The Break

A player may break from inside the D.

To perform a legal break 2 balls must pass the middle pockets or a ball must be potted.
The penalty for a foul break is one FREE SHOT, plus 1 VISIT.
The player may ask for the cue ball to be moved to the D and/or have the balls re-racked if desired.

If a player fouls off the break, they lose control of the table and the new player coming to the table can decide on the colour they want.
If the Black ball is potted off the break the balls will be re-racked, next player breaks.

Deciding Colours

The table is always OPEN after the break shot regardless of what has been potted. The Break is like a FREE shot.
After the break, or AFTER your FREE shot, NOMINATION decides the colours.
If balls of both colours are potted the table remains OPEN.
NOMINATION is ONLY ALLOWED by the player in CONTROL.

General Play

* Legal Shot – The player must hit the cue ball with the tip of their cue and it must contact a ball of their own colour first (except on a FREE shot or OPEN table).
* Combination shots are allowed. i.e. it is fine to pot one or more of your opponents balls as long as you hit one of your balls first and one or more of your balls are potted in the same shot.
* A players VISIT will continue until the player in control either fails to legally pot a ball of their own colour or commits a foul. Play will then pass to their opponent.
* Once a player fouls, they immediately lose CONTROL of the table.

In Control

A player is said to be in CONTROL of the table once they have touched the table at the start of the VISIT and have not committed any foul previous. Once in Control, A player may not confer with a Doubles Partner.

The referee is suggested to alert the player that they are in CONTROL of the table. A player is in control of the table until the end of their VISIT.

Fouls

* Potting the cue ball.
* Cue ball not hitting any ball.
* Cue ball not contacting a ball “on” first. Exception: when you have a FREE table.
* Causing any ball to leave the table – Dead balls are removed from the frame and put down the pockets by the Referee, Unless it’s the white – and becomes foul, Ball in Hand.
* Jumping over a ball.
* Touching any ball with anything except the tip of your cue. Exception: Ball in hand.
* Playing a Push Shot.
* Touching the cue ball when you do not have ball in hand.
* An opponents ball falls into a pocket while the player is in Control, but before playing a ball of his own colour.
* Receiving Coaching. See Coaching.
* Talking to your Doubles Partner while in CONTROL of the table.

Penalty

The Penalty after any of the “Fouls” is ONE FREE SHOT with a FREE table. The player has the option to play the cue ball from where it lies or ask for Ball in Hand and play it from the D. After this SHOT, the player continues their VISIT as normal. If the table was OPEN before their free shot, after the free shot the player NOMINATES. See Deciding Colours.

FREE table – player can hit, and/or pot, any ball. Can hit, but can”t pot, the black.

Loss of Frame Fouls

* Potting the black when not “on” it.
* Potting the Black with a foul shot.
* Behaving in an “unsportsmanlike” manner.

Coaching

A player is said to be receiving coaching when any one person in the room advises that player about how to play the next shot or describes a physical outcome on the table. Examples include: – cover the pocket, hit that one, tuck him up, or clear it. The referee MUST give a WARNING, but this WARNING MAY BE GIVEN AT THE START OF THE MATCH to the entire team. Once a warning has been given, the tolerance for coaching is greatly lowered and a foul is likely to be awarded on the following offence.

General Barracking

Barracking or team encouragement is great for the game so long as it is very generalised like good luck, good shot, or support for your team or club such as “Come on the York” and can not be deemed as coaching. The Referees decision is final. Once a warning has been given about coaching, it is advised that all players in the room that are not in Control of the table, keep quiet to allow the game to continue.

Stalemate / Interference

Stalemate – if it is not possible for a legal shot to be played then the frame shall be re-started.

Interference – if any balls are caused to move accidentally, by anyone other than the player they shall be replaced as best they can. Balls off the table are potted.

Winning

A player wins when they have potted all their balls and legally potted the black.