Rules Questions

Incorrect. You would take an intentional in order to leave the CB in a difficult location (i.e., buried in the stack or stuck to it) so your opponent would have to take a difficult shot.

Usually the only time the CB is spotted in the kitchen is when you foul and the CB has left the table.

An easy way to remember is that it only goes in the kitchen when the CB has gone down one of the holes lol.

If you intentionally pocket the cue ball then yes, your opponent has ball in hand behind the head string and no, he cannot put you back in.

I think you might get some disagreement regarding whether an intentional scratch is the wisest choice of shot. I'd be interested to know what the position was to make you do that.

benny-the-blade said:

I'm a beginner at 14.1 and love the game.



I intentionally scratch, taking the one ball penalty, because it's the wisest choice. My opponent gets ball in hand behind the head string, correct? If he chooses, can he make me take it instead?

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Could it be possible that you intentionally shot the cue ball into a pocket because you might have heard people in the straight pool community suggest to "take a scratch" when you don't have a good shot or safety? The reason I ask is because "taking a scratch" doesn't mean to shoot the cue ball into a pocket. Rather, it means to take an intentional foul such as rolling the cue ball into the stack without trying to meet the requirements of a good hit. When I started playing straight pool, I also was confused in the use of the term, "scratch" to mean playing an intentional foul.

Edit: Sorry, I thought you were referring to the opening break when I read this. Taking an "intentional" really depends on the situation. If you take the first scratch your opponent may try to get you on three fouls in a row resulting in the loss of a total of 18 points and him having the choice of accepting the balls or making you re-break per the opening break.

benny-the-blade said:

I'm sure I'll be back for more clarifications.

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Here's a link to the complete rules:
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