Pocket Billiards · Regional Tours

Find the circuit, then verify the stop.

Regional pool is where most players build tournament experience. Use this directory to separate open play, handicapped play, women’s tours, federation calendars, league championships, and venue-based events.

Current as of July 26, 2026Schedules and tour details can change. Confirm entries, rules, and dates with the official organizer before traveling.
Stylized pocket billiards table, cue, and racked balls

Regional tours

Regional circuits worth tracking.

United States · open / non-handicap

Open circuits and room-based tours

  • Predator Arcadia CenTex Pool Tour: Central Texas stops using Texas Express and published event charts. Official schedule
  • Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour: longstanding Northeast 9-Ball route; verify each season through the host room and event calendar.
  • Q City 9-Ball Tour: regional 9-Ball stops listed through current event calendars and host venues.
  • West Coast Women’s Tour: women’s 9-Ball stops in California and the western U.S.
  • Northwest Women’s Pool Association: regional women’s 9-Ball competition in the Pacific Northwest.
  • Ultimate Pool USA: international-rules 8-Ball with open, women’s, pairs, and division-based events. Official site

Current AZBilliards calendar →

Europe · open / non-handicap

Federation and open-event routes

  • EPBF / Predator EuroTour: European Championships, EuroTour, and sanctioned opens across 8-Ball, 9-Ball, 10-Ball, and 14.1. 2026 calendar
  • Ultimate Pool Pro Series: British 8-Ball professional competition and televised events.
  • WNT European ranking stops: scheduled open events such as Bucharest and Prague; use the current World Nineball Tour calendar.
  • National federation opens: country federations publish additional ranking, age, women’s, and club events.
United States · handicap / rated

League and rating-based routes

  • APA 8-Ball and 9-Ball: weekly Equalizer play, local playoffs, World Qualifiers, and the World Pool Championships. Championship route
  • BCA Pool League / CSI: local leagues and state or world events may divide players by FargoRate, rating limits, or player-guide divisions. World Championships
  • USA Pool League: FargoRate-based match handicaps for supported 8-Ball, 9-Ball, and 10-Ball formats.
  • Local Fargo-rated tours: many rooms use adjusted races, rating caps, or separate divisions rather than APA skill levels.
Europe · handicap / rated

Local rating and development routes

  • No single Europe-wide APA equivalent: local clubs, promoters, and national federations set rating bands, race spots, divisions, or team caps.
  • Ultimate Pool Challenger and NXTGEN: development and ability-separated circuits; these are not the same as APA’s Equalizer system. Official site
  • Club handicap opens: confirm the exact chart—rating points, games on the wire, ball spots, score targets, or division caps—before entering.
  • Federation categories: age, women’s, junior, senior, and wheelchair categories separate fields but are not necessarily match handicaps.
Lone Star and Gulf Coast verification: Big Tyme Billiards listed a combined Lone Star/Gulf Coast event for January 3–4, 2026, but a consistently maintained standalone tour calendar was not located. Confirm future stops with the host room and organizer before traveling.

Rules and competition models

WPA, BCA/CSI, APA, and local rules serve different jobs.

World baseline

WPA rules and sanctioned events

Use WPA Rules of Play as the international starting point for 8-Ball, 9-Ball, 10-Ball, and Straight Pool. A regional event’s athlete guide or tournament regulations can modify break, rack, equipment, dress, shot-clock, and eligibility requirements.

WPA rules → WPA events →

League / open reference

CSI and BCA Pool League

CSI’s official rules and each player guide control BCA Pool League and CSI events. Some divisions are equal-race or open; others use FargoRate bands, team caps, or rated divisions. Do not assume “BCA” always means no handicap.

CSI rules →

National handicap reference

APA Equalizer

APA gives games in 8-Ball and points in 9-Ball according to skill level. APA does not publish a standard national handicap format for 10-Ball, One Pocket, or Straight Pool; any such local event must publish its own chart.

APA Equalizer →

Event-specific

Local race charts and spots

FargoRate races, games on the wire, ball spots, score targets, division caps, and pocket or break spots are all different systems. Get the exact chart in writing before the lag.

BCA and APA

National league routes that feed regional play.

CSI / BCA Pool League

Rules, state affiliates, and the World Championships

The BCA Pool League uses CSI’s official rules. State and regional affiliates can operate 8-Ball and 9-Ball championships, while the World Championships in Las Vegas offer many divisions, including non-handicapped and handicapped mini-tournaments.

  • 2026 World Championships: February 18–28 at Westgate Las Vegas.
  • Check each player guide for FargoRate, race, eligibility, and division details.
BCA World Championships →
American Poolplayers Association

Local league to World Pool Championships

APA’s Equalizer system is the primary handicap path for weekly 8-Ball and 9-Ball league play. Local operators run playoffs and World Qualifiers leading to Las Vegas.

  • 2026 World Pool Championships: August 4–15.
  • Masters and U.S. Amateur offer higher-level no-handicap or elite amateur routes.
APA World Championships →

Event checklist

How to verify a regional event before you drive.

  1. Open the organizer or host-room page.Do not rely only on an old flyer repost.
  2. Confirm date, game, entry fee, added money, table size, and player cap.Regional details change often.
  3. Read the rules.WPA, CSI, APA, OnePocket.org, Texas Express, or house rules may apply.
  4. Confirm the handicap method.Ask whether it uses FargoRate, APA skill level, race chart, games on the wire, points, or ball spots.
  5. Check registration and refund deadlines.Many events fill before the day of play.
  6. Verify streaming and bracket platform.Avoid unofficial links that do not match the host or organizer.