The rack

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 remaining balls is generally considered to be random. However, in some handicapped tournaments, the ball being spotted to the lesser player must be one of the two balls placed behind the 1 ball at the apex of the rack. An imaginary line drawn through the one ball and back apex of the diamond should be parallel to the long rails of the table (perpendicular to the short rails). The placement of balls is expected to be precise, especially in league and tournament play; If any ball in the rack does not touch each adjacent ball, or if the rack is not straight, or if the 1 ball is not resting precisely on the foot spot, the player assigned the break may demand a re rack.