World Open 8-Ball Championship Kicks off Tomorrow

World Open 8-Ball Championship Kicks off TomorrowWith a total of $3,000,000 on the line with the lion’s share of $500,000 going to the winner, the IPT’s World Open 8-Ball Championship is ready to kick off Sunday, September 3. This unsurpassed event is being staged at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, NV, and will encompass a grueling eight-day schedule for the 200 players.Discuss the IPT World Open 8-Ball ChampionshipVisit the IPT World Open 8-Ball Championship Image GalleryMost of the players arrived Friday and earlier Saturday in time for the players’ meeting at 5 p.m. Tournament director Deno Andrews is back in charge and made a brief announcement to the players warning them to keep to the dress code, know the rules, and be responsible. Also, some heavy fines will be enforced by the IPT staff for breaking the rules: Players who ignore the dress code will incur a stiff $1,000 penalty. Additionally, players who show up late to their matches will be disqualified without exception.
A couple other warnings to the players went out from Andrews: Players using a cue without a leather tip will be disqualified and not receive any money for that event. Also, players who choose to forfeit any match will forfeit the tournament and not receive a check, regardless of how much they are owed.The payout for this event has changed to a sliding scale, with every match making a difference in the size of the players’ checks. Andrews also announced that tour founder Kevin Trudeau has guaranteed each player on the 2006 tour $13,000.Unfortunately, the London event that was planned for late October 2006 has been canceled and not rescheduled. Andrews stated that a myriad of problems accompanied the location that the tour was considering, and at this late date, it was impossible to find another one on such short notice.Trudeau then came on stage and gave an impassioned speech to the rapt players. “We’re trying to raise the standards of pool,” he explained. “When they see that it’s real, that’s when all the good stuff starts happening. It doesn’t happen overnight.”There seems to be a lot of “good stuff” in the works, including OLN (which will become Versus soon) playing the IPT programs at primetime every weeknight. Eurosport, which has previously committed to tennis’s U.S. Open, will not be broadcasting live, but they will be showing this stop in Europe very soon.Trudeau created a lot of buzz when he announced that over 100 proposals from major companies to sponsor the tour have been submitted. Vonage and Dish Network are both sponsoring the World Open 8-Ball Championship, which was greeted with great applause. Not since the Camel Pro Tour has pool seen such a major sponsor, Trudeau stated.“I’m not doing this for my health,” Trudeau reminded the players. “I do intend to make a profit. There’s nothing wrong with that!” He asked that the players continue to support their tour by spreading the word, promoting the website, and buying the sponsors’ products. The IPT website will be showing live streaming video beginning Thursday and can be accessed for a very reasonable $5.95. This grants access to the live tournament event and instruction videos as well.To wrap the meeting up and let the players head off to the tournament room to practice, Trudeau announced that the IPT just signed a letter of intent to be acquired by Stanley Ho, the largest casino owner in the world. The tour will go public on the London Stock Exchange, with Trudeau remaining for at least five years as the commissioner. Visit the IPT for the latest news on their North American Open 8-Ball Championship.

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