Rating One Pocket Players

wincardona said:
Absolutely a seniors one pocket tournament would work,and work very well. There would be a lot of overjoyed players and supporters that would love to participate in a seniors one pocket tournament. There would be a lot more ball moving and a lot less ball running. analogy:like a tennis match with a lot of volleying. Very enjoyable. In regard to your personal problems,it's like playing pool and thinking you've won after making game ball,but some how the cue ball finds a pocket to drop into.Roll up your sleeves and get back to work. Good luck.

Billy, If you put one on in Dallas, I'll come and bring my buddy Harry. I think you've met him before. Oh and one last thing, Efren is BARRED! He can be the Guest Of Honor. We will all bow down and kiss his hand when we enter. :)
 
Rating older players

wincardona said:
Several months ago I was reading a rating list of the best one pocket players in the world. Some I agreed with ,others I didn't.I will post the top 10 both current,and also in the last 40 years. (my opinion) INCIDENTALLY,I GAMBLED WITH ALL OF THEM.I would like to add this, My top 5 players are my honest opinion that will NEVER change,in my last 40 year list,unless there will be some talented player that will change my mind.But as it stands now there they are.There are probably 5 or so other players that could fit comfortably to make it a top 20 list. And I think most knowledgeable people can figure that out.

CURRENT ---------LAST 40 YEARS

#1 REYES ----------#1 REYES
#2 JOYNER ----------#2 R.ALLEN
#3 FROST ----------#3 E.KELLY
#4 CHOHAN ----------#4 JOYNER
#5 DUEL ----------#5 BUGS
#6 J.JONES ----------#6 FROST
#7 BUSTAMANTE------#7 T. CHOHAN
#8 S. DALTON -------- #8 S.DALTON
#9 L.NEVIL -----------#9 J.BREIT
#10 G. OWEN ---------#10 BOSTON SHORTY
-----------------------#11 Allen Hopkins
-----------------------#12 Steve Cook
-----------------------#13 Mark Tad

Six through thirteen are very close. On any given day.

Billy,
I recall an exibition match between Danny DiLiberto and Ronnie Allen back in the mid to late '80's. They played race to five for $25,000. I know that Danny was probably more known for his straight pool than his one pocket, but, he did play the game pretty good and actually had a big win in
'83 in a 1P tournament. How would you rate his game in this field, or, how many balls underneath the better players? It was a great match and those of you who haven't seen it, it is on tape and well worth the viewing.
 
I've Been Married To ALL The 'Natural' Hair Colors

wincardona said:
Absolutely a seniors one pocket tournament would work,and work very well. There would be a lot of overjoyed players and supporters that would love to participate in a seniors one pocket tournament. There would be a lot more ball moving and a lot less ball running. analogy:like a tennis match with a lot of volleying. Very enjoyable.

In regard to your personal problems,it's like playing pool and thinking you've won after making game ball,but some how the cue ball finds a pocket to drop into.Roll up your sleeves and get back to work. Good luck.


Maybe some enterprising poolplayer/sponsor will initiate a Senior's One-Pocket Tournament before the participants forget where to put the baby powder. Maybe Grady will host one at his new room.

As far as my current problems with the ex :)
As we all reach retirement/Social Security age, we face the same requirements (some of which are harder for poolplayers..imo) of producing birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, DIVORCE PAPERS <for all marriages>, SS cards, I.D., the 10 Commandments, the dead sea scrolls, etc.....in order to receive our stipend :)




.
 
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jsp said:
So what German or Taiwanese star would you put in your top 15 list of current or all-time one-pocket players, without any proof to the world they are great at one pocket?

It's listing Alex Rodriguez as one of the top 15 cricket players in the world today, since he obviously has all the physical tools to become a great cricket player.
Souquet and Engert made it through a few rounds at the DCC one hole last year. Engert was knocked out by Jeremy Jones - one of those top 10 guys on Bill's list. From what I heard, they played pretty good. The A-rod comment about cricket was stupid. Are you telling me if you can run 400 in straight pool that you can't learn one-pocket. You're kidding me, right?
 
Blackjack said:
My favorite "Billy & Efren" moment...

Thank You, Mr. Reyes!


That interview belongs in the time capsule!

That was a great interview, Dave. That shot may be the greatest shot I have ever seen. Efren fans the ball in and it looks like he is going to be on the wrong side of the stack going 3 rails but he kills the cue ball off the second rail and still has enought speed to get back down to the pack. I have never heard a crowd any louder in approval.

But then there was the cross twice kick/cut and run out. I hope we all are appreciative of what we are so priviladged to see in this, greatest player ever.
 
hemicudas said:
That was a great interview, Dave. That shot may be the greatest shot I have ever seen. Efren fans the ball in and it looks like he is going to be on the wrong side of the stack going 3 rails but he kills the cue ball off the second rail and still has enought speed to get back down to the pack. I have never heard a crowd any louder in approval.

But then there was the cross twice kick/cut and run out. I hope we all are appreciative of what we are so priviladged to see in this, greatest player ever.

Bill,

You might like this video too, it shows what a special and humble human being Efren is!
Efren Bata Reyes in Southridge
 
The Magician

jay helfert said:
Billy, If you put one on in Dallas, I'll come and bring my buddy Harry. I think you've met him before. Oh and one last thing, Efren is BARRED! He can be the Guest Of Honor. We will all bow down and kiss his hand when we enter. :)

Jay,

Another Reyes story. Reyes and I are very friendly,as you know. I guess it started after he beat me badly in vegas, shortly after Reds tournament in Houston And the last match we played in Vegas I won .I have to admit I tricked him,it was the only way I could of won.I made a game with him playing 9 ball on a certain table getting the 8 & the break for the next day. That night I changed the cloth ,in replace I put a fairly new cloth on the table which increased my ball pocketing production on the break.Even Reyes couldn't over come that. After that I moved to Chicago to live and Reyes also moved there ,and everything The Beard said was true. We played Reyes all summer,many differen't one pocket games. The reason why so many differen't games is that he's the only player that improved drastically from Monday to Tuesday He showed improvement EVERY DAY. Shortly after the summer ended there was a tournament in Atlantic City, I was sitting all alone in the practice room All alone.Reyes walked into the room and didn't acknowledge me,don't forget we were very close at that time. I was sitting in front of a table in a room with about 10 tables. He purposely jointed his cue and started to practice on the table that I was sitting in front of . Never acknowledgeing me. He threw 15 balls out on the table (only on half the table between the side pockets and the foot rail ) there was a lot of congestion. He then proceded to run all balls in rotation. It was a beautifull thing to watch.He ran FOUR CONSECUTIVE RACKS doing the same thing without missing.Never seen, or never will see anything that amazing ever. He then disjointed his cue put it away and left the room without ever looking at me. TRUE STORY.
 
Meanwhile, one pocket politics took a turn.....
 

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Shawn Armstrong said:
Souquet and Engert made it through a few rounds at the DCC one hole last year. Engert was knocked out by Jeremy Jones - one of those top 10 guys on Bill's list. From what I heard, they played pretty good. The A-rod comment about cricket was stupid. Are you telling me if you can run 400 in straight pool that you can't learn one-pocket. You're kidding me, right?
Are you telling me that if you can hit 500 homeruns in the Majors by age 32, you can't learn how to play cricket?

Do you get the point?

A-Rod probably has all the abilities to be a top-notch cricket player, but he hasn't proved that to the world. Have you seen him play cricket lately? A-Rod being outstanding in baseball should not guarantee him a spot on a list of top cricket players.

Likewise for Engert, Souquet, Hohmann, and the other German or Taiwanese greats. Are they capable of playing of great one-pocket? I would say yes...no one really is arguing this with you. Have they proved this to the world? NO. So even considering them on a list of TOP one-pocket players (your initial post) is absurd.
 
One pocket tournament in Dallas

jay helfert said:
Billy, If you put one on in Dallas, I'll come and bring my buddy Harry. I think you've met him before. Oh and one last thing, Efren is BARRED! He can be the Guest Of Honor. We will all bow down and kiss his hand when we enter. :)
One v

It would be greatly appreciated if everyone would read my post #22 on the thread One pocket tournament in Dallas I had a hard time bringing it up. I had to type in page 3 to get it to come up. Please read it and help promote this tournament in any way. Thank you Bill Incatrdona
 
wincardona said:
Jay,

Another Reyes story. Reyes and I are very friendly,as you know. I guess it started after he beat me badly in vegas, shortly after Reds tournament in Houston And the last match we played in Vegas I won .I have to admit I tricked him,it was the only way I could of won.I made a game with him playing 9 ball on a certain table getting the 8 & the break for the next day. That night I changed the cloth ,in replace I put a fairly new cloth on the table which increased my ball pocketing production on the break.Even Reyes couldn't over come that. After that I moved to Chicago to live and Reyes also moved there ,and everything The Beard said was true. We played Reyes all summer,many differen't one pocket games. The reason why so many differen't games is that he's the only player that improved drastically from Monday to Tuesday He showed improvement EVERY DAY. Shortly after the summer ended there was a tournament in Atlantic City, I was sitting all alone in the practice room All alone.Reyes walked into the room and didn't acknowledge me,don't forget we were very close at that time. I was sitting in front of a table in a room with about 10 tables. He purposely jointed his cue and started to practice on the table that I was sitting in front of . Never acknowledgeing me. He threw 15 balls out on the table (only on half the table between the side pockets and the foot rail ) there was a lot of congestion. He then proceded to run all balls in rotation. It was a beautifull thing to watch.He ran FOUR CONSECUTIVE RACKS doing the same thing without missing.Never seen, or never will see anything that amazing ever. He then disjointed his cue put it away and left the room without ever looking at me. TRUE STORY.

Thanks Billy. I love this story. It was his little gift to you.

A long, long time ago in Dayton, Eddie Taylor came into the poolroom (Cue and Bridge) that I was working at. He had an exhibiton match scheduled with Joey Spaeth for the next day, although there was some money involved.

I gave him a set of balls and he went to the front table by the counter (George Rood's special table). I was the only one watching him, since it was early in the day. I think he just wanted to get the feel of the table he would be playing on.

Taylor threw all the balls on the table, and banked one cross side. Then he banked another one cross side. He proceeded to bank every ball on the table without missing. All fifteen on his first turn at the table. After the last one, he looked over at me and said "I like the way this table banks". I was speechless. I had seen many good bank pool players before. In fact my mentor was Joe Burns, who was the best in Dayton. But what I just witnessed was something else again. I never forgot that little exhibition.
 
jay helfert said:
Thanks Billy. I love this story. It was his little gift to you.

A long, long time ago in Dayton, Eddie Taylor came into the poolroom (Cue and Bridge) that I was working at. He had an exhibiton match scheduled with Joey Spaeth for the next day, although there was some money involved.

I gave him a set of balls and he went to the front table by the counter (George Rood's special table). I was the only one watching him, since it was early in the day. I think he just wanted to get the feel of the table he would be playing on.

Taylor threw all the balls on the table, and banked one cross side. Then he banked another one cross side. He proceeded to bank every ball on the table without missing. All fifteen on his first turn at the table. After the last one, he looked over at me and said "I like the way this table banks". I was speechless. I had seen many good bank pool players before. In fact my mentor was Joe Burns, who was the best in Dayton. But what I just witnessed was something else again. I never forgot that little exhibition.

Jay,
That reminds me of a time, mid '90's in Chagrin Valley Billiards, Chagrin, Ohio. Similar situation with Buggs playing Billy, $2000 exhibition. Buggs walked in, and jumped on the front table. (These were the tables that the owner purchased from Alan Hopkins place up east). This table was triple shimmed. Buggs got up, banked in a few long rail, then a bank combo and a couple more and also said, yeah, this table will do fine. Effortlessly,very smooth.
 
jay helfert said:
Please stop. Billy, you're funny. I feel your pain.
As much as I respect Ronnie's unique abilities, no one ever moved the cue ball with such precision as Efren. He worked thru and around the balls better than anyone I ever saw. And still does too.


Please, please stop, Jay and Billy. You guys are hilarious!! ha, ha, ha,!

I totally get your point about Efren's affinity to one pocket. You guys gave him a boost and the tools to excel and raise the bar on this uniaue game.

Jay, I might see you in Manila in November. I am thinking of getting some well planned vacation time and I'm using it to watch WPC in Manila. Haven't been back since and it's high time I do.

See you in November!!




bayawak aka tirador
"You got the 8 for life!"
 
wincardona said:
Several months ago I was reading a rating list of the best one pocket players in the world. Some I agreed with ,others I didn't.I will post the top 10 both current,and also in the last 40 years. (my opinion) INCIDENTALLY,I GAMBLED WITH ALL OF THEM.I would like to add this, My top 5 players are my honest opinion that will NEVER change,in my last 40 year list,unless there will be some talented player that will change my mind.But as it stands now there they are.There are probably 5 or so other players that could fit comfortably to make it a top 20 list. And I think most knowledgeable people can figure that out.

CURRENT ---------LAST 40 YEARS

#1 REYES ----------#1 REYES
#2 JOYNER ----------#2 R.ALLEN
#3 FROST ----------#3 E.KELLY
#4 CHOHAN ----------#4 JOYNER
#5 DUEL ----------#5 BUGS
#6 J.JONES ----------#6 FROST
#7 BUSTAMANTE------#7 T. CHOHAN
#8 S. DALTON -------- #8 S.DALTON
#9 L.NEVIL -----------#9 J.BREIT
#10 G. OWEN ---------#10 BOSTON SHORTY
-----------------------#11 Allen Hopkins
-----------------------#12 Steve Cook
-----------------------#13 Mark Tad

Six through thirteen are very close. On any given day.


Billy,
Where do you think Ike Runnels ranks?
Thanks
 
Shawn Armstrong said:
So, Efren learned his skills from the past Filipino One Pocket champions? Who would he have learned from?

So you make this comment and then hear from the horses mouth who Efren learned from and you don't even acknowledge them... But yet you take jabs at Freddy in the thread about how well he played banks.

It's funny to see how you act like you know something about pool. You are as shallow as a water puddle Mr. Armstrong.
 
Not About Winning , What Angle ??

JimS said:
Call me cynical. Call me suspicious. Call me whatever but I have to wonder what's the angle making this list and posting this thread.

I mean... Billy Incardona is a hustlin pool playin gamblin wizard with a couple years on the hustle and knows what he's doin... ALL the time.

So what's the angle makeing this thread... I gotta wonder. What's the move here? I can't see where this gets a win for Billy. This thread is bound to piss some people off real good so why does a great gambler like Billy Incardona make a thread like this where it looks like, in makeing this thread, he's booked a sure loser.... a no win situation. Am I missing something? (not knocking anything here... I'm not a gambler and I often find myself missing the angle so I'm just wondering what I'm missing)

Or maybe there is no move... just some thoughts typed on the puter when there's nothing else happening and a thought comes to mind "who's the best..... "
JimS,

What makes you think that if I happen to think a certain way about a controversial issue ,there is something self serving involved? Did you ever stop to think that there are a lot of people in the world that don't get the recognition that they diserve?Furthermore, my opinion was on players that I thought played the best,it wasn't on how poorly players played. There's clearly a difference.If what I have to say in rating a players ability is going to taint or devalue another player, (in their mind)maybe they don't deserve the respect they demand to begin with. How can one sentence spoken by any man derail the accomplishments ,and reputation of another man,especially since it took a lifetime to develope? Lets get real,we should know by now what's real and what's Memorex.And if you don't then I suggest you start asking knowledgeable people. That's usually how it's done. Respetfully, Gamblin Wizard
 
Mr. Incardona--

What number would you rank yourself in your prime?

Some say for a few years, you were the greatest 9 ball player allive. I would think in the past 40 years, you would rank high in one pocket as well.

By the way, you once said I was the best third base coach ever. I would like to think that I still hold that title.
 
jay helfert said:
I'm taking Ike Runnels over ALL the European champions, if anyone wants to put up 5K in Louisville.


Ok. I take Evgeny Stalev ;)


I saw Evgeny play Efren with 7-8 handicap. They played 20gbp (40usd) per rack.
Evgeny wasn't motivated and lost few racks and quit.

Later in the evening Evgeny played Bustamante. I saw Evgeny making amazing shots, his motivation was high. Later I saw Busty paying him some cash and leaving the table with frustration on his face.
I asked Evgeny how much he won. He said "200 pounds (400 dollars), score 5-0". I asked how much he got weight, Evgeny answered "Nothing of course, Bustamante cannot play One Pocket"

Later I saw him beat Efren for few racks also.

That happened in Cardiff, either 01, 02 or 03.


I don't know how much Evgeny's Pyramid career has taken from his pool skills, but I believe he's one of the top One Pocket players in the world today, still.

I'm not a gambler, if I was, I could take easy 5k from you Jay ;)


Ronnie Alcano gave lot's of credit to "russian boy" about 1pkt also..
 
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