Tony Robles

Tony Robles, known as The Silent Assassin , currently resides in New York City. He is considered one of the greatest billiards instructors and players in the world by his peers. He is beloved by fans and players alike for his soft spoke manner and honest approach to life.

Robles is one of the instructors in the world who executes what he preaches as he is still a force to be reckon with on the pro scene. Robles in past surveys by Pro Pool School Student polls has always come out to be their favorite instructor. He also has taken time to create the Predator 9-Ball tour which plays events thoughtout the northeastern U.S.

Titles Accomplishments:

• BCA Open Champion
• NJ 14.1 Champion
• Mosconi Cup Team USA Winner

Sponsored by Predator Cues Excelsior Graphics

Abraham Cracks Egg Harbor Billiards Event

Eddie Abraham earned first place at the July 27 stop of the Blaze 9-Ball Tour, defeating Adam Kielar in the finals. Atlantic City Billiard Club in Egg Harbor, NJ, hosted the one-day event, which garnered 45 top pool players from the Northeast.

Abraham went undefeated to the finals, taking victories over Joey Testa 7-5, Danko Campese 7-3, Matt Krah 7-6, and Allen Hopkins 7-2.  Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Dawn Hopkins, notching wins over Lloyd Price 7-1, Mel Free 7-2, Rob Palm 7-4, Christine Liotti 7-2, and Evan Bostron 7-1.

Hopkins and Abraham met up in the winners’-side finals. In this lopsided match, Abraham handled Hopkins easily, sending her to the semifinals with a 7-2 victory. Waiting there for her was Kielar, who pulled away to win the match 6-3 and reach the finals.

Kielar had to best Abraham twice in the finals to win the tournament. The first set went hill-hill, with Kielar winning 7-6. In the second set, Abraham won easily 6-3.

Results:
1st Eddie Abraham
2nd Adam Kielar
3rd Dawn Hopkins
4th Joey Testa
5th Evan Boston
Allen Hopkins
7th Matt Krah
8th Mike Miller

Bata-Led Team Begins Qatar World Open 9-Ball Campaign

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY - Filipino pool maestro Efren "Bata" Reyes will lead the assault of a strong Philippine contingent as the tough Qatar Open 9-Ball tournament gets going on June 29-July 5 at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation, Al Muntazah Road , Doha , Qatar.

Fondly called "The Magician" in the pool arena, the pride of Angeles City, Pampanga is aching to bounce back from the embarrassment he suffered in the first Senate President Manny Villar Cup in Cebu against a virtually unknown Rodrigo Geronimo, 9-1.

"I hope to perform well in Qatar World 9-Ball Open after my sub-par performance in Cebu Open ," said Reyes. " But what ever happen, I wish a Filipino can win the championship's trophy in Qatar," added Reyes, who is the first Filipino World Pool Champion in 1999.

Other notable Filipino bets competing here are Francisco "Django" Bustamante, world No.1 Dennis Orcollo, reigning national champion Lee Van Corteza and Warren Kiamco.

Former Asian snooker champion Marlon Manalo, 2007 Manny Pacquiao International 9-ball Open titlist Jeffrey De Luna and 2006 Doha Asian Games gold medalist Antonio Gabica will also see action in this event that offers $40,000 to the winner. They will take a short rest after grueling battles in the Puerto Princesa Cup, second leg of the Philippine Pool Tour before heading to Qatar.

Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) president Ernesto Fajardo expressed optimism on the Filipinos' chances in this tournament despite a tiring schedule they encountered. "We have a good chance in this event," said Fajardo. "Our players are coming off from separate tournaments. These tournaments might sharpen them a bit for the Qatar tournament."     

Taiwanese ace Chia-Ching Wu, who ruled the second leg of the RP Pool Tour, will also join the event along with compatriot Pin-Yi Ko, the reigning world junior champion. A formidable cast of foreign participants from Europe and the United States will also compete. Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann of Germany and Johnny Archer and Shane Van Boening of the US are also the favorites in the tournament.   All these players are already seeded in the tournament proper of this $150,000 event.

Cebu leg champion Gandy Valle, Ramil Gallego and snooker specialist Benjie Guevarra will participate in the stage one elimination on June 27.  However, if another slot opens in the main draw, the Japan-based Gallego is the top priority according to Fajardo because his superb performance in the past.

Around 96 players will see action in this event. They will be divided into eight groups with 12 players each. They will play in a double elimination, alternate break, race-to-nine format.

Pagulayan is World Pool Masters champ

Fil-Canadian Alex Pagulayan came from behind to turn back former world champion Mika Immonen, 8-6, in the finals to be crowned champion of the 2008 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters Monday at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

The Cabagan, Isabela native was down, 3-6, but the match turned Pagulayan’s way after Immonen’s illegal break, wherein he pocketed a ball but failed to carry two other balls past the headstring.

From there, Pagulayan cleared the table to gain the momentum he needed for a comeback.

The win awarded Pagulayan the $20,000 top purse, and more importantly, gave the flamboyant 28-year-old Filipino his first title of the year.

“This was like winning the World Championship for me. I’ve always wanted it but I’ve finally broken the ice,” said a jubilant Pagulayan, a stalwart of Puyat Sports and member of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP).

Pagulayan had to beat stablemate and former world No.1 Francisco "Django" Bustamante, 8-4, in the semifinals to arrange a showdown with Immonen.

Immonen, meanwhile, won over WPA World Junior Champion Ko Pin-yi of Taiwan, 8-4, in the other semis pairing.

Immonen settled for the runner-up purse of $10,000, while Bustamante, who won the tournament in 1998 and 2001, took home $5,000, the same amount received by Ko.

Pagulayan and Bustamante will be joined by Efren “Bata” Reyes as they compete in the Predator International 10-Ball Championship starting Tuesday also in Las Vegas.

2008 World Pool Masters Site Starts Today

Matchroom Sport is delighted to announce that www.worldpoolmasters.com , the Official Online Home of the PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters, is now live.

With the tournament being held for the first time ever in Las Vegas, the site will be your first port of call for news, player profiles, results, stories and pictures of what promises to be a hugely exciting event featuring some of the world’s top players.

Four World 9-ball Champions – Daryl Peach, Mika Immonen, Ralf Souquet, Alex Pagulayan – will be taking part in the event as well as some of the biggest names in the game, including Shane Van Boening, Francisco Bustamante, Niels Feijen and Corey Deuel.

All will be vying for the $20,000 top prize.

The World Pool Masters will be taking place at the Riviera Hotel and Casino from Thursday 9th to Sunday 11th May with afternoon and evening sessions daily, concluding with the final scheduled to commence around 9.15pm on Sunday evening.

www.worldpoolmasters.com will feature exclusive interviews with the stars who make up the field as well as comments and predictions from the big names of world pool.

Bookmark www.worldpoolmasters.com today for full details and information about the 16th annual running of one of pool’s most prestigious events.

Final Names added to 2008 World Pool Masters Line-up

The final names have been added to the players’ roster for the forthcoming 2008 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters which takes place at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas from May 9 to May 11.

Filipino superstars Francisco Bustamante and Alex Pagulayan have confirmed their attendance as well as top-rated Europeans Ralf Souquet (Germany) and Niels Feijen of Holland.

With 16 players in the field competing for a $62,000 prize fund, event promoters Matchroom Sport believe they have assembled the strongest line-up yet in the 16 year history of the event.

“With four World 9 Ball Champions, six US Open Champions and a host of other title-holders in the field, I believe that this will be the toughest ever World Pool Masters,” said Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn.

“With winner breaks, race to eight matches on the toughest equipment it will take a series of fantastic performances over the three days to lift this prestigious trophy,” he added.

Other recent confirmations include 2001 US Open Champion Corey Deuel and a quartet of stars recently qualified from the Euro Tour.

They are the latest English 9 Ball sensation Mark Gray, Germany’s dangerous Christian Reimering, up-and-coming Italian player Bruno Muratore and 2006 Mosconi Cup player Imran Majid (England).

World Junior Champion, the 18 year-old Ko Pin-Yi of Taiwan cemented his credentials to a Masters spot at the weekend by coming from 14-4 down to beat Dennis Orcollo 15-14 and lift the Brunswick Thailand 9 Ball Open.

Elsewhere, 2003 Masters Champion Tony Drago won the Paris Open at the weekend, his first Euro Tour title, after three losing finals.

2008 World Pool Masters Field:

Daryl Peach (England)
Thomas Engert (Germany)
Mika Immonen (Finland)
Tony Drago (Malta)
Shane Van Boening (USA)
Rodney Morris (USA)
Francisco Bustamante (Philippine)
Alex Pagulayan (Philippines)
Ko Pin-ye (Chinese Taipei)
Niels Feijen (Netherlands)
Ralf Souquet (Germany)
Corey Deuel (USA)
Mark Gray (England)
Christian Reimering (Germany)
Bruno Moratore (Italy)
Imran Majid (England)

Stickland and Jones fill out Team USA

Matchroom Sport can announce that the final two spots on the American side for the forthcoming PartyCasino.com Mosconi Cup will be filled by South Carolina’s Earl Strickland and Jeremy Jones (Texas).

Both players line up in an American team that is hoping to win the Mosconi Cup outright for the first time since 2005. Taking place at the Hilton Hotel, Portomaso, St Julians, Malta from December 11 – 14, the event features two five-man teams playing a series of singles and doubles matches over four days.

Strickland, 47, is playing in his 13th consecutive Mosconi Cup, a record for the event, and has won a fantastic 37 points from 56 matches. ‘The Pearl’ insists that he will be back to his imperious best come December, having put the health issues that dogged him a few years ago very much behind him.

“I’m not just a pool player, I’m an athlete,” said an ebullient Strickland.

“I’m running four miles every morning and doing 500 sit ups a day and I’m practicing seven to eight hours a day.

“I’m a more intelligent player than most of these guys, I’m working hard and I think I’m close to being back to my very best.

“The Mosconi Cup is my kind of tournament and I’m looking forward to doing my best for the USA in Malta.”

Despite his well-documented bust-ups at the Mosconi Cup, Strickland’s record in the event is the best of the 61 players who have participated in the competition in its 14 year history.

Joining Strickland, Archer, Van Boening and Morris will be Jeremy Jones, who at 36 will be making his seventh Mosconi Cup appearance. ‘Double J’ sports an impressive 16 wins from 28 starts and made his debut back in 1999 when the USA won 12-7 at the York Hall in London.

Jones has enjoyed a revival this year with a third place finish at the Predator International 10 Ball Championship back in May. Then in June, he followed that up with a long-awaited victory in the Generationpool.com Open in Charlotte.

These results and others were enough to propel the likable Texan up to fourth in the BCA Points List and secure his Mosconi Cup spot.

Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn said, “In all the sports that I have promoted over the years, aside from the boxer Chris Eubank, there has been no other sportsman who has got the public going more than Earl Strickland.

“Some love him, plenty hate him but he is one of the greatest players to have ever held a cue stick and when it comes to entertainment, he has few rivals.

“The Mosconi Cup has always been Earl’s playground – he won MVP honours in Las Vegas in 2005 – and when he’s on form, the Europeans will know all about it.

“Jeremy Jones has a great record in the event and it is gratifying to see him play his way back into contention. He completes a very strong looking American side and I am expecting a fierce battle in December.”

This year will see the 15th running of pool’s answer to the Ryder Cup and the current score stands at 10 ½ - 3 ½ to the Americans.

The official sponsors of the 2008 Mosconi Cup are PartyCasino.com, Brunswick Tables, Simonis Cloth, Super Aramith Pro Balls and Predator Cues.

A range of superb value hotel and ticket packages are available from the Official Mosconi Cup Travel Agents www.alleventsmalta.com