The pro billiard tour consists of a series tournaments that include the world championships as well as major events. The tour hosted the first ever billiards tournament. In 2006, however, the tour was facing serious financial problems and had to end major events. The IPT Ultimate 8 Ball was held in 2007 to revive the tour.
Stauch's participation in billiards
Shari Stauch was a professional pool player for 20 years before retiring in 2004. Stauch, along with Harold Simonsen, helped to develop the billiards market by co-founding Pool & Billiard Magazine. She was named Sportsperson of the Year by the Women's Professional Billiard Association in 1995 and is a five-time WPBA President's Award winner. In 2007, she was inducted in the WPBA Hall of Fame.
Billiards is a game with a rich history. It has been played by many people, from commoners to royalty, hustlers and presidents. It originated in Northern Europe as a lawn game, and it evolved into the current style.
IPT Ultimate 8 - Ball
The first event of the IPT Ultimate 8-Ball was held in Los Angeles in June of 2008. An original match was set up between Alex Pagulayan (Filipino player) and Karl Boyes (English player). Pagulayan’s manager reached out to the IPT for an alternate player. Tony Robles was invited as a replacement for Pagulayan. Robles accepted the invite and flew to L.A. in the middle of the night. In a thrilling match, Robles beat Karl Boyes to win the match. The prize money paid to the players was $5,000 and $1,000.
The IPT Ultimate 8-Ball is the largest pool tour in the world and will be held in five cities in 2006. In 2006, the IPT will award more than $8,000,000 in prize money. The North American Open 8-Ball Championship boasts a record-breaking prize pot of $2,000,000 and a staggering first-place reward of $350,000.
Women's Professional Billiards Association
Women's Professional Billiards Association (WPBA) is a professional pool tour that caters to women. WPBA, which was originally the Women's Professional Billiard Alliance in 1976, features female pool players. Its founders include Madelyn Whitlow, Palmer Byrd and Larry Miller.
The WPBA was originally a British billiards association. It sponsored tournaments, both for amateurs or professionals. In its early years, it ran junior and amateur competitions. Joyce Gardner, Thelma Carver and Ruth Harrison were the members. Gardner won seven tournaments out of fourteen, while Carpenter and Harrison took home three and four, respectively. Harrison broke the 1937 record of 197, which is still a record in women's billiards.
Jim Bakula's influence over women's pro-billiards
Jim Bakula was a pioneer in women's billiards, and his influence dates back to the 1980s. While he was General Manager of Brunswick's Billiard Division, Bakula championed the inclusion of women's divisions in events. Later, Bakula was elected president to the Billiard Congress in America (BCA). In an appeal to them to provide grant funding for WPBA, he won. This led eventually to the creation the Women's Pro Billiard Tour.
Future of the pro billiards tour
The future prospects of the professional billiard tour are uncertain. The PBT, a fringe professional sport, is looking for stability, and Don Mackey is one of the people attempting to help it get there. Camel cigarettes, which sponsored the PBT's 1996 touring, was sued by Mackey. It later split with Mackey and started its own tour.
It has been ten years since the first event, the Gulf Coast Women's Regional Billiard Tour, paid out $12,330 in prizes. During this time, the tour added more events to the Gulf Coast area, requiring venues with at least twenty tables. This left many Texas-area rooms out of the running. The new tour proved to be a boon for both the game and the venues.