APA aha moment

The APA is the Amateur Poolplayer's Association, it's geared more toward the lower handicap's. To accommodate the higher skill level players, the APA has several options: Master's, Single's, and Super 30.

tashworth19191 said:

I recently started playing again and joined the APA league and quickly moved up and now I am the score keeper because if I play it puts our team over the 23 point system. So know if I want to play I have to start my own team in January with some low skilled players.

APA is brilliant. When you get up to a high SL then you have to recruit weaker players to join so you can play. When they get good, then they have to start a team and find weak players so that they can play. What a brilliant pyramid scheme....I wish I had thought of it....

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They have been doing this since 81.

Not to nitpick, but it's the American Poolplayer's Association...:grin:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

DAVE_M said:

The APA is the Amateur Poolplayer's Association, .

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tashworth19191 said:

I recently started playing again and joined the APA league and quickly moved up and now I am the score keeper because if I play it puts our team over the 23 point system. So know if I want to play I have to start my own team in January with some low skilled players.

APA is brilliant. When you get up to a high SL then you have to recruit weaker players to join so you can play. When they get good, then they have to start a team and find weak players so that they can play. What a brilliant pyramid scheme....I wish I had thought of it....

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And you JUST figured that out?? :wink:

tashworth19191 said:

Yeah, I think the only reason I will play APA Teams is so I can qualify in singles. The team format is not very much fun, especially since mostly I keep score for the others that get to play.

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What do you pay for this honor?

Apa

Tom,
You need to join the BCA league over at Skinny Bobs. Much better players, handicapping is more accurate and the equipment is much better (not APA's fault)

I play here in Austin so if you ever want a decent game, pm me.

combining posts, see below

I've played in APA, BCA, and ACS sanctioned leagues. Where I'm from, there is NAPL, MAPL, and hosts of other leagues within 20 mile driving range.

As others pointed out, APA offers other league products not just APA team 8-ball. APA Team 8-ball is marketed towards beginner-intermediate level players. Higher level players are supposed to move towards other league offerings such as Team 9-ball, where the skill level goes up to 10, or Masters (no 23 cap).

I believe the APA image problem lies with franchise operators who have no incentive to expand beyond Team 8-ball. Giving the false impression that APA has nothing to offer higher skilled players. If APA had a serious flaw in their implementation (ie sandbagging), then shouldn't we see a mass exodus of their 250K players? League pool is a product, and if one league was vastly superior it would reflect in the change in marketshare.

RFranklin said:

Tom,
You need to join the BCA league over at Skinny Bobs. Much better players, handicapping is more accurate and the equipment is much better (not APA's fault)

I play here in Austin so if you ever want a decent game, pm me.

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I gotta agree with Mr. RFranklin on this one. I never played APA but I do play BCA, from what I hear here, if you are not just a beginner banger the APA kinda sucks, a lot.

Apa

fastone371 said:

I gotta agree with Mr. RFranklin on this one. I never played APA but I do play BCA, from what I hear here, if you are not just a beginner banger the APA kinda sucks, a lot.

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I have a buddy that is also a 7/9 and has moved over to BCA exclusively that summed it up perfectly "dominating in APA eight ball feels great, until you realize you are just the king of the dorks"

tashworth19191 said:

APA is brilliant. When you get up to a high SL then you have to recruit weaker players to join so you can play. When they get good, then they have to start a team and find weak players so that they can play. What a brilliant pyramid scheme....I wish I had thought of it....

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That is the idea, but in a way it's good because it does bring in players that otherwise would not play.

As others have pointed out, if you can find TAP (25 point max and generally higher skilled players), BCA (no handicap but I don't really like their format), or a Masters league in your area those would probably be better options for you.

I am currently playing APA 8-ball only because my buddy and I wanted to be on the same team and he can only play on Wednesday. On that night it's the only option within an hour's drive from either of us. We are lucky because we found a team with some lower handicaps and as a 5 and a 6 we both get to play almost every week. Even when I move to a 7 I'll still be able to play almost every week on this team.

RFranklin said:

I have a buddy that is also a 7/9 and has moved over to BCA exclusively that summed it up perfectly "dominating in APA eight ball feels great, until you realize you are just the king of the dorks"

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Agree. I have been doing very well since I joined this APA league, going 22 and 4 as a 6 (and not moving up somehow, playing pretty consistently at a weak to average APA 7 level). The league I am in right now though is the lowest overall skill level (skill not rating) of any league I have ever been in, so I realize I am just a big fish in a small pond. It is difficult to continue to improve while surrounded by bangers. I explained above why I am still in this league. My agreement with my wife is for one night a week, plus one tournament a month and I haven't been doing the tournaments because it's been hard to work into my schedule.

I'm going to start making time for some of the local tournaments though where I believe I will be an average sized fish and should be able to learn something from some better players.

Play your game

Purpdrag,
I was just like that last year and started getting bored and lost games. This year I started focusing on just playing myself and I have been winning more consistantly. I start each match off with really concentrating on winning the lag, shut outs and trying to get as many b/r as possible so it wouldnt matter who I am playing. Last session I went 10- 1 with 5 rackless and 7 b/r. So far this session I am 10-0 with only 2 rackless but 8 b/r. We play on crappy Connelly tables that arent maintained so the b/r are tough because of bad rolls.

I understand the focus is towards amateurs but aren't we all amateurs. We are just at different skills levels. I quit APA because I was an over rated 8 that rarely got to play. Not sure why they could never just implement a 2 senior player limit. that way numbers didn't matter and makes it impossible to stack a team.

tashworth19191 said:

I recently started playing again and joined the APA league and quickly moved up and now I am the score keeper because if I play it puts our team over the 23 point system. So know if I want to play I have to start my own team in January with some low skilled players.

APA is brilliant. When you get up to a high SL then you have to recruit weaker players to join so you can play. When they get good, then they have to start a team and find weak players so that they can play. What a brilliant pyramid scheme....I wish I had thought of it....

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i see you are kinda new to this forum and probably unaware that this false assumption of some grand pyramid scheme has been brought up countless times.

if you do not want the hassle of having your team meeting the 23 rule i have a couple of suggestions.

as a couple of others have stated...join a masters league. as far as i am aware it is the only league format that has no handicaps involved at all. a race to 9 involving both 8 and 9 ball. push outs allowed...jump cues allowed.... no sand bagging..... call shot...the closest experience to ' REAL POOL ' that you will find in any league format.

the problem is ....masters division does not seem to be widely available or popular in many areas. i believe it is due to the fact that most people prefer handicapped leagues so they will have an excuse for losing.:grin-square: you know....the old sandbagging excuse. hell i 1st joined a masters division when i was a s/l 4. i would still be playing it today if it was available here.

if you prefer to stay in a handicapped situation and do not want to contribute to the pyramid scheme you can always join another league.

as a few have stated above me ...join bcapl. not bashing bcapl , but....

1. due to bcapl lo's having the ability to run their league how ever they want you will find no continuity from one franchise to another. just because dalls has a particular format and set of rules dont mean houston plays the same format and rules.

2. i never have liked the round robin format that seems prevalent in bcapl.

3. i dont like playing points based 8 ball either. i cant understand how so many bash apa 9 ball cause it is points based but so is bcapl 8 ball. i digress.

another option is napa league. in my opinion napa is the best format out there.

1 race format

2. call shot

3. jump cues allowed

4. push outs allowed

5. no team handicap limit.

jburkm002 said:

I understand the focus is towards amateurs but aren't we all amateurs. We are just at different skills levels. I quit APA because I was an over rated 8 that rarely got to play. Not sure why they could never just implement a 2 senior player limit. that way numbers didn't matter and makes it impossible to stack a team.

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There is a 2 senior player (S/L 6, 7, 8, 9 per match) limit in 9 ball. Sure you can stack a team, but what for? only 2 can play

Thats not the point

tashworth19191 said:

Yeah, I think the only reason I will play APA Teams is so I can qualify in singles. The team format is not very much fun, especially since mostly I keep score for the others that get to play.

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The APA is the best way to promote the game. It allows people who don't play well to compete, have fun and support the growth of the game. Theres no doubt that there are people that have figured out how to game the system, but the numbers still support the fact that people love this format.

If your skill level has improved beyond APA, you could play BCA, regional tournaments or gamble.

Need to raise SL total 23 to 25, that would help a bunch.:thumbup2: