Nine Ball

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:9ball rack 2.jpg Nine ball is a contemporary variation of pocket billiards, with historical beginnings rooted in the United States and traceable to the 1920s. The game may be played in social and recreational settings by any number of players (generally one-on-one) and subject to whatever rules are agreed upon beforehand, or in league and tournament settings in which the number of players and the rules are set by the sponsors. During much of its history, nine ball has been known as a "money" game in both professional and recreational settings; but today, in major tournament settings, its reputation is untarnished.

In recent years nine ball has become the game of choice in Championship Tournament matches in the United States, basically because a series of games (the "match") proceeds quickly, lends itself well to the time constraints of television coverage, and tends to keep the audience engaged. The sports network ESPN has been, for several years, a major catalyst for the popularity of nine ball and a major sponsor of Championship play.

1 Play
2 References
3 See also
4 External links

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Play

The game is played on a pocket billiard table with six pockets (receptacles which allow a ball to leave the table surface), and with ten balls. The cue ball, which is usually a solid shade of white, is struck to hit one or more of the other nine balls (often referred to as object balls), each of which is distinctly colored and numbered "1" through "9". The object of the game is to pocket the nine ball in a legal manner, subject to the rules in effect at the time.

The general rules played are fairly consistent and usually do not stray too far from the format set forth in the Billiard Congress of America's (BCA) World Standardized Rules For Nine Ball. Although amateur leagues sometimes use as their standard the similar rules promulgated by the American Poolplayers Association (APA), the BCA's rules are considered by most authorities to be the more correct and official source of rules.

In nine ball, on all shots a player must cause the cue ball to contact the lowest numerical ball on the table first before the cue ball strikes any other ball (excepting when a push-out has been invoked; see push out); otherwise a foul has been committed. This does not mean that object balls have to pocketed in order; any ball may be made at any time during the game, so long as the lowest numerical ball is contacted first. Because nine ball is not a call shot game, the nine can also be made in this manner for a win. A player also wins the game if the nine ball is pocketed on the break.

Players alternate innings at the table, meaning play continues by one player until he or she misses, commits a foul or pockets the nine ball for the win. The penalty for a foul in nine ball is that the player's inning ends and the opponent comes to the table with ball in hand, which means the opponent may place the cue ball anywhere on the table prior to shooting.

Nine ball is a relatively fast-paced game and is rarely played by the rack. Instead, players normally play a match (or race) to a set number of games, often five, seven or nine. The first player to win that set number of games wins the match.

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The rack

The object balls are placed in the diamond shape (the "rack") shown in the illustration. The 1 ball is always positioned at the front of the rack, and the 9 ball is always placed in the center. In non-league/tournament settings, the 5 ball may be considered of value and would be placed at the rear of the rack. The placement of the remaining balls is generally considered to be random. In league and tournament play this placement of the balls is expected to be precise; if any ball in the rack does not touch each adjacent ball, or if the rack is not "straight", or if the 1 ball is not resting precisely on the foot spot, the player assigned the break may demand a "re-rack".

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The break

One person is chosen to shoot first, or "break", the rack. Usually this is done by flipping a coin, or by lagging (see the lag), or it may be ruled by the authority in charge or the sponsor or the players themselves that the winner or loser of the previous game will always shoot first in the next rack. If the player who breaks fails to make a legal break (by contacting the one ball first and driving four or more object balls to a rail), the opponent can either demand a re-rack and become the "breaker", or continue to play as if it was an ordinary foul. If the breaker pockets a ball and commits no foul, it remains the breaker's turn.

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The lag

The Lag is used in tournament play, and other competitions, to determine who will break the rack. Whether a "team" or "partners" or "singles" game, the opponents who have been chosen to lag will each strike a cue ball at the same time so that each cue ball hits the farthest cushion and returns to the opposite cushion. The cue ball that remains closest to the opposite cushion will determine which player will break the rack.

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The push out

For much of its history nine ball rules allowed participants to "push out" multiple times during a game, meaning any player could call a "push out", and then hit the cue ball to any area on the table without being penalized by normal foul rules. However, once a push out was called and executed, the incoming player had the right to shoot or give the inning back to the opponent. A rule variant, which started to sweep the sport of nine ball in the mid 1970's, restricted the push out option to once per game and only to the inning immediately following the break. This change profoundly affected the way the game was played. By about 1980 this new push out rule had become ubiquitous and it and any additional rules appended to it were collectively referred to as "Texas Express" rules, so called because of the supposed state of origin and the speeding up of the game. Today, Texas Express push out rules dominate the way nine ball is played and is the variant incorporated into the official rules maintained by the BCA.

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Winning

A player wins in nine ball when he pockets the nine ball at any time in the game in a legal manner, either by hitting it in with the cue ball or with a lower numbered ball in a 'combination shot'. A player can also win by default if the opponent commits fouls in three successive innings at the table (however in most formats, including under BCA rules, the opponent must be told that he is "on two fouls" in order to lose by committing a third foul).

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