If you came here for a laser show and confetti, you’re in the wrong building. Brass Tap & Billiards doesn’t do glitz. It does grit. The vibe is a blue sea of fresh cloth on gorgeous 9ft Diamond Pro Am tables, half-whispered sweat bets, and the dead silence that happens right before someone makes that winning shot.
Welcome to the 2025 Beasley Open One Pocket in Raleigh, North Carolina, where the races are short, but the grudge matches last forever. One bad roll and you’re scrambling. One impatient shot and you’re chalking up on the downside of the bracket
This isn’t pool for the faint of heart. This is pool for the problem solvers, the pressure junkies, and the ones who know how to quickly transition into a safety battle like it’s a second home.
And looming in the air, thick as clouds from some ill-mannered punk…chain-hitting his vape mod across the room?
Alex Calderon.
2024: The Quiet Takeover
Calderon showed up last year with all the hype of a guy fixing a vending machine. By the end of it, he’d taken the cash, the crown, and kicked a few egos down the stairs on his way out. He won the One Pocket. Then he won the 9-ball event. All said and done, he zipped up his cue case and walked out like he forgot a pizza in the oven.
In One Pocket, he bulldozed Machine Cerna, slipped past Oliver Ruuger, shut out Nathan Childress, and edged Roberto Gomez to reach the hot seat. Then he ran into Tony Chohan and took a 3–0 loss that had most folks counting him out.
Calderon didn’t give a damn, he was an unstoppable freight train on a mission from God. He beat Gomez again on the one-loss side, then returned to face Chohan in the final. Race to 4. Hill-hill thriller. Chohan missed a tricky three rail bank. Calderon cleaned up the table and the title without a sound.
Then he turned around and won the 9-ball event, taking out Sky Woodward in a hill-hill semifinal and beating Nathan Childress 13–9 in the final. No theatrics. No Earl Strickland victory dance. Just two titles and a new standard.
2025: The Field Is Stacked, the Bracket’s a Minefield
This year, with $7,500 added for One Pocket and $12,500 for 9-ball, nobody’s sleeping easy. This isn’t just a tournament folks, it’s a war with brains, balls, and cues.
And leading the charge? A lineup of players who have the potential to claim both divisions.
Billy “The Banker” Thorpe
Out of Dayton, Ohio, Billy Thorpe, the banks are always open for this man. He’s built his rep on high energy, fearless offensive attacks, slick shot-making, and the kind of confidence that makes opponents question their whole strategy.
But the Thorpe we’re seeing in 2025? After trials and tribulations, he’s been reborn with a fresh outlook and redemption on his side. This new Thorpe is disciplined and deadlier than ever. And that should shake his opponents to their very core. Give him a rack, and he’ll run with it. Give him a lead, and you’re toast.
Mickey “The Viking” Krause
The young gun from Denmark with hair that makes Fabio Lanzoni jealous. He doesn’t care what the traditional “experts” have to say on how the game is supposed to be played. It’s his time, his game, his way and he’s coming for it all.
Mickey won the 2024 European Open and plays One Pocket like it’s a highlight reel waiting to happen. Down on the shot in a hurry, one, maybe two micro strokes. Cue delivery? Forget about it! It’s smooth with flawless precision. He banks aggressively, pushes the tempo, and doesn’t shy away from thin cuts or full sends.
Some players play to avoid mistakes. Mickey plays like they don’t exist. It’s high-risk, high-reward and a blast to watch unless you’re the poor soul in the other chair.
Mike “Iron Mike” Davis
Davis is the definition of a grinder. A fixture in Raleigh. A student of the game with a steel trap for pattern recognition.
He’s not the loudest. He’s not the flashiest. But give him a window, and he’ll turn it into a door, walk through it, and deadbolt it behind him.
He’s battled through every version of this room with the best in the world. In a race to 3? He’s your worst-case scenario.
Lukas “CT Kid” Fracasso-Verner
Lukas is 22 years old and already playing like he’s been a world champion for decades. Clean. Quiet. Calculated. Composed.
He’s not out here chasing fist bumps or pats on the back. He’s chasing victory. Titles like the 2025 Joss State 9-Ball and Buffalo’s 2024 Pro Classic Open 9-Ball, along with several major triumphs, are already in his trophy collection. The Beasley is the kind of stage he’s built for. He’ll let you shoot first and then take everything after. Look for this kid to be a force to be reckoned with in 9 ball, 10 ball and especially One Pocket.
Where to Watch the Carnage?
Every safety battle, every impossible bank, every win-or-go-home moment is streaming live on PoolActionTV. And if you’re trying to figure out who’s left, who’s out, and who’s running hot, check the live bracket on DigitalPool.com.
Spoiler: It’s already getting bloody. And by the time you’re reading this, the One Pocket showdown might be down to the final 4.
How This Ends? Nobody Knows.
Will Calderon do it again with the help of the pool gods? Will T-Rex sweep the entire field in the One Pocket division? Maybe Iron Mike shuts everyone down, one smart move at a time. Or maybe the CT Kid just keeps playing with ice in his veins and walks off with both titles before anyone realizes what happened.
One thing’s for sure: nobody coasts through these divisions unscathed. You don’t win the Beasley on accident. You win it with mental fortitude and ruthless resilience. And that story? It’s still being written. Stay tuned.
Robert Stubblefield
For OnePocket.org
Photo credit: Steve Booth