Even as you read this, they are coming. Rodney Morris, from England, Johnny Archer, from Georgia, Shane Van Boening, from South Dakota, Oscar Dominguez from California; all of these pool pros will be in Saratoga over the weekend, vying to win the ninth annual Andy Billiard Cloth Wyoming Open pool tournament.
According to organizer Monte Thayer, the tournament will be held in the Platte Valley Community Center, and take place between April 1 and April 3. Duke’s Bar and Grill is scheduled to stay open continuously between 7 a.m, Saturday and 2 a.m. Monday morning though, so plenty of action will certainly spill over into downtown.
With $10,000 of added money and a total of over $30,000 being handed out to the winners of five different divisions, there’s plenty to entice novices and seasoned pros alike.
Thirty-two players will pay $180 for the right to compete in the “AAA” Master’s Division of the tournament, while 160 others will compete in three other divisions, ranging from the $50 entry Sportsman Division to the $150 entry Expert Division. This will be the first year that there’s also a Women-Only Division, which has 16 additional players and costs $50 to enter.
If Ma and Pa both think they can be sharks in the felt-ocean, there’s no need to get a babysitter. The Open also features a Junior’s bracket that will be broken into “peewee,” “intermediate” and “under 18” categories that each cost $5 to enter. Because there is no pre-registration for the Junior’s tournament, Thayer couldn’t give a precise number of participants but he estimated there would be around 40.
Prior to Sunday’s finals, there will be a Calcutta held between 7 and 8 p.m. Saturday night at the community center. Additionally, a $30 “Hard Luck Nine-Ball” tournament will be held Sunday morning for those eliminated before the finals round. This event will be closed to participants in the Masters Division.
A wait list with more than 30 names on it, and the far-flung origins of many players both speak to the continued vibrancy of the Wyoming Open as it enters its ninth year. Chalk it up to wanting to make a clean break with winter.
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