Earl Strickland reveals what made prime Efren Reyes so great, key to beating him

There is no denying that Efren “Bata” Reyes and Earl Strickland are two of the finest pool players ever—and that they were arguably the top players for most of the 1990s up until the early 2000s.

They also had a fascinating and competitive rivalry of sorts, with each winning his fair share of big matches. Despite their many duels, the two have always been cordial—even complimentary—to each other through the years.

And, on Saturday, the now 62-year-old American again spoke highly of his Filipino rival in a video posted on the official Earl Strickland Facebook page.

“He was a really smart player, and he handled pressure really well,” said Strickland of the man known in pool circles as The Magician. The Pearl then went on to explain precisely what made the Filipino a legend in pool.

“He’s got very good kicks. I still think I was the better shooter in a lot of ways. I could make some tougher shots,” Strickland noted. “But his ability to think was what made him so great—seeing how to kick a shot, or play position, or play a safety.

He was an excellent safety player. I don’t think anybody plays safety better than him, and he was really hard to beat.

With numerous titles under his belt, Reyes was, indeed, hard to beat in his prime—a stretch that included beating Strickland in the now infamous race-to-120 challenge match fittingly dubbed The Color of Money.

Strickland, though, won his fair share against Reyes, and he revealed his secret was going on the offensive whenever he faced the king of the safety.

“If you didn’t hit him [Reyes] with a lot of offense, you’re really not gonna beat him when he was at his prime,” Strickland pointed out.  

It was a glorious prime, if anything, and Strickland certainly proved to be quite the formidable foil for Reyes.