Has anyone ever seen or heard of Efren playing for money or in a tournament on 7 foot barboxes? I'm sure he probably has no interest in playing on them because he would think they are too easy, but I think he would be the best barbox player in the world, 8ball or 9ball.
Efren on a Barbox??
- Thread starter cuetechasaurus
- Start date
i dont think Efren thinks any game on any table is too easy, thats why he is so great, plays em all tough.However a bar box can be tricky its so much smaller than the 9 footer, alot more clusters to content with. I was thinking 8 ball, but 9 ball Efren would be probably unbeatable. Cant imagine what kind of weight he would have to give in order to get a game of 9 ball on a 7'. he's so good just boggles the mind to think what he could do.cuetechasaurus said:
ps. cuetechasaurus are you still wanting only bad rep, i feel funny giving them to someone when i enjoy their post topic.
I think the opposite. 9 ball on the barbox is trivial at this level. So a lot of his edge would disappear.ccn7 said:
8 ball is very sensitive to how the balls are breaking. But if clusters and congestion are a big factor, then I think Efren would excel precisely because of that reason. His rotation background and superior cueball control and knowledge would give him the edge.
If the balls are breaking easy, however, then anyone can just run out on him or vice-versa.
Red's in Houston
In Freddie The Beard’s book, The Gospool, he relates an old war story about being in with arguably the greatest bar table player in history, Keith McCready, when he and Efren played a large money set on the bar table. Keith wins the first set pretty easily. Second set Efren found that gear that only Efren has and I believe you could say Freddie saw the writing on the wall and pulled up. Freddie tells the story much better in his book than I can. A very good read.
In Freddie The Beard’s book, The Gospool, he relates an old war story about being in with arguably the greatest bar table player in history, Keith McCready, when he and Efren played a large money set on the bar table. Keith wins the first set pretty easily. Second set Efren found that gear that only Efren has and I believe you could say Freddie saw the writing on the wall and pulled up. Freddie tells the story much better in his book than I can. A very good read.
IMHO I think Efren would lose some of the advantages he has on a big table (kicking & safing) if he were playing barbox 9-ball. It's all about the break and running large packs (the top guys, Madlock, Corey, Scotty Townsend, et al, can put 10+ packs on you at any given time, and are capable of running 20+). I think he would probably be at or near the top in bar 8-ball. But I learned my lesson: NEVER bet against Efren, no matter what the game or spot. He pulls up gears from the Twilight Zone when he needs them, and, maybe aside from Harold Worst, has the ability to master a new game quicker and more effectively than any player in history (to wit, his success at 3C billiards the few times he played). I think the 2 most amazing examples of staying world class when your age says you shouldn't be there are Efren and Doyle Brunson (poker). Like Efren, I'm in my 50's and I absolutely don't see how he can still play at the level he does - it's stupefying (and fun to behold). We're fortunate to be able to see him play.