It’s a battle of the billiards in southwest Iowa this weekend. Hundreds of pool sharks are circling for the 25th annual Amateur Pool Tournament in Atlantic. Nearly 50 five-person teams are assembling for the competition. Organizer Donna Synder says the tourney is always a boost for the local economy.
She says on average, the contest brings 500-to-600 people to town. The three-day tournament starts this (Friday) evening and wraps up on Sunday afternoon. She says it’s a standard ball-in-hand eight-ball tournament that now takes place at several bars around town because the tournament has grown so large over the 25 years.
The double-elimination tournament concludes with the top team in the winner’s bracket playing against the top team in the loser’s bracket. The top prize is typically two-thousand dollars. Snyder says the tournament brings in people from all over the Midwest.
Players are in Atlantic from Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska and all over Iowa. Snyder says many of the contestants have been returning to the tournament year after year. The public is invited to watch the players compete during the weekend, at the various locations around town.