The Magician... The Legend

For those of you who weren't able to follow this year's World Pool Championships in Kaoshing, Taiwan, you may be surprised to know that the world's best pool player, our very own Efren Reyes, was eliminated on the second day of the week long tournament. There was a lot of speculation immediately after that stunning loss about his retirement and how "The Magician" may finally be packing up his "magic wand" for good. The following article (among a few others about Efren Reyes) was posted recently on the World Pool Championships web site forum.

Every single Filipino knows who Efren "Bata" Reyes is. What most Filipinos may not know is just how famous and how revered Efren Reyes is in the pool circuits all over the world. Everyone and anyone who plays any cue sport, including snooker and one-pocket billards, knows the name Efren Reyes. The only foreigner to be inducted into the American Billiards Hall of Fame (in 2003), Efren Reyes has been hailed as the greatest pool player the world has ever seen.

I hope you'll all take the time to read the (admittedly lengthy) articles. Through it you'll get to appreciate one of our own true national heroes. We sure could use some good news around this time with all the political turmoil surrounding us (again). There's one good reason why I love billiards. Not only is it such a challenging, mental sport, but mostly, it's one of the few areas where people the world over respect and even fear Filipinos. The Philippines produced Efren "Bata" Reyes, and it will be a long while before the World sees anyone close to Efren's league in terms of talent, skill and sheer genius. I'm sure this magician won't be making any disappearing acts anytime soon.

9-Ball. I love this game!!

"The Magician -- the world's best pool player sees shots no one else can"

"The Magician Takes A Walk"