The International Pool Tour was a tournament that attracted some of the most renowned players around the world. This tournament was one among the first multimillion-dollar tournaments that were aired live on television. It was designed to introduce pool to the mainstream. It was founded by Kevin Trudeau. Kevin Trudeau was an avid player of pool and was already a successful businessman at the time he founded IPT.
It was a professional sports tour that featured bright lights, professional production, and some of the world's best pool players. This was an important step for pool, as it was a sport that was not well-organized at the time. 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. He started the tour with $13 million in funding. Although the tour was short-lived it brought the sport back into the limelight. The tour offered more than $6M in prize money over its life span.
In its first year, there were four events. One was the King of the Hill Eight-ball Shootout, which had a $200K prize fund. Another was the North American Open, which had a $2 million purse. Other tournaments include the IPT Players 8-Ball Championship. It was scheduled for October 22-29. The facility had problems in 2007, so the tour was cancelled.
The first year of this tour had the highest prize money in pool history. Reyes won $500K total for his win over Roderick Morse in the World Open Eightball Championship. He was also awarded the $163k first prize in the Predator World 14.1 Championship for his win over Niels Fiesen.
Efren is considered a star. Bata is known as the "king" of the billiards hotshots. His reputation as "running all the tables" is his nickname. He has won fourteen tournaments. He was awarded a bronze medal for eight-ball at the 2002 Asian Games.
When he was younger, he used to earn $500 an hour as a pool teacher. His entrance into the world pool was an unexpected one. He decided to turn pro at tournaments a few years back. He became the face and voice of IPT. He is the current color commentator on 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 Dr. Louis Pannullo's 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. But after word of the league got out, he started competing. He won two world titles and is currently a twotime World Professional Pool Champion.
Trudeau, an avid pool fan, thought of the tour after hearing a radio advertisement for a Chicago-area tournament. Initial plans for the tour were to host a match against opponents in August 2005. The tour was cancelled following negotiations with the facility.