We were playing pool last night and my friend had got 3 balls covering pockets and mine were badly placed for the other 3.

I decided to take a foul and pot one of his by knocking it in with one of mine, leaving mine over the pocket – should the penalty have been…

a) A Free Ball*, followed by 2 shots.
b) A Free Ball, followed by 1 shot.
c) Other!

This is normal black ball pool (played with yellow and red balls).

*Free Ball meaning he can strike or pot any ball (but not black unless thats the only one left for him to pot).

Ta!

I would personally say b) A Free Ball + 1 Shot

It sounds like my pool games aren’t quite as serious though.

It sounds like my pool games aren’t quite as serious though.

It was a crucial moment – the next round depended on the outcome! 😀

I’d play rule b.

It’s a). As you committed a foul, you miss your next turn and your opponent has two consecutive goes. Hence option a).

From the English Pool Association rules:

6. PENALTY FOLLOWING ANY FOUL
Following any foul the offending player loses their next visit to the table, giving their opponent two consecutive visits to the table

If the cue ball has come to rest on the playing surface, then the player having two visits may proceed to play from where the cue ball lies, or the cue ball may be played from any position on or behind the baulk line. Moving the cue ball in this manner does not count as a shot, or visit. (Players are advised to ask the referee to hand them the cue ball).

On the first shot only of the first visit, the oncoming player may, without nomination, play the cue ball on to any ball without penalty, including any opponent’s ball(s), or 8 ball (black). If any object ball(s) is pocketed directly, or by combination, the player is deemed to have pocketed a legal ball(s), and continues with the first visit. However, the player must not pot the 8 ball (black), which would mean loss of game. Except if the player is on the 8 ball (black), then the game would be won. When the player fails to pot a ball on the first or subsequent shot of the first visit, play then continues with the second visit. The second visit is deemed to have started when the cue ball is struck on the first shot of the second visit.

I’d make you get the round in if you CBA even to make it look accidental

just two shots i reckon where he can play any ball he likes (including yours over the pocket) and still have 2 if he pots one.

do you not do the ‘pick up the cue ball and place it anywhere behind the line if you want to’ for the first shot too? been a while since i played but that used to be the rule round here.

EDIT: beaten to it ^^^ but appears im right 🙂

a or b

A foul, so two visits to the table, and you can play any ball at your first visit. If you sink a ball, then your first visit continues as per normal. If you don’t then you start your second visit, but you must run under regular play I.e. hitting the opponents ball is a foul.

However, it is best to check the house rules to prevent arguments.

Deliberate foul may forfeit the game – is it unsportsman-like behaviour? Other than that it’s (a) in the standard rules, though I’ve known some say “local rules” disagree.

BTW a clearer and potentially less ambigous way to refer to “2 shots” is to say that the offender misses their next visit to the table.

What about, following the imbibing of excessive amounts of cheap booze, you vomit copiously all over the green baize?

Deliberate foul may forfeit the game

It does in snooker IIRC. In pool it’s a loss of game for deliberately failing to play one of your own balls; the OP planted his object ball into an opponent’s, so it doesn’t apply.

a or b

A foul, so two visits to the table, and you can play any ball at your first visit. If you sink a ball, then your first visit continues as per normal. If you don’t then you start your second visit, but you must run under regular play I.e. hitting the opponents ball is a foul.

However, it is best to check the house rules to prevent arguments.

That’s what I’d have said, only not quite as well. (-:

I looked into this a couple of years ago as I was asked to draw up a set of official rules for a competition at work (we have a table here). It transpires that rules fall into three basic categories.

1) The “new” rules, which are the official ones from the EPA or whoever and bear little resemblance to any game I’ve ever played (like, you must hit the cushion or pot a ball or it’s a foul, or some such).

2) The “old” rules which IIRC comes under “Blackball” rather than “pool,” and with a few exceptions is the rules played by all the local pub league games.

3) Rules that someone made up once to win a game and is now belligerently certain that they’re right. One shot on the black, nominating pockets and other such hoary old nonsense.

In the end I got all the “official” rules I could find from the local leagues and went with the majority where anything differed. I figured governing bodies aside, this is what people actually play.

And I’ve just found my rules document. Here:

>>

3. PENALTY FOLLOWING ANY FOUL

A. Following any foul the offending player loses their next visit to the table, giving their opponent two consecutive visits to the table, even if the opponent only has the Black remaining to play.

B. If the cue ball has come to rest on the playing surface, then the player having two visits may play from where the cue ball lies, or elect to take the cue ball in hand and play from anywhere on or behind the baulk line. Moving the cue ball in this manner does not count as a shot or visit.

C. The first shot of the first visit is an open table; the oncoming player may, without nomination, play the cue ball on to any ball, including the Black. If any object ball is potted, including any opponent’s balls, the player is deemed to have made a legal pot and continues with their first visit. However, the player must not pot the Black out of order, as this would mean loss of game. When the player fails to pot a ball on the first or subsequent shot of the first visit, play then continues with their second visit.

Two owls playing pool.

One says to the other “That’s two hits”

The other says “Two hits? To who?”

Thanks!

What happened was he took his free ball (potted mine that was over the pocket), then had another shot and missed the ball he was aiming to pot, and then had another shot.

Sounds plausible, if confusing as to who’s who.

Following a foul, it’s an open table. So the next player can legally hit any object ball, and pot any object ball bar the black. If an opponent’s ball is potted it still counts as a pot and so play continues.

When the next shot is missed, that’s the end of the first visit and the player gets to take another shot.

3) Rules that someone made up once to win a game and is now belligerently certain that they’re right. One shot on the black, nominating pockets and other such hoary old nonsense.

Very much this. ”We’re playing American rules” 🙄

Sounds like he was right muffin man, that is how I would expect play to continue.

The other conundrum that often pops up, how should the balls be racked for the break?

The other common rack is the same but with the 3rd and 4th balls of the bottom row transposed.

TBH though, I don’t think it hugely matters so long as the black’s in the right place.

Ah, here, source.

New rules:
http://www.epa.org.uk/wrules.php

Old rules:
http://www.epa.org.uk/rules.php

As I said earlier, the old rules are very close to what the local pub leagues play, round here at any rate.

There’s also Blackball, which is an attempt to standardise all the different pub rules.

http://www.blackball.uk/2016/02/blackball-rules-visual-guide.html

(see also: https://xkcd.com/927/ )

I’m confused. The OP reads as though a) is a free shot and then 2 more

I take the rules as being you get 2 visits. On your first visit you can hit any ball you like, just dont pot the black if you are on the black. On your second visit you then have to hit a legal ball – ie your colour or the black if on the black.

Which would be (b)

except:

We play so if you do pot a legal ball on your first shot then you just get your normal subsequent shot as you would anyway and don’t take another go if you miss the shot following a legal pocket on your first shot.

A foul, so two visits to the table, and you can play any ball at your first visit. If you sink a ball, then your first visit continues as per normal. If you don’t then you start your second visit, but you must run under regular play I.e. hitting the opponents ball is a foul.

just saw this above. That is what we do.

You can hit any ball on your first shot but if you pocket a legal ball then you just continue as normal.

If you don’t then you get another shot but it must be a legal shot.

It’s not what you do then – note your “first visit continues as per normal”. What you’ve got there is a house rule.

If you pot a legal ball your turn continues as normal. You still have two visits though, so when you do eventually miss a pot you still have a second turn ‘in hand’; you don’t lose the second visit if you pot something, it just defers.

Also, if you pot what would normally be an illegal ball (other than the black) on your first shot then the same applies as it’s an open table (aka ‘free ball’).

To many variations across the country. You’d get a free ball and 2 shots everywhere pretty much.
We’d not let you carry, so as soon as you pot normal service resumes. B in your case. Some places would. Some places would let you pick the ball up and move it where you want it or in the D too!

I’d make you buy the next round for deliberately fouling, and make you buy peanuts too!

Some places would let you pick the ball up and move it where you want it or in the D too!

There is no D, just a baulk line. And you can move the white behind it after a foul.

Ask this bloke.

Or maybe not.

Played in a tournament under “official” rules years ago and one rule which surprised me was that it was OK to pot your opponents ball as long as your own ball went down first.

e.g. if your opponent’s ball is covering the corner pocket and getting in your way, you can pot your own ball into the middle pocket and allow the white ball to run down the cushion and knock your opponents ball in. No foul and you continue playing as normal.

There is no D, just a baulk line. And you can move the white behind it after a foul.

We would play one or the other at uni, either in the D and play in any direction, or behind the line but you have to play down the table.