The U.S. Pro Pool Tour

jay helfert

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
Gold Member
Silver Member
Yes, it could be done! I just thought the time was right to put this out there. There is no reason why a successful professional pool tour can not be accomplished, other than a serious lack of funding. Such a tour would be a huge shot in the arm for our sport and all the people (players, manufacturers, dealers etc.) who are a part of it.

And guess what, I know just the guy who can make it happen. :smile:
All I need is two million. That's right, I said TWO MILLION dollars! With that amount of money I could and would produce a high profile eight city tour in major U.S. cities across the country during a four month time frame. Call it a "season" if you will.

All these events would have a guaranteed $200,000 purse with $50,000 going to the winner each week! The likelihood of television and other major media coverage would be highly likely for such a tour. Too bad that the "leaders" of our industry have no interest in funding such a tour, even though it would only make their respective businesses grow.

I not only know how to produce such a tour (securing locations, staff, equipment, PR, advertising etc.), I know how to make it an ongoing entity in the sports firmament. Will it ever happen? Doubtful. I don't have the money to do it and the people who could raise the money don't appear to be too interested. Call it pie in the sky or whatever, but I just want you to know such a thing is possible with the proper funding. How would it change the future of pool in America and the world is anyone's guess. I guess we'd just have to do it and see what happens. But in my opinion it's one gamble that could pay off big time!

Would we make money initially on this tour? NO! Could we make money on this tour eventually? YES! I see the income from the first year at maybe one million total, so there is some return on investment. How much value could you place on increased sales of product for table manufacturers, cue makers, room owners, and other related billiard businesses? I'm guessing it amounts to much more than two million dollars. Maybe more like ten to twenty million, even in the first year. Putting professional pool on the map, so to speak, has to be a good thing for all parties concerned.

For me it's a dream long overdue. I don't have too many more years where I have the energy to take on such a task. But I still would given the opportunity.
 
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Well, Jay, you get five stars for effort. That's for sure. :smile:

I used to work at the National 4-H Council in the philanthropy department. Securing funding to make things happen was always the goal. Of course, the 4-H Club sell is a lot easier than a pocket billiards sell, BUT a professional philanthropist or one who knows how to approach Fortune 500 companies with a business plan CAN and WILL secure funding.

This is definitely a skill set, just like shooting pool, running a tournament, or commentating on a match is a skill set.

I was in the clerical arena at the National 4-H Council providing support services to get their message out. Interestingly, Roy Rogers and Marriott were, and may still be, big sponsors of the 4-H Club.

The vision you illustrate in your post, Jay, sounds like it can be effected with a team effort. No one person can make it happen. With the right people in your corner, however, I think you've got a win-win.

If you need anything in print, camera-ready copy, I offer my services. When companies see a business plan in print, it is an asset to have the document spelled correctly with proper punctuation. It gives off the appearance of professionalism that may be an attractive opportunity for them. :wink:

The next move now is to develop a team of professionals, with each one handling different tasks that they are trained in.
 
JAM said:
Well, Jay, you get five stars for effort. That's for sure. :smile:

I used to work at the National 4-H Council in the philanthropy department. Securing funding to make things happen was always the goal. Of course, the 4-H Club sell is a lot easier than a pocket billiards sell, BUT a professional philanthropist or one who knows how to approach Fortune 500 companies with a business plan CAN and WILL secure funding.

This is definitely a skill set, just like shooting pool, running a tournament, or commentating on a match is a skill set.

I was in the clerical arena at the National 4-H Council providing support services to get their message out. Interestingly, Roy Rogers and Marriott were, and may still be, big sponsors of the 4-H Club.

The vision you illustrate in your post, Jay, sounds like it can be effected with a team effort. No one person can make it happen. With the right people in your corner, however, I think you've got a win-win.

If you need anything in print, camera-ready copy, I offer my services. When companies see a business plan in print, it is an asset to have the document spelled correctly with proper punctuation. It gives off the appearance of professionalism that may be an attractive opportunity for them. :wink:

The next move now is to develop a team of professionals, with each one handling different tasks that they are trained in.
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Thanks Jam, I put together a business plan over twenty years ago and made a presentation to the powers that be in the pool world. When I told (and showed) them that they were guaranteed to lose money in the first year, and maybe the second as well, the plan fell flatter than a week old beer. This is not a get rich quick type of scheme. It is a long term investment in the future of our sport. Whether that makes it a viable entity in a business sense is a question that industry leaders or any other interested party must answer for themselves.

I could not and would not promise a profit to anyone or any group who funded such a project. That is called "full disclosure." In time it could be a profitable venture, but that could take several years. And that doesn't sound so appealing to most potential investors. Thanks for your input and your offer.
 
Take the top 20 players and travel around to halls that never get pro events or players. Charge them $1000 and give a show with one of the guys. Wouldn't take long to raise some $$... 20 guys could do 20 locations a week. Say $1000 fee for a couple nights is $20,000 a week. More shows per week = more money.

Why should someone gamble their $2,000,000, when most of these guys won't gamble on them self.

How do you get 20 pro's travelling around... they become part owners! If the tour makes money they get a share of profits.
 
jay helfert said:
Thanks Jam, I put together a business plan over twenty years ago and made a presentation to the powers that be in the pool world. When I told (and showed) them that they were guaranteed to lose money in the first year, and maybe the second as well, the plan fell flatter than a week old beer. This is not a get rich quick type of scheme. It is a long term investment in the future of our sport. Whether that makes it a viable entity in a business sense is a question that industry leaders or any other interested party must answer for themselves.

I could not and would not promise a profit to anyone or any group who funded such a project. That is called "full disclosure." In time it could be a profitable venture, but that could take several years. And that doesn't sound so appealing to most potential investors. Thanks for your input and your offer.
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Jay, here's the thing, though. Most upstarts are in the red the first couple years of their existence. Some make it; some don't. The businesses that have a sound structure, however, do succeed after the first few years and thereafter turn a profit. BUSINESS people understand this. Most pool people, i.e., industry members and pool palyers, desire immediate gratification in their investment. The UPA is a good example of this.

Your plan that you developed 20 years ago may need to be tweaked to meet the current climate, but I'd venture to guess that you could edit it and make it sound viable to prospective sponsors. If these sponsors can read in black and white HOW the business plan can succeed, with an end goal of profit several years out, they may bite.

It's like going fishing. You throw the line in and hope you get a bite. You may get hundreds of nibbles. It may require changing the bait, tweaking your business plan and tailoring it to the target audience. I actually think you can do it, Jay.

Everybody told Ray Kroc that selling hamburgers in a fast-food setting was a losing venture. He didn't let is sway his power of positive thinking. Like you, Jay, Ray Kroc had passion, and thereafter McDonald's was born. :)
 
We need this ....

I for one would love to see this actually happen. Lets face it pool & billiards in general is dieing if not already dead in some area's of the United States. There is no where to play in majority of the cities and towns anymore for one and let alone even talking to someone about the sport. Alot of the population in average towns or cities know nothing about our sport and think it's all like the ( Color of Money ) movie. LOL. We need something like this to keep our sport alive cause to alot of us it is our lives. Not cause we make our lively hood off of it, I wish :rotflmao1: But to see teh ones that are actually capeable of it do it. People watch or watched the ESPN channel and see the lucky ones that get on TV table and they actually think the average professional player makes that kind of money all the time and they are millionairs like other pro athelet's. I would like to see it someday or something similar. I know there are other tours out there but it obviously is not enough when pool & billiards is obviously dieing like it is around my area and in people I talk to all over the united states. I hope this actually happens Jay cause pool needs it and so do the players. I know if it would come around my area I would pay the admission to watch and that brings in $$$$ also. Good luck to you and good luck to our sport. <<ED
 
Jay Sorry........................I did not win the Mega Millions Jackpot last night so unfortunately I am unable to stake you the $2M :)

I really wish I had because I would love nothing better than to see this become reality and Jay would have had the cash by the end of the week I got paid! This is something that needs to be done, somewhere, somehow and by someone. I see no other option for the long term prosperity or even survival of the sport.
 
Georgia Boy said:
Jay Sorry........................I did not win the Mega Millions Jackpot last night so unfortunately I am unable to stake you the $2M :)

I really wish I had because I would love nothing better than to see this become reality and Jay would have had the cash by the end of the week I got paid! This is something that needs to be done, somewhere, somehow and by someone. I see no other option for the long term prosperity or even survival of the sport.
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That's really funny... I was thinking the same exact thing had I won! :p

Now all we gotta do is win the damned lottery...
 
Or we could all just choose people on Az from different states to robb 1 bank in each of those states and we would be set.

I'll get my ski mask and water pistol!
 
If there was a guaranteed prize purse like this, then you will get people from Europe and Asia heading over as well.
 
I am reminded of the time Charlie Williams carded Keith McCready at a pro tournament to show proof of his residency.

I would love to see the U.S. Pro Pool Tour be based on American pros. I know I am in the minority with this opinion, though I do know of a few American pro players who feel the exact same way and have expressed their discontent in this regard.

I did read on the AzBilliards Main Page about the CSI developing different player ranking categories for the BCA league system, which is kind of an interesting concept.
 
Hmm, I like the idea, HOWEVER.....

IMO the price money is too high. There is no reason why 50k has to go to first. 25k is just fine. Use the left over money for either more\longer season or pay the field deeper. This IMO would allow the lower players to get a little more cash and then they could\would travel for these events.

Then once the tour is starting to roll increase the price funds. Paying all the money to 1st and 2nd doesn't help anyone except for two.

I hope it gets going, i'm willing to be a invester, however i only have 2k.

Craig
 
jay helfert said:
All I need is two million. That's right, I said TWO MILLION dollars! With that amount of money I could and would produce a high profile eight city tour in major U.S. cities across the country during a four month time frame.

All these events would have a guaranteed $200,000 purse with $50,000 going to the winner each week! The likelihood of television and other major media coverage would be highly likely for such a tour.

Would we make money initially on this tour? NO! Could we make money on this tour eventually? YES! Putting professional pool on the map, so to speak, has to be a good thing for all parties concerned.
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Interesting idea, Jay, in reaching for the stars.

In case raising two million dollars is too difficult, could you accomplish the same goals by having a Plan B with one million dollars? The payouts would be reduced by half but would still be very attractive.

By starting out smaller, you increase the likelihood of success that you can build upon.
 
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cbi1000 said:
I hope it gets going, i'm willing to be a invester, however i only have 2k.

Craig
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I would be willing to invest a little, too. Maybe you should sell stock.

I bet there are enough enthusiasts with a little bit of cash on hand to raise a significant sum of money, especially if there is a possible return in the future. Maybe not 2 mil, but enough for a starting point. You just gotta figure out a way to organize it.
 
jay helfert said:
Yes, it could be done! I just thought the time was right to put this out there. There is no reason why a successful professional pool tour can not be accomplished, other than a serious lack of funding. Such a tour would be a huge shot in the arm for our sport and all the people (players, manufacturers, dealers etc.) who are a part of it.

And guess what, I know just the guy who can make it happen. :smile:
All I need is two million. That's right, I said TWO MILLION dollars! With that amount of money I could and would produce a high profile eight city tour in major U.S. cities across the country during a four month time frame. Call it a "season" if you will.

All these events would have a guaranteed $200,000 purse with $50,000 going to the winner each week! The likelihood of television and other major media coverage would be highly likely for such a tour. Too bad that the "leaders" of our industry have no interest in funding such a tour, even though it would only make their respective businesses grow.

I not only know how to produce such a tour (securing locations, staff, equipment, PR, advertising etc.), I know how to make it an ongoing entity in the sports firmament. Will it ever happen? Doubtful. I don't have the money to do it and the people who could raise the money don't appear to be too interested. Call it pie in the sky or whatever, but I just want you to know such a thing is possible with the proper funding. How would it change the future of pool in America and the world is anyone's guess. I guess we'd just have to do it and see what happens. But in my opinion it's one gamble that could pay off big time!

Would we make money initially on this tour? NO! Could we make money on this tour eventually? YES! I see the income from the first year at maybe one million total, so there is some return on investment. How much value could you place on increased sales of product for table manufacturers, cue makers, room owners, and other related billiard businesses? I'm guessing it amounts to much more than two million dollars. Maybe more like ten to twenty million, even in the first year. Putting professional pool on the map, so to speak, has to be a good thing for all parties concerned.

For me it's a dream long overdue. I don't have too many more years where I have the energy to take on such a task. But I still would given the opportunity.
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When you and Eric first started hanging out together, I totally thought the end result would be a US Pool Tour. If it didn't happen when he was feeling rich, I'm sure it won't happen now that he is feeling poor. Seemed to me to be a natural, and you are right, a Tour is exactly what pool needs.

Thanks

Kevin
 
Here's an Idea.....

AZ Billiards has 20,654 registered members so if you divide $2 million by 20,000 ...... that means that if each member donated $100 we would be there.

We could call it the AZ Billiards US Pro Pool Tour. :wink:


But seriously I like the idea, even though you haven't given us all the details yet.

Here's my 2 cents.

-I like the large prize fund however I would take money off the top, and not charge players entry fees into each event.

-Make it exclusive, use a 64 man field with the first 32 cards reserved for the top players in either the BCA or WPA rankings and the last half qualify, make the entry money through qualifiers (similar to IPT) either 16 or 32 depending on demand.

-Make the cards valid for the entire season, thus giving them more exclusivity

-Use part of the money to award incentives and overall champions.

-If the TV deal isn't there, think about doing something similar to what the Euro Tour does, they stream all of their events live online but charge a very reasonable rate $10 to purchase a single tournament or $20 to purchase the entire season.


Good Luck with everything Jay.
 
eight weeks will not make a tour,just waist time and money.thirty weeks in thirty states makes a tour with a big finish.take the us open and dcc and mark them as majors with point consideration towards the tour.that will give the tour 33 events.leave vegas out of the mix,you are promoting pool.

bill
 
jay helfert said:
Yes, it could be done! I just thought the time was right to put this out there. There is no reason why a successful professional pool tour can not be accomplished, other than a serious lack of funding. Such a tour would be a huge shot in the arm for our sport and all the people (players, manufacturers, dealers etc.) who are a part of it.

And guess what, I know just the guy who can make it happen. :smile:
All I need is two million. That's right, I said TWO MILLION dollars! With that amount of money I could and would produce a high profile eight city tour in major U.S. cities across the country during a four month time frame. Call it a "season" if you will.

All these events would have a guaranteed $200,000 purse with $50,000 going to the winner each week! The likelihood of television and other major media coverage would be highly likely for such a tour. Too bad that the "leaders" of our industry have no interest in funding such a tour, even though it would only make their respective businesses grow.

I not only know how to produce such a tour (securing locations, staff, equipment, PR, advertising etc.), I know how to make it an ongoing entity in the sports firmament. Will it ever happen? Doubtful. I don't have the money to do it and the people who could raise the money don't appear to be too interested. Call it pie in the sky or whatever, but I just want you to know such a thing is possible with the proper funding. How would it change the future of pool in America and the world is anyone's guess. I guess we'd just have to do it and see what happens. But in my opinion it's one gamble that could pay off big time!

Would we make money initially on this tour? NO! Could we make money on this tour eventually? YES! I see the income from the first year at maybe one million total, so there is some return on investment. How much value could you place on increased sales of product for table manufacturers, cue makers, room owners, and other related billiard businesses? I'm guessing it amounts to much more than two million dollars. Maybe more like ten to twenty million, even in the first year. Putting professional pool on the map, so to speak, has to be a good thing for all parties concerned.

For me it's a dream long overdue. I don't have too many more years where I have the energy to take on such a task. But I still would given the opportunity.
Click to expand...

Jay, just curious as to whether you think that you can generate 2 million in revenue in the first year in order to sustain the tour or would it be 2 million in startup funding, plus more in year 2 to keep it going.

I would love to see this happen. I just think the 2 million is going to keep it from happeneing.

Could it be done on a smaller scale with less startup funding ?

Leagueguy
 
If I had 2 million, the last thing I would do, would be to hand it to an ex pool hustler and gambler. RJR did that, and Mackey took off with the money, and left the players stiffed, even the huge money he won in court, he kept and did not share.

Let that one, be a lesson for the future. The mafia learned that same lesson the hard way, when they let hustlers with street criminal mentality run their casions. They screwed them up like Hogas goat and they got smart and hired professional managers.

The tours in the past failed, because pool hustlers and gamblers could not run a successful dog fight. They only run it for their own gain and they set the rules to insure a couple of their pals at the top has the edge.

To set up a tour, you have to put in, real professional business people, managers. Before you get the money funded. Any one even with a past history of gambling or hustling, I would not let near it. You can hire people to run a tour that are not even from the pool world, as in golf, that would come in with integrity and honest and honor, to pass on.

Who was running the IPT, a fraud, a con, a convicted felon and criminal.

And when he ran out of money, what did he try to do, sell the tour to the Chinese gambling mafia, and only our governement at the last minute blocked that. If that went through, all our pros would be living and working in Hong Kong today.

That is our model, all we have done. That model, we need to lose, the hustlers, the gamblers, the shady promoters who are just nothing but carneys with good teeth. :grin:
 
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Pool tour

Maybe with the right format it could be pitched to the 'Travel Channel'. They caught lightning in a bottle with the 'World Poker Tour', but that seems to have cooled now and they might be interested in something new. Clearly they weren't bothered by the 'gambling' perception before. The rumour is that when they put it together they went to the poker players and said 'We'll have games where everyone can see your hole cards from the beginning', and the players said 'no way, we'd never do that'. And then the promoters said 'oh, and by the way, we'll be playing for millions', to which the players responded 'sounds great! we're in!' What game would you play, and how would you make it interesting to the general public? Pros making 3 easy shots and then playing safe ain't gonna cut it.
 
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