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Is it a foul? The pool rules checker.
18 rulings for 9-ball
What is a legal break in 9-ball?
Legal
Hit the 1 first, then pocket a ball or drive at least four object balls to a cushion.
The cue ball must strike the 1-ball first. After that, the break is legal if at least one object ball is pocketed or at least four object balls reach a cushion. If not, it is a foul and the incoming player has ball in hand anywhere.
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Do you win if the 9 goes in on the break?
Win
Yes — on a legal break with no foul, a pocketed 9 wins the rack.
If the break is legal and the breaker does not foul, pocketing the 9 on the break wins the game. If the breaker scratches or fouls in any way, the 9 is spotted and the opponent gets ball in hand.
Bar & league rules: Some events now play "9 on the snap is spotted". Check the event rules before the match.
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Is it a foul if you hit the wrong ball first in 9-ball?
Foul
Yes. The first ball the cue ball contacts must be the lowest-numbered ball on the table.
In rotation games the lowest ball must be contacted first. Hitting any other ball first is a foul even if a ball is pocketed; the opponent gets ball in hand anywhere.
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Is it a foul if no ball hits a rail after contact?
Foul
Yes. After the cue ball hits the legal ball, a ball must be pocketed or any ball must reach a cushion.
This is the most common foul on soft safeties. After first contact, either an object ball must be pocketed, or the cue ball or any object ball must touch a cushion. Otherwise it's a foul — ball in hand.
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What is a double hit in pool?
Foul
Foul: the tip contacts the cue ball more than once, or stays on it as it hits a close object ball.
When the cue ball and object ball are very close but not touching, a normal follow-through can strike the cue ball twice. That double contact is a foul. Referees judge it by the cue ball's path and the sound.
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Can you shoot toward a ball that is frozen to the cue ball?
Legal
Yes, as long as you use a normal stroke.
If the cue ball is touching the legal object ball, you may shoot directly toward it. It is not a double hit because the balls were already in contact. A pushing stroke that keeps the tip on the cue ball is still a foul.
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Is it a foul to touch a ball with your hand or clothing?
Foul
Under WPA rules, yes — touching or moving any ball, cue ball or object ball.
WPA plays "all-ball fouls": moving any ball other than by a normal shot is a foul and gives ball in hand. The opponent decides whether a moved object ball is restored.
Bar & league rules: Many leagues and bars play "cue-ball fouls only" — touching an object ball is not a foul there.
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Do you need a foot on the floor when you shoot?
Foul
Yes. At least one foot must touch the floor at the moment the tip hits the cue ball.
Sitting or lying on the table with both feet off the floor is a foul. Use the mechanical bridge or an extension instead.
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Is a jump shot legal in pool?
Legal
Yes, if you strike down on the cue ball. Scooping under it is a foul.
A jump shot made by elevating the cue and hitting down into the cue ball is legal. Striking the cue ball below centre so the tip digs under it (a "scoop") is a foul.
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What is the three-foul rule?
Loss of game
Three fouls in a row on three consecutive shots loses the rack — after a warning.
If a player fouls on three consecutive shots in the same rack without making a legal shot in between, they lose the game. The opponent must warn them after the second foul; without a warning the third foul is a normal foul.
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What happens when you scratch in pool?
Foul
Foul. The opponent gets ball in hand anywhere on the table (after the break).
Pocketing the cue ball ends your turn and gives the incoming player ball in hand anywhere. In rotation games, balls pocketed on that shot stay down except the game ball, which is spotted.
Bar & league rules: Some bar rules use ball in hand behind the head string only.
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Is it a foul if the cue ball jumps off the table?
Foul
Yes. Same as a scratch: ball in hand for the opponent.
A ball is off the table if it comes to rest anywhere other than the playing surface — including the rail tops or the floor. For the cue ball this is a foul with ball in hand.
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What does ball in hand mean?
Legal
You may place the cue ball anywhere on the table before your shot.
After an opponent's foul you can place the cue ball by hand anywhere on the playing surface and keep adjusting it until you shoot. You may use your cue to move it, but not a forward stroke with the tip.
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Is a miscue a foul?
Legal
No — unless it causes another foul, such as a double hit or a bad hit.
A miscue on its own is not a foul. If the miscue leads to the cue ball missing the legal ball, no rail after contact, or the tip striking twice, that foul is called.
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How does the push out work in 9-ball?
Opponent's choice
Only on the first shot after the break. The opponent then chooses who shoots next.
The player shooting right after the break may announce a push out. The cue ball need not hit any ball or rail. The opponent then chooses to shoot from that position or pass it back. A scratch or other foul on the push out is still a foul.
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What happens if the 9 goes in on a foul?
Foul
The 9 is spotted and the opponent gets ball in hand.
Pocketing the 9 only wins on a legal shot. If you foul on the same shot — scratch, wrong ball first, no rail — the 9 comes back to the foot spot and the incoming player has ball in hand anywhere.
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Can you win 9-ball on a combination?
Win
Yes. Hit the lowest ball first and pocket the 9 on any legal shot.
9-ball is not call-shot. Any legal shot that pockets the 9 — combination, carom, bank or kiss — wins the game.
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What if an object ball jumps off the table in 9-ball?
Foul
Foul. Jumped object balls stay off — except the game ball, which is spotted.
Driving an object ball off the table is a foul and gives ball in hand. In 9-ball and 10-ball the jumped balls are not returned, except the 9 (or the 10), which is spotted on the foot spot.
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Advanced dispute cases
The situations that start arguments in league nights and tournaments — with the ruling and the reasoning — plus a tactical tip on every rule above.
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Cueing Academy is not affiliated with the WPA. Rulings summarise the WPA World Standardized Rules in plain language; the official text and your event's referee always decide. Learn the terms in the Glossary of Pool A-Z.