Dennis Orcollo

This pool sensation became the third Filipino in eight years to rule the WPA World 8-Ball Championship, crushing the Netherlands’ Neils Feijen, 10-3, for the 2011 crown at the Fujairah Exhibition Center in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates last Feb. 26.

A multi-titled veteran in the international billiards scene, Orcollo won the gold in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. He boasts an extensive resume that includes championships in the 2006 Open 9-Ball World Championship Bar Table Tournament in Oroville, California, and the 2006 US Bar Box-8 Ball Title in Nevada.

Orcollo's brilliance in the sport has earned him the monicker “The Philippines' Money-game King.”

He started playing billiards at the age of 8 at the house of his grandfather in Surigao Del Sur, often sneaking out at night to test his skills.

Orcollo has recently been named by the Philippine Sportswriters Association as one of the Athletes of the Year for 2010.