The question arrives like clockwork in smoky pool halls from Manila to Minneapolis, usually around the third beer or after someone's just witnessed an impossible bank shot: Who's the greatest pool player who ever lived?

It's the kind of debate that can stretch past closing time, fueled by YouTube videos of legendary matches and dog-eared copies of "The 99 Critical Shots in Pool." But for all the passionate arguments and statistical deep-dives, one name surfaces more than any other, spoken with the reverence typically reserved for virtuoso pianists or chess grandmasters.

Efren "Bata" Reyes. The Magician.

The Humble Genius From Pampanga

On a humid evening in 1999, Reyes stepped up to the table at the World Pool Championship in Cardiff, Wales, facing Germany's Oliver Ortmann in the final. What happened next would be replayed thousands of times on grainy tournament footage: Reyes, trailing badly, executed a series of shots so improbable that even seasoned professionals in the audience gasped audibly.

He didn't just win that match. He redefined what winning looked like.

"I've never seen anything like it," recalled Johnny Archer, himself a world champion, years later. "Efren sees the table differently than the rest of us. Where we see problems, he sees possibilities."

Born in 1954 in Angeles City, Philippines, Reyes learned pool the way most kids learn to ride bikes—through necessity, repetition, and an almost mystical intuition for the physics involved. By his teens, he was hustling games in local halls, earning enough to support his family while developing a reputation that would eventually span continents.

What sets Reyes apart isn't just his record—though being the only player to win world championships in both 9-ball and 8-ball doesn't hurt. It's the way he plays, as if the laws of geometry bend slightly in his favor. Opponents describe the eerie experience of watching him study a seemingly impossible layout, then execute a solution no one else had even considered.

The Old Guard: When Pool Was King

To understand Reyes' greatness, you need to appreciate the giants on whose shoulders he stands. In the smoky ambiance of mid-20th century America, pool enjoyed a golden age that produced legends whose names still echo in tournament halls today.

Willie Mosconi embodied precision incarnate. Between 1941 and 1957, he won the World Straight Pool Championship 15 times, a dominance so complete it became almost tedious. His world record run of 526 consecutive balls—achieved in 1954 during an exhibition match—stood for decades as the sport's Mount Everest.

"Willie never missed," recalls Billiards Digest historian Mike Shamos. "He approached the game like a Swiss watchmaker approaches a timepiece. Every movement had purpose."

But if Mosconi was pool's technician, Rudolf "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone was its showman. Wanderone, whose actual Minnesota roots were questionable at best, transformed himself into pool's first celebrity through sheer force of personality. His appearance in the 1961 film "The Hustler" (opposite Paul Newman) cemented pool in the American imagination, even if his tournament record couldn't match his outsized reputation.

"Fats understood something the others didn't," says pool historian R.A. Dyer. "Pool isn't just about making balls. It's about making people believe in magic."

The Fierce Competitors

Modern pool's intensity can be traced directly to Earl "The Pearl" Strickland, whose five U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships came with a side of psychological warfare that redefined competitive pool. Strickland didn't just play opponents; he dismantled them systematically, using a combination of surgical precision and mental intimidation that left even seasoned professionals rattled.

"Playing Earl was like boxing someone who hits you before you even know you're in a fight," said one former tour professional, requesting anonymity. "He had this way of making you doubt everything you thought you knew about your own game."

Then there's Johnny "The Scorpion" Archer, whose technical mastery represents the pinnacle of American pool in the modern era. Unlike the flamboyant personalities that often dominate pool lore, Archer approaches the game with the methodical precision of a mathematician, breaking down complex positional problems into solvable equations.

But perhaps no player has shattered more barriers than Allison Fisher. The English-born champion didn't just dominate women's pool throughout the 1990s and 2000s—she redefined what was possible for female players in a traditionally male-dominated sport. Her world championships came not through any special consideration, but through pure skill that often surpassed her male counterparts.

"Allison didn't ask for a seat at the table," notes Women's Professional Billiard Association historian Sarah Thompson. "She took it, one perfect shot at a time."

The Alchemy of Greatness

What transforms a good pool player into a great one, and a great one into a legend? The answer, according to professionals who've spent decades studying the game's elite performers, lies in a combination of factors that can't be easily quantified.

Technical skill, obviously, forms the foundation. The greatest players possess an almost supernatural understanding of cue ball physics, able to predict with laser precision how the white ball will behave after contact. But technical skill alone doesn't explain greatness—plenty of mechanically perfect players never win major tournaments.

Mental fortitude might be even more crucial. Pool is a sport where confidence can evaporate in seconds, where a single missed shot can unravel hours of careful positioning. The champions are those who maintain clarity under pressure, who can execute their most difficult shots when the stakes are highest.

Innovation matters too. The greatest players don't just master existing techniques; they expand the game's vocabulary. Reyes is famous for shots that seemed impossible until he made them routine. Mosconi didn't just run balls; he developed new patterns that other players still study today.

But perhaps most importantly, the legends possess an indefinable quality that can only be called vision—the ability to see not just what is, but what could be. They perceive opportunities where others see obstacles, solutions where others see problems.

The Infrastructure of Excellence

Behind every great player stands an ecosystem that makes excellence possible. Organizations like the American Pool Players Association have spent decades building the infrastructure that allows talent to flourish. The APA alone boasts over 250,000 members across North America, providing the grassroots foundation that feeds talent into professional ranks.

"We're not just running tournaments," explains APA Executive Director Larry Hubbart. "We're creating pathways. Every world champion started somewhere, usually in a local league playing for twenty-dollar prize money."

The growth of international competition has also elevated the sport's overall level. What was once primarily a Western phenomenon now draws top talent from across Asia, Europe, and Latin America, creating a competitive intensity that would have been impossible to imagine in Mosconi's era.

The Modern Game

Today's professional pool players benefit from advantages their predecessors couldn't have imagined. High-definition slow-motion cameras reveal the precise mechanics of shot-making. Computer simulations model optimal positioning patterns. International competition has standardized rules and elevated overall play quality.

Yet for all these technological advances, the fundamental challenge remains unchanged: controlling a small white ball with enough precision to make the impossible look inevitable. In that sense, modern professionals face the same essential task that captivated Mosconi, challenged Strickland, and continues to define Reyes' legacy.

The numbers suggest the sport has never been more competitive. Tournament fields are deeper, prize money larger, and the margin for error smaller than ever before. But this raises an intriguing question: In an era of unprecedented parity, will we ever again see dominance like Reyes achieved in his prime?

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is considered the best pool player ever?

While opinions vary among fans and experts, Efren Reyes is widely considered the greatest pool player of all time. Known as "The Magician," he has won numerous world championships and is renowned for his incredible shot-making ability and tactical brilliance across multiple disciplines of pool.

Who are some famous pool players?

Famous pool players include Efren Reyes (Philippines), Willie Mosconi (USA), Rudolf Wanderone "Minnesota Fats" (USA), Earl Strickland (USA), Johnny Archer (USA), and Allison Fisher (England). These players have achieved legendary status through their tournament victories and contributions to the sport.

What makes a great pool player?

Great pool players combine technical precision, strategic thinking, mental toughness, and consistency. They excel at cue ball control, position play, shot selection, and perform well under pressure in professional tournaments.

Are there professional pool players?

Yes, there are many professional pool players who compete in tournaments worldwide. Organizations like the American Pool Players Association (APA) help organize competitions, and professional players can earn substantial prize money from major tournaments.

The Eternal Debate

Late one evening in a pool hall in Queens, a group of players huddles around a table, arguing the eternal question. One insists Mosconi's consistency gives him the edge. Another champions Strickland's competitive fire. A third makes the case for Fisher's barrier-breaking achievements.

But when someone mentions Reyes, the room falls quiet for a moment. Because while pool may never definitively answer who deserves the title of greatest ever, it has produced at least one player whose genius transcends debate. In Efren Reyes, the sport found not just a champion, but a magician—someone who could transform physics into poetry, geometry into art.

Perhaps that's enough. Perhaps, in a sport defined by precision and probability, having one player who consistently achieves the impossible is the greatest championship of all.

The debate will continue, of course. It always does. But somewhere in the Philippines, a humble man who changed what seemed possible at a pool table probably isn't paying attention. He's got better things to do—like finding his next impossible shot.