Best Pool Player you saw alive, regardless.

Players I've seen live, Earl in his prime for 9 ball, straight pool, the couple of times I saw Mosconi, and Caras. I especially remember how Caras was able to count and shoot backwards to the break shot with a full table of 15 balls yet to be pocketed.
 
Earl (not) in his prime...first time was while he was practicing for his challenge match with Efren at Steinway's. He was moving the cue ball better than I've ever seen anyone move it. Few years later we played in the same tournament (I didn't last long enough to match up with him, but got within one bracket). It was the Maryland 10 Ball Championships, he beat a (then little-known) James Aranas in the finals. James was the highest Calcutta bid, several hundred higher than Earl. Earl was holding court all day both days...he and Keith McCready spent most of the tournament outside in the break area telling war stories. I spent maybe 6 hours listening to their tales. :)
 
Buddy Hall 9 ball, Efren Reyes one pocket, and I believe Ronnie O Sullivan is at another level than either
of them . His game is just not one most of us are very familiar with, or you would probably think so too. He is the only person I ever thought ,had better cue ball precision than buddy Hall. He is on the correct side of the line 99 % of the time, and his creativity is right there with Efren.
 
bbb said:
earl heisler/new york blackie/bugs rucker/alex
maybe not the best but all the above i saw in person
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I came across Blackie and Mary Kenniston in So Cal. Had to be told who they were. lol. Other notables from the area,

Keith, Ronnie Allen, Richie Florence, Little Al, probably missed a bunch of 'em who were on the sneak.

Years later, Archer, Morris, Half dozen other champs.

I can't pick the best out. just a boggling array of poolers.
 
At various times over the last 30 years I have seen Buddy Hall, Earl Strickland, Nick Varner, Efren Reyes Francisco Bustamante, Mike Sigel, Jose Parica, and many others playing 9-ball. More recently I saw Filler, Gorst, Van Boening, Chang, and some others when I attended the 2023 International Open.

I live in Arlington VA and was sad to hear that the International Open is moving to St. Augustine. Pat Fleming puts on a really nice tournament.
 
best 9b...................................earl in his prime
best 10b.................................svb
playing winner break

best player...........................efren

gorst has the greatest potential of the current top tier guys and could end up king of the hill
 
ronnie allen. maybe the best ever all around and to me a boring guy playing pool that never misses is great but not fun at all. and ronnie was fun everytime he got to the table.

another best eddie taylor. not only did he beat most all the best but he banked so much better than anyone that ever lived. and would still hold that name. and no one not even toby would play him pushout nine ball because of that.
and i gambled with both.
 
Ah. I enjoy 700-730’s personally. Can you find their flaws? They are the most enjoyable players to watch IMO. Over that it gets a little more boring because stuff looks way too easy.

I gotta give a solid nod to Vitaly. In our short race to 4 he showed me a shot that I now use often and kind of made my own. I don’t usually use anyone else’s game but it was just how easy he made it look in the particular situation. He didn’t even skip a beat on this particular one that would have most players I play stumped. Most shots are my own but he showed me this one. And I put him in a few doozies in our short time playing. Pays to pay attention.
 
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bbb said:
what was the shot he gave you praise on?
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I was playing him 9-ball at the Billiard Café in Chicago. A few days before, a friend was teaching how to play 4 cushion for the first time at Chris'. Larry locked me up pretty good. I played the newly learned tickie shot on him. I played it perfectly for a reverse safety lock-up. A crafty little imaginative shot if I say so myself and I went on to get ball in hand from him.
 
Best local pool player I ever saw was Nick Vlahos and he was a beast at all disciplines. Best display of pool I ever saw was Evgeny Stalev.
 
Harry Petros in Phila and at Stanley McDowells place in NJ
New York Richie at McDowells
Efren at Tacony
Busta at Tacony
Jimmy Fusco in Phila

Would love to have watched Mr. 1p Tom Wirth in his prime.
 
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I guess I've seen all the greatest players of the last 60 years, the so called modern era of pool. Among the old timers the two who impressed me the most (and everyone else that crowded in to watch them play) were Luther Lassiter and Harold Worst. Ed Kelly may have been the best all around player of that era since he excelled at all games. Later on Ronnie Allen was the One Pocket king before Efren came along. Earl was the best 9-Ball tournament player I ever saw, stringing racks match after match, and putting his opponents into a stupor. I agree with Stu that Mike Sigel was the best all around player of that era, even better than the Miz. Mike played all games top speed including Banks and Eight Ball. There was no chink in his armor. But the best player of all from that era was Mr. Jose Parica. He put fear in the hearts of all the other top players and only Buddy Hall was mentioned in the same breath. As much as I admired Buddy (who won at all games and on all tables) I can understand why he was reticient to match up with Jose. Jose was always ready, willing and able, but it never seemed to come off for one reason or another.

As for the present day, like so many of you I like Filler and Gorst. I hate to admit it, but they probably play at a higher level (at least at Rotation games) than any of our past champions. I'm not so sure how much they would have liked it playing Jose though. Jose moved the cue ball as good or better than either of them. Of course he was pre jump shot, and that changed everything. Take out the jump shots and my money would have been on Jose against anyone. He was a gambler's gambler. What I always loved about the great Filipino players (Efren, Jose, Dennis) is they never had to hit the ball hard. They just caressed that cue ball around the table, weaving it wherever they wanted it to go.

Honorable mention must go to my friend Dennis Orcollo. He was The Man when it came to big money games for a long time. He won nearly two million playing tournaments, and quite a bit more in the backrooms! Dennis was the heir apparent to Jose, moreso than Efren.
 
sjm said:
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.
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Love your description of the Miz. What a powerful stroke he had, but at the same time the ability to finesse all kinds of "little" shots. I would put him top five in both Straight Pool and 9-Ball (after Sigel, Earl and Buddy). Ten Ball I rate Shane a notch above the rest, with Kaci second. So we pretty much agree. One game people tend to leave out and it's a shame because it's the second toughest pool game (after One Pocket) is Rotation. Everyone knows that Efren was a One Pocket master but he was probably the best Rotation player of all time. No one, and I mean no one, had a chance playing him even. He gave weight to the world at that game!
 
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