IPT Day Three Report

Efren Reyes, pool, billiards, news, tournaments, billiard

IPT Day Three Report

The field is set for the finals of the $1 million IPT King of the Hill International 8-Ball Shootout in Orlando. After a grueling day of round robin play, Johnny Archer, Francisco Bustamante, Marlon Manalo, Mika Immonen, Nick Varner and Efren Reyes have qualified for the finals and are now assured of at least $30,000 in prize money.

The rest of the field went home with $20,000 in their pockets—far more than almost any first prize in pool up till now.

The day started off with a jolt as Reyes—an early favorite to win it all, according to the buzz outside the hall—was downed by fellow Hall of Famer but long-retired Ray Martin, 8-6. Reyes, perhaps a little jet-lagged, rallied to run over Robin Dodson 8-0, but then lost on the hill to Cory Deuel. Martin showed it wasn’t a fluke by finishing a respectable 3-2. After the final round, Martin, Reyes and Buddy hall were tied with 3-2 records, but Reyes’ GLI of 4.00 sent him into the finals.

Hall of Famers Nick Varner and Loree Jon Jones each had 2-2 records going into their head-to-head match, and the winner would go ahead. Although Jones, with her husband Sammy in her corner, made a respectable showing, Varner took the match 8-3 and advances.

The stakes get even higher as the money gets even bigger tomorrow. Five players will walk away with anywhere from $30,000 to $70,000 and the winner will have a shot at $200,000 when he meets reigning King of the Hill Mike Sigel in the final showdown Sunday.

Be sure to check the photo gallery for images from the IPT’s professional photographers who are on the scene capturing all the action. You can also view the stats from the entire tournament by clicking here, and be sure to check back for live updates tomorrow. Find out what the box scores won’t tell you by reading the Sportswriter’s Blog.

King of the Hill Finalists:
Johnny Archer
Francisco Bustamante
Marlon Manalo
Mika Immonen
Nick Varner
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