One Pocket Pool

One Pocket Pool – Jose Amang Parica, widely credited for leading the invasion of Filipino cue artists to the United States, will be inducted to the One Pocket Hall of Fame this Tuesday in Indiana. Parica leads a stellar class of 2010 inductees, which include the late Rudolf Fats Wanderone in the Lifetime Pool in Action category and Glenn Piggy Banks Rogers in the Bank Pool division. The enshrinement coincides with the staging of the 12th Annual Derby City Classic tournament at the Horse Shoe Casino Hotel where other Filipino greats Efren Bata Reyes and Francisco Django Bustamante will also see action. Long before Reyes and Bustamante took the world spotlight, the 61-year-old, US-based Parica had already established himself and the Philippines in the pool circuit. Nicknamed as the King and the Legend, Paricas rise to fame began when he won the World Open 9-Ball Child Cypress title in Lexington in the early 70s. One of the most feared 9-ball artists during his prime, Parica learned to play the game when he was seven years old, competing against older guys in his father’s billiards hall in Blumentritt, Sta. Cruz, Manila. In 1979, Parica became the national three-cushion, rotation and snooker champion. He also established the Philippine Pocket Billiards Association and became its first president. In 1988, Parica dominated the Japanese circuit, winning eight of the nine tournaments he competed in. That same year, he won the World Pro Tournament, the biggest and richest tournament at that time, by beating compatriot Reyes in the finals, 9-3. The tournament was played in Tokyo where he beat around 900 players to win five million Yen. A former Derby City One Pocket titlist, Parica achieved one of the most revered records in pool, and was the only player to win a perfect run out match of nine-ball under race-to-11 format without misses or fouls.