In the rack, or not?

[SulcoPete]

Hey quick question - if a ball is touching the rack line, is it considered in the rack? Or does the edge of the ball have to be over the line? (By touching the line I mean interfereing with your view of the line from directly above the line, and by over the line I mean interfereing with your view of the felt on the rack side of the line from over the edge of the ball)

 

[Saturated Fats]

4.8 Special Racking Situations
When the cue ball or fifteenth object ball interferes with racking fourteen balls for a new rack, the following special rules apply. A ball is considered to interfere with the rack if it is within or overlaps the outline of the rack. The referee will state when asked whether a ball interferes with the rack.

 

[rostym]

So I assume that the outline of the rack means the outline of the balls, and not of the physical rack device that is used to put the balls in position, since physical devices used to rack differ in outline. Is that correct, and is it the outline of a 15 ball rack, or the outline of the 14 balls that are placed?

 

[Bob Jewett]

So I assume that the outline of the rack means the outline of the balls, and not of the physical rack device that is used to put the balls in position, since physical devices used to rack differ in outline. Is that correct, and is it the outline of a 15 ball rack, or the outline of the 14 balls that are placed?

That's incorrect. The players are stuck with the shape of the triangle that happens to be at the table. The marked outline is around the outside of the triangle, not on the inside. The triangle has to fit on the table to rack the balls.

If the 15th ball is very close to the outline but not overlapping, it should be marked, removed, and replaced after the balls are racked.

 

[rostym]

Lot's of triangles in the hall where I play. some extend maybe 3/8" outside the balls. Others extending and inch or more. So, it should be established prior to play which rack is to be used?

 

[Bob Jewett]

Lot's of triangles in the hall where I play. some extend maybe 3/8" outside the balls. Others extending and inch or more. So, it should be established prior to play which rack is to be used?

Or if the outline is already marked and you do not have a matching triangle, you could go with that outline and do the marking thing as needed. You have to have the marked line on the table so in/out can be determined before the rack ends. The shooter is entitled to know which balls are in the rack.

A small detail, which is covered in the rules: If you are not using a standard triangle at all, such as a Sardo rack or template, you still need to mark the outline with something close to a triangle.

 

[SulcoPete]

So I assume that the outline of the rack means the outline of the balls, and not of the physical rack device that is used to put the balls in position, since physical devices used to rack differ in outline. Is that correct, and is it the outline of a 15 ball rack, or the outline of the 14 balls that are placed?

The outline of the rack refers to the line drawn on the felt around the rack - that line is used to determine which balls are "in the rack". My question was answered, if thr ball touches the line then it's in the rack.

 

[rostym]

I keep hearing "outline of the rack" but what is "the rack?" Is the outline the tangent line around the outside of the racked balls, or is the outline of the triangle (often referred to, possibly incorrectly, as the rack) used?

 

[SulcoPete]

The outline of the rack refers to the line drawn on the felt around the outside of whatever triangle rack that's used at that table. That's because people use that rack to rack the remaining 14 balls while the 15th ball and cue ball remain in place. So the line is supposed to eliminate any judgment calls about whether a ball is in the rack or not. The ball is either touching the line or not, when viewed from directly over the line. If it's touching the line, it's in the rack and needs to be moved.

 

[Bob Jewett]

The outline of the rack refers to the line drawn on the felt around the outside of whatever triangle rack that's used at that table. That's because people use that rack to rack the remaining 14 balls while the 15th ball and cue ball remain in place. So the line is supposed to eliminate any judgment calls about whether a ball is in the rack or not. The ball is either touching the line or not, when viewed from directly over the line. If it's touching the line, it's in the rack and needs to be moved.

And the most important part of this is that it allows the player to plan his run. Sometimes -- when the rack has gone poorly -- the player wants to be sure that a ball is in the rack so it will spot.