"He must've pocketed a ball..." You commentators are *right on top* of the action.

I'm in my 70s. Up until my 60s, hardly a day went by that I didn't play at least 5 or 10 games of pool. I first met the kid Earl Strickland in the late seventies, before he had turned pro. He was a smart-ass know-it-all kid back then, just like he is TODAY; just saw him 3 weeks ago, arguing about how the balls we're racked!!! I can't think of one person that actually liked the kid. Soon as something didn't go his way, just like today, he'd start complaining and blaming everything and everybody; NEVER his fault. He was a punk, know-it-all kid, and he's a punk know-it-all adult.

Earl is a great player but also the world's greatest whiner, sniveler, complainer and poor sport. I like Efren's attitude infinitely more agreeable and so I root for him always in these head to head matches. Thanks for the uploads.

Efren is playing with such a smile, he just enjoys in every single minut of pool.

best pool rivalry ever. earl has to have the most talent out of any player ive ever seen and absolutely unstoppable when hes in dead stroke, along with an insanely powerful stroke that can send the rock places most players could never get to. efrens level of thinking, creativity, kicking, and defense will probably never be seen by another player though...

At 13:50 they talk about how Efren was warming up before the game. I remember seeing him back in the late 80s or early 90s down in NC. He walked into a room and got a game with a guy. Efren walked over to the rack on the wall and picked up a house cue. Didn't even look at the tip, see if it was straight or anything. Then Efren ran like 8 racks on the guy. I remember looking down at my $3000 Southwest cue and thinking maybe the cue really doesn't matter all that much.

This might be old ,but to me,still very informative. A 69 year old can still learn from these masters of the sport of pool. Great video.

I've always thought Earl was a great player. I've played pool with him and I'm not a fan of him personally. But Effren is and will always be my fave! ❤

Two GOAT players of pool. I like Earl but when it comes to calm composure I’d go with Efren. Earl really not letting up because he knows what Efren can really do. These two are really good friends, they are buddies. They have mutual respect for each other. Thank you for posting.

Given a choice of who I'd recommend my pool buddies to watch to improve their game, it's Efren above all other players living or dead. I rarely see Efren rush a difficult shot.

Earl is the real successor to Mike Siegel: Earl "THE MOUTH" Strickland for blaming the ref on his missed breaks LOL

Thank you for making this match available!!! We appreciate the 3k you kicked in! 😂

We are blessed to have this in HD. Wow.

Thank you for commentating this event. The female announcer is absolutely adorable and humble

Earl and Efren might very well be the 2 most entertaining pool players ever ... I love watching this.

respect to the legends....pure art

Anyone can see efren is a very humble man. He expects to win every game. He knows how good he is without bragging A true gentle man ! ! ! !

You guys have to realize Efren never played on a 10 ft and jet lag he had to play on the same day he got there.. this is earl pool home and table. That's advantage for earl.. efren doesnt need to prove anything anymore he already beat earl so many times... the one and only magician, wizard, maestro, and The God Of Pool gods.. that's all I have to say......

humility is what makes Efren Reyes the best ....

Am I going to spend three hours watching this ? Yes I am

To answer the question at 34:00: So many Filipinos shoot with a long bridge because that is how Effren plays. They seek to emulate those they look up to, and who better than the local legend?

Efren does stuff that honestly makes you question why you even play pool, shot at 27:55... I mean really that whole rack was purely ridiculous. The dude emits excellence.

Efren is my favorite player. Great mellow guy that I think is the most creative and skilled player off all time. I think Strickland is the best pure shooter in pool I've ever seen. He is rarely ever offline or out of position on his shots. But he definitely whines more than most due to his competitive nature.

i like. thank you for posting this. history in the making, two legends.

love to watch these two guy's play, they are the best.

Two totally different personalities here. Earl very entertaining and can be so whiney and agitated over every little thing but when it comes down to business, what an amazing shooter he is! Efren on the other hand, always calm cool and collective and he even will crack a smile after a bad shot. Both are legends in their time! Great comeback by Reyes early in the match after being down 5-0. Game 23 was pretty much a train wreck for both players but the topsy turvy game had a truly dramatic ending. Great match, great video and announcing!

Efren is the GOAT.. he represented with greatness and humbleness.

In the past, I was amazed at Earl but after watching this match, he complained a lot about the arrangement of the ball and it was seen that the arrangement for Efran was even tilted so that when he "break', he did not enter a ball

2:03:50 Lucky guy? Earl, you missed the shot! Don't blame anyone else!

I love this atmosphere and pool carbets.

2:05:46 Get ready for one of Strickland's most spectacular shots. OMG!!!!.....well, they really are legends

Earl practices on these table a lot almost everyday... he is the house pro at Steinway so he had a huge advantage over efren in this match... more then people think... he had homefield advantage and knows these tables very well

Efren is a living legend

African using the second ball break effectively. Great match countless really good shots. Wish I had that kind of cue ball control and could make it look that easy to do it. Wouldn't it be fun to play that good? Love it! Thank you so much for the video!

Thank you for sharing your talents, lovely commentary much respect. ❤

2 of the best players to ever grace the sport. Haven't seen this match before today. Earl seems to be in top form after the first few racks.

I know this is an old video, but it still cracks me up how people are sitting around the table clanking their silverware and chowing down on food while they play.

Efren should hire Earl just to make him look good. One humble gentleman and one over bearing jerk.

There are hundreds of players unbeatable when on fire. The back room games in Arkansas and Texas were legendary. Getting home with the cash was a challenge challenge.

Earl really does make it hard to appreciate his game.

Efren play is smooth as silk

Would love to get a pool lesson from either of them, wow they are both hella amazing look at them own their shots!

Shooting balls, consistency and accuracy - advantage Strickland. Everything else - advantage Reyes.

Earl the pearl has been known to throw the toys out of the pram or baby and bathwater, but can't deny he's entertaining as heck

Strickland has been "lucky" for over 30 years according to these announcers.

Always fun to watch these two legends play.

Personally I don't think Earl should be anywhere near the rack when the ref is racking for Efren he's only checking the rack and complaining about it for efren's racks doesn't check his own when he's breaking ref should've told him to go sit his butt down not copacetic

No matter what, I still go for a cool, level-headed person that makes him worthy to be called the genuine authentic sportsman like our very own EFREN “bata” REYES & the great boxer MANNY “pacman” PACQUIAO.❤👏❤

Turn the volume off on this great match.

For those saying they're calling ball numbers wrong, it was mentioned a couple of times that the monitors the announcers are using aren't showing the balls clearly. They mentioned several times that they weren't sure which ball they were talking about. They guessed, but couldn't be sure. They also can't see playing lines that I am seeing pretty simply in the video. Clearly, they need better equipment. I played BCA tournaments for a few years back in the early 90's. One thing was common: the more gifted the player, the more they complained if things weren't going exactly their way. Strickland is one of the more prolific, but by no means the only one. Mike Sigel did it ALL the time. They're so used to playing virtuoso-level billiards for so many years, that it's inconceivable that THEY are doing something wrong. In this match, Strickland is so annoyed with his dry breaks, that he forgets to watch what Efren is doing to drop the short corner. Any other player would be curious, and try to see how the opponent is breaking. Strickland not only doesn't do that, he keeps checking the racker to see if he's favoring Reyes. His frustration is all the more amusing because it's HIS table. He's the resident pro at Steinway Billiards. This is HIS room, on HIS table. And he can't drop balls on the break. And he can't stand it. Efren Reyes has always been a quiet guy. He plays easy and even pace, he says very little, gives nothing away. Strickland being so flamboyant with his antics makes life easy for his opponents, because they know they're getting to him. Reyes' success primarily comes from his easy, patient demeanor. Always keeps his cool, and that makes him competitive in every match.

Strickland is also a legend people. A extremely dangerous player! Yes might be a sore loser at times but I love he's tantrums lol

Pleasant and informed commentary...enjoying you both...thanks.

Efren Reyes is my favorite by far

I like that carpet.

*NEED TO BRING BACK, "BACK POCKET 9 BALL" WHERE EACH PLAYER GETS A CORNER POCKET FOR THE 9 BALL. AND ANY SAFE, CAN BE GIVEN BACK TO A PLAYER. JUST 2 OF THE MAIN RULES*

They're definitely salt-and-pepper, the two of them! but if your going to serve a world-class meal, you need them both on the table! Top shelf theater!

Earl Strickland's aggression is very exhausting. He's the literal opposite of "Cool Hand" Efren Reyes.

OMG that shot of Mang Efren at 2:11:25 was so impecable. What a creativity. He's a real monster.

Simple fact....... I’ve only been watching pool on KZfaq for the last 6 weeks on lockdown and I believe Earl is the most entertaining player in the history of pool..... He’s bonkers

It is amazing that no one in the booth and even Earl didn't notice that Efren started to break 2nd ball in with his 3rd or 4th rack.

The 5x10, Earl's favourite table in his home club in N.Y.C. He lived right across the street in a hotel and I believe they put the 5x10 in at his request. Talk about home advantage!

They're my favorite players ever in pool and I'm proudly say that I'm so lucky to watch these tow great players taking on each other I can't even support one of them so I'm just enjoying watching this game but Efren is just different from everyone he has that ability to make everything looks easy I mean when watch that guy playing pool you go oh pool is so easy but when try to play it yourself you're going to end up suprized how he does that? What makes like Earl is that he's so confident in himself he doesn't take a long time to make his shot even if he doesn't have a good one he'll do that by extreme confidence

Efron Reyes , the greatest this generation will see, for quite some time☺💯❤💫😎🙏🤑

When I was young I worked for an old man and his wife who owned a pool hall in Tampa close to the Greyhound track. All day I would shoot rotation either on a snooker or regulation table. At night Id hit the bars and hustle games on the 5x10 bar tables. Had an old Sneaky Pete pool stick and to say I cleaned up would be an understatement. Long time ago but good old days just the same.

11:06 beautiful shot. so accurate earl is smooth af. his mouth, not so much. shut and play earl, goddamit!

Playing on a 5x10 table sure makes 8-ball a much easier game, as evidenced by the number of run outs. With almost 25% more playing surface there's a lot more "air" on the table to open things up.

I really like Gail's commentary. She shows the excitement and joy in watching these two masters face off instead of merely analyzing the game.

Earl Strickland= Bad guy. Hello from France 🇫🇷

What's with all of Earl's gear? I play with a somewhat arthritic bridge hand but I don't show up looking like a hockey tryout.

Gail has such a pleasant voice to listen to. Her voice is as pretty as she is.

I turned off the commentary and enjoyed watching the game more.

Its amazing every time you see the magician at work.

I miss these streams from Steinway. Hopefully we can get new ones in the future.

When someone is as talented as Earl S., their behavior sometimes fluctuates outside the norm, why? Who can say what is going inside somebody's head? His game is unreal as is Effie's. A pleasure to watch these men play the greatest game ever created.

The players shouldn't be able to rank the balls when the ref is in charge of doing it. Just my opinion. Let him do his job

I own this very same 10 foot Brunswick pool table now after Steinway replaced it. I have it set up next to a diamond 9 foot in my basement. Earl had the corner pockets cut to diamond specs, with the side pockets a 1/4" tighter than diamond side pockets. I didn't change a thing and kept the table with the same pocket sizes that Earl had it set at. It is extremely difficult compared to a diamond, and for these two legends to play at this level on it, proves they are super human.

Here we tried to play 15 balls with the same rules as 9 balls. This is the best pool game for this size of table. Imagine its to difficult to run out. There always a tactical battle midway in every game.

53:30 - Earls complaining about Efren knocking in the corner ball, saying they should have made a rule that you can't shoot from outside the box (I guess), then he says he'll do the same as Efren and make the corner ball, but misses. He was ball watching because Efren was using a second ball break shot, but Earl shot at the head ball. That's why he didn't make the wing ball.

Man I have a long way to go with my game. They make it look so easy. Awesome, Awesome, Awesome.

Man comes in your backyard in this game and plays anywhere near you he's twice as good...🐐

that break shot Efrin is making looks like hes hitting the 2nd row ball , but it looks like a fine slice of the 1st ball when you play it at 1 quarter speed in the settings.

Amazingly Amusing!

Earl Strickland nick name "Chopper Mouth Earl", beside he is a legend, he add drama as a bonus. Great match !.

I feel like it would be enjoyable to have commentators who just have a basic understanding of the game. That way there is more genuine feeling of excitement & anticipation rather than this guy who just boldly speculates and gives off a feeling that he is superior. I would recommend muting this and enjoying the gameplay. Such a shame to not hear the audience reactions and cheers.

Earl needs to leave the ref alone when he's racking the balls. He can't help himself, what a guy haha

When everything was going his way he doesn't complain at all but when everything turns sideways he always find something or someone to blame on. - classic earl

WOW❤! I am shocked Earl...What a magnificent bank shot you made last game in the side pocket!

great watch.. thx for the upload !!!

It's so much harder to run off the rack in 8-ball than in 9-ball, the 5 by 10 makes it generally harder, but at least the balls are more spread out.

where are the other two videos? the 9 and 10 ball games between them? Love to see those!

You shouldn't have two amateur broadcasters, especially when doesn't know any thing about pool. Just call the action, we don't want to know what you would do, or what you think the shooter will do.

That shot at 2:13:22 by Efren is something that no other players can see. Those are the shots that you would only learn when you play the 15 BALL ROTATION GAME.

I don't think in any game a player tells the referee what to do, what a low drop kick of a ref to listen and give in. You can see from the camera angles the triangle is sometimes slightly off centre as well, but that never gets rectified.

2:13:27 absolute genius

Dudes in the back with the white and black shirts must be pros and predicting what he is gonna do 😂😂💀💀

Shorter players generally have to have a longer bridge. Philippino players are short.

If Efren would have practiced on the table before the match like Earl he might have started with the break he switched to and things could have ended differently. Even the greats make mistakes.

The best!!! I have seen

She's so sweet and bubbly. Love her voice :)

All that crap on Earl's arms, he looks like a Transformer!😮😅