The Young Efren

Terry Ardeno said:
y.

Something else that may be of some interest. Reyes started his pool career at age 8 with Rotation. In the December 1985 issue of Billiards Digest, on page 22, Efren is quoted as saying "Rotation is the main game. They never played 9 ball or one pocket in the Philippines." By 1977, Reyes switched exclusively to 3 cushion billiards. The reason was simple. By that time, he could only get money games if he played 3 cushion. Nobody wanted to gamble with him at Rotation. In 1981, he switched back to pocket billiards (read rotation) and supposedly, there was no loss of his speed.
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Thanks for the info Terry regarding 3c - have read twice in Billiards Digest (I believe) with Reyes saying he plays the best baulkline billiards - but I've always thought the best baulkline players are in Europe - although I wouldn't dismiss him at any billiard game - as he made a tremendous straight rail billiard to create a break shot in straight pool on an Accustat tape - both commentators (Danny Deliberto and Grady Matthews) applauded the shot and said that even they didn't see it as a possibility to create a break shot - Jackson
 
jay helfert said:
He won 20K in the tourney and another 15 or 20K betting on the side. He must have won 20 to 30K in all the after hours matches, so it was a big score for 1985. Anywhere from 60 to 75K by most estimates. He did lose 5K in a challenge match with Buddy the same night the tourney ended. Efren didn't play as well in that match. He looked tired and almost like he was dumping himself. I was there, I saw it and ref'd for them.
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Jay,

What was the game with Buddy? One set? Any spots?
 
frankncali said:
BTW-- when they talk about him playing in the 70s they talk like he never missed. Its consistent every time. Even Efren said that the old Efren could give the current Efren the 7 easily.
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I have heard that before many times but I doubt the validity of the statement and it is likely more due to rose tinted glasses when looking into the past.

I have seen early (mid 80's) video of a young Efren shooting against both Parica and Sigel early in his trip to the USA and from what I have seen the best pool Efren shot was in the early 90's when he was far and away the best player in the world. Early-mid 90's Efren was a better player then the mid 80's Efren, and not by any small degree.

Efren was one of the greatest pool players who ever lived, and he was at a time the best player alive, but the height of his prowess IMO was in the 90's and given the footage of what we have of him at that time, his increase in ability with kick safeties, the fact he never missed, the banking proficiancy he showed, I would love to take even action of that Efren vs his younger less seasoned counterpart who was #2 behind Parica at that time.
 
jackson said:
Thanks for the info Terry regarding 3c - have read twice in Billiards Digest (I believe) with Reyes saying he plays the best baulkline billiards - but I've always thought the best baulkline players are in Europe - although I wouldn't dismiss him at any billiard game - as he made a tremendous straight rail billiard to create a break shot in straight pool on an Accustat tape - both commentators (Danny Deliberto and Grady Matthews) applauded the shot and said that even they didn't see it as a possibility to create a break shot - Jackson
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Reyes is roughly a 1.0 - 1.1 handicap in 3c billiards, top 3c players are about 2.0

In balkline he wouldn't even be in the top 50 in the world....frederic caudron is far and away the best balkline player in the world. Efren is however mostt likely the best billiard player among POOL players.
 
jay helfert said:
The rumor back then was that some filipino "mafia" types had brought him over, and they took most of the money he won, giving him only a few thousand. It wasn't until Efren began to come over with Rolando, and travel with Mike Lebron, that he began making money for himself and his family. They looked out for him, and made sure no one took advantage of him.
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Speaking of Mike Lebron...Is he still around?? He complemented my game 1 time and i have never forgotten that... I kinda keep on playing this game because of it....
 
smashmouth said:
I also find it very interesting that he smoked the country but lost to Buddy
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Nothing to be ashamed of there really, Buddy was beating EVERYONE back then. I doubt Buddy lost any kind of long or ahead set from 1975-1985. He simply played perfect 9 ball all night, every night. The best 9 ball I've ever seen.
 
Young Efren Bata

One of Efren's original crew in Houston is a very good friend of mine. He lives in Virginia and shoots a mean stick, too. He told me that the match between Efren and Buddy was an epic match. At that time Efren was pretty much exhausted from non-stop playing while Buddy was really fresh. Between two great players, stamina plays a big role and that's what really happened. He said that there has been too much speculation as to what really happened at that match but that's coming straight from the horse mouth.

He also said that Efren was really impressed with Earl when he played him. Efren had his hands full with Earl shooting everything and making everything!! He told my friend that he has never seen anybody shoot like that before; if Earl can see the shot/ball he will make it.

Now, this is where Efren's genius came into play. With absolute cue ball control he played mind-bending safeties on Earl even if the ball lay-out was an easy run. Earl went nuts and started to miss balls. After that breakdown, it was just a walk in the park for Efren.

A lot of things happened during their stay in Houston, juicy and very funny incidents about our man Efren in Houston, but that's another story!!!:thumbup::D:)

bayawak
You got the 8 for life!!
 
I used to play at the pool hall in Cubao where Efren played in the late 70's.
Even then, he had to give huge spots to get action. I used to play him $2 a game getting around 99-21. Efren loved it because he didn't have two nickels to rub together in those days. And I loved to watch the magician firing impossible caroms and combos from anywhere. Slow-rolling on that equipment was out of the question.
There was quite a cast of characters frequenting the place because of the spectacle of the young pool genius and the side action available. At that time, Parica was the big dog and was playing a lot in the States, but when he came to Cubao, he asked for a spot from Efren. I believe the spot was 69-51. Saw lots of action with other Filipino pool greats like Boy Bicol, Boy Samson, and Totoy.
 
tigerseye said:
Speaking of Mike Lebron...Is he still around?? He complemented my game 1 time and i have never forgotten that... I kinda keep on playing this game because of it....
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Sat right next to him watching a tv table match at the DCC this year. Pretty sure he was asleep for most of the match, lol. Here he is with Efren at the 1p HOF induction ceremony.

Aaron
 

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bamadog said:
I used to play at the pool hall in Cubao where Efren played in the late 70's.
Even then, he had to give huge spots to get action. I used to play him $2 a game getting around 99-21. Efren loved it because he didn't have two nickels to rub together in those days. And I loved to watch the magician firing impossible caroms and combos from anywhere. Slow-rolling on that equipment was out of the question.
There was quite a cast of characters frequenting the place because of the spectacle of the young pool genius and the side action available. At that time, Parica was the big dog and was playing a lot in the States, but when he came to Cubao, he asked for a spot from Efren. I believe the spot was 69-51. Saw lots of action with other Filipino pool greats like Boy Bicol, Boy Samson, and Totoy.
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Holy smokes Bama! I didn't know you got to see Efren in his "prime". How many pool players, much less American pool players, could say they saw Efren and the mystical Boy Bicol in their heyday. Nobody took pictures?
 
Bayawak said:
Now, this is where Efren's genius came into play. With absolute cue ball control he played mind-bending safeties on Earl even if the ball lay-out was an easy run. Earl went nuts and started to miss balls. After that breakdown, it was just a walk in the park for Efren.
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For Efren, I would consider that sharking...lol.

Bayawak said:
A lot of things happened during their stay in Houston, juicy and very funny incidents about our man Efren in Houston, but that's another story!!!:thumbup::D:)
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And who told you to stop? ;)
 
Around 1971 I was in the Navy stationed at Subic Bay Naval Base. I used to play some of the locals who had jobs on the base. After drilling one such local he said to me. "If you want a real game, go up to Angeles City and play the kid." Sadly for me I never got the chance. It was probably 20 years later before I had any idea who "the kid" was.

Mark
 
jsp said:
Holy smokes Bama! I didn't know you got to see Efren in his "prime". How many pool players, much less American pool players, could say they saw Efren and the mystical Boy Bicol in their heyday. Nobody took pictures?
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I'm with you on this one. I am also intrigue to this great hustler. Does anybody has a picture of him?? I wonder what was his real name.

It would have been a treat to see him play internationally with the original Filipino invaders. That would be a killer team.
 
Great thread

This is one of the best threads I have ever read on here.Amazing stories of "Bata" and the other phillipino greats.Keep them coming and thanks for sharing.Very sweet.:thumbup:
 
What a great thread :)

I have a little to share, told by a gentleman, Oscar, who travelled to some tournaments with Efren.

I was at One Side playing, and when done, I sat down with Oscar talking with him while eating. Efren played chess on a table nearby, and then Oscar said: "Did you know that when he was young, he practiced rotation with 30 balls. He threw 2 sets of balls on the table, then played all of them in rotation. First the two yellow, then the two blue."

Then he went on telling about one time they travelled to a tournament in UK 8-ball, a game they had never played before (small table, smaller balls, red and yellow). The night before the tournament Oscar backed Efren against the highest ranked player, for $ 300 (lots of money back then), but Efren kept on missing all kind of shots, and lost badly.

Oscar asked Efren what was wrong, and then Efren said "I missed on purpose so I could watch him play the game and learn the tactics". Of course Oscar went mad, because he had lost his money, and they didn't talk much to eachother during the tournament.

But when Efren won the tournament and then handed Oscar parts of his winnings + the $ 300 everything was forgotten.

Oscar also said that even though the Filipinos keep on getting more fantastic players, no one will ever be as good as Efren. He said that now they play mostly 10-ball or 9-ball, not rotation like Efren. In rotation Efren learnt how to kick, carom, bank and play superb safeties. Now players can also use jump-cues + none of them plays 3-cushion like Efren did for some years.

I believe he's right. We will never see a player like Efren again, and I am happy that I've met him and played him.
 
Celtic said:
I have heard that before many times but I doubt the validity of the statement and it is likely more due to rose tinted glasses when looking into the past.

I have seen early (mid 80's) video of a young Efren shooting against both Parica and Sigel early in his trip to the USA and from what I have seen the best pool Efren shot was in the early 90's when he was far and away the best player in the world. Early-mid 90's Efren was a better player then the mid 80's Efren, and not by any small degree.

Efren was one of the greatest pool players who ever lived, and he was at a time the best player alive, but the height of his prowess IMO was in the 90's and given the footage of what we have of him at that time, his increase in ability with kick safeties, the fact he never missed, the banking proficiancy he showed, I would love to take even action of that Efren vs his younger less seasoned counterpart who was #2 behind Parica at that time.
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Speaking of rose tinted glasses...you are probably basing this on just a couple of matches you saw.
 
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