The EFREN REYES shot that changed POOL HISTORY | Epic Z shot 

Why did he not need to shoot the last ball?

@@bjorneriksson6480 earl conceded

@@jasonalisbo7457 Why did he do that? There was only one ball left?

@@bjorneriksson6480 yes with all the difficult shot efren made earl sees that there is no point for efren to do the last and easy shot even theres a chance he could miss it but earl choose to concede as a sign of respect and sportsmanship . and that is the last rack of the game otherwise its a different story

@@jasonalisbo7457 Would it not be easier and more satisfying to let Efren win the normal way? Could not Earl stand it, he wanted control in being the one that finished the gane even if it ment resigning? Seems kind of petty but maybe it is the curse of people with need for control and a huge ego. He robbed the victory of its climax, the sinking if the last ball and left everyone feel like the match was unfinished somehow.

Billiards and snooker are gentleman's games.

Well put Mike. An incredible shot was equaled with an incredibly classy gesture.

@@joedennehy386He wasn't such a gent when he was travelling round America as a young lad being a pool shark and taking loads of money off people 🤣

Minnesota fats would’ve made the same shot in his sleep…….lol

100%, a respect that is worthy. Two of the greatest, to ever hold a stick.

He conceded just in case Reyes missed. He felt the game was already won with his previous incredible shot.

i think you haven’t seen strickland’s other games. Even in this game when Efren pocketed 8ball he was shouting “luck”

Yes, and it's interesting because Strickland has been criticized in the past for not being a good sport in some of his losses but we see here that he truly rises to the occasion and acknowledges the great skill and abilities of The Magician. Well done, Sir. Class act.

Strickland knew he was outmatched lol. If you can make that kind of shot under that kind of pressure with those kinds of stakes, you by default should win the tourney!

I find it interesting how 'conceding when you are definitely about to lose' can be either good or poor sportsmanship depending on the sport. Here, it is respectful, but in chess resigning just before a good checkmate, or in golf throwing in the towel before your opponent makes their final putt, would be incredibly rude.

Exactly ... except kids today would have one or both parents there disputing and scrutinizing every single shot 😂

@@BOLLOCKS1968 while making a tiktok dancing and wearing a dress

@@zeo278 yep. I wouldn't doubt it at all. Cheers ✌

So a fluke is the best shot in pool ever?

We all could take a lesson from this

Him clapping for making the shot… nobody is that cool

🤔

@repentandbelieveinJesusChrist9no one cares you have no place in intelligent society bottom dweller

Bs man he should.have let him take the shot o wanna see it

Who better to lose to?

Wow. Where from?

I was stationed at Clark AB From 81 to 91. I now live in Oklahoma.

I believe you , Efren is from that province of Pampanga.

Yes, it's in the 80s that Efren was at his absolute best

@@stevekapp6462 Damn that's crazy

Teach them to give up while there is still a chance, however small, to win?

​@@WillCamxif you think that would be a victory then you don't understand competition at all

@@micahhawkins8233 I would have thought winning within the rules is the whole point of playing any competitive sport. Never give up while there is any chance you could still win. If he had missed that final shot then he would not have deserved to win.

@@WillCamxu have a loser mentality. No wonder why you’re in RU-vid comments 😂😂😂

@@WillCamxIf all you can think is rigid rules and not see the poetry of sportsmanship, I would suggest Chartered Accountancy as your game of choice.

It shows that Strickland's love of the game is greater than his need to win. He recognized great play and knew it would be a travesty to the game if he allowed Reyes to possibly lose after that shot. Good on him!

This shot solidified Efren's entry in the Hall of Fame, imo. Race to 13, both tied at 12, tournament on the line. Last rack. One mistake could very much lose the tournament for either of them. Efren shot a jawdroppingly difficult, full table, double rail, shot (Z shot) under this immense pressure, not to mention after, basically, screwing himself over in the previous shot. Televised with a crowd breathing down his neck as well. Efren's combined ability to handle pressure, recouperate between shots, and pull off unbelievable, nigh miraculous shots, is why they call him the Magician, and he lived up to that here. Definitely two of pool's greatest here, this match was one of the best of all time.

@@boricacids Great take. Strickland was known as loud, gregarious, and unabashedly outspoken, kind of like pool's "bad boy" at moments. But moments like this not only show his respect for Efren, but that his heart is for the game over himself. Class act. My respect for him did a 180° turn in this match. Truly two of pool's greatest.

Happens when u watch Americans and europeans play sports...I'll rarely see sportsmanship and appreciation

He was beat and he knew it. There was no chance Efren was missing that 9 ball. This happens a lot in pool

Youre absoultely right. Even the great Earl Strickland humbled himself on that shot. He too, could not believe it. What a rare scene.

Yes u r right

Absolutely agree!

He is being humbled by that shot.. one in a million..

Honestly? Strickland always drop his jaw when facing Reyes

Real sportsmanship may go out of fashion, but it can never die.

Reminded me of the way fighters show love and respect after fights with one another. Well, at least most of the time.

😅

LMAO

😂😂😂

Yeah, i think efren bata knows all the position that will happen, that guy is a GOD in pool, he just want to make it memorable to strictland and the audience what he will do in the last Z shot

The announcers were giving him sympathy and then amazement. What you mean talking crap willis lul.

Both the best to ever grace a table. Earl always a bit temperamental but very respecting of the greatest shot I've ever seen

First time ever that Earl is respectful in defeat.

Both high respect to this legends

Except one guy lost, so...not a winner

Earl is a good player. He could've been better if he knew how to control his emotions.

He knew that he deserved it after that epic two rail shot and it was better to concede than win on his missing somehow.

Nah, he’d love to have won but knew the chances of Efren missing were extremely low so just conceded. Although i wouldn’t have. Let the guy make it as well. Who knows. It’s a game.

@Bartholomew Lyons imagine he missed somehow and Strickland wins. This shot would still be famous but it wouldn't have that same notoriety. Instead Strickland wrote himself into the moment in his own way, probably the very best thing he could have done at that point.

@@mathprodigy so, if I understand it well, if person _A_ pockets the first 8 balls and then misses, and person _B_ pockets the 9, _B_ wins? if so, what if ball 9 gets in the hole earlier by a ricochet, then the winning ball would be 8?

@@TheDoomer666 the object is to be the one to pocket the 9 ball. In 9-ball, you have to strike the balls in order. You see many different balls pocketed on the break, but the first ball hit on the break is the 1 ball. As long as you can hit the lowest number ball on the table first, you can "combo" in a different ball. If you can get a combo with the 9 ball and pocket it, you win that round. That's why it was legal for the 8 to be pocketed in this clip when it was because it was off the (inadvertent) combo off the 5 ball.

yes indeed

@@EfrenReyesTV wow na wow ka nman.itago yng iba .baka sundin nla hahahap

@@EfrenReyesTV bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbjbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbjbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

Was efren trying to make the 5 or just kiss it?

@@ogs1mpson609 at that situation he must try to make it, it is the last rack and if he can't make it he will surely lost.

Same.

Bet you Earl would agree too!

But it was so simple

so true

I agree, in fact I have watched it many times.

Efren teaches strictland to be humble that time

I understand that’s nice and cool, but why give up if it’s a competition. Sorry I don’t watch competition pool ever

@@ThatOneWeirdChannell lol, so why even speak on it 😂 he gave up the shot out of respect for that man's game. He new it was over after that shot. If you knew the man who gave that shot up you'll know he don't give up shots no matter how easy it looks. Efferen Reyes is that good, why even waste time

@Karl with a K I said enough

@Karl with a K well Karl with a K ... I guess I'm not a WINNER like you!

@Karl with a K well Karl with a K ... we'll talk about this next time I interview you.

@Karl with a K Not English ... what? That's not a complete sentence.

@Karl with a K Well again ... I guess I'm not a WINNER!

If you play a lot of pool you might appreciate this story - and it is TRUE. That Z - shot was amazing, to get the cut to pot that ball on that much angle. I once was playing solids/stripes I believe it is called. Pick your colour and 8 ball last. I played pool/snooker some when I was a kid. This was just in a bar with live music. Many many years ago. 5 x 10 table. I had this shot I believe on a 5 solid ball which was close to the end pocket out straight in maybe 4 inches approx. Cue ball is maybe 1/3 up the table. Completely blocked to the 5ball no angle for a cross side or cross end of white ball to the 5. I decided to try a shot to this day I can't believe I made. Did a 4 bank of the white to get to the 5 going other direction up table. 1, 2, 3 banks came off then back down table to cushion by the 5 for the 4th bank, came off kissed the 5ball at about 15% cut of the ball which then dropped in. Guy I was playing with could not believe it. For that matter I was shocked myself. Absolutely true story. Not a the same level of this z shot but the best shot I ever hit in my life.

Add to the fact that it was the finale round in a major tournament.

​@@yesyes3010the pressure but still make it. Skill + luck is really something else

They should’ve ended the match with the song by Eric Clapton from the color of money playing

He seem's to be a very humble guy. This is a part his greatness, and this is a greatness for many others greats in the history, not just in the pool game, but also any area of human kind.

What?

@@mortuc1 Clearly, you're not a golfer.

@@johnnycastellanetta7183 The Dude

@@Forzalanes I prefer El Dudarino. I'm not into the whole "brevity" thing.

That shot was what we call a double. Most reasonable players could have hit the 5. Sinking the five was one in a million

Well, in the pool. Anything could go wrong. You might be shocked that it is common for pro players to miss the last shot 😅 due to the immense pressure + excitement to win the rack.

Very well said my friend.

I know him personally. He is a very humble man. Never raises his voice or getting frustrated. He still plays. Mainly in Angeles City where he lives.

@@dimimo1972 Very much true. He still plays to this day. I don't even have to meet him in person to know who or what type of person he is. Many players that have to be ignorant so they could intimidate their opponents but Efren is humbled yet feared by almost every person he has ever played, That's something 90% of players could never do.

@@KEVIN-eg6ld A genourous humble, thoughtful man!!

Yeah , right.😂

Exactly, ya know how many fall down drunk people playing pool with their friends have made that shot, but zero pressure no TV cameras or live audience watching. He's truly a magician

It's not just the pressure. Sure drunk dudes in pool halls hit this...after missing 100 other attempts. This is like saying drunk dudes can hit a bullseye (or trip 20s for anyone that tries to correct me) in darts. Duh...but they also hit the wall a bunch too. A broken clock is right twice a day. Means absolutely nothing.

What the fuck does fucking "clutch" fucking mean in that situation!?! You fucking young people with absolute fucking idiotic words that you think makes you sound cool. . but doesn't and actually makes you sound like massive cock heads... I guarantee on my mother's life you will look back when your older and cringe at how you thought you were so cool... And you realise... No one gives a fuck. Shut the fuck up with your stupid fucking words! .. clutch .... Fucking clutch ... It's a fucking part of a fucking car transmission... Nothing else ... Fucking spastic sounding bell ends

But the amazing thing about it it's not like it's a fluke shot because he's known to do this numerous times in key situations he's probably the only player in the history of pool that made numerous unbelievable shots in actual competition look under the best pool shots in the history of pool and you can strongly say brought to you by Efren Reyes. He just knows the pool table better than everyone else in the history of pool. Efren is not the best 9 ball player ever or he's not the best Straight pool player ever however he is the best all around pool player ever so when people say who's the best pool player ever it would have to be Efren Reyes however if someone said who's the best tournament 9 ball player ever it would be Earl Strickland and then if someone said who's the best 8 ball player ever that would be a tough one add a 9-foot regulation table you can argue for like 10 players then the argument is who's the best money player that would be Dennis orcollo and buddy hall. So as you see it's not easy to say who the best is it's got to be under the circumstances of the actual game and the size of the table that you're playing on and so on.

I didn’t know . Thanks for sharing, love the Philippines 🇵🇭

The real goat, "Bata" Reyes.

Fast Eddie can take them both

@@yell0wberry nah, Vince could though.

@@j3n1us although Paul Newman taught Tom Cruise, everybody failed to notice that forest Whitaker beat Paul Newman

@@yell0wberry yes, but Vince is the new Fast Eddy basically. He would spank ole one eyed Willy 😂.

They witnessed a fluke.

@@macman975 fluke ?? thousand of flukeshot reyes have in his pool career better than anyone else plays

@@macman975 “fluke” i bet yo old ass cryin cuz reyes been beating the people u idolize

?

Who’s eric?

Why would God damn Strickland's behavior?

Class act no doubt but I disagree on your second point. Maybe not in your average pool hall hustler game but true professionals recognize what a shot that was and I think most would applaud it

You do realise that lions don't live in the jungle?

I love it he was a lion and not a GOAT😁😁😁

*I got Lucky* Immortalise famous quotes from Efren The Magician Reyes

He is NEVER missing that shot

It's weird to see Earl do that considering he can be such a dick lol

Wow! Good to know from you! Keep it up!

Excellent comment.

Luck. There was such a low-probability of making that shot, that he just rushed through it. The look of surprise when it actually went in, says it all.

@@D_Syno That was certainly not luck. I'm a pool player and a billiard player and can promise you he's used that same shot countless times playing 3 cushion.

@@D_Syno Good things happen when you're playing good. I know the shot he took and have used it many times. Of course I've taken it many times but getting the hit isn't the usual outcome. Efren is so great and has so much knowledge he can take that shot all day and get solid hit after solid hit. Making it was the reward of a great kick but it wasn't luck. He was playing to make it because the way the ball comes off the long rail give you a great chance to do so. I've never seen a player kick as well as Efren. I seeing at that shot but he puts it in the whole when it counts the most.

By made it do you mean hit the ball or potted the ball?

But to make it at hill hill and after the 5-8 shot before .

Who else do you have in mind?

@@EfrenReyesTV No one!!! Efren Reyes will ALWAYS be the GOAT!!!

Great, but the greatest in his prime was Willie Mosconi.

@@MrUsnavyvet Nope. Mosconi would've NEVER been able to compete with the likes of the greats Efren Reyes had to compete against. Gimme Efren Reyes in his prime against ANYONE IN HISTORY in their prime, NO QUESTION!!!

I disagree. Snooker players are more skillful.

Have you seen him walk by?

@@EfrenReyesTV me yes.

@@EfrenReyesTV me yes.

He did not win because he's humble.. It is because he's sssooo good.. Take away the drama in sports will ya..

God will bless those people who are humble. REPENT AND ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR FOR YOU TO BE SAVED. GOD BLESS YOU ALL 🥰

Very well said and understood

Winning because your opponent screwed up is a lot less gratifying than winning on your own accord. I'm happy with him conceding, and it takes a real person to understand that he's playing a game for money and that's as good as it can get.

He would have made it anyways, but still a nice gesture.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂 That's truth. But this man is A real legend of 9&8poll

But I am someone who doesn't give 1 second of thought, let alone regard, to 'haters'. They deserve the worst fate can bring them - and in spades.

I don’t understand the rules. When he made the 8 ball was that bad? You don’t have to make them all in order? Any order?

@@nofurtherwest3474 you have to hit the lowest numbered ball first, then any ball sunk counts.

@@MarcSherwood Oh interesting. so hitting the 8 ball wasn't a big deal.

@@nofurtherwest3474 as long as you hit the lowest ball first, any ball sunk means you keep shooting. The game I used to love playing was straight pool. Same rules as 9-ball save for when there was one ball left on the table you would re-rack (leaving last ball where is sits) and keep shooting. Each ball you sank was a point, which you could assign any dollar value to. Oh, the money you could make per game was fun.

I agree. I think its purely instinct added with luck. But only the Magician knows. Watch how he made the Z shot and got good position on the 6 ball next? What else can I say.

The preasure too

Honestly following efren playing here i. The Philippines over the years i have seen him done it more than 5 times made, his accuracy at banking is unbelievable he is taking those shots because he knows he has a very very good chance of making it

I wouldn’t put money on him missing it.

He might not ever make it again.. lol.. The reverse spin kills the cue ball so much, the accuracy is pure guesswork, and the energy transfer to the object ball leave the 5 ball short 99.999999999% of the time!.. lol.. The ONLY explanation is a Faustian bargain, or pure magic..

Are you living in 2077 or something? I’m pretty sure there are tons of events like this where crowds are engaged, you just gotta find them.

Amen to that!

@@jcfiggy think he just means people are always in their phones recording or the like unlike the old days

If you’re the one guy looking to see if anyone is looking at their phone you messed it up 😂

I use to watch this every sundays. That, dart, snooker and golf. It was an amazing time to be alive. I miss it. It is something that is lost to this generation.

Also a 30 for 30 on John Brzenk.

nope other sports have a debate for the title but in billiards there's only one and that's REyes for sure

@@capzcelle2121 🤣

@@daisy671 A professor in college had us watch "Pulling John", documentary on John Brzenk. Had no idea who he was, it's still one of the best documentaries i've ever watched.

@@rafamorfin9472 That is really cool! Thanks for the comment.

no

@@jglg7238 yes

A rivalry with no hate involved. The golden days of pool 😢

Earl is the biggest bell end in sports

💯