2014 will be the biggest year yet for the Predator Pro-Am Tour! I am proud to announce that we have 27 stops scheduled for the tour this year and would like to thank Predator Cues, Delta-13 Racks and the National Amateur Pool League (NAPL) for their continued support. I'd also like to thank my tour director William Finnegan, Rob Omen of PoolOnTheNet.com and my amazing wife and the brains behind all I do, Gail Robles!
Steinway Billiards will once again be hosting our season opener January 11-12. As always, we will run the amateur event on Saturday and finish it on Sunday while starting the Open/Pro event on Sundays for all stops. We are also proud to have InsidePool.TV stream our season opener live!
Here are some big changes for the 2014 season on the tour:
Split Chart Format is Back
We are going to go back to the split chart format this year with a different twist. We have added an A++ for players that are playing between the A+ and Open speed. All the A++ thru B+ players will be playing on the top of the chart and the B thru D players will be on the bottom of the chart giving all players a shot at winning a tournament.
Qualifying for the Finale at Raxx
The season Finale will be a $5,000 ADDED event; $3,000 for the ABCD & $2,000 for the pros. It will also be a prepaid event. We will withhold $100 from most events during the regular season to add to the finale to guarantee the added money for that event. In addition, we are giving first priority to the players ranked highest in their player of the year standings. As we will now use a split chart going forward, we will give
first priority to the top 16 players in the following categories.
Top of the Chart:
A++
A+
A
B+
Bottom of the Chart
B
C+
C
D+/D
In the event the top 16 in each group cannot make the event, we will go further down the list to fill the open spots. Any player that plays in the finale that hasn't played in (7) SEVEN events will still owe double their entry fee. Please contact Tony or Finnegan to confirm your spot and entry as paid in the finale.
4th Annual George "Ginky" Sansouci Memorial Tournament
The 4th Annual George "Ginky" Sansouci Memorial Tournament has been moved to May (Memorial Day Weekend) this year May 24-26. This event will still take place at Steinway Billiards.
1st Annual Eastern States Championship
We are also proud to announce the 1st Annual Eastern States Championships which will take place on August 30-September 1 (Labor Day Weekend) at Snookers Sports Bar & Grill in Providence, R.I. Snookers Manager & House Pro Ray McNamara stated "We are very proud to be working with Tony and his tour to make this big event possible". Just like the Ginky Memorial, the tour will be joining forces with Marc Dionne's Lucasi Hybrid 9-Ball Series and Gloria Jean's Ride the Nine Tour to give all players the opportunity to play in this landmark event.
UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS
LIC Bulldogs Gymnastics Fundraiser
We are also going to do a fundraiser this Sunday, January 12 for the Long Island City High School Bulldogs Gymnastics team! Earl Strickland as well as other pros will be playing challenge matches against spectators for a donation on Sunday. My son Jonathan Robles who's in his senior year was voted team captain this year and they are looking to win their third consecutive NYC Gymnastics Championship but unfortunately, their gym equipment is slowly deteriorating . Please feel free to stop by Steinway Billiards on Sunday to show some support for these wonderful and amazing boys as challenge matches will start around 6:30pm. The LIC Bulldogs Gymnastics Team will be there along with their coach Ken Achiron to do their famous victory chant! Special thanks to Long Island City High School for the opportunity to do this for them.
Battle of Legends: Earl Strickland vs Efren Reyes
Steinway Billiards will also be hosting the Battle of Legends: Earl Strickland vs Efren Reyes January 14-16! This special event will also be streamed live by InsidePool.TV for a nominal charge. Please visit InsidePool.TV for more info.
Last but not least, special thanks to Jerry Tarantola & Alison Fischer of NYCGrind.com, AZBilliards.com, InsidePoolMag.com, BilliardsDigest.com, Gotham City Technologies, Billiards Press, PoolMag.com PoisonBilliards.com.
Looking forward to seeing everyone on the tour this year!
