9-Ball Game Rules
Contents
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1. General Description |
7. Balls on the Floor |
| 1. General
Description - 9-Ball is played with a cue ball and nine objects
balls numbered 1 through 9. 9-Ball is a rotation game, meaning the
balls are shot in numerical order. The shooter must strike the
lowest numbered ball on the table first. The game is over when the 9-ball is legally pocketed. A player retains his turn at the table as long as he strikes the lowest numbered ball first and legally pockets a ball. He need not pocket the lowest numbered ball to continue shooting. He may, for example, shoot the 1-ball into the 4-ball thus pocketing the 4. He will continue shooting and must, once again, strike the 1-ball first. If the shooter shoots the 1-ball into the 9-ball and pockets the 9-ball without committing a foul, the game is over. 2. Lag - Method used to start a match. Players simultaneously shoot a ball from behind the head string, banking it off the foot rail and back to the head of the table. Striking the side rails or any pocket results in loss of the lag. The closest ball to the head rail wins. It is permissible to strike the head rail. If the lagged balls make contact during the lag, the lag is started over. 3. Racking - Nine balls are used and are racked in a diamond shape. The 1-ball is at the front of the rack and on the foot spot. The 9-ball is in the center and the rest of the object balls can be placed in any numerical order. All balls should be frozen (touching) as tightly as possible. The breaking player may request and receive a rerack. 4. Breaking -To be a legal break, players must break from behind the head string, the head ball must be struck first and at least four object balls must be driven to the rails or a ball must be pocketed. The cue ball may not be shot into a rail before the rack. Failure to strike the 1-ball first does not result in a foul. If the break does not qualify as legal, the balls are reracked and broken by the same player. If the break does not qualify as legal and results in a scratch, the balls are reracked and broken by the opposite player. THE RACK MUST BE STRUCK BEFORE A FOUL CAN OCCUR. Breaking safe or soft is not allowed. The League Operator may make judgments and issue penalties to teams and players who are not breaking hard. Breaking just hard enough to comply with this rule is not a guarantee against penalties. Remember; break as hard as you can with control. 5. After the Break - Various circumstances can occur upon completion of the break. They are: a. A foul on a legal break will result in ball-in-hand anywhere on the table for the breaker's opponent. Pocketed balls, if any, stay down (are not spotted), except the 9-ball. b. No balls are pocketed and it is the other player's turn. c. The 9-ball is pocketed. This is a win unless the player scratches, in which case the 9-ball is spotted and the player losses his turn to his opponent with ball-in-hand anywhere on the table. d. One ball or a number of balls are pocketed. It is still the breaker's turn and he shoots at the lowest numbered ball on the table. e. Occasionally it occurs that a player mistakenly shoots the wrong ball. Although it is sportsmanlike for the sitting player to remind the shooting player he is about to foul by shooting the wrong ball, he is not required to do so. Once the shooter has hit the wrong ball, the foul has occurred whether the ball is pocketed or not. If the ball is pocketed, it is permissible, though not recommended, that the sitting player allow the shooting player to continue shooting until he feels inclined to call the foul. The shooting player can escape penalty by quietly realizing his error and returning to shoot the correct ball and striking it first on a shot prior to his opponent calling the foul. In other words, the sitting player must call the foul before the shooter has shot the correct ball. Note: Push-outs are fairly standard in pro events and in the U.S. Amateur (conducted by the APA); however, APA rules for all handicapped competition does not allow push-outs. 6. Combination Shots - Combination shots are legal and extremely common in 9-Ball. Just make sure to hit the lowest numbered ball on the table first. 7. Balls on the Floor - Knocking the cue ball off the playing surface is covered under fouls. Object balls that get knocked off the playing surface will be immediately spotted on the foot spot. If the foot spot is taken, the ball will be placed on a line directly behind the foot spot as close to the foot spot as possible. If two balls are knocked on the floor, they are placed in numerical order with the lowest numbered ball closest to the foot spot. Spotted balls will be frozen to one another. Knocking an object ball on the floor is not a foul. It might occur that a player legally pockets a ball while simultaneously knocking some other ball(s) on the floor. In this situation, the ball(s) is spotted and the player continues shooting until he misses. 8. Pocketed Balls - Balls must remain in a pocket to be legal. If a ball goes in a pocket but bounces back onto the playing surface, it is not considered pocketed. Note: It occasionally happens on tables with small pockets that two balls become jammed in a pocket and are leaning over the edge of the slate to some degree. They are off the playing surface and are pocketed. Drop them in and resume playing the game unless the pocketing ends the game. 9. Spotting Balls - Other than the circumstances described in "Balls on the Floor," the only ball that will ever be spotted will be the 9-ball when the shooter has pocketed the 9-ball and scratched or otherwise fouled. If the shooter makes the 9-ball on the break and fouls or scratches, the 9-ball (and only the 9-ball) is spotted. If the shooter is shooting at the object ball and plays it into the 9-ball and pockets the 9-ball, but scratches or otherwise fouls in the process, the 9-ball is spotted. The incoming player has ball-in-hand and will be shooting at the lowest numbered ball on the table. Note: If a ball, which has been hanging in a pocket for more than a few seconds, suddenly falls in, it is to be placed back on the table where it was originally. 10. Fouls - If any of the following fouls are committed, the penalty is ball-in-hand for the incoming player. Make certain you have ball-in-hand before you touch the cue ball by confirming with your opponent. Ball-in-hand means you are allowed to place the cue ball anywhere on the table and shoot the lowest numbered ball on the table. Even after having addressed the cue ball, a player may, if not satisfied with the placement, make further adjustments with the hand, cue stick or any other reasonable piece of equipment. A foul may be called only if the player fouls while actually stroking the cue ball, meaning a double hit of the cue ball (sometimes called double clutching). The ball-in-hand rule penalizes a player for an error. Without this rule, a player could benefit by accidentally or purposely scratching or otherwise fouling. ONLY A PLAYER OR A COACH MAY OFFICIALLY CALL A FOUL, although anyone may suggest to the player or the coach that a foul should be called. |