Pool (8 Ball) Rules? Experts (compared to me) needed

[CKDragon]

OK, at our "Year End" company party the place had pool tables and there were a ton of discrepencies between the rules that we all knew.

What are the results of these actions? Just a few off the top of my head:

1) Player strikes the cue ball and the cue ball hits nothing but a single bumper. No balls at all. Scratch or not?

2) Player strikes the cue ball and the first color ball hit is not of your set. (If I'm solids, I strike a stripe first). Legal or not?

3) Player strikes the cue ball and sinks a ball of their set AND THEN the cue ball goes in a pocket, thus scratching. Does the first ball stay in or come out?

4) Same as 3, but the pocketing order is reversed. Cue ball goes in and THEN a solid/stripe.

Is it just true that there simply are no set rules? It seems like so many people played different ways and google searches seem to confirm this.

Thanks for all your help,

CK

 

[Syringer]

1) yes
2) no
3) stay
4) same

Yes

 

[CKDragon]

Originally posted by: Syringer
1) yes
2) no
3) stay
4) same

Yes

Your rules 1-3 are the same as mine and the 4th is different.

It seems like when you go to play someone new you have to go over all the rules beforehand. I wonder how all the biker types that seem to frequent the pool halls decide these disputes amicably.

CK

 

[LethalWolfe]

There are set rules (organized/pro tourneys use them), but pool (like poker) has a lot of "house" rules.


Lethal

 

[WinXP]

From bar to bar an pool room to pool room they all will have some different rules.
1. not a scratch. if you have less balls on the table than the other guy, he may try to lag the ball against the rail so you do not have a good shot to make your next ball. this happens.
2. legal if he uses your ball to make his with 8 ball, but he lose his next shot. an can not use your ball to make 8 ball.
3. no, just loses follow up shot. Next player shots behind break line.
4. same as 3
5. scratch making 8 ball you lose always.

 

[eber]

Gah...there are so many different rules that people have with 8-ball. The most ridiculous I've encountered was one guy I played with got pissed because I didn't pocket the 8-ball in the same pocket as my last pocketed-ball. I've never heard of that one. I usually play by rules set by the BCA. But usually when I play at a bar, I usually just play by whatever the other person knows to avoid any confusion. As a rule, I always make sure the rules are set or understood before we start.

 

[myusername]

Notably, you have to play #4 the same as #3 if you are using a coin-op table.

 

[RagingBITCH]

1. We play ball in hand for that instead of behind the line (typical scratch)
2. Ball in hand
3. No ball out
4. No ball out

Like people say, people play differently. My roommate when he played in a league in Tampa played that way.

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: CKDragon
OK, at our "Year End" company party the place had pool tables and there were a ton of discrepencies between the rules that we all knew.

What are the results of these actions? Just a few off the top of my head:

1) Player strikes the cue ball and the cue ball hits nothing but a single bumper. No balls at all. Scratch or not?

2) Player strikes the cue ball and the first color ball hit is not of your set. (If I'm solids, I strike a stripe first). Legal or not?

3) Player strikes the cue ball and sinks a ball of their set AND THEN the cue ball goes in a pocket, thus scratching. Does the first ball stay in or come out?

4) Same as 3, but the pocketing order is reversed. Cue ball goes in and THEN a solid/stripe.

Is it just true that there simply are no set rules? It seems like so many people played different ways and google searches seem to confirm this.

Thanks for all your help,

CK

1= scratch
2= scratch (unless No Table Scratch is called prior to game beginning)
3= Scratch This is the classic scratch. Colored Ball comes out and gets spotted. Cue ball is hit by next player from behind the end markers.
4 = same as 3
There are variations to the basic rules, but these are what will get you out of the bar with your teeth intact.

 

[EvilYoda]

when in doubt, check out bca-pool.com...those are the rules I play by if I'm being serious.

 

[cubby1223]

In all those situations I would conser it ball in hand & all pocketted balls stay in the pockets.

As you have already noticed, you should always discuss & agree on a set of rules before you play a game with someone you've never played with before.