AZBHOF Membership Tournaments 
(State Championships)

Championships for Eight Ball will be held in four separate skill divisions. Those divisions will be Division 1 (Expert), Division 2 (Advanced), Division 3 (Intermediate), and Division 4 (Novice). The championships will be open to any current member of the AZBHOF.  The entrants will not be required to have any specific rating (example, Fargo) prior to entering, they will only need to agree to allow the AZBHOF board to have final authority in placing them in the skill division in which they should compete. 

We wish to provide everyone – regardless of residence, skill level, or league affiliation – a realistic chance at becoming a bona fide Arizona State Champion. To accomplish that, we will be taking on the responsibilities of a sanctioning body. Those responsibilities will include: ensuring fair and equitable treatment of all entrants; providing a standardized set of playing rules; guaranteeing prize funds and added monies; bestowing proper recognition on the champions; and maintaining records of the results for historical reference.     

What follows will detail the procedures and regulations we will be using for our tournaments.

Any member interested in playing in a AZBHOF state championship will be asked to give us their personal assessment of their skill level. We will ask if they consider themselves to be novice, intermediate, advanced, or expert. We will then ask them to provide us with any and all ratings they may have been assigned by leagues and/or tournament systems they have competed in. If the player’s ratings agree with their personal assessment, the player will be assigned to that skill category.  

If the ratings do not agree, or if there have never been any ratings established, the AZBHOF will diligently attempt to ascertain the player’s actual skill level.  If a totally unknown member wishes to compete (maybe because they are from out of state, etc.) but they cannot supply any verification of their actual skill level, they will be required to play in the highest category (Div.1) for their first tournament, and an adjustment can be made after that tournament, if necessary.         

On the internet, there is a rating comparison chart compiled by David “Dr. Dave” Alciatore that identifies ratings from several of the leading leagues and nationally adopted rating systems, and compares them to Fargo ratings (currently the most popular statistical rating method).  We have edited that chart to meet our own needs and we will use the new edited chart as a guide in helping us to identify which division to place almost any player/member.  We will also use Phil Capelle’s “Pyramid of Excellence” guide on pages 386 and 387 in his book Play Your Best Pool.  Copies of both of those resources can be found elsewhere on this website.

By taking information from both Alciatore and Capelle, we have developed a single chart that takes all ratings and places them into one of the four different categories that we will use for our championships. This should give all parties involved a quick-reference chart to use when signing up new players/members. It will hopefully simplify the task of identifying their general skill level to place them in the proper category. This does not mean that an initial placement is final as all disputed ratings will be subject to review and final determination by a majority of the AZBHOF board, or its appointed committee.

A few stipulations concerning divisional placements:

  • Any player who wishes to play in a division that is higher than the one designated by the AZBHOF, will be allowed to do so.
  • If there are sixteen (16) or more players in the Division 4 (Novice) championship, the winner will automatically be moved up to Division 3 (Intermediate) the following year.
  • If there are thirty-two (32) or more players in the Division 3 (Intermediate) championship, the winner will automatically be moved up to Division 2 (Advanced) the following year.
  • If there are thirty-two (32) or more players in the Division 2 (Advanced) championship, the winner will automatically be moved up to Division 1 (Expert) the following year.
  • Any player who may be suspected of having experience above that of being a novice, but cannot produce a verifiable rating or other way of establishing a correct division placement, will be required to play in the highest division (Div. 1) the first year. An assessment of that player’s game can be made afterwards, if necessary. 
  • Any player caught deliberately trying to hide their true ability for the purpose of competing in a lower division will have their membership revoked and will be barred from playing in future AZBHOF tournaments.  

Our inaugural State Championship will be in the discipline of Eight Ball since that is the game that almost everyone is familiar with. 

Rules of Play: 

Our state championships will be governed by World Standardized Rules, which are available to everyone on the internet. We will also run hard copies to have on hand during tournament play for our tournament directors and/or referees to use for reference. 

Tournament Format: 

Our championships will be true double-elimination – same race, both sides, all the way through.

Eight Ball races: 

Division 4 (Novice) – 3

Division 3 (Intermediate) – 4

Division 2 (Advanced) – 7

Division 1 (Expert) – 9

Added Monies: 

Advertised added monies will be guaranteed amounts, regardless of the number of players.

Division 4 (Novice)     –         $750 Added, $25 Entry

Division 3 (Intermediate) –  $1000 Added, $50 Entry

Division 2 (Advanced)   –      $1250 Added, $75 Entry

Division 1 (Expert)   –            $1500 Added, $100 Entry

GUARANTEED Added Money?: 

Yes. In order to succeed in establishing true state championships, players need to be assured that there will be a contest even if only two people show up to play. They also want to know that the reward(s) to the winner(s) will be worth their investment(s) in said contest(s). The only way to assure them of that is to guarantee that it will happen, and then follow through on that guarantee. 

What are the “rewards” besides money?:

The eventual champion of each division will receive a nice wall plaque for their home. They will also have their names and titles placed on a large trophy that will be kept on permanent display at Bull Shooters Billiards.

What will be the money pay-outs?:

This is something that is still to be determined by the Board. The traditional depth that tournaments are usually paid is at least 25% of the field. Tradition will most likely be honored in our tournaments, too.  

Tournament Field Limits and Registration Rules:

Tournament entrants will be limited to 32 players in Divisions 1&2, and to 64 players in Divisions 3&4.* AZBHOF member/player entrants must pay their entry fees in advance to have their spots secured. Once a field reaches its limit, registrations will be closed and new applicants will be put on a waiting list in the order they are received. If there are any “no shows” on the day of the tournament, applicants on the waiting list must be present and have their entry fees “in hand” for the division they are eligible to play in. Entry fees for waiting list players will be cash only. Entry fees will be refundable by check for cancellations made at least seven days prior to the tournament. For tournaments that have not filled up by tournament day, new entries will be taken up until 10:00AM that day, and those entry fees must be paid in cash. All entry fees submitted within the last seven days prior to the tournament, must be paid in cash.  

*We reserve the right to shorten the races during the course of the tournament if we run into time constraints.