No, the 30-year-old Munich-born sharpshooter isn't commiserating the fact that he's missing Octoberfest in the beer capital. After six months of preparation, Ortmann missed the grand opening of his new poolroom, InterPool, which he partially financed with his $50,000 Challenge of Champions windfall. The 18-table room, nestled in the small town of Schrobenhausen, 120 kilometers north of Munich, features 16 9-foot Gabriel Leisure pool tables and two snooker tables.

"It's a very nice club," says Ortmann, who has been sponsored by the Belgian table manufacturer for the past year. "We have a lot of space between tables, four dart boards, a beer garden and a bistro area that seats 50-60 people. In total, the club is 850 square meters [approx. 2,900 square feet]."

Ortmann, who won the 1995 WPA world title in Taipei, Taiwan, admitted that the club has more than enough room for another world championship trophy.

"It would be nice to bring the trophy back to Germany," says Ortmann. "My sponsor had some photos printed with my titles listed on the back. And on some of them, they added '1997 World Champion.' Who knows? Maybe they will be right!"