the only thing I remember from Billiards Magazine; it wrote: "Before Efren, every pro pool players thought they were already at the pinnacle of pool playing. When Efren came, everybody became an amateur"
@Jvern Ivermectin who are you? are you my fan? or some triggered fan of another pool player? Who cares if I am pinoy, i did not write that article...butt hurt? :)
Efran Bata Reyes is like fine wine. Gets better with age. I respect our people so much. We never do complain about the imperfect conditions we go through everyday. That’s why he has no excuses when he plays because of these conditions he has to play through constantly. 💪🤙
There won't be another Efren but I'm positive there will be another great player from our Country. I mean, c'mon man, lots of players back home do it for a living. I think they just need a proper management and training.
Huh? You really should visit the slums and middle class areas. There are many potential successors. Problem is poverty, corruption, politics and zero support or programs to pursue their talents and passions.
The great thing about Efren is that despite his popularity, he kept being humble and focused in his sport. Never dwelling into politics or other distractions. Compared to Pacquiao, who tried to do everything and lost focus in boxing. Efren is a goat.
Pac is helping out in any way possible that he can. Who cares if he enters the politics? He's one of the only few uncorrupt people in the senate. But I won't also deny that he lacks intelligence in that field cause that's not his specialty, especially being a senator. But that doesn't mean he doesn't belong there. He has a pure heart, willing to serve his fellow countrymen and his country. I think he might be better of as head of the sports commission something related in sports. I think he'll do great there. But, he has bigger goals, and wants to help the poor and again serve. So maybe that's why he's gunning for a bigger position, so that he can impact more. I agree that it takes a lot of intelligence and experience to be a good public servant, but it also takes a lot of heart and character to be an effective public servant. Intelligence and wisdom can be learned and knowledge and information is just there ready to be absorbed as long as you know how to leverage your resources. But, i think having a good character is much more important than having superior intelligence. A corrupt person will always do corrupted things. Not to mention THE ONLY 8 DIVISION CHAMP. I don't think anybody will match up to that. He's like Jordan of the boxing world. He's an icon. What are you talking about lost his focus in boxing? At the tail end of his career he had nothing to prove already, but he proved to the world again that at the age of 40 he could still be a champion. How's that for focus?
I mean, boxing is a combat sport. I won't fight my whole lifetime risking CTE or other brain damages. Good for Pacquiao slowly drifting away from boxing, and he also wished his son is not a boxer, too. It's not ideal for him to run for presidency, though. Compared to pool which is an indoor sport, it's fun to play even in your 60s. No reason for quitting other than you're not having fun anymore with pool.
Pacquio help built home for people.what can we complained about?both are great and they can do whatever they want.we not in the right position to talk bad about them.peace
I grew up in the Philippines and I learned Bata’s name before Pacquiao was popular and I’ve been watching Pacquiao when I was a little kid in those old unclear television sets. Whether you’re poor or rich, you have access to a pool table. I would remember every time my grandparents asked me to buy eggs or snacks from the little store, there’s a couple of pool table beside it and that was where everyone hung out. People shouting, gambling, chatting, smoking, drinking etc.
Thank you Joe Rogan for recognizing Efren Bata Reyes. He truly deserves the recognition and praise. He put the Philippines in the map through billiards ♥️♥️♥️
Had the privilledged watching Efren""BATA"" Reyes fleecing American G.I. In Fields Ave. Angeles City around 85-86. His Wizardry with his Cue is unreal, out of this world phenomenom.
I once saw a match of efren where he was surrounded by a lot of onlookers then suddenly, a police raid surprised everyone and everybody was just running in all directions except efren. Everyone that was left was arrested except efren. The cop saw him and just tapped his shoulder and went about his business. Efren was just dumbfounded and scratching his head confused about what happened. 😂
@@p1p37zThe context was that there was an illegal gambling situation during a pool match that time and someone tipped the police so they went there, not knowing that Efren Reyes was there. As said, they arrested the people involved with the gambling while Efren was warned about it. And yes, Efren was dumbfounded about it.
@teriyaki_9inety 9ine yeah actually he still gambles. I remeber back 2019 he came to my hometown and challenged some of the local players (probably scouting new talents), the bet he raised was so high i think around 3k usd , in our country that is absurdly high, that a lot of people had to chip in just to match the bet. He lost that game but he wasnt bothered and we all knew he was not serious, i think he just wanted to see what the talents there had. And oh yeah it was an underground game so illegal
Efren is truly GOAT among the GOATs. I think the other billard greats will not be called if he is given the chance to play in his prime because he is disqualified in every tournament, and no one is willing to play with him. Just need more interviews from him while he is still alive to enlighten all billard fans and sports fans about his pool journey. Such a waste, if not documented and seen commercially. He is truly a treasure of the billard sports itself around the world that may compare and align to other sports.
Efren came to the 2023 derby classic and finished 3rd overall... he's in his late 60's had his eyes worked on ...vision improved... voted #1 player of all time! Truly the GOAT!
When I was a kid even before Pacquiao rose to fame, we used to watch efren play on our new big crt tv even our neighbors was looking through our door and window just to watch him play. They didn't care when it's was raining or a scorching hot sun they brought umbrellas they were prepared, eventually we let people come inside to watch with us and as a kid seeing peoples anticipation and joy whenever he made a shot was one of the fondest memories I have as a kid.
Efren was one of a kind, he remembers what happens to every shot he makes since he started playing thats why he was able to come up with magical shots and unique techniques unbeknownst to players in the US at the time, and it was when many American pool player rethink that there was something more to learn. My grandfather watched Cesar Morales when he routed everyone in a Houston bar gambling 100 dollars against a small Filipino guy. Everyone is amazed at how Cesar has total control of the ball, he can hear the awe of the crowd in every shot. He knew he was gonna become a legend.
Filipino billiard 101 is the 15ball rotation. 9 ball only became popular here and Filipino started playing it when bata won us 9ball open. Everyone starts learning and playing in small pool halls, like 2 tables.and they charge you per every game you play, and you get to play longer playing the 15ball rotation rather than the 9ball. That’s why kids as early as elementary learns the 15ball rotation and starts hustling in the 9ball before entering high school
As a filipino myself, my theory as to why we are so good at pool, is because life here in the philippines is much slower and we spend a lot of time just hanging out with friends and family, and pool happens to be a huge part of our down time and almost effortlessly get a lot more practice than the rest of the world since we all play it for leisure so much.
Sounds like a chilled and relaxed Country and i would love to live there. Im from Germany and here its the Opposite Its all about Work and how much Money do you make in a Month. Yes we have a good Healthcare and socialcare System but thats it. Germany is realy the most boring Country you can imagine. Nearly everything is regulated and the Goverment treat you like a Child but yet they want your Money. You work mostly for them and not for you and your Family The Goverment is the Scum of the Earth and Germany sucks and i would love to leave this Country but i dont have the Money Sorry Man for getting a bit emotional I know this has nothing to do with Pool or the great Efren.
@@jihad4realnizno bro, if you only knew how bored our life becoz of lack of opportunity here and if i will choose i still choose a life in your country becoz of a good future awaits. yes we have freedom looks like we are relax and chilled country but our stomach are empty and our social care and healthcare is not good and maybe worst
In 1996 me and my highschool buddy went to play money game billiard in another barrio/ village here in the Philippines. It was rotation game. Middle of the match we were ahead 5-2, then suddenly while my buddy was concentrating his shot people watching went shouting and running like crazy and i was behind him looking at the shot in his perspective so I dont have a clue what was going on. What happend was an adult size philippine cobra emerged from the pool table stand as it was placed directly in the soil and the area was just beside a rice paddy. It was race to 7 however the match was stopped and we didnt win the bet. What is more crazier is that it was not the only time that happened. A friend told me a month after the incident that everytime the home player is losing a cobra suddenly appears. It made me think that somebody purposely release the cobra to save their bet.
I remember watching the World 9 Ball Tournament when it was held here in the Philippines many years ago. The tickets were kind of expensive for ordinary Filipinos so the venue was not even half filled. The referees had to constantly remind the crowd to settle down. Loud grunting could be heard when a Filipino player makes a mistake and clapping would ensue when a foreign player makes a bad shot. It could indeed be tough for foreign players when heckling is involved. However, it is not because they want to distract you - it's just the way it is. We would trash talk each other for fun when playing (even in computer games, even among siblings). Foreign or local, when someone makes an awesome shot, the people will appreciate it and clap. For the life of me, I couldn't imagine a Filipino crowd acting the way the British would when they have a pool tournament. Sure, a part of me felt bad that our people couldn't follow etiquette however, it did seem more fun when the crowd is excitable. Rob Soquet is one of the foreign players that we love.
Etiquette? Football fans are the worst! 😂 rude and obnoxious, let’s not even start with American football as well, people getting killed because of another team. 😂 pathetic. Sports is supposed to be fun and enjoyable.
Lol same I remember in my small town in the Philippines where i grew up. Theres always sudden brownout 3 to 4 times a week, but its not stop the grown ups feom playing bet money just a few candle and the game is on 😂 even a heavey rain wont stop them from playing LMAO
I remember my 2 classmates spend 1 whole day in barangay hall prison because if vandalism inside the CR of the pool hall were we used to play. Highschool days
That white powder is talc or borac powder. It's not used for the cue ball, it's for the sweating hands, so that the pool stick will slip through the hands/fingers easily.
I played when I was in my teens outdoor with all the noise of cars, truckers, people yelling but it's all about the focus and at the end of the day I got the coins to buy food for my family through billiards. And there's a bunch of great players too.
After winning a big finals match against hundreds of the best pool players around the world, Bata would only say when asked about the game is " I got Lucky ".
Exactly right Joe, Filipinos are used to playing pool under worse conditions. I grew up in Efren's province and I remember getting splinters from pool sticks, not to mention the danger of a dog bite every time I step on them around the table, playing on wet/flooded floors, or candle lights because power is out, or playing hungry because I'd rather use my pesos to play pool instead of buying food. Have you ever played with balls so old they roll like golf balls?
WAY back in my undergrad I worked at a pool hall that had a single no-pocket table. It was placed right in front of the desk, so if you worked there, you got to see a lot of 3 and 4 ball cushion billiards. Playing against some of these players in 8 or 9 ball was incredibly instructive as there seemed to be an entire aspect of the game that they understood, but I didn't. So, I started to play 3 and 4 ball billiards. After tons of practice, this took my game to a new level. Not to mention I love the angles and "English" seen in all manner of billiard games. If you want to take your game to the next level, put some serious time into no-pocket cushion billiards with some opponents that know how to play.
As an aside, the pool hall I worked at above was "cooled" using a campus-wide cool/hot water system to control the temperature. However, it does nothing about the humidity and this was in the Midwest. The point is that we had to use CUPS of chalk, all of which ended up on the tables, which were otherwise pretty good (9-foot, decent cloth, annually rebalanced, refurbished high-end tables). All the balls were cleaned in a machine after every turn-in, and also every night. Additionally, every night, we would vacuum the cloth, brush it out, and then clean the chalk off the rest of the table. The tables were good, good lighting, a nice selection of house cues......but the humidity......ugh !
When talking about Efren being the goat, Earl Strickland should be part of that conversation. The matches between those two incredible players are gold. They're both amazing shooters and they both play fast which makes for exciting matches.
@@jmgonzales7701 Yes, going mainstream would certainly mean bigger purses which would attract more talent. Players like Efren and Earl had to cut a reputation through gambling in their early career.
@@jmgonzales7701 There's no doubt that a lot of talented pool players don't pursue the game aggressively because there is no money in it. Any activity that has financial potential will generate interest. It doesn't have to involve athletics.
More than his amazing skill and genius in the sport, Efren's unique ability lies in his courageous heart to take chances on remarkable shots that no other billiards player would dare to take. Best example is the famous "z" shot on a hill-hill score vs Earl Strickland.
I started kicking out of necessity when I start playing more 9 ball in Japan. Not watching anyone else doing it. Helps when I learned to bank with only the cue ball and "created" a natural bank and grid method to get safe hits. When I start to explain it, all of the supposed good players stop me and say it's too complicated when, in fact, it is super easy. Much longer to explain than to calculate and execute.
2 sports that 90-95% of men here in the Philippines has tried playing atleast once in their life are basketball and billiards. When you see guys playing these sports theres some betting involve
I've played Efren twice when I was in my 20s. That's a long time ago. Once at a tournament at Yankee Doodles Long Beach and at Hard Times Bellflower. I never won 😅
They say Philippines is known for 3 things but nah, it's FOUR! Basketball, Boxing, Beauty contests and BILLARDS. Mann! There's pool table everywhere in RP.😍🇵🇭🇵🇭
Hey Brother I know you play pool so you get this concept. But, it wasn't likely a spot. It certainly could have been but I doubt it. His opponent just gave it to him. Meaning: His opponent knew he was going to make the last ball, so he didn't make him shoot it. Incidentally, when I was a young man, I was lucky enough to drive Efren and his Filipino handler Rolando around to pool halls, the Filipino store, Goldilocks (Filipino restaurant), and wherever they wanted when they were in the LA area. Just great dudes. I even got a chance to meet Francisco Bustamante, and Jun Kosugi (Japanese player and Efren friend).
When I went to Davao for college there's literally 3 pool billiards on different locations close to my school. All of which have different players like college, highschool and old men drinking, smoking and gambling while playing billiards. The best thing is that you can play them for as low as 10 to 20 PHP (.18 to .36) dollars per game.
Growing up in the poor neighboorhood in the philippines i agree that basketball and billiard is the most popular sports there. It provide easy accessibility and entertaining activity after you wake up in the morning. Best alternative to the boring and most often worthless academic education.
Billiards never became exciting until the world saw Bata played! That’s a fact. How he courageously took those high stake, amazing, impossible shots with accuracy made people believe that magic is real.
That's true. I played my whole childhood at a dingy pool table. Sometimes even bits of potato chips, bread crumbs and a smidge of random sauces. The consistency of the direction of the ball is really hard to predict so we compensate for that inconsistency with great defense.
I can remember playing pool with my cousin as early as 6 years old. I would carry my father's cue stick and used to imagine it as a rifle lol. When my uncle and father would drink beer - my cousin and I would then play a few games of stripes and solids in their down-time. Efren was a billiard player my father and many others had admiration for. A 🌟 indeed.
I saw one of these matches the other day and was asking some of my gambling buddies what was going on. Thanks for clearing up what they were doing Joe. I watch all Fedor’s matches and he is one of the best! Dare I say Joe you have become quite the interviewer and I may be late to the party but I have no doubts you may be one of the best there is. Keep up the great work buddy!
90's and early 2000 Filipinos are really addicted to pool or billiard (thats what we call here) because of Efren Bata Reyes. He is everybodys idolcduring that time and even now. I remember the day that I skip school just to gamble and play pool. Pool is also one of the reason why my father gave me or build me 2 tables of pool in our house and let our neighbor join the tournament. Pool is very bug during 90's and 2000 but right now basketball took over. When it comes to distraction, it is normal here in the Philippines playing with loud noises because most people gamble and shouting to bet for their player. The reason of that powder is when you shoot, it would be smooth and we usually used starch or corn starch locally known as gawgaw of Im not mistaken.
i'm from the philippines and I personally play billiards, the reason for the "powder", is to smoothen out the stick and also your fingers, to allow smooth maneuvering every shot, usually hands/fingers are dry and the powder prevents the stick to fully allowing the stick to push towards the cue ball. if there's no powder applied to the fingers or the stick, it wouldn't allow the perfect execution of a shot since that little inconsistency that stucks the stick to the fingers will make a huge error to the shot. same principle applied when using a "glove", so that the stick is smooth every shot. no glove and no powder means you are relying on a game of luck and skill, you will literally risk every shot for an error made
Efren has a Terminator eye with the red laser laying out all the shots. He can’t be 100% human, no way. It’s been such a pleasure watching him for 40+ years. Now it’s easy to watch him on TH-cam. Back in the 80’s, it was a once in a while thing. There will never be another.
In Star you won't ever see chickens as it's in the middle Quezon City which is the middle of Manila for the uninitiated. Bata is there regularly, nearly every night I went while I was living in Taguig (also part of Manila). That being said you'll certainly see chickens around every table in the province and even some around the city. There's no ordinances against farm animals living in any place in PH and most of the tables you'll find outside of the cities here are basically outside. Often times you'll only have 4 concrete piers poured to support the feet of the table, the rest will be dirt or sand. So while there's typically less humidity here than in Florida the tables are much closer to the elements. The typical felt here though is very fast to compensate.
Every corner of the street in the Philippines has a billiard hall or billiard table side by side with karaoke machine. As young as 5 yrs old can play billiards as a past time. During siesta time or before dinner all Filipino males are there playing as past time. Billiards is just a way to relax in the Philippines. Efren Reyes, Django Bustamante and several popular billiard masters of the Philippines elevated the billiards and became more popular than it is in the Philippines. Billiards, Basketball, Boxing, Karaoke, Darts, and volleyball are all popular sports in the Philippines. Soccer is fast becoming popular nowadays too. Come visit and you will learn how to be chill in the Philippines.
The powder (baby powder) was necessary, as most of the cue sticks that was provided in the billiards in the Philippines are just plain sticks, so you need the powder to have it move smoothly in your hand or else it will stick and you won't have a control or power when you hit the cue ball.
Philllippines also excel on boxing. When there are conflicts in billiard games they do boxing. So with chess, basketball, or any other sports. No one would intervene because they love to watch.
Funny how heckling and distracting your opponents were so normal to us when we played in our teens. We never knew there was supposed to be an etiquette to the sport. It was just a part of our local pool culture. Great epsidoe, Joe! 😎👍
And that's why we get to produce great un distracted players coz of the environment that we used to while playing. It's a very good training ground if I say.
Efren said that watching good players when he was a kid taught him the basic moves and the bad players taught him the "magic". He would imitate the things he saw and would practice it all night long by himself until he mastered it at a very young age
oh I remember when I was in college around late 2005 to 2010.. there are probably 2 to 3 billiard halls near every school lmao, it was very popular with students back then
The powder is cornstarch. Its to make the stick not stick on the hand. Its very humid so hands will sweat while playing. The powder counteracts that so the player will put it on every time the hand feels sticky.
yep here in the PH the imperfect conditions will embolds u into a decent to a good player also the important key, "a lot of Practice" unlike in the billiard norms.
We can speculate how the environment in the Philippines can produce badass pool players but let's be honest, Efren is one of a kind. Just like how Pacquiao is one of a kind. They are a product of human statistics. 7 billion people on this planet and we're bound to produce a couple of incredible people once in a while. So enjoy them while they're here because chances are we'll neve see one like them ever.
There is a billiard game played by my uncle in the Philippines WHICH I have NEVER SEEN ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD OF billiards. It's called "carambola" (3 balls) - the uniqueness of the game is, that there are 10 pins (small bowling pins made of wood) placed in the diamond where you break the balls. To score, you must hit the 3 balls first before hitting the 10 pins. To count the scores is similar to bowling. Each pin you knock down earns you a point, while you can also score extra points by hitting “strikes” or “spares”. This is the most difficult billiard game I witnessed. Only in the Philippines.
Before Mr. Reyes, there was Filipino Geno on the west coast circa 1985 -2010 he taught we Americans how to spin the rock, and once you could break and run, he'd take your cash all the champions from the Philippines new him
I moved to the Philippines in 2018 and play billiards, even in the shadows of the shadows the filipino's are unreal. I also lived in China, their style of tables will make you a better player.. I see Fransisco Bustamonte at the grocery store.. Its nice living there, been a pool player all my life.. JR, welcome to visit. it is insane, they come out of the womb with a cue in their hand.
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the only thing I remember from Billiards Magazine; it wrote: "Before Efren, every pro pool players thought they were already at the pinnacle of pool playing. When Efren came, everybody became an amateur"
@Jvern Ivermectin who are you? are you my fan? or some triggered fan of another pool player? Who cares if I am pinoy, i did not write that article...butt hurt? :)
@Jvern Ivermectin you do also noticed that this video is not "pinoy" right? your ass must be bleeding from watching this hahaha
Wow!
😃
Efran Bata Reyes is like fine wine. Gets better with age. I respect our people so much. We never do complain about the imperfect conditions we go through everyday. That’s why he has no excuses when he plays because of these conditions he has to play through constantly. 💪🤙
I dont think my country can produce another efren. He is just one of a kind. Charisma, skill, sportsmanship. He truly is the goat
agree...
There won't be another Efren but I'm positive there will be another great player from our Country. I mean, c'mon man, lots of players back home do it for a living. I think they just need a proper management and training.
kind of like pacquiao?
There is also the fact that most of the new generation prefers playing online competitive games.
@@motonvipr Efren Reyes - Billiards, Manny Pacquiao - Boxing and Paeng Nepomoceno - bowling
Efren Bata Reyes is an anomaly. He is a type of pool player that comes once in our lifetime. I am happy to say that I have lived during his lifetime.
Im happy to say that I saw him play in person before
Same 💪😎🇵🇭👌
It's like watching a very artistic graceful combat sport..who does that...
Huh? You really should visit the slums and middle class areas. There are many potential successors. Problem is poverty, corruption, politics and zero support or programs to pursue their talents and passions.
IF the Olympics ever finally adopted billiards, the Philippines most likely will bag a GOLD MEDAL! 😂😂😂
The great thing about Efren is that despite his popularity, he kept being humble and focused in his sport. Never dwelling into politics or other distractions. Compared to Pacquiao, who tried to do everything and lost focus in boxing.
Efren is a goat.
Something you can truly appreciate cause it's so rare
An embodiment of the filipino soul
Pac is helping out in any way possible that he can. Who cares if he enters the politics? He's one of the only few uncorrupt people in the senate. But I won't also deny that he lacks intelligence in that field cause that's not his specialty, especially being a senator. But that doesn't mean he doesn't belong there. He has a pure heart, willing to serve his fellow countrymen and his country. I think he might be better of as head of the sports commission something related in sports. I think he'll do great there. But, he has bigger goals, and wants to help the poor and again serve. So maybe that's why he's gunning for a bigger position, so that he can impact more.
I agree that it takes a lot of intelligence and experience to be a good public servant, but it also takes a lot of heart and character to be an effective public servant. Intelligence and wisdom can be learned and knowledge and information is just there ready to be absorbed as long as you know how to leverage your resources. But, i think having a good character is much more important than having superior intelligence. A corrupt person will always do corrupted things.
Not to mention THE ONLY 8 DIVISION CHAMP. I don't think anybody will match up to that. He's like Jordan of the boxing world. He's an icon. What are you talking about lost his focus in boxing? At the tail end of his career he had nothing to prove already, but he proved to the world again that at the age of 40 he could still be a champion. How's that for focus?
I mean, boxing is a combat sport. I won't fight my whole lifetime risking CTE or other brain damages. Good for Pacquiao slowly drifting away from boxing, and he also wished his son is not a boxer, too. It's not ideal for him to run for presidency, though.
Compared to pool which is an indoor sport, it's fun to play even in your 60s. No reason for quitting other than you're not having fun anymore with pool.
Pacquio help built home for people.what can we complained about?both are great and they can do whatever they want.we not in the right position to talk bad about them.peace
I grew up in the Philippines and I learned Bata’s name before Pacquiao was popular and I’ve been watching Pacquiao when I was a little kid in those old unclear television sets.
Whether you’re poor or rich, you have access to a pool table. I would remember every time my grandparents asked me to buy eggs or snacks from the little store, there’s a couple of pool table beside it and that was where everyone hung out. People shouting, gambling, chatting, smoking, drinking etc.
Nice story
Thanks for featuring Efren Reyes.
TAGAY!
It's gotten to the point where schools banned students from going to billiard halls.
I live in reno nv there is not one pool hall
Thank you Joe Rogan for recognizing Efren Bata Reyes. He truly deserves the recognition and praise. He put the Philippines in the map through billiards ♥️♥️♥️
In the Phillipines they play pool with big bets so they need to be good and if someone loses they resort to fist fighting thus the skill in boxing.
😂😂😂
😂😂😂
😅😅😅
LOL 😂😂😂
🤣😂
Had the privilledged watching Efren""BATA"" Reyes fleecing American G.I. In Fields Ave. Angeles City around 85-86. His Wizardry with his Cue is unreal, out of this world phenomenom.
Like Bustamante, who plays at jeepney terminal at main gate clark air base and many nite clubs do tournaments every clubs in Angeles City
I once saw a match of efren where he was surrounded by a lot of onlookers then suddenly, a police raid surprised everyone and everybody was just running in all directions except efren. Everyone that was left was arrested except efren. The cop saw him and just tapped his shoulder and went about his business. Efren was just dumbfounded and scratching his head confused about what happened. 😂
Wow really?
@@p1p37zThe context was that there was an illegal gambling situation during a pool match that time and someone tipped the police so they went there, not knowing that Efren Reyes was there. As said, they arrested the people involved with the gambling while Efren was warned about it. And yes, Efren was dumbfounded about it.
He's financially ok. He most likely not putting a bet. Just the people that bet on him give him a percentage of the winnings if they win.
@teriyaki_9inety 9ine yeah actually he still gambles. I remeber back 2019 he came to my hometown and challenged some of the local players (probably scouting new talents), the bet he raised was so high i think around 3k usd , in our country that is absurdly high, that a lot of people had to chip in just to match the bet. He lost that game but he wasnt bothered and we all knew he was not serious, i think he just wanted to see what the talents there had. And oh yeah it was an underground game so illegal
@@carloscornejo3010 He was just there to play an exhibition match but he didn't know there was an illegal gambling going behind his back
Efren is truly GOAT among the GOATs. I think the other billard greats will not be called if he is given the chance to play in his prime because he is disqualified in every tournament, and no one is willing to play with him. Just need more interviews from him while he is still alive to enlighten all billard fans and sports fans about his pool journey. Such a waste, if not documented and seen commercially. He is truly a treasure of the billard sports itself around the world that may compare and align to other sports.
Efren came to the 2023 derby classic and finished 3rd overall... he's in his late 60's had his eyes worked on ...vision improved... voted #1 player of all time! Truly the GOAT!
efren is more pressured on interviews than the actual game 😂...efren is a rockstar in vietnam... shoutout to my vietnamese brothers.
Bata was one of my childhood heroes here in Philippines. My respect for him even now as an adult is beyond majestic words. He’s an inspiration.
When I was a kid even before Pacquiao rose to fame, we used to watch efren play on our new big crt tv even our neighbors was looking through our door and window just to watch him play. They didn't care when it's was raining or a scorching hot sun they brought umbrellas they were prepared, eventually we let people come inside to watch with us and as a kid seeing peoples anticipation and joy whenever he made a shot was one of the fondest memories I have as a kid.
Efren was one of a kind, he remembers what happens to every shot he makes since he started playing thats why he was able to come up with magical shots and unique techniques unbeknownst to players in the US at the time, and it was when many American pool player rethink that there was something more to learn. My grandfather watched Cesar Morales when he routed everyone in a Houston bar gambling 100 dollars against a small Filipino guy. Everyone is amazed at how Cesar has total control of the ball, he can hear the awe of the crowd in every shot. He knew he was gonna become a legend.
Turns out Cesar Morales is also Efren...
He IS one of a kind, not WAS.... he's still alive n playing
What year was that?
Filipino billiard 101 is the 15ball rotation. 9 ball only became popular here and Filipino started playing it when bata won us 9ball open. Everyone starts learning and playing in small pool halls, like 2 tables.and they charge you per every game you play, and you get to play longer playing the 15ball rotation rather than the 9ball. That’s why kids as early as elementary learns the 15ball rotation and starts hustling in the 9ball before entering high school
I've played Efren a few times in the past at the Derby City Classic, and it's always amazing to experience his game that closely.
As a filipino myself, my theory as to why we are so good at pool, is because life here in the philippines is much slower and we spend a lot of time just hanging out with friends and family, and pool happens to be a huge part of our down time and almost effortlessly get a lot more practice than the rest of the world since we all play it for leisure so much.
Sounds like a chilled and relaxed Country and i would love to live there.
Im from Germany and here its the Opposite
Its all about Work and how much Money do you make in a Month. Yes we have a good Healthcare and socialcare System but thats it.
Germany is realy the most boring Country you can imagine.
Nearly everything is regulated and the Goverment treat you like a Child but yet they want your Money. You work mostly for them and not for you and your Family
The Goverment is the Scum of the Earth and Germany sucks and i would love to leave this Country but i dont have the Money
Sorry Man for getting a bit emotional I know this has nothing to do with Pool or the great Efren.
@@jihad4realnizprayers to you my friend! ull get there soon!!
@@jihad4realnizno bro, if you only knew how bored our life becoz of lack of opportunity here and if i will choose i still choose a life in your country becoz of a good future awaits. yes we have freedom looks like we are relax and chilled country but our stomach are empty and our social care and healthcare is not good and maybe worst
In 1996 me and my highschool buddy went to play money game billiard in another barrio/ village here in the Philippines. It was rotation game. Middle of the match we were ahead 5-2, then suddenly while my buddy was concentrating his shot people watching went shouting and running like crazy and i was behind him looking at the shot in his perspective so I dont have a clue what was going on. What happend was an adult size philippine cobra emerged from the pool table stand as it was placed directly in the soil and the area was just beside a rice paddy. It was race to 7 however the match was stopped and we didnt win the bet. What is more crazier is that it was not the only time that happened. A friend told me a month after the incident that everytime the home player is losing a cobra suddenly appears. It made me think that somebody purposely release the cobra to save their bet.
ahahahaha nice strategies 🤣
😂😂😂😂
Philippine Cobras are the worst. They spit out their venom if they can't reach for a bite.
Its what we call the snake shot
nah, just coincidence. we have a lot of snakes here
/s
Efren is just that MC you only read / see in anime. He sleeps on a billiard table when he was younger. He's like he was born to live that life.
I remember watching the World 9 Ball Tournament when it was held here in the Philippines many years ago. The tickets were kind of expensive for ordinary Filipinos so the venue was not even half filled. The referees had to constantly remind the crowd to settle down. Loud grunting could be heard when a Filipino player makes a mistake and clapping would ensue when a foreign player makes a bad shot. It could indeed be tough for foreign players when heckling is involved. However, it is not because they want to distract you - it's just the way it is. We would trash talk each other for fun when playing (even in computer games, even among siblings). Foreign or local, when someone makes an awesome shot, the people will appreciate it and clap.
For the life of me, I couldn't imagine a Filipino crowd acting the way the British would when they have a pool tournament. Sure, a part of me felt bad that our people couldn't follow etiquette however, it did seem more fun when the crowd is excitable. Rob Soquet is one of the foreign players that we love.
Etiquette? Football fans are the worst! 😂 rude and obnoxious, let’s not even start with American football as well, people getting killed because of another team. 😂 pathetic. Sports is supposed to be fun and enjoyable.
The Philippines is the training ground for billiards. Sometimes they play without lights; they'll light candles and move them to see the balls.
Lol same I remember in my small town in the Philippines where i grew up. Theres always sudden brownout 3 to 4 times a week, but its not stop the grown ups feom playing bet money just a few candle and the game is on 😂 even a heavey rain wont stop them from playing LMAO
Filipinos don't play carom, Vietnamese do. The only exception was when Efren turned to carom in his 20s because nobody wanted to play him in rotation.
Legit story
Yes we do play carom but not that much it helps us a lot to be better in banks and preparations 👌
Because of lack of carom tables. We don't play money game with that no hole pool.
carum in english.. in filipino we play carambola
carom is a boring thats why nobody likes it except the one who plays it
Back in the Philippines students escaped classes just to play billiards( pool ). One of them is me 😂😂😂 I miss the Philippines.
Me too brother😂😂😂
Same in Romania just that Internet caffe took over in early 2thousands
I remember my 2 classmates spend 1 whole day in barangay hall prison because if vandalism inside the CR of the pool hall were we used to play. Highschool days
That white powder is talc or borac powder. It's not used for the cue ball, it's for the sweating hands, so that the pool stick will slip through the hands/fingers easily.
I played when I was in my teens outdoor with all the noise of cars, truckers, people yelling but it's all about the focus and at the end of the day I got the coins to buy food for my family through billiards. And there's a bunch of great players too.
After winning a big finals match against hundreds of the best pool players around the world, Bata would only say when asked about the game is " I got Lucky ".
This ❤
Earl strickland and johnny archer are best rival of efren reyes during 90’s ❤
Efren prime was during 70s, he came to US around 85. Imagine watching Efren during his prime. He even says, he was at his best in 70s
Efren Bata Reyes is a national hero... he is taught in our history books in elementary...
Exactly right Joe, Filipinos are used to playing pool under worse conditions. I grew up in Efren's province and I remember getting splinters from pool sticks, not to mention the danger of a dog bite every time I step on them around the table, playing on wet/flooded floors, or candle lights because power is out, or playing hungry because I'd rather use my pesos to play pool instead of buying food. Have you ever played with balls so old they roll like golf balls?
WAY back in my undergrad I worked at a pool hall that had a single no-pocket table. It was placed right in front of the desk, so if you worked there, you got to see a lot of 3 and 4 ball cushion billiards. Playing against some of these players in 8 or 9 ball was incredibly instructive as there seemed to be an entire aspect of the game that they understood, but I didn't. So, I started to play 3 and 4 ball billiards. After tons of practice, this took my game to a new level. Not to mention I love the angles and "English" seen in all manner of billiard games. If you want to take your game to the next level, put some serious time into no-pocket cushion billiards with some opponents that know how to play.
As an aside, the pool hall I worked at above was "cooled" using a campus-wide cool/hot water system to control the temperature. However, it does nothing about the humidity and this was in the Midwest. The point is that we had to use CUPS of chalk, all of which ended up on the tables, which were otherwise pretty good (9-foot, decent cloth, annually rebalanced, refurbished high-end tables). All the balls were cleaned in a machine after every turn-in, and also every night. Additionally, every night, we would vacuum the cloth, brush it out, and then clean the chalk off the rest of the table. The tables were good, good lighting, a nice selection of house cues......but the humidity......ugh !
The 3 - 4 cushion is what made Filipino better in billiards. It's a regular that you must know that first before anything else before you go pro.
When talking about Efren being the goat, Earl Strickland should be part of that conversation. The matches between those two incredible players are gold. They're both amazing shooters and they both play fast which makes for exciting matches.
wish billiards can be more mains stream
@@jmgonzales7701 Yes, going mainstream would certainly mean bigger purses which would attract more talent. Players like Efren and Earl had to cut a reputation through gambling in their early career.
@@Xsplot problem is would more people be genuinely interested in it since it barely involves athletic ability.
@@jmgonzales7701 There's no doubt that a lot of talented pool players don't pursue the game aggressively because there is no money in it. Any activity that has financial potential will generate interest. It doesn't have to involve athletics.
@@Xsplot ok i guess you are right but maybe if the sport grows to have more varations it might be able to attract more.
More than his amazing skill and genius in the sport, Efren's unique ability lies in his courageous heart to take chances on remarkable shots that no other billiards player would dare to take. Best example is the famous "z" shot on a hill-hill score vs Earl Strickland.
Efren is old but have 20/20. He underwent lasik surgery. Thank you covering one of our GOATS. Greetings from the Philippines 🇵🇭
Efren Reyes and Ronnie O Sullivan is the face of pool and snooker. Both are god gifted talent.
I really like Joe, he really knows what he's talking about. Truly a sports enthusiast.
I started kicking out of necessity when I start playing more 9 ball in Japan. Not watching anyone else doing it. Helps when I learned to bank with only the cue ball and "created" a natural bank and grid method to get safe hits. When I start to explain it, all of the supposed good players stop me and say it's too complicated when, in fact, it is super easy. Much longer to explain than to calculate and execute.
2 sports that 90-95% of men here in the Philippines has tried playing atleast once in their life are basketball and billiards. When you see guys playing these sports theres some betting involve
Boxing?
@@edxeljohnapongan6767 yeah a lot of filipinos love boxing too but most of the filipino men don’t even try the sport
I've played Efren twice when I was in my 20s. That's a long time ago. Once at a tournament at Yankee Doodles Long Beach and at Hard Times Bellflower. I never won 😅
Filipino guy here, I grew up watching the likes of Efren "Bata" Reyes and the guy's quite good.
Filipino Guy, that’s an understatement
They say Philippines is known for 3 things but nah, it's FOUR! Basketball, Boxing, Beauty contests and BILLARDS. Mann! There's pool table everywhere in RP.😍🇵🇭🇵🇭
Hey Brother I know you play pool so you get this concept. But, it wasn't likely a spot. It certainly could have been but I doubt it. His opponent just gave it to him. Meaning: His opponent knew he was going to make the last ball, so he didn't make him shoot it. Incidentally, when I was a young man, I was lucky enough to drive Efren and his Filipino handler Rolando around to pool halls, the Filipino store, Goldilocks (Filipino restaurant), and wherever they wanted when they were in the LA area. Just great dudes. I even got a chance to meet Francisco Bustamante, and Jun Kosugi (Japanese player and Efren friend).
You have to be 18 to enter pool halls in the US. Filipinos start playing pool as soon as you can get your arms over the table 😂
When I went to Davao for college there's literally 3 pool billiards on different locations close to my school. All of which have different players like college, highschool and old men drinking, smoking and gambling while playing billiards. The best thing is that you can play them for as low as 10 to 20 PHP (.18 to .36) dollars per game.
Claveria, Bolton, SanPedro?
@@porpor1436 Tigatto, Milan, Buhangin.
Even you don’t play billiards Efren is a joy to watch. He make the game of billiards interesting instead of boring.
Insert "obligatory proud Filipino here" comment
Tbf, this is one of the few videos where I feel it genuinely cause this is worthy of pride
Growing up in the poor neighboorhood in the philippines i agree that basketball and billiard is the most popular sports there. It provide easy accessibility and entertaining activity after you wake up in the morning. Best alternative to the boring and most often worthless academic education.
Billiards never became exciting until the world saw Bata played! That’s a fact. How he courageously took those high stake, amazing, impossible shots with accuracy made people believe that magic is real.
That's true. I played my whole childhood at a dingy pool table. Sometimes even bits of potato chips, bread crumbs and a smidge of random sauces. The consistency of the direction of the ball is really hard to predict so we compensate for that inconsistency with great defense.
I can remember playing pool with my cousin as early as 6 years old. I would carry my father's cue stick and used to imagine it as a rifle lol. When my uncle and father would drink beer - my cousin and I would then play a few games of stripes and solids in their down-time. Efren was a billiard player my father and many others had admiration for. A 🌟 indeed.
I hope one day they will make a Efren Reyes Cup. The number 1 rule is no using of jump cue. Just to honor his greatness in pool world
They apparently are doing so now this October!
Even Bustamante, who always plays at the main gate Clark air base where jeepney terminal they a billiards Hall.
I saw one of these matches the other day and was asking some of my gambling buddies what was going on. Thanks for clearing up what they were doing Joe. I watch all Fedor’s matches and he is one of the best! Dare I say Joe you have become quite the interviewer and I may be late to the party but I have no doubts you may be one of the best there is. Keep up the great work buddy!
Efren the master of both physics and geometry.
90's and early 2000 Filipinos are really addicted to pool or billiard (thats what we call here) because of Efren Bata Reyes. He is everybodys idolcduring that time and even now. I remember the day that I skip school just to gamble and play pool. Pool is also one of the reason why my father gave me or build me 2 tables of pool in our house and let our neighbor join the tournament. Pool is very bug during 90's and 2000 but right now basketball took over. When it comes to distraction, it is normal here in the Philippines playing with loud noises because most people gamble and shouting to bet for their player. The reason of that powder is when you shoot, it would be smooth and we usually used starch or corn starch locally known as gawgaw of Im not mistaken.
Volleyball and football will supassed the popularity of basketball in the next few years
I think the 3 cushion billiards Rogan mentioned is called Carambola in the Philippines there are no pockets.
That’s just my guess i might be wrong.
i'm from the philippines and I personally play billiards, the reason for the "powder", is to smoothen out the stick and also your fingers, to allow smooth maneuvering every shot, usually hands/fingers are dry and the powder prevents the stick to fully allowing the stick to push towards the cue ball. if there's no powder applied to the fingers or the stick, it wouldn't allow the perfect execution of a shot since that little inconsistency that stucks the stick to the fingers will make a huge error to the shot. same principle applied when using a "glove", so that the stick is smooth every shot. no glove and no powder means you are relying on a game of luck and skill, you will literally risk every shot for an error made
that's literally what Joe Rogan said
@@arislocote lmao ikr. did this guy even watch the video?
Efren has a Terminator eye with the red laser laying out all the shots. He can’t be 100% human, no way. It’s been such a pleasure watching him for 40+ years. Now it’s easy to watch him on TH-cam. Back in the 80’s, it was a once in a while thing. There will never be another.
Efren is literally an icon in the Philippines
He said it was humid damp conditions.....thus the need for powder....the only way around that is to have very rough callused hands
As a Puerto Rican, I'm proud of Efren Bata Reyes he represents us really well
Sadly were closer than most realize.
In Star you won't ever see chickens as it's in the middle Quezon City which is the middle of Manila for the uninitiated. Bata is there regularly, nearly every night I went while I was living in Taguig (also part of Manila). That being said you'll certainly see chickens around every table in the province and even some around the city. There's no ordinances against farm animals living in any place in PH and most of the tables you'll find outside of the cities here are basically outside. Often times you'll only have 4 concrete piers poured to support the feet of the table, the rest will be dirt or sand. So while there's typically less humidity here than in Florida the tables are much closer to the elements. The typical felt here though is very fast to compensate.
I was one of the fortunate people who witness his match live in my province, It was magical too watch him do tricks.
Thank you Americans for bringing Billiard 'POOl' in the Philippines, somehow because of you we became known for it❤
Every corner of the street in the Philippines has a billiard hall or billiard table side by side with karaoke machine. As young as 5 yrs old can play billiards as a past time. During siesta time or before dinner all Filipino males are there playing as past time. Billiards is just a way to relax in the Philippines. Efren Reyes, Django Bustamante and several popular billiard masters of the Philippines elevated the billiards and became more popular than it is in the Philippines. Billiards, Basketball, Boxing, Karaoke, Darts, and volleyball are all popular sports in the Philippines. Soccer is fast becoming popular nowadays too.
Come visit and you will learn how to be chill in the Philippines.
Kudos to Joe, on his depth of understanding the filipino billiard players.
Before Pacquiao theres Efren Bata for Filipinos.
The powder (baby powder) was necessary, as most of the cue sticks that was provided in the billiards in the Philippines are just plain sticks, so you need the powder to have it move smoothly in your hand or else it will stick and you won't have a control or power when you hit the cue ball.
It is available in us pool halls
Philllippines also excel on boxing. When there are conflicts in billiard games they do boxing. So with chess, basketball, or any other sports. No one would intervene because they love to watch.
Efren the GOAT 👍🏼
As a Filipino, mad respect to you sir Joe Rogan. Efren Bata Reyes is the 🐐 in pool.
aS a FiLipiNo, cringe ahh mf. I fvckiin hate when my kababayan always say that #morefuninthephilippines #proudtobefilipino
Funny how heckling and distracting your opponents were so normal to us when we played in our teens. We never knew there was supposed to be an etiquette to the sport. It was just a part of our local pool culture. Great epsidoe, Joe! 😎👍
And that's why we get to produce great un distracted players coz of the environment that we used to while playing. It's a very good training ground if I say.
There are pool table in every street in the Philippines. Filipinos also loves Mahjong.
I met him in person when I was a kid… not in a way anyone would imagine 🤣 he was playing mahjong with my dad 🤣🤣🤣
Were they betting?
New subscriber from Philippines 🇵🇭
Appreciate your level of knowledge on Efren Joe..He is our beloved Magician not only for his skill but for his humble nature.
Efren said that watching good players when he was a kid taught him the basic moves and the bad players taught him the "magic". He would imitate the things he saw and would practice it all night long by himself until he mastered it at a very young age
Dont forget Joe had seen Efren and comentated in one of his old games. I think there was an interview about it here in YT somewhere.
oh I remember when I was in college around late 2005 to 2010.. there are probably 2 to 3 billiard halls near every school lmao, it was very popular with students back then
Joe Rogan's observation is great❤
The powder is for the left hand that is holding the cue stick.. to make it slippery and soft to stroke the stick
Pool has been popular in the Philippines since before World War II, after the country had been sold by Spain to the US in 1898.
That's why I am so proud to be a Filipino.
The powder is cornstarch. Its to make the stick not stick on the hand. Its very humid so hands will sweat while playing. The powder counteracts that so the player will put it on every time the hand feels sticky.
yep here in the PH the imperfect conditions will embolds u into a decent to a good player also the important key, "a lot of Practice" unlike in the billiard norms.
Hey Joe- many American players back in the day ( 40 years ago ) played billiards as practice for top pool
this is the only joe rogan podcast I need!
It’s the 4 B’s of PH sports: Boxing, Basketball and Billiards.
We have a top 10 bowling pro: Paeng (2 time world bowling champion)
We can speculate how the environment in the Philippines can produce badass pool players but let's be honest, Efren is one of a kind. Just like how Pacquiao is one of a kind. They are a product of human statistics. 7 billion people on this planet and we're bound to produce a couple of incredible people once in a while. So enjoy them while they're here because chances are we'll neve see one like them ever.
Speaking of GOAT Joe Rogan is one of them..
Hearing about how pool is big in the Philippines makes me want to visit there
Feeling + A lot of practice, experience comes a long way.
There is a billiard game played by my uncle in the Philippines WHICH I have NEVER SEEN ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD OF billiards.
It's called "carambola" (3 balls) - the uniqueness of the game is, that there are 10 pins (small bowling pins made of wood) placed in the diamond where you break the balls.
To score, you must hit the 3 balls first before hitting the 10 pins. To count the scores is similar to bowling.
Each pin you knock down earns you a point, while you can also score extra points by hitting “strikes” or “spares”.
This is the most difficult billiard game I witnessed. Only in the Philippines.
Once upon a time Efren made the "L" in worlds pool championship. craziest shot ive seen from Efren.
Before Mr. Reyes, there was Filipino Geno on the west coast circa 1985 -2010 he taught we Americans how to spin the rock, and once you could break and run, he'd take your cash all the champions from the Philippines new him
I moved to the Philippines in 2018 and play billiards, even in the shadows of the shadows the filipino's are unreal. I also lived in China, their style of tables will make you a better player.. I see Fransisco Bustamonte at the grocery store.. Its nice living there, been a pool player all my life.. JR, welcome to visit. it is insane, they come out of the womb with a cue in their hand.
Nice joe
I believe Efren is 68 and still winning against much younger players.