Brief history of WSR

Push&Pool

Push&Pool

Professional Banger
Silver Member
Well, relying on my limited knowledge about pool history, I'm interested about a few facts about global ruleset development and I'd like someone to correct me if I got something wrong.

So, a long time ago, in a land far, far away, pool was becoming more and more popular, but the problem was there were several organizations who each promoted their own set of rules. Also, the majority of players played by casual rules where pretty much every bar or group of friends on the planet used a different version of the rules. And then, during that dark age, the gods of pool descended and gave us the World Standardized Rules in order to unite the masses and stop the chaos.

Many years passed. There are still many organizations who recognize only their own rules. Each bar still has its own ruleset. There are possibly much more players than before, but the differences are even greater, and the chaos remains everywhere.

Now, I'd like to know what was the procedure, the exact criteria used for establishing the WSR? I can only guess they tried to make the most balanced ruleset which would remain as simple as possible. Also, why WSR never had a foothold among the masses, including the casual players, if it's supposed to be the best version of pool rules?
 
Push&Pool said:
Well, relying on my limited knowledge about pool history, I'm interested about a few facts about global ruleset development and I'd like someone to correct me if I got something wrong.

So, a long time ago, in a land far, far away, pool was becoming more and more popular, but the problem was there were several organizations who each promoted their own set of rules. Also, the majority of players played by casual rules where pretty much every bar or group of friends on the planet used a different version of the rules. And then, during that dark age, the gods of pool descended and gave us the World Standardized Rules in order to unite the masses and stop the chaos.

Many years passed. There are still many organizations who recognize only their own rules. Each bar still has its own ruleset. There are possibly much more players than before, but the differences are even greater, and the chaos remains everywhere.

Now, I'd like to know what was the procedure, the exact criteria used for establishing the WSR? I can only guess they tried to make the most balanced ruleset which would remain as simple as possible. Also, why WSR never had a foothold among the masses, including the casual players, if it's supposed to be the best version of pool rules?
Click to expand...

am sure Bob Jewett can better answer this but from what I understand it falls under the purview of establishing pocket billiards as a world sport. The WPA was founded to bring all the national organizations together and to that end they all agreed to abide by the World Rules. The is especially relevant as the World Confederation of Billiard Sports was formed to be the liason for the IOC and they had to present unified rules for all disciplines.

In the USA however the Billiard Congress of America was/is the North American member of the WPA and as such only their events were under the umbrella of the WPA. The other leagues were not in any way beholden to adopt the WPA ruleset and in fact very much wanted their own rules to become the default rules rather than those of an organization they were not under.

Farther down the chain none of the tours were part of the BCA nor the WPA and so they also made up their own rules as they wished, sometimes using BCA/WPA rules sometimes changing them.

So today in the USA we have many rulesets, most of which vary slightly but are still different. Add to that the fact that rules change from event to event and sometimes a rule is changed during an event (rare).

For example I find it sad that jump cues were allowed in the US Open 10 ball but not in the US Open 8 Ball. In my opinion that should never be the case. Especially since the BCAPL rules for the amateurs allow jump cues.
 
Push&Pool said:
So, a long time ago, in a land far, far away, pool was becoming more and more popular, but the problem was there were several organizations who each promoted their own set of rules. Also, the majority of players played by casual rules where pretty much every bar or group of friends on the planet used a different version of the rules. And then, during that dark age, the gods of pool descended and gave us the World Standardized Rules in order to unite the masses and stop the chaos.
Click to expand...

The history as you've outlined is pretty much correct. Except it was a guy named Walter who walked up a mountain and returned with two tablets that had the rules chiseled in them. Since then, wars have been fought over how to follow the rules.
 
Push&Pool said:
Also, why WSR never had a foothold among the masses, including the casual players, if it's supposed to be the best version of pool rules?
Click to expand...

Real pool players don't expect "casual" players to know anything but what their parents taught them in the basement. So why would some random guy who just wants to feel up his date research how to actually play pool? He's going to get to show her all the wrong ways to play, but does he care? No. He just wants to get laid.

I realize you think you're amazing at the rules you made up in Jimmy's Pub and Eatery and that all of your friends play by them. Awesome. When you win the Basement World Championships of RAM Shots you should buy yourself a trophy and call Cuetec for a sponsorship.
 
Ghosst said:
Real pool players don't expect "casual" players to know anything but what their parents taught them in the basement. So why would some random guy who just wants to feel up his date research how to actually play pool? He's going to get to show her all the wrong ways to play, but does he care? No. He just wants to get laid.

I realize you think you're amazing at the rules you made up in Jimmy's Pub and Eatery and that all of your friends play by them. Awesome. When you win the Basement World Championships of RAM Shots you should buy yourself a trophy and call Cuetec for a sponsorship.
Click to expand...

B.W.C.R.S.:rotflmao1:
 
Wasn't there for this historic event... but what I think happened in pool (and maybe in other sports):

Most variations of rules tend to be either A or B. There are often two popular versions of many commonly-disputed rules.
For example you either call shots, or you don't. You play scratches anywhere, or behind the line.
You either allow jumping, or you don't.

So a group of concerned pool fans got together and went down the list of rules and decided either "A" or "B"
for virtually every arguable rule. How did they decided which version to use? Well, I think their first concern was
fairness... maybe they also tried to pick rules that might satisfy some secondary concerns like whether the rule
makes the game more or less fun, or interesting, or more fun for spectators, etc.

Eventually they had a unified set of rules, then they fine tuned it if they saw problems with rules being abused.
For example maybe they noticed some players using pattern racking to make runouts easier,
so they introduced a rule requiring the balls to be racked randomly (just an example, no idea if this is how it happened).

The rules were presented to other governing bodies and some chose to accept them (and the authority of the WPA)
because it's been long understood that the lack of standardization in pool is a problem that needs fixing...
and eventually SOMEONE will have to be the recognized authority with the definitive rules.

Why haven't they been adopted for the masses?

- pool can be played recreationally without knowing all the rules. If I go hit some tennis balls
with a buddy, you can bet neither of us have ever opened the official tennis rulebook.
I'm not even sure who puts out the official rulebook of tennis. But we can have a good time anyway.
Probably the number one reason players don't bother is because they're just out to have fun,
and they can accomplish that mission without knowing or caring what rules the pros use.

- very large organizations like the BCA have apparently refused to accept these rules, even if they
seemingly accept the WPA. Some organizations have been using their own rules for a long time,
and the WPA's only been around since 1990ish.

- the WPA could be doing more to market these rules. There are posters I've seen, but at surprisingly few pool halls.
One thought I had... if you buy a monopoly set, you get a monopoly rulebook. The WPA should be talking to ball manufacturers
and have a WPA handbook included with every set of pool balls, and a poster with every diamond or brunswick table.

- some rules are better suited for the pro level than the amateur level. Organizations like the APA for example
specifically target amateurs, and if they adopted WPA rules then the league might be less successful.
So they have a financial incentive to ignore WPA rules.

- Push'n'Pool, we can't forget that guy. He may be the number one force working against the WPA on the planet!
:D :D :D
 
Ghosst said:
Real pool players don't expect "casual" players to know anything but what their parents taught them in the basement. So why would some random guy who just wants to feel up his date research how to actually play pool? He's going to get to show her all the wrong ways to play, but does he care? No. He just wants to get laid.

I realize you think you're amazing at the rules you made up in Jimmy's Pub and Eatery and that all of your friends play by them. Awesome. When you win the Basement World Championships of RAM Shots you should buy yourself a trophy and call Cuetec for a sponsorship.
Click to expand...

Real pool players also don't insult casual players, trolls and smacktards do that. And when did I make up rules? We all learned them from different sources and many fellow players. If you mean the games I came up with, we never actually played them. Also, why are you so obsessed with RAM shots?

CreeDo said:
Wasn't there for this historic event... but what I think happened in pool (and maybe in other sports):

Most variations of rules tend to be either A or B. There are often two popular versions of many commonly-disputed rules.
For example you either call shots, or you don't. You play scratches anywhere, or behind the line.
You either allow jumping, or you don't.

So a group of concerned pool fans got together and went down the list of rules and decided either "A" or "B"
for virtually every arguable rule. How did they decided which version to use? Well, I think their first concern was
fairness... maybe they also tried to pick rules that might satisfy some secondary concerns like whether the rule
makes the game more or less fun, or interesting, or more fun for spectators, etc.

Eventually they had a unified set of rules, then they fine tuned it if they saw problems with rules being abused.
For example maybe they noticed some players using pattern racking to make runouts easier,
so they introduced a rule requiring the balls to be racked randomly (just an example, no idea if this is how it happened).

The rules were presented to other governing bodies and some chose to accept them (and the authority of the WPA)
because it's been long understood that the lack of standardization in pool is a problem that needs fixing...
and eventually SOMEONE will have to be the recognized authority with the definitive rules.

Why haven't they been adopted for the masses?

- pool can be played recreationally without knowing all the rules. If I go hit some tennis balls
with a buddy, you can bet neither of us have ever opened the official tennis rulebook.
I'm not even sure who puts out the official rulebook of tennis. But we can have a good time anyway.
Probably the number one reason players don't bother is because they're just out to have fun,
and they can accomplish that mission without knowing or caring what rules the pros use.

- very large organizations like the BCA have apparently refused to accept these rules, even if they
seemingly accept the WPA. Some organizations have been using their own rules for a long time,
and the WPA's only been around since 1990ish.

- the WPA could be doing more to market these rules. There are posters I've seen, but at surprisingly few pool halls.
One thought I had... if you buy a monopoly set, you get a monopoly rulebook. The WPA should be talking to ball manufacturers
and have a WPA handbook included with every set of pool balls, and a poster with every diamond or brunswick table.

- some rules are better suited for the pro level than the amateur level. Organizations like the APA for example
specifically target amateurs, and if they adopted WPA rules then the league might be less successful.
So they have a financial incentive to ignore WPA rules.

- Push'n'Pool, we can't forget that guy. He may be the number one force working against the WPA on the planet!
:D :D :D
Click to expand...

Seems interesting, thank you for your input. Wait, I work against WPA?! I don't play by their rules or read the official books and such, but why would I hate the organization?
 
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Pocket Point you should be happy I bothered to bump your thread. I like casual players, we need them around. I haven't insulted any of them. Hell, I wish I could get away with the whole, "lemme show you how to shoot", thing but casual players think I'm trying to trick them into gambling.
 
Ghosst said:
Pocket Point you should be happy I bothered to bump your thread. I like casual players, we need them around. I haven't insulted any of them. Hell, I wish I could get away with the whole, "lemme show you how to shoot", thing but casual players think I'm trying to trick them into gambling.
Click to expand...

Reminds me of where I fished when I moved up to OR. It was a little dock on a slow-moving river(in the summer anyways). I found that the middle provided big hits once in a while, but almost every cast would result in a snag. The most consistent spot was between the dock and shore, about 6-10 feet wide.

One day a couple comes down with their dog. One of the inbreds says, "What are you trying to catch, turtles?" I say no, this is how to fish this spot. "We come down here all the time." Which was pretty strange, because I had probably gone at least a few times a week, weather permitting, for a few years and never once saw them. Anyways, they start fishing and don't catch a single damn thing in about an hour or two and they left silently.

The moral of the story.. some people just think they already know enough and, in some cases, more than you - even when they don't know jack.

I've helped out players by racking for them over and over again to teach them how to break better. I have no problem helping people. Some people just don't want the help. Maybe their ego can't handle it, who knows.
 
WSR for Pool

Push&Pool said:
Well, relying on my limited knowledge about pool history, I'm interested about a few facts about global ruleset development and I'd like someone to correct me if I got something wrong.

So, a long time ago, in a land far, far away, pool was becoming more and more popular, but the problem was there were several organizations who each promoted their own set of rules. Also, the majority of players played by casual rules where pretty much every bar or group of friends on the planet used a different version of the rules. And then, during that dark age, the gods of pool descended and gave us the World Standardized Rules in order to unite the masses and stop the chaos.

Many years passed. There are still many organizations who recognize only their own rules. Each bar still has its own ruleset. There are possibly much more players than before, but the differences are even greater, and the chaos remains everywhere.

Now, I'd like to know what was the procedure, the exact criteria used for establishing the WSR? I can only guess they tried to make the most balanced ruleset which would remain as simple as possible. Also, why WSR never had a foothold among the masses, including the casual players, if it's supposed to be the best version of pool rules?
Click to expand...
There isn't enough time to explain the details of the formation of the WCBS and the WPA and their influences on World Standardized Rules. I posted a while back on some of the other threads giving a brief overview of it. Needless to say, twenty years later, it appears the BCA and the affiliated organizations haven't done a very good job of informing the masses.

The WPA was formed out of the desire for the European Pocket Billiard Federation, Asian Pocket Billiard Federation(incl. Australia), and the Billiard Congress of America to develop standardized rules for membership to the World Confederation of Billiard Sports(incl. Snooker,Carom,Pool) for acceptance to the International Olympic Committee as the representative bodies for the Sport.

Representatives were Jorgen Sandman, Horst Vondenhoff(EPBF),Ian AndersonMr. Tu(Asia), and John Lewis(BCA).

This isn't something that was hatched overnight, but was developed through the meticulous requirements and guidelines set forth by the IOC.

There is no set requirement to play by these rules locally. WSR are only required in WPA Sanctioned Events.

cajunfats
 
CreeDo said:
Wasn't there for this historic event... but what I think happened in pool (and maybe in other sports):

Most variations of rules tend to be either A or B. There are often two popular versions of many commonly-disputed rules.
For example you either call shots, or you don't. You play scratches anywhere, or behind the line.
You either allow jumping, or you don't.

So a group of concerned pool fans got together and went down the list of rules and decided either "A" or "B"
for virtually every arguable rule. How did they decided which version to use? Well, I think their first concern was
fairness... maybe they also tried to pick rules that might satisfy some secondary concerns like whether the rule
makes the game more or less fun, or interesting, or more fun for spectators, etc.

Eventually they had a unified set of rules, then they fine tuned it if they saw problems with rules being abused.
For example maybe they noticed some players using pattern racking to make runouts easier,
so they introduced a rule requiring the balls to be racked randomly (just an example, no idea if this is how it happened).

The rules were presented to other governing bodies and some chose to accept them (and the authority of the WPA)
because it's been long understood that the lack of standardization in pool is a problem that needs fixing...
and eventually SOMEONE will have to be the recognized authority with the definitive rules.

Why haven't they been adopted for the masses?

- pool can be played recreationally without knowing all the rules. If I go hit some tennis balls
with a buddy, you can bet neither of us have ever opened the official tennis rulebook.
I'm not even sure who puts out the official rulebook of tennis. But we can have a good time anyway.
Probably the number one reason players don't bother is because they're just out to have fun,
and they can accomplish that mission without knowing or caring what rules the pros use.

- very large organizations like the BCA have apparently refused to accept these rules, even if they
seemingly accept the WPA. Some organizations have been using their own rules for a long time,
and the WPA's only been around since 1990ish.

- the WPA could be doing more to market these rules. There are posters I've seen, but at surprisingly few pool halls.
One thought I had... if you buy a monopoly set, you get a monopoly rulebook. The WPA should be talking to ball manufacturers
and have a WPA handbook included with every set of pool balls, and a poster with every diamond or brunswick table.

- some rules are better suited for the pro level than the amateur level. Organizations like the APA for example
specifically target amateurs, and if they adopted WPA rules then the league might be less successful.
So they have a financial incentive to ignore WPA rules.

- Push'n'Pool, we can't forget that guy. He may be the number one force working against the WPA on the planet!
:D :D :D
Click to expand...
Some very good points. I am not privvy to all the workings of the current BCA Trade Organization, but in the past, all member pool rooms received a poster with 8 Ball and 9 Ball Rules that they could copy,plus a Rule Book to reference for tournaments. Trade Industry Members also receive this in their packets to distribute with Tables,Balls,Cues,Cases,etc.

Yes, a lot has fallen through in the past twenty years, and Pool is no further ahead. It survives,...sometime in spite of itself.

cajunfats
 
Ghosst said:
Pocket Point you should be happy I bothered to bump your thread. I like casual players, we need them around. I haven't insulted any of them. Hell, I wish I could get away with the whole, "lemme show you how to shoot", thing but casual players think I'm trying to trick them into gambling.
Click to expand...

Pocket point, ChrisBanks, Poolkiller, Borat... A nice set of nicknames you people gave me. What's next? Mr Bean?
 
cajunfats said:
There isn't enough time to explain the details of the formation of the WCBS and the WPA and their influences on World Standardized Rules. I posted a while back on some of the other threads giving a brief overview of it. Needless to say, twenty years later, it appears the BCA and the affiliated organizations haven't done a very good job of informing the masses.

The WPA was formed out of the desire for the European Pocket Billiard Federation, Asian Pocket Billiard Federation(incl. Australia), and the Billiard Congress of America to develop standardized rules for membership to the World Confederation of Billiard Sports(incl. Snooker,Carom,Pool) for acceptance to the International Olympic Committee as the representative bodies for the Sport.

Representatives were Jorgen Sandman, Horst Vondenhoff(EPBF),Ian AndersonMr. Tu(Asia), and John Lewis(BCA).

This isn't something that was hatched overnight, but was developed through the meticulous requirements and guidelines set forth by the IOC.

There is no set requirement to play by these rules locally. WSR are only required in WPA Sanctioned Events.

cajunfats
Click to expand...

I understand. I never saw a copy of rules where tables are present. Looks like noone really cares.
 
Push&Pool said:
Seems interesting, thank you for your input. Wait, I work against WPA?! I don't play by their rules or read the official books and such, but why would I hate the organization?
Click to expand...

Actually meant to type WSR there, too many acronyms to track.
Just kidding in any case.
I'd actually love for someone who was there to chime in on the topic,
if there ever was an actual one-time sitdown where they hammered out all the rules.
 
There is no one time sit down

CreeDo said:
Actually meant to type WSR there, too many acronyms to track.
Just kidding in any case.
I'd actually love for someone who was there to chime in on the topic,
if there ever was an actual one-time sitdown where they hammered out all the rules.
Click to expand...
Rules are complex and take a large number of people serving in committees to hammer out even the most minute definition. It is impossible to sit down in one place,at one time,to do this.

A good point of reference is to look at the BCA Official Rules and Record Book from about 1990-2005. You will see the names of the people who contributed to the rules. Many are on AZ today, and some are still working within the industry.

The rules for pocket billiard and carom games go as far back as the beginning of the sport. Every rule we have today, is a derivative of those original games.

There, I chimed in.:cool:

cajunfats
 
It just always seemed weird to me that pool has a definitive rule book, but everyone even tournaments ignore it at their whim. Can't think of too many sports or games that do that.
 
cajunfats said:
Rules are complex and take a large number of people serving in committees to hammer out even the most minute definition. It is impossible to sit down in one place,at one time,to do this.

A good point of reference is to look at the BCA Official Rules and Record Book from about 1990-2005. You will see the names of the people who contributed to the rules. Many are on AZ today, and some are still working within the industry.

The rules for pocket billiard and carom games go as far back as the beginning of the sport. Every rule we have today, is a derivative of those original games.

There, I chimed in.:cool:

cajunfats
Click to expand...

Pretty cool to hear from one of the contributors, thanks! So it took months?
Any rule you remember being debated more than most? Were people excited about
finally having one official set of rules or was it just viewed as another book among many?
 
Push&Pool said:
Now, I'd like to know what was the procedure, the exact criteria used for establishing the WSR? I can only guess they tried to make the most balanced ruleset which would remain as simple as possible. Also, why WSR never had a foothold among the masses, including the casual players, if it's supposed to be the best version of pool rules?
Click to expand...

Well... I'm not Bob, but...

My recollection and understanding is that in order to get into recognized global events like the Olympics and affiliated sporting events (world games, Southeast Asian games, etc.) a recognized world governing body for that sport must be established. That respective world governing body (WPA for pool in this case) would be the representative to the Olympic Committee as part of the World Billiard Confederation (with Billiards and Snooker having their own governing body).

Having a world governing body led to having World Standardized Rules. When that requirement happened, the games such as 8-ball, 9-ball and 14.1 simply adopted the Billiard Congress of America's ruleset for those particular games as the World Standardized Rules.

The first BCA rulebook after the WPA and the idea of World Standardized Rules were founded, the BCA rulebook added the words "World Standardized Rules" to those three games above, but not to the whole BCA rulebook.

The evolution of the WSR's after the adoption of the BCA rulesets have included Bob Jewett as he seemingly always have been part of the process since I think when he was born. The biggest change was the incorporation and the changes (that I hate) of the BCA 10-ball rules when it started to gain popularity at the international level. I remember at the Derby City Classic when a lot of the action room started to have more 10-ball incorporated... there was a transition over the years of hardcore action players used to old 10-ball rules and new 10-ball players (from Europe for example) that couldn't understand how anyone could play 10-ball any way other than call-shot.


Freddie <~~~ waiting for Bob to correct all my errors
 
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Cornerman said:
Well... I'm not Bob, but...

My recollection and understanding is that in order to get into recognized global events like the Olympics and affiliated sporting events (world games, Southeast Asian games, etc.) a recognized world governing body for that sport must be established. That respective world governing body (WPA for pool in this case) would be the representative to the Olympic Committee as part of the World Billiard Confederation (with Billiards and Snooker having their own governing body).

Having a world governing body led to having World Standardized Rules. When that requirement happened, the games such as 8-ball, 9-ball and 14.1 simply adopted the Billiard Congress of America's ruleset for those particular games as the World Standardized Rules.

The first BCA rulebook after the WPA and the idea of World Standardized Rules were founded, the BCA rulebook added the words "World Standardized Rules" to those three games above, but not to the whole BCA rulebook.

The evolution of the WSR's after the adoption of the BCA rulesets have included Bob Jewett as he seemingly always have been part of the process since I think when he was born. The biggest change was the incorporation and the changes (that I hate) of the BCA 10-ball rules when it started to gain popularity at the international level. I remember at the Derby City Classic when a lot of the action room started to have more 10-ball incorporated... there was a transition over the years of hardcore action players used to old 10-ball rules and new 10-ball players (from Europe for example) that couldn't understand how anyone could play 10-ball any way other than call-shot.


Freddie <~~~ waiting for Bob to correct all my errors
Click to expand...
A few small corrections. The world governing body that is recognized by the IOC for cue sports is the World Confederation of Billiard Sports (WCBS). They have a web site. The members of the WCBS are the IBSF (for snooker and English billiards), the UMB (for carom billiards) and the WPA (for pool).

Until the WPA WSR rules revision of January 2008 (done mostly by an international committee in a meeting in 2006), the WSR were largely the BCA rules with minor modifications/patches/band-aids from 1992-2006. The BCA rules for nine ball had been primarily taken from the rules of the US men's pro tour (PBA).

The rules for 10 ball were introduced late into the January 2008 rules and were not part of the committee effort, which is why they don't read quite like the other rules. The intent of the people who wrote the rules of WSR 10 ball was to remove luck as much as possible. I think there are many who feel that goal was achieved.

And for the record, I didn't start writing rules for pool until 1979, well after I was born.
 
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