Who do you think is the most well known pool player (among the general public)?

[Chopdoc]

To the general public, I'm betting very few folks know the name Efren Reyes. I'm betting nobody at my work knows him unless they play pool, or are from the Phillipines. Anyone else, nah, they have no idea. But then again, to be fair, I don't know who is the best badmitton player on the planet either ??

I have had multiple clients from PI, both medical students and doctors. I have mentioned him to every one of them over the years and have yet to find one that ever heard of him. Most of them have been able to at least say that pool is big in PI but that is the extent of what they have known.

Just different demographics I guess.


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[justinb386]

He won 31 times in a row. He had a lossless streak of 71, but had several draws in that time.

There is no evidence that he was paid to retire. He was in his mid thirties, which is a logical age to retire.

He was also an incredibly horrible human being and should be forgotten.

I think that I read that he murdered his wife? I wonder why he would be out of prison and driving just 7 years later (when he was killed in a car accident)? Argentine must not have very harsh punishments for murder, I guess.

 

[justinb386]

The point being, even if you follow boxing, you can still fail to know the greats, so as far as asking people that don't have anything to do with pool, to name a pool player, the odds are slim to even name Minnesota fats to answer the question, and that's only if they had ever watched the "hustler" at some point in time in their life, and the ONLY reason they would have even watched the movie would have been because of Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason staring in it as they BOTH had a huge following of fans.

It was the type of movie, that even people who had no interest in pool would enjoy it, because it was such a great drama, and much of it was not about pool.

I wonder if it was nominated for any academy awards. Such a great movie.

 

[justinb386]

Draws are not losses either, that's why the fight ends even, but if there's a title on the line, it stays with the champion as it requires a loss to lose it. Get over myself???....LMAO really? YOU didn't even know who he was, yet commented that he was a piece of shit....that don't speak to good about you, but no need to reply and derail this thread to make some kind of off subject personal point, just let it go, I've already tried to get it back on track, now let it go and do the same.

Yeah, I had no idea who he was either. I had to Google him, and read about him.

 

[justinb386]

To the general public, I'm betting very few folks know the name Efren Reyes. I'm betting nobody at my work knows him unless they play pool, or are from the Phillipines. Anyone else, nah, they have no idea. But then again, to be fair, I don't know who is the best badmitton player on the planet either ??

He seems to be a celebrity in the Philippines though. I have asked non pool players from his country about pool players, and Efren is the only name that they would say. He is like a legend over there . I met many people from the Philippines , and they all mentioned his name when I told them I was a fan of pool.

 

[smashmouth]

Efren is a hero to ALL Filipinos.

nothing could be further from the truth

replace Efren with Pacquiao and you would be correct

I've spent a good amount of time in the PI, Efren is kind of known by face as "that pool player"....that's about it, and that's amoungst a certain age group only....and from that group...mostly men.......younger people don't know him

pool players in the PI are typically not known and the game itself is popular amidst a very niche market

in comparison, a child contestant on a show like Kid's Voice will be known nationwide, as would other tv/film/pop celebrities that might be relegated to b or c status over here

the comparisons to usa pro pool are interesting to me as both countries in my mind for several decades now have far more things in common than not

 

[cuenut]

Your original question seemed to infer someone playing now, or alive now. I think Ronnie O'Sullivan and Florian Kohler. Virtually everyone who plays pool, billiards, or snooker knows who Ronnie is. But I think Florian Kohler would be recognized by more than even Ronnie. When you tell someone that you play pool, even people who don't know pool know about the guy who makes the trick shots. They might not know his name, but they know him when they see him. Jeanette Lee a close third to Ronnie for the same reasons I mentioned previously for him.

 

[hang-the-9]

It was the type of movie, that even people who had no interest in pool would enjoy it, because it was such a great drama, and much of it was not about pool.

I wonder if it was nominated for any academy awards. Such a great movie.

Yep, quite a few, it won a couple and was nominated for pretty much every big category like Best Picture and Best Actors. Many of the movie posters did not feature pool as the main story but the relationship between Fast Eddie and his girl and the gambling/hustler draw vs love.

Won
Oscar

Best Cinematography, Black-and-White
Eugen Schüfftan

Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White
Harry Horner
Gene Callahan

Nominated
Oscar

Best Picture
Robert Rossen

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Paul Newman

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Piper Laurie

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Jackie Gleason

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

George C. Scott
Refused even to be nominated.

Best Director
Robert Rossen

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Sidney Carroll
Robert Rossen

 

[KICKMAN]

original question

I would say it would be JEANETTE LEE by a good margin

 

[Scott Lee]

If West Side Story had not been in the running with The Hustler,
it would have won everything. WSS won almost all the awards that year!

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Yep, quite a few, it won a couple and was nominated for pretty much every big category like Best Picture and Best Actors. Many of the movie posters did not feature pool as the main story but the relationship between Fast Eddie and his girl and the gambling/hustler draw vs love.

Won
Oscar

Best Cinematography, Black-and-White
Eugen Schüfftan

Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White
Harry Horner
Gene Callahan

Nominated
Oscar

Best Picture
Robert Rossen

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Paul Newman

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Piper Laurie

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Jackie Gleason

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

George C. Scott
Refused even to be nominated.

Best Director
Robert Rossen

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Sidney Carroll
Robert Rossen

 

[Scott Lee]

Not for nothing, but Minnesota Fats was also a fictional character. Rudolph Wanderone only took the name after the movie was a hit. There were several people who pawned themselves off as Fast Eddie, the most famous being Ronnie Allen. "Fast Eddie" Parker was another.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

One of the most famous is a fictitious person - Fast Eddy Felson.

A lot of people think he actually existed because of the movie.

 

[michael4]

Jeanette Lee a close third to Ronnie for the same reasons I mentioned previously for him.

sadly, there would be no "third place", because no one in the general public can name three pool players...........(doubtful they can even name one)

 

[KRJ]

I have had multiple clients from PI, both medical students and doctors. I have mentioned him to every one of them over the years and have yet to find one that ever heard of him. Most of them have been able to at least say that pool is big in PI but that is the extent of what they have known.

Just different demographics I guess.


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Well, I didn't mean everyone from the PI would know him But, he'd have a better chance of being known there than in the US, that's for sure. Heck, many league players don't know the guy.

Had Nick Varner and Buddy Hall doing an exhibition and some league bangers would not bother to come over and watch for FREE ????? A severe storm hit, and many of the paid folks didn't bother coming out in the storm, so we allowed anyone in the pool hall to watch just to have a better "show".

There is a chapter on this storm in Mark Cantrell's book, and how they stayed at the exhibition and I bolted to be with the family

 

[realkingcobra]

If anyone were to pick the most notable sports figure in the PI, Efren Reyes couldn't fill a poolroom playing the biggest match of his career before Manny Pacquiao could sell out every seat in the largest colosseum in the PI.

 

[hang-the-9]

Well, I didn't mean everyone from the PI would know him But, he'd have a better chance of being known there than in the US, that's for sure. Heck, many league players don't know the guy.

Had Nick Varner and Buddy Hall doing an exhibition and some league bangers would not bother to come over and watch for FREE ????? A storm hit, and many of the paid folks didn't bother coming out in the storm, so we allowed anyone in the pool hall to watch just to have a better "show".

The main thing most league players worry about is how low their handicap can be and how high their beer per night count can get

When I was at one of the BCA/BCAPL tournaments at the Rio, Mark Griffin had a pro event going on at the same time, all free to watch. Not a lot of people were in the bleachers.

 

[Bob Jewett]

... When I was at one of the BCA/BCAPL tournaments at the Rio, Mark Griffin had a pro event going on at the same time, all free to watch. Not a lot of people were in the bleachers.

At the Jay Helfert LA Expo (2001?) there was a pro 8-ball invitational by Accu-stats that was a forerunner of the Make-It-Happen series. One morning a bunch of league players were there and Efren was on the TV table practicing his eight ball moves very methodically. His approach was fascinating. It was free to watch. There was one person watching him.

League players are very different from pool players.

 

[jay helfert]

Contrary to what some are saying here, Efren "Bata" is well known in the Philippines, as is "Django" Bustamante. They are better known by their nicknames than real names. Both have long been featured on posters and ads for San Miguel beer, their longtime sponsor.

Even when they played in major tornaments in the U.S. the local Filipino community would turn out to support them. Efren may be the second most recognized athlete in the PI after Pacquiao. I've stood outside a hotel chatting with him and a crowd formed around us. Children wanted to touch him as if he was a God.

When we put on major tournamento in the Philippines we would have standing room only crowds who could not see the pool table. They could only see Efren or Francisco walking around it. That was enough to get them excited!

Fox Sports in the PI features tournament matches (from Accu-Stats) on a near daily basis with the Filipino players competing. I've watched several 2017 DCC matches during my current stay here with Efren, Francisco, Alex and Lee Vann.

 

[JoeyInCali]

Contrary to what some are saying here, Efren "Bata" is well known in the Philippines, as is "Django" Bustamante. They are better known by their nicknames than real names. Both have long been featured on posters and ads for San Miguel beer, their longtime sponsor.

Efren is the number 3 idol in the Philippines one time.
Pac, the late movie legend Fernando Poe ( who made his last movie with Efren before he passed away ) and then Efren.

Efren is so famous, as you know, a crowd follows him wherever he plays.
Jose Parica was actually the first pool player featured in San Miguel tv ad with the late boxing great Flash Elorde.

 

[JoeyInCali]

If anyone were to pick the most notable sports figure in the PI, Efren Reyes couldn't fill a poolroom playing the biggest match of his career before Manny Pacquiao could sell out every seat in the largest colosseum in the PI.

When Efren has a money match there, the pool rooms are filled to the roofs .
Literally.
Oddly enough, Efren is Pac's idol.
Efren is every pool hustler's idol there.
Pac hustled pool in his teens.

 

[realkingcobra]

You people have league players mixed up with pool players...LMAO To league players, its a night out from home and the kids, no different than bowling night out with your friends. They limit their pool playing for the most part to the league night only, because they work jobs, have marriages, kids, mortgages, and can afford to buy cues pool players would never spend money on. Pool is not.their lifes passion, or their addiction like it is to "pool players" who by the way for the most part....wouldn't BOTHER themselves with playing in pool leagues as it's beneath them and their own view of tbeir skills. You always hear pool player knocking league players as bangers, but you never hear of league players knocking the Pro's, why is that? Could it be because pool to them....is nust a break from home, and a night out with their friends....and maybe THAT'S why they don't know who world class pool players are....maybe?