best all round player ever

[labatt ice rod]

Well here we go again about a month ago i posted a thread about who do you think is the best all round player in Canada and it seemed to cause quite a shit show so here i go again... who do you think is the best all round player ever in pocket billiards.. I know alot of you will say Efren is so lets get this started .....my pick is Alex pagulayan and by the way for those of you who read my last post Alex still holds his canadian passport so he is still the best in canada.. Now let the games begin

 

[lukemindish]

Flip a coin....Earl or Efren

 

[Gerry]

if the question is "all around" ?.........................EFREN!

everyone else is a distant 2nd



G.

 

[SpiderWebComm]

As far as Americans, Hopkins or Varner.

 

[real bartram]

As far as Americans, Hopkins or Varner.

varner for americans good pick.
efren for the world.

 

[PoolBum]

1. Reyes
2. Worst
3. Varner

 

[tedkaufman]

My vote goes to Sigel. Varner and Strickland close behind.

 

[trustyrusty]

does "all around" include cueball accuracy drills? just clarifying :grin:

 

[rustystrokes]

Efren

My pick in Canada is Jerry the ghost watson.

 

[Bob Jewett]

W ... who do you think is the best all round player ever in pocket billiards.. ...

You said "ever." Did you really mean in the last 50 years?

If you meant "ever" then we should note that Efren, as good as he is, is not half so clever or dominant as Francois Mingaud was. Most people probably won't even recognize him. Here's an image from Wikipedia:


It's probably also good to include those players who were so good that they forced a change in the rules so they wouldn't beat everyone else like rented mules. There have been maybe a dozen such players, but not all of them have been all-around players.

 

[skip]

Efren, my pick. He keeps beating the best in the world. An I know he is past his prime but he is the one to beat. :wink:

 

[Crownedone61]

Well my pick would also be Efren Reyes. As clichet a pick he may be, why not break it down a bit. He certainly is the best 8-ball player I've watched play. To watch him run a complicated rack of 8-ball is mesmerizing. 9-ball is said to be his weakest game and yet he has won the U.S. Open and World Championship and numerous other titles--enough said. Among pool players, he is the best 3-cushion player. He grew up playing on a 4 1/2 by 9 foot 3-cushion table, so that explains his unmatched kicking prowess. He and most other Filipinos are the best rotation players around and most would say he is the best of them. While he is not the best straight pool player, he can certainly hold his own against any player--just watch him play it. Last but not least, one pocket leaves nothing to be said. He is easily the best and most consistent one pocket player.

And oh yes, if you want to consider 10-ball another mini discipline within pool, he just won that international event as well.

All things considered, I think Efren is the best all around player.

 

[PoolBum]

Well my pick would also be Efren Reyes... Among pool players, he is the best 3-cushion player.

Among current pool players, perhaps, but Harold Worst was a 3-cushion world champion.

 

[Gerry]

I said Efren because the man is about as strong a player in ANY discipline you pull from the hat. My close second is Allen Hopkins....Allen can play ALL games, and he will post up his own cashola........maybe not 3 cusion?...not sure.


The other consideration is this......when someone asked Efren who his all time toughest opponent was?.....He said ........Mike Sigel! ....damn good reference IMO!


G.

 

[miguel_402010]

and he's been an asian champion in English billiard..
for several times i think..

 

[jay helfert]

I hate to admit it but Mike Sigel was probably the best All Around player I've seen in my lifetime. Great at Straight Pool, a champion at 9-Ball, one of the best in One Pocket and played jam up Banks as well. The only players in the modern era who are in his league would be Efren naturally (an underdog to Mike at Straight Pool and Banks, a draw at 9-Ball and only a favorite at One Pocket), Buddy Hall who was Sigels' equal at 9-Ball, Banks and One Pocket but an underdog at Straight Pool and finally Steve Mizerak who was also Mike's equal at 9-Ball and One Pocket and a favorite at Straight Pool (the only one who was). Steve was not the Bank Pool player Mike was though.

Honorable mention goes to Nick Varner (strong at all games, but a slight underdog to Sigel in most), Allen Hopkins another great all around player and Jim Rempe who played all games top speed. The latter two didn't bank close to Nick and Mike's speed though. Jimmy Fusco was another great all around player, who did bank lights out.

In an earlier era, It had to be Ed Kelly who had no weaknesses at any game, Luther Lassiter who excelled at 9-Ball and Straight Pool (his One Pocket game was only average), and of course Harold Worst who had no perceptible weaknesses on any table, including Billiards. If you take his skill at Billiards into account, he may have been the best of all. There was no game he couldn't master if he practiced it awhile. He wanted badly to beat Ronnie at One Pocket and was learning that game quickly when he passed away. Worst was also a terrific snooker player as well, and perhaps the one American who could have gone to England and done something. He was that good!

It comes down to Worst in his era and Sigel in his, with Ed Kelly a very close third! If they had to play head to head at all games in their prime, I would bet all my money on Harold Worst. He only knew one thing and that was how to win. I sincerely believe he could raise his game to whatever level necessary to win. Harold was the "Efren" of his day! Mentally he was tougher than all the rest. I never saw him have a weak moment. I can't think of anyone else quite like him and that's why we still talk about him with reverence even today.

 

[richiebalto]

I hate to admit it but Mike Sigel was probably the best All Around player I've seen in my lifetime. Great at Straight Pool, a champion at 9-Ball, one of the best in One Pocket and played jam up Banks as well. The only players in the modern era who are in his league would be Efren naturally (an underdog to Mike at Straight Pool and Banks, a draw at 9-Ball and only a favorite at One Pocket), Buddy Hall who was Sigels' equal at 9-Ball, Banks and One Pocket but an underdog at Straight Pool and finally Steve Mizerak who was also Mike's equal at 9-Ball and One Pocket and a favorite at Straight Pool (the only one who was). Steve was not the Bank Pool player Mike was though.

Honorable mention goes to Nick Varner (strong at all games, but a slight underdog to Sigel in most), Allen Hopkins another great all around player and Jim Rempe who played all games top speed. The latter two didn't bank close to Nick and Mike's speed though. Jimmy Fusco was another great all around player, who did bank lights out.

In an earlier era, It had to be Ed Kelly who had no weaknesses at any game, Luther Lassiter who excelled at 9-Ball and Straight Pool (his One Pocket game was only average), and of course Harold Worst who had no perceptible weaknesses on any table, including Billiards. If you take his skill at Billiards into account, he may have been the best of all. There was no game he couldn't master if he practiced it awhile. He wanted badly to beat Ronnie at One Pocket and was learning that game quickly when he passed away. Worst was also a terrific snooker player as well, and perhaps the one American who could have gone to England and done something. He was that good!

It comes down to Worst in his era and Sigel in his, with Ed Kelly a very close third! If they had to play head to head at all games in their prime, I would bet all my money on Harold Worst. He only knew one thing and that was how to win. I sincerely believe he could raise his game to whatever level necessary to win. Harold was the "Efren" of his day! Mentally he was tougher than all the rest. I never saw him have a weak moment. I can't think of anyone else quite like him and that's why we still talk about him with reverence even today.

Jay tom vanover and jimmy fusco had some great battles in baltimore in the 70s and early 80s ,they were pretty much even in 9 ball,then jimmy introduced tom to back pocket 9 ball,you know the rest of the story.

 

[Blackjack]

IMO, nobody was as consistently dominant at all games than Nick Varner. He was and still is that damn good.

 

[feedtheworm]

I said Efren because the man is about as strong a player in ANY discipline you pull from the hat. My close second is Allen Hopkins....Allen can play ALL games, and he will post up his own cashola........maybe not 3 cusion?...not sure.


The other consideration is this......when someone asked Efren who his all time toughest opponent was?.....He said ........Mike Sigel! ....damn good reference IMO!


G.

I've been away from pool for 15 years or more so I'm no expert.
From what I've seen, read, remember, etc. Mike Sigel and Efren Reyes share the top honors.

 

[Shawn Armstrong]

Pretty Boy Floyd. He has no use for trophies. You can't put a down payment on a house with a trophy. He gets the cash......