14.1 Noob ?
- Thread starter CGM
- Start date
But, of course, in response to the OP’s question, in the case of most non-scratch fouls, the CB is left wherever it came to rest.
OP - The player who committed the foul loses one point from his total, but his opponent does not get ball in hand (behind the head string) - other than in a few circumstances. All spelled out in the rules - https://wpapool.com/rules-of-play/#Continuous-Pool
So if you foul (non scratch), and the ball is played where it lays, couldn't the incoming shooter be left a considerable disadvantage? Let's say I just slow roll the ball into the unbroken rack with no intention of breaking it up and leave the cue ball frozen to the rack. That's -1 for me, but now the incoming shooter has almost no choice but to take a foul or break up the rack, isn't that correct?
You just discovered the world of strategic play in straight pool!
A common counter to such a play is to tap the CB, leaving your opponent, who just buried the CB in the rack, with the same predicament. If this goes back and forth, he will have three consecutive fouls before you do, resulting in -15 for him (in addition to the -3 for the three consecutive fouls), at which point the balls are re-racked and he must play an opening break shot. Note that a lot of little, but consequential, things can happen while that CB is being tapped - dead balls get created or become accessible, new safety plays become available, etc.
I suppose it would be helpful to have a video of all the different rule situations as well as the standard ways of replying to the situations. Until that is available, it's a good idea to read through the rules at least once. Once is probably not enough, since some of the rules don't make much sense until you encounter the situation. Here are the rules: https://wpapool.com/rules-of-play/
To answer your question directly.... If you have ball in hand as the result of a scratch by your opponent, you must drive the cue ball over the line before it can hit any ball behind the line.
If you have ball in hand because the cue ball was in the rack area when it was time for a new rack, and the single loose ball is behind the line, you must place the cue ball on the head spot and you may play the loose ball.
(And if that last situation happens with the object ball blocking the head spot, the cue ball goes on the center spot, between the side pockets, but it is likely you will never see this happen.)
I find with a more experienced player to play with I have plenty of time to re-read the rules while they pot balls.
