Congratulations to the 2024
Polk County USA Pool League Shootout Champions
8 Ball - 2 Live Cue
9 Ball - 9 Ball Shooters
Let's Get Ready for Vegas!!
Now that you have won the Polk County USA Pool League 8 Ball or 9 Ball Shootout to go play in the USA Pool League National Championships what next? We need to get you out there, get you a place to sleep, and get you some travel assistance. Here is how this works for the Polk County USA Pool League. I want you to know up front that you are receiving Travel Assistance and that your Travel Assistance does not cover the entire trip but just helps offset the cost of going and playing in the National Championships. This is true for almost every pool league when you win their Vegas Qualifying trip . First you are going to make your reservation for your flight and for your hotel. After you do that then you are going to show the Polk County USAPL League Manager your reservations. Then the LM will release to you your travel assistance after you sign a form stating you will be in Las Vegas at a minimum the day before your format starts and staying until the tournament ends and if you do not meet this requirement that you will return to the LM the amount of money equal to the Travel Assistance you received. That is the easy way to explain the process. This process is designed with three people sharing a hotel room together but we know that is not always the case and some people on the team, for any a number of reasons, may not want to have two others in their room.
I highly recommend that you go to the USA Pool League National Championships Webpage and do a lot of looing around on it. There is all kinds of information on it to help you. It will give you the link on how to book a room, the players guide, dress codes, tournament regulations and even the entry form. I highly recommend you look through the USA Pool League National Championships Players Guide and Tournament Regulations before you get there and it is not a bad idea for the captain to have a copy of these with him/her.
Where to Stay
It is recommended that you stay in the RIO All Suites Casino as that is the host site. We do know that there are reasons that the Rio Casino may not be where you end up. Advantages of staying at the Rio include simply being on site and not needing a rental car to get to the Rio. There are numerous places to eat and the Rio has a good selection of entertainment for most anyone. You may have reasons to stay off site at a different hotel/casino or even want to do an Airbnb or VRBO for your booking. Where you stay is up to you but just know that if you are staying offsite you need to plan for how you are going to get to the RIO at anytime of the day so think of the cost for Uber, taxis, buses, rental car, or some other way. If you do want to stay at the Rio Casino here is the USA Pool League Link to make a reservation. Book early as it will sell out.
How to get There
Like the movie says Planes, Trains and Automobiles. It is up to you how you get there but I highly recommend you fly and that you are there the day before the tournament starts for the format you are playing in. If you try flying into Las Vegas the morning of the tournament you may cost your team the tournament by being late before the tournament even starts. When you are booking your flight make sure you take into account that there may be checked luggage fees and fees for bringing a bag to store in the overhead. I know there are quite a few airlines charging fees for where you sit, when you board and other hidden fees so please look out for those.
2025 USA Pool League National Championships Schedule
This is the schedule for everything happening at the Championships:
General Things to Know about Vegas
This is the city of bright lights and loud sounds. There is something to do every minute of the day and more than you can do in a week. Prices in Las Vegas are higher than what you are use to in Polk County. That doesn't mean though that there are not deals out there to help keep cost down or some strategies you can't use to keep cost down either. You will more than likely want to plan to trade of the cost of something to be able to pay for something else. One way that I do this is by staying at an Airbnb that I know has a kitchen or kitchenette with a microwave. Then I go to Von's (Vegas version of Publix) and pick up some items to have for breakfast or some breakfast bowls. This saves me from spending $25 dollars every morning for breakfast. I use the money I save to put towards other things like transportation or entertainment. There are so many things you can do in Vegas that are free or very cheap if you look for them. If you want to catch a big show or have an expensive meal you will find those too. I recommend watching on You tube or TikTok two of my favorite channels to find out what is going on in Vegas. The first channel is Norma Geli and the second is Vegas Starfish. I must say that we followed Norma's advice and tried out Joel's Steakhouse last year. The Owner and Chef, Joel, even came out to talk with us after he found out we were there based off of Norma's recommendation. We did the Tomahawk Tuesday Special and it was incredible. The special was a 44oz Australian Wagyu Tomahawk Ribeye Steak. My significant other Tina still talks about how incredible that experience was. This year we are listening to Norma again and heading to the Golden Steer for dinner.
What to wear for the tournament and Vegas
For the USA Pool League National Championships you will need to follow "Dress Code A". Here is the link to the dress code. Your team will need to have a collared shirt on while playing and your team will have to have matching shirts. You are not allowed to swap shirts between players. I will tell you now the referees will enforce the dress code so make sure you are compliant at all times. While playing on a pool table in the conference rooms for a match, practice, or a mini they will enforce this and ask you to stop playing if you are not within the dress code. I cannot stress enough to know the dress code and follow it. How about what to wear for just for Vegas in general. Best thing I can tell you is to catch the weather report about 5 days before you leave and pack accordingly. We have been out there when it has snowed in February and we have been out there when shorts and a hoodie were perfect. The weather fluctuates a lot out there be prepared and plan accordingly or you might need to do some shopping while there.
A Little About the Rio Casino/Hotel and Surrounding Area
It is under renovations at this time. They are making lots of changes as it is under new ownership. The Rio was feeling a little run down but the ownership/management is changing that. They eliminated the old buffet and replaced it with a food court. It looks Hash House a Go-Go has improved and that some of the other restaurants in the Rio are coming back. I know the one tower has had the rooms renovated and that they are renovating more of them. I am looking forward to seeing some of the new changes that the Rio has done and I am hoping that the experience for the players will only get better out there. Below is a map of where some local restaurants are that are better priced than the Rio (Denny's, Chik Fil A, Del Taco, and Wahoo Fish Taco) and Walgreens (Big Liquor Selection). The red circle is a half mile to help you judge distance. We have spent a few nights at this Denny's at midnight after finishing a match.
USAPL Vegas/ National Level Documentation