15th ball is on the spot, what to do?

Flex

Flex

Banger
Silver Member
It sometimes happens that a ball which has been spotted becomes the 15th ball. When that happens, how are the other 14 balls racked? Does the 15th ball stay on the spot, and the other 14 racked below it, as in a normal full rack, or is that 15th ball spotted on the head spot?

Is the 15th ball in the example above considered to be "in the rack" or not? And which set of rules govern this situation?


Thanks!

Flex
 
dmgwalsh

dmgwalsh

Straight Pool Fanatic
Silver Member
Flex said:
It sometimes happens that a ball which has been spotted becomes the 15th ball. When that happens, how are the other 14 balls racked? Does the 15th ball stay on the spot, and the other 14 racked below it, as in a normal full rack, or is that 15th ball spotted on the head spot?

Is the 15th ball in the example above considered to be "in the rack" or not? And which set of rules govern this situation?


Thanks!

Flex
Click to expand...

I think it is in the rack and so it gets spotted on the head spot.
 
mjantti

mjantti

Enjoying life
Silver Member
Ruleswise, "the rack" is not the area occupied by the balls, it's the area which is drawn to the cloth using the outside edge of the triangle. If the breakball is only slightly on that line, it's considered to be in the rack and is spotted elsewhere according to the rules. In this example, the breakball is definitely in the rack.
 
mosconiac

mosconiac

Job+Wife+Child=No Stroke
Silver Member
I took this chart from the World Standardized Rules, so this should govern your play. All I did was reformat it for a better looking chart.

So according to this chart, Dennis is correct. The 15ht ball gets spotted on the head spot and the CB stays in position assuming it was not also in the rack or on the head spot.

141RackingConsiderations.jpg
 
Last edited:
nick serdula

nick serdula

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Head Spot

You should play to get in position for a side pocket shot. Between the head spot and the rail is nice. Pocket the ball and follow the cueball straight into the rack down table.
Nick :)
 
Njhustler1

Njhustler1

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I always played that if it was exactly on the spot (because it was placed there due to being accidentally knocked in during teh course of the rack, then it gets racked up with the others. Otherwise, if its within the triangle but not exactly on teh spot then it gets put on the spot at the far end of the table.
 
DogsPlayingPool

DogsPlayingPool

"What's in your wallet?"
Silver Member
It gets spotted up table on the head spot.

Usually the situation that results in all 15 balls being racked together is when the player chooses to play a safety on the break ball by pocketing it. I've not seen this in the written rules but I believe a re-rack is allowed in this situation under the theory that any gaps between the spotted ball and the rest of the rack are the result of a mis-rack of the original 14 balls and therefore when the break ball is spotted it is permissible to re-rack all 15 together.

Someone chime in if you know this to be incorrect.
 
Flex

Flex

Banger
Silver Member
According to the chart, it seems that if the 15th ball is on the foot spot, where it would be spotted if spotting were necessary, then it isn't moved when racking the 14 other balls, as the rack can be lowered straight down without touching the 15th ball.

Is that correct? Or am I misinterpreting something?

Thanks,

Flex
 
dmgwalsh

dmgwalsh

Straight Pool Fanatic
Silver Member
Flex said:
According to the chart, it seems that if the 15th ball is on the foot spot, where it would be spotted if spotting were necessary, then it isn't moved when racking the 14 other balls, as the rack can be lowered straight down without touching the 15th ball.

Is that correct? Or am I misinterpreting something?

Thanks,

Flex
Click to expand...


Flex:

If the 15th ball is on the foot spot or in the rack in any other way
AND the cue ball is in the rack, then and only then the 15th ball is racked on the foot spot for a full rack. I think that is what the first box in the chart is talking about.

If the 15th ball is on the foot spot or in the rack some other way, and the cue ball is not interfering with the rack or the head spot, then the 15th ball goes on the head spot and the cue ball remains where it is.

It gets interesting if the 15th ball is on the foot spot or in the rack some other way and the cue ball happens to be on the head spot. Then the 15th ball goes on the center spot.
 
DogsPlayingPool

DogsPlayingPool

"What's in your wallet?"
Silver Member
dmgwalsh said:
Flex:

If the 15th ball is on the foot spot or in the rack in any other way
AND the cue ball is in the rack, then and only then the 15th ball is racked on the foot spot for a full rack. I think that is what the first box in the chart is talking about.
Click to expand...

Actually there is another situation in which all 15 balls get racked together. That occurs when the 15th ball goes down during play on a legally pocketed 14th ball.
 
dmgwalsh

dmgwalsh

Straight Pool Fanatic
Silver Member
DogsPlayingPool said:
Actually there is another situation in which all 15 balls get racked together. That occurs when the 15th ball goes down during play on a legally pocketed 14th ball.
Click to expand...

Turd, you are 100% right. :thumbup:

And what a wonderful bonus that usually is. :grin-square:
 
GreekTycoon

GreekTycoon

Registered
So what about this scenario?

Let's say the 15th ball lies behind the head string, but not on the spot, and the cue ball lies in the rack... :confused:

According to the chart above, the 15th ball stays in place and the cue ball is spotted on the head spot. Can you use that 15th ball in the kitchen as a break ball (i.e. shoot at it) or is one required to play towards the rack?
 
Marop

Marop

14.1 - real pool
Silver Member
GreekTycoon said:
Let's say the 15th ball lies behind the head string, but not on the spot, and the cue ball lies in the rack... :confused:

According to the chart above, the 15th ball stays in place and the cue ball is spotted on the head spot. Can you use that 15th ball in the kitchen as a break ball (i.e. shoot at it) or is one required to play towards the rack?
Click to expand...


You don't have to shoot towards the rack, you can shoot directly at the 15th ball.
 
mullyman

mullyman

Hung Like a Gnat!
Silver Member
Njhustler1 said:
I always played that if it was exactly on the spot (because it was placed there due to being accidentally knocked in during teh course of the rack, then it gets racked up with the others. Otherwise, if its within the triangle but not exactly on teh spot then it gets put on the spot at the far end of the table.
Click to expand...

You can do that in casual play if both of you agree on it but in all fairness to both sides, if it's on the spot then you have to put it in the rack with the other balls and it's not going to end up in the exact same spot that it was in before when you're racking it. You really should move it up table.
MULLY
 
L

luv1pocket

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
14.1 Rules Question Please

It just so happens that I saw several people that had a disagreement over this the other day.
I also don't know what the rule is. So just double checking and would like several poters thoughts. If the 15th ball is on the foot spot where the balls are racked and cueball isn't in the rack then the 15th ball gets moved to the head spot?
Several thought it goes in the rack while others thought it went to the head spot and someone said it is the shooters choice of foot spot or head spot.

Thanks Again


Flex said:
It sometimes happens that a ball which has been spotted becomes the 15th ball. When that happens, how are the other 14 balls racked? Does the 15th ball stay on the spot, and the other 14 racked below it, as in a normal full rack, or is that 15th ball spotted on the head spot?

Is the 15th ball in the example above considered to be "in the rack" or not? And which set of rules govern this situation?


Thanks!

Flex
Click to expand...
 
dmgwalsh

dmgwalsh

Straight Pool Fanatic
Silver Member
luv1pocket said:
It just so happens that I saw several people that had a disagreement over this the other day.
I also don't know what the rule is. So just double checking and would like several poters thoughts. If the 15th ball is on the foot spot where the balls are racked and cueball isn't in the rack then the 15th ball gets moved to the head spot?
Several thought it goes in the rack while others thought it went to the head spot and someone said it is the shooters choice of foot spot or head spot.

Thanks Again
Click to expand...

Look at the chart in post number 4.

It depends on where the cue ball is.

So long as the cue ball is not in the rack and not touching the head spot, then the object ball goes on the head spot.

Never shooters choice.

Only time it goes in the rack is if the cue ball is also in the rack and needs to be placed ball in hand in the kitchen.
 
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