Efren Reyes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Efren Reyes
OLD, PLH

Efren Reyes at the 2012 WPA World Nine-ball Championship
Born	(1954-08-26) August 26, 1954 (age 70) Angeles, Pampanga, Philippines
Sport country	Philippines
Nickname	"The Magician", "Bata"
Professional	1978
Pool games	Nine-ball, eight-ball, ten-ball, one-pocket, rotation, balkline, three-cushion, one-cushion
Tournament wins
Major	U.S. Open Pool Championship (1994)
Other titles	100
World Champion	Nine-ball (1999), Eight-ball (2004)
Ranking info
Medal record Representing  Philippines Men's eight-ball Asian Games Bronze 2002 Busan Singles Southeast Asian Games Gold 1987 Jakarta Singles Silver 2001 Kuala Lumpur Singles Men's rotation Southeast Asian Games Gold 1991 Manila Team Gold 1999 Bandar Seri Begawan Singles Gold 1999 Bandar Seri Begawan Doubles Silver 2001 Kuala Lumpur Singles Men's snooker Southeast Asian Games Gold 1987 Jakarta Doubles Bronze 1987 Jakarta Team Bronze 1991 Manila Team Men's English billiards Southeast Asian Games Gold 1987 Jakarta Singles Bronze 2001 Kuala Lumpur Team Men's 47/1 balkline billiards Silver 1987 Jakarta Singles Men's one-cushion billiards Southeast Asian Games Bronze 2003 Saigon Singles Bronze 2011 Palembang Singles Bronze 2013 Naypyidaw Singles Bronze 2015 Kallang Singles Bronze 2019 Manila Singles Bronze 2021 Hanoi Singles Men's nine-ball Southeast Asian Games Bronze 2003 Saigon Singles Men's three-cushion billiards Southeast Asian Games Bronze 2011 Palembang Singles

Efren Manalang Reyes (born August 26, 1954) is a famous Filipino professional pool player. He has won over 100 international titles. Reyes was the first player to win world championships in two different types of pool games.

He has won many big titles, including the 1999 WPA World Nine-ball Championship and the World Eight-ball Championship four times. He also won the U.S. Open three times. Many people, including other players and fans, think Efren Reyes is the greatest pool player ever. He is known for his amazing skills on the pool table.

The Pool Magician: Efren Reyes

Efren Reyes is often called "The Magician" because of his incredible tricks and shots on the pool table. He is also known as "Bata", which means "kid" in Filipino. This nickname helped tell him apart from another pool player with the same name. Besides pool, Reyes has also played other cue sports like one-cushion and three-cushion.

Early Life and First Shots

Reyes was born in Pampanga, Philippines, on August 26, 1954. When he was five, he moved to Manila to live with his uncle. His uncle owned a pool hall, and Efren would help clean it. He even slept on the pool tables!

Because he was too short to reach the table, he would stand on Coca-Cola cases to play. From a young age, he enjoyed playing for money. He won his first match for money when he was just nine years old. He kept playing and became very good, which led to him competing in bigger tournaments.

An Amazing Career in Pool

In 1983, Reyes won the Philippine Rotation Championship. He defeated Pepito Dacer in a long final match. In the 1980s, Efren was a top player in the Philippines. He traveled to the United States to play pool and challenge other players. Reyes once said he earned $80,000 in just one week. This made him a hero back home in the Philippines.

Reyes started winning many tournaments in the United States, Europe, and Asia. He became known all over the world. Sometimes, he used different names like "Cesar Morales" to keep his identity a secret. This way, he could surprise other players.

Winning Big Tournaments

Efren Reyes became famous internationally at the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship in 1994. He won the event, becoming the first non-American to do so. In 1997, Reyes played against American player Earl Strickland in a special match called "The Color of Money." It was a three-day match of nine-ball in Hong Kong. Reyes won the match and took home $100,000. This was the biggest prize ever won in a single pool match at that time.

In 1999, Reyes won the first televised 1999 World Professional Pool Championship. He earned $60,000, which was a huge prize. This made him the second Filipino player to win a world championship in pool. In 2001, Reyes won the Tokyo 9-Ball Open. Over 700 players competed in this event. He beat Niels Feijen in the final and won $163,000. This was the largest first prize in a pool tournament at the time.

Efren "Bata" Reyes (left) after winning the 2005 IPT King of the Hill Shootout

Reyes continued to win, including the 2002 International Challenge of Champions. In 2004, he won the WPA World Eight-ball Championship. He was the first player to win world championships in more than one type of pool game.

Team Philippines and Continued Success

In 2006, Reyes teamed up with Francisco Bustamante to play for the Philippines in the first ever World Cup of Pool. They won the final against the United States team. They won the event again in 2009, once more with Bustamante.

As of 2019, Reyes was still actively playing professional pool. He has won the overall championship at the Derby City Classic five times. He has also won several bronze medals at the Southeast Asian Games and the 2002 Asian Games.

His Nicknames and Personality

Reyes is known for his very creative way of playing pool. His nickname "Bata" (meaning "kid") was given to him by friends. It helped tell him apart from an older Efren who also played pool. He earned the nickname "Magician" because of his amazing kick_shot|kick shots. These are shots where the cue ball hits a cushion before hitting the object ball.

In 2003, Reyes was in a Filipino movie called Pakners. He also appeared in a short film called Nineball in 2007. A TV show called Magpakailanman even told the story of young Efren Reyes.

Reyes lives in Angeles City with his wife, Susan, and their three children. He enjoys playing chess as a hobby. Even in recent years, his games still attract large crowds.

Awards and Recognition

Reyes on a 2021 stamp of the Philippines

Many other professional players say that Reyes is the greatest living pool player. A famous commentator once said that Reyes is "indisputably the best player in the world." He added that Reyes can play any game of pool better than anyone.

In 1995, Billiards Digest magazine named Reyes the Player of the Year. In 2003, Reyes became the first Asian player to be added to the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the One Pocket Hall of Fame in 2004.

Reyes has received many honors in the Philippines. He was named the Philippine Sportswriters Association Sportsman of the Year three times. He also received the Philippine Legion of Honor and the Order of Lakandula "Champion for Life Award." Time magazine even included him in their list of 60 Asian heroes in 2006. He was named "Player of the Decade" for the 2000s by the U.S. Billiard Media Association.

Reyes has earned more money from tournaments than any other pool player. In 2006, he won $645,000 in one season, which was a record. In 2024, Reyes was inducted into the new World Billiards Hall of Fame in China. A yearly tournament between Asia and Europe is now named the Reyes Cup in his honor.

International Awards

• 1995 Billiards Digest Player of the Year
• 2003 Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame
• 2004 One Pocket Hall of Fame
• 2006 Time Magazine's 60 Asian heroes
• 2010 U.S. Billiard Media Association Player of the Decade - 2000s
• 2018 Asian Culture Day Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2024 World Billiards Museum Hall of Fame

National Awards

• 1999 Philippine Legion of Honor
• 1999 The Outstanding Filipino Award
• 1999 Philippine Sportsman of the Year
• 2001 Philippine Sportsman of the Year
• 2006 Philippine Sportsman of the Year
• 2006 Order of Lakandula Champion for Life Award
• 2010 Philippine Sports Hall of Fame
• 2019 Philippine Sports Lifetime Achievement Award

Major Titles and Achievements

Reyes has won over 100 professional tournaments, including:

See also

In Spanish: Efrén Reyes para niños