Equal Offense Billiard Rules
Welcome to the equal offense pool rules on billiards forum. Equal offense billiard rules follow the same rules as 14.1 continuous pool rules except where noted below.
Equal Offense Billiard Rules
To understand equal offense pool rules you must be familiar with the 14.1 continuous billiard rules. It should be noted that since there is no head-to-head play, there are no safeties in equal offense pool rules. The object of the game in Equal offense pool rules is to score a higher number of total points than your opponent(s) in the specified, predetermined number of innings. Typically, equal offense billiard rules call for a 10 inning, 200 point maximum. In equal offense billiards, each player gets 10 turns alone at the table. An open break on a full rack begins each turn. A foul, a run of 20, or a miss causes the turn to come to an end.
Players shoot in an order which is determined by the scoring results of preceding innings. The equal offense billiard player with the highest score shall shoot first. If there is a tie in a score between two players, there is no order change from previous.
Any balls pocketed on the open break are re-spotted and play it started with ball in hand from the kitchen. If a player scratches on the break shot, there is no penalty incurred for his or her action. Although players are able to keep all points when they make a foul, the actual act of making the foul signifies the end of their turn. Any balls made on a foul are not counted.
The balls are racked just as they would be racked in a standard 15 ball triangle. Equal offense billiards can be played by any number of players from two on upward. Any legally pocketed ball gains the shooter one point. The opening break shot is take at the beginning of each player's inning. The shooting player has free break, meaning that there are no special rules about sending balls to cushions, and there are no penalties for scratched or jumped balls.
When shooting, players must designate an object ball, a pocket, and call the shot before executing. There is no requirement for indicating carom shots, combination shots, and cushions, all of which are legal. Any ball which is legally pocketed entitles the shooting player to continue his or her inning at the table. Players stay at the table until they miss a ball or until they attain the maximum total points per inning allowed, which is typically 20 points in championship equal offense billiard play. Any additional pocketed balls resulting from a shot are legal as long as they are called before the shot is executed.
If there is a tie between players for the high match score, those tied players shall partake in additional innings. The win goes to the first player to post a superior score to that of his or her opponent(s) in an equal number of innings. This is essentially a "sudden death" round.
Billiard players just learning to play equal offense pool may want to try making the following changes to the equal offense pool rules.
- Take ball in hand anywhere after the break shot, versus taking it from behind the line.
- Take up to three misses before beginning the next frame
- Stop at 15 balls as such so that you do not need to perform a straight pool break shot.
Equal offense is also great for practice.
This game is a very good game to develop many of the skills needed to play good pool. As a practice game, it is perfect because it is so accessible to a wide range of skill levels. Below are described variations on the game for different skill levels. If you haven't played Equal Offense as a practice game before and are unsure what level you should start at, start at the lowest one. You will quickly move up to the level that provides you with the most challenge. The object of Equal Offense is to pocket as many balls as you can in in a predetermined number of racks at the table - we'll use ten. This is a call shot game in which you can pocket the balls in any order. All four levels of the game start by racking 15 balls on the foot spot and taking a "free" break. This means that it doesn't count as a stroke and any balls that fall in the pocket are respotted. With fifteen balls on the table and ball in hand, the game begins.
Level 1: Beginner - At this level you begin with cue-ball in hand anywhere on the table and you get three misses before your inning is over. After each miss, you start with ball-in-hand anywhere on the table. Your object is to try and pocket all fifteen balls before your third miss. If after 10 racks you average a total score of 120 (4 balls per miss), you can move to Level 2.
Level 2: Intermediate - Here you begin with cue-ball in hand anywhere on the table and get two misses before your inning is over. Now, your object is to pocket all fifteen balls before your second miss. If after 10 racks you average a total score of 120 (6 balls per miss), you can move to Level 3.
Level 3: Advanced - As in previous levels, you begin with cue-ball in hand anywhere on the table, but only get one miss before your inning is over. If you miss anytime as you attempt to pocket all 15 balls, your inning is over. If after 10 racks you average a total score of 120 (12 balls per miss), you can graduate to Level 4.
Level 4: Professional - At this level you begin with ball-in-hand in the kitchen after the break. Like level 3, you only get one miss, but this time your goal is to pocket 20 balls in a row. You might initially be confused as to how you can pocket 20 balls with only 15 on the table. At the professional level, you play through the rack as you would in the game 14.1 Continuous. In other words, after pocketing 14 balls and leaving your cue-ball in such a position that when the 14 balls are re-racked, you can easily pocket the 15th ball and on the same stroke break the rack to continue pocketing balls. If after 10 innings you average a total score of 170 or better, you should be on the tour.
Note: For all levels, a foul counts as a miss, and if you miss or foul at the same time you pocket a ball, that ball doesn't count towards your score. The ball is respotted.
These are just some suggestions for how you can modify the rules of equal offense billiards depending on your skill level. You may also be interested in internet equal offense, which are the exact same rules as equal offense billiards, and the group simply posts their scores to the internet.
Equal Offense Billiard Rules
If you have any questions about Equal Offense Billiard Rules, please post them in the pool rules forum.
Equal Offense Billiard Rules History
In 1977, Jerry Breisath, BCA Chief Master Instructor, developed a game that challenged the ability of his students. This game was designed to not only provide head-to-head competition, but also to be an enjoyable practice game. Jerry felt that it was necessary that the game eliminate defensive tactics thereby forcing the player to make position and pocket balls. The game is called Equal Offense, and it has proven to be a valuable instructional tool. Equal Offense is also a competitive game. At one point, it was promoted as a national tournament format by Pool & Billiard Magazine
The official Equal Offense Billiard Rules are predominently observed in North America.
The official governing body for Equal Offense Billiard Rules is the Billiard Congress of America.
How to Play Equal Offense Billiard
Questions about Equal Offense Billiard Rules:
- Title: Equal Offense Billiard Rules
- Author: billiardsforum (Billiards Forum)
- Published: 5/10/2008 3:36:00 PM
- Source: Internet
Equal Offense Billiard Rules
The Equal Offense Billiard Rules article belongs to the Pocket Billiards Rules category. Pocket billiards is a class of cue sport game commonly referred to as pool.
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