help with the link to the rule please

bbb

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your opponent scratches
you have ball in hand behind the string
problem is all the balls are behind the head string
the closest ball to the head string gets spotted
if 2 equal distant balls from the head string are close
the highest numbered ball gets spotted
thats how i remember it
icbw
i looked at the wpa rules but couldnt find the answer
thanks guys
 
Last edited:

AtLarge

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From WPA 1.5 Cue Ball in Hand

"When the shooter has the cue ball in hand behind the head string and all the legal object balls are behind the head string, he may request the legal object ball nearest the head string to be spotted. If two or more balls are equal distance from the head string, the shooter may designate which of the equidistant balls is to be spotted. An object ball that rests exactly on the head string is playable."
 

bbb

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Thanks 9balljim and AtLarge for the link and the rule. :)
 

stevekur1

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i've ruled it closest to the string and if tie then the closest to the spot gets spotted. and if still a tie its choice
 

bbb

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i've ruled it closest to the string and if tie then the closest to the spot gets spotted. and if still a tie its choice
since brought up a personal variation
for some reason i thought if 2 balls were eqaully closeto the head string the highest ball got spotted
was that the rule in the "old "days?
 

Bob Jewett

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since brought up a personal variation
for some reason i thought if 2 balls were eqaully closeto the head string the highest ball got spotted
was that the rule in the "old "days?

It was lowest ball. Here is the rule from 1977:

Object Ball Within String:
If a player has the cue ball in hand and the object balls on
the table are within the head string (between the head string
and the head of the table) the object ball closest to the
string is spotted on the foot spot. If two object balls
appear to be equidistant from the string, the lowest
numbered ball is placed on the foot spot. Player, with cue ball
in hand, plays from any point of his choosing within the head
string, shooting at the ball on the foot spot.

This rule is badly written and broken in several ways. One is that the player should not be required to have the ball spotted if he doesn't want it spotted. The other is that he shouldn't be required to shoot at the spotted ball.
 

AtLarge

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It was lowest ball. Here is the rule from 1977: ...

This rule is badly written and broken in several ways. One is that the player should not be required to have the ball spotted if he doesn't want it spotted. The other is that he shouldn't be required to shoot at the spotted ball.

And neither of those problems is in the current rule with its "may" language.
 

bbb

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It was lowest ball. Here is the rule from 1977:

Object Ball Within String:
If a player has the cue ball in hand and the object balls on
the table are within the head string (between the head string
and the head of the table) the object ball closest to the
string is spotted on the foot spot. If two object balls
appear to be equidistant from the string, the lowest
numbered ball is placed on the foot spot. Player, with cue ball
in hand, plays from any point of his choosing within the head
string, shooting at the ball on the foot spot.

This rule is badly written and broken in several ways. One is that the player should not be required to have the ball spotted if he doesn't want it spotted. The other is that he shouldn't be required to shoot at the spotted ball.
thanks bob
 

Bob Jewett

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From WPA 1.5 Cue Ball in Hand

"... If two or more balls are equal distance from the head string, the shooter may designate which of the equidistant balls is to be spotted. ..."
The reason for the choice here (as opposed to lowest) is that not all ball sets are numbered and one goal of the rules was to make each rule as generally applicable as possible.
 

AtLarge

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The reason for the choice here (as opposed to lowest) is that not all ball sets are numbered and one goal of the rules was to make each rule as generally applicable as possible.

So one of them has to be spotted?
 
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