Thursday Night

Pool League Rules 2023 - 2024 Season

 

Teams must be present and ready to shoot no later than 7:00p.m. There is a 15-minute leeway for late players as long as at least two (2) players are present to play at the official start time (7:00p.m.). Please allow 20 minutes of practice time for the visiting team if they show up by 6:30. A team needing to reschedule a match must give the opposing captain and Krisy a minimum of 24 hours’ notice and must set up a make-up match within 7 days, if the opposing team agrees to a reschedule, otherwise it will be forfeit. The opposing team will get their play average per player on any forfeit.

Collecting money from the team players is the captain’s responsibility, $20.00 per week per team, except for week 1 where the total due per player is $25.00. Any one player, who does not pay the weekly dues on time and owes the league for 2 or more weeks of dues, will not be allowed to participate in League Play until fees are paid in full. All money must be turned in by 5:00p.m on the Sunday following Thursday’s match. Drop bars are The Local, Woodrow’s and Tiger Tom’s (Fireside is NOT a Drop Bar). There will be a fine of $5.00 per week, for any team whose stats are not delivered on time. If it becomes a habit that stats are not dropped off on time, I will be forfeiting the score of the home team and the away team will receive their average.

 

A full team is 4 players and 3 substitutes (7 players). Absolutely no roster changes after week 6. Players must play a minimum of 4 weeks to be eligible to play in the Playoffs.

 

       Captains will reach an agreement on the order of play before play starts. If a player is not present at the time of his/her game, the opposing team can choose to come back to the game when the player arrives, or it will result in a forfeit of the game; the player may play the remainder of their games in the match. If a team is short a player(s), the missing players’ games are forfeit.

 

       Only a Plain White or Single Dot Cue Ball is allowed.

 

 

OBJECT OF THE GAME:

       Eight Ball is a game played with a cue ball and fifteen object      balls, numbered 1 through 15. One player must pocket balls       of the group numbered 1 through 7 (solids), while the other player has 9 through 15 (stripes). The player pocketing their group first and then legally pocketing the 8-ball wins the game.

 

PLAYERS TURN:

       A player’s turn begins when the balls come to rest after their        opponent fails to legally pocket a ball.

 

CALL POCKET:

       In Call Pocket, obvious balls and pockets do not have to be        indicated. It is the opponent's right to ask which ball and    pocket if he is unsure of the shot. Bank shots and   combination shots are not considered obvious, and care   should be taken in calling both the object ball and the intended pocket. When calling the shot, it is NEVER necessary to indicate details such as the number of cushions, banks, kisses, caroms, etc. Any balls pocketed on a foul remain pocketed, regardless of whether they belong to the shooter or the opponent.

 

FOULS:

       In the event of a foul, the opposing player gets cue ball in hand.        This means that the player can place the cue ball anywhere        on the table (does not have to be behind the head string except on opening break). All infractions must be called by the opponent before another shot is taken, or else it will be deemed that no infraction occurred. THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN CALL A FOUL IS THE OPPONENT.

 

CUE BALL IN HAND FOUL:

       During cue ball in hand placement, the player may use his hand or any part of his cue (excluding the leather/tip) to position the cue ball. When placing the cue ball in position, contacting the cue ball with the tip will be a foul, if not a legal shot.

 

 

LEGAL SHOT:

       Unless otherwise stated in a specific game rule, a player must cause the cue ball to contact a legal object ball and then (1) pocket a       numbered ball, or (2) cause the cue ball or any numbered ball to contact a cushion/rail. Failure to meet these requirements is a foul. PLEASE NOTE: It is permissible for the shooter to bank the cue ball off a rail before contacting his object ball. However, after contact with his object ball, an object ball must be pocketed, or the cue ball or any numbered ball must contact a rail. Failure to meet these requirements is a foul.

 

SAFETY SHOT:

       For tactical reasons a player may choose to pocket an obvious object ball and also discontinue his turn at the table by declaring safety in advance. A safety shot is defined as a legal shot. If the shooting player intends to play safe by pocketing an obvious object ball, then prior to the shot, he must declare a safety to his opponent. If this is NOT done, and one of the shooter's object balls is pocketed, the shooter will be required to shoot again. Any ball pocketed on a safety shot remains pocketed.

 

CUE BALL SCRATCH:

       It is a foul (scratch) if on a stroke, the cue ball is pocketed.       If the cue ball touches an object ball that was already pocketed (for example, in a pocket full of object balls), the shot is a foul.

 

FOULS BY TOUCHING BALLS:

       It is a foul to strike, touch or in any way make contact with the cue ball in play or any object balls in play with anything (the body, clothing, chalk, mechanical bridge, cue shaft, etc.) EXCEPT the cue tip (while attached to the cue shaft), which may contact the cue ball in the execution of a legal shot. Any object ball moved during the foul must remain at the final location.

 

 

 

FOUL BY PLACEMENT:

       Touching any object ball with the cue or cue ball while it is a ball in hand foul is also a foul.

 

BALLS JUMPED OFF TABLE:

       Balls coming to rest other than on the bed of the table after a stroke (on the cushion top, rail surface, floor, etc.) are   considered jumped balls. Balls may bounce on the cushion tops and rails of the table in play without being jumped balls if they return to the bed of the table under their own power and without touching anything not a part of the table. The table shall consist of the permanent part of the table proper. (Balls that strike or touch anything not a part of the table, such as the light fixture, chalk on the rails and cushion tops, etc., shall be considered jumped balls even though they might return to the bed of the table after contacting items which are not parts of the table proper). When a stroke results in the cue ball or any object ball being a jumped ball off the table, the stroke is a foul. All jumped object balls are to be pocketed.

 

PLAYER RESPONSIBILITY FOULS:

       The player is responsible for chalk, bridges and any other items or equipment the player brings to use at the table. If the player drops a piece of chalk, or knocks off a mechanical bridge head, (as examples), the player is guilty of a foul, should such an object make contact with any ball in play.

 

INTERFERENCE:

       If a non-shooting player distracts an opponent or interferes with game play, it is a foul. If a player shoots out of turn, or moves any ball except during his inning, it is considered to be interference.

 

 

 

 

DEVICES:

       Players are not allowed to use a ball, the triangle, or any other width-measuring device to see if the cue ball or an object ball would travel through a gap, etc. Only the cue stick may be used as an aid to judge gaps.

 

ILLEGAL MARKING:

       If a player intentionally marks the table in any way to assist in executing the shot, whether by wetting the cloth, by placing a cube of chalk on the rail, or by any other means, he has fouled. If the player removes the mark prior to the shot, no penalty is imposed.

 

JUMPS AND MASSE:

       Jumps and masses are allowed unless otherwise posted. If the team has special permission to do so, it is the home team captains’ responsibility to inform the visiting team prior to the start of the match. To execute a legal jump shot, the cue ball must be struck above the cue ball center line with        the cue stick at an angle between 30 - 60 degrees. It is a foul when the cue ball is made to jump by "scooping" the cue ball - "scooping" is accomplished by hitting the cue ball too low.

 

ILLEGALLY POCKETED BALLS:

       An object ball is considered to be illegally pocketed when that object ball is pocketed on the same shot a foul is   committed, or the called ball did not go in the designated pocket. Illegally pocketed balls remain pocketed. The penalty is loss of turn only.

 

COACHING:

       Giving advice to your teammates during their turn at the table. Some examples of what is considered coaching are: giving advice as to which ball to shoot, where to leave the cue ball, whether to shoot soft or hard, or whether or not to use English. These types of comments are considered coaching and will result in a foul.

 

 

TIME OUTS:

       Teams are allowed to call 1 “Captains” time out in the 1st half & 1 “Captains” time out in the 2nd half of the match, this can be called by any active player on the team except the player currently at the table. Players can call 1 time out per game; a time out is 2 minutes; captains need to use common sense in this area. Time out coaching is allowed by any (1) One active player that night of the players choosing.

 

RACKING THE BALLS:

       The balls are racked in a triangle at the foot of the table with     the 8 ball in the center of the triangle, the first ball of the rack on the foot spot, a striped ball in one corner of the rack and a solid ball in the other corner.

 

LEGAL BREAK SHOT:

       To execute a legal break, the breaker with the cue ball        behind the head string, must either 1, pocket a ball, or 2, drive at least four numbered balls to the rail. If he fails to make a legal break, it is a foul, and the incoming player has the option of 1, accepting the table in position and shooting, or 2, having the balls re-racked and having the option of shooting the opening break himself or allowing the offending player to re-break. Pocketing the 8 ball on a legal break will result in a win.

 

SCRATCH ON A LEGAL BREAK:

       If a player scratches on a legal break shot, all balls pocketed remain pocketed, it is a foul, the table is open. PLEASE NOTE - Incoming player has cue ball in hand. Pocketing the 8 ball and scratching on the break will result in loss of game.

 

 

 

OPEN TABLE:

       The table is open when the choice of stripes or solids has not yet been determined. When the table is open, it is legal to hit a solid first to make a stripe or vice-versa. Note: The table is always open immediately after the break shot. When the table is open it is legal to hit any solid or stripe but not        the 8-ball first in the process of pocketing the called stripe or solid. On an open table, all illegally pocketed balls remain pocketed.

 

PLAYING THE 8 BALL:

       When shooting at the 8 ball, a scratch (pocketing the cue ball) is a loss of game, a foul is not loss of game, if the 8 ball is not pocketed or jumped from the table. Incoming player has cue ball in hand.

 

 

LOSS OF GAME:

       A player loses the game if they commit any of the following        infractions:

       a. Fouls when pocketing the 8 ball.

       b. Pockets the 8 ball on the same stroke as the last of his   group of balls.

       c. Jumps the 8 ball off the table at any time.

       d. Pockets the 8 ball in a pocket other than the one    designated.

       e. Pockets the 8 ball when it is not the legal object ball.