Zheng, Shaffer victorious at Round Two

Joe Shaffer and Zheng Jian Qing took home the championship trophies and top prizes in the most recent of Round Two Bar and Grill’s 8-ball tournaments.

Last July 22, Zheng won the Miller Lite Invitational 8-Ball Tournament after beating veteran cue artist Larry Guerrero twice in the finals.

Zheng started the evening with wins over David Peter and Craig Tenorio but was shown the door by Guerrero in his third time up.

Relegated to losers bracket play, Zheng repeated over Tenorio to earn another shot at Guerrero. This time, Zheng played it right and won Game 1 to force a winner-take-all second game.

And in the rubber match, Zheng pulled out all the stops and crowned himself pool champion for the night. He took home $75 for the feat, while Guerrero and Tenorio settled for the $45 and $30 runner-up purses.

Other Round Two habitués that graced the tournament were Jon Morris, Vidal Camacho, Henry Sasaki, Boyet Sequioco, Joe Shaffer, David Peter, and Owen Rumley.

Shaffer, meanwhile, copped the title in the Sunday Winner-Take-All Fun Tournament five days earlier on July 18.

And like Zheng, Shaffer also took the long road to the championship. In fact, he began the tournament on the wrong foot losing to Simon Kapileo in his very first game of the evening.

But Shaffer seemed more comfortable totting cue sticks with his back against the wall. He started his adventure in losers bracket play with a win over Manny Mariano and then followed it up by beating Ed Sarmiento.

Shaffer continued his comeback by topping Charlie Peter in the losers bracket finals, which allowed him to face first-round tormentor Kapileo in the finals.

An overwhelming underdog entering the championship, Shaffer pulled the rug under Kapileo in the first game and then completed his Phoenix-like resurrection by again dominating his opponent in the second game. Shaffer bagged the $40 pot for the win.

Donald Kapileo, Roy Tereyama, Jerry Soriano, and Manny Magcalas also participated in the regular Sunday pool event.

Round Two hosts three regular tournaments a week. The Sunday Winner-Take-All Fun Tournament starts at 1pm and entry costs is $5 per player. Depending on the number of lady participants, the competition switches from regular to an 8-ball handicap format.

The Tuesday Ladies Handicap 8-Ball Tournament is held every Tuesday starting at 8pm and has an entry fee of $10.

On Thursdays, Round Two holds the exciting Miller Lite Invitational 8-Ball Tournament starting at 8pm. Entry fee is $15 on regular days but goes up to $25 every last Thursday of the month.

For more information on Round Two’s tournaments, please call 234-6930.