interesting twist to an interesting rule

master_cueist

pick your poison
Silver Member
So i was thinking about something that is quite commonly dicussed. If you have a full pocket (on a drop pocket table) and a ball rolls in and because its so full it rolls back on the table for the sake of this post lets say the cueball. Say you are playing someone and they start moving balls into one certain pocket while shooting perhaps because they know they are going to scratch in that pocket and because they have now filled the pocket the cueball is forced back out on the table, and as the rule states the shot is not over until all the balls have came to a complete stop so it would not be a scratch causing them to win. Any thoughts on how that situation would turn out....lets keep the snapped cues across their face comments to a minimum thats almost a given lol. I would like some real ideas and thoughts....and before anybody asks or brings it up, this has NOT happened to me nor have i ever seen it its a purely hypothetical question.
 
So i was thinking about something that is quite commonly dicussed. If you have a full pocket (on a drop pocket table) and a ball rolls in and because its so full it rolls back on the table for the sake of this post lets say the cueball. Say you are playing someone and they start moving balls into one certain pocket while shooting perhaps because they know they are going to scratch in that pocket and because they have now filled the pocket the cueball is forced back out on the table, and as the rule states the shot is not over until all the balls have came to a complete stop so it would not be a scratch causing them to win. Any thoughts on how that situation would turn out....lets keep the snapped cues across their face comments to a minimum thats almost a given lol. I would like some real ideas and thoughts....and before anybody asks or brings it up, this has NOT happened to me nor have i ever seen it its a purely hypothetical question.
The rules are available here: World Standardized Rules

They include the following:

8.3 Ball Pocketed
A ball is pocketed if it comes to rest in a pocket .... An object ball that rebounds from a pocket back onto the playing surface is not a pocketed ball. If the cue ball contacts an already pocketed ball, the cue ball will be considered pocketed whether it rebounds from the pocket or not. The referee will remove pocketed object balls from full or nearly full pockets, but it is the shooter’s responsibility to see that this duty is performed.

So, first, for a cue ball it would be a scratch regardless of whether it came back onto the table or not. For an object ball, for example the 8 ball that would otherwise be pocketed early, it depends. If the player intentionally filled the pocket with balls to prevent the 8 ball from going in, he has committed unsportsmanlike conduct (see Rule 6.16). If it was not engineered intentionally, then the 8 is simply not pocketed and you go on.

And while you say it is hypothetical, I've known players who would fill pockets with balls for just this purpose.
 
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The rules are available here: World Standardized Rules

They include the following:

8.3 Ball Pocketed
A ball is pocketed if it comes to rest in a pocket .... An object ball that rebounds from a pocket back onto the playing surface is not a pocketed ball. If the cue ball contacts an already pocketed ball, the cue ball will be considered pocketed whether it rebounds from the pocket or not. The referee will remove pocketed object balls from full or nearly full pockets, but it is the shooter’s responsibility to see that this duty is performed.

So, first, for a cue ball it would be a scratch regardless of whether it came back onto the table or not. For an object ball, for example the 8 ball that would otherwise be pocketed early, it depends. If the player intentionally filled the pocket with balls to prevent the 8 ball from going in, he has committed unsportsmanlike conduct (see Rule 6.16). If it was not engineered intentionally, then the 8 is simply not pocketed and you go on.

And while you say it is hypothetical, I've known players who would fill pockets with balls for just this purpose.

Well thank you for that, I must have overlooked where it said if the cueball contacts an already pocketed ball it is still a scratch. I guess its not as strange as I was thinking it would be. And honestly I know people that would do that too if they were smart enough to ever even think about it, or if they were ever told about it. Im glad I got a knowledgeable person as a responder instead of some stupid poster.
 
Never thought about this with the cue ball...but I once lost a match (8-ball) because I shot a ball into the corner pocket. The pocket was not full (in fact it was empty). the ball rebounded off the bottom of the pocket and back out onto the table. It was the last ball on a run to the 8. My opponent proceeded to run out from there.

Granted this was an unusual occurrence. These were drop pocket tables in an Elks lodge (not sure if they were used for daily play or not). Anyway, I shot the 6 in the corner pretty hard because I needed to draw to miss a cluster and avoid a scratch in the other corner to get position on the 8. Pockets were "springy" (only way I can think to describe it). Because the ball went in (center pocket) and came out...it was not considered pocketed.

Never knew the official ruling, though.

john
 
Bob beat me to it.

Texas Express 9-ball has the same rule.
randyg

Actually Randy, the rule cited by Bob is contained in the definitions to the rules and therefore applies to all games unless specifically stated otherwise in the rules of that game. :thumbup:
 
This is one more reason I hate drop pocket tables.
On the other hand.... The 1976 14.1 World Championship (Asbury Park, NJ, sanctioned by the PPPA) was played on what I believe were off-brand tables. The ball returns were made of rubber-coated wire as you see on Gold Crowns but the wire went up into the pocket while on GCs there is a larger boot that directs the ball onto the wires. The result was that a straight pool break shot hit with speed into the center of the corner pocket would hit the wire and get sprung back onto the table. Players were cursing.

Pool table designers have a long history of doing things wrong. It doesn't seem like rocket science.
 
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