 players, and elimination rounds have started on the left side. Most of the players had a first-round bye, but several found themselves facing an opponent early in the day. Former world 9-ball champ Thorsten Hohmann went up against Tina Pawloski and sent her to the one-loss side, where she rebounded with a victory over Lee Harvey. One featured first-round match-up saw Rodney Morris and Marcus Chamat go head to head, with the Swede heading to the left side. Chamat won two matches on the left side and is still alive going into Saturday. Morris’ next challenge will be from the legendary Reyes.

The First Annual Hard Times Mezz 10-Ball Open kicked off today at Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA. The $5,000-added prize purse attracted a 76-player field, with the winner guaranteed $4,000.

View the Inaugural Hard Times Mezz Open tournament brackets (updated continuously throughout event)

Steve Moore of Atlanta, GA, will play Corteza Saturday, as he won two tough matches—the first over San Diego’s Victor Castro and the second over Marc “Spain” Vidal. Manny Chau defeated Kevin May and Hunter Lombardo but will have a fight on his hands in his next round as he faces 2007 world 9-ball runner-up Roberto Gomez.

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

by InsidePOOL Staff

A field of 53 players came out to contend for top honors at the Seminole Pro Tour’s April 10-11 stop. Hosted by Bankshot Billiards in Jacksonville, FL, and boasting a $7,000-added prize fund, the event has wound down to its final 16 players.

On the winners’ side, Steve Moore will meet Jeff Crawford Sunday. Moore had a first-round bye and then bested Jose Del Rio and David Grossman, while Crawford defeated Bobby Garza, Donny Runk, and Ricky Sanchez.

Also undefeated, Gabe “The Babe” Owen had a first-round bye and then sent Raoul Alvarez and Charlie Williams to the west side. Owen’s next match will be against Jerry Calderone, who defeated George McLanahan, Amy Chen, and Corey Deuel.

Tony “The Sniper” Crosby will face John Rouse in another winners’ side match Sunday. Crosby was responsible for sending Todd Anderson, Hunter Lombardo, and David Roth west, while Rouse defeated Enver Bosnjak, Ralph Eckert, and Jake Jacobson.

View the Seminole Pro Tour tournament brackets from Bankshot Billiards

A field of 53 players came out to contend for top honors at the Seminole Pro Tour’s April 10-11 stop.

The final winners’ side match will feature Keith Bennett and Javier Chirino. To start off his tournament well, Bennett bested Johnny “The Scorpion” Archer and then went on to defeat Bobby Livrago and Tommy Kennedy. Chirino won over Sam Staats, David Crocker, and James Roberts.

Many fine players remain on the west side of the chart, including Deuel, Williams, Eckert, and Lombardo. Archer lost his second match to Mike Davis and is now eliminated, while Davis will face Shawn Putnam in the next round. Putnam suffered a second-round loss to Ricky Sanchez after besting Neil Fujiwara in the first round.

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

by InsidePOOL Staff

Allen Hopkins’ 18th Annual Super Billiards Expo kicked off March 18, with hundreds of players signed up for the myriad tournaments that will be taking place throughout the weekend. The Expo is held annually at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.

The Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship, one of the main draws at the yearly event, began with a full field of 64 players. This event’s format is a race to 9, double-elimination, alternating break, with $20,000 added.

Defending champion John “Mr. 403” Schmidt, who won last year’s event over Corey Deuel in the finals, won his first-round match tonight, defeating Shannon Murphy 9-6. His next match will be against Filipino Al Lapena, who delivered a stunning 9-1 blow to Joey Testa earlier.

There have been a few upsets in the event already, including a 9-7 defeat of 2009 Player of the Year Mika Immonen by Ralph Eckert, innovator of the PAT Training System. Immonen immediately went to the one-loss side and eliminated Danny “Kid Delicious” Basavich 9-1. Also, Ryan “The Genie Man” McCreesh delivered a first-round loss to Rodney Morris 9-5, while Jeremy Sossei sent Earl Strickland to the left side of the chart 9-7. From there, Strickland dealt Bob Weimar a donut 9-0.

View the Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship FREE Live Stream

View the Artistic Pool Masters Championship FREE Live Stream

View the Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship tournament brackets

The 18th Annual Super Billiards Expo kicked off March 18, with hundreds of players signed up for the myriad tournaments that will be taking place throughout the weekend.

Ronnie “Everything’s Funny When You’re Winning Big Money” Wiseman and Steve Moore fought a battle that went double-hill before Wiseman edged past Moore 9-8. That was the only hill-hill match of the first round.

Player of the Year for 2008, Shane Van Boening is going strong, having won his first match 9-2 against Raj Vannala. He will go up against New York’s Frankie Hernandez in the next round, as Hernandez just defeated Rich Musser 9-6. Former world 9-ball champion Thorsten Hohmann sent Northeast player Brandon Shuff to the west side 9-2 and will go on to face Onur Berber, who defeated Jarrod Clowery 9-3, in the next round.

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

by Lea Andrews

Dennis “The Hatchet Man” Hatch took a brief hiatus from the winner’s circle at the last stop of the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, coming in second to Steve Moore’s first, but he reclaimed his regular spot on top at the March 13-14 stop. The $2,000-added event, held at Trick Shot Billiards in Clifton Park, NY, marked Hatch’s fifth number-one finish on the tour this season.

Hatch cruised past Dwight Dixon 9-5 to reach the hot seat match against Bucky Souvanthong, who’d gotten past Jason Michas 9-6. Souvanthong found himself in another 9-6 match against Hatch, but his was the short end of the stick, and he moved over to the semifinals.

On the left side of the bracket were two men making a strong bid for the finals. Dave Grau, who’d taken a first-round hit from Jeff Smolen, edged out Bruce Carroll 9-8 to meet Chance Chin, who’d just ousted Smolen 9-7. Taking care of Chin 9-5, Grau moved on to Dixon. Meanwhile, tour director Mike Zuglan, a third-round 9-7 victim of Hatch’s, was plowing a steady path, notching a 9-6 win over Angelo Hilton and a 9-4 win over Dave Valano, who’d just squeezed past Jim Yonge 9-8. Next up was Michas, who managed to reach the hill, but the final game went to Zuglan, and he advanced to the quarterfinals against Grau, who’d breezed past Dixon 9-3. Though both fought hard in their hill-hill battle, it was Grau who marked up the last game to move on to the semifinals against Souvanthong, but it was there that Grau’s journey ended, and he landed in third 9-6.

In the true double-elimination final match, a second set seemed to be a possibility, as Souvanthong kept pace with Hatch, tying it up at six games apiece. But then Hatch made his move, taking three straight racks to earn his victory 9-6. The tournament wasn’t his only victory, though—his name was drawn in the raffle, earning him a custom-engraved Joss Cue valued at $1,200.

The tour’s next stop is March 27-28 at Salt City Billiards in Syracuse, NY. For an updated schedule, please visit www.insidepoolmag.com/calendar or joss9balltour.com, and for questions, call Mike Zuglan at 518-356-7163.

Results:
1st Dennis Hatch $1,170
2nd Bucky Souvanthong $900
3rd Dave Grau $700
4th Mike Zuglan $450
5th Dwight Dixon $250
Jason Michas
7th Chance Chin $100
Dave Valano

by Lea Andrews

Making a rare appearance on the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, Steve Moore went undefeated through the 25-player field, taking down reigning champ Dennis “The Hatchet Man” Hatch in the finals. The $1,500-added Mary Capotto Memorial event was held March 6-7 at Cap’s Cue Club in Syracuse, NY.

Moore blew by Chance Chin 9-3 to reach the hot seat match against Dave Grau, who’d just edged out Hatch 9-8. Grau managed just five games against Moore, though, and he moved over to the semifinals to try to fight his way back.

On the left side of the bracket, tour bigwig Bucky Souvanthong was plowing through the field, ousting Lyn Wechsler 9-4 to meet up with Dwight Dixon, who’d eased past Brian Holmes 9-8. Taking care of Dixon 9-7, Souvanthong moved on to Chin. Meanwhile, Bruce Carroll got past Geoff Montgomery 9-6 to face tour director Mike Zuglan, who’d just knocked out Mike Renshaw 9-5. Holding Zuglan to four games, Carroll moved on to Hatch, who dropped him into fifth 9-3. In the quarterfinals, Hatch went up against Souvanthong, who’d advanced over Chin 9-7. Against Hatch, though, he managed just four games, landing in fourth. Hatch moved on to a rematch with Grau, which ended in his favor 9-7, putting him into very familiar territory: the finals. The true double-elimination final match didn’t go the usual way for Hatch, though. Taking control from the beginning, Moore earned his decisive victory 9-4.

Making a rare appearance on the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, Moore went undefeated through the 25-player field, taking down reigning champ Hatch in the finals.

Results:
1st Steve Moore $1,000
2nd Dennis Hatch $800
3rd Dave Grau $600
4th Bucky Souvanthong $400
5th Chance Chin $250
Bruce Carroll
7th Dwight Dixon
Mike Zuglan

by InsidePOOL Staff

Shane Van Boening has had a busy week so far, and it’s not over yet. Not content with winning the 10-ball bar table division at the U.S. Open Bar Table Championship, he has also taken the 9-ball crown and is making a run at the 8-ball division as well. The week-long event is being hosted by the Sands Regency Hotel and Casino in Reno, NV.

After defeating Jose Parica in the finals of the 10-ball division, Van Boening went right into the 9-ball event, which began with 136 men. Van Boening bested Phil Kerns 9-2, Duane Jones 9-6, Chris Melling 9-1, Dan Louie 9-2, and Oscar Dominguez 9-5. He then came up against former world 9-ball champion Thorsten Hohmann, and though the German is not very familiar with bar-table pool, Hohmann was able to send Van Boening to the one-loss side 9-5.

Hohmann had whizzed through his first few matches, winning over Joe Gonzales 9-1, Richard Cook 9-2, and Arturo Hernandez 9-1. Things got a little tougher at that point, but still Hohmann sent to the left side Tommy Tokoph 9-7, Jeff Heath 9-7, and Sylver Ochoa 9-7. After dealing Van Boening his first—and so far his only—loss this week, Hohmann then matched up with Scott “The Freezer” Frost and sent him to the west side 9-5.

On the left side Van Boening was faced with Steve Moore, whom he eliminated 9-2 to advance to the quarterfinals, where his second meeting with Dominguez resulted in Van Boening moving on 9-6. Frost formed Van Boening’s next challenge, but Van Boening was determined to earn a rematch with Hohmann and sent Frost home in third place with a convincing 9-1 score. In the true-double elimination final match, Van Boening double-dipped Hohmann for the title, winning both sets by the score of 9-5.

This year was the first time the ladies were granted their own division, and 24 came out to vie for the title. Melissa “The Viper” Little went undefeated through the event, besting Melinda Bailey 7-4, Edwidge Cavanna 7-2, Tina Pawloski 7-2, and Bonnie Plowman 7-5 to reach the hot seat match. Meeting her there was Amanda Lampert, who had scored victories over Shawn Modelo 7-1, Tara Vreeland 7-3, Heather Pulford 7-5, and Andrea Wilson 7-5.

The hot seat match was a lopsided affair that saw Little advance to the finals 7-1, while Lampert went west. There she faced Pawloski, who had just sent Plowman home in fourth place 7-3. Pawloski wasn’t ready to join Plowman, though, and she eked out a hill-hill win over Lampert to earn a rematch with Little, who had been the one responsible for Pawloski’s earlier loss, in the finals. But it ended there, as Little surged ahead to claim the crown in the first and only set 7-1.

In the 8-ball event, which kicked off Friday, 183 men and 38 ladies began play. To date, no one has ever won all three divisions of the U.S. Open Bar Table Championship, but Van Boening could always be the first. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

Not content with winning the 10-ball bar table division at the U.S. Open Bar Table Championship, Van Boening has also taken the 9-ball crown and is making a run at the 8-ball division as well.

Ladies’ Results:
1st Melissa Little $1,000
2nd Tina Pawloski $675
3rd Amanda Lampert $400
4th Bonnie Plowman $225
5th Sunny Griffin $150
Andrea Wilson
7th Kimberly Benson $100
Tara Vreeland

by InsidePOOL Staff

Shane Van Boening went undefeated through the 115-player field at the 10-ball division of the U.S. Bar Table Championship to take the title and the $5,000 first-place prize. The event was the first of three this week held at the Sands Regency Hotel and Casino in Reno, NV.

Van Boening met Jose “Amang” Parica in the finals. He and Parica first met in the hot seat match, where Van Boening easily handled the Filipino 7-1, sending him to the west side of the chart.

On the one-loss side, defending all-around champion Glenn Atwell fought through former world 9-ball champ Thorsten Hohmann 7-4 to reach the quarterfinal match. Meeting him there was Sal Butera, fresh off a 7-2 victory over Larry Wilson. This was a close contest, but Atwell prevailed 7-5. However, in the following semifinal match, Atwell was sent home in third place by Parica 7-5.

Parica advanced to the final match against Van Boening to try again to best “The South Dakota Kid,” but it was not to be. Van Boening shut down Parica with a 7-1 victory to claim first place.

In the 9-ball division that began Wednesday, 136 men entered. Van Boening is untouched as yet, having won over Phil Kerns 7-2 and Duane Jones 7-6. His next match will be against Chris Melling of the U.K. Other favorites on the winners’ side include Steve Moore, Oscar Dominguez, Parica, Hohmann, Scott Frost, and Atwell.

There are also 24 women participating in their own 9-ball division. In the women’s division, Amanda Lampert, Andrea Wilson, Melissa Little, and Bonnie Plowman remain on the winners’ side, while Susan Williams, Tina Pawloski, and Heather Pulford are still alive on the west side of the chart.

Van Boening went undefeated through the 115-player field at the 10-ball division of the U.S. Bar Table Championship to take the title and the $5,000 first-place prize.