APL (Australian Poker League) FAQs

The Australian Poker League (APL) is Australia’s largest provider of in-venue poker tournaments, held in licensed venues such as pubs, clubs, and hotels. 

APL offers professionally run Texas Hold’em tournaments that drive consistent weekly patronage and increase food and beverage revenue.

APL runs structured poker events using standardised rules and format.

A professional tournament director facilitates the event. Players register via the APL platform or at the event, competing for points, prizes, and cash—returning each week to build their skills and have fun.

All materials, rules, and promotional assets are supplied to the venue by APL.

APL offers:

• Weekly local tournaments hosted in venues
• Seasonal State Finals for top leaderboard players
• APL Poker Tour (APLPT) major city events
• APL Million – a flagship national tournament with a $1 million+ prize pool

Hosting APL events provides:

• Increased midweek foot traffic
• Higher food and beverage sales
• Repeat visitation from a loyal player base
• Marketing support (email, SMS, socials, POS)
• Fully compliant, turn-key poker solution

Yes. APL poker events comply with Australian gaming regulations and are considered games of skill. APL operates under appropriate licenses and ensures events meet venue and regional gaming requirements.

Most venues need:

• 2–6 poker tables (or standard function tables)
• Adequate space for players (8–10 per table)
• A designated area for a tournament director or host
• APL supplies table kits, chips, cards, dealer buttons, signage, and scoring systems.
• Chairs not provided, 8 per table required

APL provides:

• A trained tournament host
• Support from an APL Area Manager
• Access to player systems, leaderboard management, and dispute handling

Venues can:

• Visit entainvenues.com.au/apl-in-venue-poker-events
• Submit an expression of interest
• An APL representative will assess your venue and suggest an event schedule tailored to your needs

Players:

• Must be 18+ with valid ID
• Register for free at playAPL.com
• Join local games, earn points, and qualify for state and national finals
• Can earn Poker Tour Credits (PTC) to use at bigger buy-in events like the APLPT

• Players earn Leaderboard Points for each tournament based on their finishing position
• Points accumulate each season (usually quarterly)
• Top players qualify for State Finals and APL Poker Tour events

• APLPT (Poker Tour): A series of competitive events held in major cities with larger buy-ins and prize pools
• APL Million: Australia’s richest pub poker event with a guaranteed $2M+ prize pool, attracting thousands of players nationwide

• APL uses Tournament Directors Association (TDA) rules with in-house adaptations
• All games are No Limit Texas Hold’em
• Full rulebook is available at playapl.com/about/rules
• APL enforces a formal ethics charter and arbitration process for disputes

An average event runs for:

• 3.5 to 4 hours, including breaks
• Registration opens ~30 minutes before start
• Events are self-dealt until final tables (where appropriate)

APL provides:

• Full marketing toolkit: digital assets, posters, screens, SMS campaigns
• Training and onboarding: for venue staff or hosts
• Automated player communications: via email and app
• Live leaderboard and reporting tools for transparency and engagement

• Their chips are blinded out for up to 30 minutes
• No bonus points awarded if absent during point distribution
• After 30 minutes, chips may be removed from play (per APL rules)

• Events may be cancelled by the host or APL
• Cancelled events are not rescheduled and are removed from rankings
• Venues are encouraged to notify players in advance if possible

APL offers:

• A dedicated dispute resolution process
• Oversight by regional Poker Managers
• Adherence to the APL Member Charter, available on the website

• Venue inquiries: entainvenues.com.au/apl-in-venue-poker-events
• Player support and rules: playapl.com
• Contact APL: Via the contact form on either site