The International Pool Tour attracted players from all corners of the globe. 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. Kevin Trudeau founded it. When he created IPT, he was an avid pool player and was already a successful entrepreneur.
The professional sports tour featured bright lights, professional production and the best pool players in the world. This was an important step in the history of pool. It was a sport that was not well organised 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. It was a short-lived venture that helped to bring the sport in the spotlight. The tour was worth more than $6 million over its lifetime.
The inaugural year of the tour saw four events. One of the events was the King of the Hill Eightball Shootout with a prize fund of $200K. The North American Open featured a $2 million prize pool. Other tournaments include the IPT Players 8-Ball Championship. It was scheduled for October 22-29. Due to issues with the facility, the tour was cancelled in 2007.
The tour's first year featured the highest amount of prize money in 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 has been called a celebrity. 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 won a bronze medal in eight ball at the 2002 Asian Games.
He was a pool teacher when he grew up. His emergence into the world of pool was unexpected. He became a tournament professional a few decades ago. He became the face and voice of IPT. He is currently the color commentator for U.S broadcasts.
Reyes and Francisco Bustamante represented Philippines during the World Cup of Pool. They defeated Earl Strickland and Roderick Morris. They also won Dr. Louis Pannullo's Award.
Several other stars were included in the International Pool Tour, including Mike Sigel. Sigel worked as a road dealer and importer before he became an international pool tour pro. But after word of the league got out, he started competing. He won two World Championships during his tenure.
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 for the tour were to host a match against opponents in August 2005. However, it was cancelled after negotiations broke down with the facility.