U.S. Open Pool Championship

Over the years, the number of participants steadily increased, reaching its current level of 256 players.

The tournament's original venue was Q-Master Billiards pool hall, in Norfolk, Virginia, which hosted the event, other than one year, from 1976 until 1988.

Most professional pool "double-elimination" events, however, are not true double-elimination formats, where the player who reaches the finals from the loser's side has to defeat the winner's side player twice for the title.

However, the final match, as is customary with most professional nine-ball tournaments today, is one extended race.

Each female player must qualify through the Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA), the professional women's billiards tour based in the United States, in order to compete in this annual event.