Reracking
- Thread starter jbudz8
- Start date
Yes you can.
No I can't.
Thats just the way it's played.
I think the real issue is: can the 15th ball be placed on the foot spot and frozen to the head pair without disturbing them? I think that is typically so difficult to accomplish, that most referees will just routinely rerack, to insure all is tight. I’d guess every basic rule book stipulates (or implies) that all racked balls should be frozen to each other (?).
Here is the rule I think some of you are looking for:
The rules are available here: https://wpapool.com/rules-of-play/
There is no law against reading them.
4.6 Spotting Balls
All balls pocketed on fouls, or on safeties, or without a called ball having been pocketed, and
all balls driven off the table are spotted. (See 1.4 Spotting Balls.) If the fifteenth ball of a rack
needs to be spotted and the fourteen balls have not been touched, the fifteenth ball will spot
on the apex spot and the referee may use the triangle to assure a tight rack.
all balls driven off the table are spotted. (See 1.4 Spotting Balls.) If the fifteenth ball of a rack
needs to be spotted and the fourteen balls have not been touched, the fifteenth ball will spot
on the apex spot and the referee may use the triangle to assure a tight rack.
The rules are available here: https://wpapool.com/rules-of-play/
There is no law against reading them.
Similarly can the shooter request that the 14 balls be tightened up after potting the 15th ball on a called shot and not disturbing the 14 balls?
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My guess is not, but I’m no expert. They’d have to request the re-rack immediately after they were racked, but once a shot is played, my hunch is it’s then too late to request a re-rack.
Not to change the topic, but do others think it’s good etiquette to rack a bright ball (like a 1, 3, or 5) for the two wing balls for the opening rack and for every rack after that? I’ve always thought it was the right thing to do - to give both players a better contrast for thinning a wing ball when playing a safety. I’ve noticed very few of my opponents would even think of doing it, and I never mention it.
I think that in general the ref does not rerack an undisturbed 14-ball rack, but that's a good question. A similar situation comes up in nine ball when the breaker might point out gaps and ask for a rerack (although some tournaments allow inspection but not re-rack requests). I would say that the balls are not reracked unless you need to spot that 15th ball as in the rule above or the player mentions it right after racking and before any shot takes place.
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Since contacting the wing ball is pretty much universal on an opening break (or after 3 fouls) that proscribed order is justified. Otherwise, would seem excessive, since thinning the corner isn’t really the safety shot pros would likely choose (?). Random racking order is just the kind of crap-shoot that goes with the other ‘luck’ factors in 14.1 (like whether a rolling ball scattered after the break-out will snuggle up and freeze to whitey).
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for what it's worth, I put the 1 and 5 at the corners for the opening break. I've never thought to do it after that (except maybe after 3 consecutive fouls)
Yes, I think it is a good thing to do for the opening rack (and for a re-rack after 3 consecutive fouls, when another "opening" break shot is to be played). In fact, at one time (no longer) the rules actually required that the 1-ball be racked on the corner to the racker's right and the 5-ball on the corner to the racker's left for the opening break. When I play someone who puts the 6-ball and 8-ball on the corners for my opening break, I'm guessing it was not just happenstance.
But for racks other than when an opening break shot is being played, I feel just racking them randomly is fine.
The 1-and-5-on-the-corners rule is no longer a rule.
I think it's at least as much advantage to the non-breaker since those are the two balls he is most likely to be shooting at after the break.
Regarding the 1 and 5 in the corners for the opening break, if you really want to be old school. place the 15 on the head spot, high balls in the front and low near the back. Don’t ask me why this was considered the opening placement according to a racking diagram in ‘Winning Pocket Billiards’ by Willie Mosconi c. 1965. Maybe there was a secret society of Straight Pool racking, and this was how you could tell if someone was a member.
Early rules specified the complete order with the 15 in the front. Like 100 years ago.
This question came up tonight when playing our regular Saturday evening 14.1 match with a friend. It seems the CSI rules for 14.1 do not allow the use of a rack when spotting the 15th ball.
This is found in the Rules Section II/Applied Rulings
1-46 Spotting Balls;
6-10 Illegally Pocketed Ball (14.1 Continuous)
1. Situation: In 14.1 Continuous, after racking fourteen balls to continue the game, the
fifteenth ball is illegally pocketed before the rack is contacted by a ball.
Procedure: The fifteenth ball is spotted without the use of a racking device. If
the 15th ball will not settle in a position that is frozen to the balls in the front
row of the rack of fourteen balls, there is no consequence and the game will
proceed.
I guess it depends on which rules you play by.
This is found in the Rules Section II/Applied Rulings
1-46 Spotting Balls;
6-10 Illegally Pocketed Ball (14.1 Continuous)
1. Situation: In 14.1 Continuous, after racking fourteen balls to continue the game, the
fifteenth ball is illegally pocketed before the rack is contacted by a ball.
Procedure: The fifteenth ball is spotted without the use of a racking device. If
the 15th ball will not settle in a position that is frozen to the balls in the front
row of the rack of fourteen balls, there is no consequence and the game will
proceed.
I guess it depends on which rules you play by.
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
I guess that's the rule but I don't see why. I could see not specifying the rack could be used, but forbidding it?
On a related note, if there is no reasonable shot on the break ball or the last ball is spotted in the rack, is it required to have two object balls plus the cue ball touch a rail or is any single ball being driven to a rail a legal shot?
Pool Hand Luke
Well-known member
After the orignal break to start the game, any single ball driven to the rail or the cue ball itself driven to the rail after striking one or more object ball(s) is legal. At least that's the way we've always played.