The International Pool Tour attracted many top players from all around 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 was the founder. When he created IPT, he was an avid pool player and was already a successful entrepreneur.
It was a professional sports tour that featured bright lights, professional production, and some of the world's best pool players. This was a significant step in pool's history, which was not well-organized. Players would play several race-to-8 sets a day, but only two players per group advanced to the next round.
Trudeau was determined give the game a serious shot. He started the tour with $13 million in funding. It was a short-lived venture that helped to bring the sport in the spotlight. The tour offered more than $6M in prize money over its life span.
The tour had four events during its first year. One of the four events was the King of the Hill Eight Ball Shootout. It had a prize pool of $200K. A second was the North American Open with a $2million 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 first year of this tour had the highest prize money in pool history. Reyes was awarded $500K for beating Roderick Morris at the World Open Eightball Championship. Reyes also won a $163k First Prize for his victory against Niels Feijen at the Predator World 14.1 Championship.
Efren Reyes has been called a celebrity. He is known as Bata and is considered the king among billiards hotshots. His reputation of "running tables" gave him his nickname. He has won fourteen tournaments. He won a medal in eightball for 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. A few years ago, he decided to become a tournament pro. He was the face IPT. He is currently the color commentator for U.S broadcasts.
Reyes and Francisco Bustamante represented Philippines on the World Cup of Pool. They beat Roderick Morris and Earl Strickland. They won the Dr. Louis Pannullo Prize.
Many other stars participated in the International Pool Tour including Mike Sigel. Sigel, before he was a pro, sold imported goods and gambled on the road. 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 had been a long-time enthusiast of pool and thought up the tour after seeing a radio advertisement for a Chicago region pool tournament. Initially, the tour planned to have a challenge match in August 2005. It was cancelled after negotiations with the facility.