Winning by only shooting the 8-ball

 

We always have the theoretical question of what if X happens? What’s the call. For example, Breaker makes all of one group on the Break, can he shoot the 8-ball? Probably will never happen, BUT you can get to the same question under different facts. If it is going to happen, it will happen in Colorado. Snooker and Carom, two old dogs who play each other often, are in a heated argument over

who won and who lost. Many players argue over this call. Here are the facts. Snooker is breaking and hits the rack good. Snooker pockets four stripes and one solid on the break; however, he scratches. The incoming shooter, Carom, has ball in hand behind the headstring and must shoot out of the kitchen. She wants to take stripes since there are four stripes down. Carom calls the next stripe, pockets that stripe, plus another stripe and a solid ball, but Carom also scratches on the shot. Snooker, who is now headed back to the table, really wants stripes because there are six stripes down and only two solids down. This last stripe will not be easy, but Snooker plows ahead, shoots the stripe, pocketing the stripe, pocketing

another solid ball, AND scratches again. Carom is now coming to the table with cue ball in hand, having an open table, and only five balls on the table: the 8-ball and four solids. Carom designates a pocket appropriately and with cue ball in hand on an open table successfully pockets the 8-ball in the designated pocket. Snooker jumps to his paws and declares lost of game. Carom says, no I have won,

and it will scored 10 - 3 in my favor. Snooker says, no you lost, and since you never established your group of balls, the score is 10 - 0 in my favor. You are the  referee called to the table. You make the call!!!! This could be a big swing in points. Instead of Carom being seven balls ahead, she could be ten balls behind, a seventeen point swing. As usual, Snooker has his Rule Book out and is quoting

the last sentence of Rule C. Open Table, which provides as follows: “The choice of group is determined only when a player legally pockets a called object ball after the break shot.” Snooker says that since there were not any stripes left on the table, Carom had to shoot an object ball in order to determine her group of balls which meant that Carom had to shoot solids. Since she didn’t, she pocketed the 8-ball early - a lost of game, without determining her group, so the score has to be 10 - 0 in his favor.

Carom replies that since the stripes were all gone, she does not have to shoot the solids because the 8-ball in effect becomes an object ball, and that once she has successfully pocketed the 8-ball, she established her group of balls which would be the stripes in this case. Carom says she wins 10 - 3. Carom is correct. Yes, if you come to a table with an open table, an entire group of balls have been

pocketed, you can shoot the 8-ball without shooting the other group of balls first. The interpretation given to Rule C is that by shooting and legally pocketing the 8-ball, that action establishes the Shooter’s group balls.

by Fred A. Johnson

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