Efren remains the class of the field in One Pocket. During the first round, several of us were debating his chances this year. I said he was even money against the field. Danny questioned how I could make him even money against 415 players, especially in these short races. I was willing to bet on him and there were no takers.
Efren in a One Pocket tournament is similar to Tiger Woods in a major golf tourney. Only more so! Did you know he has played in the Derby City One Pocket tournament exactly five times, and won it all five times! Hello!
True, Efren will miss the occasional ball now and then, but it is usually when the game or match has long been decided. Almost like he is teasing you. I worked in the Accu-Stats booth on two of Efren's One Pocket matches. One with Parica (32 minutes, 24 to -2) and one with Bustamante (22 minutes!). It was overwhelming to say the least, to watch him dominate these two fine players.
Efren plays as good today (or better) than he ever has, at One Pocket. Clearly the best player in the world and there is no close second. He continues to surprise and amaze us with his shot selection, which is often not the conventional choice. When most players would go up table and leave their opponent distance, Efren often chooses to stay down table and put his opponent behind the stack. He allows them a chance to make a defensive move, and this usually spells disaster.
It is something, to observe him making otherwise fine players shake their heads in disbelief, at the quandaries they face when they play him. He really makes them appear to be novices. What Efren does better than anyone before him, is run balls when they are clustered together. To watch him work thru a group of tightly bunched balls is absolute pool mastery. So delicately he weaves the Cue ball in and around the stack, touching a ball here and moving a ball there. Often he has to draw the ball exactly 8" to get on the next shot at the perfect angle, and he will do it. Or cut a ball sharply at perfect speed to achieve position for the next shot. No problem, it is done.
I believe these two matches will be offered on one DVD by Accu-Stats. You want to see a master at work, then get this tape. He makes several difficult run outs look like childs play. Yes, Ronnie was equally great at running the balls, but his technique was quite different. He would kick balls in and break open the stack, shooting very explosive shots. Ronnie was the equal of Efren when it came to shooting combinations and billiards to continue a run. And their kicking ability is similar, but Ronnie went for the big break outs, whereas Efren is content to weave the Cue ball thru and around balls to achieve the same result.
By the way, Efren was beaten badly by Corey Deuel in the the back room action, which is quite a rarity as well. Corey is one of the few players who will challenge the master. Efren had to give up 10-7 to a player many consider the second best One Pocket player in the world. Even the great Efren could not overcome this handicap. It would be like putting 150 pounds on the back of Secretariat. Just a little too much weight to carry. When Ronnie was King, there were a few great players he could only give a small spot to. Eddie Kelly and Jersey Red come to mind. Ronnie could spot either of them 9-8, but at 8-7 he had problems with both. At 10-7 they would have annihilated him as well.
Oh well, Efren will have to console himself with second in the Banks, another win in One Pocket and the overall title. A sweet little 40K payday for the living legend. By the way, he finished second in the most competitive division at Derby City, Bank Pool. Nearly 500 players strong, and loaded with guys who can run five and out. This stunned more than a few of us. Who knew Efren could make the finals in this deep, deep field? Certainly not me. Just one more remarkable achievement in the career of the amazing Efren. He just seems to get better with age.
