Seminole Pro Tour Stop at California Billiards

On April 29, 2011, several of the top pool players in the world will come together in Mountain View, California for the $12,000 added first stop of the Seminole Pro Tour.  Yours truly will be competing in…oh, wait, let’s correct that…will be playing in the 10 ball event.  Did I earn my way into the tournament?  Heck no.  I just paid the entry fee.  For a paltry $115, I have the opportunity to step up to the table and play with the best of the best in a three day double elimination race to nine 10 ball event.  There will be two tables live streaming during the tournament…a tournament table and an action table.  But wait, there’s more!  Starting April 27, there’s a three day one pocket tournament that will be drawing the top one pocket players in the world!!!  Of course, I’ll be taking the week off from work to sit at the CBC and absorb the ambiance.

“So, you say it’s going to be a big tournament, huh?   Who’s coming?”  Good question!  I spoke to some of the folks over at California Billiards to find out which players have called in to register.  As of today, here’s a partial list of players who have confirmed they will play:
1. Earl Strickland
2. Efren Reyes
3. Francisco Bustamante
4. Corey Deuel
5. Scott Frost
6. Jeanette Lee
7. Alex Pagulayan
8. Bernard “Pots and Pans” Rogoff
9. Gabe Owen

My Trip to Kolby’s, Part II

In my last post, I admitted that I forgot to take any pictures inside of Kolby’s Corner Pocket.  But guess what?  I found a picture on my iPhone that I took the last time I traveled to Kolby’s during the week of May 10-14.  Here’s the picture:

Kolby's Corner Pocket - A view from the bar

And now, for a little info about the room:

What’s the main selling point?  It’s located right next door to Arizona State University, so there’s a good mix of players: older guys who shoot during the afternoon, college kids who shoot in the evenings, and road players who shoot late at night.  This is a player’s room.  According to the locals, Kolby’s is the biggest action room in Arizona…and that’s saying a lot!  Kolby’s also offers weekly tournaments and league play. 

What about the equipment?  The tables are well maintained and each table has full length fluorescent lights, so the surfaces are well lighted.  There are 5 seven foot valley coin ops, 10 nine foot Brunswick gold crowns, and 1 nine foot Diamond.  The Diamond and six of the Brunswick tables are shimmed up pretty tight.  There’s also a pro shop with cues, cases, shirts, and general billiard supplies.

What about the food?  It was here that I was first introduced to potato chips dipped in ranch dressing.  Yeah, I know, I don’t get out that much.  They also serve a variety of sandwiches and subs, including chicken and roast beef, and also have a killer bacon cheeseburger.  Yes, the food is pretty good, and oh yeah, they have sodas and lots of beer.

Stories:  According to my sources, the Diamond table sees a lot of One Pocket action.  Just a few days before my first visit in May, Scott Frost and Preacher Ron locked horns on table 6.  Scott gave Preacher Ron 11 to 4 in a One Pocket race to 7 ahead for $2,000, with Scott getting the breaks.  The match started late Saturday night, May 11.  Scott finally prevailed, but the match didn’t end until early Monday morning…30 straight hours on the table!

My Trip to Kolby’s Corner Pocket

I took a business trip to the Phoenix, AZ area this week.  Of course, I had to take a cue stick along.  I decided to book a room at the Quality Inn in Tempe, AZ because I thought it was about a quarter mile away from Kolby’s.  That would allow me to slip over and play some pool in the evenings.  Turn’s out, the hotel was much closer; in fact, it actually shares a parking lot with Kolby’s.   Here’s a picture of Kolby’s Corner Pocket from my hotel room!

View of Kolby's from my hotel room

It goes without saying that I ended up at Kolby’s Corner Pocket every night during the trip.  On Wenesday night, I ended up shooting pool from about 7:00 until 2:30 in the morning.  I’m still hurting from that one!  Unfortunately, most of the students at ASU were preparing for finals, so Kolby’s was rather empty most of the time I was there.  Oh well.  I still got in a bunch of straight pool practice.  Here’s a picture of Kolby’s during the day and at night.  As usual, I forgot to take any pictures inside.  Good thing I don’t make a living doing this sort of thing!  I pretty much lived at Kolby’s during my off hours.  Oh yeah, Scott Frost was in town but I didn’t see him at Kolby’s so I didn’t have a chance to meet him.  Darn!

View of Kolby's by Day and Night