The pro billiards tour includes major tournaments as well the world championships. The tour's first year saw it stage the largest billiards tournament in history. The tour became financially troubled in 2006 and stopped holding major events. In 2007, the tour revived itself by staging the IPT Ultimate 8-Ball.
Stauch's involvement at billiards
Shari Stauch, a professional pool player for twenty years, retired in 2004. Stauch also played professionally for 20 years, before she retired in 2004. With Harold Simonsen, Stauch founded Pool & Billiard Magazine. She was named Sportsperson of the Year by the Women's Professional Billiard Association in 1995 and is a five-time WPBA President's Award winner. She was inducted into WPBA Hall of Fame on July 7, 2007.
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
In Los Angeles, the IPT Ultimate 8-Ball held its first event in June 2008. Originally a match between English player Karl Boyes and Filipino player Alex Pagulayan was scheduled. Pagulayan’s manager called the IPT management to seek out an alternative player. Tony Robles was invited by Pagulayan to be his replacement. Robles accepted this invitation and flew from Chicago to L.A. on the evening. In thrilling and close matches, he defeated Karl Boyes. The prize money for the two players was $5,000 and $1,000, plus expenses.
The IPT Ultimate 8-Ball Pool Tour is the largest pool tour anywhere in the world. It will be held in five different cities in 2006. The IPT will offer more than $8 million worth of prize money in 2006. The North American Open 8-Ball Championship boasts a record-breaking prize pot of $2,000,000 and a staggering first-place reward of $350,000.
Women's Professional Billiards Association
Women's Professional Billiards Association hosts a professional pool competition for women. WPBA was started in 1976 as Women's Professional Billiard Alliance. This association features competitive women's pool players. Madelyn Whitlow and Palmer Byrd were its founders. Larry Miller is also a founding member.
WPBA was an original British billiards association. It sponsored tournaments open to amateurs as well as professionals. In the early years, the association ran amateur competitions and junior competitions. Joyce Gardner, Thelma Carter and Ruth Harrison were its members. Gardner won seven out of fourteen tournaments, while Carpenter won four and Harrison three, respectively. Harrison broke Harrison's 1937 record of 193, which remains a record in women’s billiards.
Jim Bakula and women's pro billiards
Jim Bakula's influence over women in billiards dates back to 1980. Bakula was the General Manager of Brunswick's Billiard Division and advocated for women's sections 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 eventually created.
Future of the pro billiards tour
The future of professional billiard touring is in doubt. Don Mackey, an amateur fringe sport in billiards, is helping to stabilize the PBT. 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 expanded its events to the Gulf Coast region, which required venues to have at least twenty tables. This left many Texas-area rooms out of the running. The new tour proved to be a boon for both the game and the venues.