Efren Reyes

Efren “Bata” Reyes has been selected as the Best One-Pocket Player in American Billiards History, honoring his extraordinary creativity, strategic brilliance and historic success in one of pool’s most demanding disciplines.

Known worldwide as “The Magician,” Reyes possesses an exceptional ability to see shots, patterns and defensive possibilities that other players often overlook. His imaginative use of cushions, combinations, caroms, banks and precise cue-ball routes transformed one-pocket and expanded the boundaries of what competitors believed was possible.

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One-pocket requires far more than accurate shot-making. Players must understand ball placement, percentages, defensive strategy, banking systems, cue-ball control and the consequences of every decision. Reyes combined all of these skills with a natural creativity unlike anything the sport had previously witnessed. Even when apparently trapped, he frequently found an offensive or defensive solution that changed the course of a match.

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Reyes captured the Derby City Classic One-Pocket Championship six times, winning in 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2014. His four consecutive victories from 2004 through 2007 represent one of the most dominant stretches in the history of the event. He also won the U.S. Open One-Pocket Championship in 2000 and 2011.

His dominance extended across every major pool discipline. Reyes won the 1999 WPA World 9-Ball

Championship, the 2004 WPA World 8-Ball Championship and the 1994 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship. He became the first player to win recognized world championships in two different pool disciplines and accumulated more than 100 professional titles during his career.

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Reyes also demonstrated his unmatched versatility at the Derby City Classic, where players compete in bank pool, one-pocket and 9-ball. He earned the prestigious Master of the Table title five times—in 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2010—and collected 13 Derby City Classic divisional and all-around championships.

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In 2003, Reyes was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame, becoming its first Filipino inductee. He was also inducted into the One Pocket Hall of Fame in 2004, recognizing his accomplishments and revolutionary influence on the discipline.

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Beyond his championships, Reyes earned worldwide admiration for his humility, sportsmanship and obvious joy for the game. His ability to produce seemingly impossible shots under pressure made him one of the most respected and beloved competitors in billiards history.

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Efren Reyes did more than win one-pocket championships—he changed how the game was understood and played. His creativity, tactical intelligence, cue-ball mastery and sustained tournament success make him the clear choice as the Best One-Pocket Player of America’s First 250 Years.