The crew at Shooters in Greensboro, North Carolina, put on another great event the weekend of November 10th. The tournament was a 10-ball challenge ring game, which brought in a total of seventeen of the toughest regional players in the Greensboro area including the likes of Sparky Ferrell, B.J. Ussery, and ultimate winner Jeff Pruitt.
Each player started out with $500 in chips from their $65 entry at noon on Saturday. The field played on nine-foot tables and the set-up included fifty-minute sessions on five tables. There were four tables running with four men, and one table with a total of five players. After each session, a re-draw was performed and table assignments were announced. In the first four hours of play, not one person lost their entire batch of chips.
The final five players ultimately took shape as Jeff Pruitt, Sparky Ferrell, B.J. Ussery, William Cloud, and Al Fitch. Pruitt had the advantage going into the final table with a dominant chip lead. The first player to drop off of the table was Al Fitch. At that time, the blinds went to $400/$400 per game – this ultimately cost William Cloud his pot and he was sent home in fourth place. Then, with Ussery ($1300 chips) and Ferrell ($1500 chips) low in chips based on the blinds at $800/$800, the spectators saw both of the gentlemen forced to go all-in. This allowed Pruitt to kill two birds with one stone as he was able to finish out the round for the big win.
Special thanks to the management and staff at Shooters (owners Trevor and Michelle Jefferson, and Eric Ridge), along with Tournament Director Karl Kurak for an entertaining weekend.
Jeff Pruitt Top Chip Holder at Shooters 10-Ball Challenge Ring Game
November 13, 2007