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Convergence 8 Ball Rules

The General Rules of Pocket Billiards apply except when clearly contradicted by these additional Convergence 8 Ball rules.

Convergence 8 Ball is a game that is similar to 9 Ball billiards, but each player has his or her own balls The game is played generally by two players, however, multiple player versions are also available. The object of Convergence 8 Ball is to legally pocket the 8 ball. The skill level required for Convergence 8 Ball Rules is to legally pocket the 8 ball.

The Convergence 8 Ball break is done much like an 8 ball break. The breaker begins with "low balls" (see below) with the object balls racked as in regular 8 ball billiards. The one ball is placed at the head of the triangle and the 15 ball is placed at one of the back corners. The breaker continues his or her turn as long as they strike the one ball first and then pocket any ball. If the 8 Ball is pocketed on the break and the one ball was struck first, the player wins. Failure to pocket a ball or to drive two balls, other than the cue ball, to a rail, gives the other player the option of accepting ball-in-hand anywhere on the table, or forcing the breaker to re-break. Two failed breaks results in the loss of the game.

Convergence 8 Ball play is based on "low" and "high" balls, just like regular 8 ball billiards. The low player's object ball is the lowest ball on the table at the beginning of the shot, and the high player's object ball is the highest ball on the table. The shooting player must at some point during a shot, touch the object ball with the cue ball. Failure to do this constitutes a foul and the other player gets ball in hand anywhere on the table.

The object ball and pocket shall be called for each shot. It is legal to call an opponent's ball. The shooting player's inning continues until they fail to make a valid shot. For a shot to be considered valid, the cue ball must strike the object ball, and the called ball must be pocketed in the called pocket. Beyond this requirement, the cue ball's contact with the object ball must contribute to the pocketing of the called object ball in the called pocket. As an example, the shooting player does not earn another shot if he or she pockets a called ball and then touches the object ball. This is because the striking of the object ball does not play a role in pocketing the called ball. To be precise, a series of collisions must occur, including ricochets, from the object ball to the called ball.

Convergence 8 Ball is won with a called 8 ball being pocketed on a valid shot. Any other time the 8 ball is pocketed, it shall be spotted on the foot spot. Any other pocketed object balls are to remain pocketed. When playing on coin operated tables, however, pocketing the 8 ball shall be considered a loss of game, since the 8 ball can not be spotted. If a player commits a foul, the incoming player gets ball in hand from anywhere on the table.

Handicaps are allowed under Convergence 8 Ball rules, and can be provisioned by skipping the 15 ball. For a two-ball handicap, players can utilize the seven ball as the common final ball.

As mentioned earlier, Convergence 8 Ball rules can be flexed for multi-player games. When, for example, there are three players, the breaker's object ball is the lowest ball from one to five, the second player's is the lowest from six to ten, and the third player's is the lowest from 11 to 15. A player wins when he or she has called and pocketed his or her own highest ball on a legal stroke. The rack has the one ball in the front as normal, and the six ball and 11 ball are placed in the rear corners.

Convergence 8 Ball Rules

If you have any questions about Convergence 8 Ball Rules, please post them in the pool rules forum.

...or view existing Convergence 8 Ball Rules questions in the forum.

Convergence 8 Ball Rules History

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How to Play Convergence 8 Ball

  • Title: Convergence 8 Ball Rules
  • Author: (Billiards Forum)
  • Published: 2/7/2008 6:35:00 AM

Convergence 8 Ball Rules

The Convergence 8 Ball Rules article belongs to the Pocket Billiards Rules category. Pocket billiards is a class of cue sport game commonly referred to as pool.

Convergence 8 Ball Rules Comments

  1. Joe BucciniJoe Buccini from Butler, PA on 2/5/2016 10:59:20 AM

    I have been playing convergence 8-ball for years.

    The only difference is that we play LAST POCKET on the 8 ball. I find this gives a lesser-skilled player a better chance against a player that can easy run 7 balls.

    I started playing and teaching convergence 8 ball in my pool hall, PJ's Billiards in Butler, PA, because standard 8 ball became way to easy for some of my players.

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