The pro-billiard tour includes a series of tournaments including the world championships or major events. In its inaugural year, the tour held the largest billiards tournament. However, by 2006, the tour was in serious financial trouble and had to stop holding major events. In 2007, the tour revived itself by staging the IPT Ultimate 8-Ball.
Stauch's involvement at billiards
Shari Stauch was a professional pool player for 20 years before retiring in 2004. In addition to her playing career, Stauch helped develop the billiards industry by co-founding Pool & Billiard Magazine with Harold Simonsen. She was awarded the Women's Professional Billiard Association's Sportsperson of Year in 1995. She has also been awarded five WPBA President's Awards. In 2007, she was inducted in the WPBA Hall of Fame.
Billiards has a long tradition. Players have included royalty, commoners, hustlers, and presidents. It was developed into the style we now know from the first time it was played in Northern Europe, in the 15th Century.
IPT Ultimate 8 ball
The IPT Ultimate 8-Ball's first event was held in Los Angeles, California in June 2008. Initial plans called for a match between Alex Pagulayan, a Filipino player, and Karl Boyes, an English player. Pagulayan’s manager reached out to the IPT for an alternate player. Tony Robles was therefore invited to step in for Pagulayan. Robles accepted the invitation and flew to L.A. during the night. In thrilling and close matches, he defeated Karl Boyes. The prize money paid to the players was $5,000 and $1,000.
The IPT Ultimate 8-Ball, the world's largest pool tour, will be held across five cities in 2006. The IPT will give away more than $8 million in prize money in 2006. The record-breaking prize money for the North American Open 8-Ball Championship is $2 million. There will also be a unprecedented first-place prize of $350,000.
Women's Professional Billiards Association
The Women's Professional Billiards Association is a professional pool tour for women. WPBA, which was originally the Women's Professional Billiard Alliance in 1976, features female pool players. Madelyn Willow, Palmer Byrd, Larry Miller are the founding members.
WPBA was an original British billiards association. It sponsored tournaments, both for amateurs or professionals. The association hosted amateur and junior competitions in the beginning. Joyce Gardner, Thelma Carver and Ruth Harrison were the members. Gardner won seven of the 14 tournaments that she entered, while Carpenter, Harrison, and Harrison won three each. Harrison broke Harrison's 1937 record of 193, which remains a record in women’s billiards.
Jim Bakula has a significant influence on women who play pro billiards
Jim Bakula's influence on women in billiards goes back to the 1980s. Bakula, who was the General Manager for Brunswick's Billiard Division at the time, advocated inclusion of women's teams in events. Later, he was elected president of the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) and appealed to them to support the WPBA with grant funding. The Women's Pro Billiard Tour was created as a result.
Future of pro billiards tour
Pro billiard tours are in flux. 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, the sponsor of PBT's 1996 Tour, was recently sued by Don Mackey. They later split and created their own tour.
It's been ten year since the inaugural event, the Gulf Coast Women's Regional Billiard Tour. The prize pool was $12,330. The tour has added additional events to the Gulf Coast and required venues with at most twenty tables. Many Texas-area venues were left out of the running. However, this new tour was a great addition to the game and venues.