Charlie Bryant - Professional Pool Player, Billiards Instruction, Pool Lessons

The heat was on at the eighth event of the Fast Eddie’s Olhausen 9-Ball Tour, which stopped in Houston, TX, the weekend of August 12-13. With 82 players and one air conditioner on the fritz, the atmosphere was steamy, but that didn’t bother Charlie Bryant as he whipped through as cool as a cucumber to win the event undefeated.

Top picks were James Davis Sr., Jui Lung Chen, Sylver Ochoa, and Barry Emerson. The always-tough Ochoa ended up earning third place—he bested Gordon Van der Veer in the quarterfinals but came up short against Davis Sr. in the semis. Davis, a slow, quiet player, advanced to face Bryant in the final match, exhibiting quite a difference in styles and mannerisms. The powerful and energetic Bryant put on a great display of control over the table and ended up coming out the 9-7 winner over Davis, making this the second event of the year that the IPT member has won.

Results:
1st Charlie Bryant
2nd James Davis Sr.
3rd Sylver Ochoa
4th Gordon Van der Veer
5th Robert Stewart
James Davis Jr.
7th Charles McKinley
Manual Ayala
9th Schonn Ballew
Jimmy Moen
Marc Garza
Norberto Salano

Charlie Bryant

admin — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 21:42:58 +0000

Professional Pool Player Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant

Charlie Bryant

Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant started playing pool when he was 5 years old, and for the last 30 years, he hasn’t put down his cue. In fact, he’s bringing out his own line of break cues in January. The cue will be called “The Hillbilly” and will reflect what Bryant likes in break cues. He has one of the hardest breaks in the world, having been clocked at 34.7 miles per hour in Las Vegas in 1996. While he still enjoys busting up the break, Bryant says he plays more for control.

“Breaking that hard always came natural to me, but I don’t break much like that now.” The new break cue will be taking his nickname, but the story of how he got it isn’t all that elaborate. “About six years ago, someone said, ‘You sure talk like a hillbilly,’ so it just stuck from there.” He doesn’t seem to mind the name, mainly because of his upbringing in Icard, NC, a little town outside of Hickory.

Charlie Bryant - What’s in the Case

admin — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 16:55:10 +0000

Charlie Bryant

Shaft/Weight: Curly maple shaft. “I sometimes play with a heavy shaft and sometimes with a light shaft. The cue weight ranges from nineteen point two ounces with the heavy one and eighteen point seven with the light.”

Diameter: 12.5 millimeters

Taper: Pro

Playing Cue Hit: Stiff-hitting cue

Tip: Tiger hard

Tip Radius: Nickel

Tip Tools: Tip Pik

Joint: Phenolic

Wrap: “Leather wrap that’s been sanded down, so it’s soft on my hands.”

Shaft Maintenance: “I do it myself—I don’t let anyone else touch my cues.”

Case: Hard case

Loose in Case: “I’ve got cue silk, porcupines, a black marker, a towel, a rasp, and glove that I don’t use … there’s even a jump butt in there.”

Break Cue: Sneaky Peak butt with a thick shaft

Break Cue Wrap: “It’s a rubber wrap, about fourteen inches long. I use it so my hands don’t slide when I break.”

Techniques: “When I get a ding in my cue, I sand it where the ding is and wrap a damp cloth around it, and it swells to fill out the ding.”

Advice on buying a cue: “You get what you pay for. I say the custom cues are the best way to go. The cue makers are particular, so you’ll get a better response out of a custom cue.”
Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news about Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant.

Charlie Bryant Takes Glass City Open Title

admin — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 09:02:14 +0000

Charlie Bryant Takes Glass City Open Title

By Tom Martin, InsidePOOL Staff

Two-time Houston Open winner Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant defeated Danny “Kid Delicious” Basavich 10-8 in the finals of the Glass City Open in Toledo, OH. Basavich took an early 2-0 lead in the battle for the top spot, but once the score was tied at 5 apiece, the momentum all seemed to go Bryant’s way. A scratch on the break by Bryant allowed Basavich to close the gap at 8-6, but he gave the next game away with a scratch of his own. With his patented “Hillbilly on the hill” holler, Bryant broke and ran the final rack to take the title, trophy, and $8,000 prize. Basavich pocketed $5,000 for second, and, being his typical good-natured self, was quick to praise Bryant on his play throughout the week.

Results:

1st Charlie Bryant $8,000

2nd Danny Basavich $5,000

3rd Corey Deuel $3,500

4th Troy Frank $2,500

5th Steve McAninch, Earl Strickland $1,750

Visit InsidePOOL for Glass City Open news.

Bryant Wins Second Straight Tidewater Event

admin — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 13:26:31 +0000

Bryant Wins Second Straight Tidewater EventBy Bill RosenbergerLeroy Bryant won his second straight Tidewater Tour event on October 16 at Sharks N Shooters in Rocky Mount, NC. This time, though, he had to battle back from a second-round loss and work his way through the west side to take the tournament.

Bryant’s early oust to the one-loss side came from Joe Whaley, a newcomer to the Tidewater Tour, but not to the game. Whaley, who is in his 60s, used his experience to get him all the way to the finals. First, he would have to meet up with Robert Ray in the hot seat.The two players traded games back and forth, with neither ever getting more than a one-game lead. Whaley went up 6-5, and Ray won to put the match on the hill, but it was Whaley would be sink the final 9 ball to take the match.Meanwhile, Bryant was moving along steadily in the one-loss side. He met Steven Page in the quarterfinals and won 5-3. Bryant advanced to the semifinals to meet Ray, but Ray couldn’t find his rhythm, as Bryant won easily 5-1. The finals pitted Bryant and Whaley in a rematch. Whaley had won the first time, but Bryant was determined win the tournament. Bryant jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead. The two traded a few games, but Bryant maintained at least a two-game lead until he pulled away for the 9-6 victory.

Results:

1st Leroy Bryant $405

2nd Joe Whaley $245

3rd Robert Ray $165

4th Steven Page $85

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news from the sport of billiards and pool. (http://www.insidepoolmag.com/)

Bryant Tames Tidewater Tour

admin — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 13:50:25 +0000

Bryant Tames Tidewater TourBy Bill RosenbergerHaving 12 Brunswick and Diamond tables wasn’t enough for on Cue Sports Bar in Greenville, NC. They did one better by hosting a Tidewater Tour event on October 2-3.The private pool club saw Leroy Bryant claim victory, but he had to work through the one-loss side, as well as beat the man who put him there.

The quarterfinal match pitted Bryant and Tommy Cooke. Cooke led early and often and pulled out a 7-5 victory. Bryant headed to the loser’s bracket to await the loser of the hot seat match between Cooke and Charlie Brinson.The Brinson/Cooke match was as close as could be. Both men traded games back and forth until the match went hill-hill at 6. Brinson, though, controlled the final rack and won 7-6.Cooke then headed to the semifinal against Bryant, who was looking for revenge. Bryant caught fire early and ran away with the match, winning 7-5.

Brinson and Bryant faced off in the finals for the $400 prize. Bryant jumped out to an early 3-1 lead. He then finished off Brinson by winning six of the final nine games for the 9-4 tournament victory. “Leroy really controlled the table,” described tournament director Buxton Turner. “When he did let Charlie shoot, he was stuck without any offensive shots. Leroy played a good offense and a tough defense.”

Results:

1st Leroy Bryant $400

2nd Charlie Brinson $230

3rd Tommy Cooke $150

4th Dave Bollman $80

5th Kelly Farrar, Billy Peadon $50

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news from the sport of billiards and pool. (http://www.insidepoolmag.com/)