I don't think you quite understand how much money Efren has made over the years playing pool. In terms of total money won he probably rivals some of the top snooker players. Not Hendry/O'sullivan level to be sure, but he's probably up there with some of the guys at the next level. A lot of his winnings are 'unofficial' though, so it's hard to calculate it all. He lives a very comfortable life, though, make no mistake.

Also, snooker isn't the only big money cue sport. The top three-cushion players also do very well, and I've heard that both Semih Sayginer and Tobjourn Blomdhal make seven figures annually. It's a very popular game.

Reyes has beaten both Ronnie O'Sullivan and Jimmy White for money at snooker, playing even. He even used his pool cue, so figure that out, lol. He's also older than Davis so who even knows what he could have done in his prime. Daryl Peach said he watched both matches and Reyes ran three centuries, and I know for a fact he ran back-to-back 130s on a very tough table in Detroit. The man can flat out play.

If Mr. Davis was to take on Efren at a multi-discipline money match when they were both close to their primes I'm fairly certain that if he were to take every bet available to him and manage to get away with the cash he'd own the Philippines. With that being said, he'd have a better shot at being hit by lightning 3 times during the match...

Random brag: Torbjörn Blomdahl plays at my club since this season!

I don't know anything about his income though, so move along

Apples and oranges indeed. The successful (and by that I mean those who have made tons of money from the game whether on TV or in a private cash game) pool players need the right motivation to move to snooker. Learning a new game is tough no matter how good a cuesmith you are so why take a shot at it if you are earning good, tax efficient, cash behind the scenes.

I'm inclined to believe Daryl Peach's story about Reyes playing snooker with his pool cue but he does have an advantage over a single frame (I'm guessing it was?- or a short match anyway) with his background of playing for cash and the psychology that goes with it. Snooker players typically do not grow up in that kind of environment because the big bucks are to be made if they make it later on. In a long match situation during a tournament Reyes would lose his edge against pro snooker players because he'd be outside of his comfort zone.

Steve Davis did well trying his hand at 9 ball and if he had run better at times he might have taken down a major tournament or two because of the higher variance associated with a pool match. I do think that snooker to pool is the easier route but again the top players don't have the financial incentive to make the change.

I hope Pagulayan can do well at snooker for two reasons: 1) he is a character and the fans will love him, 2) it will raise the profile of pool.

Efren Reyes is my favorite pool player. But to say that Willie Mosconi would just have a chance against him in straight pool is utterly hilarious. Mosconi won fifteen world championships between 1941 and 1957. He set the world record on a 4 x 8 table but normally played on 4 1/2 x 9 or 5 x 10 tables. It's fun to speculate on what would happen in batches between players from different eras but lets no get too crazy.

Remember that the equipment has improved tremendously too. Especially moving to the composite pool balls.

Efren, and it's not even close.

How many cue sports players - excluding 3 cushion pros - can even come close to Efren at 3 cushion?

Fast forward twenty or thirty years and i think Van Boening might give him a run for his money.

Reyes vs. Van Boening on April 26th in an all around match. 8 ball, 1 pocket, and 10 ball. Can't wait!

where at ? live stream or anything like that ?

http://theactionreport.com/home.html
Live stream. Ppv.

thanks dude :thumbs up:

Yea man. Should be an awesome match. I'm pretty bummed I won't be able to watch it this weekend. If you get it try to post some updates here or start a new thread on it.

Not saying that some are not as you describe. In my experience the majority do it because they like the lifestyle of the gambling. Some like it because they're lazy and don't want to work for a living. I remember a pro who went broke for the millionth time and broke down and looked for a job. A guy in pool who owned a business agreed to give him a job. The guy said I don't need to be paid much but I sure don't want to work much either.

I doubt that Mosconi played on a 4x8. 4.5x9 was by far the most common table played at that time.

Mosconi's record run of 526 was on a 4x8 table in Springfield, Ohio, March 19-20, 1954.

Best all around player? Ya, maybe Batta.

Best "A" game, in dead punch, in stroke, fun to sweat his action?

Gotta be Little Keith Mcready at 19, or Ronnie O'Sullivan!

When these guys are in the zone, it just does not get any better.

And they were something like 5" buckets iirc.

ive seen most of them. efren is clearly the best all around. even the old timers will say that.

not likely he could have beaten mosconi, crane or the like at straight pool. but close enough.

harold worst who died young beat every body back in the day at all games. no one played him for cash. same with lassiter. but lassiter didnt play one pocket.

mike segal was probably best ever at nine ball. and close to tops at straight pool.

jersey red and efren at one pocket. eddie taylor at banks. mosconi straight pool.

ed kelly at second or third all around. third at nine ball. buddy hall second

I don't think you could crown a "best ever" at 9 ball. It seems like at the top level, it's solved. I don't think the elite pros have over a 0.0001% edge over eachother. Efren and Strickland played a race to 120 and Efren only won by 3. Play it to 150 and maybe Strickland wins by 3.

the top 9 ball players of all time are indeed so close its all who was at their best or got the best rolls that day.
same with poker.

i didn't want to start a new thread for this simple question so i hope it is ok that i put it here.

i'm watching this video of a world 9-ball championship match and there is a thin metallic looking thing below the balls during the break. after the break, the referee removes it from the table. what is this and what is its purpose? thx ahead of time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkbhCnT9bDg

after watching some more breaks, it appears the device is used to stop the 9-ball from moving too far (i.e. substantially lowering the % of the time the breaker sinks the 9-ball).