Billiard Congress of America
Encyclopedia
Billiard Congress of America (BCA) is a governing body
for cue sports in North America
(here defined as the United States
and Canada
exclusively), the regional member organization of the World Pool-Billiard Association
(WPA). It was established under this name in 1948
as a non-profit
trade organization
in order to promote the sport and organize its players via tournament
s at various levels. The BCA is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado
. The voting members of the organization are mostly equipment manufacturers.
The BCA publishes a rule book that includes rules merged with the WPA World Standardized Rules for games such as nine-ball, eight-ball, and straight pool
, as well as rules for other games that are not presently the subject of international competition, such as cowboy pool, rotation, American snooker, and Chicago among many others. The BCA holds an annual trade show, the International Billiards & Home Recreation Expo. Also annually, it inducts great players, and those who have made great contributions to the sport, into the BCA Hall of Fame
.
company, a major equipment manufacturer. After a decline in influence in the late 1930s, in part owing to a dispute with world carom champion Willie Hoppe
, the NBAA reformed in 1941 as the Billiard Association of America (BAA or BA of A). Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and calling itself "the Governing Body of Billiards", the BAA produced a concise, portable, inexpensive rulebook of carom and pocket billiards
games, that was to serve as the model for future BCA releases. The BAA in turn became the BCA, 1947–1948. The BCA formed with, and for several years shared offices with, the promotional trade association
National Billiard Council (NBC), now defunct. Early BCA rulebooks were essentially identical to the 1946 BAA edition, including the cover art and the absence of the increasingly popular game nine-ball from the ruleset. (Nine-ball still did not appear in the 1963 rulebook, despite being one of the pool gambling games of choice by that era, but did appear in the 1967 and all subsequent editions.) The BCA rulebooks have remained in near-annual continuous publication to the present day.
During its first thirty-two years of existence as the BCA, the organization had various addresses, including in Toledo, Ohio
and Chicago. In 1980, they opened their longest-term permanent office in Iowa City, Iowa
, and moved it in 1997 to Coralville, Iowa
for a brief period. In 2000, the BCA relocated to its current headquarters in Colorado Springs.
Also in 2000, the BCA made the major move of adopting the WPA
's World Standardized Rules for eight-ball, nine-ball and other games subject to international professional competition. The BCA had by this time become the national affiliate of the WPA, the International Olympic Committee
-recognized world governing body of billiards and pool. In the new edition of the rules, the organization expressed a commitment to seeing pool and carom billiards become Olympic
sports (and in fact selected Colorado Springs for its new headquarters for proximity to the US Olympic Committee
). The rules changes have not been without controversy, as some of them upset US player expectations; various leagues have ignored the new rules and continued with traditional US rules (e.g., in the game of eight-ball, legally pocketing the 8 ball on the has commonly been treated as an instant win).
in the world, and despite its broad name is primarily focused on pool (pocket billiards). It has been held in various locations, most frequently as Vegas Valley|Las Vegas, Nevada
, since its founding in 1984. The Expo is exclusively sponsored by the BCA (and its members), and is managed by William T. Glasgow, Inc. of Orland Park, Illinois
. The expressed purpose of the event is to "provide industry manufacturers, distributors, retailers, dealers and poolroom operators an annual venue for new business opportunities, including education, new products and networking." Vendor attendance in 2006 was nearly 300 companies filling between 1,300 and 1,400 10 sq ft (0.9290304 m²) booth spaces. The June 25–27, 2009 event at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas saw 116 exhibitor in 412 booth spaces, with 1,120 buy attendees. The next event will be held June 14 (Wednesday) through 16 (Friday), 2010, at the Las Vegas Convention Center
, with registration for attendees opening February 15. These were not the original dates, and some debate surrounded the matter, with the dates being finalized only as late as September 2009, and chosen to ensure maximum attendance by billiard entrepreneurs, most of whom have business peaks on weekends. By the end of the 2009 Expo, 65 companies had already contracted for 326 booth spaces at the 2010 Expo.
The vast majority of attendees are industry insiders, rather than players. In 2006, 94% were billiard retailers, 5% billiard hall operators, and 1% "other" (e.g. bowling and amusement center operators). In 2009, only 70% were retailers. In that year, 83% were from the United States and 7% from Canada, with the remaining 10% being from elsewhere around the world. Despite operators not being in the majority, the event is geared toward them, with "Business of Billiards" seminars on successful hall operation, and exhibitors principally in the business of supplying such venues. Exhibiting vendors typically include product lines such as pool equipment (tables, cues, racks, chalk, etc.), billiards-themed apparel and accessories, instructional materials, bar and billiard furniture and furnishings (stools, neon signs, juke boxes, etc.), business services (food processing, point-of-sale computer systems, etc.), other commercial gaming equipment (darts, table shuffleboard, foosball, video games, pinball machines, etc.), plus assorted home recreation categories (poker, home spas and pools, tanning beds, sound systems, outdoors equipment, etc.), and billiard-related services such as cue repair. The BCA claims that, as of 2009, 55% of attendees make purchasing decisions for their businesses, 50% buy there, and 20% more buy within one month of the show.
While Las Vegas is the most frequent host city for the event, it has also been held in Charlotte, North Carolina
, Houston, Texas
, Baltimore, Maryland, New Orleans, Louisiana
, Kansas City, Missouri
, Orlando, Florida
, Minneapolis, Minnesota
, Nashville, Tennessee
, Louisville, Kentucky
, and Ft. Worth, Texas.
As of the 2010 event, the cost per 10 sq ft (0.9290304 m²) exhibitor booth varied from US$
1,350 to $1,800 depending upon BCA membership status, with a $100 attendance fee for non-exhibitors and non-members (up from $1,200 and $50, respectively, in 2007).
. CSI is owned by billiards promoter and 2009 Billiards Digest "Man of the Year" Mark Griffin.
The BCA Pool League has approximately 450 local leagues with 60,000+ members. Leagues are played on both bar-size 7 feet (2.1 m) and regulation 9 feet (2.7 m) tables. The BCAPL National Championships held every May in Las Vegas, Nevada
has been called "The Greatest Pool Tournament in the World", with 22 separate divisions including singles, scotch doubles, teams. The event also hosts two professional tournaments.
As of the 2009/2010 season, CueSports International (CSI) introduced a secondary league system, the USA Pool League (USAPL), which is structured exclusively around eight-ball match play.
Both the BCAPL and USAPL (who share a rulebook) use BCA rules, with the addition of wheelchair rules, team play adaptations, and "Applied Rulings" from years of large-scale tournament administration.
In addition to the BCA Pool League and the USA Pool League, CueSports International (CSI) is also well known for producing some of the largest and longest-running open events in the U.S., including the Jay Swanson Memorial Tournament at Hollywood Billiards, Hollywood, California; the U.S. Bar Table Championship in Reno, Nevada
; and (starting in 2010) the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship.
Sport governing body
A sport governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sport governing bodies come in various forms, and have a variety of regulatory functions. Examples of this can include disciplinary action for rule infractions and deciding on rule changes in the sport...
for cue sports in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
(here defined as the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
exclusively), the regional member organization of the World Pool-Billiard Association
World Pool-Billiard Association
The World Pool-Billiard Association is the international governing body for pocket billiards . The group was formed in 1987, and was initially headed by a provisional board of directors consisting of representatives from Japan, the United States, Sweden, and Germany...
(WPA). It was established under this name in 1948
1948 in sports
-American football:* University of Michigan wins college football national championship.* Cleveland Browns 49–7 Buffalo Bills in the All-America Football Conference championship game....
as a non-profit
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
trade organization
Trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...
in order to promote the sport and organize its players via tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
s at various levels. The BCA is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado
Broomfield, Colorado
The City and County of Broomfield is a prominent suburb and tier of the Denver metropolitan area in the State of Colorado of the United States. Broomfield has a consolidated city and county government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The...
. The voting members of the organization are mostly equipment manufacturers.
The BCA publishes a rule book that includes rules merged with the WPA World Standardized Rules for games such as nine-ball, eight-ball, and straight pool
Straight Pool
Straight pool, also called 14.1 continuous or simply 14.1, is a pocket billiards game, and was the common sport of championship competition until overtaken by faster-playing games like nine-ball...
, as well as rules for other games that are not presently the subject of international competition, such as cowboy pool, rotation, American snooker, and Chicago among many others. The BCA holds an annual trade show, the International Billiards & Home Recreation Expo. Also annually, it inducts great players, and those who have made great contributions to the sport, into the BCA Hall of Fame
Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame
This is the list of people inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's hall of fame. Many of these were inducted based on their excellence as world-class players , while others were inducted for their contributions to the game or the billiards industry .The year of induction is listed after...
.
History
The origins of the BCA began with the National Billiard Association of America (NBAA), founded July 25, 1921. The organization rapidly became the de facto governing body of the sport in the United States, with 35,000 members by 1928, and was closely tied to the Brunswick-Balke-CollenderBrunswick Corporation
The Brunswick Corporation , formerly known as the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, is a United States-based corporation that has been involved in manufacturing a wide variety of products since 1845. Brunswick's global headquarters is in the northern Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, Illinois...
company, a major equipment manufacturer. After a decline in influence in the late 1930s, in part owing to a dispute with world carom champion Willie Hoppe
Willie Hoppe
William Frederick Hoppe , known predominantly as Willie Hoppe , was an internationally renowned American professional carom billiards champion, who was posthumously inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1966.-Biography:Hoppe was born in Cornwall on Hudson, New York on...
, the NBAA reformed in 1941 as the Billiard Association of America (BAA or BA of A). Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and calling itself "the Governing Body of Billiards", the BAA produced a concise, portable, inexpensive rulebook of carom and pocket billiards
Pocket billiards
Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
games, that was to serve as the model for future BCA releases. The BAA in turn became the BCA, 1947–1948. The BCA formed with, and for several years shared offices with, the promotional trade association
Trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...
National Billiard Council (NBC), now defunct. Early BCA rulebooks were essentially identical to the 1946 BAA edition, including the cover art and the absence of the increasingly popular game nine-ball from the ruleset. (Nine-ball still did not appear in the 1963 rulebook, despite being one of the pool gambling games of choice by that era, but did appear in the 1967 and all subsequent editions.) The BCA rulebooks have remained in near-annual continuous publication to the present day.
During its first thirty-two years of existence as the BCA, the organization had various addresses, including in Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
and Chicago. In 1980, they opened their longest-term permanent office in Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
, and moved it in 1997 to Coralville, Iowa
Coralville, Iowa
Coralville is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is a suburb of Iowa City and part of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area...
for a brief period. In 2000, the BCA relocated to its current headquarters in Colorado Springs.
Also in 2000, the BCA made the major move of adopting the WPA
World Pool-Billiard Association
The World Pool-Billiard Association is the international governing body for pocket billiards . The group was formed in 1987, and was initially headed by a provisional board of directors consisting of representatives from Japan, the United States, Sweden, and Germany...
's World Standardized Rules for eight-ball, nine-ball and other games subject to international professional competition. The BCA had by this time become the national affiliate of the WPA, the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
-recognized world governing body of billiards and pool. In the new edition of the rules, the organization expressed a commitment to seeing pool and carom billiards become Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
sports (and in fact selected Colorado Springs for its new headquarters for proximity to the US Olympic Committee
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...
). The rules changes have not been without controversy, as some of them upset US player expectations; various leagues have ignored the new rules and continued with traditional US rules (e.g., in the game of eight-ball, legally pocketing the 8 ball on the has commonly been treated as an instant win).
2009–2010 board and officers
The results of the 2009–2010 Board of Directors election results were announced in Las Vegas during the June 24, 2009 BCA General Membership Meeting:- Board Chairman: Ivan Lee (Iwan Simonis, Inc.), one-year term (incumbent 2008–9 chairman)
- First Vice Chairman: Renee Lyle (American Poolplayers AssociationAmerican Poolplayers AssociationThe American Association was founded in 1981 by professional pool players Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart, although with roots dating back to the National Pool League , founded in 1979. The APA conducts a system of franchised-based local amateur leagues of pool competition, including both...
), one-year term - Second Vice Chairman: Kathy Vegh (Danny Vegh's Billiards & Home), one-year term
- Secretary: Eric Weber (CueStix International), one-year term
- Treasurer: Karim Belhaj (Predator Group), one-year term
- Boardmembers:
- Nick Alexander (Clicks Billiards), incumbent (term unspecified)
- Fred Cohen (D&R Industries/Championship LLC), three-year term
- George Darafeev (Mikhail Darafeev, Inc.), incumbent (term unspecified)
- Tom Gregory (Toltec Lighting), three-year term
- Barry Hart (Viking Cue Mfg., Inc.), incumbent (term unspecified)
- Danny Kuykendall (Danny K's Billiards), three-year term
- Skip Nemecek (Tweeten Fibre Co.), three-year term
- John Petti (Atlas Billiard Supplies), incumbent (term unspecified)
- Thomas Rodgers (Robertson Billiard Supplies), one-year term
- Michael Serra (MBS Group, Inc.), two-year term
- Tony Stick (The Billiard Factory), incumbent (term unspecified)
- Eric Weber (CueStix International), three-year term
Men's professional champions
| Date | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 1999 in sports 1999 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Lasse Kjus, Norway** Women's overall season champion: Alexandra Meissnitzer, Austria-American football:... |
George San Souci George San Souci George "Ginky" SanSouci was a professional pool player from New York. He grew up in Yorkville, New York, and started his career as a player in Chelsea Billiards. SanSouci lived in Astoria, New York.-Early days:... |
Jeremy Jones Jeremy Jones (pool player) Jeremy Jones is a professional pool player. He was the 2003 US Open champion and has represented Team USA in the Mosconi Cup on seven occasions.-External links:*... |
| 2000 2000 in sports 2000 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Hermann Maier, Austria** Women's overall season champion: Renate Götschl, Austria-American football:... |
Johnny Archer Johnny Archer Johnny Archer is an American professional pool player. He is nicknamed "the Scorpion" .... |
George San Souci |
| 2001 2001 in sports 2001 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Hermann Maier, Austria** Women's overall season champion: Janica Kostelić, Croatia-American football:... |
Cory Deuel | Jose Parica Jose Parica Jose Parica is a Filipino professional pool player from Manila, nicknamed "Amang" and "the Giant Killer." As a Philippine Hall of Famer, he pioneered the "Filipino invasion" in the United States, especially in the game of nine-ball.Also known as "the King" and "the Legend" in Philippine pool,... |
| 2002 2002 in sports 2002 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Stephan Eberharter, Austria** Women's overall season champion: Michaela Dorfmeister, Austria-American football:... |
Charlie Williams | Tony Robles |
| 2003 2003 in sports 2003 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season championship: Stephan Eberharter, Austria** Women's overall season championship: Janica Kostelić, Croatia-American football:... |
Ralf Souquet Ralf Souquet Ralf Souquet is a German professional pool player. His nicknames are "The Kaiser" and "The Surgeon." Since 1981, he has won more than 250 tournament titles, including 41 German Championship titles and 34 European Championship titles.He began playing billiards at the age of six in his parents'... |
Francisco Bustamante Francisco Bustamante Francisco Bustamante is a Filipino professional pocket billiards player from Tarlac, and the 2010 World Nine-ball Champion., nicknamed "Django", after the lead character of the film of the same name, and sometimes also called "Bustie", especially in the United States.-Early life:Bustamante is the... |
| 2004 2004 in sports 2004 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* College football Bowl Championship Series :**January 1 – Rose Bowl – USC 28, Michigan 14... |
Tony Robles | Santos Sambajon Santos Sambajon Santos Sambajon is a Filipino professional pool player. His nicknames are "The Little Giant" and "The Saint." Originally from the Philippines, he now resides in the United States.-Professional career:... |
| 2005 2005 in sports 2005 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Bode Miller ** Women's overall season champion: Anja Pärson -American football:... |
Thorsten Hohmann | Johnny Archer |
| 2006 2006 in sports 2006 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* January 2, Fiesta Bowl – Ohio State 34-20 Notre Dame* January 2, Sugar Bowl – West Virginia 38-35 Georgia... |
Ralf Souquet Ralf Souquet Ralf Souquet is a German professional pool player. His nicknames are "The Kaiser" and "The Surgeon." Since 1981, he has won more than 250 tournament titles, including 41 German Championship titles and 34 European Championship titles.He began playing billiards at the age of six in his parents'... |
Johnny Archer |
BCA Hall of Fame
International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo
The BCA's annual Billiard Expo (as it is known for short, or simply the Expo, within the industry) is the largest mostly-cue-sports trade conventionTrade fair
A trade fair is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products, service, study activities of rivals and examine recent market trends and opportunities...
in the world, and despite its broad name is primarily focused on pool (pocket billiards). It has been held in various locations, most frequently as Vegas Valley|Las Vegas, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, since its founding in 1984. The Expo is exclusively sponsored by the BCA (and its members), and is managed by William T. Glasgow, Inc. of Orland Park, Illinois
Orland Park, Illinois
Orland Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States; it also extends slightly into Will County. The population was 56,767 at the 2010 census. The office of the Assistant Village Manager, Ellen Baer, states that the Will County section of Orland Park is industrial while the Cook County...
. The expressed purpose of the event is to "provide industry manufacturers, distributors, retailers, dealers and poolroom operators an annual venue for new business opportunities, including education, new products and networking." Vendor attendance in 2006 was nearly 300 companies filling between 1,300 and 1,400 10 sq ft (0.9290304 m²) booth spaces. The June 25–27, 2009 event at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas saw 116 exhibitor in 412 booth spaces, with 1,120 buy attendees. The next event will be held June 14 (Wednesday) through 16 (Friday), 2010, at the Las Vegas Convention Center
Las Vegas Convention Center
The Las Vegas Convention Center is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in Las Vegas, Nevada....
, with registration for attendees opening February 15. These were not the original dates, and some debate surrounded the matter, with the dates being finalized only as late as September 2009, and chosen to ensure maximum attendance by billiard entrepreneurs, most of whom have business peaks on weekends. By the end of the 2009 Expo, 65 companies had already contracted for 326 booth spaces at the 2010 Expo.
The vast majority of attendees are industry insiders, rather than players. In 2006, 94% were billiard retailers, 5% billiard hall operators, and 1% "other" (e.g. bowling and amusement center operators). In 2009, only 70% were retailers. In that year, 83% were from the United States and 7% from Canada, with the remaining 10% being from elsewhere around the world. Despite operators not being in the majority, the event is geared toward them, with "Business of Billiards" seminars on successful hall operation, and exhibitors principally in the business of supplying such venues. Exhibiting vendors typically include product lines such as pool equipment (tables, cues, racks, chalk, etc.), billiards-themed apparel and accessories, instructional materials, bar and billiard furniture and furnishings (stools, neon signs, juke boxes, etc.), business services (food processing, point-of-sale computer systems, etc.), other commercial gaming equipment (darts, table shuffleboard, foosball, video games, pinball machines, etc.), plus assorted home recreation categories (poker, home spas and pools, tanning beds, sound systems, outdoors equipment, etc.), and billiard-related services such as cue repair. The BCA claims that, as of 2009, 55% of attendees make purchasing decisions for their businesses, 50% buy there, and 20% more buy within one month of the show.
While Las Vegas is the most frequent host city for the event, it has also been held in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Baltimore, Maryland, New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, and Ft. Worth, Texas.
As of the 2010 event, the cost per 10 sq ft (0.9290304 m²) exhibitor booth varied from US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1,350 to $1,800 depending upon BCA membership status, with a $100 attendance fee for non-exhibitors and non-members (up from $1,200 and $50, respectively, in 2007).
BCA Pool League, USA Pool League and CueSports International
The BCA Pool League (BCAPL) is one of the major amateur pool leagues in the United States and is present in over a dozen other countries outside the U.S., with a significant presence in Canada. Initially a division of the Billiard Congress of America, since 2004 the BCAPL has been owned and operated by pool and billiards event promotional company CueSports International (CSI) of Henderson, NevadaHenderson, Nevada
-Demographics:According to the 2000 census, there were 175,381 people, 66,331 households, and 47,095 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,200.8 people per square mile . There were 71,149 housing units at an average density of 892.8 per square mile...
. CSI is owned by billiards promoter and 2009 Billiards Digest "Man of the Year" Mark Griffin.
The BCA Pool League has approximately 450 local leagues with 60,000+ members. Leagues are played on both bar-size 7 feet (2.1 m) and regulation 9 feet (2.7 m) tables. The BCAPL National Championships held every May in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
has been called "The Greatest Pool Tournament in the World", with 22 separate divisions including singles, scotch doubles, teams. The event also hosts two professional tournaments.
As of the 2009/2010 season, CueSports International (CSI) introduced a secondary league system, the USA Pool League (USAPL), which is structured exclusively around eight-ball match play.
Both the BCAPL and USAPL (who share a rulebook) use BCA rules, with the addition of wheelchair rules, team play adaptations, and "Applied Rulings" from years of large-scale tournament administration.
In addition to the BCA Pool League and the USA Pool League, CueSports International (CSI) is also well known for producing some of the largest and longest-running open events in the U.S., including the Jay Swanson Memorial Tournament at Hollywood Billiards, Hollywood, California; the U.S. Bar Table Championship in Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
; and (starting in 2010) the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship.