Efren Reyes, Shane Van Boening, Earl Strickland, and Jason Shaw are some of the leading pool players in the world. They have played and won multiple prestigious billiard tournaments. Because of them and many other amazing players, pool or pocket billiards has been a popular sport among men and women across the globe.
Like chess, pool or billiard is also a game of intelligence. It involves pool cues used to pocket billiard balls in different colors. As a pool player, you must have your strategy to stay in the lead of the game. Aside from that, this is also a game that helps develop and improve your focus and aiming skills.
If you are an amateur and aspiring professional pool player, the number one question running in your mind is probably about the most prominent pool/billiard tournaments held every year. If so, you are in the right place.
This post tackles the biggest and most prestigious pool/billiard tournaments, where they are being held, when they are played, admission fees, and all the nitty-gritty details associated with the game.
So, if you want to know more about it, keep on reading.
Derby City Classic
First on our list is the Derby City Classic or DCC. This is a pool tournament, and convention practiced every year. It is mainly held during the first week of January at the Caesars Southern Indiana. This tournament lasts for eight days and offers pool tables for all players with different playing skill levels.
The Derby City Classic tournament offers an approximate 70,000 US Dollars as a grand prize. But this may differ every year depending on different factors, including the number of players. The admission fee ranges from 160 US Dollars to 200 US Dollars.
On the other hand, you can watch the Derby City Classic tournaments online at Billiardnet.tv if you are unable to purchase a ticket or personally attend the competition. Did you know that the first Derby City Classic competition happened in 1999, and Efren Reyes was one of the overall winners?
Turning Stone Classic
Turning Stone Classic is another well-known pool/billiard tournament where several professional players from different countries join every year. This event is usually held at Turning Stone’s spacious and professional-looking Event Center, making it one of the most sought-after tournaments with the best venue.
The admission fee for this tournament is 60 US Dollars only. However, there are some instances that the competition’s administrator will offer free collectible posters, a free admission fee, and a 10 US Dollars free play to fans and players. Therefore, you can enjoy watching the billiard tournaments with free posters, free admission, and even free bets.
The overall winner of the game will receive the cash prize of 41,400 US Dollars. It is also worth noting that Turning Stone Classics will pay the winning players their rewards immediately.
Mosconi Cup
Mosconi Cup is one of the most prestigious billiard tournaments held every year since its establishment in 1994. This billiard competition involves five professional American and European pool players that compete head-to-head.
The Mosconi Cup billiard tournament will celebrate its 28th year in the industry in London’s Alexandra Palace. The place of the event changes annually depending on the organizers. In 2021, it was celebrated at Coventry in Ricoh Arena. This year will be the third time that Mosconi Cup will be held in the Alexandra Palace.
Mosconi Cup tickets are currently on sale with an admission fee of 65 US Dollars. It is worth noting that this admission fee is only suitable for one session.
Furthermore, there are several ways to watch Mosconi Cup billiard tournaments online. For example, you can watch the event live on DAZN US if you live in the United States and Canada. On the other hand, the tournament will be live-streamed on Sky Sports for billiard fans in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
WPA World Ten-Ball Championship
One of the biggest ten-ball pool tournaments in the world is the WPA World Ten-Ball Championship. This was established by the World Pool-Billiard Association. The first WPA event was held in the Philippines in 2008 and followed in 2009 and 2011.
During its initial event, the World Ten-Ball Championship offered total prize money of 400,000 US Dollars, where pool players gathered at the Philippine International Convention Center. The United States also hosted the WPA World Ten-Ball Championship tournament in 2019, 2021, and 2022.
WPA World Ten-Ball Championship is a four-day long championship with an entry fee of 250 US Dollars for four days or 100 US Dollars per day. One of the best things about the WPA World Championships is that anyone can watch it online.
As long as you have a Wi-Fi-enabled mobile gadget, you can watch the billiard action on different streaming services, including ESPN+, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV.
World Pool Masters Tournament
Another international pool tournament on our list is the World Pool Masters, supporting nine-ball games. It was initially known as the European Pool Masters. But since 1995, it was replaced by the World Pool Masters, where different players from various countries were invited.
From 1993 to 2002, the World Pool Masters Tournament was hosted by England. In 2003 and 2004, the event was held in the Netherlands, followed by England in 2005. From 2008 to 2010, the United States hosted the tournament. And in 2011, it was held in the Philippines. Last year, the game was held in Europa Point Sports Complex, Gibraltar.
The admission fee for the World Pool Masters Tournament amounts to 250 US Dollars, excluding the 25 US Dollars green fee you will pay in cash when you reach the venue. You can view the World Pool Masters championship live on Matchroom.live.
Final Thoughts
Pocket billiards or pool has been an ever-growing sport popular among youngsters and adults. Because of its popularity, many organizations have started to organize pool tournaments that invite various players from different countries to join.
Derby City Classic, Turning Stone Classic, Mosconi Cup, WPA World Ten-Ball Championship, and World Pool Masters are some of the most sought-after and biggest professional annual pool tournaments that can be viewed online.
You can learn a lot by watching the professionals play, and figure out why they make the shots that they do and the strategy behind them. Watching their decisions will make you a better player, you will be able to see patterns better and see safety shots that you couldn’t see before.
Attribution for photo: English: Christian Werner; upload by Tmv23 Deutsch: Christian Werner; hochgeladen von Tmv23, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
