14.1 15th ball miss

L

lak833

Registered
Hi,

I'm a beginner and my friends and i have been trying to figure out straight pool. I've just scoured the web for rules but can only find the BCA ones and have a few more questions:
1. If you make the 15th ball without hitting the rack, does the player break the 14 balls as usual, or do you add the 15th ball back at the head spot?

2. If you miss the 15th ball does your opponent have to hit that ball from wherever? It seems like no one would want to hit the 15th ball in unless they can also break the rack up.

I searched the forum and couldn't find the answer, if it is up can someone point me to the discussion.
 
lak833 said:
Hi,

I'm a beginner and my friends and i have been trying to figure out straight pool. I've just scoured the web for rules but can only find the BCA ones and have a few more questions:
1. If you make the 15th ball without hitting the rack, does the player break the 14 balls as usual, or do you add the 15th ball back at the head spot?

2. If you miss the 15th ball does your opponent have to hit that ball from wherever? It seems like no one would want to hit the 15th ball in unless they can also break the rack up.

I searched the forum and couldn't find the answer, if it is up can someone point me to the discussion.
Click to expand...

Glad you have decided to take up straight pool... it is a wonderful game. To answer your questions:

1 - If you make the breakout ball (15th ball) but entirely miss the rack, this really means nothing... you would just keep shooting as normal (albeit at a full rack of 14 balls). But in this scenario, the normal thing to do would be to call safe and play a safety that would leave your opponent no shot (i.e. by lightly grazing the rack and making sure something hits the rail... there are other safes on a full rack though). Then a safety battle would ensue until one of you made a mistake and left a shot.

However, another option is to play certain known shots off of a full rack (of 14). There are many "secret" ways to make certain balls depending on where the cueball lies in respect to the full rack and how you can strike the rack. But even these types of shots are low percentage (even for pros) and require advanced/expert knowledge. As stated, the normal thing to do would be to play a safe.

Also, by making the breakout ball and missing the rack, there is no rule that states that the ball made must be spotted. It stays down and you continue shooting (probably a safe). The only time the breakout ball would be spotted after making it is if the cue ball scratches after you make the breakout ball (this is regardless of whether you struck the rack or not) OR you made the breakout ball in the wrong pocket (not the intended pocket). Basically, there is no rule that says you must break open the rack when you pocket the breakout ball, but of course you definitely WANT to.

2 - If the breakout ball (15th ball) is missed, regardless of whether the rack was broken up or not, the opponent comes in and can shoot at whatever they want... the rack, the breakout ball if still open, play a safe, or play an intentional foul. Again, there is no rule that says a player must hit the rack or breakout ball only. Basically, the general gist of these type of situations in straight pool is you can hit whatever ball you want whether it's the breakout ball or in the rack. Or you can just play a safe. Or you can intentional foul.

Hope this helps.

Ray
 
Last edited:
lak833 said:
Hi,

I'm a beginner and my friends and i have been trying to figure out straight pool. I've just scoured the web for rules but can only find the BCA ones and have a few more questions:
1. If you make the 15th ball without hitting the rack, does the player break the 14 balls as usual, or do you add the 15th ball back at the head spot?

2. If you miss the 15th ball does your opponent have to hit that ball from wherever? It seems like no one would want to hit the 15th ball in unless they can also break the rack up.

I searched the forum and couldn't find the answer, if it is up can someone point me to the discussion.
Click to expand...

BigCat is right all the way around. If you can get to a table with someone who has played Straight pool, they can show you just what all that means. It's really hard to explain some of this stuff without showing you just how it works.
That said, it's a great game and will improve whatever other games you play, 8 ball especially.
 
lak833 said:
1. If you make the 15th ball without hitting the rack, does the player break the 14 balls as usual, or do you add the 15th ball back at the head spot?
Click to expand...

You leave the ball down, but you don't want to "break" the other 14 balls because you'd be very unlikely to call and make one and then your opponent would have lots of makeable shots. Best to play a safety in this situation.

2. If you miss the 15th ball does your opponent have to hit that ball from wherever? It seems like no one would want to hit the 15th ball in unless they can also break the rack up.
Click to expand...

Either player can shoot at any ball at any time. The reason the shooter almost always shoots at the open ball is because that's usually the only way to make a called shot and at the same time break some more balls out of the rack so you can continue shooting. If you don't have that opportunity, it's usually best to play safe (maybe after pocketing the open ball).

There are several ways to play safe when you're faced with a rack of balls. One common way is to shoot the CB softly into the near side of the rack, breaking a few balls out on the opposite side and leaving the CB frozen to the near side without a shot at any of them (it's also good if one of them hits a rail, saving you from a foul and a lost point, but that's not strictly necessary - since the CB stays where it is on a foul, intentional fouls are an accepted tactic in straight pool). Safety battles are very common in straight pool, and are lost when one player mistakenly gives the other an open shot at a ball, which usually gives the player an opportunity for at least several points.

pj
chgo
 
Last edited:
I really suggest Phil Cappelle's book "Play your best straight pool" if you are interested in the game, especially if there aren't a lot of straight pool players in your area.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top