Balkline Rules

3kushn

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Can anyone lead me to the rules.
I quit reading the USBA version when they say...

In 47.2, the player may make a point when both balls are in the cadre but must drive one object ball out before making the second point.
How can I drive a ball out of the cadre BEFORE I make the 2nd point?

Shouldn't that read, "Something like after making the 2nd point a ball must leave the cadre in order to continue a run?"

Looking at the table markings, I'm wondering about the small squares along the long rails. What's the rules within these areas?

General searches give me junk and
Can't find rules even on the UMB site.

WTH?
 
Well your first mistake was thinking the usba knew anything about it


You can make the second point with all in the zone but one OBJECT ball must leave the zone
It can also return (I believe) which is preferable
I think caudron does this in the video 10th point

There are lots of calls that can get confusing at first
Acheval
Dedans
Entree

And multiple uses of each combined!
And one I missed

Another wonderfully beautiful game gone the way of the dodo bird



Here is the 47.2 portion of caudrons dvd where he explains and shows how to play

 
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Official UMB rules tend to be rather poor translations from French, the original being written when FDR was in the White House. Maybe that's a project we'll have to take on. What I did find was an old explanation of the balkline terms and announcements by the ref I wrote many moons ago. Maybe it'll help you out a bit.

First, here are the basic calls:

entree = both object balls are now in the same balk
dedans = both object balls are now in the same balk for the second time
a cheval
= the object balls are (just) on different sides of the relevant line

This last call is 1) to reassure the player that he is not in trouble, and he does not need to walk around the table to check
2) to let the spectators know what the position is.

Now as you now, the same rules apply for the anchors, the little boxes drawn where the balkline meets the rail. So the two object balls can be entree or dedans for both the balk and the anchor.
These are the possible calls, with the balk position always called first, then the anchor position if there is one:
1) entree partout (which is the term used to describe entree et entree), the balls are in both the balk and the anchor, for the first time
2) entree dedans (entree et dedans, but the et is dropped for convenience), the balls are in the balk for the first time, in the anchor for the second time
3) dedans entree (the balls are in the balk for the second time, in the anchor for the first time)
4) dedans partout, the balls are in both the balk and the anchor for the second time
And then of course, there is a variety of calls with the reassuring "a cheval" , such as entree a cheval (you are entree for the balk and one ball is just out of the anchor), or a cheval dedans (you are not in the balk but you are in the anchor for the second time)

You will now have no trouble figuring out what a cheval partout means.

The referee is also expected to announce “libre” if the balls are extremely close but not touching. This, again, is for the benefit of the spectators and the opponent as much as it is for the player. So at the end of a match, a situation may occur where the referee is expected to say:

“ Two hundred and ninety-eight, dedans a cheval, playing for two, libre". You don't become a balkline referee overnight, this is a serious skill.

The above terms refer to 47/2 and 71/2. In case of balkline 47/1, there is no “entrée”, the balls are dedans as soon as they are in the same balk. There is no game called 71/1.
 
Official UMB rules tend to be rather poor translations from French, the original being written when FDR was in the White House. Maybe that's a project we'll have to take on. What I did find was an old explanation of the balkline terms and announcements by the ref I wrote many moons ago. Maybe it'll help you out a bit.

First, here are the basic calls:

entree = both object balls are now in the same balk
dedans = both object balls are now in the same balk for the second time
a cheval = the object balls are (just) on different sides of the relevant line

This last call is 1) to reassure the player that he is not in trouble, and he does not need to walk around the table to check
2) to let the spectators know what the position is.

Now as you now, the same rules apply for the anchors, the little boxes drawn where the balkline meets the rail. So the two object balls can be entree or dedans for both the balk and the anchor.
These are the possible calls, with the balk position always called first, then the anchor position if there is one:
1) entree partout (which is the term used to describe entree et entree), the balls are in both the balk and the anchor, for the first time
2) entree dedans (entree et dedans, but the et is dropped for convenience), the balls are in the balk for the first time, in the anchor for the second time
3) dedans entree (the balls are in the balk for the second time, in the anchor for the first time)
4) dedans partout, the balls are in both the balk and the anchor for the second time
And then of course, there is a variety of calls with the reassuring "a cheval" , such as entree a cheval (you are entree for the balk and one ball is just out of the anchor), or a cheval dedans (you are not in the balk but you are in the anchor for the second time)

You will now have no trouble figuring out what a cheval partout means.

The referee is also expected to announce “libre” if the balls are extremely close but not touching. This, again, is for the benefit of the spectators and the opponent as much as it is for the player. So at the end of a match, a situation may occur where the referee is expected to say:

“ Two hundred and ninety-eight, dedans a cheval, playing for two, libre". You don't become a balkline referee overnight, this is a serious skill.

The above terms refer to 47/2 and 71/2. In case of balkline 47/1, there is no “entrée”, the balls are dedans as soon as they are in the same balk. There is no game called 71/1.
The balkline expert Xavier gretilat has done some demonstration high run videos of 71.1 but of course to difficult a game to be an official competition game
 
The balkline expert Xavier gretilat has done some demonstration high run videos of 71.1 but of course to difficult a game to be an official competition game
Very nice video by Gert Jan Veldhuizen of a run in 57/1, which is the small table (2.30 x 1.15) version of 71/1, a game that is not played. His touch in the small space is exquisite.
 
Very nice video by Gert Jan Veldhuizen of a run in 57/1, which is the small table (2.30 x 1.15) version of 71/1, a game that is not played. His touch in the small space is exquisite.
I enjoyed his early videos often where he would try to get to 100serie in 1cushion.
He would speak English more in those but the YouTube subtitle translation helps at times to get some bit of information from his videos
He is a great player on his way up
 
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