Rodriguez and Moore Break Barriers on Poison Lone Star Tour

Hudson, Price, Rosenbaum, Moore, Rodriguez, Cantrell, Hughes, Alienes

Andrew Rodriguez earned his first division title, at the third stop on the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour, held at Big Tyme Billiards in Spring, Texas. The veteran player powered through a 60-player, amateur 9-ball division, defeating Dallas’ Jesse Moore in the finals, 5-2, 4-1. In the open 9-ball division, newcomer Jesse Moore made an impressive comeback in a field of 54 players, dusting off Kenneth Price in the finals, 6-4, 5-1. This was Moore’s first time to compete in a Tour event, and his first win.

Andrew Rodriguez

On April 13th-14th, 2024, 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. Nearly 80 competitors, including 17 Gulf Coast Tour women, participated in the third event of the Tour season, held at the popular Big Tyme Billiards in Spring, Texas. Big Tyme provided twenty-four, 7’ bar tables for tournament play, all covered with Predator Arcadia Reserve, tournament blue cloth, in a non-smoking environment. Predator sponsored the Arcos II ball sets used on each table, and Accu-Racks were provided by Outsville Billiards for discussion-free racking.

In the amateur 9-ball division, winners’ side final eight, Andrew Rodriguez defeated Jesse Moore, 5-4, and Kenneth Price ousted Blake Curtis, 5-1. Ricky Hughes defeated Brian Rosenbaum, 5-2, while Javier Alienes bested Joe Hudson, 5-3. In the following round, Rodriguez sent Price west, 5-2, and Hughes slipped past Alienes, 5-4. Hot seat action witnessed Rodriguez defeat Hughes, 5-4, capturing the first winners’ bracket of his Tour career. On the west side, in the final eight, Hudson shut out Rosenbaum, 4-0, and Price, 4-2, while Moore eliminated Tour veterans Eric Cantrell, 4-3, and Alienes, 4-2. Moore denied Hudson and Hughes by the same score, 4-2, and found his way back to Rodriguez. In the final sets, Rodriguez would not be denied. Moore came with it, winning the first set, 5-2, but Rodriguez answered back, winning the second set, 4-1. Congratulations to Andrew on his first-ever, Tour win.

Price, Lanza, Rios, Moore, Rosenbaum, Rojas, Hughes, Griffin

In the open 9-ball division, winners’ side final eight, Kenneth Price overcame Victor Rojas, 6-3, while Ricky Hughes handily defeated Luis Robles, 6-3. The 2023 Tour Champion, Johnny Griffin, sent Brian Rosenbaum west, 6-4, and Keny Lanza upset Joe Hudson, 6-4. In the following round, Price shut out Hughes, 6-0, while Griffin took down Lanza, 6-3. In the hot seat match, Price edged out Griffin, 6-5. On the one-loss side, and in the final eight, Moore eliminated Rosenbaum, 5-2, and Hughes, 5-3, marking up five straight wins. Victor Rojas made quick work of Andrew Rios, 5-1, and Lanza, 5-1. Moore went on to eliminate Rojas, 5-4, and Griffin, 5-3, marking up seven wins. Moore fought his way back to Price, who put him in the loser’s bracket, in the third round. In the first set of the true, double elimination final, Moore remained true to form, handing Price his first loss, 6-4. In overtime, Price was overwhelmed by Moore, 5-1. Congratulations to Jesse Moore, on his first, Tour division title.

Jesse Moore

Once again, congratulations to Andrew Rodriguez and Jesse Moore on their first-ever, Tour titles. The Tour would also like to recognize Andrew Rios and Joe Hudson who achieved their highest finishes to date. Andrew finished 7th-8th in the open division, and Joe took 4th place in the amateur division.

Next year will mark the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour’s 15th Anniversary. The Tour would like to extend its deepest appreciation to all the players, sponsors, and venues, who have helped make this possible.

Amateur Payouts – $2,915

1st Andrew Rodriguez $580 / $700

2nd Jesse Moore $370 / $375

3rd Ricky Hughes $240 / $160

4th Joe Hudson $140

5th-6th Kenneth Price, Javier Alienes $75 ea

7th-8th Brian Rosenbaum, Eric Cantrell $50 ea

9th-12th Victor Rojas, Chad Hart, Blake Curtis, Kyle Lowry $25 ea

Open Payouts – $3,780

1st Jesse Moore $610 / $880

2nd Kenneth Price $420 / $550

3rd Johnny Griffin $250 / $300

4th Victor Rojas $150 / $200

5th-6th Ricky Hughes, Keny Lanza $80 ea

7th-8th Andrew Rios, Brian Rosenbaum $60 ea

9th-12th Eric Cantrell, Joe Hudson, Luis Robles, John Havens $35 ea