Best Pool Player you saw alive, regardless.

[Shooter08]

Watched Larry Nevel, thank you Bob, do shit I never seen at an under 18 hall in Madison, Wi. Never seen anything 30 years later to compare. He ain’t That guy, but Second in my Book, first character Randy Lamar, sp. He told me about bringing TVs back fro MN in his Vette in the early eighties. Think him and Hurricane matched up.

 

[Bob Jewett]

Mosconi. But if you want to honor Larry Nevel, you should spell his name right. He did hit those stroke shots pretty good. Maybe not as good as Sayginer, but pretty good.

 

[ShootingArts]

I would say Buddy Hall and Jose Parica. Johnny Archer came within an inch of pocketing an eight rail zee kick, the single greatest shot I have ever seen. Sadly I have never seen Efren or Willie Mosconi play live.

Hu

 

[Cornerman]

I took this to mean “live” as opposed to on TV or video.

One Pocket: Efren
9-ball: Joshua
Banks: Jason Miller or Joshua Filler
10-ball: SVB
14.1: I never saw Sigel, Mizerak live playing 14.1. But on video, these two were the best.

 

[The Old Jaybird]

modern era, Efren, old timer, Jimmy Moore

 

[iusedtoberich]

Best I ever saw and played vs myself was Patch Eye Henry when he was in his 70's. Wow, he really DID move like a ghost in one pocket. Of course I've seen the top pro's at the DCC several times. But for some reason playing against Patch Eye was to me more special.

 

[bbb]

earl heisler/new york blackie/bugs rucker/alex
maybe not the best but all the above i saw in person

 

[Texas3cushion]

I once saw Shane Winters not miss a ball for a good two hours straight.

 

[measureman]

I played Willie Mosconi an exhibition match in 1964,mic drop.
Growing up in N.J. from the early '60's on I saw most of the great and near great players but Willie was the best I ever saw in person.

 

[jason]

Larry was special, no doubt. RIP sir.

I played him once and took a few games, but lost. Several times I have played the big guns and a received praise for a shot I played on them. That sticks with you forever coming from them. One shot in particular I played on Larry was to draw the cue into the nine off the 1. I made the shot and he wasn't so pleased on that one, but it was a shot I practiced. That wasn't the shot he gave me praise on. I liked to think outside of the box with my game. I found the challenges fun.

 

[Colonel]

Luther Lassiter

 

[sjm]

For me, it's Mike Sigel. He's the only player that belongs in the top five ever in both straight pool and nine ball, and he was top five during the heyday of both disciplines.

Then again, Filler or Gorst may cause me to change my mind soon.

By discipline, the best I've seen:

One pocket: Reyes
Straight Pool: Sigel
Nine Ball: Filler
Ten Ball: Kaci
Eight Ball: Reyes

Larry Nevel may have had the most powerful draw stroke I've ever seen, just a hair better than Strickland's. Mizerak might have had the best stroke ever, and if I may quote one of his contemporaries, he had the perfect blend of power and finesse.

Greenleaf and Mosconi predate my days as a pool fan.

 

[bbb]

Larry was special, no doubt. RIP sir.

I played him once and took a few games, but lost. Several times I have played the big guns and a received praise for a shot I played on them. That sticks with you forever coming from them. One shot in particular I played on Larry was to draw the cue into the nine off the 1. I made the shot and he wasn't so pleased on that one, but it was a shot I practiced. That wasn't the shot he gave me praise on. I liked to think outside of the box with my game. I found the challenges fun.

what was the shot he gave you praise on?

 

[Island Drive]

I played this man for almost 7 hours straight, he never once missed the pocket middle, just entered it too often at too high a speed.
Straightest swing I've ever seen.
The greats once in awhile will miss a shot by an inch or so, not earl in his youth.

 

[WildWing]

Tie between Luther Lassiter and Mike Sigel. Luther in the 1960s, Mike, in the 1980s. Both unbeatable, and all-around players, not just one type of game.

 

[WoodyJ]

I played Willie Mosconi an exhibition match in 1964,mic drop.
Growing up in N.J. from the early '60's on I saw most of the great and near great players but Willie was the best I ever saw in person.

Same here, played him in an exhibition in 1965.

Beyond that all the top players at the Derby City Classics and U.S Opens. Liked watching Efren enjoying the game most.

 

[mmwtdh]

Danny Basevich came through mid Missouri when he was still a road warrior. He strung the best local player all weekend barely winning every set.

There was a paragraph about the adventure in his coming out article in Sport Illustrated:

Along the way they discovered that their game's iffy reputation is at odds with reality. There is a dignity, a sense of honor among players: You lose, you pay up. Delicious claims he once beat a sucker out of $6,300 in Jefferson City, Mo., and the mark had to pay part of his debt with a personal check. Delicious had been taught to accept only cash, but he took the check and it cleared, no problem.

It was a treat watching him glide around the table and never spending more than few seconds looking at the situation before firing away..

 

[sjm]

It was a treat watching him glide around the table and never spending more than few seconds looking at the situation before firing away..

LOL. Danny, a most beloved figure in pool, is always mentioned in threads about the slowest player of all time. Nice guy, great player, but slow as molasses.

 

[Rusty in Montana]

My list of great players isn't very lengthy compared to many on here to choose from but here goes nothing and they're in no particular order .

Jimmy Moore , Steve Mizerak , Frank McGown , Grady Mathews ,Shane Van Boening , Earl Strickland , local players from my younger days Lance Saunders and a fella who's full name escapes me other than Mexican Joe who was a road player I only seen him once in Billings and another road player George was his first name but he had a fantastic stroke and could do things with a cue off the rack that could bring a tear to your eye ! Ha ha

 

[1sttbone]

After playing for sixty seven years and watching many great players efren is diffinately the best and svb would be my second choice. Siegel and earl were great. one more usopen 9-ball for svb and all the talk would end. just my opinion.