How special Efren is

[Ak Guy]

9 Rack run

I liked it best when he ran 9 racks of 9 Ball against his buddy Bustamante. Efren wore black pants, a white shirt and a black vest. No 9 balls on the break, no jump stick, few easy racks. He looked like a poster of what a pro pool player should look like. Great position play and great shot making, what a show he put on.

 

[JoeyInCali]

I'm wondering if anyone has very very old matches with Efren. I'd pay for them...and also have a few old matches myself...probably 150 or so--and some of them of people like george breadlove and mark tadd.

Old Efren videos anyone?

Well, who would have taught of using their Betamax in recording Efren playing in the Karambola King of the Philippines ( straight-rail ) back then ?
We just didn't know he was going to be a worldly player then . Hell, he quit pocket billiards , did the karambola for a while and went back to pool again .
Efren said he played his best karambola around 1979. He said to me himself before we went upstairs of Hollywood Billiards where he played a gentleman named Bruce some 3-cushion with his Meucci cue .
Efren said he would have spotted Bruce 50-35 during his karambola days.

 

[The Renfro]

---> HERE

Thanks for that JAM.. Was like a line in the sands of time.... DiLiberto owns a winning record against Efren overall... But the sand moves out from under Keith and Danny's feet.... Efren became Efren after those records became dusty.....

 

[flufly da killa]

nick the stick very compairable in game and poolgod like demeaner to efren.the rifleman buddy hall best nine ball player ever for the cash for decades example of poolgodlike demeaner...nick varner vs mike seagal us open 9ball nicks down 9 to 2and corner hooked with no sound you wouidnt know nick was loosing his ass.his demener waz cooler than a fan..he looked like he wasnt wooryed bout a thing but mike did and thats the reason he lost..thats the day he went in my players to lern from drawer wit efren earl buddy steve cook....that is one of if not the best nine ball match ive seen ever....accu stats video productions its a 90s match ..just say u want 9 to 2 and corner hooked... oyeah i forgot for all u newbes this was old school 9rock sun..u break throw 4balls and scrach all balls spot and incuming player shots from behind the head string yeah now get u sumadat....

 

[driz86]

Buddy Hall if you like watching 9 ball. You'll learn a few things too.

 

[alstl]

Most of us agree that he was, at times, even beyond description. Of course he's had some highlight moments--big stroke shots, the Sands kick-win, the color of money come back. But I suspect we've all shared a sublime and delicious 20+ years of witnessing the greatest pool genius of all.

Even today, when there are more people then even immediately after the Color of Money up-tick; there's just hundreds of good players. But that's the thing that makes me a little disheartened. None move the balls like he did. And none systematically or more consistently showed me that they saw a more simple means of accomplishing a more efficient/high percentage solution.

Mark Wilson calls him a great man--and I agree. He fights like pacquiao within the match but is modesty enough to show how sever the pressure he imposes on himself to perform and perform he's done.

It actually pains me to say that he's undeniably not the certainty he was. He doesn't have the endurance he did. Father time has taken his toll. There are players whom I still like watching, but it's not the same. Shannon is smart, heady, moves the cue ball beautifully. Shane, Deuel, Schmidt, Alex...versatile players...ALL GAMES. Intelligent.

Alex has his composure, but not his pace.
Shane has his former execution, but not his pool IQ (though it's pretty close.)
Deuel is close, but I don't think he has his fortitude (but I may be ignorant).
Schmidt is great but won't fight till the last ball sometimes if he gets down on himself.

But in the end-all-be-all game of one pocket, managing multiple balls, covering balls, taking scratches, thinning off things, billiarding for safeties, playing the count, getting behind balls in close proximity--Efren was especially entertaining to watch. And his attitude was icing on the cake.

Does anyone have players they'd suggest I watch who'd be remotely as entertaining as him?

And more importantly, does anyone have any old time videos of early Efren (1995, etc).../

The very first shot of the Efren vs Rotation was classic Efren, playing a combo in the side and sending the one ball off the rail to bump a third ball away from the pocket leaving a shot on the one and taking care of the biggest problem on the table which was the three ball. The shot to bump the 9 was also brilliant.


Rep to you for posting those videos.

 

[alstl]

Without a doubt the most amazing session in pool is the session where Efren plays Jason Miller in the finals or semifinals in One Pocket.

Jason Miller was playing the best I have ever seen him play, he was pounding every top player, that was before he played Efren.

In a race to 3 Efren beat Jason in like 45 minutes in the most impressive one pocket session I have ever seen.

Other sessions or DVDs.

1. Skyler Woodword winning the bank ring game. It is especially great because the late Freddy the Beard is commentating. Freddy comments early in the match that Skyler has no chance against the champions. Freddy changes his tune by the end and says that Skyler is the best he had ever seen. "They basically don't understand how tough it is to bank like this".

2. Keith McCready, - if he gets rolling. Keith is like a college basketball player, once he feels it, gets in rhythm the balls are diving into holes. I have seen him play when he gets locked down, and never gets rolling. But when he gets to the table and gets going, he gets tougher and tougher.

3. Buddy Hall - Look at Accu-Stats, his cue ball control is freaky. IMO the best of his generation of cue ball control. He just doesn't get out of line.

4. Nick Varner - I really like to watch him play. His one pocket is top notch without a doubt.

Best of rolls....

Ken

I have that Efren vs Miller dvd. Another good one is the most recent DCC 2014 finals between Efren and Daulton. Daulton missed one shot the entire match and lost.

DiLiberto described Efren running balls as "performing surgery".

 

[TrumanHW]

The very first shot of the Efren vs Rotation was classic Efren, playing a combo in the side and sending the one ball off the rail to bump a third ball away from the pocket leaving a shot on the one and taking care of the biggest problem on the table which was the three ball. The shot to bump the 9 was also brilliant.


Rep to you for posting those videos.

Oh thanks buddy. Yeah, his pool IQ is unmatched.