Rules For Participation

APA’s Championship Tournaments are operated and administered by American Poolplayers Association, Inc. and its affiliated Leagues in Canada, Japan and Singapore (collectively “APA”). APA, acting through its designated officials, including, but not limited to, the Handicap Review Committee (HRC), is the Tournament Director of all APA Championship Tournaments. As the Tournament Director, APA has the full, absolute and final authority to make all rulings, decisions and judgments, in its sole discretion, on all issues and matters related to all APA Championship Tournaments.

This is a handicapped tournament.  Skill levels are calculated using The Equalizer® Handicapping System.  For more information regarding The Equalizer®, refer to the APA Official Team Manual (“OTM”).

Tournament slots are obtained from your Local League Operator.

The following are rules applicable to this Tournament:

1. 1. You must have submitted an Entry Form and entry fee prior to March 3, 2025.
   2. The Rules contained in The Official APA/CPA 8-Ball & 9-Ball Game Rules Booklet and the OTM apply to all Tournament matches and are applicable except to the extent they conflict with these Rules For Participation or the Certification Statement.
   3. You must be a female, as designated on your ID, and at least 18 years of age to participate.
   4. Roster changes will not be accepted at the Tournament site in Las Vegas.
   5. The Tournament Entry Fee is $200 per team. There will be no refunds issued to no-shows or to entrants who are disqualified.
   6. There is an enforced casual dress code described in the Event Program. Any player that the Tournament Director considers inappropriately dressed will be asked to change.
   7. Matches will not be postponed due to a player’s participation in multiple events.
   8. A “Games Must Win” chart will be provided at the Tournament.
   9. In order to conduct a fair and equitable tournament for all participants, APA must ensure that all participants are playing at their Highest Skill Level, as that term is defined in the Certification Statement. Accordingly, APA may disqualify any team if one or more of its players are deemed by APA to be playing at a skill level below their Highest Skill Level.  The determination of whether a player is playing at her Highest Skill Level is necessarily subjective; APA is the sole judge of a player’s ability and may make such a determination in its absolute judgment and discretion.
   10. Any player entering the Tournament under fraudulent or false pretenses or participating in the Tournament under fraudulent or false pretenses will be disqualified. Players may also be disqualified for excessive skill level movement, irregularities or falsification of any scoresheet or Certification Statement, or for sportsmanship violations affecting the integrity of the Tournament, APA or the sport.
   11. APA has the absolute and final authority to make all rulings relating to, or having an effect on, the Tournament and APA members’ participation in the Tournament, including, but not limited to, rulings regarding player ability, skill level assignment, adjustments of a player’s skill levels and disqualifications. If a player is disqualified from this Tournament for any reason, that player will forfeit all titles, awards, and prize money they would otherwise be entitled to, and receive a minimum two-year suspension of their membership in APA.  Disqualification can occur prior to, during, or after the Tournament.
   12. APA reserves the authority, at its sole discretion, to make modifications to the rules, format or any other aspect of the Tournament.
   13. Team members must be from the same League area.
   14. Players participating on a Ladies Division roster must have at least ten (10) 8-Ball scores within the last year by the entry deadline of March 3, 2025 to be eligible to play in the Tournament.
   15. Players who do not participate on a Ladies Division roster must have at least twenty (20) 8-Ball scores within the last two years by the entry deadline of March 3, 2025.
   16. Players must also be on an active (Spring Session) APA roster in any 8-Ball format to be eligible to play in the Tournament.
   17. One common player is allowed for teams who qualify through Ladies Division play.
   18. The maximum number of teams that can enter this Modified Single Elimination Tournament is 256. The size of the board and the breakdown of prize money will be based on the number of entries.
   19. If this Tournament is cancelled for any reason, you understand that your only remedy is a refund of your entry fee.
3. Updated: 01/10/2024 Rules For Participation #3 (gender clarification)
4. Updated 10/14/2024: Rule #16 (removed 4 matches needed in Spring Session)

GAME RULES

(in addition to the APA Championship Rules and the APA Official Team Manual)

1. 1. Maximum of 5 players allowed on roster.
   2. Teams may choose any 3 of the 5 team members to participate in each match.
   3. The total of the skill levels of the 3 players fielded in any team match cannot exceed 13.  If, prior to the start of a team match, the combined skill levels of the three lowest skilled players on the team’s roster exceed 13, the team must play two players whose skill levels do not exceed 10 (if possible) and forfeit the third match. 
   4. A 3-point scoring system will be used during the Tournament. If Player A wins a shutout, they receive all three points.  If Player A wins the match, but Player B wins a game, Player A receives two points and Player B receives zero points.  If Player B makes it to the hill before Player A wins the match, Player A receives two points and Player B receives one point.
   5. Sudden Death is implemented 2 hours and 30 minutes into a Ladies match. The rack must be struck in the third individual match by the 2-hours-and-30-minutes mark, or all subsequent individual matches will begin with a rack worth two team points.  If that two-point rack mathematically wins the team match, the team match will be over; if it does not win the team match, a second rack worth one team point will conclude that individual match.  This procedure will continue in each subsequent individual match until a team mathematically wins or the overall match finishes in a tie: one two-point rack, followed by a one-point rack if necessary.  Tie breakers will be decided by the team that won the most individual matches.  NOTE: During Ladies Sudden Death, the individual match winner will be the player who wins the two-point rack.
   6. Each team is limited to one coaching time-out per game.

Updated: 9/29/2023 (seperated the Game Rules from the Rules For Participation, Game Rules #3 – added 2 to 10-Rule)