In its rich history, the game of pocket billiards or pool has seen many good players who’ve won a slew of tournaments by cleaning up tables and wowing the crowd with a variety of trick shots. But none has been as dominating as the Filipino master, Efren “The Magician” Reyes.
 |
Image source: megabreakpool.com
|
Now past 60 in age, Reyes began his pool career mainly out of necessity, having lived in abject poverty in the Philippines and worked as a pool table-setter. At the age of nine, he played his first money game; at twelve he won $100 and sent $90 home to his family. By the time Reyes turned 15, he quit school and devoted his life to the game. He was already the best pool player in Manila by then.
The moniker “The Magician” will come a few years later, of course, when at 30 in 1985, he began touring the US, beating the best players in the circuit one by one, stunning opponents by making seemingly impossible shots. It’s interesting how he already knew the value of hustling by then. He had already established his reputation in Asia by the time he reached America, thus deciding to hide his identity under the name Cezar Morales to further earn money games from unsuspecting players. He beat everyone, leaving after 21 days with $81,000.
Over the next 20 years, Reyes would win every major pool tournament and title in the world: the U.S. Open, the Challenge of Champions, the World Pool League Championship. He is first pool player to win World Championships in two different disciplines and held the title in 70 international championships. Efren became the first Asian inductee in the Billiard Congress of America’s Hall of Fame in 2003. Everyone, from Johnny Archer to Earl Strickland and Ralph Souquet, calls Efren Reyes the best to play the game. And there’s no reason for us to think otherwise.
 |
Image source: wikipedia.org
|
Omari Betts loves playing golf, fishing, working out, traveling, and playing pool. He is based in Temple Hills, Maryland. For more of his writings, drop by this blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment