APA Rules-Booklet-English
APA Rules-Booklet-English
APA Rules-Booklet-English
CONTENTS
General Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Lagging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Racking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Breaking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
After The Break. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Shooting The Wrong Balls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Combination Shots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Pocketed Balls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Balls On The Floor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Accidentally Moved Balls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Close Hits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
One Foot On The Floor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Marking The Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Stalemates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Frozen Balls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Fouls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
How To Win A Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
1. LAGGING
Players lag at approximately the same time to see who
wins the first break. The ball that stops closest to the
head rail wins. It is permissible to strike the head
rail. If the lagged balls make contact with each other,
both players fail to strike the foot rail during the lag,
or a ball stops in the jaw of a pocket, re-lag. Failure
to strike the foot rail, or striking a side rail, or any
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pocket, results in loss of lag. Players are discouraged
from using the cue ball during the lag. Insisting upon
lagging with the cue ball is considered a sportsmanship
violation and should be reported to Local League
Management. The winner of the lag breaks in the first
game; from that point on, the winner of each rack
breaks in the next game. Please note the following:
• In Masters Divisions, the winner of the lag will
have choice of format or the break. Once the
format has been chosen, the entire set of that
format must be completed before moving to the
other format.
• In Doubles Divisions, the lag does not count as
part of the player rotation.
2. RACKING
All balls should be frozen (touching) as tightly as
possible. Balls are racked by the non-breaking player,
with the head (front) ball on the foot spot. The
breaking player may request and receive a rerack. The
loser of the lag, and/or the loser of any subsequent
game, racks for the opponent. In each format, the ball
placement in the rack is as follows:
• 8-Ball - All 15 balls are racked in a triangle,
with the 8-ball in the center. The remaining balls
can be placed in any order.
• 9-Ball - The balls numbered 1 through 9 are
racked in a diamond shape. The 1-ball is placed
at the front of the diamond, the 9-ball in the
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center. The remaining object balls can be placed
in any order. When using coin-operated tables,
teams have the option to substitute any unused
balls (10-ball to 15-ball) for pocketed balls
following a short game; this will save both teams
money during League night. The breaker can ask
for the lowest available nine balls to be used in
each game.
Example: If the 3-ball and 9-ball are made on
the break (because a 9-on-the-Snap is a win,
unless you scratch), you can use the 10-ball and
11-ball in the next rack. The object ball sequence
in the next game would be 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
10 and 11. The 11-ball, in effect, is the “9-ball”
(last ball) in this game. Do not use the 10-ball
to replace the 3-ball, as this can be confusing.
Shoot the balls in numerical order.
3. BREAKING
The rack must be struck before a foul can occur.
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soft. Local League Management may issue penalties to
teams and players who are not breaking hard. Breaking
just hard enough to comply with this rule is not a
guarantee against penalties. Break as hard as you can
while maintaining control.
8-Ball
a. If a scratch occurs on the break, the opponent
receives ball-in-hand, which must be executed
from behind the head string, shooting at a ball
that is outside the head string. If an object ball is
dead-center on the head string, or out, then it is
playable. If it is in, the ball is not playable. If the
two players cannot agree on whether an object
ball is in or out, then a third party should be
consulted. If a third party is consulted, the third
party’s call is final. If no agreed upon third party
is available, then a coin flip will decide the issue.
To intentionally shoot at a ball that is in is a
sportsmanship violation to be reported to Local
League Management.
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NOTE: The cue ball must be in as noted above
before play can begin. This is not a foul; no
penalty may be assessed. It is up to the opponent
to check to be sure the cue ball is in before it
is shot. If the cue ball is out, the shooter must
readjust the cue ball to a position behind the
head string.
b. If the 8-ball is pocketed on the break, it is a win
unless the player fouls the cue ball, in which case
it is a loss.
c. If one or more object balls from one category
are pocketed on the break, that becomes the
shooter’s category of balls.
d. If balls from each category are pocketed on the
break (for example, two solids and one stripe), it
is still an open table.
The breaker has the option to shoot any ball
except the 8-ball (which would be a foul); any ball
pocketed without fouling counts. If the shooter
makes one ball of each category on their second
shot, the table remains open; a miss or foul on
the second shot results in an open table for the
opponent. If the opponent then pockets a ball and
fouls, it is still an open table.
NOTE: During an open table, a player can
shoot a combination involving stripes and solids;
the legally pocketed ball will determine their
category of balls for the remainder of the game.
The 8-ball may not be used as the first ball in a
combination shot, as it is never neutral.
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9-Ball
a. A foul on a legal break will result in ball-in-
hand for the opponent anywhere on the table.
Pocketed balls, if any, stay down (are not
spotted), except the 9-ball. Pocketed balls are
marked as dead balls on the scoresheet.
b. If the 9-ball is pocketed on the break, this is a
win unless the player scratches, in which case the
9-ball (any other available high numbered ball is
adequate) is spotted and the turn passes to the
opponent. If the foot spot is occupied by another
ball, the 9-ball is placed directly behind that ball
and as close to the foot spot as possible.
c. If one or more balls are pocketed on the break, it
is still the breaker’s turn.
NOTE: Push-outs are fairly standard in pro events
and in the U.S. Amateur Championship; however,
they are not allowed in APA handicapped competition.
Masters Divisions are non-handicapped and follow
U.S. Amateur Championship rules; therefore, the
push-out is allowed, and any balls pocketed on a push-
out will be spotted.
6. COMBINATION SHOTS
Combination shots are legal, but striking the correct
ball first is required.
• 8-Ball - The 8-ball may not be contacted first.
If a player does not pocket one of their balls, but
pockets an opponent’s ball, they lose their turn.
No pocketed ball is spotted.
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• 9-Ball - The lowest numbered ball on the table
must be struck first. A player is credited with all
balls they legally pocket after striking the lowest
numbered ball on the table.
7. POCKETED BALLS
Balls must remain in a pocket to be legal. If any ball,
including the cue ball, goes in a pocket, but bounces
back onto the playing surface, it is not considered
pocketed and must be played from where it lies. The
shooter does not need to designate their intended ball
or pocket during the shot, except when they are legally
shooting the 8-ball.
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spot, as close to the foot spot as possible. If two or
more balls are knocked on the floor, they are placed in
numerical order with the lowest numbered ball closest
to the foot spot. Spotted balls are placed frozen to
one another.
• 8-Ball - It might occur that a player legally
pockets a ball while simultaneously knocking
some other ball(s) on the floor. In this situation,
it is still their turn and the ball(s) is/are not
spotted until their turn ends. If the ball on
the floor is one of the shooter’s balls, then it
is spotted when the shooter has pocketed all
of their other balls. If it is the 8-ball that is
knocked on the floor, the shooter loses the game.
• 9-Ball - Balls that get knocked off the playing
surface will be immediately spotted on the foot
spot. The 9-ball is spotted:
a. Anytime it is knocked off the table other
than when it is pocketed.
b. Anytime it is pocketed and the shooter
scratches or otherwise fouls.
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verification may be subject to a sportsmanship
violation and may have points deducted at the
discretion of Local League Management.
13. STALEMATES
In the unlikely event that a game should become
stalemated, meaning that neither player can, or wants
to, make use of ball-in-hand, the balls are reracked
and the player that had the break at the start of the
stalemated game breaks again. A game shall be
considered a stalemate when both players or teams
agree. There is no minimum number of turns that
must occur before a game is stalemated.
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14. FROZEN BALLS
A frozen ball is a ball that is touching either another
ball or a rail. In order for the frozen ball rule to be in
effect, the ball must be declared “frozen” and verified as
such by the shooter and their opponent. If the players
in the match cannot agree, an agreed upon third party
may be asked to determine if a ball is frozen.
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causes the opponent’s ball to move, which does not
include breaking contact with the frozen ball, it will
result in a foul.
15. FOULS
If any of the following fouls are committed, the
penalty is ball-in-hand for the opposing player. Make
certain you have ball-in-hand before you touch the cue
ball by confirming it with your opponent. Ball-in-hand
is the advantage given to a player when their opponent
scratches or otherwise fouls, whereupon the player may
place the cue ball anywhere on the playing surface.
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These are the only fouls resulting in ball-in-hand. All
other violations are sportsmanship violations. The ball-
in-hand fouls are:
a. If the cue ball goes in a pocket, on the floor, or
otherwise ends up off the playing surface.
b. Failure to hit the correct ball first.
c. Failure to hit a rail or pocket a ball after contact.
A rail must be struck by either the cue ball or any
other ball after the cue ball contacts the object
ball. If the ball bounces back onto the playing
surface, it is considered to have struck a rail.
d. If, after making contact with a ball that is frozen
to a rail, the shooter fails to:
• Drive the cue ball to any rail after the cue ball
touches the frozen ball.
• Drive the frozen ball to another rail or into
a pocket.
• Drive the frozen ball away from the rail and
into another ball which, in turn, causes the
frozen ball to hit any rail or go into a pocket,
or causes the other ball to hit any rail or go
into a pocket.
If, after making simultaneous contact between a
frozen ball and the rail it is frozen to, the shooter
fails to:
• Drive the cue ball to another rail.
• Drive the frozen ball to another rail or into
a pocket.
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• Drive the cue ball off the rail and into another
ball which, in turn, causes the cue ball to hit
any rail, or causes the other ball to hit any rail
or go into a pocket.
• Drive the frozen ball off the rail and into
another ball which, in turn, causes the frozen
ball to hit any rail, or causes the other ball to
hit any rail or go into a pocket.
e. Intentionally jumping a cue ball over another ball
by scooping it into the air.
f. Receiving advice regarding game strategy from a
fellow player, other than your designated coach,
during a time-out.
g. Touching or causing the cue ball to move, outside
of a ball-in-hand situation.
h. Altering the course of a moving cue ball,
including a double-hit.
i. Anytime the cue ball makes contact with an
accidentally moved ball.
j. The cue ball does not touch any object ball during
the course of a shot.
k. Touching another ball on the table, while placing
or adjusting the position of the cue ball, during a
ball-in-hand.
DOUBLES ONLY - Shooting Out Of Rotation.
Once a team has shot out of rotation, the foul has
occurred. If the sitting team does not call the foul
before the next shot is taken, they do not receive
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ball-in-hand and the team that shot out of rotation
will assume the new rotation for the remainder of
the match.
• 8-Ball - If the 8-ball is pocketed during the shot,
it is loss of game, if called.
• 9-Ball - If the 9-ball is pocketed during the shot,
the 9-ball is spotted and the opponents receive
ball-in-hand.
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NOTE 1: If your opponent is shooting at the 8-ball
and misses it altogether, commonly referred to as a
table scratch, they have fouled and you receive ball-in-
hand. You do not win because of this foul.
NOTE 2: You may not play the 8-ball at the same time
you play the last ball of your category. The 8-ball must
be pocketed through a separate shot. If you pocket the
8-ball at the same time you pocket the last ball of your
category, you lose the game.
9-BALL
You legally pocket the 9-ball.
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22 Revised 1/20