10 Ball Rules History

[GideonF]

In the thread on “fixing” 9b, there is some discussion on 10b, call shot and also 10 ball last.

Often times people think 10b must be a call shot game, as if that was always the game. Of course the Filipinos play 10b just like 9b with an extra ball, which I recalled was the original version.

This made me think about when it was the change happened. Turns out [mention]Bob Jewett [/mention] wrote an article in Billiards Digest about this very topic - 10b was played like 9b until the 2008 revision to the rules.

Billiards Digest - Pool's Top Source for News, Views, Tips & More

The only thing Bob’s article didn’t address is when the “ten ball last” version came into the WPA (presumably after that article was written - the date of which I don’t see in the web version). While many of the other inconsistencies Bob mentioned aren’t as big an issue these days, this one is.

I don’t have a huge point to this, other than to point out that these type of rule changes happen, that the rules are changed because someone thought it’s a good idea — they aren’t necessarily inherently better.

Oh, and finally, if anyone is playing 10b on the break wins, can we not call it a golden break? The 10b is blue, not yellow or gold. Maybe Blueberry Break?

 

[Bob Jewett]

... The only thing Bob’s article didn’t address is when the “ten ball last” version came into the WPA (presumably after that article was written - the date of which I don’t see in the web version). While many of the other inconsistencies Bob mentioned aren’t as big an issue these days, this one is. ...

EDITED to conform to reality...

The article is probably from May of 2013, judging by the URL and without reference to my own index of articles.

The ten ball last rule seems to have come in during a WPA/WSR rules revision that was after the 2008 release.

An interesting fact about those rules for ten ball. The WPA rules committee that met in late 2006 and worked out the proposed revisions for the 2008 edition never saw the rules for ten ball. They mysteriously appeared in the rules later. I guess that the WPA Board, or someone on the Board, inserted the changes but I don't know who wrote the rules. They eventually included the "safe" call at ten ball, which makes no sense in the game since it provides no protection against having to shoot again if you pocket a random ball. The safety rule was removed in the latest revision.

 

[GideonF]

The article is probably from May of 2013, judging by the URL and without reference to my own index of articles.

In fact, the ten ball last rule was in the WPA/WSR rules that came into effect in January, 2008.

So the rules went from 9b rules to call shot and 10b last in 2008? Interesting. I assumed it was after that because you didn’t include a 10b last vs early 10b in your list of distinctions. At least in my experience that’s the biggest rule disparity I see in tournaments and (non-Filipino) action games.

 

[Bob Jewett]

So the rules went from 9b rules to call shot and 10b last in 2008? Interesting. I assumed it was after that because you didn’t include a 10b last vs early 10b in your list of distinctions. At least in my experience that’s the biggest rule disparity I see in tournaments and (non-Filipino) action games.

Well, now I'm not sure when 10 ball last went in. The BCA rulebook seems not to have tracked the WPA changes for 10-ball very well, so I'll have to paw through old files. I think there was a major revision in 2009 or 2016 and the change may have happened then. Also, the safety rule seems not to have been in the 2008 version. I have edited my post above.

Another edit: the WPA rules can be found on archive.org at least for some years. In April, 2008, it was allowed to call safe and there was no pass-back. In addition, the ten could be called early and made for the early win.

In January, 2009, winning the game on the break was eliminated. The "wrongfully pocketed balls" rule was added -- pass-back. It was still possible to win with an early 10, just not on the break. The safety rule was still in, but the WPB rule made it irrelevant.

And another edit.... The full "ten ball last" rule came in with the March, 2016 rules revision. It is kind of hidden in Rule 9.8, "Continuing Play".

(Side note: It is fortunate that archive.org can show those old rules. Some websites are very complicated and require auxiliary software, and archive.org doesn't handle those well. Also, some service providers do strange things that seem to prevent proper archiving. Since 2025, the archived version of wpa-pool.com seems to redirect to a porn site.)

 

[Cornerman]

In the thread on “fixing” 9b, there is some discussion on 10b, call shot and also 10 ball last.

Often times people think 10b must be a call shot game, as if that was always the game. Of course the Filipinos play 10b just like 9b with an extra ball, which I recalled was the original version.

This made me think about when it was the change happened. Turns out [mention]Bob Jewett [/mention] wrote an article in Billiards Digest about this very topic - 10b was played like 9b until the 2008 revision to the rules.

Billiards Digest - Pool's Top Source for News, Views, Tips & More

The only thing Bob’s article didn’t address is when the “ten ball last” version came into the WPA (presumably after that article was written - the date of which I don’t see in the web version). While many of the other inconsistencies Bob mentioned aren’t as big an issue these days, this one is.

I don’t have a huge point to this, other than to point out that these type of rule changes happen, that the rules are changed because someone thought it’s a good idea — they aren’t necessarily inherently better.

Oh, and finally, if anyone is playing 10b on the break wins, can we not call it a golden break? The 10b is blue, not yellow or gold. Maybe Blueberry Break?

For added information, they had 10-ball professional events in the late 1980’s. Some newer players think that it was recently invented. But that’s just not true. 10 ball was often a gambling game, but it certainly was in the tournament scene as well, just not as much as nine ball or even straight pool.

When I found out about the game in the 80’s, which was already in the Billiard Congress of America Rule Book, I made it my practice game. At the time with no template and slower tables, the middle of the table always had clusters to navigate, so it had a clear different feel than 9-ball.

In the early SVB race to 100 10-ball matches, they were played with the old rules. That was in the mid 2000’s. Any American pro playing 10-ball preferred it that way.