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Shooting With Ball in Hand but All Balls Are in the Kitchen

2/6/2008 9:18:40 PM

Shooting With Ball in Hand but All Balls Are in the Kitchen

If your opposing player scratches, and you have ball in hand and your only remaining ball is behind the headstring, how do you shoot at your object ball? Is the object ball spotted somewhere beyond the headstring?

This question relates to the following billiard rules:

Shooting With Ball in Hand but All Balls Are in the Kitchen

Replies & Comments
  1. guestbilliardsforum on 6/13/2008 8:39:19 PM

    I'm going to assume that you are playing eight ball or some game derived from the BCA general rules of pocket billiards - (playing from behind the string) rule.

    If this is the case, I believe that you are referring to the rule where you must shoot from behind the headstring, as you normally would with ball in hand. You have to send the ball up-table, bank it off the opposite end rail, and bring it back to strike your only remaining object ball that is so unfortunately placed.

    It really is a rule that perhaps should be re-examined, in my opinion, since it basically punishes you when it should be rewarding you for your opponent's mistake.

    But wait, don't you have the opportunity here to force your opponent to continue play? (you would only do that if they don't have a decent shot.) Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

  2. guestquickshot on 6/25/2008 11:26:38 AM

    This rule is not very clear. What you are saying here is, that a player has to make a kick shot from behind the kitchen. If both the CB and the OB are in the kitchen wouldn't the OB be spotted at the far head spot. I though playing ball in hand behind the head spot referred to an opponent scratching on the break and then for the rest of the match B In H is a player's option. Or am I thinking APA as against BCA.

  3. guestblackmantis24 on 7/1/2008 11:39:55 AM

    Both the APA and the BCA have the rule in place. In the event of a scratch on the opening break by player A. Player B has ball in hand behind the head string or in the kitchen 8 ball bar games are after any scratch your in the kitchen and then again you don't have to hit an object ball either.

  4. guestchoke2much on 2/4/2009 6:42:54 PM

    Another question. Player B has ball in hand behind the line. His remaining 2 solid balls (playing 8 ball) are behind the line. Which ball gets spotted. I have a $1.00 bet with 3 players on this. I say the ball closest to the spot/line (head string) get spotted. They say the ball closest to the rail (in the head) gets spotted. Thanks, Frank

  5. guestJustanotherevolutionary on 2/4/2009 6:51:05 PM

    I say you find a new set of rules to play by. =) Or why not just fire the cue ball in the pocket and let them deal with it from in the kitchen....This has gota be the dumbest damn rule ever. GRRRRRRR

  6. guestchoke2much on 2/4/2009 8:45:18 PM

    Dumb?....which ball gets spotted? It's in the rule book somewhere. Closest to the back rail or closest to the line? I have big $$$ riding on this.

  7. guestquickshot on 2/4/2009 10:30:37 PM

    That's a good question. Whether BCA or APA I think the rules may be the same. To my knowledge the rule applies as such: If two balls are behind the head string the one nearest the string line will be the one spotted. If the two balls are of equal distance the players can made a determination between themselves as to which one will be spotted.

  8. guestchoke2much on 2/5/2009 5:56:51 AM

    Thanks quickshot.

  9. guestJustanotherevolutionary on 2/5/2009 8:59:57 AM

    Maybe I misunderstand what is being asked here. But in the APA you don't play from the kitchen, except on a scratch break. So this isn't even relative to APA rules. Unless you make a 12 ball break and scratch! Ahem. As for BCA it is the ball closest to the head spot gets spotted if memory serves me right, which it usually doesn't. I'll say it again, it's a dumb rule, and this is why I play APA.

  10. guestquickshot on 2/5/2009 9:29:05 AM

    For equal distances I guess it becomes a coin flip, or whatever color one likes, or if it is stripes or solids. Just have fun with this.

  11. guestMitch Alsup on 2/5/2009 11:48:27 AM

    As to the original question: If you have ball-in-hand you can put the ball anywhere on the table and shoot. If you have ball-in-kitchen, the cue ball must go behind the string (in the kitchen) and you must shoot out of the kitchen before contacting one of your balls.

    In BCA the only time you have ball-in-kitchen is after a scratch on the break. Here the question does not apply because groups have not been chosen.

    At the local bar I play at, we play ball-in-kitchen (and no slop). Depending upon where my ball might be in the kitchen, I will play a long bank, or I will play a masse off the side rail--contacting the rail just outside the kitchen with enough english to retrun into the kitchen. 3-rail banks are semi-self correcting so if you ball is sitting near a pocket, this kind of shot is a reasonable choice. Occasionally, I will play a bounce off the farther tit of the side pocket and bring the ball back into the kitchen from there (recommended only in extreme circumstances).

    All in all, you have to get good at long banks some time in your career, so why not just practice them as part of your regular game?

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Shooting With Ball in Hand but All Balls Are in the Kitchen

  • Title: Shooting With Ball in Hand but All Balls Are in the Kitchen
  • Author:
  • Published: 2/6/2008 9:18:40 PM