2020 Members Only Tournament location poll

[NH Steve]

Okay it is time to choose our location for our Jun 5-6-7 Members Only Tournament (MOT). We have four rooms to choose from this year -- two new locations and two repeat locations. Here they are with the basic information as provided by our local room liaisons. These tournaments are a blast and are highly competitive! If you have never been to one, everyone who has can vouch for how much fun they are. Rooms that have 12 tables require an early start on Friday (noon). Rooms with 16 tables or more available for tournament play can start at 4 PM Friday. All locations finish by Sunday night at a reasonable hour because we will play to strict progress goals in the tournament bracket both Friday and Saturday night.

Please vote only for a location that you hope to actually attend in 2020 -- otherwise we really don't know how robust our turnout might be. Also please note you can vote for more than one room!

Michael’s Billiards (Fairfield, OH -- Cincinnati area)

Michael's is owned by long time Banks player and pool supporter, Michael Medley, and there is a tradition of action in his room. His room hosts a display featuring a granite tablet with the pool legend tribute poem "You'll be up here yet". Cincy_kid and Youngstownkid would be our local reps. Michael is a member here but rarely posts.​

12 regulation 9’ tables will be dedicated for tournament use​

Food, snacks, and alcohol are available.​

Non-smoking room.​

Greens fees $25 per person for the weekend.​

$500 added money​

Chris's Billiards (Chicago) wants us back - the owners, the local action one pocket players, the side-betters, and the sweaters all want youse guys back!

Me and Chicago Mike would be your local representatives/advocates.​

There are 16 great playing tables to be dedicated for the tournament - 6 Diamonds and 10 Gold Crowns - and the Gold Crowns have been beautifully redone, with new rubber/rails, and recovered.​

There are also 5 heated Euro 3cushion tables and 2 6x12 snooker tables.​

Food, snacks, and BYO alcohol are available.​

The room is a non-smoking room.​

Greens fees will be only $10 per person for the weekend.​

$500 would be added.​

Chris's Billiards is just two blocks from the freeway entrance/exit...and O'Hare airport, Chicago's major airport, is only 4 exits down from Chris's.​

Plus there are two great features at Chris's Billiards/an old school players room, that you won't find anywhere else = #1. There is no jukebox/loud/bad music playing/allowed in the main tournament room - you just hear that beautiful old school sound > the click of the balls (and maybe some loud cursing every so often due to missed shots or selling out, lol)...and #2. No uncomfortable, back-ache inducing, backless barstools like a lot of rooms very wrongly (imo) have for their serious players and sweaters --- instead, Chris's has 2-6 comfortable stadium chairs surrounding every table .​

And lastly....we've got 9 members of onepocket.org here in town, and they would all probably play in the tournament, giving an instant jump up to get the full 32 player field.​

California Billiards -- Fremont CA

They have 8 - 9’ Diamond tables by them selves, and 20 other tables 9’ available for play; 30 tables total.​

Good food​

Close to three airports​

Major hotel next door​

The owner Chris Swart does support One Pocket dot Org and will probably add money. He also gets us a great room rate at the Holiday Inn for about $100/night which includes a breakfast. Now it's on the west coast so it is not centrally located but for playing in a great room with added money and a safe hotel to stay in, you cannot do better than that.​

Our local promoters are baby huey (Jerry Matchin) and Scrzbill and the owner Chris Swart is a member here also.​

Amazin Billiards -- Malden MA (Boston area)

12 - 9' pool tables mostly Gold Crowns in a well lit room​

Mazin Shooni is a former 3 cushion national champion, so he also has 4 gorgeous heated billiard tables as well as a beautiful full sized snooker table! We have a number of local onepocket.org members in the area, including the founder of onepocket.org. In 2019 Mazin's hosted a regional One Pocket tournament with about 32 players, so there is a good interest in the game in the greater Boston area​

The room is non smoking, and does not serve alcohol or food (beyond snacks)​

Food can be ordered in, and in fact there are is both a separate dining room and a TV area with tables for eating.​

Logan airport is nearby​

Mazin has an arrangement for a Best Western hotel for under $100/night​

Greens fees $25​

$500 added​

NH Steve will be your local liaison​

​

 

[NH Steve]

New locations are a big reason why we move this around — every time we go somewhere new we have added new and valued members to our loyal community

 

[Island Drive]

Keep in mind. At CA Billiards, they also have a Snooker table, and we'll get to seen Henderson conduct business as usual. Plus it's warm there inland/beginning of June. The hotel is Across the street, one block away. Not too far from an international airport.

 

[crabbcatjohn]

New locations are a big reason why we move this around — every time we go somewhere new we have added new and valued members to our loyal community

I agree, that's why i voted Michaels. I've never been there. Huge one pocket and banks area

 

[jtompilot]

I agree, that's why i voted Michaels. I've never been there. Huge one pocket and banks area

with only 12 tables there is no huge area. We’ll need all the tables for Friday and Saturday

 

[Cory in dc]

I like the idea of a new locale. 12 tables should work if we start just a bit earlier and the room host knows what he's giving up. I'm tempted to say that an RR format might work better with 12 tables but that discussion seems worn out.

 

[crabbcatjohn]

with only 12 tables there is no huge area. We’ll need all the tables for Friday and Saturday

Huge area means folks in the area that play, IE maybe get a few new members. We won't need all the tables Saturday.

 

[BRLongArm]

I can't attend, so I won't vote. Good luck to the winner.

 

[12squared]

It would be great to see my old friend Mazin again and not have Steve travel for a change. I vote for Amazin Billiards.

 

[NH Steve]

It would be great to see my old friend Mazin again and not have Steve travel for a change. I vote for Amazin Billiards.

Thank you — the travel means something this year because of our HOF dinner moving to two weeks before our MOT due to the DCC casino takeover. Btw I can host a couple people at my house — with 24 hour access to a tight GC lol. Got that Ghost?

 

[jtompilot]

Thank you — the travel means something this year because of our HOF dinner moving to two weeks before our MOT due to the DCC casino takeover. Btw I can host a couple people at my house — with 24 hour access to a tight GC lol. Got that Ghost?

I might have to change my second vote

 

[youngstown]

Maybe I should’ve mentioned earlier that Michaels also has fabulous chairs (just as nice as the highly touted chairs at Chris’s ...)

 

[youngstown]

and I love those Southwest Chicken rolls they make...

 

[crabbcatjohn]

From the poll results so far, it looks like we might be better off having 3 - 16 player regional tournaments...lol

 

[NH Steve]

BTW, Amazin Billiards also has NO JUKEBOX, and they also have a full sized refrigerator with freezer in one of the sitting areas -- did somebody say ICECREAM?

 

[Scrzbill]

If anyone who has been to one of the MOTs can verify, 12 tables is not enough. I like the Crabman but he will not go anywhere but locally to play. After the first or second round on a Friday night, people who are not playing in the tournament want to play and gamble, 12 tables does not allow this. Maybe for a regional 16 person tournament will be fine, but for myself, I am not going anywhere that I cannot play until two days of the tournament is over. I want to go to Cincinnati too, great German food and a chili dish you will not find anywhere else in America. For me, I will not go to Chris’s again after the moronic public attack by Ghost and LS John at me until the public apology. It’s too bad too because I like being at Chris’. John and I had a great time there the week we were there. I am going to the best poolroom in the country next week before going to Sacramento to watch the NINERS win the Super Bowl. I say it’s the best pool room in the country for a reason. If Chris knows you are a player, you get a table. The rice bowls are the nuts. The Hilton is right across the street, walking, no rent a car. The room has been designed by a pool player, hence, plenty of room to play. The tables have barriers from the public, it’s you and the table. Three airports are very close and the Hotel has a shuttle to the SJ airport. Breakfast is the nuts also. Cheeseburgers, BLTs. And the last time Chris agreed to have the tournament, he was going to add three thousand. It is up to Steve to talk to Chris to see what he will add this time. He also uses POV which gives OPORG members a chance to commentate and give OPORG good exposure.

 

[jlcomp45]

Bill - I hope you'll rethink that - Crabb will travel, but he does it sparingly. I also hope for Chicago because that pool room IS history for people of my generation. It's the closest we'll get to seeing what some of you got to actually grow up living. As far as depriving the rest of us of your presence because of one or two people though, that's just silly. Any place we go will be more than large enough to avoid confrontations or even conversations with anyone you want to.

This group we've generated here is the family we've got for one pocket. And the MOT is our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner rolled into one. I don't necessarily LIKE my right wing uncle, but I sure as hell don't want him to skip the family dinners. It just wouldn't be the same without him.

Love you old man & hope you'll show up - it just wouldn't be the same without you.

John

 

[jtompilot]

I agree with Bill on many points. If there’s a better room than California Billiards I haven’t been there and I’ve been there and I’ve been all over the country. I like Michael’s but no way was I going to subject myself to a big tournament with only 12 tables.

As for the moronic bashing by Ghost I don’t remember it but hope you guys settle it. I would like to see Bill in Chicago.

My Wife and I have Airline tickets and booked the Embassy at O’Hare.

 

[NH Steve]

I 100% love both Chris’s in Chicago and CA Billiards but am strongly in favor of moving around to new room locations and we have already been to both of those. Also I have a travel issue this year because I ha e to go to New Orlesns for our HOF dinner two weekend before our MOT. CA is definitely out due to cost. Chicago is probably out. Michaels is a possibility and Mazins a definite. That’s for me anyway. Of course I know it is not “all about me”. That’s why we are voting.

 

[Island Drive]

So gentlemen, is it a 12 or a 16????