BUFFALO'S PRO CLASSIC 2026

Bob Jewett said:
I think that one thing that makes it better in this case is that we knew who had half of Evan. Fedor did not hide that.

I think any time the Calcutta is as big as or larger than the regular prize fund, problems -- or at least suspicions -- will occur.

I wonder if Fedor had all of Fedor.
Click to expand...
who knows? and did he come out better with evan winning,who knows?

probably both played all out. each can believe what we want. but under the table deals get complicated when the calcutta is larger than the prize pool as you are really playing for that instead of the prize pool. depending how you you bet and who is against you determines your outcome.
 
bbb said:
link?
Click to expand...
LUNDA, RIVAS & BUSTAMANTE CONQUER BUFFALO’S

By Mary Kenniston

It’s the tournament that every one pocket aficionado looks forward to all year long – the big one!

Owner James Leone (“Buffalo”), his General Manager Steve Tesvich (“Bullseye”) and their crew welcomed players and fans from all over the world to the Eleventh Annual Buffalo’s Pro Classic.

With $31,000 added to three events and over a half million dollars in the three players auctions, it’s a magnet to some of the best players on the planet.

BCA and One Pocket Hall of Famers Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante plus One Pocket Hall of Famer Jeremy Jones were there as well as Buffalo’s House Pro Tony Chohan – winner of three Buffalo’s Pro One Pocket titles and two runner-up appearances.

Reigning Beyond Billiards Making It In America Tour (MIA) champ Justin Hall, Roberto Gomez, the current MIA Beasley Open One Pocket champ and fresh off his victory at the MIA Bayou State One Pocket Championship, Fedor Gorst were also there.

In addition were 2023 Buffalo’s Pro One Pocket and 2025 US Open One Pocket champ Evan Lunda, two-time Derby City Classic One Pocket titlist Billy Thorpe as well as the 2025 USA National Men’s 10-Ball champ, Lukas Fracasso-Verner.

Current Canadian 8, 9 and 10 Ball champ plus US Open Bank Pool and Ten-Ball champ, John Morra, was spotted in addition to Spain’s Ivan Belmonte, Estonia’s Mark Mägi and from the Netherlands, Alex Lely, Marco Teutshcher and Sanne Krom.

This past Tuesday night and after the players auction and meeting, the festivities began with the $1,000 added One Ball One Pocket Championship.

Forty two players paid the $200 entry fee to play in this single elimination race to four tournament. After several hours of play, the final four were Francisco Bustamante versus Alex Lely and Evan Lunda versus the other Buffalo’s House Pro Sergio Rivas.

Lunda defeated Rivas 4-2 and Bustamante edged out Lely 4-3. The final match saw Bustamante take no prisoners as he claimed the title with a 4-0 victory over Lunda.

For an added treat, Fedor Gorst and Francisco Bustamante played a 125 point exhibition match of K-Ball - the game invented by Danny Kuykendall, a solid player in his own right and former owner of Danny K’s in Orange, CA. It was first introduced this past January at the Derby City Classic with Shane Van Boening and Roberto Gomez playing a 200 point match.

K-Ball is basically fifteen ball rotation but scored like straight pool – each ball is counted as one point. It’s all offense – a safety is penalized by fifteen points.

Here’s a link to the rules:

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The match was close with Fedor taking the match 125-113 with Danny doing commentary. Danny said that he’d post the full match on his Facebook page soon.

It was a packed house on Wednesday evening as the players auction for the main event, the $20,000 added Buffalo’s Pro Classic One Pocket, began.

Thirty three players joined the fray paying the $2,000 entry fee. This double elimination event featured races to five on both sides.

Since they had to use a 64 man bracket, Josh Roberts and Justin Hall were the only two players who didn’t receive a first round bye. Hall won their match 5-3 and then sent Tony Chohan west by the same score of 5-3. He then ran into Mark Mägi who sent him packing 5-3 after a first round bye and the defeat of John Morra 5-2.

After defeating Hall, Mägi went on to beat Roberto Gomez – also 5-3 – before losing to Evan Lunda 5-3.

Lunda’s path to the final four included a first round bye and followed that with victories over Redgie Cutler 5-3, Devin Poteet 5-0 and Shane Wolford 5-4 before emerging from the final four on the winners side over Mägi.

In the lower portion of the chart, it was Francisco Bustamante and Fedor Gorst making their way through the field. Bustamante’s path included a first round bye followed by wins over Marco Teutscher 5-3 and Alex Lely 5-3.

After his first round bye, Fedor Gorst defeated Josh O’Neal 5-2 and Jon Demet 5-0.

Bustamante and Gorst met in the fourth round and it was intense! Neck and neck the entire match, Bustamante made a phenomenal back cut on a spot shot to tie it up at four apiece. They duked it out but it was Gorst who prevailed and moved into the winner’s side final four.

Moving through the bracket were Ivan Belmonte and Roland Garcia. Belmonte had a first round bye and wins over both Ike Runnels and Efren Reyes – both 5-4 before losing to Roland Garcia 5-1.

Garcia had a first round bye and defeated both Brandon Shuff and Chip Compton 5-3 before beating Belmonte and moving into the other slot of the winners side final four.

Round Five saw Lunda versus Mägi and Gorst versus Garcia. Moving into the hot seat match were Lunda after a 5-3 match and Gorst after surviving a 5-4 match. Garcia and Mägi headed to the one loss side.

In the hot seat match, it was Lunda who took his place in the finals after a 5-2 match. Gorst also headed west to await an opponent.

After his third round loss, Justin Hall went to work. Down went Mike DeLawder 5-0, Jeremy Jones 5-4, Ivan Belmonte 5-1, Sky Woodward 5-2 and avenged his loss to Mark Mägi 5-3.

After losing to Justin Hall in the second round, Tony Chohan put his head down and went through John Morra 5-2, Alex Lely 5-1, Corey Deuel 5-3, Shane Wolford 5-2, Chip Compton 5-4 and Roland Garcia 5-1.

Waiting for Chohan was Hall and what a battle it was! Hall pulled ahead 3-1 but Chohan rallied to tie it up. Hall was first on the hill but Chohan didn’t go down easily. He tied it four each. The final game was filled with great safeties and shots by both but it was Hall who sunk the final bank.

Chohan finished in fourth place and Hall now faced Gorst for the other finals slot. Gorst easily defeated Hall 5-1 and moved into the finals leaving Hall in third place.

Before the finals on Sunday afternoon, Tony Chohan was inducted into the One Pocket Hall of Fame. Presented by attorney Joe Long, a longtime supporter of one pocket, he spoke about watching Tony come up through the ranks and called the legendary Billy Incardona up to speak about their longtime friend. A One Pocket Hall of Famer himself, Billy said he knew and played them all and called Tony the greatest American player he’s ever seen. One Pocket Hall of Famer Francisco Bustamante also stepped up to offer his congratulations. Joe then called Tony up to become the latest inductee into the One Pocket Hall of Fame after which a subdued but truly elated Tony Chohan graciously accepted the honor. Congratulations to Tony – well deserved!

Since this was true double elimination, Fedor Gorst would have to beat Evan Lunda both sets to claim the title. With tens of thousands of dollars on the line, the players put their heads down and played their hearts out.

Lunda won the lag and the first game and then Gorst won the next two to take the lead making it 2-1. Now Gorst’s break, he uncharacteristically missed a cross corner bank and sold out. Lunda made four from there and hung one. From there, however, he maintained the lead and won the game 8-3.

Tied at 2-2, you could’ve heard a pin drop in the arena. Game Five was filled with intentional fouls, safeties, kicks and banks. With both players owing multiple balls, Gorst finally left an opening for Lunda to escape. He ran nine from there. Score 5 to -2. After Lunda getting a bad roll, Gorst fired in a bank and ran a couple more – score 5-1. A few shots later, Fedor ran four more & left one in his hole – score tied at five each. Lunda made one and kicked the ball out of Gorst’s pocket taking the lead 6-5. Gorst made an incredible bank, got perfect position and ran the remaining two balls to steal the game and take the lead in the match 3-2.

Game Six was a quick one with Gorst taking the win and putting him on the hill 4-2.

Game Seven saw Lunda capture a 6-1 lead. Gorst made a slight comeback to get to four but Lunda ended it all as he fired in a fantastic below the side pocket shot and banked his case ball to take it. Score was now 4-3.

In what would turn out to be the last game of the set, Lunda pocketed two balls and then both players vied for a shot. Gorst got the first look and made three behind it. Back and forth it went with both players moving and taking intentional fouls. Stuck at six and then seven, Lunda had several opportunities to win the game but failed. Gorst pocketed several great shots and won the game forcing a second set.

After a short break, the second set of the finals began. Gorst won the lag and Lunda drew first blood by dropping one. Gorst answered with four of his own and froze Lunda behind a ball. Lunda later caught an opening and pocketed a few more to take the lead 6-5. He then missed but left the ball in his hole which Lunda pocketed – now 7-5. Gorst then made a long cross table bank to take the first game.
 
CONTINUED:

In Game Two, Lunda broke but Gorst had the first opening – he made two plus one for Lunda. After jockeying back and forth, Gorst fouled and left Lunda with a bank. He made it and hung the next one in the jaws leaving Gorst with an open table. Back and forth it went until it was tied at six apiece. Lunda reached the hill first and left game ball in his hole. Gorst pocketed the ball and jumped the table – score 7-5. Many shots and moves later, both players were on the hill. After numerous shots at their pockets, Lunda finally claimed Game Two.

Game Three saw Lunda take a six ball lead but then came Gorst. He pocketed four with enough free to win the game but missed – now 6-4. A couple shots later, Lunda hung a ball in his pocket and watched Gorst run out to win the game 8-6 and take the lead 2-1.

Lunda broke in Game Four but poorly with only three balls leaving the stack. Gorst drew first blood by pocketing a ball followed by a safety. Tied at three each, fatigue was setting in as three unforced errors were made by both, however, Lunda still managed to make a couple to take a 5-2 lead.

After several shots by both, Gorst scratched leaving Lunda with a three and out. Score was tied at two apiece.

Game Five Gorst pocketed the first four balls and then played safe. He then made quick work of the rest after a mistake by Lunda to take the game and the lead – 3-2.

Game Six was all Lunda as he ran eight and out to tie it up.

Race to two for it all!

Gorst then made short work of Game Eight and for the second time, was on the hill first.

With an opening shot, Gorst saw a dead ball in the stack and was poised to run out the case game and abruptly stood up from the shot and took a break.

Back from his break, Gorst shot into the stack but not hard enough – the ball hung in the hole leaving Lunda the opportunity to make several balls. He pocketed one but over hit his position. He was forced to pocket Gorst’s ball before leaving the table.

Both players were fighting hard - Lunda to tie it up with a chance to win his second Buffalo Pro Classic title and Gorst trying to claim his first.

They scratched and clawed to 6-2 Lunda. With finally a shot to close out the game and tie it up at four apiece, Lunda calmly shot them in.

Hard to believe the tournament came down to one game for it all!

Gorst broke but Lunda was the first to score and extended his lead to 4-0. Gorst finally looked at a bank, shot it but it ran out of gas and sat in his pocket. Gorst tapped the ball in making it 4-1. A few shots later, Lunda had an open shot to run out the match for the title. He cut one in, pocketed two more and then banked the winning ball for his second Buffalo’s Pro Classic One Pocket title!

What a match! Throughout both matches, nerves got them both as they came with phenomenal shots and missed makeable balls but this one was finally in the books!

Congratulations to Evan! Fantastic tournament, Fedor!

While the Pro One Pocket Classic was winding down, the $10,000 added Open 9-Ball was just getting started. 149 players paid a $100 entry fee and was played on seven foot Diamonds. Races were to 7/7 with alternate breaks. The format was double elimination until down to the final sixteen. From there, it was single elimination with races to nine.

Some familiar names included defending champ Chris Reinhold, Corey Deuel, Shane McMinn, John Macias, Mitch Ellerman, Joey Aguzin, Devin Poteet, Johnathan Pinegar (“Hennessee”), Chase Stumfoll, Ike Runnels, Mike Jones, Scotty Boggs, Carl Honey, Donny Branson, Emily Sumrall, Louis DeMarco, Manny Perez, Greg Hogue, Ashley Benoit, Brian Parks and Guama Sanchez.

After a players auction and meeting, play began and after many hours of play, the field was whittled down to the sixteen player single elimination round. Races were to nine from there.

The sixteen players were John Morra, Jeremy Jones, Devin Poteet, Marco Teutscher, Matthew Wiseley, Francisco Bustamante, Josh Roberts, Dallas Broussard, Bobby Emmons, Sergio Rivas, Shane McMinn, John Macias, Chris Reinhold, Billy Thorpe, Brandon Shuff and Sky Woodward.

Played down to the final four were two old schoolers Francisco Bustamante versus Jeremy Jones and two young guns - defending champ Chris Reinhold and Buffalo’s House Pro Sergio Rivas.

After winning their matches, Bustamante and Rivas moved into the final race to nine. Rivas shot out to a 5-0 lead on his way to the title. Bustamante finally got on the board making it 6-1, won a few more but still trailed 8-4.

Rivas closed out the match 9-4 to take the title. Congratulations to Sergio! Great tournament, Francisco!

PoolActionTV.com would again like to thank James Leone and his staff for going the extra mile to show players and fans the Big Easy spirit.

Thanks to Tournament Director Ian Jones for doing a great job juggling the various events. We’d also like to thank Larry Schwartz, Jeff Padilla, Billy Incardona, Jerry McWorter and Ray Hansen for their expert commentary.

And, last but not least, thanks to all our fans and sponsors for another great event!

Joining Buffalo Billiards and PoolActionTV.com, our sponsors for this event included attorney Joseph J. Long, Hanshew Jump Cues, Simonis, Diamond Billiard Products, Aramith, Lomax Custom Cues, Smash Billiards, Durbin Custom Cues, Lanier Engineering, Billiards & Bicycles, PoolPlayer Perks, Sharpshoooter Vision, Billiard Breakdown, CueMaker Supply, Inc., the Action Palace of Dayton, OH and the Fort Worth Billiards Superstore of Fort Worth, TX.

Our next event is a One Pocket Challenge between a young gun and an old school champion. Featuring Sergio Rivas and Corey Deuel, it will be held at Bayou Billiards in Baton Rouge, LA. With $20,000 in the middle and played on a 4 1/8” Diamond table, it’s a race to 21 to be played over three days. Rivas will get 8/7, 9/8. Dates are May 26th-28th - hope to see you there!
 
Bob Jewett said:
I think that one thing that makes it better in this case is that we knew who had half of Evan. Fedor did not hide that.

I think any time the Calcutta is as big as or larger than the regular prize fund, problems -- or at least suspicions -- will occur.

I wonder if Fedor had all of Fedor.
Click to expand...
Bob, you're 100% correct about baseless assumptions when money involved is this large, however, in this instance I can unequivocally say that Fedor Gorst would never involve himself with anything close to what some people may surmise. Imo his character is as pure as anyone's in pool. For the ones that would assume this would be a possibility clearly doesn't know Gorst as a person.

Bill Incardona
 
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