Efren 'Bata' Reyes has seen incredible tournament success in just about every game that involves balls and a cue.
Now a member of the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame, he is arguably the greatest nine-ball player alive today and is ingeniously responsible for the game's reinvention through his own technique and individuality.
The Damas World eight-ball Pool Championship, which starts in Fujairah on November 8, will see the return of Reyes to the UAE.
He won the inaugural event last year in glowing style, beating fellow countryman Marlon Manalo 11-8 in a classic all-Filipino final.
Reyes had shown great form during the tournament losing only his first game but then looked unstoppable as he picked clustered tables apart like daisies, casting the petals into the pockets.
"Any new event I seem to get lucky and that's good for me," Reyes said after winning in the inaugural Fujairah title. "It felt like I was supposed to win this one." Time will tell whether "The Magician", as he is also affectionately known, will be able to reach deep into his bag of tricks again and make it back-to-back glory in Fujairah.
His career first rocketed into the public eye in the 1980s and boasts a lengthy list of successes and commendations including Athlete of the Year of the Philippines Sportswriters Association and a gold medal at the Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games.
Confident of at least another 10 years in the sport, competitors won't be safe from the game's most feared player for a while yet to come. The nickname "Bata" literally means "The Kid", and was given to him in his early pool playing days when he first began cultivating his talent in his uncle's pool hall in Manila, the Lucky 13 Billiards Club, since the tender age of 8.
For the success Reyes enjoyed from very early in his career he thanks a strong will and determination to learn, watching the games of good players, imitating their shots, improvising on them and then using his own originality.
At nine years old he was playing for money and by the time he reached 20, he was one of the top two players in the Philippines. When he moved on to America, he scaled dizzy heights of success as he took the US nine-ball scene by storm through the mid '80s.
While most players develop their expertise and skill in one particular pool game be it pocket billiards, snooker or billiards players often find it extremely difficult to specialise in two of those three categories.
Reyes, however, is an all around player and very gifted in all three categories which gives him a great advantage over many of the other top players he competes against.
His skill in three categories of pool makes him a highly gifted player and has led him to an impressive number of titles and tournaments including the Fujairah event.
For the success Reyes enjoyed from very early in his career he thanks a strong will and determination to learn, watching the games of good players, imitating their shots, improvising on them and then using his own originality.
