Written by : Zak Ross

Tournament format and setup:

10-ball Race to 7 on A-side, Race to 6 on B-Side

No 10ball break, Early 10ball combo allowed

Winner Break

3-foul Rule in Effect

2-ball & 3-ball racked on the corners

A 52 player tournament was hosted at Ox Billiards on May 6th & 7th, bringing players from all over the NW Area; WA, OR & BC, Canada. NW legends Stan Tourangeau (722) and Dan Louie (675) were drawn in a R1 match that went hill-hill with Louie clinching victory over Tourangeau, 7-6. This wouldn’t be the first early bracket match where some of the tournament favorites would square-off, or “upset”, early on. 

BC’s front-runner Stephen Folan (718) decidedly won R1 over Bo Belonia (595) 7-1, and then immediately met Ox sponsored, Daniel Sardoncillo (693), in R2; to much surprise Folan also handedly won this matchup 7-1. These outcomes meant that Tourangeau & Sardoncillo would match up in R2 of the B-side bracket. Tourangeau proved victorious and sent Sardoncillo packing with a 6-3 victory.

Previous NW Cup team members Clay Belvoir (683) (WA) & Paul Marquez (676) (OR) also faced-off in R1, with Belvoir defeating Marquez 7-1. However, Belvoir would go on to lose R2 to local rising talent, Shucheng Chao (623), in a hill-hill battle, 6-7.

There were many more examples of tough competition (too many to name, really!) but all of these outcomes can be viewed here: https://challonge.com/5rxe7vvp?fbclid=IwAR0bsWD5Uuwwd9xIoNTGaPF8CvqY2XhngLt0KldUikv49uQC9hcUvTcuFIQ

Stephen Folan would remain on the A-side in dominating fashion (all matches won 7-1 except for a 7-4 vs Aman Sunar (588) & and a 7-3 vs Joe Tamura (643)) through to the final. In the Semi-Finals, Folan defeated Lito Atendido (676) 7-1. Atendido would make a brief pass to the B-side, eliminating Jason ‘Jay’ Copeman (645) 7-2. Atendido then struck back with a vengeance, having to double-dip Folan in the final. Atendido would go on to win the first set 7-4 & the second set 7-6.

The Canadians proved victorious overall, taking the top 4 spots this tournament!

Match stream Day 1 (Morning/Afternoon): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBXfzOYqwXU

Match stream Day 1 (Afternoon/Evening): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YpPlyoovSI

Match stream Day 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OauwNEYehS8\

Match stream Day 2 Quarter-Finals through Finals: https://www.facebook.com/oxbilliards/videos/1077819233034554/

1st Place - Lito Atendido                    

2nd Place - Stephen Folan

3rd Place - Jason ‘Jay’ Copeman

4th Place - Dexter Ambang

Perspective from an underdog player

As detailed in the chart at the beginning of this article, the list of players was vast with half the field having a FargoRate of 600+. As a low-level player (relatively speaking) sitting at a FargoRate of 484, my approach to this tournament was as follows:

• I have nothing to lose (except the entry fee).

• The chance of playing competition significantly better than me in a tournament setting is unmatched, and the experience gained is immeasurable.

• With no pressure and expectations, I could focus on playing to the best of my abilities and testing my knowledge.

I arrived at Ox around 8:45 AM to get some reps in, scope out the competition, and get a feel for the vibe. Once all 52 of us were signed-up and our $150 entry fees paid, Ed Slade (tournament director) brought everyone together for a players’ meeting. My first thought was, “rules and such,” because most of the big tournaments I had played were league affiliated; cashless spoils where none go the richer unless it’s a trip to Vegas, or for these things called “respect” and “glory.” I’m sure experienced readers here are having their “oh, my sweet summer child,” moment, so go for it! Bask in my glowing naive innocence, muahahaha.

After the players’ meeting concluded, action started immediately. Slade called out the first match, “Table One, Zak Ross,” oh wow that’s me!, “vs Mark Goodwin,” oh boy I’m doomed! Low-and-behold, I was drawn to play Mark Goodwin (682) in R1. Again, I’m a 484, so for analogy’s sake, it’s like I’m a fish, and Goodwin is a barrel… of a gun… I’ll flop around causing a ruckus for a bit, but eventually the barrel will find its mark.

I had seen Goodwin play 8ball on bar box tables and knew he had a methodical approach to the game, scoping out shots in advance and planning his exits meticulously. He has a really solid balance of offensive and defensive strategy. On paper, this match probably should’ve been a landslide in favor of Goodwin, but I dug deep and pulled out some miraculous shots and positional play.

In rack 2, Goodwin played a great defense, placing the cue ball up against the 9ball as shown in the image below: 

I took a long look and decided to bank the 9ball into the lower left pocket, using some outside top-left english to pickup the angle needed. I figured if I happened to miss, I would at least leave the 9ball on the shortrail, and cue ball up table, giving some distance. Much to my surprise, I executed it and ended up with great shape on the 10ball, bringing the match to a 1-1 tie. The next few racks Goodwin and I would trade, until it was 4-3 in favor of Goodwin. Although I ended up losing 4-7, I was satisfied with the results given his caliber (Goodwin would finish the tournament in 9th place).

After this match, I chatted with fellow underdog Ed Caulfield (469) about his previous tournament experiences, and he had this to share with me (paraphrased):

“I have a table at home so the way I prepare for a tournament is, I’ll warm up and play for about one hour, to one and half hours. Then, I’ll sit on the couch and basically do nothing for two and half, to three hours. I’ll then jump back on the table and see how quickly I can get back in stroke.”

Due to the endurance and stamina tests of these tournaments (for example, my first match was at ~10:30 AM, but my second match wasn’t until 5:45 PM), I think this is a good strategy for players trying to figure out how to beat one of the toughest opponents: the waiting game. Oftentimes, some players will have a long wait. Meanwhile, their opponent will be fresh off a match. How do you get back in stroke and remain competitive?

Coincidentally, I ended up playing Ed Caulfield in the B-side bracket after he lost to Dexter Ambang (687) (4th Place finisher). I had previously played Caulfield in a 9ball tournament at The Breakroom in which I proved victorious, but I think revenge had the edge in this outcome. Caulfield and I played a tight race, with racks 8-11 going back and forth, but he ended up winning in a nail-biter, 5-6. This brought my tournament venture to an end, so it goes.

I ended the day 9-13 (41%) which, honestly, was satisfying enough given the competition and my lack of experience playing 10ball tournaments.

On Day 2 of the tournament, I returned to Ox with my buddy Mason in-tow to check out the remaining competition and also work some live-stream commentary from the booth with Christian Youngers (570). It’s always nice talking game with someone who shares the same passion for our sport. Hearing his approach to shots and positioning through his commentary is invaluable to anyone looking to improve or adjust their own game. Even though nothing replaces repetition at the table, having another perspective in your repertoire can improve your strategizing in a pinch.

After commentating on several matches, Mason and I took a break to grab a slice and a pint from Big Mario’s, and continued discussing matchups we were looking forward to watching. As we were talking, none other than Stephen Folan arrived to also grab a slice. He was kind enough to join us and discuss how his tournament was going, with both of us being impressed with his run thus far (he had just defeated Dexter Ambang 7-1). I learned Folan is the owner of Sneaky Pete’s Pool Cafe in Vancouver (https://www.sneakypetespool.com/) and as he was describing his venue to me, it dawned on me that I had just played there back in September 2022 while taking a day-trip with my partner to Vancouver. Small world made even smaller in the pool community it seems!

Folan stayed overnight in a camper, and actually had a couple tournaments lined-up to play in the following days back in Canada. As he was describing his journey, it made me think about how far pool has come as a sport. Not just in the sense of the widening competition and accessibility, but how word-of-mouth tournaments and players hitting the open road to find competition hasn’t really been replaced, it has simply been enhanced by technology and on-demand information. Gone are the days of rolling into a town and hoping for some action, you could now guarantee action. Players are now able to really fine-tune their tournament schedules.

We returned to Ox to watch the Semi-Finals match between Stephen Folan and Lito Atendido. Folan would snap-off two break and runs (barely missing a third) and do what he had been doing all tournament, dominating. He defeated Atendido 7-1 and claimed his spot in the Final.

The Final proved to be very contentious, with both players making some uncharacteristic mistakes (including Atendido shooting the wrong ball twice; that pink 4, purple 5 can be a doozy), and what could also be described as, “light sharking,” between one-another. Personally, I would chalk these up to fatigue, given the Final didn’t start until around 11 PM and it being a long, 2-day event that went over 24 hours of play.

On the hill-hill rack of the final set, Atendido broke, made three balls (3-7-9) on the break, but scratched the cue ball in the left side pocket, opening the door for Folan to walk through and slam it behind him. Folan would make the 1ball and 2ball, but then miss the 4ball in the bottom left corner, causing it to come around and setup a 4ball defense for Atendido. Folan would break out the short stick for a clean jump on the 4ball into the left side-pocket, then continued his run, but would leave himself a steep 6ball slice into the upper right corner. Folan would barely miss this and leave Atendido the opportunity to take the 6-8-10. Atendido would make routine work of these last three balls to take the title.

The overall vibe of the tournament can be summed up in one phrase uttered by Christian Youngers in the wee hours of Monday morning, “We got action.”