The International Pool Tour, a major new pool organization founded by media mogul Kevin Trudeau, will launch on Aug. 20 with a high-profile, made-for-TV battle of the sexes between Hall-of-Famers Mike Sigel and Loree Jon Jones.
Titled the IPT World 8-Ball Championship, the match will take place at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, and will be broadcast on national television and in some foreign markets in September.
The winner will take home $150,000, the richest single payday for a tournament win in the history of pool. The runner-up will receive $75,000. The format will be best 2-out-of-3 sets, with each set a race-to-9.
Hoping to stimulate mainstream interest in the event by grafting poolroom conditions to tournament pool, Trudeau has mandated several unusual rules for the matchup. There will be no shot clock, jump cues or breaking from the side rail. Winner will break, and slow-speed cloth will be used.
Trudeau expects a full-fledged series of televised 8-ball tournaments to follow in the next year under the International Pool Tour banner. Each will have a minimum of $1 million in guaranteed prize money.
IPT founder Trudeau, who launched and owns the Golf TV Channel in the United Kingdom, has built a $2 billion global business empire in television, publishing and marketing. He is best known in the U.S. for his many infomercials hawking self-help and holistic health products.