Skins Billiards Championship
Encyclopedia
The Skins Billiards Championship was an annual nine-ball tournament held in the US
. It was promoted by Allen Hopkins Productions and Billiards International, and was broadcast on ESPN
. While most pool
tournaments pit pairs of players against each other in , this unusual event pits four. While prize money in other events is fixed, such that players win money depending on where they finish in the tournament bracket, the prize money a player earns in the Skins Billiards Championship depends on the course of the game. This tournament get its name because its format is based on skins game
, a variation of golf.
The table above shows an example of racks listed with each having a certain monetary value. To win prize money, a player must win three consecutive racks. The first three rack above are worth $3,000 each. Should a player win all three, he/she wins the total sum of them, $9,000.
As long as no one could win the racks in a row, the monetary value of the racks not won will be added to next until one player successfully manages to win three in a row.
When all the racks concluded and there's still money to be won, the four players draw spots to play in the sudden-death playoff. The first two players will face each other in one rack then so will the next two. The winner of the two brackets face each other in one last rack where the winner takes all the remaining money.
The 2007 event wasn't any better compared to its earlier editions. In the 2005, the tournament had a total purse was $130,000. But it declined to $40,000 in 2007. Also, the number of players in contention have decreased from 16 to 4. The reason to these declines were never explained.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was promoted by Allen Hopkins Productions and Billiards International, and was broadcast on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. While most pool
Pocket billiards
Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
tournaments pit pairs of players against each other in , this unusual event pits four. While prize money in other events is fixed, such that players win money depending on where they finish in the tournament bracket, the prize money a player earns in the Skins Billiards Championship depends on the course of the game. This tournament get its name because its format is based on skins game
Skins Game
A skins game is a type of scoring for various sports, most notably golf but also for curling and bowling.-LG Skins Game:There was an annual skins game for male professional golfers which takes place in November or December each year after the end of the official PGA Tour season. It is recognized by...
, a variation of golf.
Format
Two players play in each rack. When a player wins one, he/she stays to the play the next. The defeated player is replaced by another who has the option to have the break shot or pass it.| Rack | Monetary Value |
|---|---|
| 1 | US$ United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... 3,000 |
| 2 | $3,000 |
| 3 | $3,000 |
| 4 | $4,000 |
| 5 | $4,000 |
| 6 | $4,000 |
| 7 | $5,000 |
| 8 | $5,000 |
| 9 | $5,000 |
| 10 | $6,000 |
| 11 | $6,000 |
| 12 | $6,000 |
The table above shows an example of racks listed with each having a certain monetary value. To win prize money, a player must win three consecutive racks. The first three rack above are worth $3,000 each. Should a player win all three, he/she wins the total sum of them, $9,000.
As long as no one could win the racks in a row, the monetary value of the racks not won will be added to next until one player successfully manages to win three in a row.
When all the racks concluded and there's still money to be won, the four players draw spots to play in the sudden-death playoff. The first two players will face each other in one rack then so will the next two. The winner of the two brackets face each other in one last rack where the winner takes all the remaining money.
Winners
| Year | Location | Winner | Tournament Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Atlantic City Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast... , New Jersey New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware... |
Niels Feijen Niels Feijen Niels Feijen is a professional pool player, from the Hague, Netherlands. His nickname is "the Terminator".In 2001, Feijen reached the finals of a nine-ball tournament in Tokyo, Japan. The event had a field of more than 700 players and offered the largest prize money at that time. However, he lost... |
$ United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... 42,500 |
| 2005 | Atlantic City Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast... , New Jersey New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware... |
Santos Sambajon Santos Sambajon Santos Sambajon is a Filipino professional pool player. His nicknames are "The Little Giant" and "The Saint." Originally from the Philippines, he now resides in the United States.-Professional career:... |
$73,500 |
| 2007 | Springfield Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern... , Massachusetts Massachusetts The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010... |
George Breedlove and Jeanette Lee | $40,000 |
2007 event and prize money decline
After not being held since 2005, the Skins Billiards Championship once again held another edition in the beginning of 2007. Four players compete in the event like in previous years. However, two play as a team making a doubles match.The 2007 event wasn't any better compared to its earlier editions. In the 2005, the tournament had a total purse was $130,000. But it declined to $40,000 in 2007. Also, the number of players in contention have decreased from 16 to 4. The reason to these declines were never explained.