Houston’s own Andy Jethwa went undefeated to capture the third stop on the 2022 Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour, powering through an impressive field of 64 competitors, taking down Turkish phenom, Raed Shabib, in the first set of the true, double elimination final, 6-4. This was Jethwa’s first Tour victory since 2016.
On March 19th-20th, 2022, R House Bar and Grill in Houston, Texas hosted the third stop on the Poison Lone Star Tour, and along with title sponsor Poison by Predator Cues, sponsors Predator Cues, Alamo Billiards, Outsville Billiards, and Team Straight Pool Eye, facilitated another successful event for players across Texas. R House provided 14, 7’ Diamond bar tables for tournament play, while Predator sponsored the Arcos II ball sets used on each table, along with Accu-Racks for discussion-free racking, provided by Outsville Billiards. The Tour would like to thank R House owner, Robert Pham, and staff, for their hospitality, and for hosting another first-rate event.
In the open 9-ball tournament, winners’ side final eight, Johnny Griffin squeezed by Blaine Barcus while Andy Jethwa outran Mark Nanashee, both by the same score, 6-5. Joel Acevedo was overwhelmed by Ricky Hughes, 6-2, and Raed Shabib dominated Robert “Phaminator” Pham, 6-3. In the following round, Jethwa made quick work of Griffin, 6-2, and Shabib ousted Hughes, 6-1. In the hot seat match, Jethwa commanded an early lead, and never let up, capturing the hot seat, 6-1. On the west side, playing into the final eight, Noah Contreras eliminated Acevedo, 5-4, while Pham defeated Victor “Champion” Rojas, 5-3. Sharpshooter, Justin Espinosa, sent Barcus packing, 5-4, marking his fifth, consecutive win on the one-loss side. After suffering a first-round blow, Derek Fontenot scored five wins, including a 5-2 victory over Nanashee. N. Contreras accelerated, ending Pham, 5-1, but was stalled out by Griffin, 5-2. Fontenot secured his sixth win, eliminating Espinosa, 5-3, but fell to Hughes by the same score. A determined Griffin went on to defeat Hughes, 5-4, but was disappointed by Shabib, 5-4. Shabib earned a rematch with Jethwa, vying for his first title, while Jethwa sought a repeat title. In the first match of the true, double elimination final, Jethwa came out swinging, but Shabib answered back. In the final stretch, Jethwa pulled ahead to end the set, 6-4. Congratulations to Andy Jethwa on this impressive victory.
The Tour would like to congratulate R House Bar and Grill owner, Robert Pham, on his 7th-8th place finish at this event. This is Robert’s highest finish to date!
The Tour would like to welcome all new members who joined at this past event, and recognize Gulf Coast Tour Board Members Ruth Paine, D’Andrea Leassear, Kim Peirce, and Ming Ng, for their efforts in running a seamless, two-day tournament
The next tournament will be held April 9th-10th at Banana’s Billiards in San Antonio, Texas.
For more information about the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour, visit www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com.
Open Payouts – Total $7,980
1st Andy Jethwa $1,000 / $1,800
2nd Raed Shabib $600 / $1,250
3rd Johnny Griffin $400 / $750
4th Ricky Hughes $250 / $400
5th-6th Noah Contreras, Derek Fontenot $150 / $200
7th-8th Robert Pham, Justin Espinosa $100 / $105
9th-12th Blaine Barcus, Joel Acevedo, Victor Rojas, Mark Nanashee $65
13th-16th Josh Pangilinan, Sonny Bosshamer, Leon Contreras, David Gutierrez $40