One pocket question ???
- Thread starter vicki h
- Start date
"Official" rules say the base of the ball (on the line is out), but lots of 1P players are old school and will insist it's the whole ball. Settle it beforehand.
pj
chgo
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Vicky, it's one of those rules that you have to decide before playing. I prefer to play that the whole ball needs to be past the line.
Playing the base of the ball is difficult to call sometimes. The whole ball is easy to see. Also it's easy to see where the cue ball is placed after a foul.
Playing the base of the ball is difficult to call sometimes. The whole ball is easy to see. Also it's easy to see where the cue ball is placed after a foul.
There are lots of rules in pool where individual games defer to the "General Rules of Pool".
In other words ... certain written rules are written to apply across the board to all games. In those cases, individual games do not have to address them.
Now, two issues do become involved here, although one is less specifically related to your question.
To your question. the rule says the base of the ball has to be "IN THE KITCHEN" and that has been interpreted as behind the line and not on it.
The other thing that a lot of players do is consider "ANY" part of the ball touching the line to be out of the kitchen.
IMO, the most logical way to play this is base of the ball since the base touches the table, and drawing a line on the table for the kitchen would actually allow both things in question to be visual.
There's no way to practically run a string line across the table to measure the ball's equator so the obvious most accurate way is to draw a line on the table and see plainly if the ball's base is touching that line.
The base of the ball, of course, is correct. Sometimes, however, this can become problematic.
A good way to solve the problem is to agree (at the beginning of play) to allow the shot if any of the ball in question is past, or over, the line; which is pretty much what everyone else said only different.
A good way to solve the problem is to agree (at the beginning of play) to allow the shot if any of the ball in question is past, or over, the line; which is pretty much what everyone else said only different.
This is how I always describe this when someone states "whole ball" has to be behind the line. We are talking about where the position of the ball is on the table. In this case behind the line or not.
Let's look at it this way, you shoot a ball in a pocket and it's hung up, with 1/3 of it over the hole. Is it IN? If someone plays by full ball has to be behind the string, that means the position of the ball is where ANY of the ball is not the base. Therefore if I hang a ball in a pocket like that against you, the ball is IN the hole since a part of it is over and we established that position of the ball is in the place where ANY of it is touching that space. Since 1/3 of the ball is over the whole, the position of the ball is in the hole.
Same exact reasoning, if position of the ball on the line is all or nothing, then position of the ball by the pocket is also all or nothing. You can't say it's one thing one way and another thing the other example.
Plus the base of the ball is easier to judge where it is on the table and that is where it's actually touching, rather than some imaginary line going up from the table to the edge of the equator of the ball.
And it's the official stance of the WPA to go by the base and every tournament and league I played in.
Let's look at it this way, you shoot a ball in a pocket and it's hung up, with 1/3 of it over the hole. Is it IN? If someone plays by full ball has to be behind the string, that means the position of the ball is where ANY of the ball is not the base. Therefore if I hang a ball in a pocket like that against you, the ball is IN the hole since a part of it is over and we established that position of the ball is in the place where ANY of it is touching that space. Since 1/3 of the ball is over the whole, the position of the ball is in the hole.
Same exact reasoning, if position of the ball on the line is all or nothing, then position of the ball by the pocket is also all or nothing. You can't say it's one thing one way and another thing the other example.
Plus the base of the ball is easier to judge where it is on the table and that is where it's actually touching, rather than some imaginary line going up from the table to the edge of the equator of the ball.
And it's the official stance of the WPA to go by the base and every tournament and league I played in.
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The other part of this is that if you require the whole object ball to be over the line, you should require the whole cue ball to be behind the line when you break. Be sure to call the foul the next time your opponent encroaches the line on the break. This foul is especially amusing if he happens to make a ball on the illegal break -- all sorts of fun, earnest conversation will ensue. Be sure to capture the break shot on your iphone video -- this will help your case.
This also applies to any time you have ball in hand after a scratch.
This also applies to any time you have ball in hand after a scratch.
The OnePocket.org rules defer that call to the general rules, and the modern general rules go by the base of the ball. One notable exception is at Derby City -- DCC goes with the old school of the entire ball needing to be over the line, but they are the exception, not the rule :grin::grin:
It often comes up right on the opening break, because if you are used to playing the base of the ball, your opponent is liable to pop out of his chair if they are used to the whole ball, lol.
It often comes up right on the opening break, because if you are used to playing the base of the ball, your opponent is liable to pop out of his chair if they are used to the whole ball, lol.
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