This is more of a local event, not a national. As you can see by the player roster, the majority of competitors were local amateur players and social shooters.
What was unique about this event is that there were no green fees, and the players did not have to pay for table time or put quarters in the barbox for every game. As well, the event paid out 100 percent of the monies collected for entry fees *and* the entire $1,000 added. I did the math. :grin-square:
We don't have very many cool tournaments on the East Coast like they do in California, Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, and Vegas. I think there is a lack of pool rooms for people to play pool in my area, due to how expensive it is around here. Bank Shots Bar and Grill has a good pool room atmosphere for leagues, social shooters, amateurs, and pros. It is my understanding they have a strong league presence there.
In this regard, an event like this is welcome by us pool aficionados who live the Metro D.C. area. I can't imagine the work involved in putting this together and making it happen and then dealing with the B.S. that comes before, during, and after the tournament.
Big shout-out goes to Ray Hansen aka "Big Truck" of Pool Action TV. His commentary was excellent, and he really knows how to put on a first-class livestream. I especially enjoyed Brandon Shuff's commentary. What a great representative of pool for our area!
Anyway, just wanted to add some color to the payouts commentary. Sometimes it's not all about the money so much as it is a chance to play and compete in a first-class setting. The competitors came in there and gave it their all. It was fun, which is what pool should be all about. Winning is just the icing on the cake when it happens.
