Facts about the Texas Open Players Tour

R

rbtabor

Registered
I try not to read or reply to many POSTED THREADS but after reading alot of the threads posted I want to set everything straight so the players know what goes on, period.

So let's start at the hotel. You need at least 10,000 sq ft to hold 40 7' tables; 14,000 sq ft makes things comfortable for setup and playing. Now in must cases the hotels want you to quarantee them sleep nights to get the ballroom for free or a reduced rate.

Tables cost is $6,500 without lights, $8,000 with lights. Diamond cuts me a deal charging me $6,500 with lights because I use them for the TEXAS BCA Pool League and SWEL tournaments.

Setup crew cost varies depending on each location from $700 to $1,500.

Referees are paid $75 per day($50 to referee plus $25 food) plus hotel room. Diamond crew gets a hotel room. Forklift($350-700) is needed to get the tables out of the truck.

Some of the posted threads are correct; we need the players help on 2 fronts, playing in the tournament and getting a hotel room.

I understand every players budget is different but it is just unbelivable hard to find hotels with the square footage needed at $65 per night. Convention centers are always the better option but their cost range from $1,500 to $5,000 per day.

The main reason you use hotels, hoping the players will stay there is where you can run mini-tournament late into the night. Because without the coin drop the tables are not covered.

Results of the two Texas Open Players Tour tournament so far.

Houston Hyatt- Scotch Doubles 13 teams, 13 women singles and 51 men singles.
Only 26 sleep nights used, coin drop a little less than $2000, forklift $632, labor $750, referee $225 and hotel room for referee and Diamond crew $600 plus tax So I am the hole, hotel is charging me $15,000 since I did not have 70% of my sleep night covered plus the others charges listed.

DFW Hilton- Scotch Doubles 63 teams, 44 women singles and 110 men singles.
I have not received the final count on sleep nights but trust me it was not enough to cover things. But I have a stronger working relationship the DFW Hilton so things will work out. Forklift $376, labor $1,100(caused by light issues), referee the same, rooms for refree and Daimond crew the same and coin drop better $4,000 but still short $2,500.

I made $320 for the Houston tournament and $770 for the DFW Hilton. The plans that were discussed was rising the entry fees for Scotch Doubles to $60 per team with a $10 registration fee and to $65 with a $15 registartion fee for singles. $75 with a $25 registration fee was mentioned but I felt like that might be a little to high.

We discussed different ways to run the tournament to keep players there so more might play in the minis. Having a MASTERS division is something also discussed but I keep turning it down. The main reason is this formatt is for OPEN players who do not have many tournaments to play in other than the at the state or national levels.

You, as players, always have a voice with me. If you know of a location that has the square footage needed let me know about and I will talk with. If you feel the entry fee is going to high maybe we can compromise and come to a middle ground. BCA Pool League and I both are working hard to find solutions to the problems so this TEXAS OPEN TOUR can continue and be benefit everyone involved.

You can always find entry forms on the following websites:

www.playbca.com www.sw8ball.org and here at www.azbillliards.com

Best way to reach me with individual questions and comments is emailing me at admin@sw8ball.org.

A special THANK YOU to all the players who have played in either or both of the past 2 events because without you we cannot hope to make this work.
 
rbtabor said:
A special THANK YOU to all the players who have played in either or both of the past 2 events because without you we cannot hope to make this work.
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Robert,

Running tournaments is a thankless job. I can't express enough how AWESOME it was to have a tournament like this to play in. I told NUMEROUS people about the event and honestly can't wait for the next one I can play in. I know everyone complains, we hear it all the time too (I help run the Hunter Classics Tour). Too many people bi$ch instead of say thank you and it takes a toll on us and then we go home and realize we do this FOR the players and it keeps us going. :)

We take the complaints in stride and even use some to improve the tour. We know we cannot please everyone and we also are aware that people sometimes start complaining more after they lose a match. ;) It takes time and patience and more events to find out what works best. Let us know how we can help.

Bottom line, we (Hunter Classics Tour and you and Ray, etc) enjoy providing tournaments for players and whether you are hearing it or not directly, we all really do appreciate these tournaments you are providing so THANK YOU, Robert.

Melinda
 
Thank You!

Melinda said:
Robert,

Running tournaments is a thankless job.
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Melinda,

I must respectfully dis-agree on the above statement. Each month 40-50 players have made their way to Waco for our 9ball event. That's 40-50 thank you's.

Your event has been successful with many thank you's as well. Look at how many thank you's the Texas Open Players Tour has received. The Fast Eddies 9Ball tour had 123 players in Austin! That's a lot of thank you's to Lewis Jones & Paul Blank.

Pool needs more of these type events. Different games, different skill levels. Right now we have a variety of different events to choose from nearly every weekend! This is awesome! Keep up the great work, pool IS exploding in the entire Southwest and you guys are so much the reason.

Thank You!

Ray
 
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The only problem i have is in the town of abilene,texas not only do we not have any kind of league play,i am not sure too many of us can spell league.That means myself or anyone from here can not play in these tourneys.Is there any way we can qualify?Ask Ray we like to play and dont mind contributing to the cause.
 
Melinda said:
Robert,

Running tournaments is a thankless job. I can't express enough how AWESOME it was to have a tournament like this to play in. I told NUMEROUS people about the event and honestly can't wait for the next one I can play in. I know everyone complains, we hear it all the time too (I help run the Hunter Classics Tour). Too many people bi$ch instead of say thank you and it takes a toll on us and then we go home and realize we do this FOR the players and it keeps us going. :)

We take the complaints in stride and even use some to improve the tour. We know we cannot please everyone and we also are aware that people sometimes start complaining more after they lose a match. ;) It takes time and patience and more events to find out what works best. Let us know how we can help.

Bottom line, we (Hunter Classics Tour and you and Ray, etc) enjoy providing tournaments for players and whether you are hearing it or not directly, we all really do appreciate these tournaments you are providing so THANK YOU, Robert.

Melinda
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Running tournaments or a Tour itself does often seem like a thankless job. More often than not, after a days rest and a bit of sleep you realize how much fun people had and the "thank you's" and things are in a little different perspective.

Like any other business, there are many hidden costs people don't realize them. That will never change. What gies me the most gratification is watching the ounger players come around and their increasing level of play. They are most enthusiastic and starved for information. They care about little more than competition, results, and just plain old hitting balls.

Running tournaments and multiple events each year is a lot harder than people will ever know and many of us are rewarded differently. You all three are doing a great job and should reciieve more credit than expressed.

Please, hang in there and keep smiling.

Lewis
 
ironman said:
Running tournaments or a Tour itself does often seem like a thankless job. More often than not, after a days rest and a bit of sleep you realize how much fun people had and the "thank you's" and things are in a little different perspective.

Like any other business, there are many hidden costs people don't realize them. That will never change. What gies me the most gratification is watching the ounger players come around and their increasing level of play. They are most enthusiastic and starved for information. They care about little more than competition, results, and just plain old hitting balls.

Running tournaments and multiple events each year is a lot harder than people will ever know and many of us are rewarded differently. You all three are doing a great job and should reciieve more credit than expressed.

Please, hang in there and keep smiling.

Lewis
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As I fell asleep last night, I thought to myself, "Damn it - I should have mentioned Lewis and Paul." You guys do great work also and it does show by the numbers, as Ray says.

I am not trying to complain at all. I was actually agreeing with others that it is a tough job and we don't get a lot of thanks so I was trying to thank Robert and others. :)

I thoroughly enjoy helping run the Hunter Tour. I do it because women get to reach their dreams. That is the ultimate "make-me-smile" and what keeps myself and the other Board Members' energy up. :)

Melinda
 
Bigtruck said:
Melinda,

I must respectfully dis-agree on the above statement. Each month 40-50 players have made their way to Waco for our 9ball event. That's 40-50 thank you's.

Your event has been successful with many thank you's as well. Look at how many thank you's the Texas Open Players Tour has received. The Fast Eddies 9Ball tour had 123 players in Austin! That's a lot of thank you's to Lewis Jones & Paul Blank.

Pool needs more of these type events. Different games, different skill levels. Right now we have a variety of different events to choose from nearly every weekend! This is awesome! Keep up the great work, pool IS exploding in the entire Southwest and you guys are so much the reason.

Thank You!

Ray
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Hi Ray,

Ah... perspective. I really appreciate your post. You are right, whether we hear the thank yous or not, the fact that players are attending is a sign of thank you.

I just resonated with the other thread and jumped in. I need to be careful I don't come across as complaining... the last thing I EVER want to do. :)

As I mentioned in reply to Lewis' post, we run the Hunter Tour so that women can reach their dreams. It makes us SO proud and happy!

Melinda
 
buildertex1 said:
The only problem i have is in the town of abilene,texas not only do we not have any kind of league play,i am not sure too many of us can spell league.That means myself or anyone from here can not play in these tourneys.Is there any way we can qualify?Ask Ray we like to play and dont mind contributing to the cause.
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I think you can become a BCA player by just applying to the BCA. They created a special division at the National event called BCA Player Member for people that wish to play in the tournament and have no formal leagues to play in.

The Texas Open Player Tour will be in Amarillo the first weekend in November. That gives you plenty of time to become a BCA member and register for the tournament.
 
Melinda said:
As I fell asleep last night, I thought to myself, "Damn it - I should have mentioned Lewis and Paul." You guys do great work also and it does show by the numbers, as Ray says.

I am not trying to complain at all. I was actually agreeing with others that it is a tough job and we don't get a lot of thanks so I was trying to thank Robert and others. :)

I thoroughly enjoy helping run the Hunter Tour. I do it because women get to reach their dreams. That is the ultimate "make-me-smile" and what keeps myself and the other Board Members' energy up. :)

Melinda
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The only way yo could ever thank me is to be my doubles partner. But, I've dealt with a broken heart before!!!

Honestly, I think we should all put our heads together and put on a MONSTER.
Think about it?
 
Running tournaments is truly a thankless job, and those who promote pool run into a lot of unfounded criticism. In essence, most don't know what it takes to put on an event, the costs, hours of work, dedication, et cetera.

I have attended quite a few regional tours, annual tournaments, and other pool happenings, and what is most important to me is that there is a level playing field where all players are treated equal. In the past, I most definitely have witnessed favoritism to some players, which results in discrimination to the others. This should never be allowed to happen.

Pool is a tough racket, and though I usually look at things from the players' vantage point, I must salute those who promote and run these tournaments. Without them, there wouldn't be anywhere for the players to shine and strut their stuff. The tournament directors, to include the promoters, are oftentimes the unsung heroes in today's pool world. They keep pool alive and well. :)

JAM
 
I know it's a little

further North, but Evelyn and Danny Dysert do a great job of running the Midwest 9 ball tour. There are never any doubts about playing in a Midwest 9 ball event as they are well run, timely, and fair.
 
Snapshot9 said:
further North, but Evelyn and Danny Dysert do a great job of running the Midwest 9 ball tour. There are never any doubts about playing in a Midwest 9 ball event as they are well run, timely, and fair.
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They work hard and they are a class act.
 
JAM said:
Running tournaments is truly a thankless job, and those who promote pool run into a lot of unfounded criticism. In essence, most don't know what it takes to put on an event, the costs, hours of work, dedication, et cetera.

I have attended quite a few regional tours, annual tournaments, and other pool happenings, and what is most important to me is that there is a level playing field where all players are treated equal. In the past, I most definitely have witnessed favoritism to some players, which results in discrimination to the others. This should never be allowed to happen.

Pool is a tough racket, and though I usually look at things from the players' vantage point, I must salute those who promote and run these tournaments. Without them, there wouldn't be anywhere for the players to shine and strut their stuff. The tournament directors, to include the promoters, are oftentimes the unsung heroes in today's pool world. They keep pool alive and well. :)

JAM
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I second that statement.....Thank you all who ran and promoted all tourny's that I attended. If it was not for you guys, I would have went to the bar on Friday instead of stay home to get prepared for the tourny Sat. morning.:) :D
 
May be Stupid

Robert this may be a stupid idea, but I am going to throw it out there anyway.

If you do away with the fact that everyone has to play in a sanctioned league for 8 weeks in order to enter; then you might get a lot more players which in turn would increase your profits!

Make sure they are a member of the BCA, but don't tell them they have to play in a sanctioned league. And I am only suggesting that they play in the singles events!

The reason I say this is because a lot of Texas towns don't even have a sanctioned league! I would have played in a lot of your open events on the singles side however I can't because there are no sanctioned leagues in my town. The closest two sanctioned leagues to me are over 1 1/2 hours away.

As long as they have paid their BCA dues, and pay the fees to play in the tournament then I think you should let them play in the singles events.

As long as you are a BCA member you can play in Vegas in the singles, so why can't you play in your tournaments in the singles events?

You told me once this is how you keep certain people out of your tournaments. Well first off if they paid their BCA dues, and they pay your fees to play; then they must be serious about playing so I don't see why you would want to keep them out of your tournaments.

I just think it is unfair to the rest of us who don't have a sanctioned tournament in our area.

I think your turn outs would be better, and then you would make more money.

Just my two cents!
 
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ne14tennis said:
I think you can become a BCA player by just applying to the BCA. They created a special division at the National event called BCA Player Member for people that wish to play in the tournament and have no formal leagues to play in.

The Texas Open Player Tour will be in Amarillo the first weekend in November. That gives you plenty of time to become a BCA member and register for the tournament.
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If you look at the registration it says you have to play in a sanctioned league (BCA or APA) for at least 8 weeks. This is my main complaint!

If you pay your BCA dues of $25 per year, then I think you should be able to play in the singles events in any BCA open event.

Read my previous post and you will see what I mean!
 
MUST PLAY IN a LEAGUE

TXPLSHARK, I will look into revising the wording on the posters/flyers.

The intent is the reduce the number of "ROAD WHORES" who are really Master players who do not play in any league system because there is not enough money in it for THEM.

These tournaments are for the players who work for a living and do not have 40+ hours to spend practicing or hustling.

A simple phone call and I could clear that up but it is the wording on the flyers and posters that I had printed that is the problem.

I will see if I can reword it to make it clear as to what I mean.

The one thing I want is all players who enjoy the game to be able to play. But as stated above I have to try and reduce the number of "ROAD WHORES" to get the truly OPEN players to play.
 
rbtabor said:
TXPLSHARK, I will look into revising the wording on the posters/flyers.

The intent is the reduce the number of "ROAD WHORES" who are really Master players who do not play in any league system because there is not enough money in it for THEM.

These tournaments are for the players who work for a living and do not have 40+ hours to spend practicing or hustling.

A simple phone call and I could clear that up but it is the wording on the flyers and posters that I had printed that is the problem.

I will see if I can reword it to make it clear as to what I mean.

The one thing I want is all players who enjoy the game to be able to play. But as stated above I have to try and reduce the number of "ROAD WHORES" to get the truly OPEN players to play.
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Thanks for looking into that for me Robert. I really did love playing in the BCA tourny down here at the Omni this year. That is why I brought this up. I would love to play in more of your events, but since there are no sanctioned leagues down here we don't get the chance. LOL I just thought it would attract more players that shy away from your tournies because it says you have to play in a sanctioned league. I play in two leagues but neither one is sanctioned. LOL

Thanks for the reply Robert!
 
ok I can't keep my mouth shut. I think almost everyone missed the point of Roberts post. He is not looking for thanks, he is simply letting the players know what it takes to put on a tournament, then maybe the players will understand if they want a tournament like this to continue they must all help. The players must let everyone they know about the tournament and encourage them to come play, the more players that play, practice , and stay at the location the more chances the tournament has of being successful.
 
2l82bgr8 said:
ok I can't keep my mouth shut. I think almost everyone missed the point of Roberts post. He is not looking for thanks, he is simply letting the players know what it takes to put on a tournament, then maybe the players will understand if they want a tournament like this to continue they must all help. The players must let everyone they know about the tournament and encourage them to come play, the more players that play, practice , and stay at the location the more chances the tournament has of being successful.
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I'm in the same boat as txplshrk. The league I play in is not sanctioned. On the Sunday evening as the Grapevine event was held my team mates & I were all in agreement that we'd love to play in it next year. Hell, it's just up the road for us! If it is possible for us to enter then we will.

I have nothing but admiration for the people who organise & run these events, I think they deserve a medal for their contributions to the game! I've only been back in the game for about a year after giving it up in '94, plus I'm now playing it in the USA after playing in the UK.

I will definitely be trying to boost support for this when it comes around again, I know a lot of people who would be interested! I'm sad to have missed this one, I can't wait for the next one!
 
2l82bgr8 said:
ok I can't keep my mouth shut. I think almost everyone missed the point of Roberts post. He is not looking for thanks, he is simply letting the players know what it takes to put on a tournament, then maybe the players will understand if they want a tournament like this to continue they must all help. The players must let everyone they know about the tournament and encourage them to come play, the more players that play, practice , and stay at the location the more chances the tournament has of being successful.
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Yes, but he also asked how to get more players to the event! One easy way to do it is to allow people that are BCA members to play even if they aren't in a sanctioned league. Most Texas cities don't have a sanctioned league. They have leagues, but they aren't sanctioned. Therefore you kind of cut your own throat by saying you have to be in a sanctioned league. I know of 3 events that I would have attended, and brought others. However, I couldn't play in them so I went and played in some smaller tournaments instead.

If he opens it up to all BCA or APA members, then he will see bigger turn outs, and therefore make more money. That is what this is all about.

I also hope he fired Becky from Promotions to Go because the Witch owes me some money! She didn't ship two of the shirts she told my wife she would send her. I paid for them and everything. She won't return my calls or emails, so she better hope she doesn't ever see my wife again!
 
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