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What if you Pocket Your Ball and Your Opponent's Ball?


What if you Pocket Your Ball and Your Opponent's Ball?

What happens in 8 ball if you contact your object ball first and pocket it, but in doing so, you also pocket your opponents ball?

Is it still your turn?

This question relates to the following billiard rules:

What if you Pocket Your Ball and Your Opponent's Ball?

Replies & Comments

  1. excaliberbilliardsforum on 2/9/2007 7:25:41 PM

    You are correct, it is still your turn (inning), in this scenario.

    In the game of 8 ball pool, as long as you called your object ball and it's intended pocket, and committed no other foul, then your inning continues.

    Any object balls pocketed incidentally (with the exception of the 8 ball) remain pocketed.

    This assumes that it's not the break shot, nor an "open table" situation, and that the "incidentally pocketed ball" isn't the 8 ball.


    Here are the World Pool-Billiard association rules that apply (emphasized for clarity).

    8 Ball is a "call shot" game, thus, WPA rules for 8 ball reference definition 1.6 Standard Call Shot. This section tells us several things:

    1. The player only needs to call one of their object balls and it's intended target pocket.
    2. Extra detail, such as "other balls contacted or pocketed are irrelevant".

    1.6 Standard Call Shot

    In games in which the shooter is required to call shots, the intended ball and pocket must be indicated for each shot if they are not obvious. Details of the shot, such as cushions struck or other balls contacted or pocketed are irrelevant. Only one ball may be called on each shot.

    [...]

    Section 3.7, Spotting Balls, tells us that incidentally pocketed object balls are never spotted back on the table.

    3.7 Spotting Balls (8 Ball)

    If the eight ball is pocketed or driven off the table on the break, it will be spotted or the balls will be re-racked. (See 3.3 Break Shot and 1.4 Spotting Balls.) No other object ball is ever spotted.

  2. excaliberkyle on 2/11/2007 2:31:10 AM

    Yes, that scenario sounds good if playing by BCA 8 ball rules.

    If you called the pocket your ball went into, then any other balls made stay down and you keep shooting (with an exception of when the other ball is the 8 ball).

    If you don't pocket any balls during a shot, then hitting a rail with any ball after contacting one of your balls first is needed too make a legal shot.

  3. excaliberexcaliber on 2/19/2007 10:07:45 AM

    Yep, that's exactly what I wanted to know. Thanks guys!

  4. excalibersam h on 1/2/2008 12:13:29 AM

    As long as you aren't shooting at the eight ball then it is still your shot. If your ball is the eight ball then you loose.

    That is if your playing by bar rules.

  5. excaliberuser1199646544 on 1/6/2008 7:09:04 PM

    For any newbies, let me set you all straight on what constitutes a legally pocketed ball, in a simple way.

    In order to remain at the table, you must "legally pocket a ball" and commit no other foul.

    To legally pocket a ball, all you have to do is

    1. Contact an object ball of your group (either solids or stripes) first, and;
    2. Pocket it into the designated (called) pocket.

    Nothing else matters.

    Every other ball could go in during the same shot and it matters not.

    In 8 ball, you don't have to call anything but the BALL and the POCKET.

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What if you Pocket Your Ball and Your Opponent's Ball?

  • Title: What if you Pocket Your Ball and Your Opponent's Ball?
  • Author: (Zach Anderson)
  • Published: 2/8/2007 10:28:06 PM
  • Last Updated: 3/22/2022 7:24:08 AM
  • Last Updated By: billiardsforum (Billiards Forum)