Houston USAPL

Blog

  • 01/29/20

    All the updates have been completed. Make sure you refresh your browsers if you don’t see the updates right away.

    This is our first week awarding bonus points (50 for matching scoresheets + 50 for completed league dues). If you look at the match logs once logged in, you will be able to see the bonus points added at the bottom.

    With the addition of bonus points, we got a lot of questions about digital pay options. Just as a reminder, here is a recap:
    • We have 3 digital payment options:
      1. VENMO: @houstonusapl
      2. CASHAPP: $houstonusapl
      3. ZELLEPAY: admin@houstonusapl.com
    • When utilizing digital pay, only one transaction per team please! This makes tracking much easier.

    We also got a lot of questions regarding the scoring app. Please review the Scoring App How-To Guide. There are screenshots available and it will answer most of the questions asked.

    With the use of the scoring app, any team wishing to start early may do so if they coordinate with the opposing team. We understand some players live further away than others and would like to get done earlier. However, both teams must be in agreeance for this to work. Make sure you have players who are going to be present for an earlier start! If one team starts early but does not have the number available to play, the opposing team can still call a forfeit or force a playback. League rules still apply regardless of what time teams choose to start. Official start time of league every week is at 7:30 PM.

    As we complete Week 3 and head towards the 4th Week, please keep in mind that roster changes are still open for 2 more weeks. Roster changes are limited to the first 5 weeks. After that, the only way to make a roster change is for survival purposes. So make sure you like your teammates! (I kid I kid, we love everyone!) 🙂

    If you have not yet noticed, there were a few additions to the website. We have added an Event calendar that ties in with upcoming Events. It will display the next 3 events coming up, including league nights as well as any other tournaments we may have going on (which at this time is a 9 Ball Open at Slicks on Fountain View on 02/22/20). We also added the “How to Win Vegas” portion, accessible under the ABOUT section. This is a quick summary of ways to win the Vegas trip, as well as requirements such as minimum number of weeks played in order to qualify (answer is 8), number of original members (answer is 2), etc.

    Table assignments for Week 4:
    Spooky Action [16 / 17]
    Cue Tang Clan [18 / 19]
    Night Moves [14 / 15]
    Tuff Break [14 / 15]    		 Chalk is Cheap [18 / 19]
    Lucky 7 [21 / 22]
    Break & Juan [21 / 22]
    Lady & the Champs [16 / 17]

    Please let us know if there is anything else you would like to see added, mentioned, clarified, etc. If you have a question about something, more than likely someone else has the same question too, so feel free to bring it to our attention. See you next week, and enjoy Superbowl weekend! (Don’t forget about the Puppy Bowl!) 🐶 🐕 🐱

  • 01/22/20

    Happy Wednesday everyone!

    Week 2 is now in the books! We had a few new members join us last night and we had room to place everyone onto a team. We are almost at max capacity at 9 teams, which is fantastic! Thanks to everyone for all your support! There are a lot of updates to cover today, so please bear with us on the length.

    Last night, we handed out USAPL member patches as well as Team Captain patches. Aside from repping the league, it also comes with a few perks as well, courtesy of our host location Slicks on Montrose.
    1. During league night, $1 off drinks EXCEPT for premium liquor & import beer
    2. All days except Friday & Saturday, 1/2 price pool
    These discounts are only for USAPL pool members! For the team captains, we do have Captain Appreciation perks, so that is in the works. If anyone is missing any patches from either this session or last, please let us know!! We got a new order in and ready to rain some patches!

    We started assigning tables on week 2 and that will continue throughout the session. This is to ensure every team gets an equal chance to play on all tables and not always stuck on only what’s available at the time they arrive. We will announce tables assignments early so everyone will get a chance to practice on the tables they will be playing on. For week 3:
    [Shot for Shot: 22 / 23] [Tuff Break: 16 / 17] [Lucky 7: 16 / 17 ] [Break & Juan: 18 / 19] [Night Moves: 18 / 19] [Chalk is Cheap: 14 / 15] [Cue Tang Clan: 22 / 23] [Lady & the Champs: 14 / 15]

    How did everyone like the scoring app?! It was definitely a process, but by the end of the night, it seems most teams have gotten the hang of it and the scores came through without a hitch! Remember that we are now starting bonus points as of week 3! 50 points for scoresheet (must match opponent’s) and 50 points for league dues (must be received by end of league night). We will still provide paper scoresheets for any possible instances we would need them, but we strongly encourage every member to claim their Fargo ID# and register in order to utilize USAPL scoring app. The app will always have the most up-to-date information on players’ ratings, so it’s best to have that available. If you need any help with getting set up, let us know.

    Due to us having an odd number of teams and not enough weeks to do a full two rounds of round robin matches, some teams this session will have 1 bye while others will have 2 byes. To ensure as much fairness as possible, teams with 2 BYES on the schedule will receive an average of total points earned during the entire session to take the place of one of their bye weeks. What we would do is add up all points the team has earned during league play and divide it by the number of weeks played. That number will replace one bye week. This will not happen until after the last week of the session to ensure the most accurate average of points are given.

    If you’ve made it all the way to this point, kudos to you! It’s a lot of information, but we love sharing it and making sure everyone knows what’s going on. Enjoy the rest of your week, and see you next Tuesday!

  • 01/15/20

    We want to welcome everyone to the Spring 2020 Session of Houston USAPL! What a turnout last night for the start of our first full session! Thanks to those who returned from last session, and hello to the newcomers. It was good to see some familiar faces, but even better to see new ones. We went from 5 teams in Fall to 9 teams this Spring. And we have YOU to thank! Here’s to all of us having a great time together!

    The schedule has been uploaded to the Division page, so you are now able to see the full session matchups. The current standings have also been updated with the scores entered. Match logs are available for all to view. Everyone will now have access to the Members Only part of the website, which includes current rosters for the whole league as well as images of match logs. Please do not change the password as this is to be used for all Tuesday league members! Username: MontroseTue, Password: (sent by text)

    With the schedule now set up, digital scoring is also available starting next Tuesday! If you have not claimed your Fargo Rate ID # yet and install the USAPL scoring app, now would be a good time to do so. Believe me, it makes scoring a WHOLE LOT EASIER!

    We will also start to add bonus points beginning WEEK 3 of league: 50 points for scoring and 50 points for payment. Scoring can be either digital or on paper, but opposing teams must have the same information. Payment can be cash or digital, but the correct amount must be collected at the end of league night.

    Everyone will be added to a group text string. This is for us to let everyone know when updates have been made on the website, as well as for any emergency alerts that may happen (because it never floods in Houston, right?!). Keep in mind that since every member is included, please do not respond back unless you have something that all 66 members need to be aware of. Most teams have their own text group, so we highly suggest team captains and/or co-captains set one up for your individual team to discuss team stuff and/or weekly roll call.

    If you have not gone through the website yet, please do so when you have a chance. We strongly believe in the easy access of information, and this is set up for members to do exactly that. The website will continue to be updated and things will be added. The latest add is Quick Links: Patches. This allows everyone to know what patches you are eligible for and how to earn them each session. Our next addition currently being worked on is a section for “How to Win a Vegas Trip”.

    If you want to see something added or have any feedback and/or suggestions, please let us know! We are here for you all, and your opinions matter! We will do our best to make this league Fair & Fun for Everyone!

  • 12/18/19

    Last night was the end of Fall 2019 session! We want to thank each and every single one of the Tuesday league members for joining us on this new journey and having faith in us to be a part of of something brand new that no one has done before. Thank you for your patience and for your willingness to ride the learning curve with us. To show our appreciation, we are working on something for only the Fall 2019 session members. More info on that to come later. 😉

    For the moment I’m sure everyone here is waiting for … we want to congratulate the following teams for coming in first place at the end of this session and for securing a spot in the Vegas Qualifier Tournament. Round of applause to ..
    8 BALL9 BALL
    SPOOKY ACTIONSHOT FOR SHOT

    We hope everyone was able to experiment with digital scoring last night. Come Spring 2020, we will be transitioning to complete digital scoring going forward and phasing out paper scoresheets, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the Scoring App How-To! We will also start offering Bonus Points to teams who have their digital scoring and payments submitted at the end of Tuesday night every week: 50 points for digital scoring and 50 points for payments.

    The schedule for Spring 2020 has also been released, so take a look at the league weeks to come. Please remember that if you need to make any changes to your team, please do so by 01/10/20! Utilize the online forms to get a team signed up so we can be ready to start the new session on 01/14/20.

    Congrats to the following players for winning patches yesterday:
    8 BALL9 BALL
    JASON – Break & Run PEARL – Winzip
    CHRIS – Winzip
    MO – Winzip
    EDGAR – Winzip
    ROBERT – Winzip
    MATT W – Table Run

    More will be added to the website in the weeks to come, so be sure to keep your eyes open for more additions and updates!

    We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Cheers to a successful Fall Session, and double cheers to more sessions to come with more teams. Can’t wait to see all your faces in 2020!

  • 12/12/19

    Hello everyone! We have a TON to cover on this update, so please bear with us on the length. On a quick note, however, scores have been entered and standings are current.

    As you have noticed already, this week’s update has already been a little different. It has come to our attention that our emailed updates have not been reaching everyone for some reason (possible compatibility issue with GMail), or that people simply don’t check their emails all that often. We have decided to phase out the emailed updates and just send a simple text to everyone when updates are available on the website so you can view them when able. We utilize the GroupMe app, and an invitation should have been sent to every member of the league. If you wish to opt out of being included in the text messages, you have the option to do so. Keep in mind that as this will be a group text, we ask that you don’t spam or text everyone on the thread to keep mass texting down to a minimum/nil. If you wish to respond, please text us directly on a one-on-one basis. We, and those who have odd late night schedules, thank you.

    Next Tuesday 12/17/19 will be the FINAL week of the Fall Session! The next update will determine which team(s) get automatically entered into the Vegas Qualifier Tournament. No playoffs are necessary (unless there is a tie, which we don’t think is likely). The Vegas Qualifier tournament is going to be held on a weekend around mid January 2021. Once a date is set, we will let everyone know. The winning team of 8 and 9 from this session will compete with winning teams from 2020 sessions and the winner overall will get a free trip to Las Vegas in March 2021 for USAPL Nationals.

    Spring session will start Tuesday 01/14/20 at 7:30 PM. If you are keeping your current team and returning next session with no changes, you don’t have to do anything but show up. However, if there are roster changes, team name changes, captain changes, etc … please complete an online TEAM REGISTRATION FORM by 1/10/20 so that we can update everything and have all teams ready to play the first week of league. If you don’t have a team, please fill out a MEMBER REGISTRATION FORM and we will find a spot for you on a team that has an opening.

    Spring rosters are important: They set the “original member” criterion. As long as 2 members from Spring session stay on the team throughout the year, the team would not lose any Vegas qualifications. Non-original members must play at least 8 weeks in any session within the year to be able to go with a team to the Vegas qualifier. It is the team captain’s responsibility to make sure his/her team meets the criterion.

    USAPL Scoring App is coming next week! We did a beta test to try out the scoring app and have determined it would be very useful to utilize this tool sooner than later. Big thanks to our beta testers Edgar M, Kiem B, and Jacob B! We will put together a How-To for the scoring app in the coming days, so keep your eyes open. We hope everyone will be able to utilize the scoring app next Tuesday 12/17/19, but still maintain the paper scoresheet in case there are some hiccups along the way. Come Spring 2020, scoring app should be the only utilized tool so we can cut down on paperwork and all the maths. 😉

    Patches – Apparently, we have been handing out patches wrong this session, but to the players’ benefits! We were literally raining patches lol! We are working on creating a section for available patches and how to earn them in the next coming weeks, but definitely before Spring 2020 starts. Those who have earned patches so far this session will still get them under the “wrong” rule we started out with, but just know that next session and sessions following, patches are not awarded based on every rack (more explanation to follow).

    Speaking of patches, congrats to the following players who won patches from past Tuesday:
    ADAM – Winzip – 8 ball
    DOUG – Winzip – 8 ball
    MATT G – Winzip – 8 ball
    EDGAR – Winzip – 8 ball
    ANDREW – Winzip – 8 ball    		 ROBERT – Win on Break – 9 ball
    ROBERT – Winzip – 9 ball
    MATT G – Win on Break – 9 ball
    BRUNO – Winzip – 9 ball

    We know this is a lot of information and material to take in, but if you’ve reach this point, thank you for sticking with us! More updates to come soon!

  • 12/04/19

    Scores from Week 3 have been entered and current team standings are now displayed. We have TWO more weeks left of this Fall Session! Remember, the first place team(s) of 8 Ball and 9 Ball at the end of the session will automatically be entered into the Vegas Qualifier – no playoffs needed! This is a one time only opportunity so grab the spot while you can!

    There has also been a section added to the logged in portion of the website. Those who are logged in can now access all match logs from previous weeks. This is a good tool for captains to see who played in previous weeks, how many matches a member has played throughout the session, players’ trend in Fargo Rates, wins and losses, etc etc. The website will be changing and things will get added as this league grows, so keep your eyes open.  We want this website to be utilized as much as possible for updates and information, so please let us know what you would like to see and we will try to make it happen the best we can.

    As discussed last night during league, we now have Digital Pay options. The same memo was included in the team packets yesterday, but we have also included it here for future references:

    Some players have mentioned their inability to log into or create an account for the Fargo Rate website and/or app. We have a contact at FargoRate office who will assist with setting up accounts. Please send us an email and we will compile a list of everyone who is having this issue and send it all together at once.

    We want to congratulate the following players on earning patches from Week 3:

    JACOB – Winzip – 8 ball
    PEARL – Winzip – 8 ball
    P K – Winzip – 8 ball
    PHILLIPE – Winzip – 9 ball
    PHILLIPE – Break & Run – 9 ball
    EDGAR – Winzip – 9 ball    		 DOUG – Winzip – 9 ball
    DOUG – Break & Run – 9 ball
    JASON – Winzip x 2- 9 ball
    MATT – Winzip – 9 ball
    PONCE – Winzip x 2 – 9 ball

    See you next Tuesday!

  • 11/13/19

    Good afternoon everyone!

    Last night was the very first official USAPL league night for Houston. We hope everyone had a great time! Yes, there were a few learning curves along the way, but we certainly think it went pretty well!


    At this time, we want to introduce the league website to everyone:  HoustonUSAPL.com

    On the website, you will be able to click into “DIVISIONS”, then click into “SLICKS MONTROSE TUE” to access the current session schedule as well as current 8 & 9 ball team standings.  There is a date indicating when the information is last updated.  You will also see a “QUICK LINKS” section for you to access the USAPL Race-To Calculator easily.
    This website is a work in progress and as the weeks go by, you will see updates and changes being added/moved around.  If there is something you would like to see posted on the website for all league members to see, please let us know! Keep in mind that this is a PUBLIC website and what information you want on there will be visible to all.

    In the coming weeks, we are working on DIGITAL PAYMENT options.  By doing so, we hope to alleviate players who may not always carry cash on them. More instructions will be provided to everyone once that is available.  In the meantime, just a reminder that Team Captains are responsible for collecting the team’s fees/dues at the end of the night!


    If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to us!
    Thank you for your support, and we hope you have a wonderful rest of your week!