Trudeau Interview on Billiards Digest website

[Rich93]

KT: That’s a good question. Obviously, because of the last snafu we’re going to figure out a way to get the players paid quicker.

The one thing that did surprise me was just how financially distraught many of these players are. At the first event a total of three players came up to me and thanked me for the food and a fabulous event. Do you know how many players came up to me asking for a loan? Almost 50. I was a little ticked off at that. Some players were acting like it’s my responsibility to make sure they could make their car payment.​

I suspect that most of those who asked for a loan did so after the checks were "lost" by FedEx. They were counting on getting their prizes at the end of the tournament, so it's not surprising that some would ask KT for an advance to tide them over. He chooses to characterize this as asking for a loan.

 

[Timberly]

KT: That’s a good question. Obviously, because of the last snafu we’re going to figure out a way to get the players paid quicker.

The one thing that did surprise me was just how financially distraught many of these players are. At the first event a total of three players came up to me and thanked me for the food and a fabulous event. Do you know how many players came up to me asking for a loan? Almost 50. I was a little ticked off at that. Some players were acting like it’s my responsibility to make sure they could make their car payment.​

I suspect that most of those who asked for a loan did so after the checks were "lost" by FedEx. They were counting on getting their prizes at the end of the tournament, so it's not surprising that some would ask KT for an advance to tide them over. He chooses to characterize this as asking for a loan.

I thought he was talking about the KOH event in Orlando.... the one where he only invited 43 to play but told the other 107 they had to be there for the whole week or lose their tour card.... He required a week long stay which included travel expenses, food, & hotel... all without having the first tournament to where they would even have the means to afford it.... See my avatar for my real feelings on the "guy".

 

[AuntyDan]

Let me reply for Fleecer:
BUT KT GAVE AWAY OVER TWO MILLION DOLLARS.....
**start mournful Grand Canyon echo here**
TWO MILLION DOLLARS.....

True, BUT:

1) He is now making it clear he only did this with the intention of making a profit in the very short term, after less than a year of full IPT operation. He originally claimed he was doing this out of the goodness of his heart as a Pool fan, but that the idea was so great it couldn't help but to make money after 3 or so years.

2) Along the way of paying out that money he made a large number of promises of an even better tour in the very near future. He actively used these promises as justification for the exceedingly high fees for the qualfiers. It is the fact that he is now apparently unable or unwilling to fulfill those promises that is causing so much negativity. Note that there is no mention of, for example, refunding qualifier fees if it turns out after all is said and done that a 2007 IPT tour card is not worth anything close to $100,000.

 

[cuetique]

I thought he was talking about the KOH event in Orlando.... the one where he only invited 43 to play but told the other 107 they had to be there for the whole week or lose their tour card.... He required a week long stay which included travel expenses, food, & hotel... all without having the first tournament to where they would even have the means to afford it.... See my avatar for my real feelings on the "guy".

Hmmmm. I wonder if he was given banquet hall space in exchange for guaranteed room nights. Hell, that snake may have even arranged to get himself paid some kind of commission on the players' room charges. I wouldn't put anything past him.

 

[TheOne]

Hmmmm. I wonder if he was given banquet hall space in exchange for guaranteed room nights. Hell, that snake may have even arranged to get himself paid some kind of commission on the players' room charges. I wouldn't put anything past him.

Of course he did, don't forget he also PLANNED $899 from each 150 member for signing on fee. I'm positive he was trying to cover the cost of the KOTH, the payouts for the first promo event where probably just pie in the sky and then of course 6 months of qualifiers started. Got to hand it to him, if he got the numbers they hoped for in the qualifiers he might have pulled this off without ever digging into his pockets for more than a few hundred k, even less depending on how long he had to pay his bills.

Interesting that the online members club was done by a 3rd party most likely for free/shared commission. Oh and the refs and venues havent been paid yet we're told...

 

[cuetique]

Of course he did, don't forget he also PLANNED $899 from each 150 member for signing on fee. I'm positive he was trying to cover the cost of the KOTH, the payours for the first promo event where probably just pie in the sky and then of course 6 months of qualifiers started. Got to hand it to him, if he got the numbers they hoped for in the qualifiers he might have pulled this off without ever digging into his pockets for more than a few hundred k, even less depending on how long he had to pay his bills.

Interesting that the online members club was done by a 3rd party most likely for free/shared commission. Oh and the refs and venues havent been paid yet we're told...

All this really does bring into question how accurate (ha!) his "10 million of my own money" claim could really be. You may be right -- a couple hundred thousand, and a lot of stiffed vendors, in addition to the players.

 

[Rich93]

I thought he was talking about the KOH event in Orlando.... the one where he only invited 43 to play but told the other 107 they had to be there for the whole week or lose their tour card.... He required a week long stay which included travel expenses, food, & hotel... all without having the first tournament to where they would even have the means to afford it.... See my avatar for my real feelings on the "guy".

You're right - he said "at the first event". I should have read what he said more closely but I guess I was so shocked that he would publicly insult his players that way that I missed it. And given his reputation for truthfulness, his "almost 50" might be considerably smaller. I doubt that he was operating a click counter on loan requests.

 

[Timberly]

You're right - he said "at the first event". I should have read what he said more closely but I guess I was so shocked that he would publicly insult his players that way that I missed it. And given his reputation for truthfulness, his "almost 50" might be considerably smaller. I doubt that he was operating a click counter on loan requests.

Easy to do my friend, easy to do. I was quite shocked when I read it too. It motivated me to go out and find a new avatar right after I read it. IMO, he lost what little shred of hope he had in getting back into the good graces of pool fans.

He never was shooting to entertain the true pool fans (us), but unfortunately for him, we were all he had and would have until he figured out a way to market pool into the mainstream. The bridge he burned with me is still smoldering... the fire is/was so hot that I don't expect it to cool down anytime soon.

 

[9 Ball Girl]

Though through my disgust of the most recent IP mag, I laughed and laughed and laughed (did I mention that I laughed?) at the part of the main story where it said something like, "we're not like other tourneys...we pay on time..."

Pffft.

 

[azhousepro]

Just as an FYI, I would prefer that unsubstantiated rumors not be discussed here.

Mike

 

[watchez]

Good idea Mike, just keep posting the truths of KT.....and advertising for him.

 

[jay helfert]

KT: That’s a good question. Obviously, because of the last snafu we’re going to figure out a way to get the players paid quicker.

The one thing that did surprise me was just how financially distraught many of these players are. At the first event a total of three players came up to me and thanked me for the food and a fabulous event. Do you know how many players came up to me asking for a loan? Almost 50. I was a little ticked off at that. Some players were acting like it’s my responsibility to make sure they could make their car payment.​

BD: No, but it is your repsonsibilty to pay them after the tournaments are over.
After all, you agreed to it, didn't you?

 

[jay helfert]

Let me reply for Fleecer:
BUT KT GAVE AWAY OVER TWO MILLION DOLLARS.....
**start mournful Grand Canyon echo here**
TWO MILLION DOLLARS.....

True, BUT:

1) He is now making it clear he only did this with the intention of making a profit in the very short term, after less than a year of full IPT operation. He originally claimed he was doing this out of the goodness of his heart as a Pool fan, but that the idea was so great it couldn't help but to make money after 3 or so years.

2) Along the way of paying out that money he made a large number of promises of an even better tour in the very near future. He actively used these promises as justification for the exceedingly high fees for the qualfiers. It is the fact that he is now apparently unable or unwilling to fulfill those promises that is causing so much negativity. Note that there is no mention of, for example, refunding qualifier fees if it turns out after all is said and done that a 2007 IPT tour card is not worth anything close to $100,000.

A 2007 tour card could be worth exactly ZILCH, ZERO, NADA, NOTHING!

 

[jay helfert]

Hmmmm. I wonder if he was given banquet hall space in exchange for guaranteed room nights. Hell, that snake may have even arranged to get himself paid some kind of commission on the players' room charges. I wouldn't put anything past him.

Very common, it's called a "four wall deal". The casino gives you the space, and you produce the event at your expense. You can keep all income you generate inside the space.

 

[Koop]

Just as an FYI, I would prefer that unsubstantiated rumors not be discussed here.

Mike

Careful folks. Looks like someone's watching and not liking this one bit, one bit I tell ya.

Since you read this Kevin(wink, wink), do what you said you would do and PAY THE PLAYERS.

 

[Str8PoolMan]

Just as an FYI, I would prefer that unsubstantiated rumors not be discussed here.

Mike

Well , this would quickly become a barren source of amusement then, wouldn't it?

 

[ribdoner]

Careful folks. Looks like someone's watching and not liking this one bit, one bit I tell ya.

Since you read this Kevin(wink, wink), do what you said you would do and PAY THE PLAYERS.

Agreed that K*&T is aware of us and he should PAY NOW..... I don't think Mike was referring to that aspect of the IPT shenanigans

 

[nick serdula]

Here is the real irony

I have more than a few friends that should be paid. I wounder what would happen if anyone with half a brain started a new tour with roughly 10% of the payouts at 10% of the entry fees and built a real tour over a few years. The T.V. money is there and over the years the endorsements would come as pool moved away from the shady reputation it now has and becomes a honest sport.
With a tournament every month or more there would be many happy paid players that would only see the money get bigger.
The irony is this K.T. saw it first and just started too big. I wounder if his buddy Mike got his money and how many ways they wack up everything they could.
It is truely sad to see many of my friends get the short end of the stick.The talent they showcase is worth promoting. One other thing when players act like bumbs they should be barred from televised matches it just looks bad.
Just some thoughts.
Good Luck to all!
Nick

 

[poolhallringer]

Stanley Who to the Rescue?

I heard this guy Stanley is a major player on the other side of town.
First impressions are important so lets all give him a nice warm welcome.
Maybe he's a nice guy who likes poolplayers and wants to help us out.
If we all could just get along and be patient maybe he won't turn out
to be another ant eatin blood sucker. I was one of the lucky ones cause
I couldn't afford to play in the IPT but my heart goes out to those who
gambled the rent to take a shot and then didn't get paid yet. This is all
too familiar to those of us that have seen this happen many times before.
I wanted to take a shot at the 2007 tour card but just decided to cancel
cause I'm a little worried about the situation. I'm still optimistic though
about the possibility of going to Macau for vacation and gambling. I'm not
sure if they have as nice a hotel accomodations as The Wynn but it would
be nice to get an IPT discounted rate. The problem as I see it depends
on the players receiving credit for the Reno tournament otherwise they
won't be showing up probably. Let's hope that Stanley can somehow get
most of the players to invest in his new venture and hope that his success
will bear fruit for us to compete for. It is only then that we may journey
upon a new frontier that will ultimately change the sport as we know it
today. Remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step!

 

[ironman]

Let me reply for Fleecer:

BUT KT GAVE AWAY OVER TWO MILLION DOLLARS.....

**start mournful Grand Canyon echo here**
TWO MILLION DOLLARS.....
TWO MILLION DOLLARS.....
TWO MILLION DOLLARS.....
TWO MILLION DOLLARS.....
TWO MILLION DOLLARS.....
TWO MILLION DOLLARS.....
TWO MILLION DOLLARS.....

HE HAS NOT PAID WHAT HE OWES AND HAS NOT BEEN HONEST ABOUT IT YET!!!!!!!!!!!!..................