The International Pool Tour was an event that attracted top players from around the world. This tournament was one the first multi-million-dollar tournaments to be aired on television. It aimed to make pool more mainstream. Kevin Trudeau founded it. He was an avid gamer of pool, and was already a successful man when he came up with the idea for IPT.
It was a professional sport tour that featured bright lights and professional production. The event also included some of the most talented pool players around. This was a crucial step for pool as the sport was not well organized at the time. Each day, players played several races-to-8 sets. However, only two teams advanced to round 2.
Trudeau was determined and eager to give the game a serious chance. With $13 million of funding, he started the tour. Although the tour was short-lived it brought the sport back into the limelight. The tour was worth more than $6 million over its lifetime.
The inaugural year of the tour saw four events. One of the four events was the King of the Hill Eight Ball Shootout. It had a prize pool of $200K. The North American Open had a purse of $2 million. The IPT Players 8-Ball Championship took place from October 22-29. 2007: The tour was cancelled due to problems at the facility.
The first year was the most lucrative in pool history. Reyes won $500K total for his win over Roderick Morse in the World Open Eightball Championship. He also received a $163k first prize for his win against Niels Feijen in the Predator World 14.1 Championship.
Efren is considered a star. Bata is his nickname. He is the king and hotshot of billiards. His reputation as "running all the tables" is his nickname. He has won 14 tournaments. He was awarded a bronze medal for eight-ball at the 2002 Asian Games.
As a young man, he earned $500 an hour as a teacher of pool. He was surprised when he entered the world of pool. He made the decision to become a professional tournament player a few years ago. At that point, he became the face of IPT. He is the current color commentator on U.S. broadcasts.
Reyes and Francisco Bustamante represented Philippines during the World Cup of Pool. They defeated Roderick Moor and Earl Strickland. They won the Dr. Louis Pannullo Trophy.
The International Pool Tour featured several other stars, including Mike Sigel. Sigel was an importer and a gambler before he became a professional. But after word of the league got out, he started competing. He won two World Championships during his tenure.
Trudeau was a long-time pool fan and came up with the idea for the tour after he saw a radio advertisement about a Chicago pool tournament. Initial plans were to host a challenge match in August 2005. However, it was cancelled after negotiations broke down with the facility.