Alex Pagulayan was born in Cabagan, Isabela, Philippines on June 25, 1978. He is a dual citizen of Canada and the Philippines. Nicknamed ‘The Lion’ for his fierce competitive demeanor, and with his combination of youthful looks and winning skills, also ‘The Killer Pixie’.
“One day when I was 10 years old my father brought me in the poolroom a couple times and I watched his game and he got beat like a redheaded step child. And then I promised my dad I said ‘Dad, give me three years, I will beat all of them for you.’ My dad said, ‘Yeah, yeah, whatever.’ Three years later I was the best player in my town.”
“But I really didn’t take pool seriously. Basically I was just one of those kids that liked to play everything. So I played pool because there’s money in it. And because I started very young, I got exposed to things that you’re not supposed to do and then I started drinking at an early age, and smoking, and next thing you know pool is only access for me to get money, so that’s why I kept it going, until I moved to Canada.”
So Alex basically got sent to Toronto, Canada to live with his mom, to keep him out of trouble when he was 16. At first in Toronto he tried real hard to be a normal kid and go to school, but the money was tight with his mom and siblings, and he realized he could make more money playing pool, so he made the decision to focus on pool as a career at a young age, determined to be the best he could be.
“Basically, I’m that person if I’m going to do something I will never stop until I become successful, no matter what it is. When I do any sports or anything, if I get my mind into it, I’m gonna go 100% all out. That’s why I don’t want to start playing golf. Because once I start playing golf, I will never stop.”
From his adopted home base of Toronto, Alex did indeed develop into one of the very top players in the world, and along the way he began to play One Pocket. He spent time on the road with veteran money player Ronnie Wiseman and fellow young talent Corey Deuel, which helped Alex prepare for going on the road himself in the US. His tremendous all-around talent allowed him to be competitive at One Pocket right away, but he says he didn’t really study the game until about 2012.
It was then he played Shane Van Boening over three days at Hard Times, as Alex tells it, “The third day, I played a new game, and I made my switch. I decided I’m going to study this game every single time I could. So after 2012 until to this day, I started playing shots, looking for shots, keep learning, and so on. And then I went into a zone. That’s when I said I’m ready to play and I called everybody out to play.”
Indeed beginning in 2013, Alex has won numerous head-to-head challenge matches, as well as numerous major tournament titles, including:
Derby City Classic 2015, 2019
Buffalo’s Pro Classic 2015, 2016
Scotty Townsend Memorial 2018, 2019, 2022
Midwest Pro-Am 2016, 2018
