A pair of Somerdale residents are $5,000 richer after a recent visit to Sin City. But their good fortune didn’t happen in the casino.
Joey Rivera and Jatin Bhakta of the team dubbed the “A-Team” won the 2026 APA 9-Ball Doubles Pool Championship late last month in Las Vegas.
The A-Team were one of only 384 teams nationwide to qualify for the American Poolplayers Association’s (APA) 9-Ball Doubles Championship held at the Westgate Las Vegas.
The A-Team earned $5,000 and ultimate bragging rights upon returning home to their local poolroom.
The teammates are members of the local APA League in the Somerdale area where they play pool regularly.
The championship match was live-streamed and can be viewed at 2026 APA 9-Ball Doubles Championship Final.
The 9-Ball Doubles Championship, held April 26-27, was part of the APA’s Poolplayer Championships which featured 15 divisions of competition, more than 6,000 total players and nearly $1 million in prize money.
The APA, based in Lake Saint Louis, Mo., sanctions the world’s largest amateur pool league, known as the APA Pool League throughout the United States, and as the Canadian Pool League in Canada. More than 275,000 members compete in weekly 8-Ball and 9‑Ball League play. The APA is generally recognized as the Governing Body of Amateur Pool, having established the official rules, championships, formats and handicap systems for the sport of amateur billiards.
The APA produces three major tournaments—the APA World Pool Championships, the APA Poolplayer Championships and the U.S. Amateur Championship—that, together, pay out nearly $2 Million in cash and prizes annually!
The APA and its championships are sponsored by Aramith, Action Cues, Diamond Billiard Products, Kamui Tips and Pooldawg.com.
For more information on the American Poolplayers Association, visit poolplayers.com.