The Iowa Pool Tournament Index
What it costs to play competitive pool in Iowa — computed from 34 live tournament listings at 17 pool halls and bars. Updated November 2026. Free to cite with a link to this page.
Weekly tournaments by night
Key findings
- The median entry fee for a Iowa pool tournament is $10, below the U.S. median of $20 (from the 23 Iowa listings that publish a fee).
- Centerville is the cheapest place to play in Iowa (median $10); Merrill is the most expensive at $20.
- Friday is Iowa's biggest pool night with 8 weekly tournaments, ahead of Sat (6), Sun (5).
- Centerville hosts the most tournaments in the state (7).
- 8-Ball is Iowa's game of choice, 13 events to Mix's 10.
- 1 of 34 listings (3%) post a Fargo cap — handicap-protected events for amateur players.
- Iowa venues add $750 per week of guaranteed added money across the weekly tournaments that publish it.
Median entry fee by city
Cities with at least 5 fee-listing tournaments, cheapest first.
| City | Median entry | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| Centerville | $10 | 6 |
| Merrill | $20 | 5 |
Most tournaments by city
| City | Tournaments |
|---|---|
| Centerville | 7 |
| Merrill | 5 |
| Clive | 4 |
| Ottumwa | 4 |
| Marshalltown | 3 |
| Cedar Rapids | 2 |
| Chariton | 2 |
| Council Bluffs | 2 |
| Melbourne | 2 |
| Clinton | 1 |
Every pool tournament in Iowa → · The national Pool Tournament Index →
Methodology
Action Buddy aggregates public tournament listings and venue submissions across Iowa. Each recurring weekly series counts once. Fee statistics use the 23 events that publish an entry fee. Figures regenerate automatically as the dataset refreshes; media are welcome to cite this page (attribution: Action Buddy, https://actionbuddy.app/pool-tournament-index/ia/).
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