PoolRoom

LION ROARS INTO HALL OF FAME

Over the years, Alex Pagulayan, the comical, mischievous and lethal Canadian-by-way-of-the-Philippines pool star, has parlayed his talents into the World 9-Ball Championship, a U.S. Open 9-Ball title and a pair of Derby City Classic Master of the Table crowns. Those achievements have now earned the 41-year-old “Lion” the “ultimate accomplishment,” induction into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame.

The United States Billiard Media Association announced that Pagulayan will enter the sport’s most exclusive club, along with table manufacturer/promoter Greg Sullivan and Johnston City Hustlers Jamboree creators George and Paul Jansco. All will be formally honored during ceremonies at the Norfolk Sheraton Waterside Hotel in Norfolk, Va., on Friday, Nov. 1.

Pagulayan, who earned election in a run-off against England’s Kelly Fisher after the two had tied on the initial ballot, will enter the Greatest Players wing of the Hall of Fame. Sullivan, 70, and the late Jansco brothers will be honored in the Meritorious Service category.

“I don’t know what to say,” said Pagulayan after being informed of his election. “For a pool player, this is the ultimate accomplishment, right? And I’m happy to become the first Canadian in the BCA Hall of Fame.” Pagulayan, who moved from the Philippines to Toronto at 16, made his presence felt in 2002, when he reached the final of the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships. After losing to Germany’s Ralf Souquet in the title match, Pagulayan, then 24, reached the final of the World Pool Championship a year later. Again, he lost in the final. Again, he lost to a German player, Thorsten Hohmann. But it was clear that Pagulayan had championship ability, and in 2004 he returned to the title match at the World Pool Championship in Taipei, Taiwan. This time he emerged victorious, topping local hopeful Pei Wei Chang for the title. A year later, Pagulayan exorcised his U.S. Open 9-Ball demon as well, winning the title. In addition to World Summit of Pool and World Pool Masters titles, Pagulayan is the only player to have won titles in all three divisions of the annual Derby City Classic — One-Pocket, Banks and 9-Ball. He also earned Master of the Table titles in 2015 and 2016.

“The Derby City All-Around titles are my biggest career highlights,” Pagulayan said. “They are such big fields and you have to play all three games well. And it’s really hard to win all three disciplines. I feel like I won pool’s triathlon.”

It was the first year of eligibility for both Pagulayan and Fisher. Each were named on 62 percent of the ballots, forcing a run-off vote. In the special election, Pagulayan received 21 votes, while Fisher received 16. Holland’s Niels Feijen (27 percent) and American Corey Deuel (24 percent) were the next highest vote-getters on the initial ballot. Shannon Daulton, Jeremy Jones, Stefano Pellinga, Vivian Villarreal and Charlie Williams were named on less than 10 percent of the ballots.

For Sullivan, admission into the BCA Hall of Fame caps a life of service trying to elevate pool from a recreation to a legitimate professional sport. An Indiana native, Sullivan became a poolroom owner and, with input from top players, began constructing pool tables to professional specifications.

Sullivan launched Diamond Billiard Products, with his tables quickly becoming the preferred playfield of the pros. Frustrated by coin-operated tables that forced players to use magnetic or oversized cue balls, Sullivan is also credited with introducing optical sensor to coin-op tables so that standard cue balls could be used. For Sullivan, it marked another victory in putting professional equipment into the hands of all players.

In the 1990s, Sullivan contracted the Pantone Company to research the optimum color for pool cloth. The testing resulted in the Tournament Blue prevalent in today’s professional tournaments.

As a lifelong fan of the Johnston City Hustler’s Jamborees of the 1960s and ’70s, Sullivan launched a similar multi-discipline event, the Derby City Classic, in 1998. The annual event has drawn thousands of professional and regional players to Southern Indiana for 21 years.

“I have to say, I’m in shock,” Sullivan said when informed. “My whole life has been about pool, just trying to turn it from a game to a sport. It’s all I’ve ever done.”

That George and Paulie Jansco should join Sullivan in the same Hall of Fame class is appropriate, since the Southern Illinois club owners founded the famed Johnston City Hustlers Jamboree and All-Around Pool Championship in the 1960s. The Janscos contributed to the pool’s romanticized image as a gunslinger’s activity. Their promotion of the gambling aspect of the sport contributed to its rise in popularity with the public, with their tournaments drawing media coverage from major television networks and national magazines like “Sports Illustrated.” So popular were the Johnston City events that the Jansco’s launched a second event, the Stardust Open in Las Vegas. The Janscos could also be credited with moving 9-ball and one-pocket into the game’s forefront during a time in which straight pool was considered the only professional game. They were also among the first promoters to welcome integrated fields, paving the way for players like African-American Cicero Murphy to compete for world titles. George Jansco passed away in 1969. Paul Jansco died in 1997.

Buddy Hall Wins Hard Times Summer Jamboree One-Pocket Title

Buddy Hall won the One-Pocket division at the Hard Times Summer Jamboree, June 16, at Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, Calif. Hall went to the one-loss side at the hands of Billy Palmer, but then fought his way through the likes of Greg Sullivan and Tony Chohan, among others. Hall faced Jose Parica in the race-to-5 final; The Rifleman won, 5-1, and collected $3,000.

The Hard Times event goes from June 14-19, and also features a $10,000-added 9-ball division, which concludes on Sunday. For more information and complete brackets, check www.azbilliards.com.

Reyes Reigns Supreme at Derby City

To his many current nicknames, Efren Reyes could now add “Mayor of Derby City.” The 50-year-old Hall of Famer re-elected himself to a second consecutive term as the Derby City Classic’s All-Around champion, finishing first in both the one-pocket and 9-ball divisions and placing tied-for-13th in 9-ball banks.

Reyes’ official take for the 9-day pool extravaganza, held Jan. 14-22 in Louisville, Ky., was a whopping $43,919, including the $20,000 bonus for the all-around crown (which he also won in 2004).

The mammoth pool jamboree came to an official close near 11 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, when Reyes made short work of upstart James Baraks in the 9-ball finale. The feisty Filipino allowed Baraks to the table just twice — for two shots total, both kicks — en route to a 5-0 lead. Baraks won the sixth game, but got sloppy with a kick safe in the seventh game and let the “Magician” back to the table to mop up. His 7-1 title victory was only slightly less dominating than the pasting he dealt Mika Immonen in their 7-0 semifinal match, marked by several easy runouts for Reyes.

The runners-up in the all-around race were David Matlock, winner of the 9-ball banks division, and Cory Deuel, who finished second to Reyes in one-pocket.

The awards ceremony Saturday night concluded on a slightly somber note as the crowd received an update on the condition of event producer Greg Sullivan. Sullivan had checked himself into a local hospital earlier in the week after feeling some discomfort. He was diagnosed as having had a cardiac event, received treatment that included the insertion of an artery-clearing stent, and then was released. It was reported that he was in good condition.

But that wasn’t quite the end of the event. At the Derby City Classic, tournament play shares center stage (figuratively, at least) with the many action matches running on a 24-hour basis in the main tournament room and all over the hosting Executive West Hotel. A highly anticipated money match between up-and-comers Danny “Kid Delicious” Basavich and Gabe Owen kicked off at about the same time as the Reyes-Baraks final. A crowd of about 150 stayed late into the morning to follow the 10-ahead challenge. In fact, the match was still a dead heat nearly 12 hours later. No word yet on the outcome.

Lion Wins Derby City Ring Game

The 2005 Derby City Classic is underway with 408 players competing in the bank pool event. That is more more players than competed last year. Promoter Greg Sullivan was elated with the event so far. “It is great to see our goals being accomplished in such a big way” Sullivan said.

The 10-Ball ring game took place in front of a standing room only crowd between Efren Reyes, Johnny Archer, Shannon Daulton, John Schmidt, Robb Saez and Alex Pagulayan. Each player was putting up $3000 for the chance to walk away with $18,000.

Johnny Archer was the first player eliminated, and Robb Saez quickly joined him as a spectator. At the time of Saez’s elimination, Alex Pagulayan led with $8600. John Schmidt was in second with $5000 and Efren Reyes was in third with $3600. Shannon Daulton is on the bubble with $1100 and the players are playing for $400 a rack.

Shannon Daulton was the third player eliminated. At the time of the elimination, Alex Pagulayan held $7100 with Efren Reyes and John Schmidt only $100 apart at $5500 and $5400.

The fourth player eliminated was John Schmidt and Alex Pagulayan was in the lead with $9900 and Efren Reyes trailing with $8100. At that time, the format went to ‘no miss – roll out’ where a player can push out at any time, but the next shooter must make a ball or give up ball in hand. The wager on each game was raised to the amount that the lower player had, which meant the first game was for $8100.

It only took one game after that when Efren missed a ball mid-rack and Alex ran out for the ring game win.