9-ball Pool Billiard
Here are the world's best pool players

The pool is one of the most stylish and elegant indoor games in the world. It is derived from a family of cue games, which has increased the number of top pool players. Because billiards is a highly competitive sport, rankings in the game vary based on how well players perform in the biggest events. Let’s find out who is the best pool player in 2022. Players are listed according to their current World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) rankings.

There are several professional pool players who are considered to be among the best in the world. Some of the most well-known players are listed below.

Top 10 Best Pool Players in the World

  1. Carlo Biado

    Carlo Biado

    After winning the prestige tournament the US Open Championship, Carlo Biado is the number #1 ranked pool player in the WPA ranking. He began playing pool at the age of 13 in the Philippines. Wikipedia

    Player’s Bio:

    • October 31, 1983 (age 40)
    • Resides: Quezon City, Philippines
    • Hometown: Quezon City, Philippines

    Tournaments & Titles:

    • 2021 US Open Championship
    • 2018 WPA World 9-Ball Runner-up
    • 2017 WPA World 9-Ball Champion
    • 2017 World Games 9-Ball Champion
    • 2015 World 10-Ball Championship Runner-up
    • 2015 Chinook Winds Open 10-Ball Runner-up
    • 2015 Southeast Asia Games (9-ball double) Gold Medalist
    • 2015 Japan Open Champion
    • 2013 Hard Times 10-Ball Open Champion
    • 2013 US Open 8 Ball Runner-up
    • 2011 Filipino 8-Ball Champion
  2. Orcollo, Dennis

    Dennis Orcollo

    Dennis Orcollo was born on January 28, 1979 (age 45), also known as Dennis Orcullo, is a Filipino professional pool player known as “RoboCop”. He’s been dubbed “the Philippines’ Money-game King.” Orcollo is the second of four brothers.

    His father was killed in a boating accident caused by a windstorm when he was young. He started practicing pool at 8 years of age through his grandfather’s table. Because of financial problems, he gave up school in third grade and focused on his sport.

    Tournaments & Titles:

    • 2021 Texas Open One-Pocket Championship
    • 2020 Texas Open 10-Ball Championship
    • 2020 Derby City Classic Master of the Table
    • 2020 Derby City Classic 9-Ball Banks Champion
    • 2017 Derby City Classic Master of the Table
    • 2017 Derby City Classic 9-ball Pool Challenge
    • 2016 S. Open Straight Pool Championship
    • 2016 Derby City Classic Straight Pool Challenge
    • 2015 S. Open Eight-ball Championship
    • 2014 Hard Times 10-Ball Open
    • 2014 S. Open One-Pocket Championship
    • 2014 18th Jay Swanson Memorial 9-Ball Tournament
    • 2014 Derby City Classic Straight Pool Challenge
    • 2014 Derby City Classic Master of the Table
    • 2014 Derby City Classic 9-Ball Banks
    • 2013 World Cup of Pool (with Lee Vann Corteza)
    • 2013 S. Open One-Pocket Championship
    • 2013 US Bar Table Championship 10-Ball
    • 2013 17th Jay Swanson Memorial 9-Ball Tournament
    • 2013 Derby City Classic 10-Ball Bigfoot Challenge
    • 2012 China Open
    • 2012 Hard Times 10-Ball Open
    • 2012 S. Open Open Ten-ball Championship
    • 2011 Predator International 10-Ball Championship
    • 2011 WPA World Eight-ball Championship
    • 2011 Derby City Classic 9-Ball
    • 2011 BSCP National 9-Ball Championships
    • 2010 Asian Games Nine-Ball Singles
    • 2010 San Miguel Beer Octoberfest 9-Ball Open
    • 2010 World Pool Masters
    • 2009 Predator International 10-Ball Championship
    • 2008 Guinness Asian 9-Ball Tour (China Leg)
    • 2008 Qatar World Open 9-Ball Tournament
    • 2007 BCA Open Nine-Ball Championship
    • 2007 Bill Staton Memorial
    • 2006 World Pool League
    • 2006 US Bar Table Championship 8-Ball
    • 2006 Sands Regency, Reno Open 9-Ball
    • 2006 Hard Times Billiards Summer Jamboree, 9-Ball
    • 2006-World Championship Bar Table 9-ball Feb.22-26 Oroville, Calif. 1st place
  3. Van Boening, Shane

    Shane Van Boening

    Shane Van Boening is an American professional pool player from Rapid City, South Dakota, The current number 1 player in the World Rankings published by the WPA, and has the highest Fargo Rating in the world, which is made up of nearly 250,000 players. Wikipedia

    Van Boening has a family background in the pool. His grandfather, Gary Bloomberg, was a trick-shot artist; his grandmother, Jeanne Bloomberg, a VNEA national champion; his mother, Timi Bloomberg, a BCA national champion; and his aunt, Gari Jo Bloomberg, a three-time VNEA national champion.

    Career titles & Achievements

    • U.S. Open Championship
      • U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships (2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016)
      • U.S. Open 10-Ball Championships (2011, 2016, 2017, 2018)
      • U.S Open 8-Ball Championships (2013, 2016, 2018)
      • U.S. Open One Pocket Championships (2012, 2018)
      • U.S. Open Bank Pool Championships (2018, 2019)
      • U.S. Open Straight Pool Championship (2019)
    • US Bar Table Championship
      • 9 Ball Division (2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017)
      • 10-Ball Division (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014)
      • 8-Ball Division (2016, 2017)
    • Derby City Classic
      • 9-Ball Division (2009, 2012, 2014, 2016)
      • 10-Ball Division- Bigfoot (2014, 2015)
      • One Pocket Division (2011, 2012)
      • Master of the Table (2011, 2012)
      • Louie Roberts Award (2008)
      • 10-Ball Ring Game (2008)
    • Turning Stone Casino Classic (2011, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
    • Super Billiards Expo Players Championship (2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017)
    • Accu-Stats Make It Happen Invitational
      • One Pocket Division (2013, 2017)
      • 10-Ball Division (2015)
    • Sands Regency Reno Open (2007)
    • Ultimate 10-Ball Championship (2010)
    • Steve Mizerak Championship (2011)
    • International Challenge of Champions (2015)
    • 2018 Leende Open (2018)
    • Texas Open 9-Ball (2021)
    • Mosconi Cup (2009, 2018, 2019)
    • World Cup of Pool (2008) – With Rodney Morris
    • World Pool Masters (2014, 2015)
    • World Championship
    • Billiards Digest Magazine & AZBilliards
      • Player of the Year (2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018)
      • Player of the Decade (2010-2020)
  4. Alcaide, David

    David Alcaide

    David Alcaide Bermúdez born 14 December 1978 (age 45) is a Spanish pool player. He is a two-time winner of the World Pool Masters, winning the 2017 event, defeating Jayson Shaw 8–7 in the final, and again in 2019 defeating Alexander Kazakis 9–8. Alcaide is a three-time world championship semi-finalist having reached the stage at the WPA World 10-ball Championship, in 2009 and 2015, and the WPA World Eight-ball Championship in 2011.

    Championships and accomplishments:

    • Predator International ten-ball tour
      • 2009 Stop One – Portugal
    • Euro Tour
      • 2009 Treviso Open [de]
      • 2016 Treviso Open
    • 2017 Mosconi Cup
    • 2011 WPA World Eight-ball Championship bronze medalist
    • WPA World Ten-ball Championship
      • 2009, 2011, and 2015 bronze medal
    • World Pool Masters
      • 2017 World Pool Masters
      • 2019 World Pool Masters
  5. Aloysius Yapp

    Aloysius Yapp

    Aloysius Yapp born 2 May 1996 (age 27) is a Singaporean professional pool player. He was the world junior champion in nine-ball in 2014 and runner-up in the 2021 U.S. Open Pool Championship and is currently ranked world number five.

    Yapp began playing pool at age 10. An alumnus of Saint Patrick’s School, he dropped out of school in 2011 to turn professional, although he eventually completed his GCE Ordinary Level examinations at Coleman College. Reportedly the first professional pool player from Singapore, he won the inaugural Asian Junior Pool Championship in 2014. Later that year, he became the first Singaporean to claim a world title in the pool when he won the World Junior Pool Championships (Under-19) in Shanghai, China, beating Hsu Jui-an 11–10.[4] In 2021, he claimed the Singapore National Snooker Championship, defeating defending champion Peter Gilchrist 4–2. In the quarter-finals of the 2021 WPA World Ten-ball Championship, Yapp defeated Jayson Shaw, which moved him up to 8th in the world rankings; he ultimately finished in third place.

  6. Oi, Naoyuki

    Naoyuki Oi

    In July 2005, Naoyuki Oi competed in the 2005 WPA World Nine-ball Championship but lost in the preliminary round. In February 2007, he finished fifth at the Korea Pro Pool Tour, and ninth at the Predator International Championship. In October 2007, Ōi took part in the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships, reaching 17th place. At the 2007 WPA Men’s World Nine-ball Championship, he was defeated by the German Ralf Souquet. At the 2007 World Pool Masters Ōi reached the last 16 before losing to Oliver Ortmann. In the 2007 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships, Ōi reached 17th place. At the 2007 WPA Men’s World Nine-ball Championship, he was defeated in the last 64 by Ralf Souquet.

    In November 2008, Ōi achieved his biggest international success so far: he reached the semi-finals of the All-Japan Open, finishing third. In the following season, he reached the semifinals of the 2009 WPA World Ten-ball Championship but lost to Antonio Lining. In March 2010, Ōi reached the fifth place at the All-Japan Open. At the 2010 World Pool Masters, he lost in the last 16 to Charlie Williams. In the 2010 WPA Asian Nine-ball Tour, he finished fifth. At the 2012 WPA World Nine-ball Championship, Ōi had victories against Chang Jung-lin, Thorsten Hohmann, and Karl Boyes to reach the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Darren Appleton, who defeated him 7–11.

  7. Shaw, Jayson

    Jayson Shaw

    Jayson Shaw born 13 September 1988 (age 35) in Glasgow is a Scottish pool player. Shaw was the 2010 World Blackball champion. In 2016, Shaw won the 25th International Challenge of Champions event.

    Shaw also appeared representing Europe at the Mosconi Cup, winning the event in 2016 and 2017.

    Born: 13 September 1988 Glasgow, Scotland
    Country: Scotland
    Nickname: “Eagle Eye”
    Pool games: Blackball, 8-Ball, Nine-Ball, 10-Ball

  8. Filler, Joshua

    Joshua Filler

    Joshua Filler born 2 October 1997 (age 26) is a German pool player from Bönen, Germany. In 2018 Filler defeated Carlo Biado 13–10 to win the 2018 WPA World Nine-ball Championship. The same year he was the youngest player to win the China Open and the 2018 10-ball European Pool Championships. Filler became WPA and Euro Tour world number 1 in 2019, and later reached the final of the 2019 WPA World Ten-ball Championship before losing 10–7 to Ko Ping-Chung.

    Filler has also represented Europe in the Mosconi Cup, winning the MVP award at the 2017 Mosconi Cup.

    Championships and accomplishments:

    • Mosconi Cup – (2017), (2020)
      • Most Valuable Player (2017)
    • China Open – (2017)
    • European Pool Championship – Ten-ball (2018)
    • Euro Tour
      • 2019 Leende Open
      • 2021 Pongau Open
    • WPA World Nine-ball Championship (2018)
    • U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships (2019)
    • World Cup of Pool (2021) with Christoph Reintjes
  9. Gorst, Fedor

    Fedor Gorst

    In December 2018, Fedor Gorst reached 8th in the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) world rankings. Gorst won the U19 8-Ball European Pool Championship in 2017, before winning the 2018 Treviso Open on the Euro Tour. Gorst is also a Junior 9-ball world champion, winning the 2017 WPA World Nine-ball Junior Championship in the boys (Under 19) event.
     
    Gorst won the 2019 WPA World Nine-ball Championship, defeating Chang Jung-lin in the final 13–11.

    Achievements:

    • Euro Tour
      • 2018 Treviso Open
    • European Pool Championship
      • 8-Ball (2017)
    • WPA World Nine-ball Championship
      • 2017 WPA World Nine-ball Junior Championship
      • 2019 WPA World Nine-ball Championship
  10. Ouschan, Albin

    Albin Ouschan

    Albin Alois Ouschan born August 14, 1990 (age 33), in Klagenfurt, Austria is an Austrian pool and billiards player. Ouschan was the 2016 WPA World Nine-ball Championship winner, as well as the runner-up in 2014. He also won the 14.1 Continuous European championships the same year. Ouschan is a multiple-time Austrian champion in 8-ball, ten-ball, and straight pool. He won the World 9-ball Championship for the second time in 2021, beating Omar Al Shaheen 13–9 in the final.

    Ouschan alongside their partner Mario He, won both the 2017 World Cup of Pool and the 2019 World Cup of Pool and reached the final of the 2018 World Cup of Pool. They would lose 10–3 to the Chinese team of Wu Jia-qing & Liu Haitao.

See Also

FAQ

Who are the Pool players who have tattoos?

  • Jason Shaw of Scotland
  • Lee Vann Conteza of the Philippines
  • Christopher Tevez of Peru
  • James Aranas of the Philippines
  • Kelly Fisher of England
  • Eklent Kaçi of Albania
  • Daniele Corrieri of Italy

Who is a Pool player that is also a 3-cushion champion?

  • Christopher Tevez of Peru

Carlo Biado is from where?

  • Philippines

What nationality is Shane Van Boening?

  • American
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