First of all, let me dispel one very big fallacy that has been going around a long time. The one about the "easy" pockets in the old days. There were MANY poolrooms back in the 60's, 70's and 80's that had one or more tables set up for the good players. Usually tight Gold Crowns with 4.5" pockets or less, plus deep cut slates. Too bad there aren't any photos of the 5 x 10 by the counter in the 7/11, where all the big games were. Ten foot table with maybe 4.25" pockets. It was triple tough! That table brought a lot of good players to their knees. If Jersey Red got you over there, you might as well hand him your money.
Most of the major tournaments back then had tightened up Gold Crowns as well, no more than 4.5" pockets. Not exactly buckets. For the Peter Vitalie Invitational on 1987, they squeezed those pockets down to nothing with such deep shelves a ball could hide behind the point. Literally! We did things like this to find out who the best players were. Funny thing, Sigel, Hall and Strickland kept winning them. I wonder why.
As far as my statement about Efren playing great when all the balls were on the end rail, I'll gladly explain. Don't think for a moment he couldn't Bank, because he can. Very well I might add. About even with Ronnie there. And Ronnie banked good. When all the balls are down table, Efren is the most dangerous player I ever saw. If he can bank one in and somehow play position behind one ball, it's all over. He will pick them off one at a time, staying behind the balls until he's done. I've seen him play position on five or six balls, one at a time, when they are all within a diamond of the end rail. NO ONE else can run out from a spot like that, not even Ronnie.
Yeah, this is a bit what I was expecting. I've studied Efren quite a bit and can imagine him running out from the end rail, especially if he's between the rail and the ball, as he truly is magical with that cb.
And naturally like I said, I also consider him great in banking, but thought that he's a notch below some other players who have been more focusing on that aspect.
One of the reasons for my conclusion has been, that his success in bank pool division hasn't been exactly as good as for example Millers, but especially bcos I heard Cliff Joyner once said when he was asked about the money match with Efren (the match in DCC 2006), that "I played wrong, I should've put the balls in the end rail as he's not that good in banking.."
And last, one other fallacy dispelled. It's true, Efren kicks more accurately than anyone ever, but not more accurately than Ronnie in One Pocket. In One Pocket Efren can kick to play safe or to make a ball. But nothing like the way Ronnie could kick. He would kick to win games, moving multiple balls toward his hole. If one went in, game over! You could leave him with the cue ball buried near his pocket, with balls near your hole. He would consistently kick three rails and duck behind one of your balls, sometimes completely locking you up. Now you were in the trap!
He could kick more accurately multiple rails than Efren or anyone else. Two rails into the side of the pack, knocking balls toward his hole was routine for him. One of his favorites was when you had a couple of balls near your pocket and he was on the other side of the pack. He would kick two rails, off the end rail and side rail, hit one of your balls and send it into the bottom of the pack. VOILA, several balls would go flying toward his pocket. Again, if one went in, game over! No one else has ever been able to execute this type shot like Ronnie did routinely.
Ronnie also kicked one rail to make a ball more accurately even then Efren. He was deadly kicking at a ball on your side of the table. If he didn't make it, it was near the jaws of the pocket and you were behind the stack. Good luck!
Markus, maybe this gives you some idea of why Ronnie was the best One Pocket player for so long, during an era full of great players. He will go down in history as one of the greats of the game, along with Rags, Clem, Taylor and Efren. That's a pretty select group. Even in that group, Ronnie might be number one. Old man Puckett, who saw Rags and Clem play, said Ronnie was better than either one of them. And no one ever beat Rags, as far as I know. Clem's only losses were to Rags, according to Joey Spaeth. They played more than once.
