Rules to play 9 ball Pool

1. The player who wins the lag chooses who will break the first rack. (See 1.2 Lagging to Determine Order of Play.) The standard format is to alternate the break, but see Regulation 15, Subsequent Break Shots. .....

Nine ball rack

2. The object balls are racked as tightly as possible in a diamond shape, with the one ball at the apex of the diamond and on the foot spot and the nine ball in the middle of the diamond. The other balls will be placed in the diamond without purposeful or intentional pattern. (See Regulation 4, Racking Tapping of Balls.) .....

Legal break shot

3. The following rules apply to the break shot: (a) the cue ball begins in hand behind the head string; and (b) if no ball is pocketed, at least four object balls must be driven to one or more rails, or the shot is a foul. (See Regulation 17, Open Break Requirements.) .....

Second Shot of the Rack Push Out

4. If no foul is committed on the break shot, the shooter may choose to play a push out as his shot. He must make his intention known to the referee, and then rules 6.2 Wrong Ball First and 6.3 No Rail after Contact are suspended for the shot. If no foul is committed on a push out, the other player chooses who will shoot next. .....

Continuing play

5. If the shooter legally pockets any ball on a shot (except a push out, see 2.4 Second Shot of the Rack Push Out), he continues at the table for the next shot. If he legally pockets the nine ball on any shot (except a push out), he wins the rack. If the shooter fails to pocket a ball or fouls, play passes to the other player, and if no foul was committed, the incoming player must play the cue ball from the position left by the other player. .....

Spotting balls

6. If the nine ball is pocketed on a foul or push out, or driven off the table, it is spotted. (See 1.4 Spotting Balls.) No other object ball is ever spotted. .....

Standard fouls

7. If the shooter commits a standard foul, play passes to his opponent. The cue ball is in hand, and the incoming player may place it anywhere on the playing surface. .....

Serious fouls

8. For 6.14 Three Consecutive Fouls, the penalty is loss of the current rack. For 6.16 Unsportsmanlike Conduct, the referee will choose a penalty appropriate given the nature of the offense. .....

The rack

9. The object balls are placed in a diamond shaped configuration, with the 1 ball positioned at the front (toward the position of the breaking player) on the foot spot, and the 9 ball placed in the center. The physical rack used to position the balls is typically triangle shaped, usually wood or plastic, and capable of holding all fifteen object balls, although diamond shaped racks that hold only nine balls are sometimes used. The placement of the r .....

The break

10. One person is chosen to shoot first, by breaking the rack. Usually this is determined by flipping a coin, or by lagging, especially in professional tournaments in the case of the latter, or it may be ruled by the authority in charge, the sponsor or the players themselves that the winner or loser of the previous game will always shoot first in the next rack. As with most pocket billiard games, the base of the cue ball must be behind the head strin .....

The push out

11. After the break (regardless of its result), before the second shot of the game, the player at the table may call a push out. A push out can be called by the breaking player if he legally pocketed a ball on the break, or the non breaking player if no ball was pocketed on the break. Calling a push out for the shot after the break allows the player taking the shot to legally hit the cue ball in almost any fashion with no foul, with the exception tha .....

Winning

12. Winning a game occurs any time a player hits the lowest numbered ball first and pockets the 9 ball without committing a foul. When only the 9 ball is on the table, this is straightforward and obvious; however, when other balls remain on the table, any number of events can result in victory so long as the above requirements are met. Loss of game can occur if three successive fouls are committed and the fouling player is warned audibly or visually .....

Texas express

13. For much of its history nine ball rules allowed participants to push out multiple times during a game (see The push out, above, for the modern push out rules), meaning any player could call a push out, and then hit the cue ball to any area on the table without being penalized by normal foul rules, such as failure to contact the lowest numbered ball on the table. However, once a push out was called and executed, the incoming player had the right t .....

Ball kiss

14. 9 Ball Kiss (also carom nine) is played with the usual nine ball rack, but breaking with the 1 ball, with the cue ball placed at the head of the rack (in the usual place of the 1 ball). As in regular 9 ball, play progresses from the lowest numbered ball on the table; however a legal shot is made by shooting the object ball rather than the cue ball. The object ball must make first contact with the cue ball to count as a legal shot, the goal being .....

Object of the game

15. Nine Ball is played with nine object balls numbered one through nine and a cue ball. On each shot the first ball the cue ball contacts must be the lowest numbered ball on the table, but the balls need not be pocketed in order. If a player pockets any ball on a legal shot, he remains at the table for another shot, and continues until he misses, fouls, or wins the game by pocketing the 9 ball. After a miss, the incoming player must shoot from the p .....

Racking the balls

16. The object balls are racked in a diamond shape, with the one ball at the top of the diamond and on the foot spot, the nine ball in the center of the diamond, and the other balls in random order, racked as tightly as possible. the game begins with cue ball in hand behind the head string. .....

the Legal break shot

17. The rules governing the break shot are the same as for other shots except: a. The breaker must strike the 1 ball first and either pocket a ball or drive at least four numbered balls to the rail. b. If the cue ball is pocketed or driven off the table, or the requirements of the opening break are not met, it is a foul, and the incoming player has cue ball in hand anywhere on the table. c. If on the break shot, the breaker causes an object ball t .....

Bad hit

18. If the first object ball contacted by the cue ball is not the lowest numbered ball on the table, the shot is foul. .....

No rail

19. If no object ball is pocketed, failure to drive the cue ball or any numbered ball to a rail after the cue ball contacts the object ball on is a foul. .....

In hand

20. When the cue ball is in hand, the player may place the cue ball anywhere on the bed of the table, except in contact with an object ball. He may continue to adjust the position of the cue ball until he takes a shot. .....

Object balls jumped off the table

21. An unpocketed ball is considered to be driven off the table if it comes to rest other than on the bed of the table. It is a foul to drive an object ball off the table. The jumped object ball(s) is not respotted (exception: if the object ball is the 9 ball, it is respotted) and play continues. .....

Jump and masse shot foul

22. If a match is not refereed, it will be considered a cue ball foul if during an attempt to jump, curve or masse the cue ball over or around an impeding numbered ball, the impeding ball moves (regardless of whether it was moved by a hand, cue stick follow through or bridge). .....

Three consecutive fouls

23. If a player fouls three consecutive times on three successive shots without making an intervening legal shot, he loses the game. The three fouls must occur in one game. The warning must be given between the second and third fouls.A players inning begins when it is legal for him to take a shot and ends at the end of a shot on which he misses, fouls or wins, or when he fouls between shots. .....

End of game

24. A game starts as soon as the cue ball crosses over the head string on the opening break. The 1 ball must be legally contacted on the break shot. The game ends at the end of a legal shot which pockets the 9 ball; or when a player forfeits the game as the result of a foul. .....