The International Pool Tour attracted players from all corners of the globe. This tournament was one of the first multi-million dollar tournaments that was aired on television, and it aimed to bring pool into the mainstream. Kevin Trudeau created it. When he created IPT, he was an avid pool player and was already a successful entrepreneur.
This was a professional sporting tour featuring bright lights, professional production, pool pros, and top players. This was a significant step in pool's history, which was not well-organized. Although players could play many race-to-8 sets in a single day, only two players from each group progressed to the next round.
Trudeau was determined give the game a serious shot. With $13 million of funding, he started the tour. It was a short-lived venture that helped to bring the sport in the spotlight. The tour paid out more than $6,000,000 in prizes during its existence.
In its first year, there were four events. The King of the Hill Eightball Shootout had a $200K prize pot. Another was the North American Open, which had a $2 million purse. The IPT Players 8-Ball Championship was also scheduled for October 22-29. 2007: The tour was cancelled due to problems at the facility.
The tour's first year featured the highest amount of prize money in history. Reyes was awarded $500K for beating Roderick Morris at the World Open Eightball Championship. For his victory over Niels Feijen, Reyes was awarded a $163k prize.
Efren Ren Reyes is a worldwide superstar. He is known as Bata and is considered the king among billiards hotshots. His nickname is "running the table". He has won fourteen tournaments. He won a medal in eightball for the 2002 Asian Games.
When he was younger, he used to earn $500 an hour as a pool teacher. He was surprised when he entered the world of pool. He decided to make it a career as a pro tournament player several years ago. At that point, he became the face of IPT. He is currently the color commentator for U.S broadcasts.
The World Cup of Pool was a tournament where Reyes and Francisco Bustamante represented the Philippines. They defeated Roderick Moor and Earl Strickland. They also won the Dr. Louis Pannullo Award.
Several other stars were included in the International Pool Tour, including Mike Sigel. Sigel used to be a road gambler and sold imported products before becoming a pro. He began competing after hearing about the league. He was the winner of two world championships, and a two time World Professional Pool Champion.
Trudeau, who had been a long-time fan of pool, conceived of the tour when he heard a radio ad for a Chicago area pool tournament. The tour originally planned to hold a challenge game in August 2005. After negotiations with the facility, it was cancelled.