Category: Events
Results – OGP Quarantined: $10K Qualifier
Results - OGP Quarantined: $10K Qualifier (07/18/2020)
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Virtual Beer Pong Championships: Platform, Setup and Requirements
If you plan on playing in BPONG’s Virtual Beer Pong Championships, below is what you need to know for the platform, setup and requirements. Please read thoroughly and be ready to play!
Some of you may be more familiar with playing a game of beer pong online than others. However, we’ll be switching things up just a bit from what you may be use to!
Please make sure to familiarize yourself with what you’ll need to do to participate!
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Platform: Facebook Rooms
Initially, online play was primarily ran through the Skype platform but has more recently transitioned to the Zoom platform. Though both are viable options, there are some things that we can’t accomplish using Zoom or Skype – not being able to record each game being the most notable.
Utilizing Facebook’s new “Room” feature we will be able to not only record each game but live stream every game for all to view!
Here’s how it will work:
1) During each round of the Virtual Beer Pong Championships all players will enter into a group chat via Facebook Messenger with a tournament organizer and the other players in their pod.
2) A random player, appointed by the organizer in each group chat, will create a “Room” in the (Beer) Pong Players of the World group.
3) They will then invite and/or all of the other players in the pod to join the room to play all pod games. (Anyone can join unless settings are changed to restrict people from joining.)
Players in each pod may decide whether they want to limit their room to just their pod players or allow others to actually join the room.
Having each game recorded will enable our ability to monitor everyone more closely. If something is called into question, we’ll be able to go back and look at what caused the dispute to better assess the situation.
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Setup:
- All players must have their own connection. If you are in a location where multiple players are participating, each player will need to have a device and equipment of their own.
- All players must find a recording angle that includes their entire playing area. The entire playing area can be defined as your full table and the immediate area around it. (1 foot to all sides)
The goal is to provide a view for your teammates and opponents that does not obstruct the flight of the ball and eliminates blind spots where someone could be dropping the balls in from above, out of view from the camera.
The angle should also provide a view slightly above the rim of the cups. (Your camera should not be cup height or below.) Your teammates and opponents should be able to see the ball go in the cup.
- After each made shot, you must pull your own cup prior to the next shot being taken. You must show the ball in the cup, upon pulling the cup, prior to reaching into the cup to remove the ball.
- Prior to playing in this tournament, please find an angle that will pass a camera setup inspection if someone requests one.
If you have questions about whether your camera setup is acceptable, please feel free to reach out to [email protected] to have it verified at least 2 days prior to the tournament.
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Requirements:
All players must have an Official BPONG table or a generic table of equal dimensions.
All players must have Official BPONG cups. The older clear BPONG cups will not be accepted. White BPONG cups must be used.
All players must have Official BPONG racks.
If you do not have the needed equipment to participate in this tournament, you may order everything from BPONG.COM/SHOP to get yourself ready! Please order any needed items as soon as possible to ensure it arrives in time.
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If you have any questions about these set up requirements, please feel free to reach out to [email protected]!
– BPONG
PONGDEMIC: A Virtual Beer Pong Experience
June 24th, 2020. It’s currently 5:00pm in Las Vegas, Nevada – Home of The World Series of Beer Pong, an event that has taken place annually since 2006. Right at this very moment is when the first Side Event for The WSOBP XV was originally scheduled to start.
In an alternate universe, those of you who earned the opportunity to be appointed a Captain for The WSOBP 6v6 Draft had just spent your day in the owner’s poolside cabanas drafting your squads alongside some of your best friends from around the world that you don’t get to see very often. There was endless sunshine, bottomless beer buckets and frozen drinks with the little umbrella.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to have that day together as planned this year and we are not about to call your squad to its tables for your first 6v6 match-up.
While we are still uncertain as to the new dates when we will be able to host The World Series of Beer Pong, we have put together a first-of-its-kind virtual event to help hold everyone over!
BPONG.COM is proud to announce the largest virtual beer pong tournament to date!
The Quarantined: Virtual Beer Pong Championships will pay out $10,000 in prizes!
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Tournament Details:
- Dates – July 24th – 26th, 2020
- Prize Pool – $10,000
- Paid Prize Spots – 48
- Registration Fee – $150 per player
- Registration Cap – 100 Players
- Registration Deadline – July 17th, 2020 8:00pm CST
- Rules – Official WSOBP
- Rules Link – https://bpong.com/wsobp/official-rules-of-the-world-series-of-beer-pong/
- Equipment requirements: BPONG table, BPONG (white) cups and racks. (Approved table of same dimensions is ok.)
- Organizer Incentives – (See Below)
- Set up and Connection requirements: (See Below)
- Minimum Tournament Games – 8 per player
- Maximum Tournament Games – 16 per player
- Format: X-Factor (Doubles)
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X-Factor Explained:
X-Factor is a format that not only balances the playing field but also isolates the player who is making the biggest impact on games. Making the biggest impact does not always equate to who is putting the ball in the cup the most. X-Factor rewards the player who finds a way to win regardless of who they are playing with or against!
For this specific tournament, pods of 5 are formed throughout 4-rounds of competition. All players will participate in Round 1 and Round 2. (8 guaranteed games)
In every round, players will play 4 games. Players will rotate teammates and play one game with each player in their pod. Players will play against each player in their pod twice. Game records (W/L/CD) are kept individually. After all games are completed, the player in each pod with the best overall record and cup differential is considered the “X-Factor” and the winner of the pod.
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Structure & Advancement Explained:
- Round 1: (Friday, July 24th – 8:00pm PST)
The first round will consist of 20 pods.
Each pod will consist of 5 players.
Each player will play 4 games.
Pod assignments will be randomly generated.
All players will advance to Round (2) and be seeded based on their Round (1) pod standing.
All players who take 1st Place within their pod will receive $150. (20 Players)
- Round 2: (Saturday, July 25th – 8:00pm PST)
The second round will consist of 20 pods.
Each pod will consist of 5 players.
Each player will play 4 games.
Pods will be seeded based on where each player finished in their Round 1 pod.
All 1st Place finishers will be in four 5-player pods.
All 2nd Place finishers will be in four 5-player pods.
All 3rd Place finishers will be in four 5-player pods.
All 4th Place finishers will be in four 5-player pods.
All 5th Place finishers will be in four 5-player pods.
The winners of each pod advance to Round 3.
Round (2) pod 1, 2, 3 and 4 winners receive $250. (4 Players.)
Round (2) pod 5, 6, 7 and 8 winners receive $200. (4 Players.)
Round (2) pod 1, 2, 3 and 4 second place finishers receive $50. (4 Players.)
- Round 3: (Sunday, July 26th – 6:00pm PST)
The third round will consist of 5 pods.
Each pod will consist of 5 players.
Each player will play 4 games.
4 of the 5 pods will be seeded with one winner from each tier of pods.
Meaning, a winner from each of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place pods will compose each pod.
1 of the 5 pods will be a redemption pod. It will consist of all the four second place finishers from the top tier pods. It will also include ONE second place finisher with the best overall record from the second tier of pods.
Round (3) pod winners advance and receive $350. (5 players)
Round (3) second place finishers receive $50 upon their elimination. (5 players) - Round 4: (Sunday, July 26th – 9:00pm PST)
The fourth and final round will consist of 1 pod.
The pod will consist of 5 players
Each player will play 4 games.
Pod winner receives $1,250.
Pod second place finisher receives $500.
Pod third place finisher receives $350.
Pod fourth place finisher receives $250.
Pod fifth place finisher receives $150.
Best Cumulative Individual Record/CD – $500.
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Set up and Connection Requirements:
- Must have Official BPONG table, (white) BPONG cups and BPONG racks. (A generic table of the same size and dimensions of a BPONG table is ok upon approval.)
- Entire table and playing area must be visible at all times. (Table, player and the area behind the table showing it’s clear from all people.)
- No shared connections unless your partner is playing in the same game.
- Must show all cups being empty prior to starting.
- Players must pull their own made shots.
- Players must show made shots prior to removal.
- Must join our Facebook Group – (Beer) Pong Players of the World
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Scoring:
- Each pod will enter into a Facebook Messenger group chat with an organizer.
- After each game is completed, the winners will report the score in the group chat.
- If there is a score discrepancy it must be addressed at the time the score is submitted to the group chat.
- Players will individually accumulate a Win/Loss record with a cup differential that will determine their placement within their pod.
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Tiebreakers:
- The player with the higher head-to-head win/loss/cd receives the higher placement.
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Rule Adjustments:
- Bouncing is worth 1.
- Stalling distractions are not permitted.
- All other rules should be interpreted, played and enforced as they would be during a live event.
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Organizer Incentives:
- 5 spots are available to establish organizers who might be interested in becoming more involved in this event!
- Apply to receive discounts on tournament entry to host qualifiers.
- Receive a cash bonus if the tournament sells out!
- Interested organizers should reach out to [email protected] ASAP, as this opportunity will go fast!
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Prizes: ($10,000):
- Round 1: ($3,000 Total)
- 1st Place Pod 1 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 2 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 3 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 4 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 5 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 6 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 7 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 8 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 9 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 10 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 11 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 12 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 13 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 14 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 15 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 16 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 17 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 18 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 19 – $150
- 1st Place Pod 20 – $150
- Round 2: ($2,000 Total)
- 1st Place Pod 1 – $250
- 1st Place Pod 2 – $250
- 1st Place Pod 3 – $250
- 1st Place Pod 4 – $250
- 1st Place Pod 5 – $200
- 1st Place Pod 6 – $200
- 1st Place Pod 7 – $200
- 1st Place Pod 8 – $200
- 2nd Place Pod 1 – $50
- 2nd Place Pod 2 – $50
- 2nd Place Pod 3 – $50
- 2nd Place Pod 4 – $50
- Round 3: ($2,000 Total)
- 1st Place Pod 1 – $350
- 1st Place Pod 2 – $350
- 1st Place Pod 3 – $350
- 1st Place Pod 4 – $350
- 1st Place Pod 5 – $350
- 2nd Place Pod 1 – $50
- 2nd Place Pod 2 – $50
- 2nd Place Pod 3 – $50
- 2nd Place Pod 4 – $50
- 2nd Place Pod 5 – $50
- Round 4: ($2,500 Total)
- 1st Place Pod 1 – $1,250
- 2nd Place Pod 1 – $500
- 3rd Place Pod 1 – $350
- 4th Place Pod 1 – $250
- 5th Place Pod 1 – $150
- Tournament Bonus: ($500)
- Best Cumulative Individual Record/CD – $500
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Tickets will go on sale on June 26th, 2020 at 11:00AM PST in honor of when Day 1 of The World Series of Beer Pong Main Event would have started!
More details about this tournament can be found on its event pages via BPONG.COM and social media.
Any questions about this event or anything relating to BPONG.COM or The World Series of Beer Pong can be directed to [email protected]!
– The BPONG Team
The World Series of Beer Pong® XIII Recap & Final Standings
The World Series of Beer Pong® XIII
The World Series of Beer Pong® XIII stormed through Las Vegas this past July (2018), and will be coming back for more this summer (July 2019). There were more than enough fireworks on the 4th of July, when BPONG.COM® kicked off the tournament festivities by hosting the first-ever WSOBP® Draft Tournament inside Topgolf Las Vegas!
Throughout the following days, 10s of thousands of dollars were awarded through various tournaments beyond just The WSOBP® Main Event, including: Men’s & Women’s Randoms, Men’s & Women’s East vs. West, Men’s & Women’s Singles, as well as, a Co-ed Tournament, International Tournament, House Rules Tournament, and a Main Event Consolation Tournament.
Read on to see how each event played out!
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July 4th, 2018 – 6v6 Draft Tournament
Location: Topgolf Las Vegas
6v6 Draft:
Players from around the world gathered at one of the premier sports venues in sin city. Captains were appointed by BPONG.COM® and the top players on the planet selected their squads, LIVE for the very first time in the history of The World Series of Beer Pong®.
An all-star panel of players and organizers hosted a Live Streaming Draft Show from the VIP level at Topgolf. Each selection was analyzed by some of the games brightest. Guests of the show included Captains, Drafted Players and BPONG/WSOBP Management.
The first overall pick came out of Crowley, Louisiana, in way of Seth Beglis, who was selected by Captain Steven Tremblay of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Captain TJ Rhone, of Bryans Road, Maryland, had the 8th overall pick in the draft and was able to assemble a team that he led to The WSOBP®’s first-ever 6v6 Draft Championship!
TJ’s team consisted of the following players (in drafted order):
1. Jason Mushinski – Westampton, New Jersey
2. Justin Redfield – Laurel, Maryland
3. Kurt Shores – La Plata, Maryland
4. Carlos Avila – Fishers, Indiana
5. Andressa Wainwright – Alexandria, Virginia
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July 5th, 2018 – Men’s & Women’s Randoms,
Men’s & Women’s East vs. West, International Tournament
Location: Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino – Paradise Event Center
Randoms:
A Random Tournament consists of all participants not knowing who their partner will be upon entering the tournament. Player names are all thrown into a hat and partners are generated randomly through the luck of the draw.
On the Men’s side Cody Atherton of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Cory Eggleston of Las Vegas, Nevada, topped Ethan Wald of Pahrump, Nevada, and David Feichter of Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria, for the Men’s Random Tournament Championship.
Jason Hershfield of San Jose, California, and Ross Hampton of St. Louis, Missouri, rounded out the cash spots in the Men’s bracket with a 3rd place finish.
Candi Squartsoff of Port Lions, Alaska, and Meagan Neary of Mesa, Arizona, defeated Sara Schauman of Livonia, Michigan, and Mo Weckner of St. Petersburg, Florida, to finish with an unblemished record and claim the Women’s Random Tournament Championship.
Priscilla Kusmierz of Phoenix, Arizona, and Heather Giardina of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, scooped up the rest of the cash in the Women’s bracket by securing 3rd place.
East vs. West:
The Men’s and Women’s East vs. West Tournaments place a restriction on partner pairings by limiting players to their choice of teammate based on which side of the Mississippi River they live on. Players may only team up if they live on the same side of the Mississippi River.
Greg Johnson of Federal Heights, Colorado, and Kevin Vaughn of Littleton, Colorado, fell just short of an East vs. West Title. This year, a West Coast team, consisting of David Diaz of Los Angeles, California, and Casey Costa of San Jose, California, took home the win!
Team MAVA locked up the third place finish in the Men’s Bracket.
In the Women’s East v. West Tournament the tides rolled in favor of the East Coast as Melissa Perkins of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Breanna Cordova of Aurora, Colorado, caught the short-end of the stick when they were beat in the Championship game of the Women’s East vs. West Tournament by Valerie Lasko of Bound Brook, New Jersey, and Cristal Lara of Hawthorne, New Jersey.
Candi Squartsoff of Port Lions, Alaska and Mariah O’Brien of Renton, Washington took home a 3rd place finish.
International:
With the game of beer pong booming overseas, The WSOBP® has players from all over the world. Over 20 countries participated this year in The WSOBP® XIII Main Event!
The International Tournament allows players to participate only if they live outside of the United States.
This year, Nico Bose and Marcel Hasler of Germany were victorious over defending International Tournament Champions Manual Senfter and David Feichter of Austria.
Justin Swain and Mike Frank of Canada finished 3rd.
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July 6th, 2018 – Main Event/Day 1 Prelims,
Co-Ed Tournament
Location: Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino – Paradise Event Center
Main Event/Day 1 Prelims:
The Main Event provides players with a guaranteed 12-prelim games. The preliminary play advances and seeds the teams into the Day 3 Playoff Brackets. The top 160 teams at The WSOBP® advance to the final day of Main Event competition.
On the first day of preliminary play at The WSOBP® XIII, 4 of each teams 12 prelim games are played. The following day, the remaining 8 prelim games are played for each team.
Co-Ed:
The Co-Ed Tournament at The WSOBP® is a crowd favorite. Each team must consist of one male and one female player!
Candi Squartsoff of Port Lions, Alaska, once again found herself in the money, and this time it was with Justin Spurrier of Henderson, Nevada. The pair was able to knock off another familiar face, David Diaz of San Jose, California, and his partner Charvel Redd-Shepard of Henderson, Nevada.
Cody Atherton of Lake Charles, Louisiana and Heather Mendez of Bernards, New Jersey, took the rest of the cash with their 3rd place finish.
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July 7th, 2018 – Main Event/Day 2 Prelims,
Men’s & Women’s Singles, House Rules Tournament
Location: Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino – Paradise Event Center
Main Event/Day 2 Prelims:
Day 2 of The World Series of Beer Pong® is when things really start to heat up! Teams feel the pressure of having to win games or potentially run the risk of not making the cut for the Day 3 Playoff Brackets on the final day of competition.
Here’s a look at the Top 16 squads from the preliminary rounds:
Team Name (Record)(Cup Differential)
1. Bringing the heat (12-0)(+61)
- Brewtality – Presented by OGP (12-0)(+52)
- Blitzkrieg (12-0)(+41)
- On To The Next One (12-0)(+32)
- Get Hoff My Dick (11-1)(+56)
- mASSHOLES (11-1)(+43)
- Seamless Integration – Presented by OGP (11-1)(+42)
- Sh!t Happens When You Party Naked (11-1)(+39)
- Death Around The Corner (11-1)(+37)
- Yaaaas Kween! (11-1)(+36)
- Can’t Stop Won’t Stop (11-1)(+35)
- White Girl Wasted – Presented by OGP (11-1)(+34)
- Southern Heat (11-1)(+33)
- Sent From Below (11-1)(+31)
- Ultra instinct (11-1)(+31)
- Hermes Flew Miles to Deliver (11-1)(+24)
Singles:
The Men’s and Women’s Singles Tournaments are the crown jewels of achievement among Side Event titles – It’s just you against the world! 1v1. Man vs. Man. Woman vs. Woman. There’s nobody to blame or carry you to victory besides yourself! This is where new players can really make a name for themself.
Donnie Jones of Warren, Michigan, beat Sven Anderson of Cape Coral, Florida, in the finals of the Men’s Singles Tournament to maintain a perfect 7-0 record and secure one of the toughest titles to win.
Jared Knierman of Odessa, Florida finished 3rd.
Heather Giardina of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, makes another appearance in the money by claiming her second WSOBP® Women’s Singles Title over another multi-tournament cash out player, Melissa Perkins of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Rachel Goldsmith of Stafford Township, New Jersey finished 3rd.
House Rules:
The House Rules Tournament at The WSOBP® is a tournament with common, party-like set of rules. Many new players may or may not find some of these rules a little more familiar towards how they’ve played at home or a friend’s place.
Bobbi and Jeremy Harrison won an all Washington state House Rules Tournament final, taking down Sean Ashe and Brandon Still.
Team “Just Met” finished 3rd.
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July 8th, 2018 – Main Event/Day 3 Finals,
Main Event Consolation Tournament
Location: Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino – Paradise Event Center
Main Event Consolation:
Didn’t make the cut for the Day 3 Playoffs? No sweat, we’ve got you covered! The Main Event Consolation Tournament is for all the squads that placed below 160th after the first two days of Preliminary Play!
This year, we allowed Free Entry into The Main Event Consolation Tournament and gave away the very first set of WSOBP® XIV Bids for next year’s Main Event.
Jeffrey Griffiths of Kent, Washington, and Shawn Edge of Marysville, Washington, are the first to stamp their ticket into The World Series of Beer Pong® XIV after defeating Victor Cardenas of Phoenix, Arizona, and Maverick Langdon of Renton, Washington.
Anissa Garcia of Robstown, Texas, and Megan Morris of Jacksboro, Texas, finished 3rd.
Main Event/Day 3 Finals:
This is it!! The moment you’ve all been waiting for! It’s do or die, win or go home! All the money is on the table. Legacies are at stake and World Champions are to be made! The top 160 teams from the first two days of competition battle it out to see who will become the next World Series of Beer Pong® Champions!
After grinding through bracket play, Brewtality – Presented by OGP (Ross Hampton of St. Louis and David Talamantez of Austin, Texas), with a sparkling 20-0 record, were set to square off against Troop Unchained (Brandon Clarke of Bridgewater, New Jersey, and Matt Kein of Hillsborough, New Jersey).
Ross Hampton and Brandon Clarke both already had one World Series of Beer Pong® Championship Banner in the rafters at Westgate Las Vegas. David Talamantez fell just short of his first WSOBP® World Title at The World Series of Beer Pong® X, when he was defeated on the Final Table. It was Matt Kein’s first appearance on a WSOBP® Final Table.
After special guest and famed sports announcer Bruce Buffer properly introduced all Final Table participants, the games were under way. Troop Unchained came out swinging and took game 1 of a best-of-3 series. An opportunity to finish the job was not wasted. Troop Unchained swept the final series by claiming game 2 and handed Brewtality their first two losses of The World Series of Beer Pong® XIII.
Brandon Clarke becomes just the 3rd person to win multiple WSOBP® Main Event Championships and only the 2nd player to win it with 2 different partners! Matt Kein secured his first WSOBP® Main Event Championship!
A huge congratulations goes out to Brandon Clarke and Matt Kein of Troop Unchained for taking down the most lucrative beer pong tournament on the planet – The World Series of Beer Pong®!
Here’s how the Top 8 shaped up at this year’s WSOBP®:
1. Troop Unchained (19-2)(+56)
2. Brewtality – Presented by OGP (20-1)(+68)
3. Blitzkrieg (20-2)(+66)
4. Bringing The Heat (19-3)(+70)
T-5. Can’t Stop Won’t Stop (18-3)(+50)
T-5. Tie The Dicks (17- 4)(+49)
T-7. mASSHOLES (17-3)(+48)
T-7. TNT (Tipsy Not Trashed) – Presented by OGP (16-5)(+45)
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If you’d like to participate in next year’s World Series of Beer Pong® XIV Main Event, July 3-7th, 2019, please visit (BPONG.COM/WSOBP) to register now!
Pro Tip: Take advantage of our Early Bird pricing and save BIG.
If you’ve got serious game, make sure you hit up one (or a bunch) of the hundreds of Satellite Tournaments that will take place around the world this season for your shot at winning a qualified entry into The WSOBP® XIV Main Event! Check out our events listing page to find a tournament near you! (bpong.com/tournaments-and-events)
Bruce Buffer Set to Return to Las Vegas to Crown The World Series of Beer Pong XIII Champions
Famed sports announcer and entertainer, Bruce Buffer, will be making his return to the sport of beer pong to crown the next World Series of Beer Pong Champions! Buffer will be returning to announce the teams of the Championship Match on the Final Table at the 13th Annual Tournament, which boasts the largest payouts in beer pong history with total prizes expected to approach, if not exceed, $100,000 for the Main Event and various side events. Buffer previously resided over the the beer pong mega event in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.
“We are honored to welcome Bruce back to beer pong’s biggest stage,” said Billy Gaines, Founder & CEO of BPONG.COM and The World Series of Beer Pong. “It’s a competition unlike any other in the world and deserves an announcer that can do it justice. Thousands of competitors from different walks of life, ranging from doctors to teachers to college students, will come together for four days of thrilling competition and Bruce’s distinctive voice sets the stage for the final match up like no other.”
Thousands of beer pong enthusiasts from across the globe will flock to the 13th Annual World Series of Beer Pong tournament in Las Vegas this summer. Held for the third time at the renowned Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, The World Series of Beer Pong will take place Thursday, July 5, 2018 through Sunday, July 8, 2018.
Tournament play at the 13th Annual World Series of Beer Pong follows the official WSOBP rules, but in short, the game is one of skillful hand-eye coordination. During play, two-person teams stand at opposite ends of an eight-foot-long table, where ten 16-ounce cups, filled with water, are placed in bowling pin formation. Each team takes turns tossing beer pong balls (similar to table tennis balls) at their opponent’s cup formation. If the ball goes in a cup, that cup is removed from the game. The first team to eliminate all of its opponent’s cups wins.
Players interested in participating in the 13th Annual World Series of Beer Pong can register now at BPONG.COM/WSOBP. Open registration is currently available at an Early Bird price of just $285 per person until May 15th, 2018. (Full Retail Price is $295/person.) Registration includes a minimum of 12 games of play in the tournament. All participants and spectators must be 21 years or older with a valid ID. For more information, please visit BPONG.COM/WSOBP or www.WestgateLasVegas.com.
The World Series of Beer Pong® XIII Side Event Schedule
Last year we served the players at The World Series of Beer Pong® their largest helping of side events ever, and this year we plan on filling you up even more! Having exceeded over $20,000 in Side Event prizes at WSOBP® XII, The World Series of Beer Pong® XIII Side Event prizes will look to top $40,000!
With the emergence of The Best Of the MidWest™ 6v6 Draft Tournament quickly becoming a favorite amongst players, we’ve decided to shuffle the deck a bit and implement the first ever World Series of Beer Pong® 6v6 Draft Tournament to the line-up for WSOBP® XIII.
The WSOBP® Draft Tournament registration will both open and close a bit earlier than the rest of the 2018 side events in order to establish captains. The captains will be appointed by BPONG.COM™ and selected based on the skill levels of each registered player. Recent major tournament placements will be considered, as well as bid wins and overall career achievements.
A Live Draft party will be held poolside and streamed so you can follow all the picks as they happen! If you are interested in participating in The World Series of Beer Pong® 6v6 Draft Tournament, make plans to be in Las Vegas by July 4th, 2018! And to help you out, our hotel discounts at Westgate will have you covered on dates both leading up to and following the Main Event.
Beyond the exciting new addition of the 6v6 Draft Tournament, players will also find some of the new events we implemented last year that compliment the classic events that have been around for years! Head over to BPONG.COM/WSOBP for more information on the side events for The World Series of Beer Pong® XIII.
Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat for more on all things related to The World Series of Beer Pong®!!
A World Series of Beer Pong Satellite Tournament Weekend Recap
This past weekend showed the prowess of The World Series of Beer Pong™, as more than 20 players qualified themselves for The WSOBP™ Main Event by securing a tournament victory at one of the five World Series of Beer Pong™ Satellite™ Tournaments that took place around the country!
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Northwest Beer Pong:
We’ll start our recap tour in Kirkland, Washington, at Rose Hill Hideout where Northwest Beer Pong was slated to qualify a team for The World Series of Beer Pong™ XI! Participants were randomly matched against opponents for 6 preliminary games that would be used to seed teams into a double-elimination playoff bracket.
Former World Series of Beer Pong Champion, Matt White, teamed up with Brad “Moose” Mosdell and paid tribute to Chris Cash, a close friend of Matt’s that had recently passed away, by playing under the team name: “Cash Money’s Final Hand.” It’s to no surprise that a World Champion’s tournament dedication to a fallen friend would end in victory. White and Mosdell pulled through to claim the 1st place prize of qualified entry into The World Series of Beer Pong™ XI, complete with 4-night accommodations at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. Thomas Hoistad and Chris Sherwood were beat out on the final table, after fighting their way through nearly 20 teams, but didn’t exactly go home empty handed. Chris and Thomas pocketed a quick $200 for their efforts.
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SoCal’s BidFEST:
Next, we head a bit south and pick up on a ton of action at Johnny V’s in sunny San Diego. Ocean Grown Pong filled up the entire weekend with tournaments and handed out 14 individual bids (bid = qualified entry into The WSOBP™ & Hotel accommodations) via 8 different World Series of Beer Pong™ XI Satellite Tournaments! That’s over $5000 worth of prizes that OGP gave out at The 2nd Annual SoCal WSOBP™ BidFEST!
Friday’s event consisted of a Men’s and Women’s Singles (1v1) tournament, as well as, a 2v2 double-elimination tournament. Former World Series of Beer Pong™ Women’s Singles Champion, Brandi Wrathall of Nevada, took down the ladies tournament, while Nicholas Bland of California cashed in on the Men’s side of the singles tournaments. Former World Series of Beer Pong™ Champion, Byron Findley of California, teamed up with fellow Californian, Zakary Corsi, and claimed the last seat in the winner’s circle on Friday night via a victory in the 2v2 tournament.
Saturday’s schedule had 3 different tournaments on tap that all varied in format. The first was a multi-partner tournament, meaning each player participated with a different partner in two separate brackets with the winners of each bracket meeting in a best 2-out-of-3 final series. Ryan Smith and Scott Muller, both of California, came out on top of the multi-partner tournament. The 2nd of the trio of Saturday tournaments was a Co-ed tournament. Each team had to consist of 1 male and 1 female player. Ryan Smith collected his 2nd victory of the evening, as Charlie De Hoop, also of California, stamped her ticket into The WSOBP™ Main Event. Finishing off a day full of pong was a change of pace for most, as “House Rules” were implemented into a competitive tournament. David Diaz and Justin Herman, both of California, claimed the bid, elbows and all!
Sunday kicked-off the final day of BidFEST with another multi-partner tournament and finished with a tourney where an element of surprise was thrown into the mix as players were NOT allowed to pick their own partner! Each team was paired by randomly drawing names from the participant pool to complete teams. David Diaz finished the weekend and collected multiple wins, as he and Ethan Wald finished atop the field in the multi-partner tournament. Ethan Wald also walked away with multiple wins on the weekend as he doubled-up on Sunday and won the Random Tournament alongside Mark Pimentel.
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Texas Beer Pong Tour:
Continuing to the south on our recap tour, we pull into Old School Bar and Grill in Austin, Texas, where The Texas Beer Pong Tour awarded multiple players with WSOBP™ bids and cold hard cash!
3v3 was the name of the game in Texas! During 3v3 play, each team has 3 players per side and sets up an extra 5 cups. (15 cups in total.) 3 balls are shot per-side! Roland Ortiz, Adrian Damasco, and Mando Roman filled out the roster that took home the WSOBP™ XI Bids.
Texas also got a little tricky and mixed in a Random draw tournament of their own, which rewarded Robert Williamson with his qualified entry into The WSOBP™ Main Event. His partner Rob Dix cashed in on a $300 cash prize for his share of the random draw prize, as his ticket to the big show in Vegas was written long ago. Dix also picked up an additional win with his partner James Alanis while playing for qualified entry into The Spring Classic!
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Chicago’s HOME Satellite:
Just a “few” miles to the northeast, The Chicago House of Music & Entertainment was rocking with nearly 100 players from 11 different states, who partook in a Quad-Bracket World Series of Beer Pong™ XI Satellite Tournament.
Each player was allowed 1 entry into 4 individual single elimination brackets. Each player had to play with a different partner in each of those 4 brackets. The winners of each individual bracket met in a best 2-out-of-3 semi-finals series. The winners of the semi-finals squared off in a best 2-out-of-3 final series.
Brendan Dyelle of Rochester, Michigan, picked a couple of doozy partners from St. Louis and came roaring out of 2 different brackets, placing him in both semi-final series. The first semi-finals saw Dyelle and former World Series of Beer Pong™ Champion, Ross Hampton, take down Scott Frew and Andy DeCaluwe of Illinois to advance to the finals.
Dyelle prevailed again in the second semi-final bracket with Brent Saale beating out Johnny Fourdyce of Illinois and his partner Michael “Sunshine” Kloiber of Kentucky, to advance both of his teams to the final series. Wait what? (This means, Brendan Dyelle had already won the entire tournament without even having to play in the final series.) Dyelle kicked back and watched his two partners play 1v1 to decide who’d share his first place prize with him and who’d take a share of 2nd. Ross Hampton trumped Brent Saale 2-0 in the final series to claim his share of 1st place.
Dyelle took home a bid to The WSOBP™ and $375 cash. Hampton banked his 2nd bid of the season and $250 in cash. Saale walked away with $125 for his efforts.
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Michigan Satellite:
Last but not least, we make one more stop and travel even further north to Bay Lanes Bowling and Banquet Center in Bay City, Michigan, where Boozin’ Bob decided 3 days before the big weekend that he wanted to be apart of all the fun!
It’s risky business putting so much up for grabs with such little time for players to secure partners and make plans to play but Boozin’ Bob made it happen! He saw an opportunity with some of the best players in the state making the trip down to Chicago to open up the field for non-bid winners to finally scratch their names into the reservation book at The WSOBP™ for the first time, and he capitalized on that opportunity.
The format varied from all the others over the weekend. It was a double-bracket tournament; however, players were only allowed to pick their partners for one of them. The other side of the bracket was random draw. Brandon Juracek, better known as “Homeless” and his partner Clarence Johnson chalked up the Satellite Tournament win.
Being Johnson’s first bid win, he provided us with a quote where he unknowingly described a feeling he’ll now get around the same time every year, for the rest of his life…
“I’m hyped about Vegas! Not even gonna lie!”
Me too, Clarence. Me too.
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On behalf of BPONG™ and The World Series of Beer Pong™, we’d like to thank all the organizers who put so much time and effort into making these awesome tournaments happen! We’d also like to thank all the players who came out to play this past weekend!
If you’d like more information about The World Series of Beer Pong™, how YOU could potentially run a Satellite™ Tournament or anything BPONG™ related, please feel free to reach out to [email protected].
The Top Ten Reasons The World Series of Beer Pong XI is Your Can’t-Miss Event This Year
Ah, beer pong. The ubiquitous party game turned competitive sport. Complete with big-time payouts to its biggest stars! (Like $50,000 big!) Just like poker, baseball, or any other American institution, it has its own national event, The World Series of Beer Pong (The WSOBP). Whether you’ve seen it on The Jay Leno Show, ESPN or read about it in Maxim, The WSOBP is getting bigger, badder, and more exciting each year. This year, The World Series of Beer Pong has ditched the New Year’s party for some fun in the sun and will be held in the summer (July 6th-10th, 2016) for the first time ever! With July fast approaching, we’re counting down the top ten reasons to head to Vegas this July and get your balls wet at this can’t miss event!
10. Vegas
Sin City needs no introduction. With its limitless menu of strippers, call girls, all-night clubs, celebrity sightings, and general lack of standards; Vegas is not just a city, it’s an alternate reality in which the laws of the everyday world seemingly do not apply. It’s the reason why it’s completely plausible that “The Hangover” was based on a true story. It couldn’t be truer that you’ve never really partied until you’ve partied in Vegas – and things really heat up in the Summer time. What better way to party in Vegas than to party in Vegas at The World Series of Beer Pong!
9. The Costumes
From barely-dressed women and cross-dressing men to bearded banditos and full-body-spandex, in ten years The WSOBP has seen its share of costumes (as well as improvisation and performance art). Nothing says, “miss this shot” quite like something obscene lingering in your field of vision, and in the game of beer pong, this fact is well known, and indeed celebrated. Each year, the bar is raised (lowered?), and the legend continues.
8. The Sponsors
Nothing says “take out your wallet” quite like a scantily-clad, cup-hungry damsel and the businesses that sponsor The WSOBP are well aware of that fact. Suit ‘em up & send ‘em out! Or don’t suit em up, whatever works. Each year, the sponsor babes crank it up a notch and give us some eye candy we’ll never forget. We love you, ladies. Don’t dismiss all the other awesome sponsors that don’t involve boobs and always make sure to take care of all the players! From free hangover pills and party supplies to innovative new games and products that just hit the market, The World Series of Beer Pong has it all!
7. The Side Events
Even if you get eliminated from the Main Event, it doesn’t mean you have to pack your bags and go home. You can play in one of the many side events taking place alongside the Main Event and you’ll be right back in the game. Don’t have the cash to pony up for Main Event entry? No worries, there will be thousands in prize money up for grabs, and the damage to your wallet for registration is miniscule. Rumor has it that the Singles tournament is upping the stakes this year…
6. The Playing Field (A REAL World Series of Beer Pong!)
Ever seen Beerfest? Yeah, it’s kinda like that. Oh, except it’s in real life, so unless you fly intercontinental on a regular basis, you’re probably never going to play a Japanese team, an Irish team, or an Austrian team. However, at The WSOBP it’s par for the course. The World Series of Beer Pong is VERY LITERALLY A REAL WORLD SERIES! With tournaments like the European, Swiss, Australian and various other “Series of Beer Pong” tournaments sprouting up around the globe (that all have a Grand Prize of qualified entry into The WSOBP Main Event), there’s no telling where your next opponents may hail from, but there’s no doubt that the competition will be tough!
Even better than the number of people you’ll meet from places you might not have even known existed, is the friendships & relationships that are formed and last a lifetime! There’s no better feeling than spinning a globe and having a high likelihood that you’ll have a friend that is more than willing to let you crash on their couch, no matter where your finger lands. As the years pass, you’ll find yourself giddy for The WSOBP just to see all your friends from distant places! Some of our veteran players may argue that this could easily be number 1 on this list!
5. The Pros
Like the best of the best in any sport, many of beer pong’s greats need no introduction and are known by only one moniker – Ron, Pop, Kessler, Marx…
A wise man once said truth is stranger than fiction, and this has never been truer than in the world of professional beer pong. Case in point: Ron Hamilton. A combination of Barry Bonds, Dennis Rodman, and a charging rhinoceros all rolled into one, Ron’s nerve-rattling antics, insane hair, and legendary appetite for Cinnamon Life cereal are second only to his unquenchable thirst for cups and unsettling tendency to spam every last person on his Facebook friend list (we’re serious—don’t friend him). But with Smashing Time having unprecedented back-to-back WSOBP victories, he and his partner Mike Popielarski stand-alone in the world of beer pong.
However, the line of true characters you’ll see at The World Series of Beer Pong from the planets most accomplished pongers is not one lacking in numbers. Unlike all other professional sports; player trash talking and personalities are not only celebrated within our sport but are strategic components of the game’s top players to secure victories over other elite opponents. If you watch and listen closely, you’ll develop an appreciation for each stars unique craft.
4. The Experience
An estimated five hundred teams will be at The WSOBP this year. We’ll say that again: 500 TEAMS! They will come from almost every US State, and many will fly in from other continents. You may be the best at your local bar or fraternity, but until you’ve been to Vegas, you’re just playing in the sandlot. The WSOBP is the only place to come see where you really stand in the land of competitive beer pong. The way you look at the game will never be the same!
3. The Money
There’s not much to sell here. We pay you money to be good at beer pong. Not just a couple bucks either. The 1st place prize at The World Series of Beer Pong Main Event is $50,000!! We’ve paid out over $500,000 to our Main Event players, even more if you count our side events and millions if you count all our affiliate & satellite tournaments throughout the years! So next time someone gives you grief for playing and asks you where beer pong is going to get you in life, make sure you check them hard on the spot!
2. The Environment
Let’s face it, you likely won’t get a chance to hit a home run at Wrigley Field or make a game winning basket at Madison Square Garden, but you stand a good chance of sinking a clutch shot at The World Series of Beer Pong! Feeling the adrenaline rush of a professional athlete during performance is so much greater than any buzz a beer could possibly give you. It’s impossible to ignore the endorphins rushing through your veins from the second you step foot in the ballroom. You feel the bass from the music flutter your heartbeat. You hear the chatter of a huge crowd. You see thousands of people and hundreds of tables set up. There is anxiousness, tension and excitement lingering in the air. YOU are in the SAME FIELD as the BEST players in the WORLD and the fact of the matter is that everyone starts square. Even. 0-0. Equal opportunity. YOU are just 12 prelim games away from being considered one of those players. YOU are 3 days away from walking away with $50,000 and a legitimate World Championship to call your own!
1. Potential Immortality
“If you win The World Series of Beer Pong, they can never take that away from you.”
We’re not sure exactly what shadowy, underground cabal The Iceman was referring to when he spoke of “they,” but you get the idea. After three full days of game play and 499+ defeated teams, there can be only one champion. These men’s names and stories will be written on the walls of history that will eventually become tailed legends. Through skill, perseverance, and dedication, the team that is destined to take it all will forever be immortalized as a true World Champion. Will you be the next to make history??
5th Annual West Coast Championships Recap
This past weekend hundreds of players from 13 states flocked to sunny San Diego, California, to compete in the 5th Annual West Coast Championships!
With a tremendously deep field, filled with some of the country’s best talent, it was known well ahead of time just how competitive this event would be. Throughout the various tournaments the brackets produced winners via many familiar faces; however, an upset or two nobody saw coming would rock the final table of the Main Event.
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$3,000 Kick-off Tournament:
The Friday night $3,000 Kick-off Tournament started the West Coast Championships with a bang! Arguably the best two players in the world (Ross Hampton (STL) & Brandon Marx (AZ)) came roaring out of the first-bracket of the double-bracket tournament to claim the first seat in the $3k Finals. Bracket two saw an upset in itself, as up-and-coming Florida ponger, Sven Anderson, and veteran ponger, Dante Yell, needed two straight wins against Brandon Marx and Brent Saale of St. Louis. They picked up the two W’s to secure their finals ticket. However, Marx and Hampton proved to be too much for Anderson/Yell, as the duo added to their impressive career earning totals.
Here is how the paid field stacked up for the $3k Kick-off Tournament:
1st – Brandon Marx & Ross Hampton ($1500)
2nd – Sven Anderson & Dante Yell ($750)
3rd – Brent Saale & Brandon Marx ($500)
4th – Ryan Smith & Rickey Shepard ($250)
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$2,000 Co-Ed Tournament:
The ladies got in on the action and their hands on some cash, as $2000 was handed out to the top 3 teams in the $2,000 Co-Ed event at WCC. Brent Saale cashed out once again, this time, atop the field as he and Lauren Braley toppled Mark Pimentel and Roxanne Hudson.
Ryan Smith and Brandi Wrathall reeled in a 3rd place finish to round out the cash winners. Smith had actually cashed out in the $3K with a 4th place finish as well. His stellar play in each event would foreshadow his eventual Main Event success.
1st – Brent Saale & Lauren Braley
2nd – Mark Pimentel & Roxanne Hudson
3rd – Ryan Smith and Brandi Wrathall
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Consolation Bracket:
Before we reveal the Main Event winners, we’ll dig into the consolation bracket a little bit. This was a bracket offered to all the teams who were eliminated and placed anywhere from 33rd to 72nd. A consolation bracket is a breath of fresh air for the teams who get a 2nd chance after potentially having an off game or having an unfavorable schedule. Former WSOBP Champion, Byron Findley came out atop the consolation bracket with his partner Hoss Kural and $500 in cash.
Here is how the consolation bracket stacked up:
1st – Byron Findley & Hoss Kural ($500)
2nd – Marcus Julien & Taylor Brunken ($300)
3rd – Ryan Perrine & Cody Jones ($100)
4th – Zak Corsi & Matt Stinson ($100)
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Main Event:
The Main Event Finals saw one team that is no stranger to playing in the last game of an event. The duo has won many of those games and has fallen few. Though, one came on the biggest final table of them all at the World Series of Beer Pong IX, this squad is a heavy favorite to win any event they compete in.
Blitzkrieg – Kevin Kessler (NJ) & Brandon Marx (AZ)
VS.
Ya Lawst – Ryan Smith (CA) & Justin Spurrier (NV)
This team received some notoriety pre-event as they were picked to finish in the top 10. However, this team was still a heavy underdog heading into the final series. Ryan Smith, a relatively new player in the pro circuit stepped up to the challenge, as did Justin Spurrier. Spurrier, a veteran player out of Las Vegas, may finally get the national recognition he has long deserved after his role in slaying Blitzkrieg to take home the West Coast Championship’s Main Event!
Here is how the Main Event cashed out:
1st – Ya Lawst: Ryan Smith (CA) & Justin Spurrier (NV) – $10,000
2nd – Blitzkrieg: Kevin Kessler (NJ) & Brandon Marx (AZ) – $4,000
3rd place – Reign of Terror: Ross Hampton (STL) & Brent Saale (STL) – $1,750
The 4th place team also pulled in $1,750 and 5th & 6th place earned $750 per team.
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We here at BPONG want to send out our congratulations to all the players who placed this weekend and tip our hats to the gentlemen at OGP, NORCAL BP and Pongstars for putting on yet another great pong event!
Next stop, Atlantic City!
Stay tuned for updates, articles and important information about the $40,000 East Coast Beer Pong Championships going down January 28th – 31st, 2015 at Resorts Casino & Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey!!
For more information about the West Coast Championships, East Coast Beer Pong Championships, The World Series of Beer Pong or any of our/our affiliated events, please reach out to us at [email protected]!
OGP’s WSOBP XI Satellite Tournament Recap & Upcoming Action
This past Saturday, Ocean Grown Pong played host to the 11th WSOBP XI Satellite Tournament thus far, which qualifies players to participate in the annual World Series of Beer Pong tournament, presented by BPONG.COM. There are currently 12 more Satellite Tournaments scheduled across the globe that have yet to be dictated; October being hot, as 9 of those 12 events will be played during this month.
Though many more Satellite Tournaments will sprout up between now and July of 2016, we can officially consider ourselves coming into the heart of Satellite Season.
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For those of you new to the scene, here is a quick rundown of just exactly what a Satellite Tournament is:
Typical WSOBP XI Satellite Tournament entry fees per player usually hover between $20 and $30 per bracket. Most tournaments run with a BPONG affiliation have converted over to a “double-bracket” format. Double-bracket tournaments consist of what are essentially two entirely different tournaments that typically require 2 losses before elimination. Once each bracket is played through in its entirety, the winners of each bracket meet in a Championship Series that dictates who takes home the prizes!
(A “Bid” = World Series of Beer Pong XI qualified entry and a 4-night complimentary stay at the host venue, The Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.)
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The Hideaway Café in Riverside, CA, had a FULL house on September 26th, 2016 that saw a couple familiar faces take home their first bid win of the season.
Coming out of the first WSOBP XI Satellite Tournament bracket was Mark Pimentel, who you may recognize from some of our recent blog articles. Mark has been an absolute monster recently (as if he hasn’t always been) and has taken home some big time wins. His partner in the first bracket was none other than Ocean Grown Pong’s very own, Ryan De Hoop. Many may not realize just how difficult it is to run an event and keep your hand hot enough to shoot your way to a win.
The second bracket was of “random” variety, meaning that partners were selected completely randomly. The reason for implementing a “random” format into one of the brackets is to keep the best players in the game from consistently forming teams together. The “random” factor generally helps spread out the talent and introduce new players to the veterans of the game. However, the random format is not flawless and sometimes great players end up with an even better random draw.
Mark Pimentel found himself with an early victory as he and his random partner, Zak Corsi fought their way through the second bracket.
Tricky situation, I know. Here’s how it works.
Mark won both brackets with two different partners, which means, Mark already won the tournament and gets to sit out while he watches his two partners play a best-of-3 singles series to see who gets the other bid.
Corsi took game 1 of the best-of-3 series and put De Hoop against the wall right out of the gate. However, De Hoop battled back to take the next two straight games and secure his World Series of Beer Pong XI Satellite Tournament Championship!
Mark Pimentel and Ryan De Hoop will both receive a qualified entry into The WSOBP XI Main Event and a 4-night complimentary stay at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino from July 6th – 10th, 2016.
Mark also finished 1st and 2nd in the two side events that were hosted at Hideaway; One being a singles event, of which he finished second behind Lake Forest, CA, Ponger, Ryan Smith; The other side event being a Co-ed tournament, where Mark and his first lady, San Diego Ponger, Jessi Links, brought home the win.
You can catch Ocean Grown Pong and yet another WSOBP XI Satellite Tournament at the very same spot, The Hideaway Café in Riverside, CA, on October 24th, 2015. Whether you just missed the win on the 26th or just want to stop by to check out the action for the first time, it’s sure to be a great tournament!
Can’t make October 24th? No problem, OGP has you covered as they have a Satellite Tournament scheduled for November 5th, 2015 at Johnny V’s in San Diego, California. This particular Satellite event will precede the West Coast’s biggest event of the year, The 5th Annual West Coast Championships (WCC)!
The WCC event is co-hosted by Ocean Grown Pong, as well as, our friends over at Nor Cal Beer Pong and Pongstars.net!
You can find all the registration information for the West Coast Classic on the Official WCC event page here:
(https://www.facebook.com/events/1401263893346654/)
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For all other information on The World Series of Beer Pong XI Satellite Tournaments taking place around the globe, you can visit bpong.com to find out where all the action is going down, as more events are continuously added!
Whether you are near Michigan, Texas, California, Minnesota or even Switzerland, we got you covered for your opportunity to win your way in and compete in the end all, be all, of beer pong tournaments, THE WORLD SERIES OF BEER PONG!
Check out all the Satellite Tournament listings and dates here: https://bpong.com/wsobp-xi-satellite-tournaments/
Didn’t find what you are looking for? Drop us a line at [email protected] about anything beer pong related!
The Best of the Midwest VI Event Recap
Just over a week ago (September 11th through the 13th), Chicago House of Music & Entertainment played host to The Best of the Midwest VI (BOMW); an event featuring four beer pong tournaments and had projected to pay out over $10,000 in cash and prizes.
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Friday, September 11th, 2015
The hype was real and the 6v6 event started with a bang two weeks before anyone had even stepped foot inside the HOME Theater just outside of Chicago, Illinois.
Teams were picked via a live player draft. 22 Captains were assigned, primarily being players from the top 4 placing teams at BOMW V. Those 22 Captains were designated a draft position determined by each player’s registration time. The first 11 Captains to register selected a Co-Captain from the last 11 Captains to register. Then, each pair of Captains selected the rest of their 6 man rosters from a pool of draft eligible beer pong players.
The first Captain selected was Mike Welsh by his New Jersey Nightmare teammate, Tim Williams. Ray Rivera of the Wisconsin Clown Coalition and Scott Frew of Illinois Insanity were the first Captains to select from the players pool. The number 1 overall pick came out of Michigan via Brandon Juracek. Juracek was a new roster addition this year to last year’s BOMW V 2nd place Michigan Mayhem squad.
The 6v6 tournament featured a primary bracket and a consolation bracket that teams who were eliminated from the primary bracket were given an option to buy back into.
Captains Andy DeCaluwe of Illinois Insanity and Kyle Eller of the Wisconsin Clown Coalition dropped their first match-up against the Nightmare lead squad; however, they were able to fight their way back to the final series of the primary bracket to avenge their earlier loss by picking up back-to-back wins and securing their spot in the 6v6 Championship Series.
Captains Brent Saale of STL’s Finest and Donnie Jones of Michigan Mayhem fell just short in the primary bracket. They took both of their losses to the DeCaluwe/Eller squad. The consolation bracket told a different story for the Saale/Jones duo squad as they blistered through the bracket and set themselves up to once again square off with the DeCaluwe/Eller lead team.
DeCaluwe/Eller proved to be too much for the Saale/Jones squad, as they wrapped up the largest portion of a prize pool exceeding $3,000 with the Championship Series win.
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Saturday, September 12th, 2015
The Singles Tournament kicked-off day two and the thunder started early with a couple of huge match ups dictating the pace of each bracket.
The previously mentioned Scott Frew of Illinois Insanity and Brent Saale of STL found themselves face-to-face (-to-face) in the very first round of the tournament; those two players perhaps being amongst favorites to win the singles crown going into the event.
See who won here: (Compliments of Jon Marczak – Michigan LOL)
(https://www.facebook.com/jon.marczak/videos/10100389298301952/)
Spoiler Alert – It was Frew. Frew won everything from game 1 on and not through any fluff. Scott won games against Kurt Heizmann, Nick Trupiano, and Donnie Jones, all players on the top two squads from BOMW V. He also beat the 1st round 9th overall pick from the 6v6 draft tournament, Paul Dausman, of the Indiana Dream Team and the 1st overall pick selected (including Captains), Mike Welsh, of the New Jersey Nightmare.
Frew eventually found himself in the king seed, front and center on stage at the HOME theater, with 10 crisp new blue bennies staring back at him from the center of the table; standing between him and those Franks, his opponent, Eric Lewis of Michigan Mayhem. Eric perhaps is one of the best players in the country that is still relatively unknown. He utilizes his length with a shot only players possessing incredible balance could perform well with. Mean lean or not, Scott Frew was still too much as he took home the Best of the Midwest VI Singles Championship.
As 7pm rolled around, the buzz came to a head as the preliminary rounds of the 10v10 Best of the Midwest Main Event started.
Going into play the favorites were the defending champions and their counterparts in last year BOMW V Finals at The Willis (Sears) Tower, Illinois Insanity and Michigan Mayhem.
Although neither team proved to be dominant in preliminary play, Michigan Mayhem settled comfortably into the 2nd seed being edged out of the top seed by a young New Jersey Nightmare squad. Another young team, a fresh STL’s Finest line-up showed up to play, rounding out the top 3. Michigan LOL edged out Insanity by a single cup for the 4th slot, dropping Illinois to a mediocre 5th seed.
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Sunday, September 13th, 2015
The stage was set for the ultimate finals and it was waiting for 2 teams to seize the opportunity to play under the lights. The two teams surviving the playoff bracket would square off and play 1 game at a time in a best 6 of 11 series on center stage inside the HOME Theater!
Perhaps what seemingly was the only upset of the first round was the young STL team toppling what looked to be a contending Wisconsin squad filled with veteran players. (Though STL was the 3 seed and Wisconsin was 6, their preliminary records only differed by a game.)
After getting passed Michigan LOL, the reigning champs (Illinois Insanity) lined up against the New Jersey Nightmare and took their first series loss of the playoff bracket. STL stepped up big and threw a right hand at the other giant to drop Michigan Mayhem.
The aforementioned upset of a sleeper Wisconsin team didn’t go quietly as they eliminated both Illinois Insanity and Michigan Mayhem before getting stopped by New Jersey Nightmare, pending a Best of the Midwest VI Main Event Championship Series against STL’s Finest.
The two rosters were filled with new faces, most eager for their first big time tournament within the professional beer pong world. Below is how each team stacked up for this year’s Best of the Midwest Finals:
New Jersey Nightmare:
Connor Martin
Brian Simpson
Matt Kein
Brandon Clarke
Tim Williams
Brendan Scalley
Sephy Pesabene
Mike Paollili
Greg Fehl
Mike Welsh
STL’s Finest:
Brent Saale
Hoot Kohenskey
Evan Brown
Travis Terrell
James Byers
Wayne Sickmier
Ethan Steube
Robert Suarez
Sean Jones
Faxon Townsend
St. Louis came out swinging looking for an early knockout in the best 6 of 11 series as they jumped out to a huge 5-1 series lead. The Finals seemed to be all but wrapped up as that’s nearly as insurmountable as a lead one can get, however, New Jersey picked themselves up off the floor and kept fighting.
Little by little New Jersey chipped away until they eventually pulled themselves even and forced an 11th and decisive game. Although nearly the entire crowd seemed to be behind the St. Louis team, (as I’d assume the majority of the Midwest players would prefer the Gilkison Cup to reside within the Midwest), New Jersey eventually prevailed and pulled off the near impossible by coming all the way back from a 5-1 deficit to claim The Best of the Midwest VI Championship!
After being presented with The Gilkison Cup, the New Jersey Nightmare team decided to donate their individual Cup tours in order to house the cup in the home of the Gilkison family, after their plate is added, until The Best of the Midwest VII.
The WSOBP XI Satellite Tournament finals saw a match-up between the titan combo of Johnny Fourdyce and Eric Lewis vs. 6v6 Champion Kyle Eller and Michigan LOL shooter Tyler Spencer. Tyler set out to broaden his name and found an opportunity to bring down two of the best in the building in the finals of what’s undoubtedly the toughest Satellite of the year within in the Midwest. He fell just short but garnished respect, as Fourdyce and Lewis picked up the bid wins to conclude all tournaments at the Best of the Midwest VI.
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A special thanks to WGN 9 for stopping by to shoot with us on Friday (9/11/15) and FOX 32 for dropping by Sunday (9/13/15) for Bears Postgame Live from HOME Bar Chicago!
A special thanks to DJ Joe Green for once again holding down the Best of the Midwest for 3 straight days, as well as, a special thanks to Tommie King for doing a set for us on Friday night!
A very special thank you to all the organizers and players who came out to this tournament. You all host and play in tournaments, year around. Without you, every organizer and every player, this tournament can’t happen. You all are what make this event so great!
For pictures of this year’s Best of the Midwest event check out our photo album on the BPONG Facebook page! For more information on next year’s Best of the Midwest event, The World Series of Beer Pong XI or anything beer pong related, drop us a line at [email protected].
The Best of the Midwest VI Preview
The clock is ticking quicker as September 11th approaches and the most anticipated tournament in the Midwest kicks-off at The Chicago House of Music & Entertainment on Friday night!
(www.homebarchicago.com)
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Friday night’s tournament will showcase a change from the typical Best of the Midwest lineup. A 6v6 formatted tournament will replace the familiar Friday night (2v2) $2.5K tournament. A variation in how squads are generally formed for larger teams will put a bit of a twist into game play.
A number of Captains have been (primarily) appointed from the top 4 placing teams in last year’s BOMW V Main Event. These Captains will participate in the first-ever BOMW player draft. Each team generated through the draft will need to feature players from 3 different states. (The draft will take place on Sunday, September 6th, 2015.)
While the 10v10 Main Event features restrictions limiting player team designation based on geographic affiliations, the 6v6 draft tournament aims to develop player relationships outside of a player’s primary location. By having numerous players from various states on one team it allows players to build potential partner relationships with players outside of their area by familiarizing themselves with one another; not only on a personal level but by also experiencing game play on a high level together.
The draft leads players who are arguably the best players at this event to become students of the game. If they want to win the tournament, they’ll need to draft the best team possible. In order to do that, they’ll need to be familiar with every player’s game in the draft pool.
Friday night’s entertainment will also feature live sounds from Las Vegas DJ Joe Green, who is also The Official World Series of Beer Pong DJ. Tommie King, of RFMG ENT., will also be featured live later in the evening.
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Saturday’s festivities will start at 1:00pm with a singles tournament. It’s you vs. the world and it’s only ten bucks to play! Want to play just to have some fun and not destroy your wallet? This might be the tournament you’re looking for.
After the singles tournament wraps up, the show we all have been waiting for will begin.
Roughly around 7:00pm, The Best of the Midwest (10v10) Main Event will commence. Saturday’s preliminary play will determine each team’s fate within the following day’s double-elimination playoff bracket.
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Sunday, September 13th, will be the day a new or reigning champion will be crowned as the victors of The Best of the Midwest VI.
The (10v10) Main Event playoff bracket will begin at 1:00pm. Players and teams from across the country will battle it out on 5 tables at a time with 5 (2v2) games taking place simultaneously on those tables, advancing the squad who takes at least 3 out of those 5 games.
The defending champion Illinois Insanity squad, deep in experience, will bring back almost every player from last year’s championship team. The Insanity will try to get half way to STLs Finest record 4-straight Best of the Midwest championships, with their second straight title.
Players hailing from Michigan will be coming in strong numbers, (thanks to our associate organizations BPA and MAC Pong), as they will enter at least 3-teams into this year’s main event. One such team, Michigan Mayhem, who will return the majority of their team from last year’s 2nd place roster, is determined to better their runner-up efforts from last year’s BOMW V Main Event.
The winner of this year’s Best of the Midwest VI Main Event will not only receive a huge chunk of the thousands in cash that will be given away over the weekend, but they will also be the first team in BOMW history to be presented with the newly appointed Best of the Midwest grand prize, “The Gilkison Cup.”
The symbolism the cup holds ensures the legacy of the late, great beer pong player, Zach Gilkison, is carried on. The perpetual plates will etch each year’s champion into BOMW history and the cup itself will forever represent a piece of what Zach really meant to the beer pong community.
After the fire settles and a Main Event champion is crowned, the attention shifts to The World Series of Beer Pong XI (WSOBP XI), as BOMW VI will conclude with a World Series of Beer Pong XI Satellite Tournament.
This event will qualify two friends to participate in The WSOBP XI at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino from July 6th – 10th, 2016. Their entry into the WSOBP XI tournament will also include a 4-night stay at the host venue!
While registration is closed for BOMW VI’s Main Event, 6v6 and Singles tournaments, you can still register to participate in The WSOBP XI Satellite Tournament until September 11th!
Register now: (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-best-of-the-midwest-vi-bomw-vi-registration-9875068596)
Can’t make it to The Best of the Midwest this year and want to keep up to speed on how things are shaping up? Add us on Snapchat: “OfficialBPONG” and catch all the action live!
For more information on The World Series of Beer Pong XI, head over to BPONG.COM. Not finding what you are looking for? Drop us a line at [email protected]!
Marx on a Mission. (A Recap of the Domination at the Utah $5k and Seattle $5k)
The first two weekends out west in August had two $5K pong tournaments on the schedule. The first was hosted by SLC Pong and was played at Sandy Station in Sandy, Utah. The second was hosted the following weekend by NWBP at Aston Manor in Seattle, Washington.
Rewind to a few days prior when OGP came out with their player ballot rankings.
(https://bpong.com/2015/07/ocean-grown-pong-wants-to-know-your-top-15-players/)
The most recent results of the polls did not sit too well with Arizona ponger and founder of Pongstars (Pongstars.net), Brandon Marx.
St. Louis ponger, Ross Hampton, was slated atop the list and was seemingly settling into a comfortable lead for that top spot. It’s hard to argue against someone whose resume is as accomplished as his with multiple major/mid-major victories and countless bid wins to his name.
However, Marx set out to these tournaments with the intentions of turning that potential argument into a difficult one.
His first stop was Sandy Station at the SLC $5k in Utah where he dominated the competition. Marx finished 1st and 3rd in the Kickoff tournament on Friday night, winning it with Utah ponger, Cody Castle, against a pair of Las Vegas players, Justin Spurrier and James Tripp. California ponger Mark Pimentel picked up the 3rd place nod with Marx.
This wouldn’t be the last check “Marky Marx” cashed that weekend as the duo took down the Main Event in the following days. Marx and Pimentel went head to head with Minnesota (Wisconsin) ponger Kyle Eller and another California ponger Josh Schwent to pick up the victory.
All familiar names would round out the top 3 spots of the singles tournament on Saturday night, as Justin Spurrier came out on top with Kyle Eller and Mark Pimentel hot on his heels.
Coming off multiple wins in Utah and seeing another $5k tournament in Seattle as an opportunity to carry on towards his mission of proving he’s the best in the game right now, Marx boarded a plane to Washington.
Since his decision to play was last minute, Marx needed a World Series of Beer Pong XI Satellite Tournament partner when he arrived and picked up a rookie Seattle ponger, Michael Williams.
A Satellite Bid win here would seemingly be a difficult one as Ross Hampton had paired up with Marx’s Main Event partner for the Satellite tournament, former WSOBP singles champion, Brad Mosdell.
The two teams met in the finals and had already seen each other early on in the bracket. Hampton/Mosdell needed to win 2 games against Marx/Williams to take home the bids. Both teams shot lights out through multiple OT’s but Marx/Williams prevailed, qualifying themselves for next summer’s World Series of Beer Pong XI Main Event in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Westgate Resort & Casino.
The singles tournament was next on the schedule and it told more of the same story. Ross and Marx were squaring off in the finals for the 2nd time. The series was nothing short of expectations as both players shot phenomenally. However, Marx once again came out on top.
The Main Event of the weekend had reunited a pair of players who once hoisted the WSOBP $50,000 Grand Prize check together. (Something Marx has yet to have the pleasure of doing.) Former St. Louis native Matt White had recently relocated to Seattle, leaving little opportunity for him and his former battery mate Ross Hampton to Seek n’ Destroy as many tournaments as they use to. The two took the top-seed in preliminary play.
The duo made a run through the playoff bracket and got to the finals to once again create a Hampton/Marx championship. Marx, now teamed up with Canadian ponger Brad Mosdell, was looking to sweep the entire event with a victory. Having only missed a handful of shots in 2 games as a team, North meets South (Marx/Mosdell) secured the Seattle $5k Main Event.
Seemingly, Marx’s mission was complete. He was overtaken in the player voting polls by who is widely considered the best player on the planet (Ross Hampton) and set out to prove he is the better player. He couldn’t have asked for any more opportunities to prove it, as they met on the final table of every tournament over the weekend and he capitalized – winning all of them!
Congratulations to all the pongers who shot well enough in either of these events to take home some cash!
SLC Pong’s $5000 Summer Beer Pong Championship Preview
Friday, July 31st, 2015 will kick off SLC Pong’s $5000 Summer Beer Pong Championship at Sandy Station nightclub and event center in Sandy, Utah!
2v2 Kick-off Tournament:
The 2v2 Kick-off tournament will start the festivities at 7:00pm on Friday night. The tournament will feature a double-bracket, double-elimination format. In other words, you can enter into two separate brackets with two different partners. Each bracket will advance a winner into the championship series. The outcome of that series will dictate who takes home the win.
Main Event:
Saturday, August 1st will open registration/check-in at 11:00am. If you have pre-registered for the event, which can be done here, you must check-in by 12:15pm. If you have yet to register for the tournament, you may walk in the day of the tournament and register to participate up until 12:30pm.
Preliminary play will start at 1:00pm and teams will complete between 6 and 8 games that will seed them in the playoff bracket of the Main Event the following day.
Sunday, August 2nd will host the top 32 teams from preliminary play based on teams overall record and cup differential (how many cumulative cups you won/lost by). The final 32 teams will be split into two 16 team brackets. Each bracket will advance a winner to the SLC Pong $5000 Summer Beer Pong Main Event Championship! Those two teams will play a best-of-3 series to crown a champion!
First place will take home a cool $2925 for their efforts. Second and third place won’t be left totally disappointed, as those teams will be compensated $1350 and $425 respectively. On top of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes, the best overall record, the best cup differential, the highest seeded ladies team, as well as the highest seeded co-ed team during preliminary play will also be rewarded with $75 each for their finishes!
Coors Light and Rockstar energy will be sponsoring the event and contributing to the prize pool, marketing efforts and making sure SLC’s players get to play on some slick tables this year!
Check back with the BPONG blog next week for a recap of the all the action that goes down in Sandy, Utah this weekend!
For more information about SLC’s $5000 Summer Beer Pong Championships (like how to qualify to play for free!), please visit their webpage at www.slcpong.com.
Having trouble finding a partner to win easy money with? Check out the Official SLC $5000 Summer Beer Pong Championship event page on Facebook! (https://www.facebook.com/events/1089483367748101/)
The First-Ever European Series of Beer Pong
This past 4th of July weekend, while we here in America were celebrating our freedom with fireworks, recreational pong games, and more, our friends over in Munich, Germany, were hard at work as 144 teams from 14 countries battled it out at the very first European Series of Beer Pong (ESOBP)!
The ESOBP prize included: ultimate respect, a badass title belt and a trip to the United States to compete for $50,000 at The World Series of Beer Pong XI (July 6-10, 2016), inside the brand new event space at The Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino.
With nearly 300 participants in the building, hours of play ensued and eventually “Cup & Cupper,” Kevin Keenan and Christoph Vogel, toppled “MAC,” Michl Neubauer and Christian Rudat, for the European crown. Although the game went into overtime, in the end “Cup & Cupper” proved to be too much for “MAC” as they knocked down 3 straight cups to etch their name in the first chapters of the ESOBP history book!
(It’s hard to believe it was 10 years ago when BPONG crowned their first-ever World Series of Beer Pong Champions, ironically named “Team France.” Kudos to the original kings of pong, Nick Velissaris and Jason Coben. Check out this last known photo of the original “big check” before it infamously became a casualty of infinite cameras.)
If you want to be really impressed, check out the video of the championship game of the ESOBP here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HbnEhQIr8g&feature=youtu.be
Watch out boys, these kids are good! Our current WSOBP Champs from New Jersey (“Pity the Fool” – Mike Vit and Kris Fraser) might be in a run for their money if they plan on returning to try and became just the 2nd team in WSOBP history to win back-to-back WSOBP Championship titles. (The first team to etch their names in the repeat champions list was, of course, “Smashing Time” – Mike Pop and Ron Hamilton.)
BPONG can’t wait to welcome “Cup & Cupper” to The World Series of Beer Pong XI! Will “Cup & Cupper” be our first-ever international champions?!
A New Group of Players Dominate at the Indiana State Beer Pong Championships
This past weekend, The 2015 Indiana State Beer Pong Championships took place at Score’s Sports Bar & Grill in Columbus, Indiana.
A few weeks back we took a look at the history of The Indiana State Beer Pong Championships and contemplated what kind of drama would unfold during the 5th anniversary of the annual event.
Southern Indiana Beer Pong (SINBP) did not disappoint and put on a dynamic event that eventually crowned brand new Indiana State Beer Pong Champions!
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A Recap of the Main Event:
The first bracket of the Main Event… (A double-bracket tournament format allowed players to pair with a different partner in 2-separate brackets that are a part of the same tournament. The winners from each bracket meet to play for the tournament finals.) …drew first blood in the drama department. Three-time champion Braden Nading had paired off with an up and coming Indiana shooter, Paul Dausman, for his first bracket run.
Nading/Dausman squared off against the King Seed (Jermaine Anderson and Henry Lee) in the first bracket final. Facing bracket elimination with a single loss, Nading/Dausman rose to the occasion and double-dipped (won 2 games) against Anderson/Lee for the bracket win.
Nading was seemingly sitting pretty to take home his 4th straight Indiana State Championship, as he had already secured a spot in the finals and had yet to even play the bracket with his partner who he had claimed 3 straight titles with.
However, a pair of unmentioned duos leading up the Indy state tournament had other ideas. Chip Dowden & Tyler Rogge, as well as, Andrew Metzger & Brent DeMateo teamed up for the pair of wins that was needed to dethrone the 3-time reigning champions.
Frustration had clearly set in for the defending champs as Nading eventually resorted to bouncing deep into their final game while facing elimination. This did not sit well with Bacon, the two began to argue and the most dominate team in the history of the tournament were put to sleep by Chip Dowden and Tyler Rogge. Bacon and Nading seemed to carry tension for the remainder of the event.
Metzger & DeMateo found themselves sitting in the King Seed of the second bracket. Jermaine Anderson & Gian Sutton were the challengers and needed back-to-back wins against Metzger & DeMateo to advance to the finals.
Yet again, the underdogs stepped up and Anderson/Sutton fought their way into the Indiana State Beer Pong Championship Finals, winning consecutive games against the King Seed of the second bracket.
Waiting for Jermaine and Gian was still the 3-time reigning champ, Braden Nading, as he and Paul Dausman had eliminated Jermaine and Henry Lee from the King Seed of the first bracket to move into the Indiana State Beer Pong Championship Finals.
Highlighting 4 of the top players in Indiana, the finals showed the rest of the Midwest what kind of firepower Indiana is bringing to BOMW VI., this September. Perhaps hot off of the back to back wins in the 2nd bracket final, Jermaine and Gian rolled over Nading/Dausman, etching their name into the Indiana State Beer Pong history books along the way.
Check out the Top 5 Main Event finishers!
1st – Jermaine Anderson & Gian Sutton
2nd – Paul Dausman & Braden Nading
3rd – Jermaine Anderson & Henry Lee
4th – Andrew Metzger & Brent DeMateo
5th – Jordan Beebe & Tara Herr
5th – Jordan Beebe & Richard Herr
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A Recap of the Singles Tournament:
The singles tournament ended up with an interesting story line considering the outcome of the Main Event.
Jermaine Anderson found himself in the King Seed of the singles tournament. He watched his newly crowned champion teammate (Gian Sutton) once again square off against the now former champion (Braden Nading) to determine who would eventually advance to the finals to face Anderson. After Gian toppled Nading, he stepped to the table against Jordan Beebe. This game was arguably the best of the weekend having gone into multiple overtimes before a winner was established.
Gian came out victorious, of which, set up a singles match-up between the now definable, top two beer pong players in the state of Indiana. The partners were clearly fighting for the win but were having a ton of fun doing it, as this entire event shined a huge light on their “Wolf Pac.” Gian put together back-to-back wins against Jermaine to take the singles crown.
Check out the Top 5 Singles finishers!
1st – Gian Sutton
2nd – Jermaine Anderson
3rd – Jordan Beebe
4th – Braden Nading
5th – Tara Herr (Top Female)
5th – Josh Morrow
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Compiling a composite score from all the tournaments each player participated in over the weekend at the Indiana State Beer Pong Championships, a statistical rank is generated based on overall record and cup differential.
Check out the Top Ten Players from The Indiana State Beer Pong Championships!
OVERALL STATS: (Wins-Losses / Cup differential)
- Gian Sutton 19-7 / (+38)
- Jermaine Anderson 17-8 / (+33)
- Braden Nading 16-7 / (+31)
- Paul Dausman 12-9 / (+22)
- Jordan Beebe 12-8 / (+16)
- Josh Morrow 11-8 / (+15)
- Tyler Rogge 11-8 / (+5)
- Andrew Metzger 11-8 / (-2)
- Tara Herr 9-8 / (-2)
- Richard Herr 8 – 8 / (+21)
A New Champion Arises at the “Best of The West”
Late Sunday night concluded the 2015 “Best of the West” Pong Championships. If you haven’t been following the action, here’s a recap: This past Friday, June 5th, started the festivities with a $2,000 kick-off tournament, in which Brandon Marx (AZ) and Mark Pimentel (CA) clenched the title for the second consecutive year. Read more about their win here.
On to the Main Event:
Prelims began on Saturday, June 6th, and told another tale of Marx as Arizona led the way with a (22-8, +50) record to secure the number 1 seed heading into the playoff bracket on Day 3. However, the Vegas squad foreshadowed Day 3 drama pulling in right behind the AZ squad with a (20-10, +45) record.
Day 3 produced an upset in the 2nd round when the Ocean Grown Pong squad knocked off the reigning 4-time BOW champion Nor Cal team. The San Diego Kingz, led by Mark Pimentel, put down former WSOBP Champion Byron Findley’s new Californian team in the 2nd round to set up a semi-final match-up against the Las Vegas Kick Rocks team. The Arizona squad eventually sent the OGP team into the 3rd place game from the semi-final match-up that ensued following their upset of Nor Cal.
The Vegas boys prevailed against Pimentel’s San Diego Kingz, which put them in a position to win Las Vegas’s first BOW title upon defeating Arizona.
The Arizona men looked to be the favorite after 4 rounds of finals play (best of 25), leading the Las Vegas team 11-9 going into the final round; needing just 2 more wins to secure the 2015 Best Of The West Championship. Arizona took game 1 in the last round of play and it seemed inevitable that AZ would be claiming both the Men’s and Women’s titles. However, the Vegas squad had other ideas as they fought back to secure the next 3 games to set up a decisive game 5 (or 25) for all the marbles!
Dante Yell & Mike Wan (Vegas) vs. TJ Robinson & Vance Anzaldua (Arizona). Its triple OT and Arizona must rebuttal 2 cups in order to force a fourth overtime. Vance Anzaldua knocks down the two-rack to give his teammate an opportunity to keep the game alive. Robinson’s shot falls short along with Arizona’s title hopes.
Congratulations to the 2015 Best Of The West Main Event Champions:
Las Vegas Kick Rocks!
Players Include: Rickey Shepard (Captain), Justin Spurrier, Mike Wan, Brandon Herbert, Sam Henshaw, Curtis Armistead, Travis Parnell, Dante Yell, Ethan Wald, and Henry Pham
BOW ladies:
The Arizona ladies squad also found themselves in the finals vs. a familiar foe in the San Diego/So Cal squad. After a rough preliminary showing, the San Diego team picked up their play enough during the playoffs to will themselves back to the finals but still fell just short of defending their crown. This is the 4th time in 5 years that the Arizona ladies have taken the BOW hardware home with them.
Congratulations to the Arizona ladies squad on your 2015 Best Of The West win!
Players Include: Priscilla Kusmeriz (Captain), Shannon Kroll, Ariel Albrightt, Katie Ancona, Tracy Harsha, and Tonisha Harvin
Arguably, a just as impressive performance on the ladies front comes from one of only two female participants playing in the BOW Main Event. OGP’s Roxanne Huey led her team to a series win vs. the San Diego Kingz that ultimately resulted in her team cashing out with a 3rd place finish.
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Can’t get enough of 10v10 beer pong action? No worries, The Best Of The Midwest (BOMW) is right around the corner! This fall, September 11th-13th, teams from across the midwest will take flight to Chicago, IL, to determine who is the Best Of The Midwest!!
Check out BPONG.COM or HOMEbarchicago.com for more BOMW VI. information, or visit the Official BOMW VI. event page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/873359099390775/
Best Of The West Kick-off Tourney Recap and Day 2 Main Event Action
As Day 2 of The Best Of The West (BOW) tournament in San Diego, CA, wound down late last night, the kickoff tourney champs were crowned and the preliminary schedule was wrapped up, paving the way for Day 3 action.
In the Kick-off Tourney, Brandon Marx (AZ) and Mark Pimentel (CA) claimed the cash and the top spot in the kickoff tourney for the 2nd straight year. This championship is actually Marx’s 3rd straight BOW kickoff tourney win, having won the tournament with Travis Carl in 2013 as well.
Before claiming this win, Marx and Pimentel had to take down another AZ/CA pairing of TJ Robinson (AZ) and Ryan Smith (CA). The entertainment value of this finals matchup did not disappoint! As Game 1 began, it felt like the making of an enormous upset – to everyone in the building except Big Mark and Marx.
The chatter was high on the end off the table that was occupied by Robinson/Smith and rightfully so, as every advantage needs to be capitalized on. (Especially, in a finals match and even more so against such highly touted competition.) Ryan Smith stepped up to the table with supreme confidence in himself to sink the last cup left on the table to put Pimentel/Marx against the ropes and force rebuttal shots.
…this is where things got interesting…
Smith, without skipping a beat, continued to talk trash as he gathered his shot, even requesting the direct attention of his opponents while shooting. However, given the extensive experience of the Marx/Pimentel squad, Marx decided to utilize a defensive strategy best left to the top players on the planet and does so in flawless fashion.
With only one cup remaining on both sides, and in the midst of a flurry of trash talk (with $2k on the line, of course), Marx intercepts Smith’s shot mid-air (leaving no chance for a miss) and fluently bangs his rebuttal shot all in one motion. (At this point, Tim Mozgov and Fredrick Weis might as well have been standing on the other side of the table.)
Game 2 didn’t turn out to be as close as the first as Marx/Pimentel completed their quest to repeat. My guess is because of the manhood that was all but stripped from them at the end of Game 1.
Sam Henshaw (LV) / Justin Spurrier (LV) and Adam Conrad (CA) / Justin Miller (CA) tied for 3rd.
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Day 2 also concluded preliminary play for the 10v10 Main Event!
In anticipation of this event, we had pondered the likelihood of Nor Cal continuing their dominance with a new roster. After Day 2, it seems that they are coming back down to earth, as they finished prelims (19-11, +5) and in the 4th seed. However, SOJO’s WSOBP battery mate (Tim “Byron” Findley) seems to have found a new Cali squad, “Cali’s Last Resort”, as they settled comfortably into the 3rd seed with a (19-13, +33) record.
Marx continued his quality play as he has led his Arizona squad to the top overall seed in preliminary play with a (22-8, +50) record.
Having almost zero hype leading up to BOW was the Las Vegas teams. The men (Kick Rocks) have secured the 2nd seed and the Vegas ladies have the top overall seed going into bracket play. A good showing for sure!
The returning ladies champs (Southern California) fell to (4-8, -22) and slipped into the 4th seed, as the 3-time ladies champion Arizona squad sits near the top of the bracket in a 2 seed with a (7-5, +13) record.
Who will take home the Main Event title and be crowned 2015’s Best Of The West?
Check back with us next week for complete tournament results!
The 6th Annual Best Of The West
This weekend, one of the country’s most revered professional pong tournaments will commence: The 6th Annual Best Of The West!
A quintuple of premiere organizations, including West Coast Pong, Nor Cal Beer Pong, Ocean Grown Pong, Pongstars.net and Fast Times Entertainment, will play host to the event. Festivities will kick off Friday night with a $2000 Multi-Partner tournament at Johnny V’s in San Diego, California. (945 Garnet Ave, San Diego, California, 92109) The Main Event will also take place at Johnny V’s on Saturday, June 6th, and will run thru Sunday, June 7th.
The Best Of The West (BOW) is one event in a series of “Best Of” tournaments that take place across the United States. Other “Best Of” series include the Best Of The Midwest, Best Of The South, and Beast Of The East. A distinctive feature of the “Best Of” series of events across the country is the 10v10 tournament format that is used. If you are unfamiliar with how this is possible in a game of beer pong, here is a quick run down:
Five BPONG tables are lined up next to each other and 5 individual (2v2) games are played
simultaneously. In order to win the overall match-up, your 10v10 team affiliation
must win at least 3 of those 5 individual (2v2) games. The BOW 10v10 teams are formed
by regional affiliation.
Here’s what to look for at this year’s event:
Reigning supreme over the Best Of The West’s operable tenure, Nor Cal Beer Pong (pictured below) will look to extend its legacy by adding a 5th title to their BOW collection. However, they will have to overcome replacing a key roster spot held by former World Series of Beer Pong Champion and pong legend, Mike Seivert.
When it comes to the ladies, we’re looking for a battle between Arizona and Southern California! After winning 3-straight women’s titles, the Arizona ladies squad (pictured below) will try to reclaim their hardware from last year’s Southern Californian championship team.
For additional pictures and more information about the Best Of The West, please visit the Official BOW webpage at: www.bestofwestpong.com
Or visit the Official BOW Facebook event page at: https://www.facebook.com/bestofthewestpong?fref=ts