Straight Pool Rules Question

[hang-the-9]

Bob, these are not 14:1 rules. I think the questions here relate only to 14:1. I did find a reference in the BCA 14:1 regulations regarding what they call a special "deliberate foul" that says you incur an additonal 15 point penalty, however, the description of what is a "special deliberate foul" is not what we are speaking of here. Seems the problem is what is required to make a legal deliberate foul and I don't see that anywhere. I think that is the unanswered question here.

"A player may not catch, touch or in any way interfere with a ball as it travels toward a pocket or the rack area on a shot (to include catching a ball as it enters a pocket by having a hand in the ball as it enters a pocket by having a hand in the pocket). Doing so is a special "deliberate foul" and is penalized one point for the foul and an additional 15 point penalty, for a total of 16 points. The incoming player then has choice of (1) accepting the table in position with the cue ball in hand behind the head string, or (2) having all 15 balls re-racked and requiring the offending player to shoot under the requirements of the opening break."

A foul that interferes with the game or mis-used the intended use of the equipment would be a "special" or "unsportstamlike conduct" foul, things against the rules and done deliberately that cause a shift in the game, say an intentional miscue, not using a legal stroke on the cueball, hitting balls around the table to randomize them, stopping the cueball before it stops on it's own especially when heading towards other balls (Mika did this against SVB one match). The foul in straight pool where they don't shoot outside of the kitchn seems to be one also.

It's probably not possible to list all the specific fouls a player can do in the rules, but a general "if it's not specifically OK to do, and it affects the layout on the table, it's bad" covers things.

 

[Bob Jewett]

...It's probably not possible to list all the specific fouls a player can do in the rules, ...

For standard (1-point) fouls, the WSR do list all the possibilities, or try to. Unsportsmanlike conduct is open-ended of course and impossible to list completely. Players are inventive.

 

[ChrisinNC]

On intentional fouls, what happens if one player takes an intentional foul by simply rolling the cue ball gently against the rack and at that point his opponent declares that he also intends to take a foul but he just touches the cue not hitting anything. Is this a legal intentional foul? If not what happens in this situation?

An example of an unsportsmanlike loss of game foul would be intentionally contacting your cue directly with an object ball, like knocking in a 9 ball sitting in front of a pocket when you are snookered and can’t figure a way to get it out of there even on a bad hit, and thinking it’s better to get the 9ball out of the pocket even if you are giving up a ball-in-hand to your opponent. That is an example of an unsportsmanlike intentional foul - automatic loss of game.

 

[Bob Jewett]

An example of an unsportsmanlike loss of game foul ...

That's at 9 ball. Loss of match at 14.1 is pretty rare. Two I've seen that qualify:

A player missed a shot and out of anger and frustration fired directly at an object ball with an elevated cue stick launching the ball into the audience. Loss of match.

One that should have been loss of match: A player was shooting about the third shot of a nicely open rack. He tapped the cue ball on a warm-up stroke, realized in an instant that his opponent would have five easy shots to choose from, and took a second power stroke moving pretty much every ball on the table. I think it was only counted as a 1-point foul.