Mister Efren

vapros

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I'm a big fan of Efren Reyes, and would like to know what it is that has made him so good for so long in the world of one pocket. With all the straight shooters and ball runners around, he consistently left them all in the mud at the Derby City Classic and other prestige events. Efren didn't just have an edge, he had a wide margin.

I think it was his command of english and his ability to keep opponents in ugly traps, scrambling just to stay in the game. There were few opportunities to play offense against him.

What do you think?
 

lll

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vero beach fl
i think his understanding of how the cue ball will get somewhere and the destination of the object ball (based on his 3c game)
and the skill to execute it
is the answer
 

NH Steve

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I am going to echo lll -- he has excelled at so many different cue games -- including billiards and of course 15 ball rotation. He brings all those different skills to his One Pocket game.

Way back 8 or 10 years ago I made an observation about Efren that I think was close to the mark. If you think of the metaphor of speaking a language, and most people have a native language and that is the language they think in. So even if they can understand and speak another language or two or more, they have that one language they do their thinking in. I beleive when it comes to pool, 99.99999% of us think about pool in our native language (English for me obviously), but for Efren, he "thinks" about pool at a deeper level that does not need to be translated into his native Tagalog. You can kind of see it when he is contemplating a shot -- it's like a visceral level that he feels and understands the shot directly, without translation.
 

LSJohn

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i think his understanding of how the cue ball will get somewhere and the destination of the object ball (based on his 3c game)
and the skill to execute it
is the answer

Full-rack rotation, the mind of a Chess Master and a hatred of losing. BTW, teach him to shoot free throws and he'll be beating you within a week.
 

sappo

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I drove up to phoenix several years ago to watch efrin play scott. efrin and a few friends arrived about 45 minutes before the match was scheduled, they just drove in from california. scott on the other hand was there hours before and was hitting balls off and on during that time. efrin finally got to the table and pocketed some balls. but as i sit there watching him i realized he wasn't making balls anymore but was playing 3 cushion on the diamond table. it was fascinating to watch him make point after point, tremendous control.
i also believe this skill allows him to trap his opponent when he seems to be in the trap himself.
 

Jeff sparks

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He is a good man, first and foremost. His whole being is in tune with and in close association with total harmony at the pool table. He is at peace and the only thing that disrupts that internal feeling of well being is losing.

Have you ever played someone and knew you were going to win? You just knew that whatever happened during that match, it wouldn't have an effect on the outcome, you knew you were going to win!!


Well, Efren feels that way all the time!!!! Or at least he used to in his prime.

It's really hard to imagine feeling like that, but his skill at the game of pool was so great, that he knew he was going to win.

The mind is a powerful weapon, and when fortified with confidence, it's almost unbeatable.

On top of everything, I've never heard the man say a cuss word or say anything bad about anyone. I'm thinking you just kinda automatically like a guy like that.

I certainly do.
 

vapros

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Dr. Bill, what did you see in him way back when he was Cesar Morales and played his violin in Texas? I know you are still one of his fans.
 

Mike

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The first time I saw Efren was in Atlantic City for a tournament which I believe was at Resorts many years ago. I wandered into the practice room to watch the players warm up. Only one guy was on a table and I was the only sweater. The guy threw 15 balls on the table and ran the table in rotation. He did it 3 times in a row. The CB looked like it had a little motor in it as it went around the table for position and to open up balls. I told a couple of guys I just the greatest pool player in the world and found out later it was Efren.
 

1pwannabe

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One Pocket is a game where knowledge is highly valuable. Not only do you have to know how to shoot difficult shots, you have to actually know of those shots to begin with.

Why is this so important? Because you are also having to play the safe game and the more shots you know of, the more you can rule those out when leaving your opponent. When you play top players, they simply see more, and with Efren he see's FAR more. This manifests itself in the game, if you've had the pleasure of being slaughtered by a top player, by you noticing shot after shot, leave after leave, that you simply don't have anything to shoot at. Every line of offense and defense is cut off...every single time. This is because they know far more than you do and they see it all, they know what you're thinking and your simple strategy is so obvious to them that they simply cancel it out.
 

wincardona

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Dr. Bill, what did you see in him way back when he was Cesar Morales and played his violin in Texas? I know you are still one of his fans.

Yes Bill I am and always have been and always will be a fan of the greatest pool player that I have ever seen, Efren Reyes.

Reyes is a true magician on the table. he has all the skills to play one pocket at the highest level, which he has proven. His age is the only opponent that will eventually beat him, and we should all know that by now. Rotation is the game that he is actually most respected for, however, imo one pocket is the game that he plays the best. One pocket is a game that requires certain skills to play at the highest level and Reyes is the most qualified player by far to meet those requirements.

Lets take a look at the skills needed to attain the level which I speak

Shot making.......Top 3 in the world.
Banking...............Top 5 in world
Kicking.................1st. In world
Caroms.................1st. In world
Cue ball..................1st. In world.
Interaction with balls..1st in world
Speed control......1st. In world
Imagination........1st. 2nd. 3rd.???
Winning...............1st.1st.1st.;):D

Dr. Bill











..
 

Island Drive

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florence, colorado
Yes Bill I am and always have been and always will be a fan of the greatest pool player that I have ever seen, Efren Reyes.

Reyes is a true magician on the table. he has all the skills to play one pocket at the highest level, which he has proven. His age is the only opponent that will eventually beat him, and we should all know that by now. Rotation is the game that he is actually most respected for, however, imo one pocket is the game that he plays the best. One pocket is a game that requires certain skills to play at the highest level and Reyes is the most qualified player by far to meet those requirements.

Lets take a look at the skills needed to attain the level which I speak

Shot making.......Top 3 in the world.
Banking...............Top 5 in world
Kicking.................1st. In world
Caroms.................1st. In world
Cue ball..................1st. In world.
Interaction with balls..1st in world
Speed control......1st. In world
Imagination........1st. 2nd. 3rd.???
Winning...............1st.1st.1st.

Dr. Bill




Plus his attitude of life....
 

Cowboy Dennis

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Detroit,Michigan
I'm a big fan of Efren Reyes, and would like to know what it is that has made him so good for so long in the world of one pocket. With all the straight shooters and ball runners around, he consistently left them all in the mud at the Derby City Classic and other prestige events. Efren didn't just have an edge, he had a wide margin.

I think it was his command of english and his ability to keep opponents in ugly traps, scrambling just to stay in the game. There were few opportunities to play offense against him.

What do you think?

I think his 3 Cushion knowledge is far ahead of the U.S. players. They are too lazy to play it and be good at it despite the fact that it's how you learn to put the cueball where you want it, almost the entire point of One-Pocket.

One thing that has not been mentioned yet in this thread (unless I missed it) is that Efren has honed his opposite-handed game to the point where it's very good. He only needs a bridge in rare situations. Many top players like Bugs could not shoot opposite-handed.

Dennis
 
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