I know that many bars have different rules. I was playing a game of 8 ball the other night. I was on the 8 ball which I made. The problem was that the 8 ball went off the opponents ball. It was a friendly game. I said the other player do I win or lose. I said if we were playing bar room rules I guess I lost. We were waiting for an in house 9 ball league to star.t I said if we are playing league apa, tap, upa,bca rules I win. Two guys started telling that no league or rules state that the 8 ball is allowed to go off another ball.
I have been searching for standard rules for any league, especially bca. I cannot find any rule that states specifically that the 8 ball must or must not go clean. The tap league rule book is the only one that has a sentence that states "the 8 ball does not have to go clean"
the key to your question comes down to 1 sentence you stated.
if we are playing bar rules. i take it by your statement that you and your opponent did not agree on any certain set of rules. i happen to see you answered your own question that if you were playing bar rules yes you did lose.
i also want to address your 1st sentence concerning many bars have different rules. based on my experience having played in a shit load of bars for the last 40 years all over the southeast every bar and i mean every bar had the same rules with 2 exceptions until the mid 80's.
those 2 exceptions are the bank the 8 and last pocket 8 rules. these 2 rules were incorporated where i played due to the influx of spanish speeking players that like to play those 2 games.
when you started having an influx of northerners in the south during the early 80's is when i started encountering the nit picking "you did not call the rail" when the ball hit the corner of the pocket on the way in.
another reason for different rules at bars in the last 20 years is the growth of league players who when they go to bars want to bring their rules with them.with the advent of leagues playing bars nowadays you will encounter more and more playing by league rules.
i know there is not a written rule book of bar rules but i do know bar rules are pretty simple and do not tale up a 100 page pamphlet like apa , bcapl or any other league.
my advice is to do what i do when i go to a bar.... i ask what rules do you want to go by ...whether its a friendly game or not. there are a few bars i go to a couple of times a month and i always ask what rules. sometimes they wanna play league and sometimes they wanna play bar rules...i like to play bar rules..you know...when in rome..:grin-square:
