Rule I’m not sure about
- Thread starter THam
- Start date
Who's rules? APA, BCA, ACS, TAP, UPA, WPA... etc.
Exactly I’m fairly certain you can’t do that in apa But it’s been a while.
Lets ask Billy Barbanger.
You are correct re doing that in APA. From what I recall of other rulesets, it seems to be possible and legal, but that's just from my memory. APA, no.
In the APA, if you have an open table, and make legal contact with a ball (which at that point, is any ball besides the 8), and a ball drops into a pocket, then you have that group of balls and you keep shooting.
In NAPA, with an open table, you can tell your opponent you are playing a safety, and pocket a ball, and it is their shot from wherever the cue is, and the table is still open.
TAP has the same ruling for that scenario as NAPA.
In NAPA, with an open table, you can tell your opponent you are playing a safety, and pocket a ball, and it is their shot from wherever the cue is, and the table is still open.
TAP has the same ruling for that scenario as NAPA.
Seems to me that you should be able to legally pocket a ball (which establishes group) and call safe on an open table.
Why is legally pocketing a ball and calling a safe any different whether the table is open or not? All you are doing is saying you don't want to shoot again after you take your turn.
Is there some rule that says you can't legally pocket a ball if you call a safe on an open table?
Not specifically. Calling "safe" prior to shooting is not an option in APA. In APA, their term is "Defensive Shot", and in Note 1 under Defensive Shots, it states that:
"An attempted Defensive Shot that results in the legal pocketing of one of the shooter’s category of balls (8-Ball) or the legal pocketing of any object ball (9-Ball) does not end the shooter’s turn. The shooter must continue to shoot, and the shot should be marked as a Defensive Shot".
Thanks for the info. I've only played BCA rules. Seems like it would be O.K. under BCA rules.
Question: APA rules on a non-open table, can you effectively play a "safe" by making one of your object balls but calling it in a different pocket than you shot it (in which case you would lose your turn). Or, would that be considered unsportsmanlike conduct?
APA doesn't require calling a pocket, other than marking the pocket you intend to shoot the 8-ball in (in 8-ball, of course). If it's your ball and it falls, it counts and you keep shooting. (So long as you hit one of yours first, and didn't scratch.)
APA rules are different than most other rule sets in a few ways, and this is one of them.
Zerksies
Well-known member
They would say that's your ball, Hence the reason i don't play bar 8 ball. I don't need my ego that infalted
While APA has their own version and interpretation of the rules for pool, it is, at it's core, a business. Remember that the purpose was not to set up a structure that would ensure a fair and unbiased competition, it was to create a self-sustaining business that uses entertainment value of "pool" as the draw. It does that very well.
BCA 8 ball allows for making an obvious shot and giving up your turn if you called safe. Rotation games do not.
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
I think if you don't want to shoot, you shouldn't knock one of your balls in. Except for some 10 ball rulesets, I don't think this is actually a rule.
For the original question, I think you could do that, but it seems like claiming the better group and then playing safe would be better. I guess there are rare circumstances where there is not decent shot, or not on the group you want. It is fun when the strangest strategic decision is the best choice.
There are a lot of these rules that you learn in the first couple of sessions you play in any of the different leagues, and you usually learn them the hard way. Sometimes more than once.
What if you call a ball on the break and make it in the called pocket ??