What are the real rules of 8-ball pool?

Eight Ball is a call shot game played with a cue ball and fifteen object balls, numbered 1 through 15. One player must pocket balls of the group numbered 1 through 7 (solid colors), while the other player has 9 thru 15 (stripes). THE PLAYER POCKETING HIS GROUP FIRST AND THEN LEGALLY POCKETING THE 8-BALL WINS THE GAME.

What are the official rules of pool?

What are the official scratch rules in 8 ball pool?

Scratching on the 8-ball is not a loss of game as long as the 8-ball was not pocketed. If the first object ball contacted by the cue ball is not a numbered ball from the shooter's established group, it is a ball in hand foul.

What is a foul in 8 ball pool?

If a player fails to hit the 8-ball while shooting at it, it is a foul and the game continues. When the 8-ball is the legal object ball, a scratch or foul is not a loss of game if the 8-ball is not pocketed or jumped off the table. Incoming player has cue ball in hand.

What is an illegal hit in pool?

It is a foul (scratch) if on a stroke, the cue ball is pocketed. If the cue ball touches an object ball that was already pocketed (for example, in a pocket full of object balls), the shot is a foul.

The Rules of 8 Ball Pool (Eight Ball Pool) - EXPLAINED!

What happens if you don't hit anything with the cue ball?

If no ball is pocketed on a shot, the cue ball must contact an object ball, and after that contact at least one ball (cue ball or any object ball) must be driven to a rail, or the shot is a foul.

Can you put the cue ball anywhere after a scratch?

A scratch, foul, or illegal shot results in ball-in-hand, where your opponent can place the cue ball anywhere on the table in preparation for the next shot. The only exception to this is the break (see the 8-ball and 9-ball differences that follow).

What happens if you scratch while shooting the 8-ball?

A scratch is also considered a foul in 8-Ball scratch rules, and in most rule versions, it will result in an immediate forfeit. This is true only if both the 8-ball and the cue ball are pocketed in the same shot. If the 8-ball isn't pocketed but the cue ball is, your opponent receives a ball in hand instead.

What happens if you scratch on the shot before the 8-ball?

If the breaker scratches while pocketing the 8-ball on the break, the incoming player has the option of a re-rack or having the 8-ball spotted and begin shooting with ball in hand behind the headstring.

What are the rules for the last ball in 8-ball pool?

In standard 8-ball, the player who drops the 8-ball into any pocket wins. In last pocket 8-ball, you must pocket the 8-ball in the same pocket where you put your last object ball. If you were shooting stripes and made your final striped ball in the far right pocket, then that makes it your last pocket.

What is the 2 shot rule on in 8-ball pool?

In the event of a foul, the opposing player receives two shots and these shots carry (i.e. if a ball is potted on the first shot, the player still has two shots). When a player gets two shots, they can pick up the white ball and place it anywhere behind the line.

What are the 3 point rules in pool?

The 3-point break rule is in effect. For a break to be legal a player must drive 3 object balls past the head string, or a combination of 3 pocketed balls and balls above the head string. Failure to execute a legal break is not a foul.

Does the 8-ball have to go in clean?

PLAYING THE 8-BALL.

An interesting variation that comes more often than one would be imagine is that the last object ball prior to the 8- ball must go in clean, so the player cannot play a carom for their last object ball. There are some areas that do not require that the 8-ball go clean.

Do you look at cue ball or object ball?

Best results can vary from one person to another, but it is generally recommended to focus on the object ball (or the center of the ghost ball, desired contact point, ball-hit fraction, or a point on the cloth or cushion) instead of the cue ball during the final stroke.

What happens if you make a stripe and solid?

In this situation, if the cue ball hits a striped ball first and you pocket a solid, then the ball remains pocketed. However, your turn would immediately end.

Do you have to call pocket on 8-ball?

In Call Shot, obvious balls and pockets do not have to be indicated. It is the opponent's right to ask which ball and pocket if he is unsure of the shot. Bank shots and combination shots are not considered obvious, and care should be taken in calling both the object ball and the intended pocket.

What happens if you pocket the 8-ball?

Pocketing the 8 ball

If the player knocks the 8 ball off the table, the player loses the game. If the player pockets the 8 ball and commits a foul or pockets it into another pocket than the one designated, the player loses the game.

Can you hit the cue ball while its moving?

8. Causing even the slightest movement of the cue ball, even accidentally, is a foul. It is not a foul to accidentally move any other balls (including the 8-ball) unless, during the process of shooting, a player moves a ball and it in turn strikes the cue ball. Even dropping the chalk on the cue ball is a foul.

Do you have to hit a rail in 8-ball?

Failure to hit a rail after contact. A sentence that should answer many questions is: "ANY ball (including the cue ball) must go to a rail AFTER LEGAL contact." A pocketed ball counts as a rail.

Do you have to call your shot in pool?

If the shot is obvious, you don't have to call it, but your opponent is entitled to ask if he or she is not sure. If you pot a ball that you did not call (called “slopping”), official rules say to leave the ball in the pocket. However, many people prefer to return the slopped ball to the footspot.

Why is scooping illegal pool?

Is a “scoop” jump shot a foul, even if there is no miscue or multiple hit? Yes. Here is the pertinent quote from WPA Rule 8.18: A scoop shot, in which the cue tip contacts the playing surface and the cue ball at the same time and this causes the cue ball to rise off the cloth, is treated like a miscue.