Every year the American Poolplayers Association (APA) hosts the Amateur World Pool Championships where regional champions from all over Canada, the United States, and Japan are invited to participate. The most recent tournament was held at the Westgate Resort and Casino in Las Vegas where Andrew Fish and Daniel Fish from our Flynn Edmonton branch participated in the 8-Ball World Championship Tournament! Andrew and Daniel play on a team in Spruce Grove, Alberta named “8-Ball Xpress.”
The tournament takes place in three large rooms, with over 300 pool tables required to accommodate both practicing and playing purposes. There were 713 teams with eight team members per team competing for the grand prize of $25,000.
The APA used a handicap system so that players of all levels could participate competitively. Skill levels range from 2 to 7 with 2 being the lowest and 7 being the highest. Daniel is a skill level 4 and Andrew is a skill level 7. When playing each round, five members of each team play a match where the combined skill level for each team cannot exceed 23.
Whereas the tournament was one week, teams were instantly eliminated once beaten. There were 3-4 rounds of 5 matches every day, and a round of matches would take up to 4 hours and 45 minutes before going to “sudden death.” Playing started as early as 8 AM and matches went into the early hours of the morning. 8-Ball Xpress lasted until Wednesday evening finishing in 385th place out of the 713 teams entered.
When asked what he enjoys most about the sport, Andrew said he grew up watching snooker on TV which developed into a passion for playing. When he started going to pubs as a teenager, the main focus switched to playing pool.
Daniel, who has been playing for roughly 18 months now, was drafted in to the 8-Ball and 9-Ball teams last year and has recognized a natural aptitude for the game. He is pleased with the way his skills have developed in a relatively short time and wants to keep improving.
Congratulations! Well done!
