International Pool Tournament Game Rules

Although Eight Ball is one of the most popular pool games in the world, the rules vary across cultures. The standardized rules of international pool tournaments are an attempt to prevent any confusion. Just to be sure, always check the rules for any competition you enter. Rules often vary where dress code, play speed and sportsman-like conduct are concerned.

  1. Lagging

    • The order of play is determined by a "lag." In a lag, each player shoots a ball from the same position on a cleared table, bouncing the ball off the opposite short wall so it returns toward the short wall from which the player shot. The player whose ball is closest to the cushion (the felt-covered padding on the wall), wins the lag and is given the choice to rack or break.

    The Rack

    • The balls are racked with the Eight Ball in the center.

      The balls are racked in a wooden or plastic triangle. The Eight Ball is placed in the center of the triangle and the back corner balls are arranged so that one ball is a stripe, and the other is a solid. The One Ball is in the first position. The remaining balls are placed in random order, with no benefit given to either player. This is achieved by alternating striped and solid balls within the rack.

    The Break

    • A break helps determine which player is stripes and which is solids.

      A break is shot from the opposite end of the table from the rack. It separates the balls in the rack. In order to be legal, one ball must drop in the pocket or at least five balls must hit a rail. Regardless of how many balls are pocketed on the break, neither player is designated stripes or solids. If a ball was pocketed, then the player who broke the rack has another chance to shoot, and play continues. If the next ball pocketed is a stripe, that player is designated stripes; the same applies to solids.

    Continuing Play

    • International pool tournaments require that shots be called. "Calling a shot" can be defined as indicating that a specific object ball will go into a specific pocket. Unlike other rule sets, international pool tournaments do not require the player to say the path that the ball will travel. When a player pockets a called shot, he is given another turn. If not, the opponent takes a turn.

    Winning

    • Games are won by legally pocketing the Eight Ball.

      Games are won when a player legally pockets the Eight Ball. The Eight Ball can only be pocketed by a player after she pockets her entire group of numbered balls. Doing so before his balls are pocketed results in a loss. The Eight Ball must be the first ball contacted by the cue ball. If either of these does not occur, the opposing player is awarded a ball in hand. If the eight ball is pocketed in the wrong pocket or the cue ball is pocketed, that player loses.