Pool League question

ftgokie

ftgokie

D player extraordinaire
Silver Member
Pardon the stupidity and all, but I want your opinions…what types of leagues are there, I know ACS, and BCA. Any other leagues out there that I do not know of, and what do you like or dislike about a particular league? I am a member of the ACS league and for the most part, I like it. I just don’t like the fact that where I am at, there is only an 8 ball league. It pays back quite a bit to the teams and that’s good, but I have heard some bad about other leagues and want to hear your opinions on if you had a room, what leagues would you have and what would you not have.


There is also a city league here in Muskogee that pays back 100% of the fees you pay in, so the team that wins usually wins about 2k, split up 4 ways. I want to get the city league to start playing in my pool room and possibly have 2 different leagues on the same night….any ideas or comments from a players point of view if you think this could work?
 
As far as leagues, you have ACS, BCAPL, USAPL, VNEA, and the dreaded APA. BCAPL & VNEA are essentially the same, 8-ball that can be handicapped locally however the nationals are strictly non-handicap. APA is more for beginners, limiting the team handicap total to 23. USAPL is something Mark Griffin started up & seems to take the APA format of each player playing one person on the opposing team & combining that with a BCA scoring system & eliminating the need for a team handicap limit.


The leagues I'd run would depend on the crowd. If you have a lot of experienced players I'd stick to BCAPL, VNEA, & maybe try USAPL. If you have a lot of beginners, maybe APA would be the way to go, but I really don't like the "slop counts" aspect of APA at all. I don't have any experience with ACS so I couldn't say anything about trying that.
 
9BallMarksman said:
Anyone else see an APA rant coming in the very near future?
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No APA is around here...so it wont even count....the only leagues around here are the ACS, BCAPL, VNEA, and the city league that I am aware of now that a coworker informed me....

Honestly, from what I see and hear, the city leage, going by BCA rules is the one that puts the most money in the players pockets at the end of the season....thats really what I want to do is have a league like that for people strictly in it for the fun and money....but, I also want to have ACS, VNEA, and BCAPL in the pool room also and possibly have them on the same nights if possible...
 
Valley has an in-house league, but I don't know much about it.

Bill Schicks place, here in Shreveport, was looking into it, but again, I don't know much about it.

Might be worth checking on.
 
Pretty good summary already. From a business point of view, if your food and beverage options are important, the lesser skilled player formats will likely do better for the bottom line in the short term. I would suggest a mix.

One thing that occasionally gets overlooked is that wherever leagues are successful, regardless of the format, it's usually because there are several loyal customers regularly volunteering their time in some way shape or form. Mostly for the fun of it. Kind of a social hobby for them. I would say it would depend on what these customers want to do more than anything.

Good luck!
 
ftgokie said:
Pardon the stupidity and all, but I want your opinions…what types of leagues are there, I know ACS, and BCA. Any other leagues out there that I do not know of, and what do you like or dislike about a particular league? I am a member of the ACS league and for the most part, I like it. I just don’t like the fact that where I am at, there is only an 8 ball league. It pays back quite a bit to the teams and that’s good, but I have heard some bad about other leagues and want to hear your opinions on if you had a room, what leagues would you have and what would you not have.


There is also a city league here in Muskogee that pays back 100% of the fees you pay in, so the team that wins usually wins about 2k, split up 4 ways. I want to get the city league to start playing in my pool room and possibly have 2 different leagues on the same night….any ideas or comments from a players point of view if you think this could work?
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TimKrazyMon had good points especially "depends on your customer base"

From a strictly business point of view the APA is a good way to go (you have to pay the bills to stay open). There are up to 8 people on a team and, as pointed out, the majority of players are beginners only there to have a night out with friends SO they do eat & drink more.

**BUT** because they are mostly new they do need to be taught pool etiquette and respect for the equipment (think "drinks setting on the tables" and "learning" how to jump on your equipment) It would be a good idea to keep them in 1 specific area on league nights and expect to have more upkeep on those tables. They typically do not practice between league nights.

For your more experienced players (that drink water LOL) the money leagues are your best choice. These players do typically practice on their own dime several times a week and you want them coming to your room.

Ask you city league director about adding a 9 ball division.

Oops - just saw - "no APA in your area"
 
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leagues

Although you stated there are no APA leagues in your area, Meezer Girl mentioned from a business point that having APA is a good choice. MANYtimes the APA 'forces" the pool room or Bar to open the tables.

That is not good for the business. But if they drink and hang out, then it might be a good answer.

The BCAPL is one of the best out there I think. You can play any size team, any game, aon any size table - by any rules. But when you come to Vegas, you must use our rules. (most leagues use our rules all year around).

Our National event is scratch (different skill divisions) - but most local leagus use some kind of handicap. Most of our leagues are 8-ball. There is no charge for he league operator. The player pay $15 per year. Any teams can come to the National event in Vegas.



The USAPL is a new style of league. It is played match play. It is a good system - but is designed to be in a larger market. Thee is a Leaague Manager who has the exclusive rights in a certain area. This league is designed to allow the league manager to make a living running pool leagues.

We would really like to have osme leagues in your new room.

There is another option. You can 'dual sanction' - play BCAPL & VNEA all in the same night. Now the players can qualify for both national events. You jusdt have to submit the statistics to both league operations.

If you have ANY questions, we can help you. I also have owned many pool rooms and can help you with certain questions (similar) to those you have been asking.

glenna@playcsipool.com for more league info. Or call Mark at 702-719-7665.

Mark Griffin, CEO
CSI - BCAPL - USAPL
 
The one I know of are TAP, ACS, VNEA, BCAPL (all 8 ball) and APA (8 and 9 ball). If there is no APA in your area you could look into purchasing the franchise.

In my area, there is APA 9 ball masters league on Monday, regular APA 9 ball on Tuesday, ACS 8 ball on Wednesday, and both BCAPL 8 ball and APA 8 ball on Thursday.

I think if I started a pool room I would try to incorporate as many as possible. Since many of them are on different days, you can host many leagues and fill up the tables during the week. In the scenario I described above, your room would have guaranteed people every night of the week. Friday and Saturday are usually busy, run a tournament on Sunday and you've utilized every day.
 
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