The Games

Winner of the lag decides who breaks first. Coin toss is acceptable if both players agree.

Fifteen balls are racked in a triangle pattern with the head ball on the spot. Use the triangle rack.

Players will alternate the break.

A legal break requires the player to pocket an object ball in other than the breakers pocket, or drive at least one object ball or the cue ball to a cushion after contact. Failure to do so is a foul. An object ball legally pocketed in the breakers pocket is a re-rack and re-break.

Any scratch or foul results in loss of a ball. If you have no balls to spot, you “owe” a ball. You must spot what you owe at the end of your inning in which you have balls available to spot.

The incoming player has cue ball in hand behind the head string after a scratch or foul. If a scratch or foul is “slept” and subsequently remembered, the ball is spotted after each player has shot once.

If the cue ball or an object ball is jumped off the table to prevent an object ball from counting toward the opponents ball count, the object ball will go in the opponents pocket and count toward their ball count and it is a foul and cue ball in hand in the kitchen for the opponent.

If the ball count scores of both players reach a negative count, the negatives will cancel each other out, until at least one player gets back to a ball count of zero.

Any ball count score that reaches negative five (-5) is loss of game.

It is a foul if a player deliberately traps or wedges the cue ball in the jaw of a pocket. In addition to the foul penalty, the opponent receives cue ball in hand behind the head string.

If a player wishes to take a deliberate cue ball foul, they must use their cue tip to strike the cue ball. If they strike the cue ball with anything other than the cue tip, in addition to the foul penalty, the opponent receives cue ball in hand behind the head string.

If a player shoots into the wrong pocket and continues to shoot because their opponent failed to notify them of the error, any additional balls pocketed in that inning do not count, whether pocketed for the shooter or the opponent. The first shot to the wrong pocket in a given inning is the shooter’s responsibility, and the opponent is entitled to any balls pocketed on that first shot. However, any other pocketed balls in the wrong pocket in the same inning are to be spotted as illegally pocketed balls.

If a player commits 3 successive fouls in one game, it is loss of game. The opponent must notify the shooter that they are “on 2” fouls, immediately before the shooter’s next inning.

Slow play will not be tolerated. Tournament officials will issue a warning if they feel a player is delaying the progress of the match. A second warning will result in ball in hand anywhere on the table. A third warning is loss of game. A fourth occurrence is loss of match.

Should this occur, the object ball closest to the head string is spotted. If 2 or more object balls are the same distance from the head string, the shooter will designate which ball to spot.

The first player to legally pocket eight (8) object balls in their pocket wins the game.

https://www.onepocket.org/