by InsidePOOL Staff

Joe Palone enjoyed an undefeated run through the field at the Tri-State Tour’s January 28 stop to take the title over Randy Mackin in the finals. The $750-added stop attracted 41 A-D players to Port Richmond Billiards in Staten Island, NY.

Palone and Mackin first met in the hot seat match after wins over Rhio Anne Flores 7-2 and Tony Ignomirello 6-3, respectively. The winners’ side final match went double-hill, with Palone eking out a 7-6 victory and sending Mackin to the left side of the bracket.

left to right: 2nd Place - Randy Mackin; 1st Place - Joe Palone , 3rd Place - Rick Shellhouse

Flores foundered on the one-loss side and was sent home in fifth place by Rajesh Vannala 7-4. Tying with her was Ignomirello, who was eliminated by Rick Shellhouse in a lopsided 6-1 match. Shellhouse went on to play Vannala in the quarterfinal match, narrowly winning 8-6.

Eager to earn revenge over Palone in the finals, Mackin soundly defeated Shellhouse in the semis 6-2. In his second meeting with Palone, though, Mackin found it difficult to keep up, and Palone soon skated to the winner’s circle 7-3.

Results:
1st Joe Palone $650
2nd Randy Mackin $440
3rd Rick Shellhouse $270
4th Rajesh Vannala $160
5th Rhio Anne Flores $105
Tony Ignomirello
7th Gary Murgia $80
Ben Castaneros

by InsidePOOL Staff

Ron Gabia and Ed Culhane elected to split first place at the January 14 stop of the Tri-State Tour because of the lateness of the hour. The $500-added 9-ball event was hosted by Castle Billiards in East Rutherford, NJ, and drew a field of 47 A-D players.

Ron Gabia and Ed Culhane elected to split first place at the January 14 stop of the Tri-State Tour because of the lateness of the hour.

Gabia took the right side of the bracket by storm, defeating Joe Palone in a double-hill match to advance to the hot seat match. His opponent, Cory Sohlman, had just thumped George Osipovitch 6-1, but against Gabia he found no respite, as Gabia went on to win 8-3.

Culhane was fighting his way through the left side, eliminating Annie Flores 7-5 and Palone 7-5 to reach the quarterfinal match. Facing him was Ed Dacosta, who had just ousted Osipovitch at fifth place 6-2. Their match went double-hill before Culhane squeaked past with a 7-6 win.

Sohlman was the last barrier before Culhane could reach Gabia, and though he put up a fight, it was Culhane who emerged the 8-5 winner. But in the finals, Gabia and Culhane decided to split top honors.

Results:
1st Ron Gabia $575
Ed Culhane
3rd Cory Sohlman $275
4th Ed Dacosta $150
5th Joe Palone $100
George Osipovitch
7th Annie Flores $75
Rick Shellhouse

by InsidePOOL Staff

Ben Castaneros and Raymond Lee met three times at the Tri-State Tour’s January 7-8 event, with Castaneros double-dipping Lee in the finals to take the title. The $2,000-added stop drew a field of 61 players to Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY, for the A- through D-player, 9-ball event.

Castaneros and Lee first matched up in the winners’ side final four, where Lee dealt Castaneros his first—and only—loss of the tournament 6-1. In the other bracket, Bryan Jeziorski sent Alex Osipov to the west side of the chart 7-5. Jeziorski put up a fight in the hot seat match, but Lee was able to notch a 7-4 win.

Ben Castaneros and Raymond Lee met three times at the Tri-State Tour’s January 7-8 event, with Castaneros double-dipping Lee in the finals to take the title. left to right: 3rd Place Bryan Jeziorski, 2nd Place Raymond Lee ; righ most 1st Place Ben Cataneros

From the left side of the bracket, Castaneros sprang back with a 7-4 victory over Mike Strassberg, while Osipov sent Ron Gabia home in a fifth-place tie with Strassberg after their match ended 7-2. Castaneros and Osipov collided in the quarterfinal match, which saw Castaneros best Osipov 6-4 to stay alive.

It was another victory for Castaneros in the semifinals, where he eliminated Jeziorski in third place 7-4. In the double-elimination final match, Castaneros dominated Lee 6-2 in the first set and 6-1 in the second to take first place.

Results:
1st Ben Castaneros $1,250
2nd Raymond Lee $870
3rd Bryan Jeziorski $590
4th Alex Osipov $420
5th Ron Gabia $270
Mike Strassberg
7th Ed Culhane $190
Andrzej Kaldan
9th Robert Plaut $140
Arturo Reyes
Luis Jimenez
Alan Chan

by InsidePOOL Staff

Good friends Dan Cintron and Rick Shellhouse succumbed to the late night and opted to split first place at the December 10 stop of the Tri-State Tour. The $500-added event was hosted by Castle Billiards in East Rutherford, NJ, and drew a field of 41 A-D players.

Cintron and Shellhouse ended up facing each other in the hot seat match after winning their respective matches over Scott Bannon 7-5 and George Osipovitch 6-3 in the winners’ side final four. Cintron claimed the hot seat with a strong 10-7 victory, and Shellhouse went west.

Ed Culhane soon eliminated Bannon in fifth place 7-3, as Osipovitch ousted Greg Constanza in the same place after their hill-hill match ended 6-5. Culhane then went on to face down Osipovitch in the quarterfinal match 7-5 to advance to the semifinals.

Good friends Dan Cintron and Rick Shellhouse succumbed to the late night and opted to split first place at the December 10 stop of the Tri-State Tour.

Results:
1st Dan Cintron $500
Rick Shellhouse
3rd Ed Culhane $250
4th George Osipovitch $150
5th Scott Bannon $100
Greg Costanza
7th Kyle Bubet $75
Mike Zimny

by InsidePOOL Staff

Billy Cheng topped a 44-player field that gathered at Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY, earning revenge on Carl Yusef Khan in the finals to take the title. The $1,250-added event was held December 2 for B-D players.

Cheng and Khan first collided in the hot seat match after wins over Kaprie Delimelkondglu 7-5 and Vincent Morris 7-3, respectively. Cheng put up a fight, but Khan was able to overpower him 7-4 and await a finals opponent.

On the left side of the chart, Delimelkondglu was eliminated at fifth place by Dave Shlemperis in a double-hill match, while Morris ended up tying with him after a hill-hill battle of his own with Gary Murgia 8-7. Yet another hill-hill bout ended in Shlemperis’ favor in the quarterfinals over Murgia, with Shlemperis advancing to the semifinal match 7-6.

Cheng was waiting for Shlemperis in the semifinals, and it didn’t take him long to shut Shlemperis down 7-3. Primed for his next opponent, Cheng moved on to meet Khan again—this time with different results. It was Cheng who claimed the title with a win over Khan 9-6.

Billy Cheng topped a 44-player field that gathered at Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY, earning revenge on Carl Yusef Khan in the finals to take the title.

Results:
1st Billy Cheng $800
2nd Carl Yusef Khan $530
3rd Dave Shlemperis $320
4th Gary Murgia $210
5th Vincent Morris $130
Kaprie Delimelkondglu
7th Joei Huang $100
Andrzej Kaldan
9th Trevor Heal $75
Duane Toney
Alex Osipov
cBen Cateneros

by InsidePOOL Staff

Ed Culhane dominated the field at the October 9 stop on the Tri-State Tour, only to fight to the hill against Mike Ettl—and win—in the finals. The $1,000-added stop hosted a field of 31 A-D players at BQE Billiards in Jackson Heights, NY.

Culhane had an easy time of it, handling Mark Pantovic 7-3 in the winners’ side final four to advance. Meeting him in the winners’ side finals was Ettl, who had just sent to the west side Mike Aro 6-3. Again Culhane had few problems, besting Ettl for the first time 7-3 to await a finals opponent.

Pantovic quickly recovered and eliminated Keith Adamik in a hill-hill match 7-6, while Aro was whitewashed 6-0 by Ron Mason and tied for fifth place with Adamik. Mason went on to face down Pantovic in the quarterfinal match 8-5.

Ed Culhane dominated the field at the October 9 stop on the Tri-State Tour, only to fight to the hill against Mike Ettl—and win—in the finals.

Ettl had a close match with Mason in the semifinals but escaped 6-4 to earn a rematch with Culhane. He took an early lead in the finals and kept it for most of the match, but Culhane finally pulled himself together and made it a hill-hill nail-biter. On the final break, Culhane snapped in the 9 ball for the 9-8 win.

Results:
1st Ed Culhane $600
2nd Mike Ettl $380
3rd Ron Mason $235
4th Mark Pantovic $140
5th Mike Aro $90
Keith Adamik
7th Keith Diaz $65
Geovani Hosang

by InsidePOOL Staff

Daniel Dagotdot scored his second title of the Tri-State Tour’s 2011-2012 season with his September 24 split with Alan Chan in the finals. He went undefeated through the 49-player field that gathered at Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY, to vie for their share of the $1,500-added prize purse.

A win by the smallest 7-6 margin over Gary Murgia in the winners’ side final four put Dagotdot in the hot seat match, where he faced Chan, who had just bested Michael Aro 6-5, for the first time. Chan put up a good fight, but Dagotdot prevailed 8-5 to await a finals competitor.

Murgia was quickly ousted at fifth place by Alex Gilvarg 7-5, while Aro followed him after a 6-4 loss to Tony Ignomirello. After a first-round loss, Ignomirello was on a roll, winning his ninth match in a row in the quarterfinals over Gilvarg 9-6.

Owner/Operator Kevin Buckley; 3rd place - Tony Ignomirello; 1st place - Daniel Dagotdot; right 2nd place - Alan Chan

Ignomirello’s run was stopped in the semifinals by Chan, who sent him home in third place with a 6-2 win. In the finals, Chan and Dagotdot decided to split, with Dagotdot taking the title.

Results:
1st Daniel Dagotdot $920
2nd Alan Chan $650
3rd Tony Ignomirello $400
4th Alex Gilvarg $260
5th Michael Aro $160
Gary Murgia
7th Pat DiBuono $120
Chris Peralta
9th Joe Landi $90
Carl Yusef Khan
Ron Mason
Sam Smuke

by InsidePOOL Staff

Playing so well that his handicap was raised mid-tournament, Ed Hugh sliced through the field at the September 2 Tri-State Tour to take the title over Robert Plaut in the finals. The 9-ball tournament drew a 40-player field to Amsterdam Billiards and Bar in New York City, NY, to vie for their share of the $1,000-added prize purse.

Hugh’s domination of the event saw him reach the final four undefeated, where he sent Daniel Dagotdot to the one-loss side 7-2. Alex Berszinn likewise delivered Mel McCullen to the west side to advance to play Hugh in the next round. Berszinn put up a good fight, but it was Hugh who claimed the hot seat 7-5.

Bogie Uzdejczyk was making his move on the left side, ousting Emily Duddy at seventh place 7-5 and going on to eliminate Dagotdot in fifth 7-2. Tying with Dagotdot was Robert Plaut, who was expelled by Mel McCullen 7-4.

Playing so well that his handicap was raised mid-tournament, Ed Hugh sliced through the field at the September 2 Tri-State Tour to take the title over Robert Plaut in the finals.

Uzdejczyk’s run came to an end in the quarterfinal match, where he was sent home in fourth place by Plaut 8-5. Plaut advanced to face off against Berszenn, whom he trounced 7-2 to earn the chance to fight for the title. In the final match, both played well, but it was Hugh who took home the title 8-5.

Results:
1st Ed Hugh $800
2nd Robert Plaut $500
3rd Alex Berszinn $300
4th Bogie Uzdejczyk $200
5th Mel McCullen $140
Daniel Dagotdot
7th Emily Duddy $100
Pat Mareno
9th Scott Simonetti $80
William Galagher
Cyndia Haefner
Javier Colayco

by InsidePOOL Staff

Youth won the day at the August 20 installment of the Tri-State Tour as the 15-year-old Charles Darwin Vergara triumphed over Frank Dagostino in the finals. The $1,000-added event was hosted by Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY, and drew a field of 24 players.

Youth won the day at the August 20 installment of the Tri-State Tour as the 15-year-old Charles Darwin Vergara triumphed over Frank Dagostino in the finals.

Vergara and Dagostino met twice in the event, both time with the same outcome. In the winners’ side final four Dagostino routed Diana Rojas 7-1 to advance, while Vergara bested David Danchak 6-3 to meet up with Dagostino in the hot seat match. It was a close encounter, but Vergara won the hot seat with a narrow 7-5 margin.

Rojas rebounded on the one-loss side, sending Thomas Shuler home in fifth place 7-4. Tying with Shuler was Danchak, who was eliminated by Alex Osipov 6-4. Rojas went on to eke out a quarterfinal victory over Osipov 6-5 and advance to the semifinals.

Rojas received no love in the next round against Dagostino, who soundly defeated her 7-2, but she earned a respectable third place. The finals were as close as could be, but in the end it was Vergara who ended up in the winner’s circle with a 9-8 victory.

Results:
1st Charles Darwin Vergara $510
2nd Frank Dagostino $280
3rd Diana Rojas $180
4th Alex Osipov $110
5th David Danchak $60
Thomas Shuler

by InsidePOOL Staff

Matt McMillan overcame a case of nerves to withstand a run from the one-loss side by Yomaylin Feliz to take the Tri-State Tour’s August 6 event. The 9-ball tournament boasted a $1,000-added prize purse and attracted a field of 36 nine-ball players.

Matt McMillan overcame a case of nerves to withstand a run from the one-loss side by Yomaylin Feliz to take the Tri-State Tour’s August 6 event.

McMillan went the easy route to the finals—going undefeated. He faced off against Luis Jimenez in the winners’ side final four and sent him to the left side 6-3, as Trevor Heal defeated Raj Vannala in the other winners’ side match. McMillan was on a roll and went through Heal in the hot seat match 7-3 to await a finals opponent.

Feliz suffered an early loss and was faced with a long slog through the west side of the chart. She eliminated Paul Everton 7-5 and Charles Darwin Vergara, son of Mhet Vergara, 6-4 to reach Vannala, who had won the Ginky SanSouci memorial tournament the month prior. Feliz ousted Vannala unceremoniously 7-3 in fifth place, while Stuart Mickle, playing in his first Tri-State event, sent Jimenez in the same spot with a 7-2 win.

Feliz and Mickle squared off in the quarterfinal match, with Feliz coming out on top 7-4 as Mickle took home fourth place. Heal, a favorite in the event, was waiting in the semifinals but fell short against Feliz, who easily handled him 7-3. In the final match against McMillan, though, Feliz found her opponent too much to handle and McMillan took the title 6-3.

Results:
1st Matt McMillan $700
2nd Yomaylin Feliz $400
3rd Trevor Heal $300
4th Stuart Mickle $200
5th Raj Vannala $120
Luis Jimenez
7th Charles Darwin Vergara $90
Raphael DaBreo
9th Paul Everton $60
Ronald Gabia
Alex Berszinn
Bernard Isaacowitz