Buffalo's Pro Classic 2025

AtLarge said:
Your calculation doesn't deduct the auction price in determining the "net" to be split 60/40. Would that be standard practice for this sort of backing? Wouldn't some backers want to recoup the auction price (and other expenses) in full and then just split any profits? [But I can see that the player might insist on doing it as you did.]

[You overlooked the 1 ball 1Pkt.'s auction price of $2,500 and auction winnings of $12,000.]
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Small calcuttas the winner usually just tosses ten to fifteen percent of the gross. I suspect that a buyer gives it a little thought at this level. I would give ten to fifteen percent after expenses, including taxes!

This is tradition, not obligation, so the player is in no position to insist on anything.

Hu
 
sjm said:
Mosconi is probably the GOAT and, with fifteen world championships, he may always be, but in the 9ball era, most agree that it is Efren Reyes. I'm sure Efren already understands that Filler may well replace him as the 9ball era GOAT.

Filler mass produces major titles (big and super-elite internationally diverse field), at a rate that nobody has since Mosconi. At 27, Josh has won all of the a) World 9-ball, b) World 8-ball, c) World Games 9ball, d) China Open 9ball, e) US Open 9ball, f) UK Open 9ball, g) European Open 9ball, and h) Qatar Open 9ball. He wins titles in every discipline, wins major titles all over the world and, like Efren before him, he wins when the prize money is highest.

In my 49 years of regularly attending pro events, I have never seen anyone play the game as well as Filler. Like every superstar that came before him, he is beatable, but it typically takes a very special performance to beat him.

In my GOAT discussion, there are only Mosconi, Reyes and Filler.
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billy incardona said something along those lines in commentary (hotseat match), that he was the best player he's seen. it was nice to hear billy doing comms again. he's still an astute observer, and knows so much about one pocket
 
In truth, the bet is "gone" when made unless the player wins it back . . .
On the other hand, the bet is an "expense" -- but this ain't business, it is gambling.
Most players and stake horses have a long term relationship -- no place for a nit.
 
skogstokig said:
billy incardona said something along those lines in commentary (hotseat match), that he was the best player he's seen. it was nice to hear billy doing comms again. he's still an astute observer, and knows so much about one pocket
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Yes, Billy has seen them all. Filler is surely playing the best 9ball ever seen, but many overlook that he has strong credentials in all the disciplines. Over and above his countless major championships at 9ball, Filler has won the American 14.1 and the European 14.1, he has won the Derby City Banks, the Buffalo Billiards One-pocket, the Derby City 10ball, the Derby City Master of the Table, and even has a silver medal at both the Las Vegas Open 10ball and the World 10ball.
 
It’s Josh Filler then everybody else.
And he’s doing it in all disciplines when competition worldwide is at an all time high.

If he continues on this pace he blows the world away from the day the first table was built.
Willie, Efren, and all the kings.

I don’t know of another player of his talent past or present.
Maybe Harold Worst had a shot from everything I’ve read on him.
 
SmoothStroke said:
It’s Josh Filler then everybody else.
And he’s doing it in all disciplines when competition worldwide is at an all time high.

If he continues on this pace he blows the world away from the day the first table was built.
Willie, Efren, and all the kings.

I don’t know of another player of his talent past or present.
Maybe Harold Worst had a shot from everything I’ve read on him.
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This is not a knock on Filler. He is great and he is doing this in the different pool disciplines. His one pocket play at his age and one pocket experience level is crazy good. But he isn’t doing it at billiards or snooker. I don’t think it could be done anymore as the level of play in billiards is so high. But Worst won a 3C world title. The 3C guys play that like Filler. plays pool. But as far as all disciplines - confine it to pool and I agree. And that is impressive enough. Mosconi wasn’t a top 3C player. Hoppe couldn’t play pockets at Mosconi level etc….

The guy who would have been interesting to see try to cross over would have been Blomdahl- he plays good pool. Again, none of this diminishes Filler, just makes some of the stories about Worst all the more impressive.
 
Baby Huey said:
Glad Hoppe was mentioned. He was only World Champion in six decades. That feat is likely to stand a long long time.
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And Hoppe did it at multiple disciplines- free game, balkline, 3C. 😉. In that regard we should mention Caudron and Ceulemans. Hoppe and Ceulemans competitive longevity is something, Caudron for carom all- around.
 
JPB2 said:
This is not a knock on Filler. He is great and he is doing this in the different pool disciplines. His one pocket play at his age and one pocket experience level is crazy good. But he isn’t doing it at billiards or snooker. I don’t think it could be done anymore as the level of play in billiards is so high. But Worst won a 3C world title. The 3C guys play that like Filler. plays pool. But as far as all disciplines - confine it to pool and I agree. And that is impressive enough. Mosconi wasn’t a top 3C player. Hoppe couldn’t play pockets at Mosconi level etc….

The guy who would have been interesting to see try to cross over would have been Blomdahl- he plays good pool. Again, none of this diminishes Filler, just makes some of the stories about Worst all the more impressive.
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I was going to mention 3 cushion that’s why I brought up Worst.
I play a lot of 3 cushion and would like to see Josh get into it and see what he has.
Worst was pretty well rounded and rolling along.
Unfortunately he died young.

Worst left Buenos Aires and never looked back. He remained the world three-cushion champion for as long as he lived. Twelve years later, in 1965, he conquered the world of pocket billiards with victories at the Las Vegas Stardust tournament in June, and in Johnston City in October and November.

He died of cancer a year later.
 
SmoothStroke said:
I was going to mention 3 cushion that’s why I brought up Worst.
I play a lot of 3 cushion and would like to see Josh get into it and see what he has.
Worst was pretty well rounded and rolling along.
Unfortunately he died young.

Worst left Buenos Aires and never looked back. He remained the world three-cushion champion for as long as he lived. Twelve years later, in 1965, he conquered the world of pocket billiards with victories at the Las Vegas Stardust tournament in June, and in Johnston City in October and November.

He died of cancer a year later.
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He could become a good 3C player of course. I think any top player at one of the games has something that allows crossing over. But becoming a top player in the world isn’t necessarily there for them. Seeing Ronnie O Sullivan try billiards on that show was interesting, and I’m sure he’d be pretty good if he did it full time for a while. But why would he? Same thing for Filler. Why would he do anything to take away from pool to become say 18th in the world? What are the odds on winning a world title after coming into it late etc…
 
JPB2 said:
He could become a good 3C player of course. I think any top player at one of the games has something that allows crossing over. But becoming a top player in the world isn’t necessarily there for them. Seeing Ronnie O Sullivan try billiards on that show was interesting, and I’m sure he’d be pretty good if he did it full time for a while. But why would he? Same thing for Filler. Why would he do anything to take away from pool to become say 18th in the world? What are the odds on winning a world title after coming into it late etc…
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The odds are not in his favor.
He’s not ready he isn’t finished conquering the world of pool.
Maybe in the future he may need a change or challenge himself. He catches on very quickly.
I would like to see him give it a shot if the planets are in alignment.
 
On the Filler topic

I think it’s exciting and great for pool to have a dominate player for a period of time. It’s been a very long time since we have had one.

I met Filler in Germany in 16 or 17, he’s a very nice person and is professional. I respect that. And I like him, we always have nice talks and hello’s when we see each other.

On the down side he’s a bit of a milk drinker and likes yoga. But nobody’s perfect! 😂 He gets a pass from me on that, it’s good he takes care of himself and he has to play good as he does. (Like he needs a pass) lol I’m not being serious here

So while I usually say bad things about the milk drinkers. I’ll exclude Josh from those negative comments. I’m very happy for him and Pia. Exciting time in pool!

Ofc this is all in jest and humor. He’s a monster and I love it! I’m here for it!

And yes he’s the best player to come along in a very very long time. Best ever? Could be! I hope so💪.

Fatboy<——-heading to yoga class….🤩
 
skogstokig said:
billy incardona said something along those lines in commentary (hotseat match), that he was the best player he's seen. it was nice to hear billy doing comms again. he's still an astute observer, and knows so much about one pocket
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Billy had a back operation late last year that was very painful. So he missed Derby as a result. Billy is super healthy otherwise 💪💪
 
Fatboy said:
On the Filler topic

I think it’s exciting and great for pool to have a dominate player for a period of time. It’s been a very long time since we have had one.

I met Filler in Germany in 16 or 17, he’s a very nice person and is professional. I respect that. And I like him, we always have nice talks and hello’s when we see each other.

On the down side he’s a bit of a milk drinker and likes yoga. But nobody’s perfect! 😂 He gets a pass from me on that, it’s good he takes care of himself and he has to play good as he does. (Like he needs a pass) lol I’m not being serious here

So while I usually say bad things about the milk drinkers. I’ll exclude Josh from those negative comments. I’m very happy for him and Pia. Exciting time in pool!

Ofc this is all in jest and humor. He’s a monster and I love it! I’m here for it!

And yes he’s the best player to come along in a very very long time. Best ever? Could be! I hope so💪.

Fatboy<——-heading to yoga class….🤩
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i want to change my "silver member" to "milk drinker".

filler is more of coca cola drinker though. mcdonalds burgers and coke. can't tell from looking at him, i presume he burns the calories doing yoga
 
terryhanna said:
Filler won the 1-ball one pocket and the one-pocket main event.
He beat Tony in a 1pkt money match before the tournament.
Given how he was playing, I have no doubt he would have also won the 9-ball if he could of had the chance to play in that. :D

Filler said that he has not played any One Pocket at all since the Derby in January. ZERO
He then plays in the world’s biggest One Pocket tournament for the first time with a field of elite One Pocket players and wins it without losing a match!

Beast mode activated 💪💪
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First of all, you and all who had a hand in the production of this event can take a deep bow. I have always enjoyed the Derby City 1-pocket event, but it has always been the only one-pocket event of the year for me as a fan. This year, even though I had never purchased a one-pocket stream before, I took a chance and purchased the event from Pool Action TV and I am so glad that I did. It was a wonderful event.

I really like the comments you have made here. As Filler keeps giving us more and more reasons to compare him to Efren, your points are important. One of the things that wowed us about Efren was the way he seemed to be able to quickly pick up and excel at virtually every game played on a pool table.

While there is not a shred of doubt in my mind that Filler is the best 9ball player that ever lived, it is outside 9ball where he seems to have that Efren-esque ability to win the toughest titles in the other disciplines, even in the games he nearly never plays. At present, we are dwelling on how he won what is surely the most prestigious one pocket event ever contested in the presence of what may well have been the toughest ever one-pocket field, but how easily we forget that Filler is a) an American 14.1 champion, b) a European 14.1 champion, c) a World 8ball champion, d) a Derby City Banks champion, e) a Derby City 10ball champion, f) a Derby City Master of the Table winner, f) a European 10ball champion, and g) a silver medalist at the World 10ball. Yowser!

Yes, Filler is today's Efren Reyes, and speaking as a fan, it is a privilege watching him do his thing over the glorious green felt.

Finally, on the forum, we have often noted that, in women's pro pool, Jean Balukas never reached her highest possible level because she did not have to. She was able to dominate, even when she only had her "B" game. For Josh, it has been the opposite. Josh is fortunate to be competing in an era that has Gorst and SVB, two great superstars, whose enduring excellence has and will continue to push him to his highest level.
 
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I thought this might be a year when a one pocket specialist took the win at Buffalo's until it became obvious Filler was unstoppable. I thought knowledge of one pocket might trump raw horsepower. I don't buy streams because I don't watch most of the stream after buying one so I don't know, does Filler move well or was it more raw shot making ability? It doesn't really matter, just curiosity.

We are going through at least a little golden age of pool. Players good enough to push each other. Sometimes a person comes along at a time that we never know how good they are because the competition is soft. As good as tyson was boxing, I think he would have been a better fighter and person had he not lost his father figure and had came along in a golden era like when we had Ali, Frasier, Foreman, and Norton in the ring. I think a fight between Frasier and Tyson both in their primes might have been the greatest boxing match in history at least for spectators!

Anyway, this is a great time for pool if not for American pool players. A worldwide field making dominance a lot harder. It is going to be a lot harder to become a legend in these fields!

Hu
 
ShootingArts said:
I thought this might be a year when a one pocket specialist took the win at Buffalo's until it became obvious Filler was unstoppable. I thought knowledge of one pocket might trump raw horsepower. I don't buy streams because I don't watch most of the stream after buying one so I don't know, does Filler move well or was it more raw shot making ability? It doesn't really matter, just curiosity.

We are going through at least a little golden age of pool. Players good enough to push each other. Sometimes a person comes along at a time that we never know how good they are because the competition is soft. As good as tyson was boxing, I think he would have been a better fighter and person had he not lost his father figure and had came along in a golden era like when we had Ali, Frasier, Foreman, and Norton in the ring. I think a fight between Frasier and Tyson both in their primes might have been the greatest boxing match in history at least for spectators!

Anyway, this is a great time for pool if not for American pool players. A worldwide field making dominance a lot harder. It is going to be a lot harder to become a legend in these fields!

Hu
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The old "You have to be older and know all the moves" bs is deader than Elvis. Superior firepower combined with just 'decent' 1p know-how is the deal. When SVB first started beating acknowledged 'master 1-holer's it was on sheer firepower. You don't need a lot of defense when u run 8-n-out all the time.
 
sjm said:
First of all, you and all who had a hand in the production of this event can take a deep bow. I have always enjoyed the Derby City 1-pocket event, but it has always been the only one-pocket event of the year for me as a fan. This year, even though I had never purchased a one-pocket stream before, I took a chance and purchased the event from Pool Action TV and I am so glad that I did. It was a wonderful event.

I really like the comments you have made here. As Filler keeps giving us more and more reasons to compare him to Efren, your points are important. One of the things that wowed us about Efren was the way he seemed to be able to quickly pick up and excel at virtually every game played on a pool table.

While there is not a shred of doubt in my mind that Filler is the best 9ball player that ever lived, it is outside the rotation games where he seems to have that Efren-esque ability to win the toughest titles in the other disciplines, even in the games he nearly never plays. At present, we are dwelling on how he won what is surely the most prestigious one pocket event ever contested in the presence of what may well have been the toughest ever one-pocket field, but how easily we forget that Filler is a) an American 14.1 champion, a European 14.1 champion, c) a World 8ball champion, d) a Derby City Banks champion, e) a Derby City 10ball champion, f) a Derby City Master of the Table winner, f) a European 10ball champion, and g) a silver medalist at the World 10ball. Yowser!

Yes, Filler is today's Efren Reyes, and speaking as a fan, it is a privilege watching him do his thing over the glorious green felt.

Finally, on the forum, we have often noted that, in women's pro pool, Jean Balukas never reached her highest possible level because she did not have to. She was able to dominate, even when she only had her "B" game. For Josh, it has been the opposite. Josh is fortunate to be competing in an era that has Gorst and SVB, two great superstars, whose enduring excellence has and will continue to push him to his highest level.
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It’s a testament to Joshua’s greatness that people are having to look at other billiard disciplines to find weakness.
To me, he’s the Ronnie O’Sullivan of the pool world…..and many players will become better because he’s showing them the way, just like Tiger did for the golfers.
 
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