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 is known as "The Magician" because of his amazing skills on the pool table. People also call him "Bata" (which means "kid" or "child" in Filipino). This nickname helped tell him apart from another older pool player with the same name. Besides pool, Reyes has also played other billiards games like one-cushion and three-cushion.

Early Life and First Games

Efren 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. Efren helped clean the hall and sometimes slept on the pool tables.

He was not tall enough to reach the table easily. So, he would stand on Coca-Cola cases to play. From a young age, he played pool for money. He won his first match for money when he was nine years old. He continued to play three-cushion billiards in the 1960s and 1970s. As he became a well-known winner, promoters noticed him. This gave him chances to play in bigger tournaments.

Amazing Career Highlights

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

Winning Big Tournaments

Reyes started winning many tournaments in the United States, Europe, and Asia. This made him famous worldwide. Early in his career, he sometimes used other names like "Cesar Morales." He did this to keep his identity a secret so he could keep playing for money.

Reyes became very well-known internationally in 1994. He won the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship. He was the first non-American to win this important event.

The "Color of Money" Match

In 1996, Reyes played against American player Earl Strickland. Their match was called "The Color of Money," like the movie. It was a three-day challenge of nine-ball pool. The winner would take home $100,000. Reyes won the match 120–117. He was 17 racks behind at one point but came back to win. This was the largest prize ever won in a single pool match at that time.

World Championships and More

In 1999, Reyes won the first televised World Pool Championship. He earned $60,000 for this win. 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. Reyes beat Niels Feijen in the finals and won $163,000. This was the largest first-place prize in a pool tournament at that time.

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

Reyes won the 2002 International Challenge of Champions. He defeated Mika Immonen in a very close final game. In 2004, he won the WPA World Eight-ball Championship. He was losing 0–4 but then won eight games in a row to win the final 11–8. This made Reyes the first player to win world championships in more than one type of pool game.

Team Philippines Success

Reyes teamed up with Francisco Bustamante to play for the Philippines in the World Cup of Pool. They won the event in 2006. They beat the United States team in the final. They also won the 2009 event together. They defeated the German team in the final.

As of 2019, Reyes was still playing in professional pool tournaments. 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.

Media and Personality

Reyes is famous for his very creative way of playing pool. He can make shots that seem impossible. This is why he is called "The Magician." His other nickname, "Bata", was given to him by friends. It helped them tell him apart from an older pool player named Efren.

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

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

Awards and Recognitions

Reyes on a 2021 stamp of the Philippines

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

In 1995, Billiards Digest magazine named Reyes the Player of the Year. In 1996, the magazine asked experts to pick the best players. They named Reyes the best one-pocket player of all time.

Reyes was the first Asian person to be added to the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 2003. He was also added to the One Pocket Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2005, he became the Philippine Sports Ambassador for the Southeast Asian Games.

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

Reyes has topped the AZ Billiards Money list five times. He holds the record for the most money won in tournaments in a single season, earning $645,000 in 2006.

In 2024, Reyes was inducted into the first World Billiards Hall of Fame. This was held at the new World Billiards Museum in Yushan, China. An annual tournament between Asia and Europe is now named the Reyes Cup in his honor.

Key Awards and Honors

• 1995: Billiards Digest Player of the Year
• 2003: Inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame
• 2004: Inducted into the One Pocket Hall of Fame
• 2006: Named one of Time Magazine's 60 Asian heroes
• 2010: U.S. Billiard Media Association Player of the Decade (2000s)
• 2024: Inducted into the World Billiards Museum Hall of Fame
• Philippine Legion of Honor (1999)
• The Outstanding Filipino Award (1999)
• Philippine Sportsman of the Year (1999, 2001, 2006)
• Order of Lakandula Champion for Life Award (2006)
• Philippine Sports Lifetime Achievement Award (2019)

Major Titles and Wins

See also

In Spanish: Efrén Reyes para niños