In the world of elite pool, where every shot, every angle and every touch is calculated down to the millimeter, few can do what Efren “Bata” Reyes has done. He is not only a veteran player from the Philippines, but also a living icon, a legend revered around the world.
At a recent international tournament, fans witnessed an exciting encounter between Reyes and a young female player from Europe — who was once considered a bright talent, with extremely impressive technical skills. But despite the girl’s skills, confidence, and even wisdom on the table, everything paled in comparison to the magic of “Bata” Reyes.
The girl — a standout player among the female players — stepped up to the pool table with a determined gaze and an unflinching attitude. She had beaten many strong opponents, even surprised experts with her cool and precise play. She had skill, no one could deny that.
Her shots were precise, calculated, and strategic. But when she had to face Reyes, she seemed to fall into another world - a world where the normal rules of physics seemed to be turned upside down, where a shot that seemed impossible became obvious in the hands of the "Billiard Wizard".
From the very first minutes of the match, the difference began to be evident. Reyes was in no hurry. He observed, smiled gently, his eyes filled with the calmness of an experienced person. When it was his turn, he walked to the table, without taking long measurements, just a glance, and then... the ball began to move as if controlled by an invisible hand.
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A perfect three-cushion shot, sending the cue ball over the dense barrier of balls to hit the target, sent the entire stadium into an uproar. The young girl stood still, her eyes filled with amazement – ​​not because she lacked skill, but because she had never seen anyone play like that.
The difference between “skill” and “class” gradually became clear. The girl had skill – even very high skill, but Reyes was on a completely different level. He didn’t just hit the ball, he “felt” the ball. Reyes read the game as if he had seen the future. Cornered shots, situations that seemed hopeless, were all resolved by his skillful, incredibly precise shots. At times, Reyes made the audience laugh with shots that seemed like jokes, but were spectacularly successful, dazzling the audience and leaving his opponent completely confused.
Reyes’s ability to handle situations was like no other. The girl tried to change her strategy many times, increase her defense, and use tricky shots to make things difficult for him. But Reyes was not shaken. With his leisurely demeanor, he turned every difficult situation into an easy one. He could hit a backspin cue ball, swing through three cushions, hit the object ball, and completely break his opponent's defense. Every time Reyes hit a shot, the whole audience held their breath and then exploded in excitement.
The girl began to realize — that there was an undeniable truth: she could practice for hours every day, master all the modern techniques, but was still far from Reyes' level. Not because she was not good enough, but because Reyes had reached the stature of a true artist. He played billiards like painting, like writing music — full of emotion, creativity, and unpredictability.
Towards the end of the match, when the score was clearly in Reyes’s favor, the girl seemed to have changed from a competitive state to admiration. Although she still tried, still focused on each shot, her face no longer had the initial tension but instead was admiration. Because she knew – today she did not lose because she was incompetent, but because she had encountered a legend.
The match ended in the audience’s endless applause. Reyes, as usual, just smiled modestly, bowed his head to thank the fans. He shook the girl’s hand, looked at her with respect – because he understood, she had a future. But today, she needed to learn a lesson: good skills are good, but to enter the temple of legends, you need more than that – you need sophistication, experience, creativity and a little bit of what people call “magic” – something that only a very few people like Reyes possess.
In later interviews, the young girl shared: “I played my best. But facing Efren, I was in a completely different world. I learned more in just one match with him than in a whole year of practice.” That sentence seemed to perfectly summarize the difference between talent and legend.
Efren Reyes – a name not only associated with victories, but also a symbol of creativity, inspiration and artistic beauty in billiards. Despite his old age, he still makes the whole world bow in respect. And that match was just one of hundreds of examples to prove: “She has the skill, but Efren Reyes is on another level.”
