I had hoped that KT was a pool nut....

[BillPorter]

I'm an outsider regarding the IPT, my only involvement was being a spectator at the Reno event. When the IPT first began, I heard that KT was a billionaire, a real pool nut, and a buddy of Mike Sigel's. As I looked at the planned prize funds for the tournaments, I thought to myself that KT was so rich that he could afford to toss away a few million just to have some fun developing a pool tour. I thought all this was great as it would put some money in the pockets of a lot of pool players, including a bunch of old timers, and produce some tournaments that would be fun to watch. Once I realized that KT was actually TRYING TO MAKE MONEY with the IPT, I just couldn't figure out how he was going to do it. It just didn't make financial sense to me. So, from the beginning, my only real hope for the IPT to last, at least for a few years, was my mistaken idea that KT was willing to "donate" his money because of his liking for pool and pool players. OK, I'll admit that this wasn't the smartest analysis I've ever made, but I wonder now how many of you thought something like this yourself? Anyone else allow yourself to suffer from this particular delusion?

 

[curlyscues]

yes bill, i had thought that too at the start. although i did kinda wonder if he might have been hustled once or twice before too. he did make it appear like he was going to bring pool to the point where it would be recognized by the world as something everyone could follow and enjoy no matter what your abilities.
M.C.

 

[Get_A_Grip]

RE: KT Thought It Would Fund Itself...(long)...

I was at the Vegas tournament...and it was so well done...that I was under the assumption that KT was trying to invest some big bucks out of his own pocket...to put on a few first-rate events...with the hope that enough sponsors would run to his doorstep...so that he could afford the large payouts and the financial guarentees that he was making...

Also, when the people didn't flock to the qualifiers for $500 a pop, he decided to increase the amount to the current $2000...because the few die-hard players would still likely fork over the higher amounts for the chance to "play with the best in the world"...and the 2007 100K guarantee...

By the time the Reno event took place...I think that KT already knew that the qualifiers weren't going to be able to generate the income that he first anticipated...and the sponsers weren't flocking to the IPT and would never generate enough income...

So basically...I really believe...that KT was hoping for the best all along...that is, that he would get sufficent qualifier money and sponsors to fund the tour... The main problem was with his personal guarantees...that he apparently never planned on fulfilling if the tour couldn't fund itself from its own revenues...

Regardless of what anyone says...I believe that KT gave a good try at this...not to directly scam anyone...but to fund this tour with income generated from the tour. The problem is...he promised things that he couldn't deliver at the time that he made the promises...

When he made the guarantees, I believe that he may have thought that the income would possibly be generated to meet the promises...and he thought that more loafty guarentees may assure that more people would play in the qualifiers and have a better chance to fund the tour...(which obviously didn't work)...

The big problem occured when KT's infomercial skills took over. When he realized that the revenue from the tour would never be high enough to fund itself...so he began to embellish, lie, and stall...and for that, he deserves to have to pay the full Reno winnings...and possibly lose his freedom once again...

With all of the lies and stalling that has gone on...I just can't see this tour continuing...even with a reduced prize fund...there is just too much pain and too many hard feelings to overcome now...

IMHO...

 

[av84fun]

Bill...<<I had hoped that KT was a pool nut....

Hey...you were 50% correct! (-:

 

[BigDaddyInc.]

My thoughts exactly. When i first heard of the deal i thought this guy must really love pool then i thought well i can't see where he has a history with pool. All i ever heard of was his natural cures book. So when i heard he was sinking all this money into pool i could'nt figure out why. That right there told me that he did'nt have a clue about the struggling sport. I honestly believe he thought he could make pool as popular as poker and in my opinion pool should be way bigger than poker so i can see where he was coming from. But for some wierd reason pool struggles to become popular with the general public he gambled and lost thats all that i can say for him. Although if he succeeds or fails this experience i think pool will move up in the sports world. It may not move up very far but it will move up. I just can't believe these players can't get the rewards they deserve they deserve so much more. Somehow the public needs to undestand how talented these players really are and if kt fails with the ipt i think he was on to something. He has prolly came the closest to bringing pool out of the darkness. But unfortunately i believe he's not a stayer although if he made this work he could have more than redeemed himself of his bad image. Whoever brings pool to the forefront will go down in the history books as a genuis! But i think i agree with the people who say the players should unite and do it together although i have no idea how they could go about it.

 

[Gabber]

On the up

I'm an outsider regarding the IPT, my only involvement was being a spectator at the Reno event. When the IPT first began, I heard that KT was a billionaire, a real pool nut, and a buddy of Mike Sigel's. As I looked at the planned prize funds for the tournaments, I thought to myself that KT was so rich that he could afford to toss away a few million just to have some fun developing a pool tour. I thought all this was great as it would put some money in the pockets of a lot of pool players, including a bunch of old timers, and produce some tournaments that would be fun to watch. Once I realized that KT was actually TRYING TO MAKE MONEY with the IPT, I just couldn't figure out how he was going to do it. It just didn't make financial sense to me. So, from the beginning, my only real hope for the IPT to last, at least for a few years, was my mistaken idea that KT was willing to "donate" his money because of his liking for pool and pool players. OK, I'll admit that this wasn't the smartest analysis I've ever made, but I wonder now how many of you thought something like this yourself? Anyone else allow yourself to suffer from this particular delusion?

If KT REALLY had the money then he could have easily proved it and made a big deal about it!
All we ever got was KT's words and that was the real problem with all of us NAYSAYERS....???????
We just didn't believe him. There was no reason to give him te benefit of the doubt based on his past record.
I never belived him. I got hammered for it from the KT Lovers . A lot of them should now say, "G you were right, I should have listened to you!"
...............................

.................................., but hey, we all make mistakes.

Gabber

 

[BillPorter]

He was a ???

Bill...<<I had hoped that KT was a pool nut....

Hey...you were 50% correct! (-:

He was a pool???

I guess the reason that I could convince myself that maybe he was just a rich pool nut who didn't mind throwing a few million at putting together a tour is that I'm sure, if I won a lottery or came into 100 million somehow, I'd be willing to risk losing a couple of million to fund a big money pool tour. It WOULD be fun, wouldn't it - for the real pool fans among us? BTW, here's a question for you - If you were a billionaire and were going to set up a big money pool tour, who would you choose as the tour director? Deno? Mike? I guess this should be a new thread and probably in the Main Forum.

 

[steveharn]

Hey Bill, I sent you an email about a song you should use. I think you could tie it to the ITP in an entertaining way. I posted a threat on it, check it out.

K-Doh 's theme song.

 

[inthezone]

>>I had hoped that KT was a pool nut.... <<

Exactly what I thought Bill - a character that has 1000 millions, why not play with a few.....

Perhaps the report of his net worth was greatly exagerated.

Steve

 

[Craig Fales]

I'm an outsider regarding the IPT, my only involvement was being a spectator at the Reno event. When the IPT first began, I heard that KT was a billionaire, a real pool nut, and a buddy of Mike Sigel's. As I looked at the planned prize funds for the tournaments, I thought to myself that KT was so rich that he could afford to toss away a few million just to have some fun developing a pool tour. I thought all this was great as it would put some money in the pockets of a lot of pool players, including a bunch of old timers, and produce some tournaments that would be fun to watch. Once I realized that KT was actually TRYING TO MAKE MONEY with the IPT, I just couldn't figure out how he was going to do it. It just didn't make financial sense to me. So, from the beginning, my only real hope for the IPT to last, at least for a few years, was my mistaken idea that KT was willing to "donate" his money because of his liking for pool and pool players. OK, I'll admit that this wasn't the smartest analysis I've ever made, but I wonder now how many of you thought something like this yourself? Anyone else allow yourself to suffer from this particular delusion?

LOLz....that's exactly the way I thought too...When I became more familiar with the IPT thing I thought there's no way he's making any money on this endevour...so my thoughts were maybe he's doing this to create some favorable tax situation...if KT thinks he was actually going to make money he's dillusional....
________

 

[Craig Fales]

I was at the Vegas tournament...and it was so well done...that I was under the assumption that KT was trying to invest some big bucks out of his own pocket...to put on a few first-rate events...with the hope that enough sponsors would run to his doorstep...so that he could afford the large payouts and the financial guarentees that he was making...

Also, when the people didn't flock to the qualifiers for $500 a pop, he decided to increase the amount to the current $2000...because the few die-hard players would still likely fork over the higher amounts for the chance to "play with the best in the world"...and the 2007 100K guarantee...

This is one place he screwed up...

By the time the Reno event took place...I think that KT already knew that the qualifiers weren't going to be able to generate the income that he first anticipated...and the sponsers weren't flocking to the IPT and would never generate enough income...

So basically...I really believe...that KT was hoping for the best all along...that is, that he would get sufficent qualifier money and sponsors to fund the tour... The main problem was with his personal guarantees...that he apparently never planned on fulfilling if the tour couldn't fund itself from its own revenues...

Regardless of what anyone says...I believe that KT gave a good try at this...not to directly scam anyone...but to fund this tour with income generated from the tour. The problem is...he promised things that he couldn't deliver at the time that he made the promises...

When he made the guarantees, I believe that he may have thought that the income would possibly be generated to meet the promises...and he thought that more loafty guarentees may assure that more people would play in the qualifiers and have a better chance to fund the tour...(which obviously didn't work)...

The big problem occured when KT's infomercial skills took over. When he realized that the revenue from the tour would never be high enough to fund itself...so he began to embellish, lie, and stall...and for that, he deserves to have to pay the full Reno winnings...and possibly lose his freedom once again...

With all of the lies and stalling that has gone on...I just can't see this tour continuing...even with a reduced prize fund...there is just too much pain and too many hard feelings to overcome now...

In the unlikely event he was being on the up and up he couldn't help but screw everyone when things started going downhill....it's what people like him do best...
IMHO...

________

 

[Island Drive]

BP I think and hope he has an addiction, its very possible. I stated that awhile ago, it may be our only hope and the/his reason to 'stay the course'. This society of people he has associated himself with in the billiard world may very well be where he finds his comfort zone as he heads into his later years. If he could pull it off, he may actually create friendships with real MEANING, as he probably has not done this in his past.

 

[Williebetmore]

If you were a billionaire and were going to set up a big money pool tour, who would you choose as the tour director? Deno? Mike? .

BP,
I also was hoping KT was a pool nut - it would be a lot of fun to see 2 years of such a tour. The whole thing worked ONLY because of his promises to fund it out of his own pocket (imagine the response if you asked for a round of $2000 qualifiers BEFORE any money was shelled out; you would be laughed out of the building).

Tour directors for the new "Billionaire's Baby" tour should be PROVEN pool fanatics. Grady Mathews, Mike Zuglan, Mike Janis, sjm, Williebetmore, breakup, Randy G, Charlie Williams, Bill Porter all come to mind as people who can be trusted to do it for the love of the game.

 

[BillPorter]

Maybe toss Jay Helfert's name onto the list....

BP,
I also was hoping KT was a pool nut - it would be a lot of fun to see 2 years of such a tour. The whole thing worked ONLY because of his promises to fund it out of his own pocket (imagine the response if you asked for a round of $2000 qualifiers BEFORE any money was shelled out; you would be laughed out of the building).

Tour directors for the new "Billionaire's Baby" tour should be PROVEN pool fanatics. Grady Mathews, Mike Zuglan, Mike Janis, sjm, Williebetmore, breakup, Randy G, Charlie Williams, Bill Porter all come to mind as people who can be trusted to do it for the love of the game.

Better take my name off the list as I am retired and have become so lazy that I doubt I would be up to the task. But the other names sound good and maybe we should add Jay Helfert's name to the list.

 

[BillPorter]

interesting thought....

BP I think and hope he has an addiction, its very possible. I stated that awhile ago, it may be our only hope and the/his reason to 'stay the course'. This society of people he has associated himself with in the billiard world may very well be where he finds his comfort zone as he heads into his later years. If he could pull it off, he may actually create friendships with real MEANING, as he probably has not done this in his past.

You know, I hadn't run across that angle before. The idea that he might have found friendships with "meaning" in the pool world. I wonder if KT could ever be honest enough to develop a real friendship with ANYONE?

 

[gulfportdoc]

When the IPT first began, I heard that KT was a billionaire, a real pool nut, and a buddy of Mike Sigel's. As I looked at the planned prize funds for the tournaments, I thought to myself that KT was so rich that he could afford to toss away a few million just to have some fun developing a pool tour. I thought all this was great as it would put some money in the pockets of a lot of pool players, including a bunch of old timers, and produce some tournaments that would be fun to watch.

I pretty much thought the same as you, Bill. And I'm sure the majority of the pool community felt the same way. Soon after, I felt that it was Sigel who was scamming KT for some large dough. Now I'm wondering if they were all in it together from the beginning.

If things stay as they are, both Andrews' and Sigel's reputations will be worse than zilch. But KT will probably land on all 4 paws. And there's no doubt in my mind that he'll continue on scamming and conning. He's got that golden gift of all effective con men: he knows just what to say to get select groups of people to believe in his projects and to purchase his merchandise. He's hustled the hustlers.

Doc

 

[JoeyA]

I'm an outsider regarding the IPT, my only involvement was being a spectator at the Reno event. When the IPT first began, I heard that KT was a billionaire, a real pool nut, and a buddy of Mike Sigel's. As I looked at the planned prize funds for the tournaments, I thought to myself that KT was so rich that he could afford to toss away a few million just to have some fun developing a pool tour. I thought all this was great as it would put some money in the pockets of a lot of pool players, including a bunch of old timers, and produce some tournaments that would be fun to watch. Once I realized that KT was actually TRYING TO MAKE MONEY with the IPT, I just couldn't figure out how he was going to do it. It just didn't make financial sense to me. So, from the beginning, my only real hope for the IPT to last, at least for a few years, was my mistaken idea that KT was willing to "donate" his money because of his liking for pool and pool players. OK, I'll admit that this wasn't the smartest analysis I've ever made, but I wonder now how many of you thought something like this yourself? Anyone else allow yourself to suffer from this particular delusion?

Bill, I have to believe that Kevin Trudeau was/is hoping to make money with advertising revenues to be derived from popular televised matches. That's the only way that the big bucks are ever going to make it into the pocket billiard business. I have heard that the Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah plays pretty sporty and has a few bucks to spare. In fact, he is playing in the World Pool Championships right now. http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/sports/view_article.php?article_id=30193
He's got some deep pockets for sure. Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah is a guy who is well off and has a genuine passion for our sport. Who knows?
JoeyA

 

[Travis Bickle]

Bill, I also bought into the pool nut theory. But I wondered from the beginning if he had more than a small portion of the supposed $2 billion fortune. And the 2K qualifiers were a major red flag. Not that they could make the nut but they might demonstrate to somebody else that the IPT could be viable ... or the fees could be leveraged to keep the tour afloat until TV and ad money came in.

Only business I can think of that "runs" on the plan of a mogul voluntarily losing a pile of dough because he's obsessed would be the New York Post, where Rupert Murdoch has burned $300 million in the past 5 or 6 years in a desperate bid to get his vanity press to inch past the Daily News in circulation. Problem is he -- or KT -- would have to keep hemorrhaging cash indefinitely to stay in the game.