The International Pool Tour was a professional sports tour created in 2005 by Kevin Trudeau and hosted by Rebecca Grant. It aimed to elevate pool to the level of other modern sports. Closely modeled on the PGA Tour, the IPT offered the largest prize funds in pool history in its first year. The tour attracted the top pool players in the world. It differed from the many nine-ball tournaments, as all IPT events were eight-ball matches. The company was based in Hinsdale, Illinois. Many pool enthusiasts were initially skeptical, but the first event was successful, and at the time was the biggest tournament in billiards history. However, by the end of 2006, the tour was in serious financial trouble, and was forced to stop staging major tournaments. Events The first IPT event was held at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was an exhibition match between Mike Sigel and LoreeJon Jones in 2005. For their participation, Sigel (winner) won $150,000 and Jones (loser) won $75,000. The prize money drew attention due to the fact that these payouts for an exhibition match were bigger than winning prizes from major championships. IPT King of the Hill 8-Ball Shootout- December 2005: an invitational event at the Orlando Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, consisting of 42 players who competed in a round-robin format. BCA Hall of Famers in attendance received $30,000 just for showing up. Efren Reyes defeated Sigel in the finals and pocketed $200,000. All of the 165 matches were filmed and were later available for sale as DVDs. The total prize money paid out was $1,125,000, which made it the biggest pool event in history. Select matches from the tournament were turned into a weekly TV series that had a dedicated time slot, in prime time, on Versus (then OLN). IPT North American Open- 2006: the first full field IPT tournament consisting of 200 players from more than 40 countries. The North American Open paid out $2,000,000 in prize money, and was held at the Venetian, Las Vegas. The tournament was broadcast live in Europe for one week straight in prime time, a first for the billiards industry. Select matches from this event were turned into the second weekly TV series, in a dedicated time slot in prime time, on Versus (then OLN). IPT World Open- 2006: the second full field IPT tournament consisting of 200 players from more than 40