American Poolplayers Association
| American Poolplayers Association (APA) |
|
|---|---|
|
|
| legal form | Corporation |
| founding | 1979 |
| founder | Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart |
| Seat |
Lake Saint Louis , Missouri 
|
| Chair | René Lyle-Beddingfield |
| Members | approx. 265,000 |
| Website | poolplayers.com |
The American Poolplayers Association ( APA ) was established in 1979 as theNational Pool League (NPL) founded by the billiards professionals Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart before it was given its current name in 1981. The APA operates a franchise system for local amateur leagues in pool , which includes both 8-ball and 9-ball with a set of rules standardized by the APA.
organization
The APA runs regional tournaments, the winners of which qualify for the annual APA international competition, which takes place in Las Vegas . The organization claims to be the world's largest pool league based on a membership roster of approximately 265,000 players.
The normal APA team matches consist of 5 sprints one-on-one, just like the matches in the USA Pool League and very different from the round robin format of the BCA Pool League and the VNEA. The APA organizers at the local competitions often hold so-called non-team competitions, scotch doubles and other formats. The annual championship includes both individual and team matches.
The APA uses a handicap system called "the Equalizer" that allows players of all abilities to play against each other on an equal basis.
9-ball equalizer
In the APA 9-Ball, two players compete until one of them reaches the defined score depending on his skill level (ability level). In scoring, one point is counted for punching balls 1 to 8 and two points for ball 9. For example, if it is player A's turn and holes two balls (ball 9 is not included), he gets 2 points. If the player clears the table (punching all balls in one go), he gets 10 points - the maximum - since he gets one point for each ball from 1 to 8, plus two points for ball 9.
The game ends as soon as a player has reached the required points for his skill level. The table below lists the number of balls a player at each skill level can use to win the game.
| Skill level | Points needed to win |
|---|---|
| 1 | 14th |
| 2 | 19th |
| 3 | 25th |
| 4th | 31 |
| 5 | 38 |
| 6th | 46 |
| 7th | 55 |
| 8th | 65 |
| 9 | 75 |
The lowest skill level at the APA is level 1, the highest level 9.
From the table above it can be seen that if player A was judged to be level 2 and competed against player B, who is playing at level 6, player A would win once he has 19 points before player B has 46 points. Conversely, player B would need 46 points to win before player A has reached 19 points.
Since APA 9-Ball is based on points and not on games won (e.g. in the BCA League, the winner is the player who punched Ball 9), a game can end before all balls have been punched. Let's stay with our example with player A at level 2 versus player B at level 6: If player B leads 44 to 16 and the table is set up again, player A would need 3 points to win, or player B 2 points. The game ends as soon as one of the players has reached the required number of points, regardless of how many balls are still on the table.
8-ball equalizer
The APA 8-Ball continues to play until one of the players has achieved the required number of wins (not points) according to his skill level. The following table shows the number of wins required based on one's own skill level and the skill level of the opponent.
| Skill | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2/2 | 2/3 | 2/4 | 2/5 | 2/6 | 2/7 |
| 3 | 3/2 | 2/2 | 2/3 | 2/4 | 2/5 | 2/6 |
| 4th | 4/2 | 3/2 | 3/3 | 3/4 | 3/5 | 2/5 |
| 5 | 5/2 | 4/2 | 4/3 | 4/4 | 4/5 | 3/5 |
| 6th | 6/2 | 5/2 | 5/3 | 5/4 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| 7th | 7/2 | 6/2 | 5/2 | 5/3 | 5/4 | 5/5 |
The lowest skill level in the APA 8-Ball is 2 while the highest is 7.
As an example to understand the table, let's assume that player A has a skill level of 2 and is playing against player B with skill level 6: First, level 2 is selected in the left column and then in the corresponding row up to Skill level 6 looked over. It says 2-6, which means that the game ends if either player A wins 2 games or player B wins 6 games.
Partnerships
The APA has two international partnerships: the Canadian Poolplayers Association (CPA) and the Japanese Poolplayers Association (JPA). Members of both non-American associations can win seats for the annual APA championship.
The APA is also a major sponsor of the Women's Professional Billiards Association Tour, the most televised pool competition in North America, making it an important location for APA advertising.
Others
In October 2010, Bell and Hubbart were inducted into the Hall of Fame for the Billiard Congress of America .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Contact details , accessed on August 30, 2013.
- ↑ a b Executive Staff , accessed August 30, 2013.
- ^ A b John Austin: Shuffleboard Entrepreneur Expands Table-game Empire: Buys a Company That His Father-in-law Founded . McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. May 15, 2009. Archived from the original on May 23, 2009. Retrieved on September 20, 2009.
- ^ BCA Hall of Fame Inductees 2010 , accessed August 30, 2013.
