U.S. Open Opens Field to more players

Due to rumors of the World 9-ball championships possibly being cancelled, The U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships has opened the field to give all the great players from America and all over the world the opportunity to play in this year’s U.S. Open. 

Players, you must have your $600.00 entry fee paid by October 12th, 2008 to avoid the $50.00 late fee.  So please be sure to get it in on time.

In the event of the field exceeding 256 players, matches will still be held at the normal times of 11, 1, 3 & 7, 9, 11. Pre-designated loser bracket matches will be played at Q-master Billiards in order to stay on “cue” with all scheduled matches on Tuesday, Wednesday and possibly Thursday at 11, 1 and 3.  Matches will be determined by the flow chart prior to the draw.  The final day will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude with the finals beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Of course, more players means more money added to the purse!  All additional entries will be added to the total prize fund amount.

Example 1: 300 Players adds $26,400.00 to the purse and will pay up to 128 players.
Example 2: 400 Players adds $86,400.00 to the purse!

We are looking forward to the 33rd Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships! Thank you for your continued dedication and support throughout the years. We are excited to see if Shane Van Boening can repeat as Champion.  Nick Varner is the only U.S. Open Champion in history to have achieved two consecutive championships in 1989-1990.

Nick Varner

Nick Varner is definitely a leader in the sport of cuesports. He is highly respected and honored by most all of his peers. His understanding of cuesports and its world speaks volumes. Nick Varner was most greatly deserving to be honorably inducted into the 1992 BCA Hall of Fame and the One Pocket Hall of Fame in 2005. He is an 8 time World Champion in 4 different disciplines and over 80 professional championships that include numerous national titles. As a joyous new father and grandfather, Nick still competes with the best players in the world. Many have said, "Watch him and learn, he is the greatest of teachers".

Personal Background

• Name: Nick Varner
• Known as: Speak softly and carry a big stick"
• Sex: Male
• Age: 59 years old
• Date of Birth: May 15, 1948
• Place of Birth: Owensboro, Kentucky
• Country: United States of America
• Nationality: American
• Hobbies: Playing pool
• Spouse: na
• Sports: Billiard

Achievements:

• 1970 ACU-I Intercolleagiate Championship
• 1979 Lexington All-Star Tournament
• 1980 Professional Pool Players Association World Open Pocket Billiard Championship
• 1980 and 1981 Billiard Congress of America National Eight-ball Championship
• 1982 Professional Pool Players Association World Nine-ball Champsionship

Trivia:

• Nick Varner was an ascending star on the professional pool scene after he won two ACU-I Intercollegiate Championships in 1970 while attending college. A cliche given to Varner was "Speak softly and carry a big stick" because of the way he conducted himself as well as his competitive endeavors.

• In 1989, Varner became only the second man to earn over $100,000 in prize winnings accumulating 16 major nine-ball events and was Player of the Year in 1980 and 1989.

• Heralded as one of the sport's greatest ambassadors, Varner achieved unparalleled success in his chosen profession. Some of his accomplishments included being an author, a video star, a pool room proprietor, and a manufacturer's representative. He still enjoys today a prominent status as an exhibition star.

One Pocket Hall of Fame

Ronnie 'Fast Eddie' Allen
Artie Bodendorfer
Jack 'Jersey Red' Breit
Melvin 'Strawberry' Brooks
Billy 'Cornbread Red' Burge
Marshall 'Squirrel' Carpenter
Steve Cook
Danny Di Liberto
John 'Rags' Fitzpatrick
Jimmy Fusco
Billy Incardona
The Jansco Brothers
Larry 'Boston Shorty' Johnson
Ed 'Champagne Eddie' Kelly
Hayden Lingo
Grady 'Professor' Mathews
Efren 'Bata' Reyes
Leonard 'Bugs' Rucker
Bill 'Weenie Beenie' Staton
Eddie 'Knoxville Bear' Taylor
Nick Varner

Groups Announced For IPT World Open Championships

The International Pool Tour announces the official player groupings for the IPT World Open 8-Ball Championship. The tournament starts Sunday, September 3, 2006 at 10am in Reno, Nevada at the Grand Sierra Resort.

This historic event boasts the biggest prize fund in the history of the sport. $3,000,000 is the total prize purse, and the winner of the tournament will win an historic $500,000!

Here are the official groupings:

Group 3:

Orcollo, Dennis
Varner, Nick
Atwell, Glenn
Massey, Michael
Broadhurst, Jackie

Hall of Fame Inductees: Nick Varner

Learning the basics of pool at an early age from his father in his hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky, Nick Varner displayed his great overall talents in 14.1, Nine Ball, One Pocket and Bank Pool by claiming the 1969 and 1970 national ACU-I collegiate titles, the World 14.1 Championship in 1980 and 1986 and the BCA National Eight Ball Championship in 1980.

Accumulating over 20 major titles in his career, he became only the second man to earn over $100,000 in prize winnings in the memorable 1989 season in which he won eight of the 16 major Nine Ball events.

Winner of the Player of the Year in 1980 and 1989, and the first honoree of the MPBA Sportsperson of the Year in 1991, Nick has always been an exemplary role model and has enriched the sport of pocket billiards through his many years of dedication to excellence and sportsmanship.

Nick Varner: One Pocket Hall of Fame

Nick Varner was inducted into the One Pocket Hall of Fame at a special ceremony held at Fast Eddie’s Sports Bar and Grill during a break from the Carolina’s Open tournament action on Wednesday night. Grady Mathews acted as master of ceremonies, and the owners and staff of Fast Eddie’s bent over backwards to make the evening memorable for Nick, as they pitched in with hard work, good humor and great hospitality.

The One Pocket Hall of Fame: Is pleased to honor Nick Varner, for his Outstanding Contribution to the Legacy of The Game of One Pocket in Elected 2004.

Nick Varner got started playing pool when he was five, when his father bought a little poolroom in Grandview, Illinois. Nick was a two-time college amateur champion in 1969-70 while a student at Purdue University. As a teenager, he became acquainted with legendary One Pocket player Hubert Cokes, who took an interest in Nick’s game and helped him develop his sharp competitive edge. Cokes also brought Nick to the jamborees at Johnston City, where he introduced Nick to many of the great players of the day, while staking Nick to play against a few of them.

* As a tournament player, Nick has won several major One Pocket events, including:

•   1992 International One Pocket Tournament
•   2000 Derby City Classic

•   2000 World One Pocket Championships

* With his excellent banking skills and dogged patience, for a while Nick had a nearly unbeatable technique of an extreme up table game that commentator Bill Incardona dubbed a ‘wedge game’.  Nick would manage to herd all the balls into a tight cluster ‘wedged’ into one of the upper corners of the table. Taking advantage of this extremely conservative approach, Nick won all four stops of the 2001 Florida One Pocket tour.