2009 World Pool Masters set to return to Las Vegas

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

The 2009 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters returns to Las Vegas in May. Featuring 16 of the best players in the world, the event will be held at the historic Riviera Hotel and Casino following a successful staging in 2008, where Filipino Alex Pagulayan defeated Finn Mika Immonen in a thrilling final.

The competition will be staged over three days from Friday, May 8 to Sunday, May 10 -during the annual BCAPL National 8 Ball Championships.

Promoted by Matchroom Sport, the world leader in televised pool, the PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters will be running for the 17th consecutive year and its roll call of champions reads like an international who’s who of the sport.

Pagulayan will be back to defend his title, while Immonen (Finland), the reigning US Open champion, who won the Most Valuable Player award at the 2008 Mosconi Cup in December, will be aiming to go one step better than last year.

Immonen's Mosconi Cup team-mates, five-time Masters champion Ralf Souquet (Germany), Holland’s multi-titled Niels Feijen and Malta's Tony Drago will all be in the single-elimation tournament.

Other players in attendance include England's Darren Appleton, the current World 10 Ball Champion, and former world number one Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines.

The top two American ranked players on the BCA Men’s Point List - Shane Van Boening and Johnny Archer - will be representing the United States, while Montreal’s Dancing Bear, Alain Martel, will be flying the flag for Canada.

They will be joined by top ranked European stars Nick van den Berg of Holland, England’s Imran Majid, who beat Van Boening in this event last year, and teenage Russian sensation Ruslan Chinakhov, 17, who will be making his Masters debut.

Challenge of Champions winner and 2007 World Cup winner Fu Jian-bo will be making the trip from China and 2005 World Pool Masters victor Raj Hundal, now representing India, will return to the fray at the Riviera.

There is one female in the 2009 Masters line-up and that honour this year goes to the rising star of the women’s game, 21 year-old Korean Yu Ram Cha.

Once again, the Masters will be promoted in partnership with Mark Griffin’s BCA Pool Leagues and the opening first round matches take place on the evening of Friday, May 8, culminating in the championship match on Sunday, May 10.

Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn said: "The event was a big success for us last year at the Riviera and we’re looking to build on that in May.

"The crowds at the Masters were good and with the outstanding line-up we have assembled this year, I am sure that we will have bumper crowds.

" Speak to any of the players; this is the event they all want to win and looking at the field, anyone of them can emerge triumphant."

As always, the World Pool Masters will be televised throughout the world in 15 one-hour highlights programmes.

There will be a $66,000 prize fund, an increase of 6.5 per cent compared to 2008, with the winner collecting $20,000.

Tickets will be made available in March on the Playbca.com website.

BCAPL's Mark Griffin added: "BCA Pool League players love professional action. They're excited the World Pool Masters will return to the Riviera for 2009 and hope Matchroom will continue to honor our tournament with their participation for years to come.

"The finest amateur and professional players from around the globe gather every year at the Riviera for the greatest pool tournament in the world - and the tradition continues."

World Pool Masters

The Riviera Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
Friday, May 8 to Sunday, May 10

1. Darren Appleton (England)
2. Johnny Archer (USA)
3. Ruslan Chinakhov (Russia)
4. Tony Drago (Malta)
5. Niels Feijen (Holland)
6. Fu Jian-bo (China)
7. Raj Hundal (India)
8. Mika Immonen (Finland)
9. Imran Majid (England)
10. Alain Martel (Canada)
11. Dennis Orcollo (Philippines)
12. Alex Pagulayan (Philippines)
13. Ralf Souquet (Germany)
14. Shane van Boening (USA)
15. Nick van den Berg (Holland)
16. Yu Ram-cha (Korea)

Immonen Snares Predator Billiard Win

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Chicago, IL - The Ice Man finished off another undefeated night after facing Filipino Champion Bustamante and USA Champ Charlie Williams at the conclusion of a week of challenges in Chicago. Palace Billiards hosted the event which featured Mika Immonen of Finland, who dominated the three shows featuring the trio of champions with only taking one loss during the week. Immonen, considered to be the current #1 player in the world, is continuing his superb play that began in the fall of 2008 and taking his streak into 2009.

The event was able to draw some strong local media attention with CBS Chicago covering the event as well as VIA Times from the Filipino media.

The event began with a trickshot show with Bustamante, Immonen, and Williams performing several artistic shots. “We’re no Mike Massey, but we have definitely got the shots down better and more brave than the first show.” laughed Williams. Next the pros took on challengers who lined up to try their luck against the world class billiard stars.

All the fans received gifts from Poison Cues for attending the event. Prizes and gifts included Poison shirts, hats, patches, towels and posters. The pros all signed pictures and memoribilia afterwards, so no one left empty handed.

The Blatt Billiards Predator 9-ball Tour kicked off its second stop with an astonishing 108 players at Comet Billiards in Parsippany, NJ, the weekend of February 28-March 1. Of them all, it was 2008 Player of the Year Mika Immonen taking home top honors in the open division, with Christian Smith winning the amateur event.

Ignacio Chavez and Tony Robles were on a collision course for one another, as Chavez defeated Frankie Hernandez 9-6 to earn a spot for the hot seat and Robles won a hard-fought set against the legendary George “Ginky” Sansouci 9-6. In the match against Chavez, Robles took the lead 4-2 early in the match but scratched on three routine shots, which ultimately cost him the set 9-6. Now all Robles could do was wait for the winner of Immonen and Jorge Rodriguez.

Immonen was on a mission on day two and was determined to make it to the finals from the west side. He started the second day by defeating Sean Morgan 9-2, Al Lapena 9-7, Frankie Hernandez 9-0, and Jorge Rodriguez 9-3 for the right to meet Robles in the semifinals. His break and patterns were in perfect form against Robles as he quickly won the match 9-3.

Immonen continued to break and run with consistency in the finals, while Chavez struggled to make a ball on the break. The Finn came with his full arsenal and put on a clinic in shot-making, position play, kicking, banking, and defense to easily win the match by a score of 11-4.

The Predator 9-Ball Tour also hosted a second-day BCD event with 29 players. Christian Smith took care of business in the top of the chart to earn his spot for the hot seat, where he defeated Raphael DaBreo 5-3. Guy Ianuzzi won six matches in a row to earn a spot against DaBreo in the semifinals but ran out of steam and succumbed 5-3. In the final race to 7, Smith started strong, and though DaBreo put up a great fight, Smith triumphed 7-5.
After the dust settled, it was Mezz Cues player rep Mika "The Iceman" Immonen (pictured right) coming up with the victory. Ignacio Chavez (left) and Tony Robles share the moment.

Results:

1st Mika Immonen $1,400
2nd Ignacio Chavez $1,000
3rd Tony Robles $ 700
4th Jorge Rodriguez $ 500
5th George Sansouci $ 325
6th Frankie Hernandez $ 325
7th Oscar Bonilla $ 225
8th Al Lapena $ 225
9th Rob Saez $ 135
10th Lionel Rivera $ 135
11th Shaun Wilkie $ 135
12th Sean Morgan $ 135
13th Mhet Vergara $ 100
14th Junior Sanchez $ 100
15th Justin Muller $ 100
16th Marc Vidal $ 100

Turning Stone Classic Continues

Friday, February 20, 2009

The second day of the Turning Stone Classic XII is well underway, with another round in each bracket completed. The four-day event is hosted by the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY, and boasts a $25,000-added prize fund.

Women’s pro Allison Fisher, ranked sixth on the WPBA, bested Tony “The Sniper” Crosby in the second round of the winners’ bracket matches, sending him west to face off against Steve Moore, who lost his first match to Jack Smith but defeated Dave Ascolese 9-1 in his second. Fisher’s next match will be against reigning world 9-ball champion Daryl Peach.

Sarah Rousey, also still in the winners’ bracket, survived a hill-hill bout against Randy Labonte in the second round and will face off against Matt Tetreault. In the late-night round Thursday evening, Karen Corr advanced over David Wetmore 9-0 and will next play Liz Ford, who came through a hill-hill match against Caroline Pao.

The strong European contingent also continues to thrive in the winners’ side. Player of the Year Mika Immonen bested Adam Radomski 9-2, while Thorsten Hohmann squeaked past Josh Ulrich 9-8. England’s Darren Appleton and Peach also won their matches over Tamiko Kumatori 9-2 and Holden Chin 9-4, respectively.

Up-and-comer Oscar Dominguez out of Los Angeles made it through round two unscathed, defeating Earl Herring 9-4. Shawn Putnam bested Greg Priest 9-6, Dave Grau sent Dave Fernandez west 9-8, and George “Ginky” San Souci dealt Jonathan Smith a 9-0 donut.

Immonen Leads Turning Stone Final Twelve

The Turning Stone Classic XII is now down to just twelve players. On the winners side, Mika Immonen

will face Mario Morra and Ralf Souquet will take on Shane Van Boening. On the one loss side, it will be Shawn Putnam vs Oscar Dominguez, Charlie Bryant vs Thorsten Hohmann, Stevie Moore vs Dennis Hatch and Daryl Peach vs Louis Ulrich.

Immonen could be the man to beat in this one. After a close 9-8 match with Shawn Putnam, Immonen came back with lopsided wins over both Darren Appleton and Thorsten Hohmann on Saturday. Morra escaped with a 9-7 win over Oscar Dominguez, but will be severely tested by Immonen on Sunday.

Van Boening has not had an easy draw and his last three matches were all close. He defeated Johnny Archer, Mike Davis and Dennis Hatch by a combined margin of five racks. Souquet has not had a real close match all week, although his last two wins over Jeremy Sossei and Louis Ulrich were both by three games each.

On the one loss side, the final female player was eliminated when Allison Fisher lost to Shawn Putnam. Fisher settled for 13th place in this event. Sarah Rousey took 17th place after losses to Oscar Dominguez and Stevie Moore.

World Pool Masters and International 10-Ball Championships Set to Rock the Riviera

Monday, February 16, 2009

The BCA Pool League is proud to announce the return of two of the most prestigious professional events to the Riviera Hotel and Casino May 2009. The 17th Party Poker.net World Pool Masters and the 9th Annual Predator 10-Ball Championship will be in the Royale Pavilion once again along side the BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships.

The World Pool Masters, one of the most revered invitational events with a limited field of 16 players is produced by Matchroom Sport and will take center stage first at the Royale Pavilion May 8-10. A large supplier of sports programming worldwide, Matchroom Sport also produces other well regarded events such as the Mosconi Cup and the World Cup of Pool in addition to Darts, Fishing, Pokes, Snooker, Boxing, Tenpin and Bowls.

Equally exciting, the Predator 10-Ball Championship produced by Dragon Promotions will move into the pavilion May 11-16. The tournament boasts a roster of the top pool talent from across the globe. Last year’s winner Tony Drago of Malta, considered one of the fastest players in the world, will have an opportunity to defend his 2008 title. Once again he will have to face players such as Shane Van Boening, Mika Immonen, Johnny Archer, Francisco Bustamante, John Schmidt, Efren Reyes and the 2008 World Pool Masters winner Alex Pagulayan just to name a few of the illustrious names who will be in attendance.

Billiards Events Set for Vegas

Thursday, February 12, 2009

World Pool Masters and International 10-Ball Championships Set to Rock the Riviera.

The BCA Pool League is proud to announce the return of two of the most prestigious professional events to the Riviera Hotel and Casino May 2009. The 17th Party Poker.net World Pool Masters and the 9th Annual Predator 10-Ball Championship will be in the Royale Pavilion once again along side the BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships.

The World Pool Masters, one of the most revered invitational events with a limited field of 16 players is produced by Matchroom Sport and will take center stage first at the Royale Pavilion May 8-10. A large supplier of sports programming worldwide, Matchroom Sport also produces other well regarded events such as the Mosconi Cup and the World Cup of Pool in addition to Darts, Fishing, Pokes, Snooker, Boxing, Tenpin and Bowls.

Will Pagulayan successfully defend his World Pool Masters title this year?

Equally exciting, the Predator 10-Ball Championship produced by Dragon Promotions will move into the pavilion May 11-16. The tournament boasts a roster of the top pool talent from across the globe. Last year’s winner Tony Drago of Malta, considered one of the fastest players in the world, will have an opportunity to defend his 2008 title. Once again he will have to face players such as Shane Van Boening, Mika Immonen, Johnny Archer, Francisco Bustamante, John Schmidt, Efren Reyes and the 2008 World Pool Masters winner Alex Pagulayan just to name a few of the illustrious names who will be in attendance. Watch for links on the BCA Pool League web site at Playbca.com for more information and tickets to the professional events. For more information about Matchroom Sport and the World Pool Masters please visit


Matchroomsport.com and for the Predator 10-Ball Championship visit Dragonpromotions.com.
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BCA Pool League (BCAPL), playBCA.com, National
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Bar Table Championships.

Immonen crushes Vidal for Joss Tour Win

Monday, January 12, 2009

Mika “Iceman” Immonen came from the one-loss side to defeat Marc Vidal in the finals of the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour stop the weekend of January 10-11. In the midst of a snowstorm, 37 entrants were on hand for the $2,000-added event, hosted by Comet Billiards in Parsippany, NJ.

From among the winners’ side final four, Vidal bested Dave Grau 9-6 to face Tom McGonagle in the hot seat match. McGonagle, who’d sent Peter Nielsen west in a double-hill battle, followed him over on the heels of a 9-4 win by Vidal.

Immonen, in the meantime, was working his way back to the finals. He got by Mike Miller 9-5 and Mike Badsteubner 9-4 to face Nielsen. Bucky Souvanthong defeated Jason Michas and Bob Blackmore for the right to meet Grau. Immonen moved into the quarterfinals with a 9-5 win over Nielsen, as Grau advanced to meet him on the heels of a 9-7 victory over Souvanthong. Immonen dropped Grau into fourth place and then defeated McGonagle in the semifinals 9-3.

In the true double-elimination finals, Immonen was forced to win two. He took both sets 9-3 to take top honors in the tour’s first stop of the year.

Results:
1st Mika Immonen $1,400
2nd Marc Vidal $980
3rd Tom McGonagle $780
4th Dave Grau $600
5th Peter Nielsen $400
6th Bucky Souvanthong
7th Mike Badsteubner $200
8th Bob Blackmore
9th Tony Robles
10th Mike Miller
11th Brandon Shuff
12th Jason Michas