Will Effren Reyes still be considered the Best to ever come from the Philippines?

LeftyIke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I know some considered Parica to be as good as Effren,but Alex P,Orcullo and so many others are Monsters,I'm just wondering if Effren is still the hands-down Favorite,Greates ever to come from the Philippines?
 

Double-Dave

Developing cue-addict
Silver Member
I know some considered Parica to be as good as Effren,but Alex P,Orcullo and so many others are Monsters,I'm just wondering if Effren is still the hands-down Favorite,Greates ever to come from the Philippines?

Yes. Yes he is. It's not even close really.

What you might be thinking or considering is...Is Efren at his very best better then
Alex or Dennis at their very best. The answer to that is hard to give, it's probably
close. But, greatness isn't measured in someone's top speed in life. It's measured
in titles & prize money won. And, well...here's the list which I'm sure is far from
complete:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efren_Reyes#Titles_and_achievements
 

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
Gold Member
Silver Member
All I know is that Efren is a legend over there, second in fame only to Manny Paquiao. Every Filipino knows who Efren is! Most of them know Django and the real pool/sports fans know Dennis as well. The older generation is also familiar with Parica/Amang, but he is not the icon that Efren is.

"Bata" is well known anywhere you find Filipinos. He is the one who brought the most fame to the Philippines.
 

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
I know some considered Parica to be as good as Effren,but Alex P,Orcullo and so many others are Monsters,I'm just wondering if Effren is still the hands-down Favorite,Greates ever to come from the Philippines?

Yes. Still. Forever.


Freddie <~~~ the best from the PI (with caveats)
 

louieatienza

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I think so.... 5-figure winnings 23 years in a row, 6-digure winnings for 6 years in a row, won all the megabucks events in that run.... and an all around nice guy to boot!
 

klone

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Efren is considered a national treasure/hero in the Philippines, and a legend among pool players.
 

storke

One Pocket Player
Silver Member
Efren at his best is the best player to ever play pocket billiards period. He was so insanely talented it just scary to think someone could play so strong. His knowledge while playing was second to none; he revolutionized 9 ball with kicks and kick safes. Played one pocket different and more effective than anyone ever. Something else that must be mentioned is he had a knack for winning the big money tournaments seriously whenever the money would be high he would win it.
 

PoolBum

Ace in the side.
Silver Member
I'd say it's a tie for greatest all-around player ever between Efren and God. On a good day, though, Efren is the clear favorite in one-pocket.
 

JusticeNJ

Four Points/Steel Joints
Silver Member
To me, Efren is like Ali. There may be people with a better record, there may be people that hit harder, and there may have been faster boxers.

But Ali is almost always mentioned as #1 whenever the topic comes up, just as I suspect Efren will be as well.
 

cueman

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
When rating the best of all time you have to rate them by what they did during their prime. Efren has out done all others. So he will have to be considered the best of all time. IMO.
 

storke

One Pocket Player
Silver Member
Oh and one more caveat he is was the best all around player in the world for over 20 years. NO ONE HAS DONE THAT!
 

goombavskoopa

Registered
Bata is the best shooter to ever play this game. He is an absolute phenom. any game, and he can win. Running rack after rack after rack. It's like magic. He's the best pool player who ever lived. Nobody is going to be able to compare. Guy is an animal
 

Celtic

AZB's own 8-ball jihadist
Silver Member
Oh and one more caveat he is was the best all around player in the world for over 20 years. NO ONE HAS DONE THAT!

"All around" is given way too much yap by people in these threads when most of the players on the planet simply play the pro games there is actually world class competition in.

"Oh well noone can beat soandso in skittle pool!" Who gives a crap?
 

wahcheck

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Efren is the Greatest

Someone should add that not only is he the greatest from the Phillippines, but he is also a great human being as well. With the money he has won from playing pool, I think he has taken care of a lot of people back home. I have heard that he has done nice things for people here in the U.S. on occasion.

I see on Youtube he gets spots from young players in gambling games over there, but that just means he's not in his prime anymore.

I think most of the other great Filipino players have been quoted as saying Efren was their favorite and inspiration.
 
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