Super Billiards Ban from Playing!

I should be clear here and say that I am NOT complaining about any of these players being in. Against Groce I was 2-0 first set with a straight in 2ball and the rack wide open. I missed and Brian ran out and then broke and ran, then ran out from my dry break and then broke and ran again. I had my chances and I tip my hat to Brian, he flat outplayed me and was very deserving of the win and a complete gentleman. Races to five, alternating break means if you possess the ability to break and run out, you got a shot to win. I certainly do not believe that this or any tournament needs to be dumbed down to the point that only guys who cannot play well should be eligible.

I saw a lot of tremendous play this week and learned a few things on how the better players play position on the small track. We don't have a lot of bartable events in south florida and its illuminating to watch guys who move well on the small tables. I really enjoyed the event this year and plan on finding a way to get back to it again soon.
 
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voiceofreason said:
By publishing a list of players to be excluded (apparently) in advance?
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That would be too simple over here, for some reason, or lack of reason. samo/samo ...it'll change, the man child's and women child's will soon be whining in there own MD 20/20, that's cheap Mad Dog Wine....
 
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SBE amateur or pro?

This is a really unfortunate situation, on many levels. For one, it's unfortunate that we don't have a better ranking system to deal with this problems. I do agree that it's the players responsibility to confirm that they are eligible to play given that there written qualifications. As far as the SBE, the rules are written and they are pretty clear. ( Here's the link: http://www.superbilliardsexpo.com/Amateureligibility.html

Do I think Turning Stone should be on this list? I don't know, probably not, but it is and it clearly says that on the qualifications. It's unfortunate that some player could have gotten a good draw and done well without seeing any true professionals but there's no way to keep track. Until we find a better system, or a professional tour is made, that is the situation we face. And once again, it is clearly listed .

Now what I think is unfair about this situation is that there are players in the event who shouldn't have played but still did. For example, there was at least one player who is not only sponsored but plays on a bonus ball team (a professional league) and was still allowed to play in the event. In fact, the same player WON the SBE professional one pocket event, and he didn't get an easy draw. Go figure. Even funnier, I never saw his name on the registered players list. Hmm.
 
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ga9ball said:
Super Billiards Amateur Open!

I payed my entry into the Senior Amateur at the Expo in Edison New Jersey.
My entry was accepted by Allen Hopkins, and I was posted on the bracket board!
I booked a Hotel room at the Sheraton down the road with my Family, and was ready to play.
I spoke with Allen Hopkins personally on 3/13/14 at the Expo, thanking him for his constant support of the game of pool which is a significant part of my life.
Nothing was ever mentioned to me by Allen of what would transpire 24 hours later.

My 2 Son's as well as some friends were there to watch, at considerable expense. We were all excited for some good pool.
I arrived for the Players meeting on Friday morning, and saw that I played at 11:00 am on the bracket sheet. After the meeting I went up to the Tournament desk to tell the staff that I forgot my badge in my Hotel, and could I use my Exhibitor badge as identification? I was told that would be fine, and as I started to walk to my match in 5 minutes, the staff asked if l would come around to the back of the booth!
I thought it a bit strange, but I was thinking they wanted to give me another badge. To my astonishment, I was told that SOME PEOPLE had made complaints saying that I was " Too Good " to play in this event, and should be considered a " Professional "

The staff member said I was disqualified from the Tournament! To say the least I was upset, and the Staff member proceeded to tell me to wait to speak to his boss. I waited there, and then was told by another Staff member that because I had cashed in a Joss tour event in Turning Stone, that that criteria made me ineligible.
If this is the case, then why was my money ever even accepted?
Also how does a regional event compare with other events like the:

2013 Super Billiards Expo Diamond Open 10-Ball Pro Players Championship

2013 US Open 9-Ball Championship

2014 Derby City Classic - Any Division

2013 US Open 10-Ball Championship

These Events are True Pro Caliber, where a Regional Joss Event has many local players entered who realize they have no chance of winning, but go for a good time, and support our tour!
You MAY get what is considered a desirable draw, and actually make it to the MONEY ROUNDS!

I would think the criteria needs some Common Sense adjusting to happen so that a player of my speed does not get PUNISHED for supporting his regular TOUR, and making a $550 payday!!!!!

I would not even be talking about this if I was told from the beginning that l can not play, but 5 minutes before my match, with all family and friends their to watch!
I also feel that many upon many players were allowed to play of my caliber, and possibly of even higher caliber, including prior Champions of this event.

Some players will never even play in a so called PRO event, for fear of losing this Amateur status, and losing out on other events.

Being a Professional Pool Player l would think means you earn your income from playing Pool which l certainly do not, and never have in my life!

I have known Allen Hopkins for many years, and admired him for everything he has accomplished in pool.
I remember watching him come to my area when he was 16 years old to play Billy Costello in a cash money game, and was in awe!
All that AWE and RESPECT has dwindled now!

Thanks for an expensive lesson in life, and for my Ban!

And most of all I want to thank THE SNITCH CRY BABIES who dropped the DIME. Hope you are happy with yourselves!

Best Regards,
Greg Antonakos
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Jesus Christ this is just crazy.

Greg is just a terrific individual and a true gentleman who has worked hard to elevate his game. To call him.a pro, in all due respect, is laughable. Just ridiculous that a Turning Stone cash can disqualify you. I know many A and AA players who cash and are far far from shortstop , much less pro status.I know 2 AA players who won regional stops in past 12 months, guys I would play even for any amount of money.If these guys are pros, well there are thousands of pros. Funny cause I see by tournament winnings only a couple guys break 50k

Greg you were truly robbed here. It is wrong to tell you this just prior to your match. Allen and company really dropped the ball.
 
Greg,
I read your first post and I'm sorry you didn't get to play.(didn't read the rest) but it was good to see you guys again and maybe next year when I stay for the whole expo we can get a ring game or something like that together. I don't mind losing a few bucks for a few laughs to friends.:thumbup:
 
naji said:
Still, there will be decision making on the spot and will always be those good players that did not make the list. There should not be amateur tournaments for large reigns, unless organized like APA and others. How about players passing by from the West and no one knows about, not fair, how about faking small tournaments to get to the big ones. Very bad idea, and worst part it was streamed, and pro action was not. True we do not know all sides of the story, but from what i can tell and see; some decisions were amateur.
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To be honest, I don't see that the organisers did anything wrong at all:

David Marcus said:
The website is extremely specific concerning eligibility.


AMATEUR EVENT ELIGIBILITY -- Click here to go to Amateur Registration

In order to keep our amateur events truly competitive and truly amateur, we have developed a qualifying system to determine who is eligible to play. There are many high caliber players, and there are many who are immediately recognized as professionals. Our event is intended for great players from all over the world to come, have fun, and compete. But, it is for amateurs.
However, there is no clear defining line to determine who is a professional and who is not. We do our best to ensure that this event remains strictly amateurs.
Yes, there are a lot of great players in this event.
No, we cannot prevent every well-known amateur player from entering.
So, who is NOT allowed to play?
In an effort to protect the amateur-only status of this event, we have determined that anyone who meets any the following criteria can not be allowed to play in our Amateur Players Championship Series:
WHO IS NOT ALLOWED TO PLAY IN AN AMATEUR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP:

** Click here to view an alphabetical list of all excluded players **
-- Top finishers in the following 2013/2014 events:

2013 Super Billiards Expo Diamond Open 10-Ball Pro Players Championship -- view
2013 US Open 9-Ball Championship -- view list
2013 US Open 10-Ball Championship -- view list
2014 Derby City Classic - Any Division -- view list
2013 Turning Stone Classic, August -- view list
-- Any player on the most current WPBA List of Exempt Professionals The WPBA is the governing body of Women's Professional Billiards, so we will use their list of professional players. This list can be found on their website, click here

-- If you are from outside the USA and recognized or generally considered as a professional in your home country, you may be disqualified if this is brought to our attention. Please respect the amateur status of this event.

We reserve the right to use our own discretion in any questionable situation. If you think you are a player that any of these questions may apply to, please feel free to call and ask, you can reach us at (609)652-6116 or by email at info@superbilliardsexpo.com

We do our best to screen the field, and our system has been working well for 20 years. However, we do recognize that we cannot monitor every event around the world, and in absence of an organized governing body with a definite standard, we must take some steps to keep the event truly amateur.
If you notice any names in the field that you think merit consideraton as a professional player, please send your concern to us by email. Please be sure to include the player's full name and your reason that they should be considered professional. We will consider all submissions and make case-by-case decisions. Thanks, and good luck to all.
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takeitdown said:
Greg you were truly robbed here. It is wrong to tell you this just prior to your match. Allen and company really dropped the ball.
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I really, honestly, don't think the organisers could have done any more than they did:

David Marcus said:
The website is extremely specific concerning eligibility.


AMATEUR EVENT ELIGIBILITY -- Click here to go to Amateur Registration

In order to keep our amateur events truly competitive and truly amateur, we have developed a qualifying system to determine who is eligible to play. There are many high caliber players, and there are many who are immediately recognized as professionals. Our event is intended for great players from all over the world to come, have fun, and compete. But, it is for amateurs.
However, there is no clear defining line to determine who is a professional and who is not. We do our best to ensure that this event remains strictly amateurs.
Yes, there are a lot of great players in this event.
No, we cannot prevent every well-known amateur player from entering.
So, who is NOT allowed to play?
In an effort to protect the amateur-only status of this event, we have determined that anyone who meets any the following criteria can not be allowed to play in our Amateur Players Championship Series:
WHO IS NOT ALLOWED TO PLAY IN AN AMATEUR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP:

** Click here to view an alphabetical list of all excluded players **
-- Top finishers in the following 2013/2014 events:

2013 Super Billiards Expo Diamond Open 10-Ball Pro Players Championship -- view
2013 US Open 9-Ball Championship -- view list
2013 US Open 10-Ball Championship -- view list
2014 Derby City Classic - Any Division -- view list
2013 Turning Stone Classic, August -- view list
-- Any player on the most current WPBA List of Exempt Professionals The WPBA is the governing body of Women's Professional Billiards, so we will use their list of professional players. This list can be found on their website, click here

-- If you are from outside the USA and recognized or generally considered as a professional in your home country, you may be disqualified if this is brought to our attention. Please respect the amateur status of this event.

We reserve the right to use our own discretion in any questionable situation. If you think you are a player that any of these questions may apply to, please feel free to call and ask, you can reach us at (609)652-6116 or by email at info@superbilliardsexpo.com

We do our best to screen the field, and our system has been working well for 20 years. However, we do recognize that we cannot monitor every event around the world, and in absence of an organized governing body with a definite standard, we must take some steps to keep the event truly amateur.
If you notice any names in the field that you think merit consideraton as a professional player, please send your concern to us by email. Please be sure to include the player's full name and your reason that they should be considered professional. We will consider all submissions and make case-by-case decisions. Thanks, and good luck to all.
Click to expand...
 
David Marcus said:
The website is extremely specific concerning eligibility.


AMATEUR EVENT ELIGIBILITY -- Click here to go to Amateur Registration

In order to keep our amateur events truly competitive and truly amateur, we have developed a qualifying system to determine who is eligible to play. There are many high caliber players, and there are many who are immediately recognized as professionals. Our event is intended for great players from all over the world to come, have fun, and compete. But, it is for amateurs.
However, there is no clear defining line to determine who is a professional and who is not. We do our best to ensure that this event remains strictly amateurs.
Yes, there are a lot of great players in this event.
No, we cannot prevent every well-known amateur player from entering.
So, who is NOT allowed to play?
In an effort to protect the amateur-only status of this event, we have determined that anyone who meets any the following criteria can not be allowed to play in our Amateur Players Championship Series:
WHO IS NOT ALLOWED TO PLAY IN AN AMATEUR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP:

** Click here to view an alphabetical list of all excluded players **
-- Top finishers in the following 2013/2014 events:

2013 Super Billiards Expo Diamond Open 10-Ball Pro Players Championship -- view
2013 US Open 9-Ball Championship -- view list
2013 US Open 10-Ball Championship -- view list
2014 Derby City Classic - Any Division -- view list
2013 Turning Stone Classic, August -- view list
-- Any player on the most current WPBA List of Exempt Professionals The WPBA is the governing body of Women's Professional Billiards, so we will use their list of professional players. This list can be found on their website, click here

-- If you are from outside the USA and recognized or generally considered as a professional in your home country, you may be disqualified if this is brought to our attention. Please respect the amateur status of this event.

We reserve the right to use our own discretion in any questionable situation. If you think you are a player that any of these questions may apply to, please feel free to call and ask, you can reach us at (609)652-6116 or by email at info@superbilliardsexpo.com

We do our best to screen the field, and our system has been working well for 20 years. However, we do recognize that we cannot monitor every event around the world, and in absence of an organized governing body with a definite standard, we must take some steps to keep the event truly amateur.
If you notice any names in the field that you think merit consideraton as a professional player, please send your concern to us by email. Please be sure to include the player's full name and your reason that they should be considered professional. We will consider all submissions and make case-by-case decisions. Thanks, and good luck to all.
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Yet, players like Chip Compton was allowed to play? What about players like Richy Richardson or Benny Conway jr ? How can known road players be allowed to play in a event that this man can't play in? I wonder how many on this site, that only consider a few U.S. players as pro's while posting here, seem to have no problem calling many players pro's, if its a tournament they are playing in?
 
miramachine said:
Sorry, I meant that it is cut and dry for the people listed. Which would be Greg.. Don't get me wrong, I feel for him and feel bad that he couldn't play and lost money but his name is on a list on the SBE website that clearly says he can't play.. Having said that, I don't know how Dany Normandin slipped through the cracks and played in the amature when he finished 3rd in the Turning Stone.
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Wouldn't they check entries against that list when they accepted payment? It is their list right? Seems like business 101.

To the OP. If you can look at your entry fee and acceptance as a contract then you made decisions and incurred expenses based on the fact that you were in a contract. And then THEY violated the contract. Check with a lawyer to see how valid that theory might play out and then look into small claims court for all your expenses, brother.

EDITED TO ADD: But TALK To them first. Maybe they will do the right thing.
 
backplaying said:
Yet, players like Chip Compton was allowed to play? What about players like Richy Richardson or Benny Conway jr ? How can known road players be allowed to play in a event that this man can't play in? I wonder how many on this site, that only consider a few U.S. players as pro's while posting here, seem to have no problem calling many players pro's, if its a tournament they are playing in?
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Chip Compton, how good can he be? Why, earlier today on Facebook, I saw an ad about some sort of challenge match he's about to be involved in....

....with Darren Appleton

:eek:
 
rjb1168 said:
They should have told Greg he was not allowed to play before he made the trip. I also believe Greg should have checked on his eligibility and he would have seen he lost it for finishing in the top 24 at turning stone. I still think he should have been told by Allen's group.
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Did they deliberately deceive him though? I doubt it.
 
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