Francisco Bustamante - Photo courtesy of Dave Thomson - Mediumpool.com
Derby City Classic XX, January 19-27, 2018
LIVE from the Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino, Elizabeth, IN
DCC ONE POCKET CHAMPIONSHIP
Let’s be frank and say it like it is. Francisco Bustamante’s One Pocket game has gotten better. Where has it improved? “I’m more aggressive,” he asserted. “To win, you must put pressure on your opponent.”
In the opening game of the Final’s, Justin Bergman had made 6 and left the green Cyclop hanging in his pocket. Rather than just give it to him and leave the cue ball snuggled in Bergman’s pocket, the 54-year-old Filipino took on a three rail flier that would either make him or break him.
A stop shot would leave the cue ball in perfect position and allow the opportunity to get at least 4 more, but if he missed, with that dangling orb, Justin was surely out.
The three-railer took off the long rail and swept effortlessly into his pocket. He ran 6 to miss abruptly and they both needing 2.
He actually lost that game but that wasn’t the point. He feels that if he has an opportunity like that and doesn’t take it, that sends a message to the opponent that transfers the power to him. “If I’m gonna win, I win, if I’m gonna lose, I lose.”
Getting so close, also, gave Bustey the impetus to stick with the game plan; Keep applying the pressure.
He never looked back. His run outs were absolutely spectacular, his banking, superb, his defense–when it was the only option–so exceptional that he didn’t lose another game. And, most importantly, it catapulted the two-time Master of the Table into contention for a 3rd with an All-Around point total score of 198.5.
Obviously disappointed, Bergman had had his best DCC finish yet. Today, he’d beaten past champion, Shannon Daulton, twice! He’d been bounced in and out of the Accu-Stats TV Table to play 9-Ball in the main arena where an additional 20 Diamond Tables were shimmering in a sea of Simonis Blue.
As the One Pocket runner-up and his high finish in Banks plus, his remaining buy-back in 9-Ball, he was looking strong in second place with an All-Around point total of 153.3.
A quick recap of how we got to the finals would read: Tony Chohan was not intimidated by Kiamko’s earlier, stellar 17 ball run that, incidentally, initiated Bustey’s buy-back. Warren’s buy-back remains intact in the 9-Ball.
Bustey gave DeLuna his marching orders which allowed him to meet Tony in the semi’s #2 which had an interesting incident.
With tight, nip and duck strategy they were a tied at 2, In the deciding rack, Bustamante, aggressive as ever, led 7 balls to 1. Chohan, obviously pressured, needed all of them. Around the 4th ball, he lost his cue ball which headed off the short rail destined for the side pocket.
Sensing a scratch, Bustey, prematurely, sprang out of his seat. With ball-in-hand in the kitchen, he knew that he was surely out and into the finals.
“Oh yeah, Oh yeah,” he yelled, jumping up and down, hands in the air. But wait, whitey swerved slightly and rattled around the rim to settle table-top and leave Tony helpless.
DCC 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
363 entries vying for the $16,000 first place prize money.
The beauty, and blessing, of competing in any event at the Derby City Classic is that even though there are near 4-500 entries in any given division, the odds are that you are not going to draw a champion.
Virtually half the field is composed of B+ players who, by definition, occasionally break and run a rack of 9-Ball. if you can run two, odds are, you’re gonna go far, maybe, get close to the money, Then, if you do lose to a better class of opponent, it becomes mandatory that you use your buy-back privilege to protect your investment.
That’s the blessing, the beauty is that you can draw a Champion, either way, you leave with a tale to tell. Either way, you win.
“That’s the way of the Derby City Classic experience,” said Diamond’s Greg Sullivan, “I want everyone to leave with a story.”
Around 250 9-Ball players have been eliminated and 16 of the remaining 100, or so, are undefeated.
From Kuwait, Omar Al Shaheen, Justin Bergman, Marc Bijsterbosch, Gary Browning, John Brumback, Ruslan Chinakhov, Lee Vann Corteza, Josh Filler. Warren Kiamko, Chris Melling, John Morra, Dennis Orcullo, Alex Pagulayan, Jayson Shaw, and Shane Van Boening.
In summation, a truly International field of pool superstars and those are just the unbeaten. BIG Foot Gomez, Bank Champ Corey Deuel, Mika Immonen, Jeff DeLuna, Shannon Daulton, Jalal Yousif, Rob Saez, Fedor Gorst, John Schmidt, Justin Hall, Brandon Shuff, Ronnie Alcano…the list goes on.
In his match with Oklahoman Chip Compton, England’s Chris Melling put on a snooker clinic. “I didn’t get a look at a ball,” commented Compton.”Chris played great.”
The ladies, including Karen Corr and Loree Jon Hasson, are gone. Karen ran into Evan Lunda and Joey Gray.
What was of note with Loree Jon was that she had drawn Lee Vann Corteza. She was about to tie the match at 7 when she missed the 7. It could have cost her the match
Had she made it, Lee Vann confessed that it would have added serious pressure, “…as I had just came from 2-8 behind to escape the buy-back booth. When I saw how confident Loree Jon was, I started to get shaky. Lucky for me she missed.”
LIVE 9-Ball Play continues at Accu-Stats.com
Accu-Stats thanks its Arena Sponsors: Diamond Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Cyclop Balls, Lucasi Custom, MEZZ Cues, McDermott Cues, National Billiard Academy, and Samsara Cues
DCC BANKS RING GAME
The action packed 10-Ball Bank entertainment was in full swing at press time.
Bustamante had entered but, due to his exhausting day, decided to get some sleep and concentrate on his early morning 9-Ball match. He also, wants to protect those All-Around points.
Corey Deuel, Shannon Daulton, Jeremy Jones, Shawn Murphy, Billy Thorpe and Skyler Woodward are “all-in,”
The 10-Ball Bank Ring Game, hosted by banking living legend, Truman Hogue began at $50 a ball. You can bet that it will be 10 times that by game’s end. We’ll keep you posted on the results, tomorrow,
