The American Poolplayers Association (APA) oversees amateur pool competitions in the United States. The organization administers leagues and tournaments that are open to eight and nine-ball players and follows a set of standard rules. The APA offers a handicapped championship in a wheel chair. These tournaments offer a great opportunity to meet pool players and challenge the best.
Standard Rules for APA
The APA Standard Rules of Pool Tournaments provide a variety of resources for players. These include an Official Team Manual as well as a Rule Booklet. The rules also include information on how to keep score and handicap information. In addition, you can download these rules to a variety of devices. Many online videos can be accessed to help you learn the rules.
APA nine balls differ from Texas Express 9-ball rules in several ways. First, balls 1-8 count as one point and the nine-ball counts as two. Pockets made during the break are also counted as two points. Rules stipulate that object balls are treated as dead balls. After a rack is played, the player with the most points wins.
The handicapping system by APA
The APA's handicapping system to win pool championships is based a formula that attempts balancing skill levels. For example, a player who plays 6 balls needs to shoot 46 balls to win a game, while a player who plays 9 balls needs to shoot 19 balls to win. This formula has been shown to be fairly accurate and uses win/loss statistics.
NAPA handicapping does not have a cap. Instead, it assigns a level of skill to each match. The highest-skill players of 8-ball or nine-ball are rated 115, 149, respectively. However, the vast majority of players are in the 30s to 70s.
APA's Sportsmanship Award
World Pool Championships recognizes the winners of APA's Sportsmanship Award in Pool Tournaments. The nomination process is used to determine the winner. To be considered for the award, you must be a pool player. APA staff will make the nominations. The tournament recognizes the winners, and the tournament's program will publish the names of the winners.
An APA tournament host cannot switch leagues. The franchisee doesn't have the authority. 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's Wheelchair Championships for players in wheelchairs
The APA Wheelchair Championship, a tournament for those with physical limitations, is the APA's Wheelchair Championship. There are five skill tiers. The Blue Tier caters to players with SL2/3 capabilities, the Yellow Tier for players with SL4+ and the Red Tier for players of SL5 and higher abilities. To be eligible, players must have at least 10 League matches scores from the previous two years.
APA Junior Championships
The American Poolplayers Association host several major pool tournaments each season. APA's Junior Championships are a major event for juniors, as well as teenagers. The event is held in Lake St. Louis, Missouri, and is open to players of all ages. The APA also holds two major amateur competitions, the U.S. Amateur Championships (in the late April/early could) and World Championshipss (in the late August). Guinness World Records ranked APA’s world championships as being the largest pool tournament worldwide in 2010. The APA junior championships are open for young players. Each division is broken down into skill levels.
Two major competitions are held each year at the APA Junior Championships. The nine-ball World Championship attracts more than 500 teams. The event features APA members representing different countries. The APA has international affiliates, the Canadian Poolplayers Association and the Japanese Poolplayers Association. WPBA Tour is North America’s most popular televised swimming competition.