WEPF to phase out own ruleset in favour of international rules for English pool

Greg M

Greg M

Active member
Press release below:

www.wepf.org

International Eightball Pool Federation

Welcome to the International Eightball Pool Federation !
www.wepf.org www.wepf.org

Following a vote at today’s 2022 World Eightball Pool Federation Annual General Meeting in Killarney, member nations have made the historic decision to adopt International 8-Ball Pool Rules for all WEPF international events from 2023 onwards.

Having taken place at The Gleneagle Hotel – home of the ongoing WEPF World Championships – each nation received a vote on the motion during the AGM, with a landslide victory in favour of the new rules, which are currently being used in this year’s World Masters for the first time.

The WEPF welcomes this outcome and looks forward to a bold and prosperous new era for the sport around the world.

The change in playing rules will take effect from January 1st, 2023.
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World rules will no longer be an official competitive ruleset from 2023 onwards. Could partly be in favour to draw in an audience familiar with a more Americanised ruleset. I, personally, would have liked to see them adopt WPA blackball rules, which is a shame.

• World rules
• Blackball rules (starts on page 15)
• International rules
 
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Great move in my opinion. World Rules were a horrendous attempt to fix the problems that arose with two visits (rather than BIH) after a foul. Blackball was a much better attempt at bringing the ruleset closer to the original intentions of the game. International Rules is by far the best and a game changer.

Near identical rulesets should increase the respect for the game whether it is played with bigger balls on a 9ft "American" or 9ft "Chinese" or smaller balls on a 7ft "English" table. The secret of International Rules' success is that the pros as a whole prefer it to the other two rulesets. This move is a no brainer.
 
Yes, best move in decades...
Players who love to play on those tables, with that ball size will be fine once the old guard settles down and moves on.

Overall, having a rule set that is basically the same across different table types for 8-ball makes it easier for players to try different tournaments.

Now, the WEPF got sorted..

Crying shame Blackball has just had a major split and held two World championships this month......
For my money, the French one was heads and shoulders above what the other group did in Morocco.
Going on, number of countries, players, quality of players, number of tables, quality of venue, organisation, streaming...
By a long way.

Honestly, I think now WEPF has done this and the WPA made Blackball to try and simplify things years ago for these tables, now would be the time for the WEPF and WPA to sit down and just merge the two into one.
Call it Eightball or Blackball, I don't really care.
Just a sub-committee under WPA, using these tables, with one ruleset.
That is really the end game here, for this Game Of Thrones.
 
I can see getting ride of the two shot rule, will bring more confusion for pub players up and down the country. Personally I’ve played with the two shot foul for so long its going to be quite a change and a few drunken arguments are bound to happe.

But anyway I’m sure we’ll all cope. But I do agree having one pool champion would be perfect, but i don’t think the WPA or the WEBF are the best of friends, there is quite a chasm to cross, so that may take a while.
 
Swighey said:
Even in pubs where they have agreed to play the new new new new new rules (with BIH) there will still be fellas reminding their opponent it's "only one shot on the black mate".
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I'd be surprised if many pub players actually played International Rules to begin with. Even in my local casual pool meetups, they've all been a bastardised mix of official and unofficial rulesets.

I come from a world rules background, which is what I started off with, and later progressing onto blackball rules, which is now my preferred ruleset. I'm trying to keep an open mind, but I doubt I'll ever be happy with some of the rule aspects - namely, the requirement to touch a cushion or pot a ball after a total snooker. I'm really not liking this one.
 
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The political division is ridiculous. They both pretend it's because of what they think the rules should be, but both changed from the forerunners of World Rules and Blackball, to those more attacking (and similar) versions.
The problem is, to have any reconciliation, both bodies - at the same time - need strong leaders who are willing to put the game before their own pomposity and factionalism. International rules could be a way to make unification easier (as a face-saving mechanism), but it would still require that unlikely coincidence. And it sounds like the situation is getting worse, not better.
 
If I have any sympathy in the the political mess UK pool has become it lies more with the WEPF basically because in my mind they were first in and had a well recognised “world title” in place for many years. Although even then there were rival organisations they didn’t (in my eyes at least) carry the same weight. With the most prestigious champion being the WEPF version.

Later the WPA comes (a body with no historical connection to UK pool) and muddies the waters even more with further changes even changing the name to ”blackball” which admittedly I’m an old fart, but I’ve never heard anybody ever use. And for when my family and friends play a few frames we will still be playing two shots on a foul.

Its seems to me pool remains as popular as ever in pubs, albeit as it ever was with different rules played across the country, but at the top level it just damages the game.

As already said it’s now just become about power and ego’s with very little thought about the games well-being.
 
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Pin said:
The political division is ridiculous. They both pretend it's because of what they think the rules should be, but both changed from the forerunners of World Rules and Blackball, to those more attacking (and similar) versions.
The problem is, to have any reconciliation, both bodies - at the same time - need strong leaders who are willing to put the game before their own pomposity and factionalism. International rules could be a way to make unification easier (as a face-saving mechanism), but it would still require that unlikely coincidence. And it sounds like the situation is getting worse, not better.
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Spot on mate.
 
Pin said:
The problem is, to have any reconciliation, both bodies - at the same time - need strong leaders who are willing to put the game before their own pomposity
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Let's be fair here. The WEPF is doing exactly this by adopting a sensible ruleset. International (previously called Supreme) rules brought players together from World Rules and Blackball (and also Melling, Boyes, Appleton and Shaw) together to actually play against each other in the same tournaments. World Rules were consistent but they were designed as an improvement to an utterly bizarre ruleset. Blackball rules, to the WPA's credit are much better (and have influenced further changes to World Rules) but they stuck on two visits as a compromise with stuffy oldtimers. International Rules are a game changer. A pro sport should not be played according to school playground rules. I'm prepared to give the WEPF a chance now that they have made their first good decision, and hope that the WPA (which is actually pretty irrelevant now that Matchroom is back) jumps on the bandwagon.
 
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I thought I would start a new thread covering Blackball, so we don't derail this WEPF thread.
Feel free to have a look: @Swighey @Pin @Astrolabus


Blackball - Divisional Federation (ruleset) under the WPA (World Pool Association) *DIVIDED in 2022*

Blackball is a ruleset played on 6ft, 7ft (competition level) tables. Balls are 2" Cloth has a nap. Pockets are rounded See WPA Rules, section 5. : https://wpapool.com/rules-of-play/ The WPA made this ruleset, to compete with the WEPF (the tables are basically the same, as are ball size...
forums.azbilliards.com

I think that covers the status at the moment.
 
It looks like, here in Australia the transition to international rules is meeting minimal resistance.
So, WEPF are on the road to uniting the game under 1 ruleset for small ball pool.
 
CanadianGuy said:
can someone summarize the main differences between rule sets?
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I'll do my best to quickly summarise the main differences between world rules and blackball rules below. Here's a video discussing international rules.

SHOTS CARRYING: Shots carry in WEPF world rules by the incoming player after a foul. So should the incoming player pot a ball on their first visit and miss their next shot, they have another shot. In WPA blackball rules, it is one free shot (on any ball) and one visit, so shots do not carry. The incoming player may play a shot on the 8 ball, but may not pot it. This results in loss of frame.

SNOOKERS: If a player is totally snookered, i.e. cannot hit either side of any of their balls, they do not have to hit a cushion after escaping the snooker and contacting any of their balls.

TWO VISITS ON THE 8 BALL: If you are playing world rules and you are down to the 8 ball as your final object ball, then you have two shots to pot it. It's the same in blackball rules. The one free shot and one visit can be put towards trying to pot the 8 ball, so, essentially, two shots.

BALL-IN-HAND: In world rules, the cue ball can be placed in baulk if it leaves the playing surface, e.g. down a pocket or jumping off the table. It can also be lifted and placed in baulk if an opponent leaves a player snookered after fouling themselves. In blackball rules, the same applies, but this ruleset has the advantage of placing the cue ball in baulk after a foul, regardless of being left in a snooker or not.

SKILL SHOT: In WPA blackball rules, a player may pot their own colour and the opponent's colour in the same shot, provided both balls are potted. This includes the 8 ball. If the player's ball remains on the table and the opponent's ball is potted, it's a foul. Skill shots are not permitted in WEPF world rules and are punished by two visits for the incoming player.
 
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