Blackball (pool) Totally Explained

Blackball (sometimes also called eight-ball, but this name is ambiguous with that of a closely related game) is a variant of pocket billiards (or "pool") that's popular in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and several other countries. The game is played with sixteen balls (a and fifteen ) on a pool table with six .

History

Blackball, like American-style eight-ball, is derived from an earlier game invented around 1900 and first popularized in 1925 under the name B.B.C. Co. Pool by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company. Like blackball today, the forerunner game was played with seven and seven, unnumbered (in contrast to the American-style numbered and ), a, and the cue ball. The game had relatively simple rules compared to the modern game.

Rules

There are two competing standards bodies that have issued international rules. The older of the two sets are the World Eight-ball Pool Federation

(WEPF) rules. These are also the rules of the national WEPF affiliate leagues such as the English Pool Association (EPA). Despite its name, the WEPF is principally composed of leagues in current and former Commonwealth of Nations countries (including Australia and New Zealand among various others), plus Belgium. A competing but very similar set of rules has been promulgated by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), under the game name "blackball" to better distinguish it from the American-style game (for which WPA also promulgates rules),. The idea behind blackball is that it should unify the various existing English-style rulesets (presumably also including the WEPF rules). The self-described "governing body" for WPA blackball in Europe, with numerous national and local affiliate groups, is the European Blackball Association

(EBA).

Equipment

Plain unnumbered (or sometimes ) and are used in lieu of solid and stripes. The, however, still typically bears a number "8". The table has pockets just larger than the balls, as in the game of snooker, whereas the American-style table has pockets significantly larger. Tournament rules may require the presence of more than one type of, again adopted from snooker.

Play

The balls are racked with the (the 8 ball) on the (or "black spot"); contrast with US-style eight-ball, nine-ball and most other pool games, in which the apex ball is placed on the foot spot. A "fair break" is one in which an object ball is potted, or at least 4 object balls touch a rail. If the black is potted, the game is restarted with a, broken by the original breaker. If the cue ball is potted on an otherwise fair break, it's a "non-standard" (foul) that simply ends the breaker's turn, with no further penalties. If it's a foul (non-fair) break, the incoming player gets as with other "standard fouls" (see below), and gets to break, after a re-rack, without the option to instead play the balls as they lie. Openness of the table (unlike in the American-style game) doesn't last long, in that if the breaker pots a ball on the break from one group, and elects to continue shooting that group, then that group are his/her balls-on, even if the post-break followup shot is missed, while if the group chosen didn't have any balls potted on the break, the table remains open until a ball is legally potted (while if no balls were potted on the break, the table is of course open). While the table is open, the shooter must nominate what group (s)he is shooting for.
   A legal (non-break) shot is one where the cue ball first hits a "" (one of the balls in the player's own group), and does not pot the cue ball, the black or any of the balls in the opponent's group, and either one of the shooter's balls-on is pocketed, or a (any) ball contacts a cushion after the cue ball contacts the (first) ball-on. I.e., it's the same as in American-style, but with the additional requirement that one not sink an opponent's ball (doing so is a fault), and lacking the requirement that ball and pocket have to be called (for example are perfectly valid, even on the black.) There are other forms of fault, generally the same as in other pool games, such as potting the cue ball (except on the break, as noted above), knocking balls off the table, moving balls accidentally, double-hits and pushes (though the standards are weaker than in American-style rules), unsportsmanlike conduct, etc. There are also other unique fouls such as the requirement (borrowed from snooker) to shoot away from any ball that the cue ball is to, without moving it (however if the frozen ball is the shooter's own, it counts as contacting a ball-on, and only a (any) ball must reach a rail for it to be a legal shot. As in informal American, but not WPA/BCA/IPT standardized American-style rules, players are sometimes required to take certain shots (besides the break shot) from or, for example from behind the , shooting forward across it. Also, all jump shots that result in missing an intervening ball are faults.
   After a fault, the offending player will effectively miss a turn and give the opponent . These free shots must be taken from, unless the cue ball was potted, in which case the incoming player has anywhere. The second free shot can be taken from baulk even if a legal ball was potted on the first post-fault shot; this is known as the "" rule.
   There are other unique rules, such as a relaxation of the legal shot requirements when the shooter is "", a prohibition against using either the or rest whilst the player is attempting to pot the black, and special handling of a that resulted from an opponent's foul, such that the incoming player can elect to shoot the black or an opponent's ball first in attempting to pot his/her own ball-on, and can even pot both the black and the opponent's ball if the incoming player is on the black.
   It is a loss of (game) to fault in any way while actually potting (but not just shooting at) the black.

Informal rule variations

The cue ball is often initially placed on the, directly opposite the apex of the racked object balls, on the .
   The specifics of the "two shot" rule are highly contentious in unorganized, amateur play. For example, in some variants the "" rule doesn't apply, while in others, free shots may required to be taken from instead of from baulk more generally. Another common variant is to allow the free shot to be taken where the cue ball ends up after an initial miss. In some versions the incoming player doesn't get two shots after an opponent fouls if the incoming player is shooting the black. See for information on standard two shot rules.
   In some variations, whether a ball contacts a cushion, or the player pots a ball-on, is irrelevant in deciding a fault. Instead, a legal shot may require only that it's one where the cue ball first hits a ball-on and does not pot the cue ball, the black, or any of the balls in the opponent's group.
   A common area of contention concerns "faults on the black". Non-standard variants include (and are not all mutually exclusive): Any foul committed by a player while that player is shooting for the black (whether potted or not) is an instant loss; a fault when one's opponent is on the black doesn't give the opponent two-shot carry; or any fault committed by a player while not just one but both players are on the black is an instant loss. There is also variation in the handling of "shooting backwards" (toward the after the cue ball is respotted after being potted. Possibilities here include: A player may not hit a ball that's on or behind the without hitting another ball or cushion first; may not shoot backwards from the baulk line, but may shoot at balls behind the line provided that the direction of motion of the cue ball is forward; or may simply be allowed to shoot backwards. Further disagreement may arise over whether it's acceptable to deliberately pot the cue ball (which might be done if a "no shooting backwards" rule is in effect, and the balls-on are behind the baulk line).
   Due to the fact most pool tables in game halls are coin-operated and thus don't allow players to retrieve balls after they've been potted until a new game is paid for, in such circumstances the players may agree that the breaker wins the game instantly for potting the black on the break shot also known as a golden break.

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