Efren Reyes

Efren Manalang Reyes, OLD, PLH (born August 26, 1954), popularly known as Efren "Bata" Reyes and nicknamed 'The Magician', is a Filipino professional pool player. A winner of over 70 international titles , Reyes is the first man in history to win World Championships in two different disciplines in pool. Besides his World titles he is also a 14-time Derby City Classic champion, a two-time World Cup champion, and a two-time World Pool League champion. By defeating Earl Strickland in the inaugural Color of Money event in 1996, Reyes took home the largest single event purse in pool history. Many analysts, fans, and current and former players consider Reyes to be the greatest pool player of all time.

Biography

Early life

Reyes was born in Pampanga in the Philippines in 1954. He moved to Manila with his family at the age of 5. In Manila, he worked as a billiards attendant at his uncle's billiards hall, where he started learning the various cue sports. Because he was not tall enough to reach the pool table, he played while standing on Coca-Cola cases that he moved around. At night, while he was dreaming of playing pool, the pool table was his bed.