The billiard games rules detailed here apply to all pocket billiard games including 8-ball pool, 9-ball pool and
straight pool, unless otherwise mentioned in the specific pool game rules.
The general pocket billiards rules refer to pool game that take place on pocketed tables. The standarized pool table has 6 pockets: 4 corner pockets and 2 side pockets. The equipment required in all pocket biliard games is a cue stick, a cue ball and a set of billiard balls. The number of balls changes from one billiard game to another.
According to the official pocket billiard rules, the balls have to be racked at the beginning of each game using a triangle. The apex ball has to be placed on the foot spot while the other balls have to be lined behind in a way that will force them to be pressed together.
Only the tip of the cue is entitled to strike the cue ball; if the cue ball is struck any other way, it is a foul.
When a player misses in sinking a ball into a pocket legally, his turn at the table ends and his opponent takes his turn instead.
The player who will commit the opening break shot is chosen by either a lag or a lot. Anyway, the opening break shot is taken with the cue ball in hand behind the head string. Once the tip of the cue hits the cue ball and cause the cue ball to move across the head string, the billiard game has begun. Afterwards, stopping or interfering with the way of the cue ball before it hits the object balls is a foul and will cause the player who has committed it to lose his turn at the billiard table.
A ball is not seen as pocketed legally unless it has dropped into a pocket following a legal shot and remains inside a pocket. In any other case, for example, when a ball falls out of the return system to the floor, or when a ball returns from the pocket to the bed of the table, the ball will not be counted as a pocketed ball.
A stroke will not seen as complete until all the balls on the table have stopped moving on the table following the stroke. And if the stroke is not complete, needless to say it does not count either.
Different billiard games has different penalties for fouls. However, these penalties for every foul in all pool games:
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Committing a foul leads to a loss of the player's inning.
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Committing a foul on a stroke causes it to be erased of the player's score and if balls were pocketed, they will not be ignored as well.
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Unless the specific game rules contradict it, the balls are re-spotted following a foul.
A shot will be defined as a legal shot only when the cue ball first hits a legal object ball and then eitehr cause a numbered ball to sink into a pocket or drive the cue ball or a numbered ball to hit a cushion.
When a shot does not meet the definition of a legal shot, it is a foul. In addition, failing in causing the cue ball to contact first a legal object ball; causing the cue ball to drop into a pocekt; touch the ball with anything but the tip of the cue; touching any object ball while it is in hand and hitting the cue ball twice during a single shot are all counted as fouls.
The general pocket billiards rules allows the players to commit no more than one foul in an inning, unless the specific pool game rules allow otherwise.
If the rules of the specific billiard game requires spotting balls, then the balls will be placed on the table's long string right after the stroke is completed. If only one ball has to be spotted, it will be placed on the foot spot. If more than one ball has to be spotted, then they will be placed on the long string with the lowest value ball placed on the foot spot and continuing in ascending order towards the foot rail.
During the billiard game itself, the players alternate innings (turns) at the table. A player's inning ends when he commits a foul or fails in causing a ball to fall into a pocket and then the opponent continues playing from that position.