BCA or APA for League Play

I do APA and USAPL, and I've done 2 different local APA divisions - despite the same LO, the divisions could not be more different. One was played out of a pool hall, had about a 50% crossover rate with BCA/USAPL, and in general people where there to play the game. The one I'm in now is a travelling bar league that has some of the APA issues people have complained about here, including some folks on my own team.

For playing time, I'd recommend finding anything double jeopardy (8-ball + some rotation game). This way everyone gets to shoot, and most people on an 8-person team will shoot both formats every week they show up.

Game rules for USAPL and BCAPL are the same, the difference is USAPL you play one opponent to a set to a point value (similar to APA 9-ball). What's different from APA is the winner of the rack gets 14 points, and the loser gets 1 point for every ball they legally make (9/10 ball) or 1 point for every ball of their's that's not on the table at the end of the rack (8-ball). If the Fargo ratings are close, the winner will need to win either 3 or 4 racks to take it.

I average 8-10 racks every week in USAPL double jeopardy shooting both formats (as a Fargo 450, playing typically Fargo 400-525 players). If I play both formats in APA double jeopardy as an APA 6 than I probably am closer to 15 racks on a league night. This means a few less racks for me, but overall league night ends up an hour shorter in USAPL than APA (from what I've seen). Last night (starting at 7PM), I played match 2 in 8-ball and match 4 in 10-ball and was out the door by 10PM leaving halfway through match 5 - and we have 2 slower players on our team.

The APA app and website are far better than USAPL/FargoRate.

I like most people I play with or against in both APA/USAPL - however beware of the 15 year APA SL-4/5 who tries to coach everybody. My current captain is one of those, I'm pretty sure he would call a time out on Fedor Gorst and try to talk him into trying some really bad 8-ball strategy.
 
Pocket Change said:
I would like to have a Fargo rate with enough robustness to play in tournaments when traveling. Right now I only have 22 games in Fargo so it's still a 'P'. Didn't realize APA does not figure into FargoRate.

I think both leagues are finishing up their winter sessions and are in or going to Vegas. That means visiting rooms where they're playing right now is not an option. I should have done my 'shopping' earlier to check out formats and personalities. I live in a rural area and the biggest city within reasonable distance is really not that big, ~140K.

@Bob Jewett makes a good point, I don't want to spend 4-5 hours and only play 2 or so games.
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For reference only: I am in second session with APA, everywhere we play has two Diamond 7' tables. We start at 7pm and all matches are usually done by 9:30. Once in awhile it goes to 10 or 10:15, but rarely. If it's my turn to sit out a night, I know ahead of time and stay home or go to a local 9 ball Open. With two tables going you may be keeping score on one of the matches so you're not just sitting around. It is what I expected, not really. Am I enjoying it, yes. For me, I'm getting out of the house on a Monday, which was a simple goal I had. I do like just playing/practicing at home too.

Regarding play, yes slop counts in APA. Lower SLs count on it, higher SLs try to make their shots (but do benefit from slop as well). The only called ball is the 8 and you must mark your pocket. Overall your experience comes down to the people on your team. I really haven't seen any real jerks in our Monday night league, but I'm sure there are some around, maybe on other night. Whatever you do, it's not permanent, so just take the leap. And BTW, we recruited mid-session so you may be able to get on a team mid-stride. Good luck.
 
Pocket Change said:
For me it looks like joining a league is the best way to get me out & playing more often. Right now my best option is a weekly 9-Ball 'chips' tournament but that is not enough for my needs/wants. It looks like I have a choice to join either an APA or a BCA league. I have not heard back from the BCA contact yet. The local APA group has my info.

I've been reading a lot about these leagues here with the pros & cons of each (& league play in general) but I'd like to get some direct input before I make a decision.

So, what do I need to know about the differences to help me make a decision?
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Pocket Change said:
For me it looks like joining a league is the best way to get me out & playing more often. Right now my best option is a weekly 9-Ball 'chips' tournament but that is not enough for my needs/wants. It looks like I have a choice to join either an APA or a BCA league. I have not heard back from the BCA contact yet. The local APA group has my info.

I've been reading a lot about these leagues here with the pros & cons of each (& league play in general) but I'd like to get some direct input before I make a decision.

So, what do I need to know about the differences to help me make a decision?
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Are you planning to play 8-ball or 9-ball format in league play? Singles league or team league?

I have played 9-ball in APA (team) and a mixed-format (singles) league in BCA.

Keep in mind that APA score-keeping works differently for 8-ball and 9-ball. Players in APA are assigned a skill-level (handicap) based on comparable statistics of their peers in their league.

If you play APA 8-ball, you have a certain number of racks (potted 8-balls) to make which corresponds to your skill-level. In 9-ball, scoring is based on ball count. Each player has a target number of balls they must pot which is based on their skill-level.

In BCA (at least my local league) head to head matches are in a “race to” format which is bad on each player’s FargoRate. There is an adjustment made based on the players’ ratings. In my particular BCA division, the format is mixed (8/9/10 ball) so I like the idea of getting a chance to play something different on occasion. Also, my BCA league reports results to FargoRate which allows you to qualify for other non-league tournaments and other events.

In APA slop counts whereas in BCA players call pockets.

Based on my experience, BCA is a little tougher overall. I think the BCA players are generally a bit more serious about their game. I have not tried a BCA team league (only singles), so can’t offer much input on that but would consider it in the future.

APA is a team event which adds an extra layer of socialization to it. I’ve played in a few different APA divisions each with some standout players and also some of the more casual players mixed in. As a newer player, I’ve benefited greatly from having access to teammates to learn from.

Also, as one of the other users stated - APA never stops. It runs pretty continuously throughout the year with the exception of a week here or there for playoffs and holidays.

I think each local league may be run differently so you may want to discuss some more in your local area to get a better idea of which is best for you.
 
I played APA for years. It was fun but the time commitment was too much and we always had SL problems getting ranked up. Watching 2 SL3 battle it out for 45 minutes in a race to 2 drives me crazy. Especially if they don't have an interest in learning. In BCA we can finish in an hour in a half vs. 4-5 hours. The APA LO who is a strong player and a nice guy plays in our BCA league. Enough said.
 
Pocket Change said:
I would like to have a Fargo rate with enough robustness to play in tournaments when traveling. Right now I only have 22 games in Fargo so it's still a 'P'. Didn't realize APA does not figure into FargoRate.

I think both leagues are finishing up their winter sessions and are in or going to Vegas. That means visiting rooms where they're playing right now is not an option. I should have done my 'shopping' earlier to check out formats and personalities. I live in a rural area and the biggest city within reasonable distance is really not that big, ~140K.

@Bob Jewett makes a good point, I don't want to spend 4-5 hours and only play 2 or so games.
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Where I played APA all the matches got 3 tables. A practice table for each team and a match table. So when waiting for, or after, your match you could practice. Later in the night if the matches went long we would convert 1 of the practice tables to another match table. It was very fun. And our players would stay after their match to practice.

Now I play in BCA 8 ball. 5 person teams. I like the fargo rating I'm getting. And I like the 5 person round robin style. We generally play on 2 tables so the night ends in around 2 hours. But 5 games in 2 hours isn't much pool. I come in early to hit a few balls but still. Not much pool. So I play a few local tournaments a week to stay in better shape.
 
fuggles said:
... We generally play on 2 tables so the night ends in around 2 hours. But 5 games in 2 hours isn't much pool. I come in early to hit a few balls but still. Not much pool. ...
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For a league, that's not horrible. I used to be there for three hours and played two games. One table, five players per team.

The last league I played in I was playing about 80% of the time I was there. There were more tables. (y)(y)(y)

But if I understand, you are playing 40% of the time during league matches. That's probably better than average for leagues.
 
I’ve been talking to some people at a regular Friday night 9-Ball tournament and for my area the BCA is being strongly encouraged. The League operator says there may be an opening for a Monday night slot. If that is available I’ll give it a try.
 
I started playing pool in APA. The LO miss handled things during Covid and the TAP league moved in. The format was similar, but better imo. Both had similar problems with too much drama versus pool. I was playing in a bar league at the same time and still enjoy it.

I decided to try out a BCA league last night. It was a very enjoyable experience. The LO was awesome. Like the other leagues most everyone already knew each other, but I wasn't getting any of the drama vibe.

OK that is just the social aspect. I liked the match/play much better. It was three matches, race to whatever the fargo handicap dictated. Then three players played round robin single matches, no handicap, race to nine team wins. Only one night so far but I am giving BCA a thumbs up.
 
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