The American Poolplayers Association (APA) oversees amateur pool competitions in the United States. The organization has tournaments and leagues for 8 and 9-ball competitions. The APA offers a handicapped championship in a wheel chair. These tournaments provide a great way for pool players to get together and compete against each other.
Standard Rules of APA
The APA Standard Rules are a set of guidelines for pool tournaments that provide a wealth of information for players. These include the Official Team Manual and Rule Booklet. You will also find information about keeping score and handicap information in the rules. These rules can be downloaded to a variety od devices. A number of online videos are available to assist you in the game.
APA nineball is different than Texas Express rules 9 ball in many ways. First, balls one through eight count as one point while the nine ball counts as two points. Pockets made during the break are also counted as two points. Rules stipulate that object balls are treated as dead balls. The rack is finished and the player with most points wins.
The handicapping system at APA
The APA's pool championship handicapping system is based upon a formula that attempts 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.
The NAPA handicapping system, unlike national pool leagues assigns a skill level for individual matches and not a theoretical limit. The highest-skilled players in eight-ball and nineball are rated at 115 and 149 respectively, while most players fall between the 30s to 70s.
APA Sportsmanship Award
World Pool Championships recognizes those who won the APA Sportsmanship Award For Pool Tournaments. The award is based on a nomination process. To be considered for this award, you must be a player in pool. Nominations will be made by APA staff. 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 was unable to grant the request of the host location. It was their business. The APA contacted another local pool league and arranged an intra-house division.
APA's Wheelchair Championship: For players in wheelchairs
The APA Wheelchair Championship caters to those who have physical limitations. There are five skill levels. The Blue Tier can be used by players with SL2 or 3 abilities. The Yellow Tier can be used by players with SL4 or up. And the Red Tier will only work for players with SL5 abilities and above. To qualify players must be APA Members and have at most 10 League match scores in the last two year.
APA Junior Championships
The American Poolplayers Association (APA), hosts many important pool tournaments every year. The APA Junior Championships are a big event for teenagers as well as juniors. The event takes place in Lake St. Louis (Missouri) and is open to all ages. The APA also holds two major amateur competitions, the U.S. Amateur Championships are held in late April/early mai and the World Championships take place in late august. Guinness World Records ranked the APA's World Championships as the World's Largest Pool Tournament in 2010. The APA junior championships are open for young players. Each division is broken down into skill levels.
The APA's Junior Championships have two major competitions each year. The nine-ball World Championship attracts more than 500 teams. The event features APA members representing different 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.