Level2Billiards

THAT’S A WRAP ON THE 2026 U.S. OPEN POOL CHAMPIONSHIP! 🎱

The 2026 U.S. Open Pool Championship is officially in the books, and what a tournament it was.

FSR picked up his second U.S. Open title, with Robbie Capito battling his way to the #2 spot. David Alcaide and Aleksa Pecelj finished 3rd and 4th, while Joshua Filler and Fedor Gorst rounded out the top six in 5th and 6th.

Another seriously good one.

This year brought a lot of changes. A move to Texas. ESPN coverage. A star studded field packed with some of the biggest names in professional pool. And, as always, plenty of drama once the balls started dropping.

New venue. New location. Same world class competition.

The 2026 U.S. Open delivered.

Congratulations to FSR on title number two, and to everyone who made this year’s championship another one worth watching.

Absolute clinic in Elizabeth, Indiana.

At the Derby City Classic, Shane Van Boening didn’t just show up. He imposed order.

Top 6 in the Banks. Points secured. Mind right.

One Pocket? Untouched. Undefeated run straight through the field. Finals win over Roland Garcia 4–2. Called the shot. Took the title.

Nine Ball was chaos. Drew Joshua Filler twice. The only roadblock. And yeah, when Filler gets rolling he looks less human and more UFO. Respect.

Three disciplines completed. Damage done.

Result? All Around Master of the Table champion.

Last time Shane took MOT was 2011 and 2012. Fourteen years later he proves the same truth. This tournament is brutal. Longevity is rare. Dominance like this is earned.

Level 2 Billiards salutes one of the great performances in Derby City history. 🏆🎱

Let’s start the year off with a little fun chaos.

Level 2 Billiards Top 10 US Pool Players in history.
No international buffer. No nostalgia goggles. No participation trophies.

This list spans straight pool killers, nine ball assassins, Johnston City legends, modern era closers, TV era icons, and players who made grown men hate drawing their name. Different eras. Different games. Same table. Same pressure.

Will people agree. Of course not. Will people argue. Immediately.
Will someone say I forgot their guy. Guaranteed. But isn’t that really the point.

Steve Mizerak was not loud. He was lethal.

Major titles
• World Straight Pool Champion
1975
1976
1978
1982
• U.S. Open Straight Pool Champion
1975
1976

Six major straight pool titles in an era where mistakes were punished immediately and precision was everything.

Mizerak dominated 14.1 when it was still considered the game of champions. No shot clock. No shortcuts. Just patterns, nerve, and ex*****on. He did it under pressure, in repeat years, and against fields that understood exactly how hard straight pool really is.

Then he crossed into something no one else fully pulled off. Mainstream recognition. National TV appearances. Iconic beer commercials. A pool player with a face people recognized outside the room. Some called it ego. Others called it selling out. In reality, he expanded the ceiling of what a pool player could be.

The titles are permanent.
The influence is unmatched.

Steve Mizerak did not just win championships. He defined an era.

Donators manage to make it in every event but never make it to the finish line.

2025 World Nineball Tour rankings.

The Top 20. The global breakdown. A full year of performances, pressure, travel, and earned prize money all captured in numbers.

Now the reset button has been hit. A new season is underway, the slate is clean, and every player is back to zero. New opportunities, new storylines, and a brand new race to the top.

Different year. Same stage. Same grind.

Level 2 Billiards
Respecting what was earned. Watching what comes next.

First day of the year feels like the right time to the current Fargo Rate..

For anyone unfamiliar, FargoRate is the global skill rating system. It is a data based number built from real match results. Who you play, how often you play, and how you perform all factor in. As more matches are logged, the rating becomes more accurate over time.

It is widely used across leagues, tournaments, and competitive play as a common way to understand relative skill levels.

Here is a current snapshot of the current Fargo ratings as of January 1, 2026 for top World and USA players.

Just a clean look at where things stand to start the year.