Best Money Player Alive Today

[jay helfert]

My Top Ten

I like this thread so I decided to make my own list of the top ten money players of the last 25 years IMO.

1. Jose Parica, the most widely feared of them all.
2. Buddy Hall, dominant in tournaments and for money for over 30 years!
3. Johnny Archer, 15 years at the top of the heap and no one has knocked him off yet.
4. Jack Cooney, he must be on this list since he won more money than anyone else, by far! The smartest gambler in the entire pool world.
5. Billy Incardona, Second smartest after Cooney. Booked 99% winners for over 25 years.
6. CJ Wiley, bet the highest against top flight competition and took it down, albeit for only a few years at most.
7. Rodney Morris, before his five year hiatus, ran roughshod over top players from continent to continent.
8. Ronnie Allen, bet higher and played better than any One Pocket before or since, with Efren only getting an asterisk here for being the best of his era.
9. Keith McCready, played 'em all large or small, and bet with both hands whenever and wherever. Any table was good for him.
10. Jay Swanson, Maybe the best ever super high stakes 9-Ball player. 500 a game and up! He was the guy they flew in!

Honorable Mention: Francisco Bustamante, he would be #11 on my list; Jimmy Reid, the master of heads up Ten Ball; Larry Lisciotti, a lifetime money player and winner; Danny Diliberto, the same; Jimmy Mataya, bold and fearless; Louie Roberts, never turned down a game; Nick Varner, the Jersey Red of his generation; Mark Tadd, played great and bet high - briefly; James Walden, has played in some legendary games.

Up and coming: Alex Pagulayan, he has more gamble than just about any young gun; Dennis Orcollo, always ready to play; Shane Van Boening, a throwback to another era; Tony Chohan, another pure gambler; Ronnie Wiseman, old war horse and road warrior - an endangered species, Chris Bartram, constantly looking for action.

I did slip up and left out Efren. It must have been a Fruedian slip . He belongs among the top ten for sure, maybe top five. I'd probably replace Ronnie with Efren, since Ronnie barely qualifies among players of the last quarter century. His reign on top was winding down 25 years ago. His last good match was 20 years ago with Danny, and he was only at about 85-90% then.

 

[tigerseye]

I like this thread so I decided to make my own list of the top ten money players of the last 25 years IMO.

1. Jose Parica, the most widely feared of them all.
2. Buddy Hall, dominant in tournaments and for money for over 30 years!
3. Johnny Archer, 15 years at the top of the heap and no one has knocked him off yet.
4. Jack Cooney, he must be on this list since he won more money than anyone else, by far! The smartest gambler in the entire pool world.
5. Billy Incardona, Second smartest after Cooney. Booked 99% winners for over 25 years.
6. CJ Wiley, bet the highest against top flight competition and took it down, albeit for only a few years at most.
7. Rodney Morris, before his five year hiatus, ran roughshod over top players from continent to continent.
8. Ronnie Allen, bet higher and played better than any One Pocket before or since, with Efren only getting an asterisk here for being the best of his era.
9. Keith McCready, played 'em all large or small, and bet with both hands whenever and wherever. Any table was good for him.
10. Jay Swanson, Maybe the best ever super high stakes 9-Ball player. 500 a game and up! He was the guy they flew in!

Honorable Mention: Jimmy Reid, the master of heads up Ten Ball; Larry Lisciotti, a lifetime money player and winner; Danny Diliberto, the same; Jimmy Mataya, bold and fearless; Louie Roberts, never turned down a game; Nick Varner, the Jersey Red of his generation; Mark Tadd, played great and bet high - briefly; Tony Watson, pure action player.

Me! I have been asked to play a race to 11 for 2k but i never play the other mans offer so isay i'll race u to 2k for 11 dollars....I haven't had any takers yet....LOL=-)
Ditto on this list...
By the way, what was hennesse complaining about when u were rackin in the last set?

 

[jay helfert]

Me! I have been asked to play a race to 11 for 2k but i never play the other mans offer so isay i'll race u to 2k for 11 dollars....I haven't had any takers yet....LOL=-)
Ditto on this list...
By the way, what was hennesse complaining about when u were rackin in the last set?

He insisted that all balls be frozen, and kept finding two balls a micro mini millimeter apart. So I kept racking until he was satisfied. Those Delta racks are the nuts, my biggest problem was with previous dents in the cloth. That's why I hate to see guys pounding on balls. A light tap is usually all it takes to freeze two balls.

 

[freddy the beard]

Velly good.

louis; i guess if you're going to hijack the thread( pasted away players ) which is good, as i don't get "great money players" who are always staked ? the greatest betting their own and playing their very top speed, Marcel Camp and Cornbread Red.

Two excellent choices.

the Beard

 

[tigerseye]

He insisted that all balls be frozen, and kept finding two balls a micro mini millimeter apart. So I kept racking until he was satisfied. Those Delta racks are the nuts, my biggest problem was with previous dents in the cloth. That's why I hate to see guys pounding on balls. A light tap is usually all it takes to freeze two balls.

yea...i noticed that hillbilly had an alternative solution to getting the rack tight or where he preffered it to be....
I saw where you were racking them and then once they were satisfactory he simply marked the nose of the rack on both sides with chalk....
Geat idea for consistent racking and no dings in the table...

 

[watchez]

I like this thread so I decided to make my own list of the top ten money players of the last 25 years IMO.

1. Jose Parica, the most widely feared of them all.
2. Buddy Hall, dominant in tournaments and for money for over 30 years!
3. Johnny Archer, 15 years at the top of the heap and no one has knocked him off yet.
4. Jack Cooney, he must be on this list since he won more money than anyone else, by far! The smartest gambler in the entire pool world.
5. Billy Incardona, Second smartest after Cooney. Booked 99% winners for over 25 years.
6. CJ Wiley, bet the highest against top flight competition and took it down, albeit for only a few years at most.
7. Rodney Morris, before his five year hiatus, ran roughshod over top players from continent to continent.
8. Ronnie Allen, bet higher and played better than any One Pocket before or since, with Efren only getting an asterisk here for being the best of his era.
9. Keith McCready, played 'em all large or small, and bet with both hands whenever and wherever. Any table was good for him.
10. Jay Swanson, Maybe the best ever super high stakes 9-Ball player. 500 a game and up! He was the guy they flew in!

Honorable Mention: Francisco Bustamante, he would be #11 on my list; Jimmy Reid, the master of heads up Ten Ball; Larry Lisciotti, a lifetime money player and winner; Danny Diliberto, the same; Jimmy Mataya, bold and fearless; Louie Roberts, never turned down a game; Nick Varner, the Jersey Red of his generation; Mark Tadd, played great and bet high - briefly; James Walden, has played in some legendary games.

Up and coming: Alex Pagulayan, he has more gamble than just about any young gun; Dennis Orcollo, always ready to play; Shane Van Boening, a throwback to another era; Tony Chohan, another pure gambler; Ronnie Wiseman, old war horse and road warrior - an endangered species, Chris Bartram, constantly looking for action.

Jay - I like your list. I would also give Grady Mathews an honorable mention. Grady did play them all for years, bet decent money, bet his own money and had the standing offer that if he didn't know who you were, you got 9-7. That offer stood as far as I know it til the mid to late 90s when his game dropped off. Grady, I'm sure, could clarify. Another honorable mention would be Dave Matlock. Enough said.

 

[srs314]

I know for a fact JA was in the room when Alex asked anyone if they wanted to play. No takers!

I'm sure just like all good gamblers JA picks his spots, as I'm sure Alex would as well.

When a kid from California visited Toronto and asked for a match he said to my buddy,

"come on old man, I hear you gambled in your day why don't we play some."

My friend an old road player said,

"sorry kid you must have bad information, I don't gamble. However I've been known to take a sinch from time to time."

Anyway good gamblers know how to pick their spots, pool is a game where players go on steaks like when Alex won the WPC he couldn't get action here, after winning the US Open same thing.

Fact is he hasn't had an even up gambling match on American soil in the last 5 years besides Shane, and it's not for lack of trying to get one.

So I guess it comes down to defining the term Best Money Player? I would wonder what the opinions would be if you looked at it by their ability to put themselves in the right games and win with the cash on the line, even if they are getting spotted?

Anyway just some thoughts, this is an interesting thread, I've certainly enjoyed reading all the posts!

 

[Fatboy]

I know for a fact JA was in the room when Alex asked anyone if they wanted to play. No takers!

I'm sure just like all good gamblers JA picks his spots, as I'm sure Alex would as well.

When a kid from California visited Toronto and asked for a match he said to my buddy,

"come on old man, I hear you gambled in your day why don't we play some."

My friend an old road player said,

"sorry kid you must have bad information, I don't gamble. However I've been known to take a sinch from time to time."

Anyway good gamblers know how to pick their spots, pool is a game where players go on steaks like when Alex won the WPC he couldn't get action here, after winning the US Open same thing.

Fact is he hasn't had an even up gambling match on American soil in the last 5 years besides Shane, and it's not for lack of trying to get one.

So I guess it comes down to defining the term Best Money Player? I would wonder what the opinions would be if you looked at it by their ability to put themselves in the right games and win with the cash on the line, even if they are getting spotted?

Anyway just some thoughts, this is an interesting thread, I've certainly enjoyed reading all the posts!

When Alex said he would play anyone at the Derby I was there with JA, we roomed together that trip, JA didnt want to play on a Diamond, wh would play on a GC, the next trip we took was to JOB's Alex was there and they didnt play then, Alex could have very easilly went to GA and found a GC on neutral ground and played JA-he didnt either, mutial respect. JA likes to play on GC's he wont play a tough game on a Diamond, just like some guys wont play on a GC, its a 2 way street.

 

[Fatboy]

If you think about it none of the elite players are money players anymore. How often is there a game unless it's a tar special.

I'm sorry I just can't keep my mouth shut. The guy earlier said winning 70% of your gambling matches is strong. My winning percentage over the last 3 years is only 90%... not very good.

i would believe 90%, after what I saw that nite. keep up the good work man!!

 

[srs314]

When Alex said he would play anyone at the Derby I was there with JA, we roomed together that trip, JA didnt want to play on a Diamond, wh would play on a GC, the next trip we took was to JOB's Alex was there and they didnt play then, Alex could have very easilly went to GA and found a GC on neutral ground and played JA-he didnt either, mutial respect. JA likes to play on GC's he wont play a tough game on a Diamond, just like some guys wont play on a GC, its a 2 way street.

I agree with the mutual respect between the two.

Still as a fan I would love to see the match! Maybe on TAR one day?

 

[srs314]

If you think about it none of the elite players are money players anymore. How often is there a game unless it's a tar special.

I'm sorry I just can't keep my mouth shut. The guy earlier said winning 70% of your gambling matches is strong. My winning percentage over the last 3 years is only 90%... not very good.

So you win 9/10 gambling matches? Is that like when I go to a poker game and ask who's up money at the table and 9/10 tell me they are?

 

[deanoc]

one thing i don't see is any player saying "i will play anybody in the world for $100,000 right now",or even $10,000.

if somebody is willing to play anybody,why don't they post it up,or for that matter why doesn,'t a stakehorse step with the cash

 

[smashmouth]

that scenario is pretty much implied when it comes to Efren and has been for many years, not sure why Jay kept him off his list????

the fact is nobody in the world is that far ahead of the pack, such a proposition would be nothing more than a 50/50 coin toss between the very best players, Efren included (but he can offer that action due to people lining up to stake him)

plus 100k is nothing to sneeze at, would have been probably easier to recoup that kind of loss 20 years ago than today, as odd as that may seem

 

[TheMarsMan]

one thing i don't see is any player saying "i will play anybody in the world for $100,000 right now",or even $10,000.

if somebody is willing to play anybody,why don't they post it up,or for that matter why doesn,'t a stakehorse step with the cash

Alex P. will play anybody in the world for $10,000 - $20,000 right now! He is the current TAR champion and will play ANYONE, I have mentioned many times that I will put up the money.

 

[Fatboy]

I agree with the mutual respect between the two.

Still as a fan I would love to see the match! Maybe on TAR one day?

I hope so, I will keep asking

 

[Fatboy]

Alex P. will play anybody in the world for $10,000 - $20,000 right now! He is the current TAR champion and will play ANYONE, I have mentioned many times that I will put up the money.

Does he want to go to Alanta??

 

[jay helfert]

that scenario is pretty much implied when it comes to Efren and has been for many years, not sure why Jay kept him off his list????

the fact is nobody in the world is that far ahead of the pack, such a proposition would be nothing more than a 50/50 coin toss between the very best players, Efren included (but he can offer that action due to people lining up to stake him)

plus 100k is nothing to sneeze at, would have been probably easier to recoup that kind of loss 20 years ago than today, as odd as that may seem

My bad, I just amended my post and put Efren in the top ten where he belongs. I dogged it on that one. Sometimes we don't see the forest for the trees . Although I think his best days are behind him. IMO he has slipped a ball or so. But he is the Magician and could well prove me wrong.

 

[srs314]

Does he want to go to Alanta??

I know he said he wouldn't mind South Dakota.

 

[smashmouth]

Alex is just a beast, plain and simple. I've stated before he may be the single best overall player in the world, both for cash and tourneys, ALL GAMES, and may have in fact exceeded Efren's accomplishments for his age

the number of players on earth that have a realistic shot against him in a long money match can be counted on one hand

Alex is a world champ and proven money match monster so anyone who really wants a piece of him should seek him out, trust me, he won't decline, just don't expect him to travel to [insert small unknown town here] to play you on your beat up 8 footer because you know how to get on a message board and claim to be willing to play for big cash

 

[somms69]

Does he want to go to Alanta??

All the lint picking detractors aside this would be a great match up, no matter how long it took.

Todd