Larry Nevel or Nick Varner?

Larry Nevel or Nick Varner

  • Larry Nevel

    Votes: 19 11.7%

  • Nick Varner

    Votes: 144 88.3%
  • Total voters
    163
I have to agree with Tom here. Nick Varner is still a threat to win any tournament, or any match!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Tom In Cincy said:
The 2008 Nick Varner would beat Larry. But, it would be very close.

Larry wouldn't have a chance against playing the Nick Varner of the early 90s.
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Who the heck is the Farmer? :confused: There was a famous hustler from New England called Farmer (Norm Webber), but I never heard Varner referred to that way.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Moon Cricket said:
I vote on the Farmer. He is more composed mentally. Even though it is a short set, I can already see Larry going ape$hit over something trivial.

Besides being more composed mentally, he is a back to back champion.
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Scott Lee said:
Who the heck is the Farmer? :confused: There was a famous hustler from New England called Farmer (Norm Webber), but I never heard Varner referred to that way.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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From the Bio on his website:

"The young farm boy soon became a familiar sight in the pool room pulling a coke case around the table so that he could reach the shots on the table. By the time he graduated from high school, Varner had become a top local player."

http://www.nickvarner.com/nickbio.asp
 
dirtypool40 said:
Varner.

Some of the best pool I saw back in the 90's was a US Open match, from about 1992, I think it was a winner's side final. Seigel and Varner, both shooting great.

Seigel played perfect, and was running away, he has Nick stuck 10-3 and corner hooked going to 11.

Mike never got another decent shot. No big pack of racks, just controlled, solid, unflappable pool, in that face of arguably the world's best player waiting in the chair only needing one. Final 11-10 Varner

And Nick is the guy who went over to the Philipines to match up with Efren in 1989 and won the long sets.
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This match from the 1990 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship gets my vote as the greatest match ever captured on Accu-Stats video. Sigel had Varner down 9-2, and then 10-6, in a race to 11, and Varner came back to take it 11-10.

The game that Varner won down 9-2 to swing the momentum to his side, and the final hill-hill game, are simply indescribable. This match is now available in the Classics section from Accu-Stats on DVD and I urge anyone who loves exciting 9-ball action to get it.
 
This isn't even close imo. Nick's mental game is light years ahead of Larry's. I may have posted this before but I love Larry's game, unfortunately his mental meltdowns hold him back from being the true champion he could be =(
 
I remember Nick walked into Varsity Cue in Tampa back in late 1980's or early 1990's. He had on a T-shirt with either World 9-ball champion or US Open Champion on the back of it. I said as he walked up to me, "I'm sure you'll get plenty of action in here with that shirt on."

He just smiled and walked away. He had come to play someone there. Johnnyt
PS. I think Nick was one of the best all-around players ever.
 
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This isn't meant to disrespect Larry's game at all, but this question is a bit ridiculous. At his peak, Nick was arguably the best player in the world, and his contemporaries included some of the best players ever to pick up a cue, many of whom are HOF'ers themselves, including Mike Sigel, Efren Reyes, Buddy Hall, and Earl Strickland (all either in their primes, or close to them).

Any hypothetical match-up between Nick, in his prime, and one of today's players would have to include the absolute best of the best that today's crop of players has to offer, imo.
 
I would like to hear more about, "...Nick is the guy who went over to the Philipines to match up with Efren in 1989 and won the long sets.", please!

dirtypool40 said:
Varner.

Some of the best pool I saw back in the 90's was a US Open match, from about 1992, I think it was a winner's side final. Seigel and Varner, both shooting great.

Seigel played perfect, and was running away, he has Nick stuck 10-3 and corner hooked going to 11.

Mike never got another decent shot. No big pack of racks, just controlled, solid, unflappable pool, in that face of arguably the world's best player waiting in the chair only needing one. Final 11-10 Varner

And Nick is the guy who went over to the Philipines to match up with Efren in 1989 and won the long sets.
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Larry has no wins in the majors or even in an "almost major" that i can recall

Varner has tons.

This really isnt close.
 
Honestly, I think it would be more appropriate to ask if you would pick Efren Reyes over Nick Varner in his prime. I had the pleasure of getting my butt kicked by Varner once. His game is just so advanced in so many ways, it's practically a disservice to even compare him at all. He does things that make you rethink how the game should even be played.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
Honestly, I think it would be more appropriate to ask if you would pick Efren Reyes over Nick Varner in his prime. I had the pleasure of getting my butt kicked by Varner once. His game is just so advanced in so many ways, it's practically a disservice to even compare him at all. He does things that make you rethink how the game should even be played.
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I pick Nick Varner over Efren Reyes in their prime in a long race of 9 ball. THAT would have been a match for the ages though, I tell you.

I would have picked Varner in banks as well. In a long race of One Pocket....it would have been close (IMO), and of course in Straight Pool - Varner. Again, just my thoughts.
 
You're kidding, right?

Larry isn't even close.

Look up Nick Varner's record in 1989 alone if you want to know the answer.
 
I pick Varner, current condition and especially in his prime.

I think a quick story is in order to accentuate my point.

I believe this happened after an event in Indy where some friends of mine were working with Nick at his cue and equipment booth. At the end of a long day, the three (Nick, and my two friends) find an open table and knock some balls around. Nick makes short work of the first three racks or so of 9ball.

My friend Mike jokingly says, "Knocking off the rust, Nick?"

Nick responds, "Yeah, but even my rust is fan-tastic."
 
crawfish said:
Varner was just too methodical and solid. I'm gonna go with 100-72 in a race.
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Yah... MAYBE it would be that close if Larry could keep himself together mentally for the majority.

Sorry, but I see Larry as getting really frustrated if he's down 10 games in a long race, and facing a kick shot after an unintentional miss by his opponent.

Nick? I see him jumping out of his chair and thinking his opponent is "getting weak", and smiling and he lines up the kick.

In fact, for those who haven't heard Nick commentate, here's an example:

Nick: (As the player is frozen to the side of a ball and facing a kick shot)

"Oh man! He's got a great shot here! Go two rails and back kick the 1 and the cue ball is going up table, behind these balls. I don't ever wanna have a better shot than this if I can't see the ball. Wow!"

And that is SERIOUSLY how Nick thinks.

I could see this-

Nevel: (Facing same shot) "Lucky motherf***er, aren't you?!"

And flails at a hard one rail kick out of frustration.

And that sums the difference between the two up perfectly. Nevel plays great, but needs SERIOUS work on the mental game.


Russ
 
BWTadpole said:
I pick Varner, current condition and especially in his prime.
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It would be very interesting to see how many people faced with this bet would take Nick's side in a modern day match on the GSBT.
 
Well honestly, I think people are being rather unrealistic when they think Nick would compare favorably with Larry right now. Nick has not competed seriously in a long time, and Larry competes frequently.

I would actually like Larry as a SLIGHT favorite, and only if Nick practiced heavily prior. Then again, what reason would Nick have to get fired up over something like this?

Russ
 
This comparison is ridiculous. Nevel cannot be compared with the best of any generation in their prime, let alone with a legend like Varner, surely one of the all time greatest.

To be honest, I like Tony Ellin in his prime bigtime over Nevel at his best, and I'll bet I'm not alone in that view.
 
Tom In Cincy said:
The 2008 Nick Varner would beat Larry. But, it would be very close.

Larry wouldn't have a chance against playing the Nick Varner of the early 90s.
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No way could 2008 nick varner beat larry nevel... Not even close.
 
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