Gabriel Visoiu (Photo courtesy of Dave Thomson - mediumpool.com)
TRICK SHOT MAGIC was held September 22 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Gabi Visoiu defeated Andy Segal 8-6 in the Finals. The two semifinals and the Championship match will be broadcast by ESPN on Sunday, December 4, 2016 at 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm EST on ESPN2.
The format for Trick Shot Magic consisted of two skill shots and four artistic show shots by each player in each semi-final and 8 artistic show shots in the Finals. Each player executed a challenge shot of their choice, and their opponent was required to duplicate the shot or lose a point. In the semifinals, the players alternated shots in head-to-head matches, performing intricate trick shots meant to stymie their opponents. A sudden death tiebreaker to decide a match required an eight rail bank shot onto the face of a $100 bill. The Championship Finals match pitted the two greatest Trick Shot players in the world in a head to head match for the right to claim the title “Trick Shot Champion”.
The Championship match was poetry on Simonis blue, with Gabi Visoiu defeating 5 time Trick Shot Magic Champion and current World Champion Andy Segal by a score of 8-6 to take the Championship Trophy. Visoiu combined traditional multi-ball shots with his masse skills to overcome Segal’s talents with multi cue tricks. The Trump Taj Mahal crowd gave Visoiu a rousing ovation at the conclusion of the Championship match. The victory was particularly rewarding for Visoiu as he had competed in Trick Shot Magic for 5 years without a victory.
The Semi-final matches featured newcomer Will DeYonker, who qualified for the event in a special tournament held over the summer in Long Island, New York. Will delivered several unique shots but fell short to Andy Segal when one of his tricks was deemed in violation of the rules by referee Dave Nangle. Segal went on to win 7-5. The Second semi-final featured 2016 WPA Jump Shot and Follow Shot World Champion, Jamey Gray from the United States. He was defeated by Gabi Visoiu 7-3. The trophy was presented by Gregg Hovey of Billiards International.
In addition to the fine tournament site at the Trump Taj Mahal, the event was sponsored by Diamond Billiard Tables, Aramith Tournament Balls, Simonis Cloth, PoolDawg, Cuetec, Marty Carey Jump Cues, J.Pechauer Custom Cues, CueMate Cue Stands and Bill Westley Racks. The event was produced by Billiards Interna
