Who is the pro player with the best cueball control today?

When Efren says he wouldn't play Dennis for money, that should say something.

Ko Pin Yi, 5 Time World Champion Cue Ball Control

Gilbertfan81 said:

I’m getting back into the game. I would like to hear everyone’s opinion on this. There are certain players that can almost put you in stroke just watching them play. A couple examples off the top of my mind would be Buddy and Mike Sigel. They played the game the right way- always on the right side of the ball. It was almost like they were playing a different game!

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Buddy had the best cue ball. Now we have the Great 5 Time World Champion 28 Year Old Ko Pin Yi. I know of no player, who plays as solid, plays ideal position cue ball control as he does consistently.

BY "today" I hope you mean today. It seems to change awfully fast. 2-3 years ago it was Darren Appleton (check out his training videos on youtube). There is a German called Filler who seems invincible at this moment. I also like Ruslan Chinakhov's stroke. Good luck!

RichSchultz said:

All good stuff, Jay, but I look back at a match vs SVB a few years ago where he looked away when SVB went to shake hands. As a pro, I understand his competitive nature. But show some respect. I lost some respect for Dennis after that display.

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There was bad blood between them at that time, and not all the blame belongs with Dennis. One more thing, if you took the time to watch carefully how other players shake hands (or don't!) after their matches you might be surprised to see how many offer only a "courtesy" shake or a quick fist bump. I've seen many hand slaps and hand whiffs over the course of officiating hundreds of tournaments. Sincere hand shakes are hard to come by in pool.

FYI, in the Philippines, the custom is more to lightly shake hands between men than to firmly grip hands. The hand shake over there is an almost tender grip. IMO Dennis did nothing wrong.

RichSchultz said:

All good stuff, Jay, but I look back at a match vs SVB a few years ago where he looked away when SVB went to shake hands. As a pro, I understand his competitive nature. But show some respect. I lost some respect for Dennis after that display.

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Seriously? Do you know what ethnocentric means?

You think euro/ American players care when a Japanese fan is disappointed at the depth of their bow?

The original question was who has the best cue ball control today. So I'm getting away from that question when I say that Willie Mosconi at his peak had amazing cue ball control. He got visibly upset when he was just a little out of line. Playing 14.1 and running 100+ regularly on equipment that was not nearly as easy to play with as today's equipment.

Gilbertfan81 said:

I’m getting back into the game. I would like to hear everyone’s opinion on this. There are certain players that can almost put you in stroke just watching them play. A couple examples off the top of my mind would be Buddy and Mike Sigel. They played the game the right way- always on the right side of the ball. It was almost like they were playing a different game!

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Carlo Biado, I think is the best position player.

joealb said:

Carlo Biado, I think is the best position player.

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I agree. His position play in the W9BC was insane.

Doctor_J said:

There is a German called Filler who seems invincible at this moment. I also like Ruslan Chinakhov's stroke. Good luck!

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Both good players, but I don't think either can really be considered a contender ins this thread.

millikenb said:

... The attraction of the money in Chinese 8 ball has been irresistible to the top players in other cue sports. But they all have failed to make a dent except for Gareth Potts who moved over from British Blackball..

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Well, Darren Appleton took a 1st and a 3rd in C8B events, two dents worth about $120k.

There have been very many single game specialists. Ronnie O’Sullivan is the master of the combined skill of potting and cue ball control using snooker balls. The question posed focused on the art of cue ball control only. The question that answers the question posed is who has demonstrated the most versatility across cue disciplines? My nod goes to Alex P. He has won the Derby City one pocket championship, the world trick shot championship and been crowned the world all round player. He has won the world 9 ball title, the US open 8 ball and YouTube has a video of him running 270+ balls in straight pool. On the snooker table, bigger table, smaller pockets, different balls, he has twice won the Canadian Snooker title. His versatility at the highest level across disciplines gets my vote.