Ronnie O'Sullivan on Efren Reyes

And here's what Earl* had to say about Efren:

Earl Strickland:
Let me tell you something about Efren Reyes. I've played against every one of the greats—every single one. And I've beaten them. I'm the best there is, always have been. The Hall of Fame? It's missing a few letters for the ones I've won, and I did it my way.

But then you have Efren. The Magician. They call him that for a reason. He's not flashy. He's not loud. He just... does it. He'll get out of a jam you thought was impossible, and he'll do it with a look on his face like he's just picking up groceries. It's like he sees something on that table that nobody else does. The angles, the spin, the way the balls roll—he sees the future. I'll admit, there are shots he's made against me that made me want to smash my cue. Made me want to quit. He's a one-of-a-kind genius, and if you don't recognize that, you don't know a damn thing about pool. He's the only one I'll give it up to. The greatest ever? Maybe. We'll never know for sure, but he's the closest thing to it.


*An LLM pretending to be Earl. Come on people.

Help Identify This Cue!

I guess this is a pretty obvious answer, but has anyone tried contacting Richard?
Although it doesn't look like a Black to me, I've not seen many pictures of his early cues, and none in person.
Richard did reply to the Facebook post about this cue. He didn't confirm or deny that it's one of his. But he did answer the question asked in the post confirming that he made some 5/16-18 jointed cues very early in his career.

Any chance we could get a pic of the entire butt section? Sometimes being able to see the entire butt section can help because you can determine if the composition of the cue looks right or wrong. Like, do any of the lengths or widths of the sections or components look "off?"

Funny pic/gif thread...

Squares A & B are the same color. Change my mind.

View attachment 845184
The obvious
If you follow the pattern of light color/darker color squares
The A lands on a dark colored square and the B lands on a lighter colored square
The shadow from the cylinder does not count towards the color of the square
Did I change your mind?
I was reluctant to hit send
as the answer is too obvious and i am sure you will expose my stupidity🤓

Ronnie O'Sullivan on Efren Reyes

Saw it on facebook, hope it’s real
————

I’m Ronnie.
And I’ve had the privilege — the absolute privilege — of sharing a table with Efren Reyes.
Now, people throw around words like “genius” and “legend” far too easily in sport. But with Efren? Those words feel small. Almost… insulting. Because he’s more than that. He’s magic.
I first saw him play years ago, in a smoky hall where the cloth looked tired and the pockets were unforgiving. And yet, there he was — this quiet man with an easy smile, moving around the table like he’d built it himself. He didn’t just make shots… he invented them. Things you’d never think to try — he’d see them in a blink, and before you could even process it, the balls would obey him like they were in on the secret.
You know what’s funny? Efren never needed to shout about how good he was. No chest-thumping. No look-at-me swagger. Just a humble shrug, a little grin, and on to the next impossible shot. That’s the thing about him — he made the unbelievable look effortless, and the effortless look like art.
I’ve heard the stories: how in the Philippines, they’d call him “Bata” — the kid — who could walk into any pool hall and leave with the room’s respect and their rent money. How he’d play under the worst conditions, with warped cues and lopsided tables, and still find ways to win. That’s not just skill, that’s adaptability, creativity — the mark of a true master.
People often ask me what makes Efren different from the rest. It’s not just his cue ball control, though that’s on another planet. It’s not just his shot-making, though some of his banks and kicks deserve their own museum wing. It’s the mind. The patience. The way he sees patterns where others see chaos. He’s a chess player in a room full of checkers players.
And here’s the part that really gets me — when the match is over, when the applause fades, Efren is still just… Efren. Gentle. Warm. Funny in that quiet way that sneaks up on you. No ego. No airs. Just a man who loves the game and the people in it.
He’s in his 70s now, and while his speed might not be what it once was, his touch — that magic touch — is still there. And when he leans over a shot, the room still leans in with him. Because you never know when you’re about to see something you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
What have I learned from Efren?
🎱 That the game is bigger than the scoreline.
🎱 That style and substance can live in the same player.
🎱 And that the real magic in sport isn’t just winning — it’s making people fall in love with it all over again.
That’s Efren for you.
And in my eyes — he’s not just the greatest pool player I’ve ever seen.
He’s the kind of man I hope the game never forgets.
— Ronnie
Everything written i can agree with about efren
I dont think ronnie o’sullivan wrote it

2025 Battle of the Bull (9-Ball), August 2025

I subscribed to WNT.tv for the Florida Open, but I never saw any matches listed for the Battle of the Bull.

they were streaming, with yates and frost on comms when i watched. makes sense final was streamed there. i watched the railbirdstv mostly, some very good matches (and the wildest two shot safety exchange i've seen in years. hoang vs fedor), and forgot about the wnttv stream

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