Banks and One-Pocket Divisions Winding Down at Qlympics

Banks and One-Pocket Divisions Winding Down at Qlympics by Tom Fryer

The first two BCA U.S. Open tournaments are underway. Full-rack banks and one-pocket fields are down to their final eights as of Thursday morning, November 8.

The full-rack banks is a race to 3, true double elimination and is requiring a hard break. There were 35 entrants. Form is holding as the winners’ side finals has John Brumback facing Jason Miller. The left side of the board has Brian Gregg banking it out with Shawn Putnam, as well as Shannon Daulton matching up with Tony Chohan. First prize is $2100, with as much as $1600 added according to eligibility requirements related to residency and lodging.

The one-pocket matches are races to 4, with true double elimination. There were 36 entries. The winners’ final here pits Shannon Daulton and Tony Chohan. On the left side, Brumback and Jason Miller match up again in this event. Chris Bartram tangles with the exciting Rafael Martinez of Mexico. Sergio Perez and Gabe Owen complete the field. Prize money is the same as the banks. The top eight in each field will cash.

Despite the wealth of talent in action, Tony Chohan has really impressed with his powerful game. The only “people” to beat Tony was the airlines. His connections were bad and he had to forfeit his first round of banks. Since then he has not lost in either event, and he was super in some extracurricular bank pool action in a nearby room Tuesday night.

Tonight John Schmidt and Danny Harriman will play the straight pool portion of their 3-day, $20,000 winner-take-all challenge. 400 points of straight to be exact, followed by 10-ball and one-pocket marathons on Friday and Saturday to settle the cash. Admission for spectators is free for the open events and $10 for the challenges.

Make no mistake: this is a quality event. The turnouts have been light but there is and will be a ton of big-time pool played at the Clarion Convention Center in Louisville, KY, for 9 more days. The BCA is committed to making this event a major annual event, so if you can, get out and support it.