2 years ago in 2015 I played in this tournament. Played in 2 'qualifiers'. Paid out $120 in entry fees. First one at Cushions they changed the format without an announcement, taking a vote on it or asking the players permission. You CANNOT by law change the format of a tournament. Once you advertise or print up flyers you absolutely cannot change the format. This tournament was advertised as to 100 points in the winner's bracket & to 75 in the loser's bracket. This is what we played at the 2nd 'qualifier' at Bankshots in Hilliard. At Cushions in my 1st match I found out that the format had been changed to 75 instead of 100. I found out that when my opponent announced he had 75 & had won [he was buddies with the Tournament Directors]. He took great delight in this knowing that I was in the dark. There was no announcement & no one had informed me that the format had changed. If I had known this initially I would have made it clear to all that this is illegal & that everyone had a right to ask for their entry fee back.
In addition they had advertised this straight pool tournament as an amateur tournament. It specifically stated on the website & the flyers 'NO PROS allowed' [I still have one of the flyers in my possession]. 'Top 125 BCA players ineligible' is also on this flyer. When people say "no pros" they mean no people that play at pro speed. I was very surprised to see some of the 'A+' players that were allowed to enter your so-called 'No pros' tournament. I also noticed that not a single person was turned away for any reason. No one was questioned about their amateur status.
Should top money-makers around the state be permitted to play in an amateur event? I spoke with several players who could not stop talking about how high ranked they were in the BCA & how much prize money they have won in the past few years. Some players I have personal knowledge of, such as Mike Dunn. He plays with a $10,000 cue stick. Andre out of Airway Billiards in Dayton, who I played at Cushions bragged about winning BCA championships & how much money he brings in on the pool table.
Players that have played in ANY pro event cannot participate in amateur events. I'll bet half of the 23 entries I saw in the 1st 2 Central Ohio events have played in a pro event at least once.
What about paid pool instructors playing in an amateur tournament? Fair or not? One was at Bankshots playing in this tournament, Don Reed the owner & house pro of Bankshots in Hilliard.
What about an 'A+' player hosting a tournament at their own establishment, and then playing in the tournament and mowing down the entries to take prize money or qualify for the final tournament? Is that fair? Playing on the very equipment that they own? Again Don Reed of Bankshots. Who also ran the show, picking out which table he would play on & which player he would play.
Many players have the misconception that no "pro" would ever play in an amateur tournament. Pros want to win money. Some are hard up for cash. When a tournament such as this with $500-$1000 pots & a final tournament with $5000 up for grabs, the pro players & 'A+' players will come out of the woodwork.
"What is a 'B' Player"? vs. "What is an 'A' Player?" Here's the A-D scale from Capelle's "Play Your Best Pool" (p.386):
D: A beginner or someone who plays so infrequently that their game remains in the beginner category.
C-: A below average player - this denotes a player with some recognizable skills who has definitely risen from the ranks of beginners. This is the first major milestone.
C: An average player - describes a large section of pool enthusiasts with experience whose games perhaps have leveled off, or that only play occasionally.
C+: Above average player - this group plays a very acceptable game of pool. They tend to dominate their level of competition.
B-: This is perhaps the biggest hurdle, as a good number of players peak at the C+ level. A B- is a good player who is quite capable of running a rack of Eight Ball or Nine Ball. However, they usually lack consistency.
B: A solid, advanced player - these players can run out fairly regularly, but lack a little consistency.
B+: Players at this level are often mistaken for lower level A players when they are playing well because they play a very tough, well-rounded game. They can run out from nearly anywhere at anytime.
A-: Another big jump is required to break through to the "A" level. This group of players could be classified as semi-pros or top amateurs. They are very skilled in nearly all facets of the game. They run out easily and very often.
A: A professional quality player who can compete with and occasionally beat all but the best players. Very skilled, solid, and consistent. Runs multiple racks quite often. Tough to beat.
A+: Touring Pro - the best. Skilled in every area of the game. Breaks and runs out multiple racks regularly. Definitely in a class by themselves.
The simple interpretation of the A-D rating system of players:
A: a good player capable of running most racks or playing lock-up safeties.
B: a decent player capable of running racks and playing effective safeties periodically.
C: an average player who doesn’t run racks very often and doesn’t have much of a safety game.
D: a novice player who makes many mistakes, can’t run even an easy rack, and never even considers playing safe.
Here is the kicker. The so-called 'qualifiers' did not matter. When the finals were held anyone with the $125 entry fee was allowed to participate. The 'qualifiers' were a sham. Many players in the finals did not qualify. So why play in a qualifier? They had the roster of winners of the qualifiers & the finals up on the internet previously. Also they had videos of the finals matches with the players names listed [looks like all of this has been taken down now]. All you had to do was match up the names & see anyone could enter the finals as long as they had the $$$.
I have ran many tournaments myself. Always on the up & up. Not like this one.
