Biography - Efren Reyes

Who is Efren Reyes?

Efren Reyes is a pool player by profession and Filipino by nationality. Over the course of his career, he has won over 70 international titles and was the first player to win world championships in two different disciplines in the pool.

Efren Reyes – Age, Parents, Siblings

Efren Reyes was born on August 26, 1954, in Pampanga, Central Luzon, Philippines. He was born Efren Manalang Reyes to his father Pedro Reyes and his mother Romana Manalang. He was the fifth of nine children of his parents. 

Education, Ethnicity

Due to poverty, his parents sent him to live with his uncle in Manila when he was just 5 years old. Reyes had quit school at the age of 15.

His ethnicity is Filipino.

Efren Reyes – Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Divorce

Efren Reyes married his longtime girlfriend Susan Reyes. He and his wife have welcomed three children together – son Frennie Reyes and daughters Rose Reyes, and Chelo Reyes. His son Frennie Reyes once competed in the Asian Nine-ball Tour and won All-Japan.

Now he is a grandfather to five grandchildren from his children. He is living happily with his wife and children without any rumors of extra-marital affairs or divorce.

Also read: Candice Pool - Jewelry designer, Entrepreneur 

Efren Reyes – Career

Pre Fame

Before Efren Reyes started playing pool at the age of 8, he worked as a billiards attendant at his uncle's billiards hall. There he started to learn various cue sports including the pool. But back then young Reyes was not tall enough to reach the pool table. So, he started to play while standing on mobile Coca-Cola cases.

As there was already another pool player with the name Efren, he was referred to as "Efren Bata", which translates to ‘Kid’ in Tagalog and sometimes as "Efrey". 

Professional career

Between the 1960s and 1970s, he played three-cushion billiards and was soon discovered by promoters, which gave him the opportunity to compete in big-time tournaments.

In 1978’s RP-Japan Pocket Billiards Tournament, Efren Reyes represented Team Philippines and in 1983, he defeated Pepito Dacer in the finals of the Philippine Professional Pocket Billiards Championships.

Although Efren Reyes was considered a top-class player in his home country, he was still unknown in the international arena. So, in the 1980’s he went to the USA. There too, using the alias Caesar Morales, he started winning a number of tournaments and it was claimed that he earned $80,000 in a week.

Also read: Alejandro Aranda - Singer, Musician 

Efren Reyes went on to play and win a number of tournaments in Europe and parts of Asia as well. And by the mid-1990s, he was identified as one of the elite players of the Philippines. His fame only grew when he defeated Nick Varner in the finals of the US Open Nine-Ball Championship in 1994.

Reyes went on to win WPA World Nine-ball Championship (1999), the International Billiard Tournament (2001), the International Challenge of Champions (2002), the WPA World Eight Ball Champion (2004), the IPT King of the Hill 8-Ball Shootout (2005), IPT World Open Eight-ball Championship (2006), and 12th annual Derby City Classic (2010), among others.

After all these years, he has not yet decided to retire although his eyesight and wrists are not like they used to be.

TV, Film appearances

Efren Reyes has made several TV appearances including the films Pakners (2003), Nineball (2007), and in TV series Magpakailanman.

Also read: Owen Neistat - son of YouTuber Casey Neistat 

Efren Reyes – Honor, Awards

The Philippines government awarded him the Philippines Legion of Honor. 

Efren Reyes – Net Worth, Salary

His net worth is estimated at around $2 million while the estimate of his annual salary is not known to the public.

Efren Reyes – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

On social media, Reyes is mostly absent. However, fan accounts have been set up in his name on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Also read: Ronnie O'Sullivan - Snooker player/Pool player, Author