Questions tagged [pool]
Questions about the cue sport formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards. Please try and specify which the exact set of rules the question refers to.
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Sinking opponent's ball
In 8-ball, if you sink the opponent's ball while sinking your own, do you keep playing, hand over play, or is it considered a foul?
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In 8-ball, do I win if I shoot in the 8 ball and my last ball in the same shot?
If I am able to shoot in the 8-ball and my last object ball in a single shot and I call the 8 ball in a pocket, do I win? Does the order in which the 2 balls leave the table matter?
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Jumping a cue ball
When I want to jump the cue ball, I point the cue stick at the bottom of the ball and attempt to make a solid strike. A few results have been typical for me: a mishit (most common), the ball goes left ...
user527
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Pool table sizes and minimum play area
I'm looking to install a pool table but I'm not sure if it is possible in the space I have.
The area is 8.5' by 17' (2.6m x 5.2m).
Would this be enough room to play any sized table without play being ...
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What are the most common 8-ball rules professionals play by?
There must be some sort of agreed upon general rules, which most professionals are accustomed to when competing internationally.
The only set of rules I've crossed were
(APA) American Pool ...
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9
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What happens when all the same color balls (solids or stripes) go in on the break?
I played on a pool league (TAP league, 8-ball) a few years ago and some of us pondered what would happen according to the rules if a pool player made either all solids or stripes on the break (but not ...
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What happens when 2 balls partially fall into a pocket and then get stuck?
In a recent game of pool, my opponent hit a shot that resulted in 2 balls getting stuck in between a pocket's walls. They were both still touching the table surface, while at the same time partially ...
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In 8 ball can a player place the cue ball behind the head string and then directly pot a ball which is also behind the string?
Section 3.9 of the WPA Pool Billiards rules lists Bad Play from Behind the Head String as a standard foul for 8 ball. However, when you actually read Section 6.11 Bad Play from Behind the Head String, ...
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Would the cue ball on top of a rail still be considered legal and playable?
In reference to the image below, the cue ball rested on top of a rail after my opponent attempted a shot. During a different game, I shot the cue ball on top of a rail (to avoid other solid and ...
user527
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Why call 'safety' if the turn will pass to the opponent anyway after failing a called shot?
In 8-ball pool, if I fail a called shot, the turn passes to my opponent. There is also the option of calling safety, in which case the turn will pass to my opponent as well.
What is the advantage of ...
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Sinking cue ball after the 8 ball in pool
When I designate the pocket I'm putting the 8-ball and I am successful and then follow it in with the cue ball - do I still win?
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When shooting the 8-ball, can it bounce off another ball into a pocket if it is called?
If I am shooting the 8-ball for a win, and my opponent has a ball near the pocket I'm aiming for, can I call something like "8-ball off the 2 ball into the corner pocket"?
I thought this was allowed, ...
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Black Ball: Can a player win a game by first hitting an opponents ball on a free shot?
In a game where where player 1 is on black and player 2 still has balls remaining on the table. Given the scenarios where player 2 commits a foul giving player 1 a free shot, then on that free shot ...
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8-ball call shot rules when more than one ball is scored
If a player intends to score more than one ball in a single shot does he/she need to call all the balls he/she wants to score or just one of them?
I.e. I want to score ball 1 and 2 on a single shot, ...
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What happens when both players are on the black ball?
In 8-Ball Pool, when you are on the black ball, if you foul (eg. don't hit the black ball), the other player doesn't get 2 shots because they are on the black ball.
What stops both the players from ...
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8 ball Pool: Left only with black ball
What happens if I have only the 8 (black) ball left to pot and my opponent who has a colored ball scratches the cue ball? Do I get a ball in hand or do I have to try potting the black ball from behind ...
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American billards, foul in last ball (black)
I searched a lot about last ball fouls, but I couldnt conclude any answers.
I got two scenarios:
If only black ball remains and Player A fouls, what does Player B do?
Can player B do free-shot? I ...
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What set of rules say that scratching requires the player to take another ball out of a pocket?
From time to time I stumble upon pool players who think/thought the rule is to take a ball (other than the cue ball) out of the pocket every time you scratch but none of them knew where that rule came ...
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What does "Race to X" mean?
A local pool hall features weekly 8-ball and 9-ball double-elimination tournaments, and the different tournaments are described as:
Race to 4
Race to 4/3
Race to 2
What do these terms mean?
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Is it easy to learn how to use an American pool cue if you're a snooker player?
The only cue sports I have good experience of are Snooker and British pool. For these cue sports one usually play with a 9mm tip. Even though American pool balls are slightly bigger and heavier than ...
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Accidentally striking a ball with the cue after the first successful shot
In 8-Ball, after a break where no balls were sunk, the next player takes their turn. They
successfully sink a ball and the balls have stopped moving, but while moving away from the table for the next
...
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8-ball pool: can you call an object and the eight-ball in the same shot? [duplicate]
In playing 8-ball pool, if you have only your final object ball remaining, can you call the object ball and the 8-ball at the same time, as long as the object ball is pocketed first, and win the game?
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Is it a win if the 8 ball bounces off opponents ball before making the called pocket?
When I call and shoot the 8 ball and it goes into the called pocket but the 8 bounces off opponents ball before going in, is that still considered a win?
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Eight-ball or black ball pool rules
In 8 ball pool, what is the penalty if I play my group ball and another one of my group balls falls into the pocket without being touched?
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Cue ball foul in 8 ball
We had a game the other night where the cue ball jumped off the table rolling on the wood surface and then hitting the metal silver lining around the pocket and returned to the bed of table, and I ...
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When playing pool, where can I shoot the eight ball to win?
If there are no balls on the table, other than the eight ball and the cue ball.
In order to win the game, does the player have to shoot the cue ball down the table to hit the eight ball or can the ...
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1
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Touching ball scenario in 8-ball
In the game of 8-ball: suppose my opponent plays his/her shot without a foul, and the cue ball ends in a touching-ball situation (that is, the white ball stops right next to a ball, declared to be ...
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What's the average weight of a professional's Cue stick?
As I have observed my Cue action is better with a heavier stick but I kind of feel good with a relatively lighter one.
What's the average weight of a professional's Cue stick as I'm in early stages ...
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In pool, what happens if the last coloured ball and the white are sunk in the same shot?
When a person sinks the last coloured ball plus the white ball, while the black ball is remaining, is that game over or does the opposition player gets one shot on the black from the baulk line?
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8 ball - Does order of pocketed balls matter?
In 8 ball, if neither group has been claimed yet and a player makes a shot, pockets a solid ball, then pockets the cue ball all on the same turn (in that order), is that player solids or do both ...
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What is the origin of the term 'on the hill' in pool?
In pool it is often said by the commentators that a player/team is "on the hill", or if the match goes to the last rack: a "hill-hill game".
Where were these terms first coined, and by whom?
The ...
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What constitutes a legal safety shot in 8-ball pool?
In a recent friendly game, I successfully snookered my opponent between the rail and one of my balls. To achieve this, I played the cue ball off a single rail and ended up touching my own ball before ...
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In UK Pool rules, what happens if both players are on black and a player deliberately taps the white 1cm forward into nothing?
In UK Pool rules, what happens if both players are on black and a player deliberately taps the white 1cm forward into nothing?
As I play, this is a foul but as the next player is on black they do not ...
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How does the shot clock work in pool?
I was watching a little bit of a pool match. It appears that a 20-second shot clock was used, as they would sometimes display a countdown starting at 20.
But it's not clear to me how the shot clock ...
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Potting the 9 ball in a foul shot - what happens?
I am playing nine-ball pool. What happens if I pot the 9 ball as a foul shot?
Either:
I pot the cue ball with the 9 ball
I don't hit the lowest numbered ball
user19939
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Who wins if an opponent's last ball is pocketed while pocketing the 8-Ball?
During a 8 Ball Pool game when I potted the black ball it hit the opponents last Coloured ball and it went into a pocket. Who wins the frame?
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Changing a call on a pocket for an 8 ball
When you call a pocket and miss the shot for the 8 ball, on your next turn can you call a different pocket or do you still have to try to shoot the 8 ball in the original pocket?
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What happens when my opponent sinks the black ball by hand?
If my opponent sinks the black ball by their hand, do I win or carry on playing?
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Starting a social pool club at work
I work for a large company with a good social focus. I'm thinking of starting a weekly pool club for the interested. I've found a decent venue where we can go to have an informal get together, but ...
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Is an intentional foul in "killers" pool considered cheating?
I was playing "killers", the billiards variant in Ireland a while ago. I was left with one life left and I did not feel I had a shot to sink any balls, so I decided I'd use my shot to make the next ...
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Cue ball behind head string in pocket billiards
Is it in print that the complete cue ball must be behind the headstring? Some people think it's only the bottom of the ball that must be behind.
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Cleaning Oil/Grease on Felt Pool Table
I recently bought a used felt top pool table from someone that had it in their workshop. They had started using it more like a table, so it got rather dirty with general debris, but also oil and ...
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How is an L77 pool/snooker table bumper mounted to the rail?
An L77 pool/snooker table bumper has an L shape:
How is is placed on the pool table rail? with the long side parallel to the top of the rail, or at an angle?
In the beautiful picture below, rather A ...
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In 8 ball, can I call the same pocket with my opponent for the last ball?
Assume that there are two balls left on the table (black and white). Can I call the pocket which is called by my opponent in his turn? We do not allow it, but we are not sure where the rule is coming ...
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How did the term 'English' originate? (spin on a ball)
Where does the term 'English' come from, with regards to an athlete applying a spin to a ball? I've heard it mainly in billiards and basketball, but elsewhere too.
I have tried looking this up on ...
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Purposely hitting the black ball away from the pocket when not on the black
Playing pool today and my opponent purposely hit the black out of the way of the pocket instead of hitting his own ball.
How are you meant to proceed in this scenario, does the ball go in hand or ...
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8 ball (i have solids) can I hit solid, stripe and then make a solid legally i.e.agood hit?
8 Ball - when shooting 8 ball (I have solids) can I hit solid, stripe and then make a solid legally i.e. a good hit?
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Pool: called shots and combinations
According to WPA rules,
In games in which the shooter is required to call shots, the intended ball and pocket must be indicated for each shot if they are not obvious.
However, I don't understand ...
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Can I make my last ball and then the 8 ball in the same shot in 8 ball pool? [duplicate]
If I make my last ball, and the cue ball travels around the table and pockets the 8 ball in the same pocket, do I win or lose?
After all I made the 8 ball in my last pocket and you don't have to ...
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What is Safety Play? [duplicate]
I found this rule
2-8 Safety Play Prior to any shot except the break, you may declare a
safety. On a safety, your inning ends after the shot regardless of
whether you pocket any ball. If you ...
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