Efren's place in 1-pocket history.

JoeyInCali

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
What do you think?
One poster here said he didn't even like watching Efren play one pocket.
Keith didn't even mention Efren's name as one of his toughest one-pocket opponents.
Efren did beat Grady in that now infamous match at Hard Times ( it was taped btw ).
Is he regarded one of the best one-holer ever?
 
For My 500th post, this is perfect. NO QUESTION Efrens the best ever! Like Billy Incardona said last night, He's seen all the greats since the 60's and NONE of them could touch Efren. There is no weakness when he plays....

Gerry
 
Efren put on a clinic in the last few rounds of the one pocket tourney. He played about as perfectly as possible in the last 3 matches he played. He did show some weakness in his match with Shawn Putnam, who took advantage of every mistake Efren made and beat him. But for my money, he's the best one pocket player EVER! There's no one on earth he can't give a spot to and beat at this game! He's also a great ambassador for the sport and has the best attitude towards the game of any player I know! He's funniest when he makes an error, but that isn't too often!

just more hot air!

Sherm
 
cuesmith said:
Efren put on a clinic in the last few rounds of the one pocket tourney. He played about as perfectly as possible in the last 3 matches he played. He did show some weakness in his match with Shawn Putnam, who took advantage of every mistake Efren made and beat him. But for my money, he's the best one pocket player EVER! There's no one on earth he can't give a spot to and beat at this game! He's also a great ambassador for the sport and has the best attitude towards the game of any player I know! He's funniest when he makes an error, but that isn't too often!

just more hot air!

Sherm
Click to expand...
He's the Karaoke King as well.:D
 
I am no Efren fanboy and I have no problem saying without question that Efren is the best 1-pocket player of my era. Ronnie Allen was before my time, I am not sure how he and Efren would have matched up. But if you want to discuss the best 1-pocket player of all time then Efren simply has to be mentioned. He is likely the best 1-pocket player ever. Some people would be considered as possible "best ever" if Efren did not spot them quite huge spots and then beat them for the cash.
 
Nothing against Efren, but I'm gonna vote for Jack Breit. Does anyone know of any video of Efren playing on a 5 x 10?
 
JoeyInCali said:
What do you think?
One poster here said he didn't even like watching Efren play one pocket.
Keith didn't even mention Efren's name as one of his toughest one-pocket opponents.
Efren did beat Grady in that now infamous match at Hard Times ( it was taped btw ).
Is he regarded one of the best one-holer ever?
Click to expand...

Efrin is a Great All Around Player. His playing make him one. He need no WHO RA RA, CHEARING SECTION as Efrin's actions, ans play speak very loud...;)
 
the cool thing about comparing players across eras is that because equipment, etc, etc are so different, the debate inevitably gets into tangental discussions about other aspects of pool.

and that's about all i can offer to this discussion:):)

...just padding my posts stats...:)
 
Wow, never easy to compare across eras, but here's what I've heard:

Ronnie Allen seems, in the eyes of many, to be the very best one-hole player between the Eddie Taylor/Rags Fitzpatrick era and the Efren Reyes era.

As for the oldies, Eddie Taylor called Rags Fitzpatrick the best one-hole player of their era, and John Ervolino also told me he considered Fitzpatrick just slightly stronger than Taylor at one-hole, having competed against each on numerous occasions.

Seems to me, and I base nearly all of it on hearsay, that the distinction of best ever one-hole player may boil down to Rags Fitzpatrick, Eddie Taylor, Ronnie Allen, and Efren Reyes. Doesn't seem you can go too wrong with any of those choices.
 
sjm said:
Wow, never easy to compare across eras, but here's what I've heard:

Ronnie Allen seems, in the eyes of many, to be the very best one-hole player between the Eddie Taylor/Rags Fitzpatrick era and the Efren Reyes era.

As for the oldies, Eddie Taylor called Rags Fitzpatrick the best one-hole player of their era, and John Ervolino also told me he considered Fitzpatrick just slightly stronger than Taylor at one-hole, having competed against each on numerous occasions.

Seems to me, and I base nearly all of it on hearsay, that the distinction of best ever one-hole player may boil down to Rags Fitzpatrick, Eddie Taylor, Ronnie Allen, and Efren Reyes. Doesn't seem you can go too wrong with any of those choices.
Click to expand...


Hi SJM, hope all is well with you.
Ervolino told me pretty much the same thing, he
also considered Fitzpatrick one of the best
all-around players he'd ever seen. He also
considered Eugene "Clem" Metz and Hayden Lingo
every bit as good as Fitzparick in one pocket.

It's true that it's very hard to compare from
different eras, so I'll just say that Reyes is
the best one pocket player from this era with
Nick Varner second...I know some people will
jump all over me for picking Varner over Joyner
or Daulton or Frost but that's how I see it.
The late Steve Cook was a monster one pocket
player as well.

What I'd really love to see is Blomdahl take
up one pocket! We know he can pocket at a world
class level...he won the European Masters 9-ball
title a few years ago, and with his 3-cushion
and balkline skills (which are probably suited
to one pocket better than any other pool game)
he would be deadly in my opinion.

BobbY
 
sjm said:
Wow, never easy to compare across eras, but here's what I've heard:

Ronnie Allen seems, in the eyes of many, to be the very best one-hole player between the Eddie Taylor/Rags Fitzpatrick era and the Efren Reyes era.

As for the oldies, Eddie Taylor called Rags Fitzpatrick the best one-hole player of their era, and John Ervolino also told me he considered Fitzpatrick just slightly stronger than Taylor at one-hole, having competed against each on numerous occasions.

Seems to me, and I base nearly all of it on hearsay, that the distinction of best ever one-hole player may boil down to Rags Fitzpatrick, Eddie Taylor, Ronnie Allen, and Efren Reyes. Doesn't seem you can go too wrong with any of those choices.
Click to expand...


I believe Efren plays even better than the best from years past. At the Hall of Fame banquet the other night, when Marshall Carpenter was asked his opinion, he said Efren played far better than the past greats, and he also said that when he was at his prime, the only player he didn't feel he could beat was Clem Metz. I've heard from many of the legends that Clem may have been the best gambler at one pocket, but he played in no tournaments.


Just more hot air!


Sherm
 
cuesmith said:
I believe Efren plays even better than the best from years past. At the Hall of Fame banquet the other night, when Marshall Carpenter was asked his opinion, he said Efren played far better than the past greats, and he also said that when he was at his prime, the only player he didn't feel he could beat was Clem Metz. I've heard from many of the legends that Clem may have been the best gambler at one pocket, but he played in no tournaments.


Just more hot air!


Sherm
Click to expand...


I also heard that even on the rare occasion
that Clem lost a money game he would take his
money back by holding a gun to his opponent!
 
Bobby said:
Hi SJM, hope all is well with you.
Ervolino told me pretty much the same thing, he
also considered Fitzpatrick one of the best
all-around players he'd ever seen. He also
considered Eugene "Clem" Metz and Hayden Lingo
every bit as good as Fitzparick in one pocket.

It's true that it's very hard to compare from
different eras, so I'll just say that Reyes is
the best one pocket player from this era with
Nick Varner second...I know some people will
jump all over me for picking Varner over Joyner
or Daulton or Frost but that's how I see it.
The late Steve Cook was a monster one pocket
player as well.

What I'd really love to see is Blomdahl take
up one pocket! We know he can pocket at a world
class level...he won the European Masters 9-ball
title a few years ago, and with his 3-cushion
and balkline skills (which are probably suited
to one pocket better than any other pool game)
he would be deadly in my opinion.

BobbY
Click to expand...

Efren is at least two balls better than any one pocket player that ever lived. He can do things that NOBODY can do with the cueball. Nick Varner is in the top 5 greatest all around players ever, but I don't like the way he plays one pocket. If you've ever seen him play you would know what I'm talking about. I don't know of anyone that can stand to watch him play one pocket.
 
I really,really doubt that Efren could of given Ronnie Allen, Jack Breit, Artie B., Bugs in his prime two balls. While he dominates the game now, he still is mainly beating either young guys who are learning the subtleties of the game or old timers who can't shoot straight anymore. Not too many Hall Of Fame level one pocket players in their prime right now. Good players for sure, but not like when Bugs, Grady, Ronnie A., Jersey Red, Eddie Taylor, Cookie Monster, Boston Shorty were all running around. Efren might beat all of them but two balls seems too much; those guys were legends. Hustler Days has some good stories about these guys- Jersey Red giving someone 15-5 and running 15-and-out six times in one session,etc...

His domination of Joyner still puzzles me and I don't know what happened to Shannon Daultons game but it seems like Efrens getting stronger while others struggle to maintain their top game.

Ronnie Allen was asked about him versus Efren when RA was playing good and his quote is pretty well known: "He might win the money, but he'd be too tired to spend it.."

Two balls is a LOT of weight at one pocket between good players, especially the old school guys who press any advantage (squeeze). A lot of matches I have of Efren playing 1-P show young guys trying to shoot their way to victory instead of wedging the balls uptable once they have a lead. If the balls aren't frozen to the rail in the kitchen, Efren will murder you if you make even one error.

As far as Varner goes, he's a true legend and a great one pocket player (and he is the High Priest of the Wedge Game) but his style is a bit too conservative to me. I think Freddie the Beard said his game was learned from Hubert Cokes and is somewhat limited in moves and aggressive play. When Varner tried to play Artie B in Chicago, he was losing but kept playing because he was "learning too much to quit" I think the story goes.
 
LowEnglish said:
Efren is at least two balls better than any one pocket player that ever lived. He can do things that NOBODY can do with the cueball. Nick Varner is in the top 5 greatest all around players ever, but I don't like the way he plays one pocket. If you've ever seen him play you would know what I'm talking about. I don't know of anyone that can stand to watch him play one pocket.
Click to expand...

Actually I like watching Varner play one
pocket. How can you say that Efren can give
anyone who ever lived 2 balls? Have you seen
every player who ever lived? I'm sure someone
like Eddie Taylor who have jumped at the chance
to get 2 balls from god.
 
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