The American Poolplayers Association oversees all amateur pool competitions within the United States. The organization manages leagues and tournaments for eight- and nine-ball competitions. They also use a standard set to rules. The APA also offers a wheel chair championship for handicapped players. These tournaments offer a great opportunity to meet pool players and challenge the best.
Standard Rules of APA
The APA Standard Rules for pool tournaments include a number of helpful resources for players. These include an Official Team Manual, and a Rule Booklet. The rules also include information on how to keep score and handicap information. These rules can be downloaded to a variety od devices. There are many videos available online to assist you with the game.
APA nineball is different than Texas Express rules 9 ball in many ways. First, balls 1-8 count for one point, while nine balls count for two. Likewise, pockets made on the break count as two points. The rules require that objects are considered dead balls. The winner of a rack will be the one with the most points.
The handicapping system at APA
The APA's handicapping system for pool championships is based on a formula that attempts to balance skill levels. A player who plays six balls must shoot 46 balls in order to win a game. However, a player playing nine balls must shoot 19 balls to win. The formula uses win/loss statistics over time and has been proven fairly accurate.
Unlike national pool leagues, the NAPA handicapping system assigns a skill level to individual matches, rather than a theoretical cap. The highest-skill players in 8-ball and nine-ball are rated 115 and 149, respectively, while the vast majority of players fall between the 30s and 70s.
APA's Sportsmanship Award
World Pool Championships recognizes winners of the APA Sportsmanship Award for Pool Tournaments. The nomination process determines who is eligible for the award. To be considered for this award, you must be a player in pool. APA staff will nominate. The tournament will recognize the winners and publish their names in the program.
The host location of an APA tournament cannot switch leagues. The franchisee cannot do this. The League Operator refused to allow the host location to create an in-house division. This was because it was their business. The APA then contacted another local competitive pool league and arranged an in-house division.
APA Wheelchair Championship for players with wheelchairs
The APA Wheelchair Championship, a tournament for those with physical limitations, is the APA's Wheelchair Championship. There are five skill levels. The Blue Tier allows players to play with SL2 and 3, while the Yellow Tier is only for players with SL4 abilities or higher. Players must be APA members with at least 10 League match score from the last two years to qualify.
APA Junior Championships
The American Poolplayers Association (APA), hosts many important pool tournaments every year. The APA's Junior Championships serve as a major event both for teenagers and juniors. The event takes place in Lake St. Louis (Missouri) and is open to all ages. Two major amateur competitions are also held by the APA, the U.S. The APA also hosts two major amateur competitions, the U.S. Amateur Championships in late April/early May and the World Championships in late August. Guinness World Records ranked APA’s world championships as being the largest pool tournament worldwide in 2010. The APA's junior championships open to all players. Each division is divided into skill levels.
The APA Junior Championships offer two major competitions every year. The nine-ball World Championship attracts more than 500 teams. The event sees APA members competing from many countries. The APA has two international affiliates, Canadian Poolplayers Association as well as Japanese Poolplayers Association. WPBA Tour, North America's most widely televised and televised pool tournament, is sponsored by the APA.