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Any rule amendments will always be underlined.
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Object of the Game
The game of 8-Ball is played using fifteen object balls and one cue ball. There are two types of balls one of which are referred to as the “low balls” which are numbered 1-7 and are solid in color. Balls numbered 9-15 are “high balls” and are striped. In the game of 8-Ball there are two players. One must pocket the solid colored balls and one must pocket the striped balls. The player who pockets all of their balls and then pockets the 8-Ball legally wins the rack / game.
How to rack
The game of 8-Ball is played using fifteen object balls and one cue ball. There are two types of balls one of which are referred to as the “low balls” which are numbered 1-7 and are solid in color. Balls numbered 9-15 are “high balls” and are striped. In the game of 8-Ball there are two players. One must pocket the solid colored balls and one must pocket the striped balls. The player who pockets all of their balls and then pockets the 8-Ball legally wins the rack / game.
How to rack
8-Ball is racked in a triangular rack, and it is not racked in any specific order other than the 8-Ball which must be placed in the center.
Legal Break Shot
For a legal break shot, the player breaking must shoot towards the rack anywhere behind the head string. The breaker must pocket a ball, or have four numbered balls to any of the rails. If a ball is pocketed, then the ruling on driving four numbered balls to rails doesn’t matter. If any of the numbered balls are pocketed off the break and no foul occurs then the breaker continues to shoot. The table is still open no matter what numbered balls are pocketed. If the player breaking commits a foul upon the break shot, then it is up to the opposing player to either re-rack or play the rack as-is.
If the 8-Ball is pocketed on the break the player breaking gains 3 points for that rack towards their total number of points in the game so far. If the 8-Ball is pocketed on the break, and a foul occurs the player breaking is required to spot the 8-Ball and give up ball-in-hand to the opposing player.
This is a winner breaks format.
Everyone has the option to have a rack your own for your match. Both players must agree to rack their own, if both players don't agree to rack their own, they must continue as usual racking for their opponent. If both players don't agree on racking their own, they do then have an option to rack for themselves and their opponent. If their opponent is agreeable to this format. If not, continue as racking for your opponent only.
The head ball, or the second row of balls directly behind the head ball must be struck first for the break to be considered a legal break! Any ball struck behind the first two rows of balls without striking one of the first two rows first will be considered a non-legal break shot!
Live Point System
In this version of 8-Ball, every single ball (Solid and/or stripe) are considered 'Live Points'. Every single ball (With the exception of the 8-Ball) is in play no matter who is at the table. You are allowed a max of 9 points per rack, all of your numbered balls are worth 1 point, and the 8-Ball is worth 2 points. If you are shooting at solids and you make your object ball and an opponents stripe falls as well that point is counted towards your score and 1 point is given to your opponent as well. It is still played as slop, so there is no need to call your ball or your pocket. But be aware of accidentally pocketing your opponents balls. There are absolutely no dead balls, in this way will make scoring much easier to do as you only have to keep track of points. If you make all of your balls and the 8-Ball you are rewarded with 9 points, and if your opponent has 4 balls left on the table the ending score will be; 9-3. If a ball is thrown from the playing surface it will not result in ball-in-hand (Unless it's the cue ball), and the ball that leaves the playing surface will need to be spotted.
If you and/or your opponent has 1 point left until he/she wins the game, you are not allowed to win the game on your opponents good shot, and you are not allowed to lose the game on your good shot. In this case, the rule about spotting the ball comes into play. If you accidentally sink your opponents ball that would win them the game, you must spot that ball back up.
The only times balls come back out to be spotted on the table will be when a foul is committed (I.E. A scratch, cue ball strikes wrong colored ball, etc.) or when either player is on their last point of the match. These are the only times when a ball will come back out to be spotted. This is going to help with consistency throughout the rules.
Ball in Hand (Fouls)
Fouls will always result in ball in hand for the opposing player, they will be able to place the cue ball anywhere on the table that they like. If a foul occurs on the break, it will result in ball in hand behind the head string, you may only be allowed to shoot at the object balls that are beyond the head string towards the foot of the table. You are not allowed to shoot at any object balls behind the head string unless you shoot the cue ball over the head string and bank back to those object balls.
This is a cue ball foul only, if you touch the cue ball with your hand, cue stick, etc. it will result in ball in hand for your opponent. If the player shooting already has ball in hand, they may be able to move the cue ball with the shaft and/or ferrule of the cue stick, touching the cue ball with the tip of the cue will result in ball in hand.
You are not allowed to interrupt a moving object ball, if you accidentally touch an object ball in motion it will result in ball in hand.
If an object ball that is not in motion (I.E. Still object ball) and it is accidentally moved, the shooting player must ask their opponent if they want it moved back into position, or have it stay where it was moved to. It will not result in ball in hand.
If the cue ball is pocketed, or if it flies off the table during play, it will result in ball in hand for the opposing player.
You must shoot at your numbered balls, if you fail to make contact with your numbered (1-7, 9-15) balls then it will result in ball in hand. You must make contact with your numbered balls for a legal shot. Unless your next shot is on the 8-Ball.
You must drive any ball to any rail after you make legal contact with your object ball for it to be considered a good hit. If you make a ball then the rail rule is irrelevant. If you fail to contact with any rail (Cue ball included) then it will result in ball in hand for your opponent.
If any object ball flies off the table for any reason it will not result in ball in hand, and the object ball that left the playing surface must be spotted and the opponent will play the cue ball where it lands.
While playing all players must have one foot contacting the floor at all times.
Players are not allowed to continue shooting while any ball (Including the cue ball) is moving or spinning. All balls must come to a complete stop before shooting commences.
Double hits with the cue tip are not allowed, in the case of a double hit it will result in ball in hand for the opponent.
Legal Break Shot
For a legal break shot, the player breaking must shoot towards the rack anywhere behind the head string. The breaker must pocket a ball, or have four numbered balls to any of the rails. If a ball is pocketed, then the ruling on driving four numbered balls to rails doesn’t matter. If any of the numbered balls are pocketed off the break and no foul occurs then the breaker continues to shoot. The table is still open no matter what numbered balls are pocketed. If the player breaking commits a foul upon the break shot, then it is up to the opposing player to either re-rack or play the rack as-is.
If the 8-Ball is pocketed on the break the player breaking gains 3 points for that rack towards their total number of points in the game so far. If the 8-Ball is pocketed on the break, and a foul occurs the player breaking is required to spot the 8-Ball and give up ball-in-hand to the opposing player.
This is a winner breaks format.
Everyone has the option to have a rack your own for your match. Both players must agree to rack their own, if both players don't agree to rack their own, they must continue as usual racking for their opponent. If both players don't agree on racking their own, they do then have an option to rack for themselves and their opponent. If their opponent is agreeable to this format. If not, continue as racking for your opponent only.
The head ball, or the second row of balls directly behind the head ball must be struck first for the break to be considered a legal break! Any ball struck behind the first two rows of balls without striking one of the first two rows first will be considered a non-legal break shot!
Live Point System
In this version of 8-Ball, every single ball (Solid and/or stripe) are considered 'Live Points'. Every single ball (With the exception of the 8-Ball) is in play no matter who is at the table. You are allowed a max of 9 points per rack, all of your numbered balls are worth 1 point, and the 8-Ball is worth 2 points. If you are shooting at solids and you make your object ball and an opponents stripe falls as well that point is counted towards your score and 1 point is given to your opponent as well. It is still played as slop, so there is no need to call your ball or your pocket. But be aware of accidentally pocketing your opponents balls. There are absolutely no dead balls, in this way will make scoring much easier to do as you only have to keep track of points. If you make all of your balls and the 8-Ball you are rewarded with 9 points, and if your opponent has 4 balls left on the table the ending score will be; 9-3. If a ball is thrown from the playing surface it will not result in ball-in-hand (Unless it's the cue ball), and the ball that leaves the playing surface will need to be spotted.
If you and/or your opponent has 1 point left until he/she wins the game, you are not allowed to win the game on your opponents good shot, and you are not allowed to lose the game on your good shot. In this case, the rule about spotting the ball comes into play. If you accidentally sink your opponents ball that would win them the game, you must spot that ball back up.
The only times balls come back out to be spotted on the table will be when a foul is committed (I.E. A scratch, cue ball strikes wrong colored ball, etc.) or when either player is on their last point of the match. These are the only times when a ball will come back out to be spotted. This is going to help with consistency throughout the rules.
Ball in Hand (Fouls)
Fouls will always result in ball in hand for the opposing player, they will be able to place the cue ball anywhere on the table that they like. If a foul occurs on the break, it will result in ball in hand behind the head string, you may only be allowed to shoot at the object balls that are beyond the head string towards the foot of the table. You are not allowed to shoot at any object balls behind the head string unless you shoot the cue ball over the head string and bank back to those object balls.
This is a cue ball foul only, if you touch the cue ball with your hand, cue stick, etc. it will result in ball in hand for your opponent. If the player shooting already has ball in hand, they may be able to move the cue ball with the shaft and/or ferrule of the cue stick, touching the cue ball with the tip of the cue will result in ball in hand.
You are not allowed to interrupt a moving object ball, if you accidentally touch an object ball in motion it will result in ball in hand.
If an object ball that is not in motion (I.E. Still object ball) and it is accidentally moved, the shooting player must ask their opponent if they want it moved back into position, or have it stay where it was moved to. It will not result in ball in hand.
If the cue ball is pocketed, or if it flies off the table during play, it will result in ball in hand for the opposing player.
You must shoot at your numbered balls, if you fail to make contact with your numbered (1-7, 9-15) balls then it will result in ball in hand. You must make contact with your numbered balls for a legal shot. Unless your next shot is on the 8-Ball.
You must drive any ball to any rail after you make legal contact with your object ball for it to be considered a good hit. If you make a ball then the rail rule is irrelevant. If you fail to contact with any rail (Cue ball included) then it will result in ball in hand for your opponent.
If any object ball flies off the table for any reason it will not result in ball in hand, and the object ball that left the playing surface must be spotted and the opponent will play the cue ball where it lands.
While playing all players must have one foot contacting the floor at all times.
Players are not allowed to continue shooting while any ball (Including the cue ball) is moving or spinning. All balls must come to a complete stop before shooting commences.
Double hits with the cue tip are not allowed, in the case of a double hit it will result in ball in hand for the opponent.
You are allowed to mark the table with a piece of chalk on the rail, not on the felt, and you are not allowed to mark the felt of the table with chalk at any time. If you are marking the table for a shot, you are only allowed to use a piece of chalk that is sitting on the wood of the rail, it is not allowed to touch the felt at all.
You are not allowed to measure any shots with another object ball (Or cue ball) for any shot.
Coaching (Time-outs)
All players that are skill levels 5 and higher are allowed 1 time-out per rack of play, and player/s who are skill levels 4 and lower are allowed 2 time-outs per rack. You are only allowed to call for a coach from your own team unless otherwise agreed upon by the opposing team.
Split Hits
This decision will be left up to the shooter if the cue ball strikes an object ball and a non-object ball at the same time, only if it is not clear that it was a good hit or not.
Ball/s Bounces from Pocket
Any ball (Cue ball, 8-Ball, object ball) must stay in the pocket to be counted. If any ball bounces out of the pocket and back onto the table it is not considered in the pocket. The ball stays where it is on the table and play goes to opposing player.
Hanging Ball
If an object ball is resting on the edge of a pocket and falls in within 5 seconds of it hanging it will be counted towards the players score and they continue to shoot, if it falls in after 5 seconds then it must be placed as close to where it was before falling and play continues for the opposing player.
Jump Shots
Jumps shots are allowed, but must be performed with a legal jump cue, or a legal jump with a standard size cue. Players are not allowed to scoop the ball to perform their jump shot.
Players Playing Twice
If your team is short players, any player on your team that is present for the night is allowed to shoot another match. Players are only allowed a maximum of playing twice in a single night for their own team. You are not allowed to play more then that. If you choose to do so, the points that you accumulate for your team, and your individual points will not be scored.
MVP
This is going out as a notice to all the Captains, and teams, for all of our upcoming sessions. We have noticed that claiming an MVP title has been difficult for some people if your skill level jumps from the low skill bracket to the high skill bracket, and vice versa, in the middle of the session. Because of this we are now putting into effect a new rule concerning this problem.
If you enter into the session in the low skill bracket, this is where you will stay for the remainder of the session. If your skill level rises high enough to be moved over to the high skill tier. You will not be moved until the session ends. Meaning, you will start the next session in that tier if you are still that skill level. This will eliminate the problem of people being moved over to the tier before the session ends taking away the possibility of the person in said tier taking MVP. The same rule will apply if you are a high skill player and you drop low enough to be bumped into the low skill tier.
To qualify for MVP (Or Undefeated titles) you must play in half of the session total. So if you have a 18 week session, you will have to play at least 9 matches to qualify. If you play in a 10 week session you will have to play 5 matches to qualify. If it is an uneven session number such as 15, it will be rounded up so you will have to play in 8 matches to qualify.
You are not allowed to measure any shots with another object ball (Or cue ball) for any shot.
Coaching (Time-outs)
All players that are skill levels 5 and higher are allowed 1 time-out per rack of play, and player/s who are skill levels 4 and lower are allowed 2 time-outs per rack. You are only allowed to call for a coach from your own team unless otherwise agreed upon by the opposing team.
Split Hits
This decision will be left up to the shooter if the cue ball strikes an object ball and a non-object ball at the same time, only if it is not clear that it was a good hit or not.
Ball/s Bounces from Pocket
Any ball (Cue ball, 8-Ball, object ball) must stay in the pocket to be counted. If any ball bounces out of the pocket and back onto the table it is not considered in the pocket. The ball stays where it is on the table and play goes to opposing player.
Hanging Ball
If an object ball is resting on the edge of a pocket and falls in within 5 seconds of it hanging it will be counted towards the players score and they continue to shoot, if it falls in after 5 seconds then it must be placed as close to where it was before falling and play continues for the opposing player.
Jump Shots
Jumps shots are allowed, but must be performed with a legal jump cue, or a legal jump with a standard size cue. Players are not allowed to scoop the ball to perform their jump shot.
Players Playing Twice
If your team is short players, any player on your team that is present for the night is allowed to shoot another match. Players are only allowed a maximum of playing twice in a single night for their own team. You are not allowed to play more then that. If you choose to do so, the points that you accumulate for your team, and your individual points will not be scored.
MVP
This is going out as a notice to all the Captains, and teams, for all of our upcoming sessions. We have noticed that claiming an MVP title has been difficult for some people if your skill level jumps from the low skill bracket to the high skill bracket, and vice versa, in the middle of the session. Because of this we are now putting into effect a new rule concerning this problem.
If you enter into the session in the low skill bracket, this is where you will stay for the remainder of the session. If your skill level rises high enough to be moved over to the high skill tier. You will not be moved until the session ends. Meaning, you will start the next session in that tier if you are still that skill level. This will eliminate the problem of people being moved over to the tier before the session ends taking away the possibility of the person in said tier taking MVP. The same rule will apply if you are a high skill player and you drop low enough to be bumped into the low skill tier.
To qualify for MVP (Or Undefeated titles) you must play in half of the session total. So if you have a 18 week session, you will have to play at least 9 matches to qualify. If you play in a 10 week session you will have to play 5 matches to qualify. If it is an uneven session number such as 15, it will be rounded up so you will have to play in 8 matches to qualify.
Photo used under Creative Commons from miamism
