I think he priced out a lot of if not all the dead money players that would throw $500 away. I don't know how many of the euros or pinoys will play just to come here for. 8 days is prob going to cost around. $2500-$3000 I would think
2014 US Open 9-Ball Championship: 128-player field, $1,000 entry fee
- Thread starter JAM
- Start date
Keith also supported Kevin Trudeau and the IPT adventure. It is not just me. We both had a good experience. I'm sorry that you did not. I remember the first time you and I met. It was at the IPT North American Championship in Vegas, which was won by Thorsten Hohmann. Thorsten did pocket 350 large, Jay. Not too shabby.
You did encounter a beef with the IPT because, if memory serves me right, the qualifiers. I can't remember it fully, but I do know that after that time, you were anti-IPT all the way. For Keith and others, however, the IPT offered hope.
Since that time, I have seen other pool tournaments being funded by monies made from taking advantage of the poor, sick, and elderly, but nobody says anything about it. That money spends fine, I guess. During the subprime mortgage debacle in 2008, which brought our economy to a recession, there were pool peeps who made their fortunes on the helpless. These same folks were well respected on this forum, put on a pedestal, big talkers, high-rolling gamblers in The Action Room. Everybody welcomed them -- and their dough -- with open arms. To me, Jay, this is a double standard, but I never put those folks down. I had nothing to do with those tournaments funded by those folks, nor did I gamble with any of them.
What I do agree with you on is bringing forth legitimacy into the industry, and Barry Hearn has always been above board in this regard. Why he puts up with the American hanky panky year after year with our corrupt pool organizations is beyond me, but I'm so glad he's sticking with us through all of it. I wish he could come with an IPT-like tour and boost pool like he has booster darts and snooker with his golden Hearn touch.
There's a lot of shady people in pool, Jay, but I don't think Barry Behrman is one of them. He keeps giving it his all because of his passion for pool. Do you thikn he's doing the Open because he's making a fortune on it? Yep, he's made mistakes, big ones, that have caused problems, but he's still trying to make it better.
I think Barry treats the Open much like the 2013 Team USA did at the Mosconi Cup, as one big social event instead of as a professional competition. I've seen Keith behave poorly -- sorry, Keith -- when he's enjoyed too many fine spirits, and Barry is probably suffering from the same problem. I'm not a shrink nor a substance abuse counselor, but I've been around enough to see how this can make good people transform into something they really are not. And that's all I'm going to say on that topic.
Wishing you all the best on your 2015 February invitational on the West Coast, Jay. I look forward to reading all about it. :clapping::clapping::clapping:
Thanks for this response. IMO it's become one big ego trip for an egomaniac. His intentions may have been good once upon a time, but somewhere along the way it became more about him and less about the players or the game itself. Year after year, the same old song and dance about escrowed money (which means absolutely nothing) gives way to the reality of late payments and bounced checks. I worked this event for many years and had to deal with all the complaints from jilted players. It will never end until a responsible party is in charge.
Yes it is true that Trudeau did pay out some large sums of cash, the biggest ever in professional pool. Then he pulled the rug out from under the hopes of all the pool players. He built up their hopes and dreams and then he dashed them like a snake oil salesman. The least he could have done is to pay off the last event promptly and not made everyone sweat years to get paid. It was cruel what he did, even criminal. I would not have gotten paid the $5,500 he owed me if I hadn't gone public with his flim-flammery.
I will continue to call a spade a spade as long as I'm involved in this sport. Be honest and you will have no problem with me.
And that makes it okay, how exactly?
This comparison has been made before, but maybe you weren't around.
I want you to go out tomorrow night to your favorite restaurant. Order a full course meal. An appetizer, entree, and dessert. The works. Oh, and make sure to order the most expensive of everything. Now when the waiter/waitress brings you the bill, just refuse to pay. That's right, simply say you don't have the money right now, but you'll mail them a check. Don't forget to mention that when they get that check, there's a slight chance it might bounce.
I bet you won't get away with that, and you shouldn't. No one should, but that's exactly what Barry has done time and time again. No other promoter for any other major event has ever pulled something like that before, and they never would.
So why does Barry get to get away with it without any sort of ridicule? Because he came up with the US Open? Bull shit.
You are such a DRAMA QUEEN. !!! Can't handle the truth and it bothers you to hell a little red rep. Guess you had to let everyone know about the rep, huh...!!
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BeiberLvr; why are you also such a "Drama Queen". All that is important here is that Barry is doing another Open; however he wants it to be, and it is up to the "Players" (whomever they may be) to decide if they will participate or not. It is their choice not ours. Us bangers like you and me don't have to worry about who gets paid or not. It is not our problem. So, Don't worry. Be Happy. !!!
You DO know that giving someone a RED rep don't really mean much when that person is MAXED out with GREEN rep points...don't you?...LMAO seeings how you started this, there must be a lot of QUEENS in your country...LMAO
I'm not as stupid as you....but then if red reps does not matter to you, why are you such a crybaby ????
How is your friends at Bonus Ball doing? When will the season two schedule be announced? Are they able to lose the momentum from the first season with such a delay or are they going to sham wow us with some new, bigger carrot that they are dangling? Are they going to announce they are going to be paying the players X amount of dollars to play and then change it to a lesser amount again this season? Are they going to expect the players to stick around and support BB as more than they have shown back to the players? Are they going to have a continuous season this time or stop and start it, holding the players at bay on what is really going to happen?
Everyone want to be a U.S. Open 9 Ball Champion.
While I have never played in the U.S. OPen 9 Ball Championship, I agree that the dead money will be missed.
However, it will be interesting to see the top players belly up to the table without the added loose change from the "contributors". $50,000.00 added money should still get the top players from around the world coming to this event.
The truth is, this is an elite event. It was nice for the lessor players to be able to afford to contribute with a smaller entry fee, knowing they were just added money for the event but this may turn out for the best. A smaller but more elite field of players could actually boost viewing interest.
Wishing the best for one of America's oldest and most prestigious events!
JoeyA
While I have never played in the U.S. OPen 9 Ball Championship, I agree that the dead money will be missed.
However, it will be interesting to see the top players belly up to the table without the added loose change from the "contributors". $50,000.00 added money should still get the top players from around the world coming to this event.
The truth is, this is an elite event. It was nice for the lessor players to be able to afford to contribute with a smaller entry fee, knowing they were just added money for the event but this may turn out for the best. A smaller but more elite field of players could actually boost viewing interest.
Wishing the best for one of America's oldest and most prestigious events!
JoeyA
Ya know what, if you stop sucking on your thumb, the feelings will come back to your thumb and you'll be able to feel with it again
Ok, I know I'm late to the party here, but Glen has a really good idea. The organization could charge a testing fee and the proceeds would go to prize money for the tour events. If you kept the fee low enough (say $250 or so), you'd get a decent amount of amateurs who would take the test to see where they rate.
To answer the question above, $$$ is the benefit of playing a pro only event. Amateur events would run they way they always have, but the pro tour would have the added money from all the testing, sponsors, etc. Sure you could try to snap off an A tournament for three or four hundred bucks, but it's still not a guarantee, and the pro tourney has prize money in the thousands.
Thanks for the reply. That's the kind of answer I was looking for.
I still hold my ground that a test that focuses only on making balls is NOT a good way to represent a player's skill level for a pro tour. Other than that, I like everything Glen has put out there. It's just my strong opinion that qualifiers before each event would be much better.
If he still feels like a test of some sort is better, then I would highly recommend a test in the format of Dr. Dave's BU Exam. Something that takes into account all facets of the game...
- Shotmaking
- CB control
- Pattern play
- Stroke
- Safety
- Breaking
- Jumping
- Kicking
- Banking
I agree with most of what Jay says here.
I would add that when I initially looked at the IPT, like others, I wanted it to work. I wanted there to be a tour that could pay the best pool players from a prize pool that was more reflective of the rewards that other world class athletes reaped from all of the effort that they put into reaching the pinnacle of their sport.
At that time, as a realist, I had to say that the words are nice but what exactly would fund this. It did not take long to realize that the funding would have to come from a kind of multi level marketing scheme adapted to using qualifiers to sell the dream of quick returns.
Your comments in respect of the egomania should, and I hope will, be addressed by BB, who indicated he is reading all of these posts. I do not know Barry, or his ego, but his actions would seem to lend credence to what you are saying. Perhaps he could put aside his ego and, in the interest of improving the experience for us fans, react positively to the following questions I am directing to him.
Barry, as a fan, past PPV subscriber and someone who supports this sport I would ask that you respond to the following questions; Can we fans also expect that our needs be taken into consideration in your plans to present a better product? Will you improve the PPV for us? Can you take a page from how the Bigfoot challenge at the Derby ran and give us a stream of matches without long delays between each match? Can you, personally, stay off the microphone other than at the very end of the event to give a one-time only, short, simple, all inclusive thank you to participants, fans and those that worked with you to produce this followed by an equally short simple presentation of the cheque? Can we hope that if you continue to feel the need to add the singing of the national anthem to each day that you forget the warm and fuzzy introductions and upgrade to a better singer?
And Barry, if you are not willing to do any of this to improve the PPV experience for fans in general, then, find a way to get us Keith McCready in the tournament and on the TV table and I, for one, will put up with all the other annoying things and subscribe again.
I read the other points in your post, but this one stuck with me!
Exactly, unless I screwed up adding those numbers up it's 178K in and 178K out. How is he paying for the venue, etc.?
Problem is, the "added money" has never been there as 'upfront money'. BB has always bet on the come, and historically come up way short. There is is no real added money...just the illusion that it will happen.
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
According to this press release from Barry yesterday the added $50,000 will be in the account for everyone to see 90 days out from the start date. The entire release is on the front page.
The $50,000.00 added funds now after more thought will be in Suntrust U. S. Open account 90 days out, not 60 days, July 15th for all to see. Around $30,000.00 comes from V.I.P. seat sales, and the other $20,000.00 comes with sponsor funds, vendors and more including Q Master Billiards, if necessary, as it will be done now 90 days out. I hope that answers many questions about where the added money comes from. Players entry fees will not be accepted until it is proven the $50,000.00 is indeed secured into my U.S. Open Suntrust Account.