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 founded it. He was an avid pool player who was already a successful businessman when he conceived of 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 wanted to give the game serious consideration. He began the tour with $13million in funding. Even though it was short-lived, it helped bring the sport to the forefront. 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. The North American Open was another, with a $2,000,000 purse. Other tournaments include the IPT Players 8-Ball Championship. It was scheduled for October 22-29. The facility problems caused the 2007 cancellation of the tour.
The first year of this tour had the highest prize money in pool history. Reyes received $500K in total for his victory against Roderick Moss in 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 is considered to be a superstar. Bata is his nickname. He is the king and hotshot of billiards. His nickname stems from his reputation as "running the tables." He has won fourteen 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. It was a surprise that he found his way into the pool world. He made the decision to become a professional tournament player a few years ago. He was the face IPT. Currently, he serves as the color commentator on U.S. broadcasts.
Reyes and Francisco Bustamante represented Philippines on the World Cup of Pool. They beat Roderick and Earl Strickland. They also won Dr. Louis Pannullo's Award.
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. During his tenure, he won two world championships and is 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. Initial plans were to host a challenge match in August 2005. After negotiations with the facility, it was cancelled.