Amateur Poker League

=Amateur Poker League=The Amateur Poker League (APL) [http://www.amateurpokerleague.com] is an amateur poker league in the United States.

Players may join at any time during the season without fees or buy-ins. The tour consists of a three-tiered "Monthly Venue Championship", "Semi-Annual Regional Championship", and "National Championship" structure. Wagering/gambling is prohibited at

APL events, and taverns pay for the rights to host league events.

The game played at APL events is No Limit Texas Hold 'Em. Players are staked 3650 points worth of chips, and the top

16 players receive points.

League structure

The APL provides venues (Taverns, Bars, etc.) a league structure for No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em poker.

These venues are grouped by the APL into local regions.

Player ranking structure

A player's score for each game is determined by cross-referencing the number of players registered in the game with

the player's finishing position. For example, a player who finishes third in a game that began with 32 or less players would receive 180 points. If the tournament had 33 or more players, the same player would receive 256.8 points. Any player that finishes below the top 16 in an APL regular season tournament receives zero points. [http://www.amateurpokerleague.com/2007_point_award.php 2007 APL Point Award Structure]

Member rewards

Members also receive "reward points" for placing in tournaments and for other promotions as offered by Amateur Poker League. These points can be rewarded for prizes such as shirts, hats, hotel vacation packages and nascar events.

Venue ranking

The venue ranking is used to qualify for the Monthly Venue Championship.

The Venue Ranking for a month is based on the combined total of points at APL events awarded to the player at that location during that month.

Regional ranking

The regional ranking is used to qualify for the Semi-Annual Regional Championships.

The Regional Ranking for a six month period is based on the combined total of points at APL events awarded to the player within a region during the period.

National ranking

The National Ranking is based on the combined total of points at APL events awarded to the player at any venue during that season.

Championship structure

Monthly venue championships

A player may qualify by placing first at any event held at the venue, or by placing in the top 10% of points earners in the Month among those without a first place finish. Extra players (if needed) will be invited by top point ranking.

emi-annual regional championships

A player may qualify by placing first or second at any Monthly Venue Championship during the qualifying six month period, with extra players (if needed) invited by top point ranking.

The Regional Championships provide seats at the National Championships to the final table (top 8).

emi-Annual regional points championships

The top 5% of players

with the highest Regional rankings will be invited to the Regional Points Championships by the APL.

The Regional Point Championships provide seats at the National Championships to the top 5% in the tournament.

The point leader in the region qualifies directly to the National Championships and may elect to skip the Semi-Annual Point Leader Championship.

National championships

A player may qualify for the National Champtionships by being at the final table of a Semi-Annual Regional Championship, the top 5% of a Semi-Annual Regional Points Championship, or by placing first in a region's point ranking for the six-month period.

The grand prize of the APL National Championship is a buy-in for a top World Poker Tour or World Series of Poker event.

Additional tournaments

Notable APL events

Product sponsorships

The Amateur Poker League has major sponsorship agreements with products related to those who frequent venues, and one sponsorship with a poker magazine.

Bluff Magazine is listed as a the "official magazine" sponsor of APL events.

Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch, Inc) is listed as a "sponsor".

ClubWPT is the official online poker room of the APL.

APL in the news

[http://www.bluffmagazine.com/magazine/2004_12_64.asp Bluff Magazine, December 2004/January 2005]

Top players

Mike Caro, Chris Moneymaker, Cowboy Kenna James, online phenom Nick Brancato and Doyle Brunson have been guests at National APL events. [http://www.amateurpokerleague.com/Amateur%20Poker%20League%20Galleries/Top/default.htm]

External links

* [http://www.amateurpokerleague.com/ Official site]