This is meant to deter players from scratching intentionally in order to hinder their opponent’s performance. The opponent of the player who scratched gets to place the ball anywhere on the table and take a shot. The first is ball-in-hand anywhere on the table. When a player pockets the cue ball, there are two common outcomes as a result of the foul.
8 ball scratch professional#
In some unofficial circles, a scratch on a break is an automatic loss, but this is not common practice in the professional pool world or in most agreed upon informal rules. Any object balls pocketed during the break remain pocketed and the table remains open. The opposing player gets the cue ball-in-hand behind the head string. If a player scratches on a break there is only one common result of the foul. The rules below are some of the most common, practiced in professional tournaments, bars, pool halls, and rec rooms around the world. As a result, it’s always best to agree upon common rules before the game starts, to make sure all players are on the same page. Even two groups of players shooting pool at two adjacent tables can be playing by different rules. If the object ball does neither, it’s considered a table scratch. So, if the player strikes the cue ball, which strikes an object ball, the object ball must either travel to a cushion or a pocket in order to be a legal shot. #2 Failure To Pocket Or Contact CushionĪnother form of table scratch occurs when the shooting player fails to drive the legal object ball either to a cushion or to a pocket. Meaning the cue ball can hit cushions but still be considered a foul if it doesn’t contact an object ball. #1 Failure to Hit an Object BallĪ table scratch occurs when a player fails to hit an object ball with the cue ball. Below are the fouls that fall under the table scratch umbrella. Table scratches usually result in the opposing player getting ball-in-hand. Definition of A Table ScratchĪ table scratch is a term used to describe a number of standard fouls that occur without having the cue ball pocketed or driven off the table. This due to the fact that the cue ball would have been pocketed if the pocket hadn’t been full. If a pocket is filled with object balls and the cue ball touches one of these balls, it is considered a scratch. The object balls remain in the pockets and the cue ball is replaced on the table according to the rules of the particular game. However, if the cue ball and the 8 ball are both pocketed or driven off the table during a legal 8 ball shot, it results in the forfeit of the game to the opposing player.Ī scratch occurs even if one or more object balls are pocketed in the same shot that results in the cue ball being pocketed. For most of the game, these actions are considered standard fouls and result in ball-in-hand for the opponent either on the entire table or behind the head string. 23 Must Have Billiard Accessories You Can’t Do WithoutĪ scratch is broadly defined as a cue ball driven off the table or pocketed.18 Unique Pool Table Lights for Your Billiard Room.Best Pool Cues for the Money: A Cue for Every Budget.Want to check out some billiard gear we like? Check out these articles! We’ll fill you in on what a scratch is in pool. From scratching on the break to scratching on the 8 ball. You’ll discover the different kinds of scratches and the different rules associated with them. Or can he? Is placement limited to behind the head string? Or to the side of the table where the cue ball scratched? What exactly is a scratch in pool? Your opponent can put the ball anywhere on the table. A shot goes amiss, and your heart sinks as the cue ball heads straight for a pocket. If you’ve ever played pool chances are it has happened to you.