8-ball Rules Question: Safety On Open Table?

[Baxter]

Had an issue come up last night during our league finals match. Player A broke, came up dry. Player B comes to the table (which is open), calls the 9 ball in the corner and safety at the same time. Pockets the 9 and leaves the cueball tied up, forfeiting his turn at the table while expecting to be stripes. Player A wants a ruling, claiming that the table still should be open. They're saying that you must call a shot to claim your group of balls, and calling a safety cancels a called shot. If you call a shot and make it, you continue shooting. If you call a safety, you can pocket a ball without continuing your turn at the table.

The person who had to make the call was by no means a referee. He was basically a league operator who has no experience or training in being a referee. He called it in favor of Player B and made Player A play the ball as it sits.

Can anyone enlighten me on what the correct ruling would be?

 

[Maniac]

Someone will post a link on this, but I'm tired and going to bed. You cannot call two seperate functions on a single shot. You can either call to pocket a ball OR a safety, but not both. You can call a safety and make a ball, but you give up the table and it is still open in the scenario you outlined. Player A got shafted (pun intended), imo!!!

Maniac

 

[Baxter]

Someone will post a link on this, but I'm tired and going to bed. You cannot call two seperate functions on a single shot. You can either call to pocket a ball OR a safety, but not both. You can call a safety and make a ball, but you give up the table and it is still open in the scenario you outlined. Player A got shafted (pun intended), imo!!!

Maniac

That was my understanding.

 

[GADawg]

Someone will post a link on this, but I'm tired and going to bed. You cannot call two seperate functions on a single shot. You can either call to pocket a ball OR a safety, but not both. You can call a safety and make a ball, but you give up the table and it is still open in the scenario you outlined. Player A got shafted (pun intended), imo!!!

Maniac

Correct. When you call a safety you are saying " I am not calling a ball and pocket." therefore if a ball is pocketed when it has not been called, it cannot determine groups. Table is still open in this case.

 

[softshot]

I tried that one too... no dice .. table is still open

 

[DogsPlayingPool]

You cannot call two separate shots at the same time (i.e. a called ball and a safety). First, players play safeties all the time while making a ball. Also, because a player must continue shooting after making a call shot, Player A's intention to sit down and turn over the table indicated he actually intended to play a safety. For these reasons, if player B called the 9 Ball and a safety I would rule he called a safety. Therefore making the 9 ball did not establish that he had stripes and the table is still open to the incoming player A, since you cannot establish groups on a safety.

The BCA league rules is this:

2.6 Establishing Groups
1. Groups are established when the first object ball is legally pocketed on a shot after the break. The player legally pocketing the first ball is assigned that group, and the opponent is assigned the other group. You cannot establish a group on a safety.