Eklent Kaci is very opinionated - god love him. He is not very happy about pool payouts, a point Darren Appleton also made in his new podcast. "Seems to have gotten worse and worse for some reason," Appleton said the other day.
Kaci wrote on Facebook:
Tournaments with 128-256 players and an estimated $250K-$500K all players expenses, yet only $50K-$100K in total prize money-it’s simply bad business.
It’s like a meme coin scam. Totally bearish
I’ll be skipping them. And i suggest u do the same.
Kaci followed up with:
To clear up any misunderstanding from my previous post:
There is money in pool, and we’re grateful to have Matchroom, the WPA, and Predator investing millions into this beautiful game.
When I referred to “bad business” I was talking about the smaller ranking events. Like Bucharest Open , Vice city open, btw my brother won them both.
There are still plenty of tournaments that pay very well.
I’ve built a good life by playing the game I’m passionate about, and I have consistently earned a good living from it over the years.
And u get to see every inch of the world.
***
This is not a new issue. Pro pool doesn't pay much, especially when adjusting for inflation. The sport does not attract outside advertisers or get much TV revenue.
If we take Kaci at face value, not many tournaments would be suitable financially for pros like him. I counted 16 events with payouts of $125,000 or more in 2026.
Eight for WPA-Predator events, six WNT events (7 if the WPC is held this year), the China Open, and the Qatar Open. Prize money is also decent for smaller fields in the Premier League of Pool, upcoming WPM and some Predator events such as Teams or mixed doubles.
Appleton estimates it costs $2,000 to $3,000 for each player to attend a tournament. That includes hotel, food and travel. It might be more for international flyers.
His biggest complaint is the top-heavy payout distribution. He thinks players finishing say, 64-98, should get about $3,000 apiece. Help them at least break even. He also criticized WNT for increasing player entry fees -- something Frazer said in the past she would like to do away with.
***
How do pool players travel at all? The very best have endorsements from Predator, Cuetec and other cuemakers. Unofficial sources put this income at $50,000 to $100,000 a year for top players. And $30,000 or less for lesser players. A few apparently get bonuses for winning major tournaments.
Top players also get money from companies that make tips, chalk, pool tables and so forth.
All in all, though, they don't make much. Most of their sponsorship money is probably used to cover their cost of attending big events.
Could WNT and Predator pay more? I don't know. There is no easy solution.
Whatever the case, the likely result is more players missing more events compared to a few years ago. I heard the Billiards Digest editor say as recently as a few weeks ago that some 9-10 spots for the US Open were still available. They used to get snapped up the same day in the past.
If there is one saving grace, at least for WNT, close races for spots in the Mosconi, Reyes and WPM means more players will be chasing points in smaller events.
