The 14 Best Pool Players To Ever Grace The Table

If you’ve got big dreams of becoming the next big thing in Pool, online or otherwise, getting some inspiration from the greats never hurts! The good news is you can find a rating of the best 14 players ever below along with some information about each and every one.

Willie Mosconi

Responsible for popularizing Paul and billiards as a sporting activity throughout the United States, Willie Mosconi is a big name in Pool that cannot be ignored. Famous not only for winning the 14.1 Pool World Championship 15 times between 1941 and 1957 Mosconi was also responsible for inventing many impressive trick shots and setting many records within the pool-playing community.

Born on the 27th of June in 1913 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Willie Mosconi’s Nickname on the professional pool circuit was Mr Pocket Billiards. inducted into the Billiard Congress America Hall of Fame in 1968 Willie Mosconi sadly passed away on September the 17th 1993. He will always be remembered as one of the best pool players ever.

Earl Strickland

An unpredictable player in terms of his moods and actions Earll Strickland is also clearly one of the most advanced nine-ball players that ever was. never wanted to be a Shrinking Violet ill the Pearl Strickland as he was often known was born in 1961 on the 8th of June in America.

Winner of one of the biggest cash prizes for any pool tournament, Strickland took home one million dollars in the PCA challenge as he was the first to run 10 consecutive raks. Holder of not one, not two but three world titles and over 100 championship titles Earl the Pearl Strickland was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame in 2006.

Francisco Bustamante

Bustamante is a professional pool player focusing mainly on straight pool and nine-ball. He hails from the Philippines, and like most famous pool players Bustamante has a nickname. He is known as Django because he resembles the character of the same name in the famous 1966 cinema hit.

Although when playing in the US Francisco was also sometimes known as Bustie which is a shortening of his surname. Famous for representing his home country along with Efran Reyes in the pool World Cup in both 2006 and 2009, Bustamante was born in 1963 on December 29th.

During his career, Django succeeded in securing over 70 major international victories and he's quite rightly thought of as one of the most iconic pool players ever. To honor his achievements in the field of pool Bustamante was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 2010.

Luther Lassiter

Nine-ball aficionado Luther Lassiter Was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1983. Born in 1918 on the 5th of November in Elizabeth City North Carolina in the United States Luther Lassiter was incredibly fond of orange sodas and hot dogs which he ate in copious amounts leading to the nickname Wimpy after the Popeye character that showed similar hunger for hamburgers.

Lassiter’s diet of fast food did nothing to slow down his successes in the field of the professional pool though, as he won the Jansco brothers’ of Johnston City, Illinois, all-around championships, The 9 ball title four times comma the one pocket title once and the straight pool title an impressive five times between 1962–72.

Wimpy also won many high-profile national tournaments, with 1967 being a particularly good year for him as he won not only the all-around title for the third time but also the Congress of America's U.S Open in that year.

Luther Lassiter died on October 25 1988, and at the time of his passing, Wimpy was still regarded to be one of the greatest nine-ball players of all time.

Ralph Greenleaf

One of the very first three members in 1966 who were welcomed to the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame comma Ralf Greenleaf’s legacy within the pool community lives on. Indeed at the time of his passing in 1950 Greenleaf's contribution to Paul was compared to Babe Ruth's contribution to baseball in the New York Times.

Born in 1899 Greenleaf focused both on Paul and Carom billiards during his career. although the games he played look quite different from the ones we enjoy now. This is because during the time that Greenleaf played straight pool games ended to be played open numerous days, and could vary from game to game.

Ranked as number three in the Billiards Digest 50 greatest players of the century, Greenleaf won the world straight pool championship a whopping 19 times between 1919 and 1938

Efren Reyes

Efren Reyes, also known by his full name Efren Manalang Reyes is arguably one of the best pool players of all time. Hailing from the Philippines, Reyes is known by many nicknames including The Magician because his skills on the table seem magical and The Kid (actually Bata which is Tagalog for the word kid).

Born in 1954 on the 26th August Reyes won over 100 major pool titles in his career, with one of his biggest achievements being that he won World Pool Association Championships in two different disciplines. He was also welcomed into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 2003.

Reese holds the WPA world nine-ball championship title as well as the US Open 9 ball championship the WPA world 8 ball championship and he is the four-time winner of the Sands Regency nine-ball Open. setting the world record for Derby City classic wins Reece won this competition 13 times and has represented his home country the Philippines in the pool World Cup, winning this twice with his partner Francisco Bustamante in 2006 and 2009.

Reyes is also known to have taken home the highest single event purse in the history of Paul at 100,000 dollars for the Color Of Money challenge match in 1996 where he defeated Earl Strickland. To add insult to injury Reyes also beat Strickland again in the same competition in 2001, demonstrating his new magical skill as the pool player

Reyes played both nine-ball pool and straight poll. He is also known for playing other types of cue sports including carom billiards and in particular three-cushion, one-cushion, and balkline.

Mike Sigel

The youngest player, at only 35 years old to ever be inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame, Mike Sigel is an American straight pool and nine-pool player born in July of 1952. Not only successful but popular within the Field of pool he was named player of the year by Paul and Billiards Magazine and Billiards Digest three times.

Seagull has three US Open 9 ball championship titles to his name along with five world pocket billions championship titles and a whopping 102 major pool tournament wins.

Allison Fisher

The Duchess of Doom or Alison Fisher as you may well know her is a player who began both her life and her pool career in England. Born on the 24th of February 1968 in Peachaven Sussex, Fisher was something of a child prodigy when it came to cue Sports full stop indeed at the age of seven she took up the game of snooker and by 17 she heard One her first world title.

Disillusioned with the lack of respect Fisher felt she got compared to the male players in the UK snooker Scene she decided to uproot her whole life and move to the United States to play pool. Ultimately this moved to be successful because after many major tournament wins Fisher was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame on the 8th of June 2009.

Winner of 50 w PBA titles including for world championships Fisher has often achieved the title of highest earning player. In 2007 the Duchess of Doom was nominated as Player of the Year by not only InsidePOOL Magazine but Pool and Billiard Magazine and Billiards Digest, cementing her iconic status as one of the top pool players in the world.

Johnny Archer

Winner of the 1999 US Open 9-Ball championships, the enjoyable.com Open in the just turning stone event which you won four times, Johnny Archer has certainly earned his place on this list of the best pool players.

Hailing from Acworth Georgia where he was born on November 12th 1968 Johnny Archer not only plays pool professionally but along with the equally famous pool player Kim Davenport owns the Marietta Roswell Road in Marietta, Georgia.

Part of Archer’s Fame comes from the fact that he has appeared 16 consecutive times on the American Mosconi Cup team full stop; this is more than any other player in the history of the tournament.

Welcomed to the BCA Hall of Fame in not 2009 he's best known for his endeavors in nine-ball and straight pool.

Steve Mizerak

Steve Miserak or The Miz, as he was also widely known, was born in 1944 on October 12th. Some Might Say that status as one of the greats in the professional poor world was inevitable as he began to play at the tender age of four years old in the pool hall that his father owned. At the time Miserak was not tall enough to reach the tables without assistance and his father had to set out milk crates so he could stand on them and take his shots.

Despite playing pro pool from the age of 13, Miserak also went on to graduate from Athens College in Alabama in 1968 and went on to become a history teacher in New Jersey for 13 years. Interesting facts about this part of his life include that fellow famous pool icon William Masconi attended Miserak’s graduation, And that the Miz felt his pool career did not pay enough to sustain him hence his time teaching school.

Inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1980 Steve Miserak was best known for playing snooker, straight pool, and nine-ball games.

Nick Varner

Still alive and kicking at 75 years of age Nick Varner was born in 1948 on the 15th of May in Owensboro Kentucky and was also hailed as the player of the year in 1980 and 1989.

Famous not only for winning two ACU Collegiate championships but also as a pool room owner, manufacturing representative, exhibition player, video personality and author Nick Varner is one of the most well-known professional pool players there are.

Inducted into the Billiard American Congress in 1992, Varna began his poor career at a young age after encouragement from his father. Once he graduated from High School, Varna began to dedicate more time and energy to his professional full career and in 1988 he won over one hundred thousand dollars in a competition that consisted of 16 9-ball events.

His father inspired him to play pool games when he was still young. After completing high school, he became more focused on the pool, and he managed to gain notoriety in the professional pool scene.

Harold Worst

Even though his surname is the worst, Harold Worst is often cited as the best pool player that ever graced the table. Player of straight pool, one pocket, snooker and nine-ball his career was cut tragically short when it was discovered he was suffering from brain cancer.

By age 25 Worst had succeeded and become the Champion of the three cushion world championship and he never relinquished this title during his lifetime. Worst didn't even begin to play pocket billiards seriously until his 30s and despite passing away in 1965 he still won two American all-round pocket millions of tournaments, an English Snooker Tournament and a World three-cushion tournament.

In addition to his achievements in playing cue sports, he also opened a chain of pool rooms in the early 1960s. The most notable innovation he made in these poor rooms was to have affordable, but quality cues made by local furniture manufacturers. These cues are still highly desirable today by collectors as the different handle colors indicate the weight of the cue.

Irving Crane

Known also as the Deacon Irving Crane was a US pool player from New York. Born in 1913, and living until 2011, Crane was famous for his straight pool skills; he was inducted into the BCA America Hall of Fame in 1978. The Deacon won a very impressive six World Straight Pool Championship titles, which demonstrates that he earned his place as one of the best pool players of all time.

Cisero Murphy

Cicero Murphy is best known in the poor community not only for his skill as a player but also as an individual who transformed the game allowing equal access for people of all races. Indeed it was Murphy's experience as the first African American pool player to ever win the US national billiard title or a world national billion title that overcame a great deal of the prodigious that surrounded the sport.

Born in 1935 to a large family in Brooklyn New York, Cicero was playing professional Paul by the age of 15. He first won the New York City pool championship and then followed this by winning the Eastern States championship in the 1960s.

Despite these successes, Murphy was not allowed to compete in many of the major tournaments going on in New York and America in the 1960s because of his race. However, once the NAACP took up the cause and picketed these tournaments Murphy was allowed to compete in the world 14.1 tournaments in Burbank California in 1965. you probably went on to win this tournament with another famous pool player Luther Lassiter placing second after him.

Indeed this 14.1 tournament victory made Murphy the very first player to ever win a world title on his first event full stop after this success the BRPA also invited Murphy to compete in their tournaments in New York and this was the beginning of the dissolution of all race discrimination in national tournament entry.

Mike Massey

Welcomed to the BCA Hall of Fame in 2005, Mike Massey plays both Street Pool and 9 Ball and is also very famous for his trick shots. Born April 9, 1947, and raised in Loudon Tennessee, Massey Was lovingly awarded the nickname Tennessee Tarzan by his fans.

1996 was a good year for Massey as not only did he win the Hall of Fame April championship and the Dutch April championship but was a member of the USA's Mosconi Cup-winning team.

Final thoughts

While you might not be at the level of some of the impressive players covered in the list above, it's important to remember that none of them got to where they did without plenty of practice. The great thing about modern technology is that you can now practice not only by heading to the pool hall for a game but also by playing online pool. Indeed, a good online pool game can give you the feeling of playing and help you hone your skills for your next real-life match, and who knows if you keep at it you may even find yourself on a list of the best 15 pool players to ever grace the table!

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