Corey Deuel the King of the Ring

Corey Deuel the King of the Ring InsidePOOL StaffThe Ultimate Ring Game has just concluded, leaving only one man standing: Corey Deuel. From being InsidePOOL Magazine's Player of the Year in 2002 to an unremarkable year in 2003, Deuel started off 2004 with a bang as player after player was eliminated from the grueling 10-ball ring game.The game resumed after the one-hour dinner break with five contestants: Rodney Morris, Earl Strickland, Alex Pagulayan, Jimmy Wetch, and Deuel. Charlie "The Dragon" Williams was the first to go, being eliminated in the first couple of hours. Click Here to Watch the Derby City Classic Live!
After the break, the bet per man increased to $1,000, and Wetch led with $7,900. With a little bit of luck, Pagulayan turned the tides and broke the five-digit mark, and with only $900 left, Wetch played and lost his case game. As soon as the bet was raised to $2,000 per man, Strickland was the next to go. With Deuel, Pagulayan, and Morris were standing strong at $8,700, $11,500, and $8,600 respectively, Strickland was trailing at $1,600 and had to go all in to remain. Morris scratched on the break, Deuel missed a combo on the 10, and the Pagulayan ran the rack out, eliminating Strickland.Trailing the other two players by a digit, Morris managed to squeak by for a few more rounds, but when Deuel won three games in a row without allowing anyone else an inning at the table, Morris was left with only $200 in his bankroll. He had a chance to get back in but missed a 3-10 combo attempt, and Pagulayan ran out, making it a battle between Deuel and "The Lion."Once there were only two players, the bet accelerated to $4,000. Deuel started off with $16,700 and Pagulayan $13,300. Seven games later, Pagulayan was holding most of the dough. Out of the total $30,000, he held $25,300. At this point, the bet increased to the amount of the lower bankroll, i.e., Deuel's remaining $4,700 became the bet, and he was all in. He doubled his money after Pagulayan dogged an easy 5 ball, and then doubled it again after he broke and ran out, effectively turning the tables to make it $18,800 Deuel and $11,200 Pagulayan. With the bet now $11,200 - the lower of the two bankrolls - Deuel came up dry on the break, which happened quite often, the two traded innings until Deuel left the 1 ball wide open for his opponent. "I still like three hundred a game," quipped Pagulayan, who then proceeded to run the table out to the 8 ball and scratched. Tournament Director Scott Smith announced that Deuel had the option of shooting or making Pagulayan shoot, which garnered laughter, and Deuel made the remaining three balls to become the King of the Ring.Visit InsidePOOL for the latest in the sport of billiards and pool.

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