No NFL playoffs... no problem. SCBP will be at a new venue for the first WSOBP satellite of 2012: Normandie Casino, home to the $2 bottle happy hour. This tournament will be capped at 32 teams, so sign up online to ensure your team a spot. This will be a normal satellite tournament, except players who won a satellite tournament in 2011 (BPONG's list) may not play together. That means Rachel, Malerie, Katie, and Jen... you need to find new partners!

When:	Saturday, January 28th, 2012 Check-in: 3:00pm Play Begins: 4:00pm
Where:	Normandie Casino 1045 West Rosecrans Avenue Gardena, CA map
Prizes:	- 1st Place: Entry to the World Series of Beer Pong VIII, and a chance to win $50,000! - 2nd* team entry to the OGP/Pongstars 10k in March - 3rd* team entry to one of Normandie Casino's Saturday Night Beer Pong Tournaments 2nd and 3rd place prizes are pending a full tournament. Normandie Casino has tournaments at 5pm on Saturdays (not on the 28th, but any other Saturday). Entry is $40/team for all you can drink beer. Cash prizes are guaranteed for tournaments of more than 4 teams.
Structure:	Partner Restriction: Players that won a WSOBP satellite in 2011 may not play together 32 teams max Double elimination Random seeding BPONG cups, balls, and racks
Beer:	Beer is not included with entry fee. Happy Hour 4-7pm: $2 domestic bottles
Cost:	$40/team
Contact:	For questions, email contact-at-socalbeerpong-dot-com
Register:	Registration is Closed. The next tournament will be announced soon.

Check out the list of teams from Southern California that are heading to Vegas to compete in this year's World Series of Beer Pong. There are a number of new teams going this year, and hopefully someone on the list can bring home the big check.

Quantities of the latest shirt are limited. Order one to ensure that there will be one available in your size.

We will also do a big group picture again. Stay tuned for updates, but we'll likely gather in the back corner of the ballroom after the Group 3 games are finished in the last round of pool play on day 2.

The upcoming World Series is quite a bit different than a normal tournament. It consists of 2 days of pool play, finished off by a tournament on day 3 to determine a winner. To help prepare everyone for that format (and to have the usual good ole time), we are going to be at the Blue Cafe in Long Beach on Sunday. You do not have to be playing in the World Series to play.

When:	Sunday, December 18, 2011 Registration: 6:00 pm Play Begins: 6:30 pm
Where:	Blue Cafe 217 Pine Ave Long Beach
Format:	Pool Play Teams divided into pools Teams will play 5-6 pool play games Teams will be seeded based on round 1 results based on record and cup differential Top half of teams placed into Championship Group, bottom half into Consolation Group Single Elimination Tournaments Each group will play a single elimination tournament to determine prize winners Teams will be seeded based on round 2 pool play
Prizes:	Championship Group 1st Place - $200* 2nd Place - $80* 3rd Place - $20	Consolation Group 1st Place - $20
Cost:	$20/team
Contact:	For questions, email contact[at]socalbeerpong[dot]com

The WSOBP VII shirts are still available for purchase. Quantities are limited. Shipping is $3. As usual, thanks to J Miles Designs. Size 2X $15.00 USD XL $15.00 USD L $15.00 USD M $15.00 USD

The Turkey Bowl is a longtime SCBP tradition (year #5??). There is nothing we'd rather be doing on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving than throwing balls into cups. This year we're going co-ed style. Feel free to mix it up and exchange old ladies with a good friend of yours. Partner swaps searches are available via www.swingerpongers.com.

When:	Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011 Registration: 8:00 pm Play Begins: 8:45 pm
Where:	Blue Cafe 217 Pine Ave Long Beach, CA
Prizes:	- 1st Place: Entry to the World Series of Beer Pong VII, and a chance to win $50,000! - 2nd and 3rd tbd
Structure:	Two person teams, one guy & one girl per team The girl on each team shoots any rollback shots Double elimination Random seeding BPONG racks
Beer:	Beer is not included with entry fee.
Cost:	$30/team online ($40 at the door)
Contact:	For questions, email contact-at-socalbeerpong-dot-com
Register:	Team Name

For a couple of years, Corona has been a hotspot for competitive tournaments. What started out as On The House Beer Pong recently made a name change to Ocean Grown Pong. They have worked their way up to hosting a pongtastic weekend: a $5k main event, with multiple side events. For more info, visit the event page on facebook, and contact Ryan DeHoop for any questions. If you like the feel of bigger events, where more money is on the line, and players from out of the area will travel, you don't want to miss this event.

When:	Saturday, October 22nd - Sunday, October 23rd
Where:	Gameplay: Rack's Hotel: Holiday Inn Express Corona, CA
Main Event:	Sat 10/22 @ 1:00pm Cost: $125/team online $100/all-girls team $150/team at the door 6 pool play games guaranteed Top 32 teams advance 2-16 team double elimination brackets Bracket winners will play a best 2 out of 3 series	PRIZES - 1st Place: $2600 - 2nd Place: $1000 - 3rd Place: $500 - 4th Place: $400 - 5th Place: $300 - 6th Place: $200
Women's WSOBP VII Satellite	Sat 10/22 @ 5:00pm Girls only, 2 on 2 double elimination	Entry to WSOBP VII, $1000 value
Singles Tournaments	Men's: Sun 10/23 @ 2:00pm, $25 entry Women's: Sun 10/23 @ 3:00pm, $10 entry	1st-50% 2nd-25% 3rd-15% 4th-10%
3 on 3 Tournament	Start: Sun 10/23 @ 5:00pm, $60/team entry Double elimination 15 cup setup	1st-60% 2nd-30% 3rd-10%
Register:	To register, or for questions, email OTHBP@yahoo.com or call Ryan DeHoop at 951.258.2719

The first two World Series of Beer Pong were held in Mesquite, which is a poor man's version of Primm. It's the last stop on the 15 in Eastern Nevada, has a couple resort/casinos, some golf opportunities, and not much else. In other words, it's just about perfect. SoCal missed WSOBP I, but WSOBP II was a blast. Fat Kid won WSOBP III (held at South Point), but his favorite WSOBP was held in the white tent on the parking lot in between The Oasis and Casablanca.

Things have changed a lot since early 2007. The WSOBP has grown and competitive leagues have popped up all over the country (including this one). Unfortunately, Mesquite just isn't enough of a tourist draw to attract casual pong players, so got left behind with the move to Vegas. As a mid-year mid major destination, it has anything we pongers want: hotel rooms, a pool, food, blackjack tables, and the isolation that provides for good old fashioned kicking it with like minded people into the early morning. Hopefully next year draws enough people to make it worth bpong's efforts.

The format for this 10k event: 8 pool play games, with the top 32 advancing to split double elim brackets, followed by a best 2/3 finals. SCBP had a number of teams make the bracket, but we did not fair as well as we hoped. Shep/Watt, Danny/DeHoop, and Fat Kid/Chad all went a disappointing 0-2 to finish tied for 25. Nolan/Laura also finished tied for 25th, but were not at all disappointed, as Laura was the only girl who made the final bracket. That meant that they finished as the best co-ed team, wrapping up WSOBP VII entry as a prize. Adam/Eisle won one game in the bracket, but finished just tied for 17th, just outside the money bubble (top 16). In the money finishers were:

t9th - Party With Sluts (Mark & Peter)
t9th - Global Icons (Paul & Wan)
t13th - Green Man (Walker & Kirby)

Rounding out the highlights are Candy is Dandy, But Liquor is Quicker. They did not dominate their competition, but outlasted the other all-girl teams. Katie and Jennifer finished 3-5 with a -11 cup diff, 10 cups better than their closest competitors (Ker/Pez). While others can celebrate their win in the main event, our players took home the side prizes. Congrats to Nolan, Laura, Katie, and Jennifer for doing SCBP proud!

For WSOBP VII, BPONG has instituted a new policy with the intent that as many people as possible can win free entry to the World Series. For Official Satellite Tournaments, players that have previously won a WSOBP VII satellite must partner up with a player that has not. In other words, no team can partner up together if they have previously won. This also gives players more chances to mix up alliances and play with more partners.

BPONG has maintained a full list of bid winners. Socal/Vegas players who can not play together anymore this year are listed here:

Dear Paul,

We're sorry. We failed you. You deserve better. To say we had high expectations would be selling our team short. Of the 16 projected 10-man teams, we probably had the most experience. Out of our ten players, seven have earned SCBP flag stars (top 25 at the WSOBP) at least once, and two have just barely missed that cut (top 33 at least once). The player with the worst WSOBP resume? Mike Wattenberg. That isn't a cut at Mike as much as a testament to the talent on the team. [For those that haven't heard, Watt is pretty good. Amazing even. He can also dance well when given instructions (Dougie, Cat Daddy, many others I'm sure).] We had the talent, but for one reason or another, lacked the heart. We expected teams to hand us wins. We lost games, but you kept hitting cups. Our fabled team kept producing losses, and you almost took us to the playoffs by yourself. We hope you forgive us. You know we had an eighteen hour lapse of concentration. We promise it won't happen again.

Sincerely,
Peter, Brandon, Gary, RJ, Sean, Scott, Todd, Wan, and Watt.

The World Series only comes around once a year. For some of us, that is just too infrequent. Hotel based tournaments put to shame the experience of a one day bar tournament. For some, competing for a five digit prize gets the blood flowing. For those that like to party, the atmosphere is like a college dorm, with instant drinking buddies wherever you turn. For veterans, having a reputable tournament that is worth the entry fee and an airline flight offers the opportunity to see friends and acquaintances from all over the country. The environment at the World Series is what lead us to set up the 2009 SCBP Open.

Unlike many groups that have announced plans for big payout tournaments, we had no delusions of it being financially lucrative. Our hopes in 2009 were to not lose money and for everyone to have a good time. If we could succeed in those two goals, there was hope that we'd establish the event in order to draw a larger crowd in future years. After all, there are plenty of reasons for even the most diehard players to not go to a weekend long beer pong tournament. Unorganized messes (Jamaica Spring Cup, Philly 5k, etc) and announcements that do not come to fruition (King of the Cups, International Pong Federation 100k, 10k College Championships, 20k Clash at the Cups, Midwest Pong 10k, etc) make it ten times harder for any big events to succeed.

For the most part, we succeeded on our goals. We were able to pay our bills and a five digit prize. The short weekend was a lot of fun; one person said it was the most fun they had on a weekend trip that wasn't in Vegas. At the World Series, I've fielded many inquiries about whether we would do it again. Last year, a scheduling conflict with the failed KOTC caused us to postpone any SCBP Open plans. After that debacle, I was committed to 2011. I researched hotels, and have negotiated a contract. However, the summer is staring us in the face. We have regular life happening, and the thought of giving up any and all available weekends to run qualifying tournaments (a necessary evil to make this event succeed to my expectations) is just too daunting. I can't do it while sustaining a day job. We realize this is disappointing news for many. It is sad news for me to deliver, and I apologize to anyone who has been planning a trip to Southern California over Labor Day.

While the SCBP Open is not going to happen this year, we will still have tournaments, and hopefully a fall league. This is not SCBP closing up shop. It's just a scaling back of scope. Thanks to everyone for their continued support - we appreciate it.