35th Annual Texas Open

So excited.

Today starts the 35th Annual Texas Open (9-Ball) and has a total of 128 players competing in the open division. There are some strong players competing this year, including Shane Van Boening, Jeremy Jones, returning champion Sylver Ochoa, Gabe Owen, Justin Bergman, Charlie Bryant, Rafael Martinez, Ismael Paez, Glenn Atwell, Shawn Putnam and Cliff Joyner.

I went up to the event last night for the calcutta and to see the brackets. A calcutta is an auction of the players at the start of the tournament. All the proceeds from the auction are put into a pool and if the player you "bought" wins, you win the money in the calcutta pool. There were some players that went for a pretty high price, so the prize pool is substantial this year.

I saw a player shooting last night and didn't know who he was. He had stepped outside to make a call and when I was outside to get a breath of fresh air (yep, smoke-fest in the billiard hall), I asked him his name. He said his name was Cliff Joyner - wow, this guy will also be a top contender in this event. He had the most amazing control on the table and perfect stroke. If I had to choose the top winners of the event, it would be Shane Van Boening, Jeremy Jones, Shawn Putnam, Cliff Joyner, Rick Stanley, James (Bastrop) Sr., or little David.

We'll see how on or off I am.

I am getting ready to head out there soon and will update this blog as the matches are played.

This is a really amazing event that only happens once a year here, so if you get a chance, stop by and you'll see some of the most amazing live pool with the talent here this year.

Also, the ladies event starts tomorrow and there are some strong women in this event too. I'll update you as that unfolds as well. My goal - play this event one day. It's open to pros and amatuers, but it's not an event to play in unless you have been practicing day and night to prepare for this 2.5 day event.

I do wish all the players good skill - after watching them for 4-5 hours last night, it could be anyone's title to take. Good luck all.