Wow!
That is roughly what is listed on AZbilliards from tournament payouts. That doesn't even begin to include how much he has made gambling. I don't think Efren books too many losers!
I have been trying to find information about the average salary of people in the Philippines but I couldn't find it. One thing I did find caught my eye though. $276 a year is considered the minimum required by the government to meet basic living requirements in the Philippines. $23 a month, $5.75 a week, 82 cents a day, 9 cents an hour for a 9 hour work day! According to the US Census Bureau the poverty threshold for an individual $9,393. Slight difference.
With this information it is easy to understand for me why pool is more popular in the Philippines than it is in the US. From a US perspective there is no money in pool... To a Filipino making less than 1 grand a year... $10,000 which is a typical first prize, is an awful lot of money. The average income for an American is 45,000 a year. Proportionally first place would be $450,000 which most Americans would think is a lot of money.
So why does the Philippines produce a lot more quality players than America? Because there is a lot of money in pool for a typical Filipino. There are also so many great players there that have many opportunities to play against equally skilled or better players. Your game doesn't improve by playing chumps all the time. Here in America top pool players are spread out all over the country. Our country doesn't even compare to the philippines when it comes to fostering the right type of atmosphere for players to become champions.
Just some food for thought.
That is roughly what is listed on AZbilliards from tournament payouts. That doesn't even begin to include how much he has made gambling. I don't think Efren books too many losers!
I have been trying to find information about the average salary of people in the Philippines but I couldn't find it. One thing I did find caught my eye though. $276 a year is considered the minimum required by the government to meet basic living requirements in the Philippines. $23 a month, $5.75 a week, 82 cents a day, 9 cents an hour for a 9 hour work day! According to the US Census Bureau the poverty threshold for an individual $9,393. Slight difference.
With this information it is easy to understand for me why pool is more popular in the Philippines than it is in the US. From a US perspective there is no money in pool... To a Filipino making less than 1 grand a year... $10,000 which is a typical first prize, is an awful lot of money. The average income for an American is 45,000 a year. Proportionally first place would be $450,000 which most Americans would think is a lot of money.
So why does the Philippines produce a lot more quality players than America? Because there is a lot of money in pool for a typical Filipino. There are also so many great players there that have many opportunities to play against equally skilled or better players. Your game doesn't improve by playing chumps all the time. Here in America top pool players are spread out all over the country. Our country doesn't even compare to the philippines when it comes to fostering the right type of atmosphere for players to become champions.
Just some food for thought.
