9-Ball Rules: Is a split hit a foul?
- Thread starter ktrepal85
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Standardized rules: it is a good hit.
Even if you can't tell for sure - the decision goes to the shooter. It's only a foul if it's obviously a foul.
pj
chgo
The game does not matter, in general rules under standard rules, a hit where you can't tell which ball was hit first goes to the shooter. If it's a match and someone was not called over to watch the hit, if there is an argument about good hit or not between the players, it goes to the shooter. Of course in a situation where the shooter said it was good but the other player can point out that the balls could not have possibly end up where they are on a good it, that should be taken into account, but you'd still have to have both players agree at the end, or at least sway the shooter from what he though happened.
I had a guy that was drinking a bit hit the wrong ball first, banked it across table, then hit the other ball and when I called it a foul said it was a good hit. The ball he hit was about 1.5 feet in front of the object ball and moved to the rail and banked out a bit before the cueball even hit the legal ball. Thing is that the guy was a decent player and I'm sure the only reason he argued my call was the drinking. Shows you why being drunk or drunkish is not a good way to play pool.
Thank you! The "split hit" is a misnomer imo. I've probably called well over a thousand close hits in my time, many of them extremely close. But you can ALWAYS tell by the action of the balls what took place. You need to observe the paths that the object balls (and the cue ball) take after contact. Rarely is there a situation where it cannot be determined which ball was contacted first. In that rare instance where I just cannot tell, then I will rule in favor of the shooter.
99% of the time you "know" when a foul has been committed just by observing closely what takes place. Unfortunately many officials/referees don't know where to stand to have the best view of the shot. I like to stand where I can see the cue ball making contact with the object balls at the point of contact. Standing behind the shooter and watching the cue ball travel in the direction of the balls is not the best place to be to see the hit properly. The closer you can stand to that point of contact (ideally where you can see it going in from the back and not the front) affords you the best opportunity to make the correct call.
Unlike the players who do well to play at a 90% success rate, a good tournament official should perform at or near 100% for the entire event. No one is perfect but for me I consider that I've only had a good tournament if I didn't miss one call. If I missed just one then it's only a fair to average tournament from my point of view. In a major event, I will make between fifty (that's low) to one hundred (that's on the high side) calls in total during the course of the event.
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Damn, that's a lot of hits to watch!! I hate being called over to watch a hit. I'd rather just stay out of it and let someone else decide.
Just out of curiosity, what kind of strategy do you use when watching a hit where the cue ball and object ball are close together and a double hit is possible? Especially when they are shooting right at it but the cue is at a 45 degree angle? This has always been a gray area for me.
In the unlikely even that a "split-hit" would actually happen I suspect the call is with the shooter. As I have refereed common sense has always dictated that if it was that close - to close to call it was likely a bad hit, but as the lovely and talented Jay Helfert (star of stage, screen, and worsted cloth - Jay Helfert) stated earlier watching what takes place on the table, the action of the balls, in almost all cases will tell you which ball was hit first
In a course for referees I was helping with, I demonstrated split hits. Usually you can tell from the path of the cue ball after contact when the hit was good. Sometimes you can't.
Example 1: Two object balls are frozen together between the side pockets with their line up and down the table. The cue ball is close to a side pocket. I shot between the balls (technically along the common tangent at the point where the object balls were touching). Instead of scooting off to one side, the cue ball came straight back. Give me 100 tries and I'll do it again.
Example 2: Put the cue ball on the foot spot. Place two object balls touching the cue ball and lined up to the foot corner pockets. Move the cue ball back towards the head spot and shoot between the two balls. You probably will not be able to tell which ball you hit first or tell which object ball went in first.
Judging which ball was struck first requires some understanding of how the balls work and especially the 90-degree rule. To apply that to multi-ball contacts requires a little thought and experience.
Example 1: Two object balls are frozen together between the side pockets with their line up and down the table. The cue ball is close to a side pocket. I shot between the balls (technically along the common tangent at the point where the object balls were touching). Instead of scooting off to one side, the cue ball came straight back. Give me 100 tries and I'll do it again.
Example 2: Put the cue ball on the foot spot. Place two object balls touching the cue ball and lined up to the foot corner pockets. Move the cue ball back towards the head spot and shoot between the two balls. You probably will not be able to tell which ball you hit first or tell which object ball went in first.
Judging which ball was struck first requires some understanding of how the balls work and especially the 90-degree rule. To apply that to multi-ball contacts requires a little thought and experience.
I was taught to decide what the cue ball would do after contact if it were a good hit. In other words, which direction does the cue take if the correct hit is made. Once you have that in mind, watch the shot. If the cue ball reacts as you expected it was a good hit. If it does anything else, probably a foul.
You have to take spin into consideration on this, too, but that's easily determined.
Brian in VA
You have to take spin into consideration on this, too, but that's easily determined.
Brian in VA