Key takeaways
- Florian “Venom” Kohler of France won the 2026 WPA Artistic Pool World Championship and the inaugural WPA Freestyle World Championship.
- Both events ran Oct. 1-4, 2026, at Bluegrass Billiards in Northeast Philadelphia, with results announced by the WPA on Oct. 26.
- Steve Markle (USA) finished second in the Book Event, and Tim Chin (USA) lost to Kohler in the Freestyle final.
- Americans filled five of the eight top-four places across the two events: Markle, Brian Pauly, Chin, Abram Diaz and Jamie Moody.
Who won the 2026 artistic pool world championship?
Florian “Venom” Kohler won the 2026 artistic pool world championship, and he added the first WPA Freestyle World Championship on top of it. Both titles were decided Oct. 1-4 at Bluegrass Billiards in Northeast Philadelphia, according to a WPA release published Oct. 26. The release calls it his third consecutive artistic pool world title; the WPA champions list shows him winning in 2023 and 2024.
The Book Event drew 22 competitors. Each player shot 40 shots chosen from a 120-shot program, scored by difficulty. Kohler finished first, ahead of Steve Markle (USA), Wayne Parker (South Africa) and Brian Pauly (USA).
Kohler also topped two of the eight disciplines, scoring 39 of 40 in Trick and Fancy and a perfect 40 in Stroke. Markle won Bank and Kick (38) and Masse (39), Gaston Tomadoni took Special Arts and Jump, Wayne Smith posted a perfect 40 in Draw, and Jamie Moody won Follow with 38.
How does the new Freestyle World Championship work?
Freestyle is a head-to-head format rather than a scored program. Each player submitted two original shots, which joined a list of 48 preselected shots, and matches were played as a double-elimination bracket with one point for every shot made. Regular matches were 12 shots, six per player, and the final was 16.
The rules also ask the first player on each shot to explain it to the audience, a nod to how much of this game now lives on streams and social video. Kohler beat Tim Chin (USA) in the final. Abram Diaz and Jamie Moody, both American, finished third and fourth. Final scores were not published.
Play was on eight 9-foot Gold Crown III tables with Dynasphere balls, per the event rules sheet. Player-voted awards went to Dillon Pitchford for sportsmanship and Jerry Chen as Rising Star.
Why was the world championship held in Philadelphia?
The event was moved from South Africa because of trouble exporting the tournament tables, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported in July. Markle, a Bucks County police officer who returned to competition in 2023, organized it at his local room.
Markle came in on form. The Inquirer reported he won the June 2026 U.S. Nationals in West Virginia and is ranked No. 1 in the country by the Billiard Congress of America. For North American fans, it meant a world final on home soil with an American runner-up in both events.
From the workshop
Artistic players are the hardest users a cue can have. A masse stroke drives the tip down into the ball at a steep angle, jump shots load the tip and ferrule in a short, violent hit, and a full program can mean hundreds of those strokes in a weekend. That is why top trick shot players travel with several specialized cues; Kohler himself helped develop a dedicated masse cue. The lesson for a league player is simple: if you practice jumps or masse, do it with a jump or break cue, not the shaft you play position with.
The other thing worth noticing is the Stroke and Draw scores of 40 out of 40. Those disciplines reward a straight, relaxed delivery and a tip that grips the ball consistently, not exotic equipment. Before you spend money on a new shaft, check that your tip is the right hardness and in good shape; our guide to pool cue tip hardness covers what soft, medium, hard and layered tips actually change.
Quick answers
Who won the 2026 artistic pool world championship?
Florian Kohler of France won the 2026 WPA Artistic Pool World Championship in Philadelphia, with American Steve Markle second.
Who won the first WPA Freestyle World Championship?
Florian Kohler won the inaugural WPA Freestyle World Championship, beating American Tim Chin in the final.
Where was the 2026 world trick shot championship held?
It was held Oct. 1-4, 2026, at Bluegrass Billiards in Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
What is the Book Event in artistic pool?
The Book Event is the traditional artistic pool format, in which players attempt shots from a set program across eight disciplines and earn points based on difficulty.
Sources
- Venom Makes History With Philadelphia Double (AZBilliards (WPA release), 2026-10-26)
- 2026 Freestyle Artistic Pool World Championship rules and information (WPA Artistic Pool Division, 2026)
- How Bucks County pool player Steve Markle mastered the art of the trick shot (The Philadelphia Inquirer, 2026-07-31)
- World Champions (World Pool-Billiard Association, 2026)
- Florian Kohler (Wikipedia, 2026)
How this story was made: drafted with AI assistance from the reports above, written in our own words and published by the Muraki workshop team. Results and figures are as reported by those sources at the time of publishing. Spot something wrong? Tell us and we will correct it.
Play the game, then build the cue
Every Muraki cue is turned, inlaid and finished by hand in our workshop, then numbered and shipped to players across the US, Canada and worldwide. Tell us how you play and we will quote one for you, usually the same day.
