The Pool
11. Restoring a Position
When necessary for balls to be restored or cleaned, the referee will restore disturbed balls to their original positions to the best of his ability. The players must accept the referee?s judgment as to placement.
12. Outside Interference
When outside interference occurs during a shot that has an effect on the outcome of that shot, the referee will restore the balls to the positions they had before the shot, and the shot will be replayed. If the interference had no effect on the shot, the referee will restore the disturbed balls and play will continue. If the balls cannot be restored to their original positions, the situation is handled like a stalemate.
13. Prompting Calls and Protesting Rulings
If a player feels that the referee has made an error in judgment, he may ask the referee to reconsider his call or lack of call, but the referee?s decision on judgment calls is final. However, if the player feels that the referee is not applying the rules correctly, he may ask for ruling by the designated appeals authority. The referee will suspend play while this appeal is in process. Fouls must be called promptly.
14. Concession
If a player concedes, he loses the match. For example, if a player unscrews his jointed playing cue stick while the opponent is at the table and during the opponent?s decisive rack of a match, it will be considered a concession of the match.
15. Stalemate
If the referee observes that no progress is being made towards a conclusion, he will announce his decision, and each player will have three more turns at the table. Then, if the referee determines that there is still no progress, he will declare a stalemate. If both players agree, they may accept the stalemate without taking their three additional turns. The procedure for a stalemate is specified under the rules for each game.
16. Eight ball
Eight ball is a pool game popular in much of the world, and the subject of international professional and amateur competition. Played on a pool table with six pockets, the game is so universally known in some countries that beginners are often unaware of other pool games and believe the word pool itself refers to eight ball. The game has numerous variations, including Alabama eight ball, crazy eight, last pocket, misery, Missouri, 1 and 15 in the sides, rotation eight ball, soft eight, and others. Standard eight ball is the second most competitive professional pool game, after nine ball and for the last several decades ahead of straight pool.
Eight ball is played with 16 balls: a cue ball, and 15 object balls consisting of seven striped balls, seven solid colored balls and the black 8 ball. After the balls are scattered with a break shot, the players are assigned either the group of solid balls or the stripes once a ball from a particular group is legally pocketed. The ultimate object of the game is to legally pocket the eight ball in a called pocket, which can only be done after all of the balls from a players assigned group have been cleared from the table.
Eight ball is played with 16 balls: a cue ball, and 15 object balls consisting of seven striped balls, seven solid colored balls and the black 8 ball. After the balls are scattered with a break shot, the players are assigned either the group of solid balls or the stripes once a ball from a particular group is legally pocketed. The ultimate object of the game is to legally pocket the eight ball in a called pocket, which can only be done after all of the balls from a players assigned group have been cleared from the table.
17. Equipments
The tables playing surface is approximately 9 by 4.5 feet (2.7 by 1.4 m) (regulation size), though some leagues and tournaments using the World Standardized Rules may allow smaller sizes, down to 7 by 3.5 feet (2.1 by 1.1 m), and early 20th century 10 by 5 feet (3.0 by 1.5 m) models are sometimes also used.
There are seven solid colored balls numbered 1 through 7, seven striped balls numbered 9 through 15, an 8 ball, and a cue ball. The balls are usually colored as follows:
1 and 9: yellow
2 and 10: blue
3 and 11: red
4 and 12: purple (TV: pink)1
5 and 13: orange
6 and 14: green
7 and 15: brown (TV: tan)1
8 black
Cue white
1 Special sets designed to be more easily discernible on television substitute a rather light tan shade for the normally darker brown of the 7 and 15 balls, and pink for the dark purple of the 4 and 12; these alternative color sets are now also available to consumers.
There are seven solid colored balls numbered 1 through 7, seven striped balls numbered 9 through 15, an 8 ball, and a cue ball. The balls are usually colored as follows:
1 Special sets designed to be more easily discernible on television substitute a rather light tan shade for the normally darker brown of the 7 and 15 balls, and pink for the dark purple of the 4 and 12; these alternative color sets are now also available to consumers.
18. Setup
To start the game, the object balls are placed in a triangular rack. The base of the rack is parallel to the end rail and positioned so the apex ball of the rack is located on the foot spot.
The balls in the rack are ideally placed so that they are all in contact with one another; this is accomplished by pressing the balls together from the back of the rack toward the apex ball.
The order of the balls should be random, with the exceptions of the 8 ball, which must be placed in the center of the rack , and the two back corner balls one of which must be a stripe and the other a solid. The cue ball is placed anywhere the breaker desires inside the kitchen.
The balls in the rack are ideally placed so that they are all in contact with one another; this is accomplished by pressing the balls together from the back of the rack toward the apex ball.
The order of the balls should be random, with the exceptions of the 8 ball, which must be placed in the center of the rack , and the two back corner balls one of which must be a stripe and the other a solid. The cue ball is placed anywhere the breaker desires inside the kitchen.
19. Break
One person is chosen (by a predetermined method, e.g., coin flip, win or loss of previous game, or lag) to shoot first and break the object ball rack apart. If the shooter who breaks fails to make a legal break , then the opponent can call for a re rack and become the breaker, or elect to play from the current position of the balls.
Long exposure photograph of a break in eight ball
According to World Standardized Rules, if the 8 ball is pocketed on the break without fouling, the breaker may ask for a re rack and break again, or have the 8 ball spotted and continue shooting with the balls as they like. If the breaker scratches while pocketing the 8 ball on the break, the incoming player may call for a re rack and break, or have the 8 ball spotted and begin shooting with ball in hand behind the head string, with the balls as they lie.
Long exposure photograph of a break in eight ball
According to World Standardized Rules, if the 8 ball is pocketed on the break without fouling, the breaker may ask for a re rack and break again, or have the 8 ball spotted and continue shooting with the balls as they like. If the breaker scratches while pocketing the 8 ball on the break, the incoming player may call for a re rack and break, or have the 8 ball spotted and begin shooting with ball in hand behind the head string, with the balls as they lie.
20. Turns
A player (or team) will continue to shoot until committing a foul, or failing to legally pocket an object ball on a non foul shot (whether intentionally or not). Thereupon it is the turn of the opposing player(s). Play alternates in this manner for the remainder of the game. Following a foul, the incoming player has ball in hand anywhere on the table, unless the foul occurred on the break shot, as noted previously.
