Nine-ball (sometimes spelled 9-ball) is a contemporary form of pool Pool, also known as pocket billiards, is the general term for a family of cue sports played on a pool table with six receptacles called pockets along the rails, into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play, with historical beginnings rooted in the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language 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 A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: 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 Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods. Typically, the outcome of the wager is evident within a short period" in both professional and recreational settings; but today, in major tournament settings, it is respected and remains the dominant game.
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 Television is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic ("black and white") or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission. The word is derived from mixed Latin coverage, and tends to keep the audience engaged. The sports network ESPN Entertainment Sports Programming Network, almost always referred to by its initialism ESPN, is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day has been, for several years, a major catalyst for the popularity of nine-ball and a major sponsor of championship play.
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Play
The game is played on a pocket billiards table A billiard table or billiards table is a bounded table on which billiards-type games (cue sports) are played. In the modern era, all billiards tables, regardless of whether for carom billiards, pool or snooker, provide a flat surface usually made of quarried slate, that is covered with cloth and surrounded by rubber cushions, with the whole with six pockets A billiard table or billiards table is a bounded table on which billiards-type games (cue sports) are played. In the modern era, all billiards tables, regardless of whether for carom billiards, pocket billiards (pool) or snooker, provide a flat surface usually made of quarried slate, that is covered with cloth and surrounded by rubber cushions, and with ten balls. The cue ball The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket, which is usually a solid shade of white (but may be spotted in some tournaments), is struck to hit one or more of the other nine balls (often referred to as object balls The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket), each of which is distinctly colored and numbered 1 through 9. The object of the game is to pocket the 9 ball in a legal manner, subject to the rules in effect at the time.
In nine-ball, on all shots including the break shot, 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 and, except when a push-out has been invoked (see "The push-out", below), either a numbered ball must be pocketed or any ball (including the cue ball) must contact a rail to avoid committing a foul The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket. This does not mean that object balls have to be pocketed in order; any ball may be pocketed at any time during the game, so long as the lowest-numbered ball is contacted first by the cue ball. Because nine-ball is not a call shot The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket game, the 9 ball itself can also be pocketed in this manner for a win at any time in the game, even on the break shot.
Players alternate innings The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket at the table, meaning play continues by one player until he or she misses, commits a foul, or pockets the 9 ball for the win. The penalty for a foul is that the player's inning ends and the opponent comes to the table with ball in hand The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket, able to 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 The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket) to a set number of games, often five, seven or nine. The first player to win that set number of games wins the match.
The rack
The object balls are placed in a diamond-shaped configuration, with the 1 ball positioned at the front (toward the position of the breaking player), and the 9 ball placed in the center. The physical rack used to position the balls is typically triangle-shaped, usually wood or plastic, and capable of holding all fifteen object balls, although diamond-shaped racks that hold only nine balls are sometimes used. The placement of the remaining balls is generally considered to be random. However, in some handicapped The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket tournaments, the ball being spotted The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket to the lesser player must be one of the two balls placed behind the 1 ball at the apex of the rack. The placement of balls is expected to be precise, especially in league and tournament play; 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 following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket, the player assigned the break may demand a re-rack. (See also "European alterations", below, for a recently devised "template-trained" racking system.)
The break
One person is chosen to shoot first, by breaking The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket the rack. Usually this is determined by flipping a coin, or by lagging The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket, especially in professional tournaments in the case of the latter, 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, the opponent can either demand a re-rack and become the breaker, or continue to play as if it had been an ordinary foul, depending upon the rules of the event. If the breaker pockets a ball and commits no foul, it remains the breaker's turn. If the breaker pockets the 9 ball on the break (without fouling), this is an instant win. (See also "European alterations", below, for recent moves to change the breaking rules.)
The push-out
Immediately after the break shot (regardless of its results) the player at the table may call a "push-out The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket", and may then shoot the cue ball to any location on the table (i.e. not into a pocket, in which case the player must continue shooting, nor off the table, which would be a foul), without incurring a foul for failure to hit the lowest-numbered ball on the table, and then control of the table passes to the other player. The incoming player has the choice of accepting the table as it lies, or forcing the pushing-out player to take the next shot. Only one push-out is allowed per game, and it must be immediately after the break. (See also "The rise of 'Texas express' rules", below, for the historical multi-push-out rule variation.)
The ideal push-out shot is one that the opponent will believe likely to be makeable, and will accept, but will fail to actually make, giving control of the table back to the pusher-out, and which the pusher-out is confident to make if forced to do so. Thus nine-ball players aim for a push-out that has about a 50/50 chance of being accepted or returned.[1]
Winning
A player wins in nine ball by pocketing the 9 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 The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket. A player can also win by default if the opponent commits three successive fouls. However, in most formats, including under BCA rules, the opponent must be told that he or she is "on two fouls" in order to lose by committing a third foul.
In most rule systems, including BCA, if a player pockets the cue ball while only the 9-ball is left, the 9-ball spots to the foot spot, and the opponent gets ball in hand.
Rule variations and governing bodies
The general rules the game is played under are fairly consistent and usually do not stray too far from the format set forth in the Billiard Congress of America The Billiard Congress of America is a governing body for cue sports in the United States. It was established under this name in 1948 in order to promote the sport and organize its players via tournaments at various levels. The BCA is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. The voting members of the organization are mostly equipment manufacturers (BCA) BCA World Standardized Rules for Nine Ball, which have merged with those of the World Pool-Billiard Association The World Pool-Billiard Association is the international governing body for pocket billiards (and also sactions rules and events for carom billiards games as well, in cooperation with other bodies). The group was formed in 1987, and was initially headed by a provisional board of directors consisting of representatives from Japan, the United States, (WPA), to form the World Standardised Rules, although amateur league play may be governed by similar but slightly different rules promulgated by the American Poolplayers Association The American Poolplayers Association was founded in 1981 by professional poolplayers Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart, although with roots dating back to the National Pool League (founded in 1979), . The APA conducts a system of franchised-based local amateur leagues of pool competition, including both eight-ball and nine-ball, with a unified APA (APA) and other organizations.
The rise of "Texas express" rules
For much of its history nine-ball rules allowed participants to "push out The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket" multiple times during a game (see "The push-out", above, for the modern push-out rules), 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 The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket rules, such as failure to contact the lowest-numbered ball on the table. 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. If the player shooting the resulting shot fouled, the other player would have ball-in-hand; hence this manner of play was called the "two-foul" version. "One-foul" became popular in the 1970s, as play turned more aggressive for the early televised matches. This newer version of nine-ball awarded ball-in-hand on any cue ball foul. A now-standard rule variant, which started to sweep the sport of nine-ball in the mid-1980s, 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 1990 this new push-out rule had become ubiquitous and it and any additional rules appended to it were collectively referred to as "Texas express The following is an encyclopedic glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: pocket billiards , which denotes a host of games played on a table with six pockets; carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a table without pockets; and snooker, played on a large pocket" rules, so called because of the supposed US 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 WPA and its affiliates like the BCA.
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By then however, he had done his job and Dominic Cork strode to the middle to finish the game off with four boundaries in his nine-ball innings of 16 with captain Nic Pothas unbeaten on 22 off 18 balls. The Foxes' total always looked an under par score ...
