Me too...JoeyInCali said:
unknownpro
History of pool in the Phillipines
- Thread starter Andrew Manning
- Start date
unknownpro
Good post. And I'll add what I always add to this question... the Philippines is a 3rd World Country, in a constant state of depression. Those that could make a living at the game would do so. That's the importance of gambling. It's not just that it makes the Filipinos "game tough," it is a source of life for them. And if you're playing for your next meal, or for your living, you're going to play your supreme best or fall by the wayside. And many Filipino wannabes fall by the wayside.mariopatricio said:
Fred
Seems like the tone of this thread had turned to "How Did the Filipinos Get So Good?"
This has been asked so many times on this forum, and I've never chimed in, but I've always wanted to share my own personal experiences.
I used to own a house/land in the PI and have been to the PI several times on business, vacation, and to play pool, and here's basically what I see. Simply put, Filipinos spend more time playing pool than than their counterparts in other countries. With the shape of the economy in the PI, unemployment is huge, but at the same time, one doesn't need allot of money to get by. It's entirely possible in the PI for a technically unemployed man in the PI to feed himself and family (although barely) by doing odd jobs here and there when the need for cash arrives.
Example: One friend of mine is married with two kids. He lives in a house that was given to him by relatives. He doesn't have a 'real' job, but some days he can be seen at the meat market selling beef, pork, and chicken. Other days, he's using his uncles minivan as a private taxi/limousine. And other days, he might be fixing the roof of some old lady in the neighborhood. Generally he only works about 3/4 days a week, and most likely, only when he needs to generate cash for an upcoming purchase or payment. When the need for money isn't there, he'll go up to two weeks without doing anything.
Lot's of the pool players I've seen were similar. Most didn't have what most would consider real jobs. Most of them get by doing the odd job here and there when they really need cash, and the rest of the time is spent playing pool. In the PI, this kind of lifestyle is entirely possible.
Now, how many prospective young American players can get by without holding at least a part time job? And considering the cost of table time in the states, how many young kids can afford to spend 7-10 hours a day, 4-5 days a week in the pool room? That's the amount of time the Filipino players are spending in the pool rooms today as with in the past. AND to top it off, these guys are playing rotation, and often times on tables with odd sized balls, excruciatingly slow cloth, any with an "anything will work for a cue" frame of mind.
Put these kids on a Gold Crown or Diamond with a consistent rag, with a cue with a nice clean tip, and then take almost half the balls off the table to play rotation with only 9 balls and there you have your formula for Filipino dominance.
dave
This has been asked so many times on this forum, and I've never chimed in, but I've always wanted to share my own personal experiences.
I used to own a house/land in the PI and have been to the PI several times on business, vacation, and to play pool, and here's basically what I see. Simply put, Filipinos spend more time playing pool than than their counterparts in other countries. With the shape of the economy in the PI, unemployment is huge, but at the same time, one doesn't need allot of money to get by. It's entirely possible in the PI for a technically unemployed man in the PI to feed himself and family (although barely) by doing odd jobs here and there when the need for cash arrives.
Example: One friend of mine is married with two kids. He lives in a house that was given to him by relatives. He doesn't have a 'real' job, but some days he can be seen at the meat market selling beef, pork, and chicken. Other days, he's using his uncles minivan as a private taxi/limousine. And other days, he might be fixing the roof of some old lady in the neighborhood. Generally he only works about 3/4 days a week, and most likely, only when he needs to generate cash for an upcoming purchase or payment. When the need for money isn't there, he'll go up to two weeks without doing anything.
Lot's of the pool players I've seen were similar. Most didn't have what most would consider real jobs. Most of them get by doing the odd job here and there when they really need cash, and the rest of the time is spent playing pool. In the PI, this kind of lifestyle is entirely possible.
Now, how many prospective young American players can get by without holding at least a part time job? And considering the cost of table time in the states, how many young kids can afford to spend 7-10 hours a day, 4-5 days a week in the pool room? That's the amount of time the Filipino players are spending in the pool rooms today as with in the past. AND to top it off, these guys are playing rotation, and often times on tables with odd sized balls, excruciatingly slow cloth, any with an "anything will work for a cue" frame of mind.
Put these kids on a Gold Crown or Diamond with a consistent rag, with a cue with a nice clean tip, and then take almost half the balls off the table to play rotation with only 9 balls and there you have your formula for Filipino dominance.
dave
I did research on the history of pool in Manila before the millenium. I don't have my notes with me right now so I'll tackle it from memory.
The US Military introduced pool to the Philippines. I think it was played near the bases (like Clark Air Force Base in Angeles, Pampanga where Efren Reyes comes from...), though I never got to research their history near the bases. Pool itself was introduced in the city of Manila after Liberation in WW2. Manila itself was largely balkline billiards and 3-cushion country before that.
There was a great Filipino Military GI (whose name escapes me) who defeated any and all comers after the war until the people he taught the game to - the likes of Seniong and other old greats started to get better and defeat him.
The current lineage of champions starts from Seniong --> Ricardo "Ramon Champion" Ancaja (the current coach of the Philippine National team and the man who forged the talents of Corteza and Manalo) --> Junior Quiapo (last heard from in the cockfighting circles. real name unknown) --> Jose Parica --> Efren Reyes --> ???
Boy Bicol was an old great who died accompanying the wrong person at the wrong time (it was a drug deal). His name is spoken of in local lore as a great who died before fully realizing his potential.
I think I agree with you guys about Rotation...
In the old days, when you paid for a table you paid on a "Per Rack" basis, not on the hour like these days. Pinoys played rotation not only because of want, but because it was the only way to get the most bang for your buck in terms of table rentals.
The US Military introduced pool to the Philippines. I think it was played near the bases (like Clark Air Force Base in Angeles, Pampanga where Efren Reyes comes from...), though I never got to research their history near the bases. Pool itself was introduced in the city of Manila after Liberation in WW2. Manila itself was largely balkline billiards and 3-cushion country before that.
There was a great Filipino Military GI (whose name escapes me) who defeated any and all comers after the war until the people he taught the game to - the likes of Seniong and other old greats started to get better and defeat him.
The current lineage of champions starts from Seniong --> Ricardo "Ramon Champion" Ancaja (the current coach of the Philippine National team and the man who forged the talents of Corteza and Manalo) --> Junior Quiapo (last heard from in the cockfighting circles. real name unknown) --> Jose Parica --> Efren Reyes --> ???
Boy Bicol was an old great who died accompanying the wrong person at the wrong time (it was a drug deal). His name is spoken of in local lore as a great who died before fully realizing his potential.
I think I agree with you guys about Rotation...
In the old days, when you paid for a table you paid on a "Per Rack" basis, not on the hour like these days. Pinoys played rotation not only because of want, but because it was the only way to get the most bang for your buck in terms of table rentals.
JoeyInCali said:
Would you care to elaborate?
I will recant a bit a say that rotation may have a little something to do with it, but it is far from a major part of the equation.
Cameron Smith said:
I'll give it a shot but you have to bear with me Smitty!
Obviously, Rotation is a lot harder than 9 ball considering the number of
balls on the table which makes it more difficult to navigate the CB. You can
luck your way in a game of 9 ball by pocketing the money ball while in
Rotation, there's a magic number you have to make before you win a game.
14.1 or straight pool and 8 balls have the same number of balls like Rotation
BUT, you have a lot of options unlike Rotation where the next ball is fixed,
that means you have ony 1 ball to play with after you pocketed the lowest
numbered ball on the table, that's were precision and control of the CB
that you got by playing Rotation always kicks in...
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