1990 World Straight Pool Championship

Results

Place	Player	Prize
1	Bobby Hunter
2	Ray Martin

Recap

Published April 13, 2026

The 1990 World Straight Pool Championship was won by Bobby Hunter, becoming the last World 14.1 title claimed by an American player. Hunter defeated a competitive field to win the sport's most prestigious championship.

Hunter's tournament run included victories over Steve Mizerak in the semifinals and Ray Martin twice, including in the finals. At age 37, Hunter was competing at a high level after starting play at age 15 under the instruction of Earl Coburn, John Broucek, and Terry Zaski.

The 1990 championship took place as straight pool was declining in professional prominence. By 1990, nine-ball was becoming the preferred format for most professional players, making this World 14.1 Championship one of the format's final major tournaments. The straight pool format had been the standard for professional pool since Jerome Keough invented it in 1910.

Hunter's championship holds historical significance as the last American to win the World Straight Pool Championship title. He later mentored John Schmidt, encouraging him to compete in major straight pool events. Schmidt went on to defeat Mike Sigel in World 14.1 competition. Hunter achieved a high run of 225 at Amsterdam Billiards.

The 1990 championship reflected the BCA's continued support for straight pool competition despite declining popularity. Hunter played with his signature Hunter cue, formerly a Balabushka. His finals victories over Martin remain notable moments in professional pool history.

Sources: World Straight Pool Championship – Wikipedia

This recap was compiled from public tournament records and tournament organizer communications. ForceFollow is not affiliated with the tournament organizer.