The More Things Change

Reyes had the last laugh by winning the 9-ball title after securing his fifth all-around crown. (Photo by Mike Fieldhammer)

ONE WALK through the tournament arena and it's obvious what Reyes is capable of doing in a week and a half. Entering 2010, he had won the Master of the Table (the all-around championship based on combined performance in banks, one-pocket and 9-ball) four times, the one-pocket division five times and the 9-ball event once.

But for the previous two years, he hadn't been much of a threat. Last year was an especially aberrant campaign; Reyes finished no better than 10th, walking away with just $1,400.

From the start of this year's DCC, though, things went very differently. Reyes cruised through the first 11 rounds in the 353-player banks division, his weakest discipline. As the field dwindled, Reyes gained momentum with wins over past champions Shannon Daulton and Stevie Moore (who had beat Reyes in the final in 2007).

But in the 12th round, Reyes ran into reigning banks champ John Brumback. The Kentuckian sent Reyes to his first loss, 3-0, then repeated the shutout two rounds later in the final.

Still, with a surprising finish, Reyes turned attention to the one-pocket division, which has traditional served as a springboard for an annual run toward the all-around title.

Midway through the nine-day slog, the affable Hall of Famer hit a bit of a rough patch. Reyes, finished in a disappointing 20th place, taking losses from one-hole expert Cliff Joyner and a resurgent Rafael Martinez.

With time to stray from the tournament arena, Reyes entered the $5,000-added Fatboy 10-Ball Challenge. The 16-man single-elimination event gave Reyes another way to maximize his earning potential and stay in stroke. On his way to the after-hours title, Reyes handled Rodney Morris, Santos Sambajon and Johnny Archer to face surprising finalist Brandon Shuff. A product of the mid-Atlantic's now dormant Tiger Pool Tour, Shuff stumbled in the final. Reyes jumped out to a 6-0 lead and took the $6,500 payday, 15-8.

Back in the main arena, Reyes dropped just his second match of the 9-ball division to unheralded Danny McKenney. After the loss, Reyes admitted that, with the better part of five decades spent around a pool table, he's best caught early. The stop-go-stop-go of Derby spelled trouble for the aging icon.

"These young guys, they can beat me," he said. "If I stop [playing], I can't focus. I have no concentration."

Luckily, Reyes wouldn't be too far from the table for the rest of the tournament, as long as he kept winning. Reyes dispatched a host of shortstops. By the ninth round, only three players - Reyes, Pagulayan and Brumback - had a shot at the $20,000 Master of the Table award.

Brumback's hopes were dim, at best. Eliminated in 19th in 9-ball, he needed both Filipinos to lose to have a shot at repeating as the all-around champ. Surprisingly, Pagulayan obliged, ending his bid with a loss to Shannon Murphy, 7-4. Reyes, meanwhile, took a 5-4 lead over Jamie Baraks, while Brumback paced in and out of the arena.

"I had to stop watching at that point," he said. "I was starting to get sick, so I had to get outside."

But there was nothing more to see. Reyes closed out the set, 7-4. Assuring himself of a finish no worse than third in 9-ball, Reyes earned enough points to edge Brumback for his fifth Master of the Table award.

From that point, the ending to the 9-ball division seemed somewhat inevitable. Reyes trounced Murphy, 7-4, to give the young Ohioan his first loss. The two again drew each other in the next round, and Reyes turned a 4-1 deficit into a hill-hill win to advance to the final opposite Rodney Morris.

The last of countless matches at the 2010 DCC was the perfect ending for Reyes. He took control midway through the set, closing out his second 9-ball championship, 7-4.

Reyes' triumph was a particularly unexpected run, one that he didn't think possible by mid-week.

"I'm surprised," Reyes said. "I don't win in one-pocket, and I get lucky in banks. And in 9-ball, I lose my first match, so I don't think I have chance for all-around."

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