From the US Open to the Mosconi Cup to the Derby City Classic, Points is on the Move!

By Albert Charbonneau

My trip to the US Open was amazing! I met some of the world’s finest professional billiards players and others in the industry. Many works behind the scenes, but the show wouldn’t be possible without them.

Mike Lafond was a lifesaver for me. We met while waiting for the doors to open to the Matchroom on day 2. It was a stroke of luck that he decided to come up and talk to me, and if it weren’t for him, I would never have made it into the Matchroom for the finals. Thank you again, Mike!

Max Eberle and I have been internet friends for over ten years and finally got the chance to meet at the US Open. That was like reuniting with a long-lost brother. Max was kind enough to play with Mike and me at the Atlantic City Billiards Club and gave Points a try. He scored a 66 after just three attempts.

Shane Van Boening signed one of my rule books, and I also ensured he got a copy. Chris Reinhold was the first pro to get the rules, and I think he will be a very important person moving forward in this journey.

The US Open event was quite the spectacle, and again, thanks to Mike, I had some of the best seats in the house. Both semi-final matches went hill-hill, which may have been a first for the US Open. Francisco Ruiz played like a master and took home the 2022 US Open title.

My next stop was Las Vegas for the Mosconi Cup. I didn’t intend to attend the event, but as fate would have it, another stranger decided I should be there. David Arseneault sent me a PM, and thanks to him, my good friend Daniel Krupinski and I got to attend day two!

Daniel Krupinski of the Las Vegas Pool Report

saved me in more ways than one during my Mosconi trip, and I will never forget everything he did for me. A place to stay along with rides wherever I needed to go and just being a good friend made this trip much better. Thanks, Dan!

Most of my time in Vegas was spent at two of the best pool halls in the city. Good Timez Billiards & The amazing Griff’s Billiards. By sheer fate, the first person I ran into at Griff’s was the first pro I met at the US Open, Chris Reinhold. He recognized me right away & he even remembered my name. I cannot wait to run into him again at the next big event. Mark Griffin a true legend of the sport. I was heartbroken to hear of his passing & I know we all will miss him dearly.

I ran into Shane Van Boening at Griff’s, and I got the chance to show him how Points is played. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the time to try the game, but I’m sure we will make it happen soon.

The great Thomas Van Eck, the inventor of the iCue training cue ball, and the YouTube sensation Shalae Brewster were hanging out at Griff’s. Thomas gave Points a few tries & scored a 95 on his third attempt! He beat my personal best score after just three tries! I can only imagine his score after a month of playing Points.

My next stop was the Derby City Classic in Indiana at the end of January 2023. I watched Max Eberle, Shane, Efren Reyes, Chris Reinhold & many other top professional players up close and personal. I liked the venue. It had a great fan-friendly atmosphere.

I also had the pleasure of playing at an awesome pool hall in Louisville, Ky. Railyard Billiards is a super clean establishment with 30 Diamond tables and nice tight pockets. The food was delicious, with friendly staff and 7 & 9-foot tables. Yeah. Railyard Billiards is definitely one of my new favorite happy places!

I have four trips planned for this year as I continue my journey to bring billiards back to its roots and back to mainstream television here in the US.

I want to see Points and all billiards sports become the legitimate sport we all know they should be. Points have it all! I modeled the game after other professional sports like boxing, wrestling & MMA. Points have scoring for every shot, including penalties, and seven different weight classes or divisions with seven different champions. Points have enough excitement to keep the fans coming back week after week!

Billiards

All I ever ask of any player is to give the game one full day before passing judgment. That’s usually all it takes for people to understand why I call Points the New age of Billiards!

All the rules for Points can be found on my Facebook profile page. Thank you all for your continued love & support.