Amateur pool competitions are overseen by the American Poolplayers Association (APA). The organization has tournaments and leagues for 8 and 9-ball competitions. The APA offers a wheelchair championship for handicapped players. These tournaments are great for meeting other pool players and competing against the best.
Standard Rules for APA
There are many resources in the APA Standard Rules for Pool Tournaments. These include the Official Team Manual and 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. Many online videos can be accessed to help you learn the rules.
APA nine ball differs from Texas Express rules 9,-ball in many ways. First, balls 1-8 count for one point, while nine balls count for two. Also, pocket made on the break counts as two points. The rules also require that object balls are counted as dead balls. After a rack is played, the player with the most points wins.
APA's handicapping system
The APA's handicapping system to win pool championships is based a formula that attempts balancing skill levels. To win a pool championship, a player with 6 balls must play 46 balls, while a player with 9 balls must play 19 balls. This formula is based on win/loss statistics and has been proved to be quite accurate.
NAPA handicapping assigns skill levels to individual matches rather than a theoretical cap, which is unlike national pool leagues. 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
Winners of APA's Sportsmanship Award for Pool Tournaments are recognized at World Pool Championships. Nominations are required to receive the award. To be considered for the award, you must be a pool player. Nominations will be made by APA staff. The tournament will recognize the winners and publish their names in the program.
The tournament host can not switch leagues. The franchisee cannot do this. The host location asked the League Operator to start an in-house division, but the League Operator denied the request because it was their business. The APA then contacted a local competitive pool league to arrange an in-house division.
APA Wheelchair Championship for players with wheelchairs
The APA Wheelchair Championship is a tournament that caters to players with physical limitations. There are five skill tiers. The Blue Tier is available to players with SL2/3 abilities. The Yellow Tier is open to players with SL4+, while the Red Tier is reserved for players who have SL5 or more abilities. You must be a member of APA and have attained at least 10 League score points in the past two years in order to qualify.
APA's Junior Championships
The American Poolplayers Association host several major pool tournaments each season. The APA's Junior Championships serve as a major event both for teenagers and juniors. It is open to all players and takes place in Lake St. Louis. Two major amateur competitions are also held by the APA, 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's junior championships allow young players to participate. Each division is separated into different skill levels.
Each year, the APA's Junior Championships host two major competitions. The nine ball World Championship attracts more 500 teams. The event attracts APA members of different countries. International affiliates of APA are the Canadian Poolplayers Association or the Japanese Poolplayers Association. The APA is also an active sponsor of the WPBA Tour, the most widely televised pool competition in North America.