Who's Alex Pagulayan?

[Hail Mary Shot]

I want to ask our fellow AZBers' here on how , when , and where they heard about this little monster. some facts or untold stories about his early pool escapades or an event that created a buzz. in short, the first time you heard and spelled the name Alex Pagulayan.

The first time that I heard about Alex was during the WPC '99. when most of us were focused on Archer, Reyes, Earl and Busty, this little guy created some intrigue among pool legends regarding his shotmaking potential. being an Efren fan and a fellow Filipino made him a bit close to his idol and gave him some exposure to the media. this was evident during the following year when he performed much better and reached the last 16. this was the time when some of the local boys he used to play with some years before, recognized him. actually, Alex hustled these guys and never knew whom he was not until that good showing in the WPC 2000. man, how mad they were. !!!

 

[jay helfert]

I want to ask our fellow AZBers' here on how , when , and where they heard about this little monster. some facts or untold stories about his early pool escapades or an event that created a buzz. in short, the first time you heard and spelled the name Alex Pagulayan.

The first time that I heard about Alex was during the WPC '99. when most of us were focused on Archer, Reyes, Earl and Busty, this little guy created some intrigue among pool legends regarding his shotmaking potential. being an Efren fan and a fellow Filipino made him a bit close to his idol and gave him some exposure to the media. this was evident during the following year when he performed much better and reached the last 16. this was the time when some of the local boys he used to play with some years before, recognized him. actually, Alex hustled these guys and never knew whom he was not until that good showing in the WPC 2000. man, how mad they were. !!!

He and Corey were a formidable road team as teenagers. They basically robbed the whole country for a few years, before they turned 21.

 

[Russ Chewning]

He and Corey were a formidable road team as teenagers. They basically robbed the whole country for a few years, before they turned 21.

Gah! Can you IMAGINE? And you KNOW, whoever beat a dude first... The poor guy figured to have a better chance with the "backer", heh heh!

I bet it would be incredibly fun to be an extremely talented teenager, with people throwing money at you for doing what you do. And add on to that, both those guys were good looking kids, so I am sure they got extracurricular "action" whereever they went, too..

FWIW, Pags was doing quite well in Canada long before 1999. He was in the regional coverage for a pretty long time, and they even covered his age. I remember thinking at the time the kid was a monster, and the pros were probably lucky he wasn't allowed to play on the Camel Series at the time..

Russ

 

[Pushout]

Must have been around '95 or '96, maybe before. I think Alex was about 18 at the time. He came to Binghamton, NY to play in the NYS 9 Ball Championship. He was traveling with Chris Wood, Paul Thornley, and a guy whose name I can't remember, who owned a room in Toronto. The first or second time I saw him, he tangled with Dave Daya, from Mt. Carmel, PA. For those who don't know, at that time Daya would play just about anybody if he thought the game was right and would literally play for DAYS. I think Alex beat him out of about $2000 or $3000 the Friday night before the tournament, playing in Scranton, PA. They went at it again after they were both out of the tournament. I think Dave won about $1700 back. I saw Alex in Syracuse, at Caps a couple of times also. Always happy as hell, whether he won or lost {and he didn't lose too damn often}. Happy go lucky, you might say. He just seemed to be having a hell of a lot of fun. And man, did he have heart!
Alex was just starting to play one pocket at that time, and played a set with Daryl Osbourne, from Binghamton. Daryl won but Alex really didn't know the game at the time, and the bet was small.

 

[Pushout]

He and Corey were a formidable road team as teenagers. They basically robbed the whole country for a few years, before they turned 21.

That I hadn't hear about Jay. Thanks for info.

 

[Pizza Bob]

I saw Alex get beat for a thousand jellybeans by Flyboy in Olathe (at Shooters) playing 3C. Alex won the first game for five hundred and Flyboy ask him to play again. Alex said he'd go for another five hundred, to which Flyboy replied, "I don't gamble to get even - let's go for fifteen hundred." They did and Flyboy beat him pretty handily. Alex quit him after that.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

 

[Russ Chewning]

I saw Alex get beat for a thousand jellybeans by Flyboy in Olathe (at Shooters) playing 3C. Alex won the first game for five hundred and Flyboy ask him to play again. Alex said he'd go for another five hundred, to which Flyboy replied, "I don't gamble to get even - let's go for fifteen hundred." They did and Flyboy beat him pretty handily. Alex quit him after that.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

Hah hah!! He got HUSTLED!

Russ

 

[huckster]

Alex P is sometimes forgotton about when the best all around player is mentioned. I have seen him win at all disciplines against true champions his hit list is like a who's who of the pool world.

1. His famous win against Mr. 400 John S (the best American straight pool player period) playing 14.1 at the Derby going to 300

2. Giving Keither the 7 ball playing 10 ball on the small track at Derby City

3. Beating Scott Frost playing onepocket even 5 ahead for 10k

4. Open invitation to play any American Snooker (I would love to see him and Tang get down)

5. When him and Corey were travelling Alex was the favorite for the cash playing 9ball (might still be)

If he takes the game serious and practices no one in the world has to like it. I spent a week with him a few years ago and he has sooooo much natural talent. he just gets distracted by things outside of pool. I watched him beat a shortstop at 9ball on the small track while shooting every shot behing his back (Antonio taught him that) He breaks the ran a 3 pack shooting behing his back. He even jumped a ball behind his back and played perfect shape

 

[Hail Mary Shot]

Alex P is sometimes forgotton about when the best all around player is mentioned. I have seen him win at all disciplines against true champions his hit list is like a who's who of the pool world.

1. His famous win against Mr. 400 John S (the best American straight pool player period) playing 14.1 at the Derby going to 300

2. Giving Keither the 7 ball playing 10 ball on the small track at Derby City

3. Beating Scott Frost playing onepocket even 5 ahead for 10k

4. Open invitation to play any American Snooker (I would love to see him and Tang get down)

5. When him and Corey were travelling Alex was the favorite for the cash playing 9ball (might still be)

If he takes the game serious and practices no one in the world has to like it. I spent a week with him a few years ago and he has sooooo much natural talent. he just gets distracted by things outside of pool. I watched him beat a shortstop at 9ball on the small track while shooting every shot behing his back (Antonio taught him that) He breaks the ran a 3 pack shooting behing his back. He even jumped a ball behind his back and played perfect shape

I'm glad that shortstop didn't ask Alex to break behind his back !

 

[Bayawak]

Alex P is sometimes forgotton about when the best all around player is mentioned. I have seen him win at all disciplines against true champions his hit list is like a who's who of the pool world.

1. His famous win against Mr. 400 John S (the best American straight pool player period) playing 14.1 at the Derby going to 300

2. Giving Keither the 7 ball playing 10 ball on the small track at Derby City

3. Beating Scott Frost playing onepocket even 5 ahead for 10k

4. Open invitation to play any American Snooker (I would love to see him and Tang get down)

5. When him and Corey were travelling Alex was the favorite for the cash playing 9ball (might still be)

If he takes the game serious and practices no one in the world has to like it. I spent a week with him a few years ago and he has sooooo much natural talent. he just gets distracted by things outside of pool. I watched him beat a shortstop at 9ball on the small track while shooting every shot behing his back (Antonio taught him that) He breaks the ran a 3 pack shooting behing his back. He even jumped a ball behind his back and played perfect shape

Like what Jay stated, Alex and Corey terrorized the country during their road trips. One of their best score was Hawaii where they won at least $25K in one week. Alex told me so himself that Hawaii was one of their best scores.

He came over to Alexandria, VA during the 90's and played at one of the last McDermott tours while he was still a teen. He must have been 16 or 17 at the time. His nickname at the time was "Mau". He was already a scary player at the time. Sansouci didn't want any part of him at all. Apparently, Alex snuck across the border one too many times before and beat Sansouci several times before in New York. At that time, Sansouci was hot, but it didn't matter to Alex, he just beat him every time they played.

He came back several more times and stayed with us for a spell and we would go out and bang balls around and if you observe him at play, you would be amazed at his skills and foresight as far as reading the layout of the table. During those times, he was still showing some of the Filipino strokes and shots unique to the Pinoy players, like the infamous "sputnik" shot.

In case you're not familiar with that shot, ask any accomplished pinoy players around and they will explain it to you. You must have a pinoy stroke in order to execute this kind of shot.

Altogether, when Alex is in gear, nobody has to like playing him. Just ask Tony Watson. He used to get the 7 & the last three from Alex and lose!!

I remember the year before he won the US Open, when he lost a really tight match in the finals, I can't remember who he lost to, but anyway, that night we were drinking after his match, and he wanted to gamble so we went down to Cuemaster's in Norfolk. When we got there, he told everybody that he would spot anybody the 8!!! The room was packed of "champions" and hustlers, but guess what, nobody took his offer. We ended up drinking again and hanging out.


Bayawak aka tirador

 

[Bayawak]

Alex Pagulayan

I want to ask our fellow AZBers' here on how , when , and where they heard about this little monster. some facts or untold stories about his early pool escapades or an event that created a buzz. in short, the first time you heard and spelled the name Alex Pagulayan.

The first time that I heard about Alex was during the WPC '99. when most of us were focused on Archer, Reyes, Earl and Busty, this little guy created some intrigue among pool legends regarding his shotmaking potential. being an Efren fan and a fellow Filipino made him a bit close to his idol and gave him some exposure to the media. this was evident during the following year when he performed much better and reached the last 16. this was the time when some of the local boys he used to play with some years before, recognized him. actually, Alex hustled these guys and never knew whom he was not until that good showing in the WPC 2000. man, how mad they were. !!!

If I remember correctly, Alex started hustling around here a year after he arrived in Canada. He used to travel with an old Canadian player whose name escaped my memory. That was during the mid-90's. He kinda acted as his chaperon as Alex was seriously underaged at the time.

Matter of fact, I had to sponsor him to be able to play at the McDermott Tour here in Alexandria, VA years ago. I know the owners and the staff at Fast Eddie's and they let him play with some restrictions like no drinking which was understandable.

He was never shy, loud enough for everybody to notice him, in a nice and funny way. He fooled a lot of players around here because they never thought that somebody that young would be good enough to beat them. Little did they know that behind that baby face facade lurks a giant killer.

Essentially, he started to make some money for himself first because he could not envision himself as a world champion during those growing years.

He loved to gamble and can stay up on days end, as long as he is in action. He was the consummate hustler because he would play just good enough to win.

Several years later, when he came around to Alexandria and we sat down for a meal he said that he would be a world champion before he turns 30.
Well, a year after he won that prestigious WPC title, and boy, he won it with style and statement!!!!!

Bayawak aka tirador

 

[smashmouth]

The Candian player chaperoning him was Paul Thornley, he's based out of Toronto and is a good guy to contact if you need a Joss

 

[Williebetmore]

, like the infamous "sputnik" shot.

In case you're not familiar with that shot, ask any accomplished pinoy players around and they will explain it to you.

tirador,
We DO NOT HAVE ANY PINOY PLAYERS HERE. Please, please, please explain this shot to us. We would like to know.

 

[Hail Mary Shot]

tirador,
We DO NOT HAVE ANY PINOY PLAYERS HERE. Please, please, please explain this shot to us. We would like to know.

Willie, I had Pm'ed him about this shot. hasn't returned my message yet. I might have been doing this shot already, except that I dunno what it is called...

my stroke is a loose screwy one...much like dangly coz of my frequent wrist movement.

 

[Southpaw]

I saw Alex a few years ago out in Vegas playing the 10 ball ghost on a bar table, oh yeah.....behind his back. He ended up losing, but had already beaten the 9 ball ghost that way. Thats pretty impressive.

Southpaw

 

[phoebe choy]

Like what Jay stated, Alex and Corey tercountry during their road trips. One of their best score was Hawaii where they won at least $25K in one week. Alex told me so himself that Hawaii was one of their best scores.

He came over to Alexandria, VA during the 90's and played at one of the last McDermott tours while he was still a teen. He must have been 16 or 17 at the time. His nickname at the time was "Mau". He was already a scary player at the time. Sansouci didn't want any part of him at all. Apparently, Alex snuck across the border one too many times before and beat Sansouci several times before in New York. At that time, Sansouci was hot, but it didn't matter to Alex, he just beat him every time they played.

He came back several more times and stayed with us for a spell and we would go out and bang balls around and if you observe him at play, you would be amazed at his skills and foresight as far as reading the layout of the table. During those times, he was still showing some of the Filipino strokes and shots unique to the Pinoy players, like the infamous "sputnik" shot.

In case you're not familiar with that shot, ask any accomplished pinoy players around and they will explain it to you. You must have a pinoy stroke in order to execute this kind of shot.

Altogether, when Alex is in gear, nobody has to like playing him. Just ask Tony Watson. He used to get the 7 & the last three from Alex and lose!!

I remember the year before he won the US Open, when he lost a really tight match in the finals, I can't remember who he lost to, but anyway, that night we were drinking after his match, and he wanted to gamble so we went down to Cuemaster's in Norfolk. When we got there, he told everybody that he would spot anybody the 8!!! The room was packed of "champions" and hustlers, but guess what, nobody took his offer. We ended up drinking again and hanging out.


Bayawak aka tirador

This is VERY true! I was there watching it happen - remember that it was over 10 years ago and I had no idea who he was at the time. I honestly thought he was a 12 year old kid!! I had a boyfriend at that time who was like one of the top 10 players from Hawaii - Alex beat him silly - I sat there and watched him lose like 7K - I actually thought it was pretty entertaining - Alex was giving the 7, but it made no difference cause he was the only one shooting!!! Alex was the one in action, most of the guys knew who Corey was at the time - but they basically robbed everybody! From what I hear it was more like 30K - but whats the difference - I take that back....he didn't rob anyone because he was giving up some serious weight, it just didn't matter cause he was on fire - like he gave up 6 and out with the 3 as an extra money ball (AND MONEY ON THE 5 AND 9) but Alex can only make money on the 9 ......and he won that too! Crazy ass spots and it never made a difference! THAT was when I first knew of him - never realized that like 7 years later we would re-meet and end up having 2 kids together LOL!!!

 

[1on1pooltournys]

JOB's in Nashville

Him and Corey were there at a Camel event although they couldn't participate. Alex played the 10 ball ghost on the tight diamond in the front when you walk in. I believe it was 8 ahead or so for a few thousand, his case money as he mentioned it the entire time I was watching. Anyhow, he loses about the first 5 or 6 games and tells Corey to go to the car and get him a t-shirt and some baby powder then says.. "I'll let you out for half right now Jamie" as I believe Jamie Goodwin was betting the majority against him. The spectators laughed as it appeared he was a cooked duck. Guess what...he got the cheese about 7 or 8 hours later. The stipulations were brutal too. I believe he had to spot any balls he made on the break if they exceeded one. Anybody there to see this? It was probably 97,98 or 99?