2024 Louisiana Billiards Association State Championships
Paragon Casino Resort, Marksville, LA
Sunday, September 22, 2024 thru Sunday, September 29, 2024
ON-TIME entry deadline: 24 hours before start of competition
=== NO ON-SITE ENTRIES ===
General Guidelines for ALL Competition Divisions
8Ball Scotch Doubles:
Races: 5 winners / 4 loser
Races above are “baseline” (i.e. if both players, on a team, are Open), and are “best-effort/as long as time, and # of tables, allows”.
b. Race is +1 for EACH Advanced Player on team, +2 for each Master. With a Maximum of +5.
c. To help meet desired estimated time-to-finish target… When “+” adjusted teams play each other, “lower” team races to baseline. I.e. Assuming baseline of 5, if a +1 Open/Advanced team plays a +2 Advanced/Master team (normally that race would be 6-7), their race will be 5-6
Original Team Members (core) requirement: There is no “original team members” requirements, as the Male/Female pair of Scotch Doubles players, may come from any sanctioned LaBA league system.
8Ball Singles:
Ladies: Race to 4, LadiesAdvanced Race to 5, LadiesMaster Race to 6
LadiesAdvanced=Previously finished Top 6% (1st or 2nd minimum). LadiesMaster=By KA (by Participating LO vote).
Seniors: Race to 5, SeniorAdvanced Race to 6
SeniorAdvanced=Previously finished Top 6% (1st or 2nd minimum).
Open Group...
Open: Race to 5
Advanced Group...
Advanced: Race to 6
Advanced=Previously finished top 6% in Open (minimum of 4) and/or KA.
Master: Race to 7
Master=Previously finished Top 6% as Advanced (minimum of 2), and/or KA.
GrandMaster: Race to 8
GrandMaster=By KA (by participating LO vote).
See Page 2 section 5, for more info on Categorization/Classification of players.
8Ball Teams:
Ladies Teams: Race to 10 with game spot equal to: 1 per LadiesAdvanced player, and 2 per LadiesMaster player.
Maximum of 8 players on a team.
Original Team Members (core) requirement: May be All-Star teams (not subject to minimum number of original members from their local league team), but still must be from within the same league system.
Open Teams: Race to 13 with game spot equal to: 1 per Advanced Player (includes Senior Advanced) and 2 per Master or Grand Master Player.
Maximum of 10 players on a team. NO LIMIT to number of Advanced/Master/GrandMaster players on a team, BUT ONLY A MAXIMUM OF: THREE ADVANCED, OR ONE ADVANCED and ONE MASTER, OR ONE ADVANCED AND ONE GRANDMASTER can play PER ROUND.
Original Team Members (core) requirement: Two (2) original members (changed from 3 in 2018), but still must be from within the same league system.
Master Teams: Race to 10.
Maximum 6 players on a team. NO LIMIT to number of Advanced/Master players on a team, but Master Team is limited to one GrandMaster.
Original Team Members (core) requirement: May be All-Star teams (not subject to minimum number of original members from their local league team), but still must be from within the same league system.
ALL RACES AND STARTING TIMESARE “BEST-EFFORT” AND MAY BE ADJUSTED FOR NUMBER OF ENTRIES, NUMBER OF TABLES, AND/OR TIME ALLOWED.
Read this… The LEAGUE OPERATOR, TEAM CAPTAINS, and PLAYERS agree to the following:
PAYMENT OF FEES: All applicable Fees must be paid, for an Entry to be considered complete/accepted. ALL ENTRIES MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE.
ELIGIBILITY: All players must…
Have played...
For 8Ball tournaments, a minimum of SIX (6) matches over a minimum of SIX (6) weeks within the 365 days before the start of this tournament, in the same LaBA sanctioned league system.
BUT... TWO (2) of the required weeks, MUST be in the current session, leading up to the start of the tournament.
For 9Ball tournaments, a minimum of FIVE (5) matches over a minimum of FIVE (5) weeks within the 365 days before the start of this tournament, in the same LaBA sanctioned league system.
meet amateur requirements. (i.e. No player may be a professional player by any definition of the LABA).
be 18 years of age by the first day of competition.
be on an active team, in good standing, in an active LaBA local league from which their qualifying weeks are derived, at the start of this tournament.
be a member-in-good-standing of the Louisiana Billiards Association.
if applying to play in the Senior Division, affirms they are: NOT a Grand-Master or Master player; and are 50 years of age as of the first day of applicable Senior Division competition.
FORMAT:
Racking:
Rack Your Own Break
The device known as MagicRack (or similar devices), may be used, in a game IF...
Singles: Both players agree to it.
Teams: Team Captains agree to it. And, in which case, it applies to all team members.
Once agreed, the agreement stands for the remainder of the match.
Player/Team introducing the device, must make the device available to any player, involved in that match, who wishes to use it.
Races: All divisions are double elimination (except 2nd Chance). All matches will be played on 7ft bar tables.
Insufficient entries in a division: In the event that an advertised division fails to meet minimum entry requirements:
The LABA will include those entrants in the next most suitable division.
The LABA will not be liable for any change of division
The LABA will attempt to notify those entrants (or captains if team event) immediately after entries close if a division is cancelled, and those entrants will have the option to request a refund instead of being included in the next most suitable division.
CHECK-IN: All players and/or teams must check-in at the tournament site at least one hour before the start of their division/bracket, and be ready for a player’s meeting, and also be ready to play immediately following any Calcutta(s), if applicable.
DRESS CODE:
When applicable: This dress code does NOT apply during Practice and Mini Tournaments (but discretion is still requested… thanks!).
Purpose: Dress code requirements are established to add to the prestige and respect associated with this championship tournament. Your cooperation in wearing neat, clean apparel at all times during competition, for the betterment of the sport, is appreciated.
Men: Sleeved shirts of polo/golf or button-down style w/ conventional fold-over collar; neat, clean, closed-toe shoes at all times. Slacks or dress/nice/not-raggedy jeans.
Women: Sleeved shirts/blouses of polo/golf style or conventional style with a fold-over collar; dress pants; Capri-style pants; neat, clean jeans; culottes; skirts or sleeved dresses of conservative length are also allowed; neat, clean, closed-toe shoes or sandals with a backing, at all times.
Not Allowed: T-shirts, sweats, warm-up/jogging suits, cutoffs, shorts, ripped or torn jeans (distressed), swimwear or flip-flops, are ABSOLUTELLY NOT ALLOWED.
Matching attire: Currently the only Divisions that DO require matching attire are:
Ladies 8Ball Teams
Open 8Ball Teams
Master 8Ball Teams
Color and style of matching team attire must match (except for the players’ names) for all team members. This includes front and back of attire if they have a logo or monogram (i.e. artwork).
An “Official Event Shirt” (collared and displaying the LaBA logo and Current tournament verbiage) purchased onsite from the official LaBA event apparel supplier will be considered eligible Team Attire for any Player on any Team that requires matching attire.
Exceptions: Should a player require a footwear exception for medical reasons, the player must provide a letter on official letterhead from the player’s health care provider before the tournament, and keep a copy of this letter in their possession at all times, available for review by a tournament official.
Enforcement: The dress code will be in effect and enforced at all times during tournament play. A player who attempts to compete while not in dress code will be required by a referee to comply with the dress code before continuing to play. Any player found in violation of the dress code during match play will be given 15 minutes to correct the violation and return to the match site. If not back in 15 minutes, the player will lose one game of the match and will lose one additional game for each additional 5 minutes until he/she returns. If it is a team event, the Team Captain may not substitute another player for a player found in violation of the dress code until after the player returns in proper attire. Players or teams may protest an opponent’s dress code ONLY BEFORE the match begins.
Final Authority: All players must abide by the tournament dress code. Referees are the final authority on dress code at all times. Referees may require immediate compliance or compliance at their discretion.
PLAYER RANKING:
Various methods are used to Place a player in their appropriate category. Although standard “Player finished in top x% of their current category moves them up to next category” are applied, there is also:
... KA (Known Ability) that is utilized, where players are ranked by votes of Participating LaBA sanctioned League Operators to help insure a player is placed in their proper category. Any player may request that their ranking/category be reviewed, but... that request still must be submitted through, and approved, by their League Operator, AND be submitted at least 10 days before the start of competition.
... Also, any player may voluntarily play in a “higher” category than they are required to. In these instances, that player may “step down” back to their pre nonvoluntary category... UNLESS that player finished high enough in that voluntary category, to be moved up. KA placement can be applied.
... When a player's ranking is evaluated, and that player does not play in LaBA singles competitions... that player's finishes in team competition, can be applied/considered for their ranking... along with other recognized league system's ranking equivalencies, such as APA, BCAPL's FargoRate, etc.
DISQUALIFICATION: Violators of any of the above rules may be disqualified from this tournament.
PERMISSION TO SHARE INFORMATION: By entering this tournament, all participant agree to provide their Players Club card number and grants the LaBA permission to share Name, Address, Phone Numbers, and Date-of-Birth with VENUE ONLY, for the purposes of verifying and/or issuing the VENUE’s Players Club card. VENUE agrees not to share this information with anyone other than what the VENUE’s Players Card agreement allows.
ACCEPTANCE: By submitting/signing this entry form, and/or entering the tournament, the Participant(s) and League Operator acknowledge that they have received, read, acknowledge, and agree to the terms, conditions, rules and regulations governing this tournament.
There is NO-SMOKING in the tournament competition areas. Smoking is only allowed where specifically designated.