Player eligibility, team setup, sessions, match formats, scoring, attendance, and late-session rules.
Players must meet all league requirements before playing:
| Fee | Amount | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| League membership | Waived First Season | League membership and eligibility to play sessions and qualifying finals. Waived for the first season (a savings of $294 a team! based on a 6-player roster). |
| Weekly team match | $14 per player per week | Weekly team matches during active sessions. |
These fees allow members to play in the yearly sessions, compete for session prize money, and compete in finals prize money if their team qualifies.
ABL supports two team formats:
| Format | Active players | Roster limit |
|---|---|---|
| Five-player team | 5 league members | Up to 6 players |
| Three-player team | 3 league members | Up to 4 players |
Every team must have one team captain. The captain is responsible for paying the weekly fees for the team’s players, regardless of how many players show up.
No professional player is allowed in the league.
ABL sessions usually run 15-16 weeks. The first league year may include four sessions; standard league years have three sessions.
Teams can play one, two, or all sessions. Each session starts with a clean slate for team points. Session points do not carry over from one session to another. Established player handicaps do carry into the next session.
Teams play one team match per week during a session. Teams accumulate points from weekly player-match results. Teams with the most points in their group at the end of a session enter the session playoff for prize money and year-end finals qualification.
Five-player teams play five player matches each week. A player match can be:
The race length allows slower players to play fewer games and faster players to play more when needed.
Three-player teams play the same opponent two race-to-three sets each league night. Those sets do not have to be played sequentially.
The first break of each player match is decided by lagging. After that, breaks alternate between the two players, regardless of who won the previous game. Players with a 4+ handicap may have someone from their team break for them.
Games do not need to be played sequentially. If only one table is available, every player match can complete Game 1 before the group moves to Game 2, and so on.
The ABL app now handles scoring and random player matchups. Matchups are random each week and are not based on skill level, handicap, or ranking.
If a player is on both teams and the app or draw creates a matchup where the player would play themself, the matchup must be regenerated.
At the end of the team match, each team has a number of player-match wins and losses. Team points are based on those results.
| Player-match result | Team points |
|---|---|
| 5 wins, 0 losses | 15.00 |
| 4 wins, 1 loss | 12.00 |
| 3 wins, 2 losses | 10.00 |
| 2 wins, 3 losses | 8.00 |
| 1 win, 4 losses | 6.00 |
| 0 wins, 5 losses | 4.50 |
| Forfeit win | 10.00 |
| Forfeit loss | 4.50 |
During the first four weeks of a session, the scoring system gives teams 2.00 points for each player-match win and 1.00 point for each player-match loss. This gives players time to establish a more accurate handicap.
| Player-match result | Calculation | Team points |
|---|---|---|
| 5 wins, 0 losses | 5 wins x 2.00 + 0 losses x 1.00 | 10.00 |
| 4 wins, 1 loss | 4 wins x 2.00 + 1 loss x 1.00 | 9.00 |
| 3 wins, 2 losses | 3 wins x 2.00 + 2 losses x 1.00 | 8.00 |
| 2 wins, 3 losses | 2 wins x 2.00 + 3 losses x 1.00 | 7.00 |
| 1 win, 4 losses | 1 win x 2.00 + 4 losses x 1.00 | 6.00 |
| 0 wins, 5 losses | 0 wins x 2.00 + 5 losses x 1.00 | 5.00 |
If only four players show up for a team match during the first four weeks, the team receives a 1.00 point penalty from its total match score.
After weeks 5-14, bonus points may be added for the remainder of the session. Bonus points are announced at the end of week 13.
If only four players show up on a five-player team, another player from that team may shoot twice: once for the absent player and once for themself. The player shooting twice is randomly selected from the four present team members.
The team can choose any rostered player who is not present as the absent player. The player shooting the extra match uses their own handicap, but their own handicap is not affected by the extra match result. The absent player’s handicap reflects the result of the match played for them.
If three or fewer players show up, the team forfeits.
Repeated short roster review
If a team shows up two weeks in a row with only four players, or forfeits two weeks in a row, the league can review the circumstances and decide whether to cancel that team’s membership for one year. During the review week, the team is suspended from team play and forfeits that match.
Teams may join a session during the first four weeks. A late team has two options:
Makeup matches require scheduling balance. If a late team chooses Option 2, another late team generally also needs to choose Option 2 so the missed matches can be made up.
If a team falls below the required roster size during the first four weeks, the team can add a new or existing league member. After the first four weeks, the team can only add an existing league member who is already playing in that session on another team.
New league members start with a two handicap. Existing league members use their established league handicap.
