Most money

A

Ak Guy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If we go back in history, which pro pool player made the most money during their hey day. I'm only talking about winnings on the table, whether it's tournament winnings or side bets. I realize it is a hard amount to track when side bets are part of the equation. But make your best guess.

I have watched Efren win some big money over the last 30 years in pool tournaments.

I don't know how most of them plan for retirement years given the small amount of money tournaments currently pay out.
 
It's even harder to judge that number due to backers, tournaments that they never saw the funds for, etc. While I'm sure the numbers are gigantic, my guess is probably the person who "made the most money" is more objective than factual. Every town/region has their pro/legendary player, making the task that much more difficult. Becomes a huge he said/she said game.
 
Add in inflation and the calculation becomes even more difficult.

My guess is Ralph Greenleaf.
 
In recent memory probably Efren - IPT already $600-700K, color of money $100K and regularly top money lists in past
Next maybe Parica who used to dominate and win many good money tourneys in Japan few decades ago :D
 
Can't really count IPT though because how much of that money did he actually see. Thanks again Trudeau.
 
spartan said:
In recent memory probably Efren - IPT already $600-700K, color of money $100K and regularly top money lists in past
Next maybe Parica who used to dominate and win many good money tourneys in Japan few decades ago :D
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I would agree.

I'd also have to say Earl Strickland has won a good bit.
If you only count from 2007 to now, SVB has won a good bit also.

Then we can count Alex P & Daz.
 
They have a list for this on AZ's people page. Efren is the top money maker all time.
 
Jack Cooney! There is no close second. Ronnie Allen would probably be next in money won over the course of his gambling career. In tournaments, Efren is number one for sure. He won most of the big ones.
 
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Efren were playing for money long time before he even entered first tournament...
He probably made just from Derby couple hundred thousands ...
Also many others big money tournaments"biggest prize money ever!" Went to Efren's pockets. Like Tokio nine ball.
 
jay helfert said:
Jack Cooney! There is no close second. Ronnie Allen would probably be next in money won over the course of his gambling career. In tournaments, Efren is number one for sure. He won most of the big ones.
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Good info Jay, I agree.
 
jay helfert said:
Jack Cooney! There is no close second. Ronnie Allen would probably be next in money won over the course of his gambling career. In tournaments, Efren is number one for sure. He won most of the big ones.
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What about some of the HUGE scores from the Rack in Detroit. Not sure who won the most but have heard about a couple guys who lost huge money back then not sure what it would be adjusted for inflation.

What about the scores players made from Harry the lawyer from Seattle I think
 
I would be very surprised if the big winners on this list actually could call 40% of the total as "net income", assuming they accurately accounted for their pool-related expenses. Maybe the IRS would not accept the deductions, but the expenses really happened and had to be paid from somewhere.

Winning big on the pool table, only to lose much of it on the ponies, or on gambling-lifestyle expenses, does not get one ahead in the real world.

A guy works for GM for 25 years, starts at age 30 working for $10/hour, works himself up to $67k per year at age 65, has made $1.4 million by retirement age. Then if he lives another twenty years, collecting SS to age 86, he will make another $750,000 - depending on the corporate retirement contribution.

That puts him at a career $2.15 million, a little ahead of Efren on the career money list, no matter how badly the guy plays pool.

Pool still does not pay, not much, and not nearly as much as a good union job, too bad they all have been shipped off to the far east and the Balkans and India and Pakistan and Bangladesh by the corporate oligarchs who own our congress and are currently jockeying with each other to buy more loyal politicians and more of them.

Maybe the solution to getting some money into pool is to bring back the unions and union jobs, kick out the oligarchs as well as the union corruption, and set up union pool leagues.
 
Travis Niklich said:
What about some of the HUGE scores from the Rack in Detroit. Not sure who won the most but have heard about a couple guys who lost huge money back then not sure what it would be adjusted for inflation.

What about the scores players made from Harry the lawyer from Seattle I think
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You're right, there were several people (Cooney was one of them) who made seven figures over a period of time at the Rack. The airplane man from Medford lost MILLIONS as well over a period of two decades. Harry and Keith beat him one time for over 400K and got paid in full.

Little Toby in Vegas beat Archie the Greek for 600K in one play (over several days) back in the 90's. But Archie had won over a million playing Bobby Baldwin on a bar box a year or so earlier. That is pool's single largest score that I know about, Archie beating Baldwin.
 
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