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What if the Cue Ball Hits My Ball then My Ball Hits Opponent's Ball and Pockets It?

12/30/2007 10:14:11 AM

What if the Cue Ball Hits My Ball then My Ball Hits Opponent's Ball and Pockets It?

Is it a foul if the cue ball hits my ball, then my ball hits and pockets my opponent's ball?

Let's say I'm shooting stripes. What happens if I hit a striped ball and it doesn't get pocketed, but at the same time, my striped ball accidentally hits the opponent's solid ball and knocks it in the pocket?

Is that considered a foul, and if so;

  • does the opponent get ball-in-hand or
  • does the opponent begin his turn at the table as per normal without treating the white ball as "ball-in-hand"?

This question relates to the following billiard rules:

What if the Cue Ball Hits My Ball then My Ball Hits Opponent's Ball and Pockets It?

Replies & Comments
  1. user1199009651sam h on 1/1/2008 11:57:51 PM

    It is not a "foul" if one of your object balls hits and pockets your opponent's object ball. You contacted your own object ball first, and didn't scratch or pocket the 8 ball, so no foul was committed on that shot.

    If this happens, it is simply your opponent's shot from wherever the cue ball stops (not ball-in-hand). Any object balls pocketed incidentally (with the exception of the 8 ball) remain pocketed.

    Here are the World Pool-Billiard association rules that apply (emphasized for clarity).

    8 Ball is a "call shot" game, thus, WPA rules for 8 ball reference definition 1.6 Standard Call Shot. This section tells us several things:

    1. The player only needs to call one of their object balls and it's intended target pocket.
    2. Extra detail, such as "other balls contacted or pocketed are irrelevant".

    1.6 Standard Call Shot

    In games in which the shooter is required to call shots, the intended ball and pocket must be indicated for each shot if they are not obvious. Details of the shot, such as cushions struck or other balls contacted or pocketed are irrelevant. Only one ball may be called on each shot.

    [...]

    Section 3.7, Spotting Balls, tells us that incidentally pocketed object balls are never spotted back on the table.

    3.7 Spotting Balls (8 Ball)

    If the eight ball is pocketed or driven off the table on the break, it will be spotted or the balls will be re-racked. (See 3.3 Break Shot and 1.4 Spotting Balls.) No other object ball is ever spotted.

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What if the Cue Ball Hits My Ball then My Ball Hits Opponent's Ball and Pockets It?

  • Title: What if the Cue Ball Hits My Ball then My Ball Hits Opponent's Ball and Pockets It?
  • Author:
  • Published: 12/30/2007 10:14:11 AM
  • Last Updated: 12/12/2022 1:28:52 PM
  • Last Updated By: billiardsforum (Billiards Forum)