It began in Jakarta, moved on to Taipei, Genting Highlands and landed in Singapore from Jul 13 to 15. The next leg of the Guinness 9 Ball Tour will take place in Shanghai will determine the top 10 players to compete in Bali, Indonesia, where the winner of the Grand Championship Final will bag US$36000. Formerly known as the Asian 9 Ball Tour, the Guinness 9 Ball Tour landed in Singapore’s Orchid Country Club for the very first time as contenders vied for the top prize money of US$15000.

With Guinness being the title sponsor, there was not only an entire list of experienced pool players to admire but also the Guinness Black Foxes, a group of hot, sexy babes clad in tight black outfits who did their thang (thing in Ebonics) and gyrated to Hip Hop, R&B beats during breaks. Not to forget, there was also plenty of Guinness to guzzle.

9 Ball Rules with a Gulp of Guinness

1 table, 2 players, 10 balls for 9 ball pool, quite confusing to the 1 pitch, 22 players and 1 ball for football. That’s why UrbanWire‘s here to teach you the rules of the game.

First of all, the balls are racked in a diamond formation. Each and every one of them is numbered from 1-9 and has a different colour.

The objective is to pocket the 9th ball legally. Every shot the player takes, he must hit the ball with the lowest sequence on the table but he need not pocket that particular ball. This means that he can use the lowest sequence ball to pocket another ball if he wants to.

When a foul is committed, a player has to relinquish his turn to the other. If the player doesn’t pocket any balls, his turn also goes to the other player.

But to win the match, the players must win 11 games to be declared the winner.

The Calm vs The Fiery

2 contrasting personalities competed in the finals, Yang Ching-Shun and surprise contender Amir Ibrahim. Pitted against the formidable Alex Pagulayan in the semi finals, Ibrahim proved his worth and shocked many by beating Paulayan. Nicknamed ‘Son of Pool’, Yang had a relatively easy time progressing to the final, beating child prodigy Wu Chia-Ching 11-7.

In the finals, with players taking alternate breaks, the first 2 games glided by smoothly with Yang and Ibrahim showing their moves, pocketing ball after ball in succession.

In the 3rd game, Yang puts in ball after ball but misses his seventh shot as the ball bounced between the sides of the pocket, but disappointingly stops there. The audience, who felt exactly what Yang was feeling let out a collective ‘ohhh’. It was then that Ibrahim took over and won the game.

In the next 2 games, things start to become a little more complicated with the players missing several shots and the cue ball landing in awkward positions, causing more difficulty for the players to pocket balls.

The 6th game started with Ibrahim’s break, and the turn to play bounced between Yang and Ibrahim as the both of them fail to pocket any ball for five turns. At the 6th turn, Yang strategised and made use of skilful control of the ball to place the cue ball in a difficult position. Ibrahim returned by pushing the cue ball and the first ball to diagonal extreme opposites of each other, putting Yang in a tough position. In the end, Ibrahim managed to pocket 3 balls but missed on his 4th, allowing Yang to take over and win the game.

The 7th game started with Yang putting in 3 balls and ended with Yang’s win. The 8th game, started with Ibrahim’s break but he fouled, thus allowing Yang to swallow his win and leading the race 5-3.

The 9th game was a big pity as Yang’s break landed the 1st ball in front of the 9th, meaning that he could win the game right after a break. However, Yang didn’t manage to pocket the ball, probably due to immense pressure and Ibrahim bagged his chance.

The 10th game put both players on par as Ibrahim catches up. Calm as he might be, Yang put up a fight and won the next 3 games, leading 8-5.

There is a tussle as Ibrahim struggles to catch up, leaving the players on par once again at the 16th game.

The Calm One Reigns

There was a growing silence as Yang won the next 2 games, leading Ibrahim 10-8, and leaving him with one last game to win before he could lift up the trophy and the US$15000 cheque.

Even with his cool demeanour, Yang seemed a tad nervous with his furrowed brows and face, clenched in concentration. But still, the ‘Son of Pool’ managed to slot home the 9 ball nicely, cutting the silence as the audience cheered and clapped. Yang’s face broke into a wide relieved smile as he put down his cue stick and raised his hands in triumph.

Ibrahim may have the spirit of a fighting bull but Yang was the matador that day. Skilled in strategising and ball control. He earned a well deserved win (and also US$15 000) in the process.

Extra Balls

Find out more about the Guinness 9 Ball Tour from the official website.

Read all about tournament favourite Ronato Alcano who was knocked out off the competition earlier in an interview with Urbanwire.

Or get ready to “break some balls” with yourself in a game of Pool!