Django Bustamante wins Derby City Classic 9 Ball Banks Title
It's yet another title for legendary Pinoy cueist Francisco Bustamante.
On Monday the 2010 World 9 Ball Champ won the 15th Derby City Classic 9 Ball Banks title, defeating Justin Hall 3-1 in the final in the Horsehoe Casino Hotel in Indiana, USA.
9 Ball Banks is a Pool discipline where each rack uses the standard 9 ball diamond and whoever can bank in five balls first wins the game. Players do not need to pocket the balls in order.
It is a call shot game and one must state how many cushions you will employ in attempting the banks.
9 Ball Banks obviously needs banking skill but also defensive acumen, since defensive battles are common.
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Leading 2-1, Bustamante had ball in hand in the kitchen and quickly nailed two banks to go 2-0 up in rack four.
The Filipino left a tough bank for Hall and the Floridian squeaked it in and soon led 3-2
But after a safety exchange Bustamante snaked in a table-length bank, then slow-rolled in a 9 ball, then slipped in a tough cross corner bank in for the win, causing him to shriek in delight amidst applause from the knowledgeable crowd.
The son of Tarlac City bested a quality field of 353 players to win the US$10,000 added event that had a total purse of approximately US$50,000.
Bustamante becomes the third Pinoy to win the Banks title. Pagulayan took the crown in 2011 and Jose Parica was the winner in 2001.
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Several Pinoys also participated in the event, like Warren Kiamco, Carlo Biado, Dennis Orcollo, and Pagulayan.
Surprisingly, Shane Van Boening, who recently won the the U.S. Open 9 Ball in a final over Orcollo, went two-and out in the event.
Because the tournament allowed one buy-back or rebuy per player, the total actual purse could not be determined, and neither is the winner's share released as of press time.
Bustamante, like almost all of the contestants, used his buy-back. The original buy-in for the event is US$110 and the rebuy is US$50
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Justin Hall is a Banks and One-Pocket specialist who plays for the Houston Hustlers of the World Professional Billiards League alongside former US Open 9 Ball champ Jeremy Jones. He had recently won the Southern Classic Bank Pool Division and the One-Pocket Division.
Finishing third in the event was American Shannon Murphy.
The Derby City Classic, open to both men and women, is a fabled event on the Pool calendar that has traditionally been held in Kentucky, but this year was moved to Indiana.
The Classic features multiple events in many disciplines, and this year there is a Straight Pool (14.1 continuous) challenge, a One Pocket Division, the Banks event and the 9 Ball tournament.
Efren Reyes dominated the One Pocket division from 2004 to 2007, winning four tournaments in a row.
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With US$25,000 added, the 9 Ball tournament, now stretched to race-to-nine matches, is the most lucrative of the events.
Reyes has won the 9 Ball event twice, and the last Pinoy to lift the trophy was Orcollo in 2011.
There is also a “Master of the Table” bonus for players who distinguish themselves all of the different disciplines. A points system is used to determine who is the champ. This year the bonus is US$25,000, and with his Banks win, Bustamante is in good shape to claim that award as long as he goes deep in the other events.
In 2012 Van Boening won both the One-Pocket and 9-Ball divisions to grab the Master of the Table plum, worth an additional US$20,000.
Apart from the official tournaments, participants have also been known to match up against each other in challenge matches that often times go around-the-clock.
There is usually TV coverage for the event and Pool junkies from around the world can watch live streaming on PPV at www.accu-stats.com. The official site is www.derbycityclassic.com.
You can follow Bob on Twitter @bhobg333.
