Greatest Pool Players Of All Time [Male and Female]

Ouschan Albin is an Austrian professional billiards and pool player. Ouschan won the 2016 WPA World Nine-ball Championship.

The 32-year-old Austrian is a two-time world cup champion and has won multiple Austrian championships in 8-ball, ten-ball and straight pool. 

Albin was ranked 1 in the WPA ranking in 2014. He specializes in shot selection and plans and remains focused under pressure situations.

Ouschan also won the Dutch Open, the Mosconi Cup, and the China Open in 2015. Furthermore, he won the Mosconi Cup MVP award and the World 9-ball Championship in the same year.

Ouschan and his partner Mario together won the 2017 and 2019 World Pool Championships and also advanced to the 2018 Championship final.

Maximilian Lechner has gained success in the Euro Tour. Lechner achieved fifth place in the World 9-Ball Championship in 2021.

The Austrian won the junior WPA World Nine-Ball Champion in 2008. He placed 33rd in the World 9-Ball Championships of 2017 and 2018.

Following his semifinal performances at the 2018 Treviso Open and 2019 Leende Open, Maximilian reached the quarterfinals of the 2017 Klagenfurt Open. 

His major accolades include winning ten-ball, straight pool nine-ball, and eight-ball Austrian Pool Championships numerous times.

Mika Immonen won the 2001 WPA World Nine-ball Championship. The Finnish Hall of Famer is also known by his nickname The Iceman.

Immonen started playing snooker at a young age. He has competed in the Mosconi Cup thirteen times for Team Europe.

Mika has won the US Open Nine-ball Championship's Men's Division two times. Immonen defeated Ralf Souquet in the 2009 championship match after winning 14 straight games.

Mika won his second world championship in 2009 in Manila at the WPA World Ten-ball Championships. 

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Billiard Congress of America and is mainly regarded as one of the finest players of all time.

Kelly Fisher is regarded as the best female pool player of all time. Fisher has won major tournaments in the pool like the Snooker World Championship five times.

She started playing pool at the age of 13 and was ranked No.1 for two consecutive seasons at the age of 21. 

Kelly won the British Open, Belgian Open, LG Cup championships, and UK Championship in 2001, four consecutive events in the women's divisions.  

The British star made the decision to move to the pool. She relocated to the US to compete in the Women's Professional Billiard Association joining former women's snooker stars Allison Fisher and Karen Corr.

Johnny Archer is a professional American pool player. Johnny was inducted into the Billiard Congres of America Hall of Fame on June 8, 2009.

He is one of the sucessful nine-ball players winning the bulk of the game's major events at least once.

Johnny was named Player of the Decade by the Billiards Digest at the end of the 1990s. He won WPA World Nine-Ball Championships in 1992 and 1997.

He also won the US Open in 1999 and has won more than 100 professional competitions overall. He was ranked third in the fan 'Top 20 Favorite Players' poll from Pool & Billiard Magazine for 2007.

Besides playing pool, he is also an avid golfer. He credits his excellent pool break to his regular golfing, highlighting the similarities between having good timing and using one's entire body in the stroke.

Allison Fisher has won 80 national titles and 11 world titles. The Duchess of Doom had a successful career in both pool and snooker.

She won her first world title at the age of 17. Allison won 53 WPBA titles, 12 World Championships, and three World Nine-Ball Championships.

She was elected into the Hall of Fame of the Billiard Congress of America in 2009 and held the top spot among players in the Women's Professional Billiards Association (WPBA).

Fisher was named the female player of the year in 2007 by all three of the main pool publications, Billiards Digest, Pool & Billiard Magazine, and InsidePOOL Magazine.

In addition to her pool profession, she also teaches pool at the Allison World Champion Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Mike Sigel has won over 102 major tournaments during his career. The American star is also known by his nickname Captain Hook.

He won both 9-Ball and Straight Pool, with the best run of 339 balls in the 1980s. He also won the title of Greatest Living Player of the Century.

Sigel is one of the most successful players of all time winning numerous major titles in both straight pool and nine-ball.

He received three "Player of the Year" awards from Billiards Digest and Pool and Billiards Magazine in 1981, 1983, and 1986. Mike was the first pro tour player to win more than $100,000 in prizes in a single year in 1987. 

Moreover, Sigel was the youngest male player to be inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1989 at the age of 35. 

Earl Strickland ranks among the best nine-ball players of all time. Earl has won 100 championship titles and three world titles. 

The American star is nicknamed The Pearl. Starting playing pool at the age of eight, he played his first professional tournament at the age of 16.

He became the first player to run 10 consecutive racks in a tournament in 1996, winning the biggest cash award to date, the PCA $1,000,000 Challenge. 

The Pearl later defeated Mike Sigel in a historic final match to win the 1988 PBA World 9-Ball Championship. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Billiard Congress of America in 2006. 

His career highlights include winning a record five U.S. Open Nine-ball Championships and a record three WPA World Nine-Ball Championships.

Earl ranked number six in the fans 'Top 20 Favorite Players' vote conducted by Pool & Billiard Magazine for 2007.

Shane Van Boening is one of the best pool players of all time. He has won the WPA World Nine Ball Championship once and the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship five times.

Van Boening has won three VNEA national amateur eight-ball championships. He reached the BCA Open Nine-Ball Championship final in 2007.

Shane has won Player of the Year honors from AZBilliards and Billiards Digest Magazine. He was even awarded the Player of the Decade by Billiards Digest Magazine in 2020.

Furthermore, South Dakota Kid holds the record for the AZBilliards Money List with earnings of more than $2 million since 2005 as of 2023. 

Ewa Laurance is a former Swedish pool player. She is the first European female player to win a professional pool event in the United States.

Starting playing pool at the age of four, she competed in the 1980 WPBA World Straight Poll Championship at the age of 17. 

The Striking Viking has won a number of women's pool championships, such as the WPBA U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship and the WPA World Nine-Ball Championship.

Laurance defeated three of her competitors WPBA Tour players Allison Fisher, Dawn Hopkins, and Gerda Hofstatter at the Women's Trick Shot Challenge in 2005 and won the top prize of US$25,000.

Thorsten Hohmann is a three-time world champion from Germany. Thorsten won the WPA World Nine-ball Championship in 2003 and 2013.

Also known by his nickname The Hitman, he also  won the WPA World Straight Pool Championship in 2016

He started playing pool at the age of nine and reached the finals of the World Pool League in 2003. Furthermore, he advanced to the US Open Nine-ball Championship finals in 2004.

The Hitman has won numerous championships including multiple U.S. Open 9-ball titles, three 9-ball world championships, one 10-ball world championship, and three 9-ball world championships. 

Hohmann is regarded as one of the best players of all time and was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 2021.

Jean Balukas was recognized as the best female pool player of all time before Fisher came into the scene.

Jean was also listed as the fifteenth greatest player of the 20th century by Billiard Digest.  She is the youngest woman ever inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame and a five-time Billiards Digest Player of the Year.

At the age of nine, she finished fifth in the 1969 U.S. Open straight pool championship and then finished fourth and third in the two U.S. Opens.

Balukas was a dominant force in the professional women's pool in the 1970s and 1980s. In addition to holding a record streak of 16 consecutive first-place tournament finishes Jean has won over 100 professional tournaments.

Efren Reyes is a former Filipino professional with more than 100 national titles. Efren is ranked among the best pool players in the world.

He was also eminent by his nickname The Magician. Reyes has won numerous championships, including the WPA World Nine-Ball and World Eight-Ball Championships as well as the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship.

In order to represent the Philippines at the first World Cup of Pool, he teamed up with Francisco Bustamante. They competed in the 2006 final, competing against Americans Earl Strickland and Rodney Morris.

Reyes magnificently finished third in the Derby City Classic One Pocket in 2023 at the age of 68 in a field of more than 400 competitors.