Up And Down Pool Rules
Up and Down pool rules use the General Rules of Pocket Billiards as a base. These Up and Down pool rules are meant to be a supplement. Except where clearly contradicted by these additional Up and Down pool rules, the General Rules of Pocket Billiards apply.
Up And Down Pool Rules
Up and Down pool rules are based on the idea that there should be more than one cue ball. In Up and Down billiards, all 16 balls are used as in general pocket billiards, however, each object ball may be used as the cue ball. The traditional white cue ball is called the zero ball.
The object of Up and Down pool is to score the most points by the end of the match. As stated earlier, any ball on the table may be considered the cue ball, and the shooting player scores points by shooting for the next consecutive ball still on the table. Up and Down pool is a call-shot game, and players shoot in the opposite order. One player plays in ascending order, called "shooting up" and the other plays in descending order, called "shooting down." This is decided by the first player to make a called shot. Points can be both gained and lost throughout the duration of Up and Down billiards, and the player with the most point at the end of the game is declared the winner.
Scoring for Up and Down pool is fairly simple. One point is accrued for the shooting player for each ball pocketed on a legal stroke. Points can be lost for players who commit a foul, and players may have a negative score.
The Up and Down pool rules for the break differ slightly from those in regular billiard rules. The zero ball is used for the break, and the remaining 15 object balls are arranged in any order in a triangle rack with the leading ball placed on the head spot. The cue ball must be struck from within the kitchen area. For the Up and Down break to be valid, either at least one ball must be pocketed, or at least four balls must be driven to rails. Failure to meet these requirements constitutes a foul, the player loses one point, and the incoming player breaks. If any balls are pocketed on the break shot except for the zero ball, the shooting player stays at the table and shoots again, but not points are scored. If no balls are pocketed, the shooting player's inning ends. The table is considered "open" after any break, which also means that it has not been decided on whether each player will shoot in ascending order descending order. During an "open" table, the shooting player may use as his or her cue ball any object ball on the table as long as it is the next consecutive number still on the table.
Up and Down Pool rules also include specifics on fouls and how they are to be handled. Balls are never spotted or re-spotted, even if they are jumped off of the table. Listed below are some more specifics on fouls in Up and Down Billiards. A foul is assessed...
- on the break when a ball is not pocked and fewer than four object balls contact rails. When including the cue ball for purposes of this rule, it can not be the first ball to contact a rail.
- if a ball leaves the table.
- when an object ball is pocketed that has not been called by the shooting player.
- if the shooting player fails to cause movement in the next consecutive ball.
When a player commits a foul under Up and Down pool rules, he or she loses a point, and the inning comes to an end. The incoming player's inning then begins.
For an Up and Down pool player to make a legal, foul-free shot, he or she must meet the following criteria. The player can select any ball currently on the table as their current cue ball. They are then restricted to play the next consecutive number ball that remains on the table. If the player is shooting down, the shoot for the next smallest numbered ball, and if they are shooting up, they must shoot for the next highest. If the shooting player legally pockets a ball without committing a foul, he or she continues at the table. A new cue ball may be selected at each turn. Once the players have reached the end of the sequence of numbered balls, it shall wrap around to the beginning and play continues. For example, if a player is shooting down, and reaches the one ball for use as as the cue ball, his or her object ball would be the 15 ball, or the next highest ball still on the table.
Up and Down pool rules allow the use of both carom shots and combination shots. Players must still adhere to the rules that force them to pocket only the next consecutive numbered ball in sequence regardless of the number of combinations on a shot.
In Up and Down pool and billiards, players may pocket more than one ball per shot as long as both balls are properly called, and are the next consecutive two balls on the table.
Per Up and Down pool rules, the game ends when no object balls remain on the table. When there are two balls left, one is usually the cue ball, and the other would be the object ball. At this juncture, however, the shooting player may elect to pocket both balls for extra points. Should this player so elect, he or she must call both balls, and if only the one object ball is pocketed, (and not the current cue ball,) he or she gains one point for the pocketed ball, and loses one point for the ball remaining on the table. The cue ball must go in last, so if the object ball is pocketed and the cue ball is not, the player loses two points; one point for each ball, since the cue ball can only be an object ball once the original object ball has been pocketed
A game of Up and Down billiards and pool ends when there are no longer any object balls remaining on the billiard table. Under normal circumstances there will be one ball (cue ball) left on the table. This single ball is not used and the player at this juncture wins the game. In Up and Down pool match play, scoring is tracked by counting the number of total games won, lost, or drawn.
When Up and Down billiard play results in an equal number of matches won by both players, their total points scores are summed, and the player with the highest total point score overall is the winner. Up and Down pool games can also end via a concession. If the trailing player cannot possibly win the game, he or she may wish to concede. For one player to concede a game of Up and Down, the other player(s) must also agree. The reason for this is because the final summed scores are the scores that could be important in determining tie breakers.
Similar games to Up and Down pool and billiards exist such as X Ball 1 Shot billiards. X Ball 1 Shot billiards is a game which is both derived from and was inspired by Up and Down billiards and pool.
Up And Down Pool Rules
If you have any questions about Up And Down Pool Rules, please post them in the pool rules forum.
Up And Down Pool Rules History
Up and down pool, and it's rules, were created in 1995 by a man named Victor Engel from Vancouver BC, Canada. He grew up in Guatemala, and moved to Texas in 1980. The rules were updated with a slight revision on January 19, 2003. See the-light.com for more information on Victor. (victor@victorengel.com)
The official Up And Down Pool Rules are predominently observed in North America.
How to Play Up And Down Pool
- Title: Up And Down Pool Rules
- Author: billiardsforum (Billiards Forum)
- Published: 2/11/2008 9:46:00 PM
- Source: the-light.com
Up And Down Pool Rules
The Up And Down Pool Rules article belongs to the Pocket Billiards Rules category. Pocket billiards is a class of cue sport game commonly referred to as pool.
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