First you have the "Professor" of One Pocket, Grady Mathews. Grady has come up with some innovative ideas in the past. His "Grady" rules for One Pocket being just one but of all the ideas Grady has had, none will ever be exceeded by the $30,000 Ring Game Tournament idea he has planned for the 2004 Derby City Classic. This idea will turn out to be the future of tournaments everywhere.
Next you have R.H. "Professor" Gilmer. Professor Gilmer is a "real" professor, teaching finance at Mississippi State University. "Professor" Gilmer also owns Southern Billiards in Starkville, MS. Professor Gilmer recognized the popularity of the Ring Game in the past and how much pool fans enjoyed them. Expanding on "Professor" Mathews' idea, Professor Gilmer wrote a computer program for just that purpose and after extensive testing put the program to the ultimate test at his own "Fall Follies" tournament at Southern Billiards Sat. night Oct. 25th.
The inaugural, biannual, Southern Billiards 10 ball Ring Game went off flawlessly. The computer program worked to a tee. Keeping track of the players wins, losses, money standing, order of play, (order was changed every 10 games) and raises of the wager every 20 games.
I have attended and occasionally played in pool tournaments for 35 years and never have I seen more electricity in the air than there was at Southern Billiards Sat. night. The Professor had 2 TV sets strategically placed in the room to keep players and fans updated on the progress of each of the 7 players. All one had to do was to look up and see how much money a player had left, how soon the wager would be raised and to what value the next raise would be. One could easily tell if a player had to win that particular game or be eliminated.
Far the favorite to win the Ring Game was Danny "Kid Delicious" Basavich and after losing 25 games in a row from the start said, " I lose 25 in a row and still had a ball". Showing the class of "Kid Delicious". Danny knew the pitfalls of playing in a ring game, all the bad rolls you can get, no matter how good you play.
I believe this "Ring Game" idea will start a trend in the pool world. It was successful beyond anyone's imagination. My hat is off to both "Professors" for this inovative idea......$Bill
By the way, if you haven't heard, Jamie "Red Riffle" Farrell won the $7,000 first place money and the Professor paid out every dime of the money in the Ring Game.
Next you have R.H. "Professor" Gilmer. Professor Gilmer is a "real" professor, teaching finance at Mississippi State University. "Professor" Gilmer also owns Southern Billiards in Starkville, MS. Professor Gilmer recognized the popularity of the Ring Game in the past and how much pool fans enjoyed them. Expanding on "Professor" Mathews' idea, Professor Gilmer wrote a computer program for just that purpose and after extensive testing put the program to the ultimate test at his own "Fall Follies" tournament at Southern Billiards Sat. night Oct. 25th.
The inaugural, biannual, Southern Billiards 10 ball Ring Game went off flawlessly. The computer program worked to a tee. Keeping track of the players wins, losses, money standing, order of play, (order was changed every 10 games) and raises of the wager every 20 games.
I have attended and occasionally played in pool tournaments for 35 years and never have I seen more electricity in the air than there was at Southern Billiards Sat. night. The Professor had 2 TV sets strategically placed in the room to keep players and fans updated on the progress of each of the 7 players. All one had to do was to look up and see how much money a player had left, how soon the wager would be raised and to what value the next raise would be. One could easily tell if a player had to win that particular game or be eliminated.
Far the favorite to win the Ring Game was Danny "Kid Delicious" Basavich and after losing 25 games in a row from the start said, " I lose 25 in a row and still had a ball". Showing the class of "Kid Delicious". Danny knew the pitfalls of playing in a ring game, all the bad rolls you can get, no matter how good you play.
I believe this "Ring Game" idea will start a trend in the pool world. It was successful beyond anyone's imagination. My hat is off to both "Professors" for this inovative idea......$Bill
By the way, if you haven't heard, Jamie "Red Riffle" Farrell won the $7,000 first place money and the Professor paid out every dime of the money in the Ring Game.
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