Interesting APA rule...

IntoTheRail

IntoTheRail

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
With all the APA talk lately I guess I will throw this out there too. I was looking over the rules for our upcoming "city cup" tournament and found something pretty interesting. I wont write out the entire rule but it basically states that before the lag takes place to start a match you may ask the opposing player to provide identification to prove they are who they say they are. If they are unable to produce a valid identification they forfeit the match and lose 20-0 (9 ball).

I think this would be a pretty lame way to lose or win a match. However, should it come down to a really close match I think I might just have to pull this one out of the bag.

The question is, has anyone done this or seen it happen before? And what would you think of someone who tried to enforce this rule?

Thanks!
 
i have seen it happen in vegas during apa tournies. if you cannot provide proof of identity, they forfeit you right there on the spot.
 
Never seen it happen, but i guess it would be a valid question since handicaps are involved. I'd think it would have more impact on mini tourneys in vegas then the actual team matches, but who knows.
 
True story I have/had a gambling problem so I left my wallet in the Hilton during APA Teams last August...sure enough my ID was in it. The ref of the match remembered me(Josh Suits from Illinois) and allowed me to go back to the hotel and get the ID and still play. In Vegas if you dont verify before the match starts you cant play. I actually like it.
 
Yes, I have had other teams try this trick, mostly at the regional level.

Not really sure if...
A) they have lost a match to a player assuming another's identity.
B) they think it is some sort of shark tactic.
C) they are trying to cover up their own shadiness.

Whatever... it's never bothered me, and I have never done it. Most teams at the regional level (and at Nationals for that matter) are the same teams that seem to go every year.

I suppose if the other team is one of the few unknowns, and is in a tight spot, and is whispering a lot amongst themselves, and close to the 23 rule, and... well you get the picture.

More sportsmanship and fewer criers would help that league out a lot.
-Jon
 
Interesting APA rule

This rule prevents "imposters" from playing and robbing the field. There were 2 "5s" in a National APA Doubles Tournaments who were in fact 7s. They were tossed out of the tournament and the League Operator that sent them had to pay a big penalty.
 
TWOFORPOOL said:
This rule prevents "imposters" from playing and robbing the field. There were 2 "5s" in a National APA Doubles Tournaments who were in fact 7s. They were tossed out of the tournament and the League Operator that sent them had to pay a big penalty.
Click to expand...

I agree Bob, that is one rule that was put in place to keep the playing field even, without the proper checks and balances some would certainly take advantage of the situation.
 
IntoTheRail said:
With all the APA talk lately I guess I will throw this out there too. I was looking over the rules for our upcoming "city cup" tournament and found something pretty interesting. I wont write out the entire rule but it basically states that before the lag takes place to start a match you may ask the opposing player to provide identification to prove they are who they say they are. If they are unable to produce a valid identification they forfeit the match and lose 20-0 (9 ball).

I think this would be a pretty lame way to lose or win a match. However, should it come down to a really close match I think I might just have to pull this one out of the bag.

The question is, has anyone done this or seen it happen before? And what would you think of someone who tried to enforce this rule?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

This will happen at the National event quite often. It's actually quite common for the two players getting ready to lag to place their id's on the table for the other player to inspect. At the local level, you probably wouldn't get away with it unless the LO didn't know the player personally.

I'm not sure what the laws are in each state, but where I come from, you must have an id to be in a drinking establishment, so most people would have their id on them anyway.

That rule isn't in place to be a lame way to win a match. It's to protect teams from being beaten by someone who isn't who they say they are.:wink:
 
Neil said:
That would go completely against the intent of the rule, and would border on unsportsmanship conduct. Not to mention sleazy, cowardly, chicken sh!t, stupid, worthy of getting kicked out of the APA, ect. Someone that would pull that move soley in the hopes of getting an easy win is on about the same level as those that sue McDonalds because they serve hot coffee.
Click to expand...

You mean you can sue McDonalds for having hot coffee that you buy through a drive through and spill on yourself and become a millionaire. NOOO WAYYY!!!
 
The sad thing is that anyone that would try to cheat like that would also have false ID.

This is another situation that contributes to pool's bad rep.
 
How about the woman who bought a new Winnebago was driving down the road set the cruise control and was gonna make herself lunch. She crashed and sued. In court they proved the wording in the owners manual didnt say this could not be done.

She got a nice settlement.
 
Local Team

We had a local team (SoCal) that did not seem to be able to speak much English. They were caught majorly sandbagging and their captain would say this is "X" a 3 when it was really "Y" a 5. So it does happen if you run into an unscrupulous teams.
 
Not on the topic, but I see the mcD's coffee lawsuit quoted a lot as an example of inane lawsuits. It actually wasn't. The temp they were required for franchisees was 180-190 degrees. Water boils at 212. Their coffee was about 20 degrees hotter than the usual temps other places served at.

The coffee caused 3rd degree burns and the lady needed skin grafts. At 185 degrees, this sort of damage is to be expected... and happens in just seconds. She needed a week in the hospital. This is not normal or acceptible by any definition.

Or it shouldn't be normal... but somehow, it is. I think they still serve it this hot. McD's has had hundreds of serious complaints about the problem... the only difference is those people got some kind of settlement and this lady took it to court. With tens of thousands of dollars worth of medical costs, she ought to.

This lady got a massive award, but she didn't go into it asking for millions. The jury decided that figure based on just 2 days of McD's coffee sales. And a judge later lowered it to 450,000. Ask yourself if you'd trade burn scars (with grafted skin) on your thighs and groin for that money.
 
You SHOULD check the ID of your opponent. Everyone on the team should. You have to protect yourself from someone trying to cheat. It is a rule that must be followed. If you get a cheap win so be it. That is the fault of the opposing team.
 
TheNewSharkster said:
You SHOULD check the ID of your opponent. Everyone on the team should. You have to protect yourself from someone trying to cheat. It is a rule that must be followed. If you get a cheap win so be it. That is the fault of the opposing team.
Click to expand...

AGREED....... THE PLAYERS AT THE TOURNAMENTS KNOW THEY NEED TO HAVE ID. IF THEY DON'T, THEY LOSE....SIMPLE.

Marcus
 
IntoTheRail said:
With all the APA talk lately I guess I will throw this out there too. I was looking over the rules for our upcoming "city cup" tournament and found something pretty interesting. I wont write out the entire rule but it basically states that before the lag takes place to start a match you may ask the opposing player to provide identification to prove they are who they say they are. If they are unable to produce a valid identification they forfeit the match and lose 20-0 (9 ball).

I think this would be a pretty lame way to lose or win a match. However, should it come down to a really close match I think I might just have to pull this one out of the bag.

The question is, has anyone done this or seen it happen before? And what would you think of someone who tried to enforce this rule?

Thanks!
Click to expand...


I called someone else out on it. They asked me who I was, since my name is spelled Michell and I was a 6/7....when they saw my name on paper they automatically assumed I was male. I reminded him that he could ask me for my ID before the match is he didn't want to believe that a female was a 6/7.
Also, another year, I did have a couple of my teammates that were asked for their ID's.
 
This usually takes place in big tournaments like Vegas or regionals. In the local leagues everyone knows everyone else. If you called a guy on this in your local league and he did not have his apa card you would an outcast.
 
Asking for identification before the match

You have to appreciate the spirit in which the rule was instituted. It is simply to avoid cheating at the higher level tournaments. I play in a rather small franchise with 120 teams, or, about 700 players. I know about a quarter of their names, half their faces, and I didn't know the rest of them even played pool until I see them at our City Championships.

Let's talk about playing a stranger. You're out in Las Vegas and you know absolutely nobody other than your team mates. Your match is up and your opponent steps up to the table to lag against you. You don't know where they're from. You don't know how long they've been playing APA. The only thing you have to go on is that they say they're the person who's name is on the roster. We talking about the highest level tournament the APA has to offer, the Big Show, if you will. It is perfectly within reason to ask the player to provide proof of their identity.

As with all rules in the APA handbook, they came about because at one time or another there was in instance of some related impropriety. Hence, on at least one occasion somebody tried to step in and play a match for someone else to up their odds of winning the tournament. So once again, it's perfectly appropriate to ask a player for some identification.
 
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