or
click image to search using:
Before reading these, you should consult the General Rules of Pocket Billiards. Except when clearly contradicted by these additional rules, the General Rules of Pocket Billiards apply when playing 9 Ball.
This page contains references to some material that is copyrighted by the Billiard Congress of America. Any modification or sale of such information herein is strictly prohibited by the laws governing that copyright. Please direct questions regarding interpretation of the following, or information on how to receive the current BCA "Billiards - The Official Rules and Records book" to the Billiard Congress of America.
If there are any terms throughout the 9 Ball rules that you do not understand, you can search our billiard terms glossary in the search box near the top left of the page, or search the billiard terms glossary directly. I have also included the Billiard Congress of America's reference numbers, so that readers can reference each rule back to the specific rule text on the Billiard Congress of America website.
9 ball is played with a cue ball and nine object balls numbered 1 through 9. 9 ball is a "rotation" game, meaning that the balls are shot in numerical order. The shooting player must strike the lowest numbered ball on the table first. Players are not required to call any shot, and the game is won when the nine ball is pocketed. A player retains their turn at the table as long as they strike the lowest numbered ball first, avoid fouls, and pockets a ball on each shot. After a miss, the incoming player must shoot from the position left by the previous player, but after any foul the incoming player may start with the cue ball anywhere on the table. The player need not pocket the lowest numbered ball to continue shooting. He may, for example, shoot the 1-ball into the 4-ball thus pocketing the 4. He will continue shooting but must again strike the 1 ball first. If the player shoots the 1-ball into the 9-ball and the 9 is pocketed, the game is over.
The same as in 8-ball, but only 9 balls are used and are racked in a diamond shape. The balls are racked with the 1-ball at the top of the diamond and on the foot spot, the 9-ball in the center of the diamond, and the other balls in random order. The balls should be racked as tightly as possible. 9 Ball games begin with cue ball in hand behind the head string.
The winner of the lag has the option to break the rack. In 9-Ball, the winner of each game breaks in the next, unless otherwise specified by the 9 Ball tournament organizer. The following are common options that may be designated by various tournament officials in advance:
The rules governing the break shot are the same as for other legal shots except:
Various circumstances can occur upon completion of the break. They are:
On the shot immediately following a legal break, the shooter may play what is known as a "push out." (See below) If the breaking player pockets one or more balls on a legal break shot, he or she continues to shoot until they miss a shot, foul, or win the game. If the player misses or fouls, the other player begins an inning and shoots until missing, committing a foul, or winning. The game ends when the 9-ball is pocketed on a legal shot, or the game is forfeited for a serious infraction of the rules.
The billiard player who shoots immediately after a legal break may play a push out in an attempt to move the cue ball into a more favorable position for the option that follows. On a push out, the cue ball is not required to contact any object ball nor any rail, but all other foul regulations still apply. The player must announce his or her intention of playing a push out before the shot, or the shot is considered to be a normal shot. Any pocketed ball on a push out does not count and remains pocketed except for the 9-ball. Following a legal push out, the incoming player is allowed to shoot from that particular position or to pass the shot back to the player who pushed out. A push out is not considered to be a foul as long as no rule, except for the "Bad Hit" regulation and the "No rail" regulation, is violated. An illegal push out is penalized according to the type of foul committed. After a player scratches on the break shot, the incoming player may not play a push out.
When a player commits a foul, he or she must relinquish their inning at the table. Additionally, none of the balls pocketed on the foul shot are to be re-spotted. An exception to this regulation is if a pocketed ball is the 9-ball, it shall be re-spotted. The incoming player is granted ball in hand meaning that prior to their first shot they may place the cue ball anywhere on the table. If a player commits several fouls on one shot, they are counted as only one foul.
If the first object ball that is contacted by the cue ball is not the lowest numbered ball on the table, the shot is considered a foul.
If no object ball is pocketed, a failure to drive the cue ball or any numbered ball to a rail after the cue ball contacts the object ball on is considered a foul.
When the cue ball is in hand, the player may position the cue ball anywhere on the playable bed surface of the table. He or she may not place it in such a position that it is in contact with an object ball. The player may continue make adjustments to the position of the cue ball until shooting.
An un-pocketed ball is considered to be driven off the table if it comes to rest in a place other than on the bed of the table. It is considered a foul to drive an object ball off the table. The jumped object ball is not re-spotted when this occurs. An exception is made if the object ball is the 9-ball, in which it is re-spotted, and play is continued.
If a match is not presided over by a referee, it will be considered a cue ball foul if during an attempt to jump, curve, or masse the cue ball over or around an impeding numbered ball, the impeding ball moves, regardless of whether it was moved by cue stick follow-through, a hand, or bridge.
If a player fouls three consecutive times on three successive shots while failing to make an intervening legal shot, the game is lost. The three fouls must occur in one game, and the warning must be given between the second and third fouls. A player's inning begins when it is legal to take a shot and ends at the end of a shot on which he or she misses, fouls, or wins, or when he or she fouls between shots.
If the referee finds that neither player is attempting to win from the current position, the referee will announce his or her decision, and each player will have three more innings at the table. Then, if the referee still feels that there is no progress towards a conclusion, he or she will declare the rack a stalemate and the original breaker of the rack will break once again.
On the opening break, the game is considered to have commenced once the cue ball has been struck by the cue tip. The 1-ball must be legally contacted on the break shot. The game ends at the end of a legal shot which pockets the 9-ball, or when a player forfeits the game as the result of a foul, or multiple fouls
.When using coin operated tables to play 9 Ball, you can save some money by using all the balls in the event of a short game. for example, if the 3 and 9 are made on the break, the balls are reracked (because a 9 on the break is a winner) using the 10 and 11 balls. The sequence in the next game is 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11. The 11, in effect, is the "9-ball", the last ball, in this game. Avoid making replacements such as the 10 replaces the 3; it is too confusing. Shoot the balls in numerical order.
A player receives a point for every ball pocketed, except those pocketed when he or she scratches or otherwise fouls. The player receives two points for pocketing the 9-ball.
The 9 ball rules article was posted on 1/1/2006 9:22:00 PM and updated on 6/26/2006 1:19:00 AM. The 9 ball rules article was edited by Billiards Forum Editor.
The information for the 9 ball rules article was sourced from Internet.
While the exact origins are not known, Nine Ball billiards can be traced back to the 1920s.
The 9 ball rules are predominently observed in North America.
The governing body for 9 ball rules is the World Pool-Billiard Association.
9 Ball Rules belong to the pocket billiards category of cue sports. Pocket billiards is a class of cue sport game commonly referred to as pool.
The entire cue sport rules listing is available via RSS/XML. Click to view the pool rules rss feeds.
What happens if you shot the first ball and it was a scratch? Does the first ball stay pocketed or does it get re spotted back in to position.
In Nine Ball, if I hit the one ball first and then my cue ball hits the 4 ball and makes it without making the one ball is that a legal shot and its still my turn?
While playing nine ball, a player is awarded ball in hand. During placement of cue ball in a tight area no balls are touched. player continues to adjust cue ball back out of tight area and settles on final placement of cue ball. Can a measurement foul be called on player during this adjustment of cue ball in and out of tight area?
In 9-ball if you miss the object ball, but the q-ball strikes a rail and no other ball, is that a legal miss and loss of turn ?
In nine ball with the nine Ball being the only ball on the table and the cue ball strikes the nine ball dropping the nine ball in a pocket and the cue ball drops in the pocket as well how is the game played out or does the individual that sank the nine ball and scratched at the same time win?
I was informed that setting the pool cue on the table is a foul...I was also told, that that is only true for aimming a ball...ex...a player is playing 9 ball he runs into a shot which he tries to shoot right handed and sets cue on table and walks around the other side and pickes up cue and shoots it left handed...is this a foul?
Are push shots legal in 9 ball billiards?
I want to know what do you meen by the term scratches?
Term scratch is meant to be interpreted as a foul
Does the nine ball have to be called? and if you contact your object ball, and slop in the nine, is that leagal?
Billiards is a tough sport to master, and so we've put together a series of billiards tutorials for all levels of play from beginner to advanced.
You may also need our billiard table service & repair directory.
Thanks to the magic of YouTube, we're able to bring you the freshest billiards content available in video format. Click the video to watch, or visit our video section.
The Billiards Forum went live late in 2005 and has grown significantly from a green and organge v0.5 beta version to a fully-featured v2.0 beta.
Billiard RSS Feeds
