Is Efren Done?

[Fast Lenny]

I cannot believe he finished 0-5 in the Accu-Stats 8 ball invitational. It was tough to watch, he made more errors then one could count and missed so many balls over the 4 days. He and Corey were the weakest players I thought out of all of them, they just did not look hungry. I think this might be it for Efren but hope he wins another major. What were the odds on him going out of the round robin 0 and 5?

 

[Celtic]

I think it is the first chrystal clear indication that he is nowhere near the player he used to be.

He has had some bad showings before but he has still sprinkled in some quality performances in between them to make it look like he might still have some in the tank. His win over Fong Pang Chao in the challenge match, his reasonable showings in a couple world championships, his DCC performances.

But this was 8-ball, in his prime Efren was without a doubt the best 8-ball player on the planet, and he just got drilled in 5 straight sets. There is no way a younger in his prime Efren gets beat like that in this game on these tables. It is a sure sign that Efren that was no longer exists, he is still solid, but the Efren that was the best player on the planet and the most feared gambler? He is gone.

Anyone who was stating "just put up the big money and see what Efren can still do". Sorry, but I think that the ship has sailed. I do not think Efren wants anything to do with playing quite afew of the top younger players in pool for cash straight up anymore, he is not the best money player on this planet anymore.

In 1-pocket he might still be a threat to beat anyone, that is the one game that is slow enough paced and that gives the 2-way shots that can still save people with diminishing potting ability. But even in that game, I do not think he wants any of Scott Frost, John Schmidt, or SVB at this point.

 

[jay helfert]

Twice in my life I ran naked (okay, with undies) in the rain, and once more I'd like to do it again. Maybe with my daughter in the Philippines . Getting old is a b-tch, try not to let it happen to you!

 

[Lumocolor]

Age is a *****, i'm sure he doesn't spend 10hrs a day on the tables like the young bucks do and like he did when he was a young buck.

Is he done? I don't know, i'm sure he can probably still show some flashes of brilliance and win things once in a while, but he shouldn't scare any of the young guys anymore. He should probably stick to the high strategy games a la 1 pocket where strategy is more important than pocketing balls.

 

[1shot]

He looked like he was not feeling very well.

I herd him talking to Corey about something not agreeing with his
system on thursday!


C.D.

 

[Scott Lee]

I love it when this comes up. People are so quick to say "Efren is done...too old...can't get there anymore"! What a crock that is. Efren remains the best player on Earth, and will remain so for some time. He will again dominate the DCC, as he has done so many times before.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

I think it is the first chrystal clear indication that he is nowhere near the player he used to be.

He has had some bad showings before but he has still sprinkled in some quality performances in between them to make it look like he might still have some in the tank. His win over Fong Pang Chao in the challenge match, his reasonable showings in a couple world championships, his DCC performances.

But this was 8-ball, in his prime Efren was without a doubt the best 8-ball player on the planet, and he just got drilled in 5 straight sets. There is no way a younger in his prime Efren gets beat like that in this game on these tables. It is a sure sign that Efren that was no longer exists, he is still solid, but the Efren that was the best player on the planet and the most feared gambler? He is gone.

Anyone who was stating "just put up the big money and see what Efren can still do". Sorry, but I think that the ship has sailed. I do not think Efren wants anything to do with playing quite afew of the top younger players in pool for cash straight up anymore, he is not the best money player on this planet anymore.

In 1-pocket he might still be a threat to beat anyone, that is the one game that is slow enough paced and that gives the 2-way shots that can still save people with diminishing potting ability. But even in that game, I do not think he wants any of Scott Frost, John Schmidt, or SVB at this point.

 

[Celtic]

Efren remains the best player on Earth, and will remain so for some time.

Pretty broad brush you painted with there. In what game is he the best? Would you like to put him in the box? How much did you lose betting on him this weekend or is your confidence in his not quite at the level where you would gamble anything more then words on him?

 

[DogsPlayingPool]

Is Efren done? I guess making the final of the DP 14.1 tournament earlier this month is already ancient history.:grin:

Sure he doesn't play at his peak anymore, but done? What does that even mean? That he won't dominate again, won't ever win again, or that he has no chance to ever make the money again?

He's not dead money yet, that's for sure.

 

[Lumocolor]

I'm just a banger and a pool fan, i don't know every players life history so i hope people don't take this wrong or bash on me for asking, but...

How hard was Efren's life? Because to me he looks like a man that has had it pretty darn tough and if i didn't know he was 58 i would guess simply by looking at him that he was 78.

 

[Razor]

Well, I just voted that he is done based on what I watched over 5 matches and using my own definition of done being that he is not the dominating player (by any stretch) that he once was and will not win another major title, unless it is maybe in one pocket. However, I truly hope I am wrong.

I found it to be a really odd experience watching (almost like it made me uncomfortable in some way that I can't exactly pinpoint). Maybe it is simply because seeing Efren perform at that level is a reality check / reminder that none of us can escape the erosion of physical capabilities we once possessed via the wrath of father time. Well, those are my respectful thoughts...

Peace to all,

~Razor

Edit to add: Some consideration has to be given to the 5x10 table when addressing a question of this nature. It has had an impact on Efren's (and others) performance in my opinion...

 

[Scott Lee]

Pretty much any pool game you can think of. Like Mitchell said, Efren just finished 2nd, to the best players in the world...apparently he can still play straight pool. He obviously wasn't feeling well when he played at Sandcastle. Think that maybe played a role in why he played poorly? IMO, yes. As far as your "gamble"...the next time we're both in the same place where Efren is playing, I'll take him, and you can take the "other guy". Bet what you want.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Pretty broad brush you painted with there. In what game is he the best? Would you like to put him in the box? How much did you lose betting on him this weekend or is your confidence in his not quite at the level where you would gamble anything more then words on him?

 

[SpiderWebComm]

Efren played bad at an event he doesn't care about.... big deal

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

 

[Lumocolor]

Efren played bad at an event he doesn't care about.... big deal

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I'm sure that's not how he's thinking, or at least it shouldn't be considering the shitty fan base of pool i would think you would want to play the best you can for the people who paid ($300+ or $60 for the PPV) to watch the event.

 

[JCIN]

Efren played bad at an event he doesn't care about.... big deal

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I have no way of knowing if he cared or not but he did have a bad event. Happens to every player. Maybe he was sick, tired, pissed, sad, bored, sleepy whatever. He's human.

I can see how an event format like this one doesnt exactly push a guy to dig deep if he drops the first couple matches. Efren has been playing a lot of pool the last couple weeks as well. Who here hasn't had a bad week at work?

 

[SpiderWebComm]

I just reread my post and that def came out wrong. I was just trying to say if he played bad...big deal. Who doesn't.

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[Fast Lenny]

The matches you win are worth $1000 per match, if you win 5 matches you get $5,000. To me that means something, since he won 0 matches I am assuming he made nothing but I could be wrong, I am sure he is not happy about that or maybe he has too much money and is not hungry enough.

 

[JCIN]

The matches you win are worth $1000 per match, if you win 5 matches you get $5,000. To me that means something, since he won 0 matches I am assuming he made nothing but I could be wrong, I am sure he is not happy about that or maybe he has too much money and is not hungry enough.

I have had pro players tell me $3000 isnt enough money to play pool for twelve hours.

Few weeks back we paid out $6000 between two guys and one of them kept barking at the other they could play for "real" money afterwords.

You can not apply logic to how players think.

 

[Fast Lenny]

I have had pro players tell me $3000 isnt enough money to play pool for twelve hours.

Few weeks back we paid out $6000 between two guys and one of them kept barking at the other they could play for "real" money afterwords.

You can not apply logic to how players think.

I am unsure of the logic because playing these exhibition challenge matches with all expenses paid along with guaranteed money are better then gambling for players for sure. Maybe some of them cannot do the math. Winning or doing well in these exhibitions is comparable to getting the percentage of a $10,000 match on like a 50/50 or 60/40 split and in some cases better if your backer pencils you with taking the expenses out first. :grin:

 

[Lumocolor]

I have had pro players tell me $3000 isnt enough money to play pool for twelve hours.

Few weeks back we paid out $6000 between two guys and one of them kept barking at the other they could play for "real" money afterwords.

You can not apply logic to how players think.

These races to 8 last a maximum of 90 minutes, most of them have been closer to an hour. If $1000 an hour isn't much to them i guess pool players aren't as in bad of a shape and we thought

 

[Fast Lenny]

These races to 8 last a maximum of 90 minutes, most of them have been closer to an hour. If $1000 an hour isn't much to them i guess pool players aren't as in bad of a shape and we thought

Yes, this Make it Happen payout is pretty good for the players. All (besides Efren) made good pay for a few days work, basically one match a day with one day having 2 matches.