VNEA rule change: 2023 The Push Shot rule has been updated, removing the 45 degree requirement.  OLD RULE : 7. PUSH SHOT FOULS: It is a foul if the cue ball is pushed by the cue tip, with contact being maintained for more than the momentary time commensurate with a stroked shot. (Such shots are usually referred to as push shots.) With a cue ball and object ball frozen, shooting the shot from any angle other than at least 45 degrees above, or at least 45 degrees to the right or at least 45 degrees to the left of center from the straight line of the frozen balls is a foul and must be so called. NEW RULE : 7. PUSH SHOT FOULS: It is a foul if the cue ball is pushed by the cue tip, with contact being maintained for more than the momentary time commensurate with a normal and legally stroked shot. (Such shots are usually referred to as push shots.) This means a player can  shoot through a frozen ball (or rail) as long as the tip only has 'momentary contact ' with the cue ball. When r...

  RULE CHANGE! RULE CHANGE! RULE CHANGE!   Changes in the Rules do not occur often, but they do occur, and we have a new Rule affecting both 8-Ball and 9-Ball Rules effective July 1, 2023. Snooker and Carom, two old dogs who play each other often, are in an 8-Ball game.  Snooker is at the table shooting. Snooker’s cue ball is frozen to one of his object balls. Snooker gets down on his shot and takes a normal and legally stroked shot without elevating his cue to a 45 degree angle. Carom is astonished that Snooker would have a lapse of memory as to the requirements of the VNEA when shooting the cue ball when it is frozen to an object ball. Carom calls a foul. Snooker does not acknowledge that a foul has occurred, and you as the referee are called to the table.  You make the call!!!! Carom is adamant that Snooker has fouled since he failed to elevate his cue stick to a 45 degree angle. Snooker now has his brand new (2023-2024) Rule Book out and is quoting the seventh p...

  We continues with the antics of Snooker and Carom, two old dogs at the pool game, who play a lot with each other and against each other, but simply can never agree on the Rules. SITUATION: Three object balls are sitting very close to each other, approximately 1" apart, with the first ball about 1" from the rail, all in a row coming from the rail toward the middle of the table. The cue ball is very close to the middle ball (which happens to be the 6-ball). Snooker is shooting over the 6-ball trying to make another ball at the opposite end of the table. After striking the cue ball, Snooker’s cue stick accidentally drags over the top of the 6-ball moving the 6-ball approximately 6 inches down the table and toward the rail. The shot is missed, but in the process, the travel of the cue ball makes contact with three rails and rolls directly over the spot where the 6-ball had been and stops exactly where the 6-ball was originally. There is no doubt that except for the 6-ball b...

       IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU! The excitement of Wednesday night league play is upon us. Snooker and Carom are in the final game of the match. The out come of this game will determine which team wins the 4th round and which team wins total points. The game is in this situation when the “incident” happens. There are four balls on the table: the Cue ball, the Eight ball, the One ball, and the Three ball. The shooter at the table is shooting the solids when the “incident” occurs. A bar fight breaks out in close proximity to the pool table where the final game is being played. It carries over onto the table itself, moves down to the next table and lasts for a period of time. The fighters are eventually separated with one at one end of the set of tables and the other at the end of the table where the game is being played. Words are still being exchanged when one of the fighters starts picking up the balls on the table where the final game of the match is being played and th...

  RULE CHANGE! RULE CHANGE! RULE CHANGE!   Changes in the Rules do not occur often, but they do occur. Such is the case with the 9-Ball Rules effective July 1, 2022.  Snooker and Carom, two old dogs who play each other often, are in a 9-Ball game. Snooker is at the table shooting. There are only two object balls left: the 8-Ball and the 9-Ball. As Snooker shoots at the 8-Ball, he pockets the 8- Ball, he pockets the 9-Ball, and he scratches on the shot. After he finishes his shot, there are not any balls left on the table. Carom comes to the table, retrieves the 9-Ball, spots the 9-Ball, retrieves the cue ball, and is about to shoot the 9-Ball into a pocket when Snooker jumps to his paws and says that the 8-Ball must also be spotted. Carom says no, that only the 9-Ball should be spotted. Since they cannot agree on what balls should be spotted under these circumstances, you are the referee called to the table. You make the call!!!!  Snooker has his (pre 2022- 2023) Ru...

Snooker and Carom are in tournament play again. Snooker is at the table and is shooting at one of his object balls. In that process, after Snooker has made contact with the cue ball, Snooker raises his cue stick and it strikes the light fixture above the table. At that point, the table number designation sign which is affixed by tape to the chain holding the table light fixture comes loose and falls onto the table striking the cue ball and pinning the cue ball against the side rail. Carom, seeing an opportunity to call a foul, leaps to her paws and declares a Foul. Snooker fails to acknowledge the Foul saying that it was simply an equipment failure. You are the referee called to the table. You make the call!!!! Carom argues that it must be a foul for two reasons. First, under the Accidentally Moving a Ball Rule, whenever the Shooter accidentally moves the cue ball, it is a foul, and Secondly, under the Player Responsibility Fouls Rule found in the general definitions, it must be a foul...

       Snooker is playing 8-Ball, shooting an object ball in his usual manner, poorly, and the object ball bounces up on the rail, but returns to the bed of the table because the object ball came in contact with a piece of chalk. Carom calls a foul. Snooker responds that the ball returned to the bed of the table and it is not a foul. You make the call!!!!   Poor Snooker, he is wrong in this case. The appropriate rule is not found in the 8-ball rules. One must look in the General Definitions of Pocket Billiards, in this case - Number 11: “Balls may bounce on the cushion tops and rails of the table in play without being jumped balls if they return to the bed of the table under their own power and without touching anything not a part of the table. The table shall consist of the permanent part of the table proper. ( Balls that strike or touch anything not a part of the table , such as the light fixture, call pocket disc, chalk on the rails and chalk on the wood cus...

  Carom and Snooker are playing each other in team play during a tournament. Carom’s Captain has decided that his team is going to patch the pocket the entire tournament. Snooker’s Captain did not want to patch the pocket during this match. However, the Rules provide that when shooting the 8-ball, one must patch the pocket. So if there is NOT an agreement between both teams (Captains), then the pocket is to be patched for the 8-ball. Either Snooker’s Captain didn’t make it clear to all of his teammates that the patch was being used, or Snooker wasn’t paying any attention when his Captain announced that they would be patching the pocket, so Snooker didn’t know if they were patching the pocket or not. His game is the third game of the match. Snooker could have asked before he started his game, but he did not. Snooker could have been paying attention to the previous two games played where the pocket was patched for the 8-ball, but Snooker was not paying any attention to the games bein...

Snooker and Carom, two old dogs at the pool game, are playing each other again in Tournament play in a singles match. They are both Masters, so they are playing a race to 7. This means that they could potentially play 13 games if they go hill to hill with 6 wins each. It is alternate breaks. Snooker wins the flip and wants to break. Snooker should then be breaking games 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13. Carom should break games 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. The match starts without any incident; however, somewhere during the match, one of the shooters broke back to back. Neither Snooker or Carom know when it happened or which shooter broke back to back. But for a period of time and games, Snooker was breaking the even numbered games, and Carom was breaking the odd numbered games. This match is close. Snooker breaks in game 12. Snooker wins game 12 which now ties the match with Snooker having won 6 games and Carom having won 6 games. They are now hill to hill with the next game being the game which ...

       Another Colorado incident. There will be more. Snooker and Carom, two old dogs who play each other often, have both had too many beers and are not paying attention to their game. Snooker is breaking and makes a solid on the break. Snooker shoots again at a solid but misses. Table is open. Carom comes to the table and shoots a stripe into the side pocket. However, the stripe hangs up in the pocket and does not go down through the mechanism. Carom has established her group of balls - stripes. Carom shoots at another stripe but misses. Snooker in his “condition” comes back to the table and asks: ‘what do I have?”. Carom looks into the ball return, seeing only a solid ball, and knowing that she has just pocketed a ball, tells Snooker that he has stripes. Snooker then makes a stripe in the same side pocket that Carom had previously made one. When Snooker does this, the stripe which was hung up before, now comes dislodged and both stripes (the one Carom made and the...

    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. 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 no...

     Snooker is the Breaker, and he makes a good break with object balls spread all over the table. Actually believing that he has made an object ball, Snooker continues to shoots and pockets a stripe. He takes his next shot and pockets another stripe. At this point Carom suddenly notices that Snooker did not make a ball on the break, jumps to her paws, and tells Snooker that he should not be at the table shooting any balls since he did not make any balls on the break. Carom calls a foul. Snooker responds that all fouls must be called and acknowledged before the next shot is taken. Since he has put down two stripes, it is too late to call a foul, he has stripes, and he can continue to shoot. You are the referee called to the table. You make the call!!!! Rule B. 8. does say that “If the player legally breaks the racked balls and does not make any balls, his opponent then shoots, having an open table”. However, that Rule does not address what happens if the Breaker continue...

       Another Colorado incident. There will be more. Snooker and Carom, two old dogs who play each other often, have both had too many beers and are not paying attention to their game. Snooker is breaking and makes a solid on the break. Snooker shoots again at a solid but misses. Table is open. Carom comes to the table and shoots a stripe into the side pocket. However, the stripe hangs up in the pocket and does not go down through the mechanism. Carom has established her group of balls - stripes. Carom shoots at another stripe but misses. Snooker in his “condition” comes back to the table and asks: ‘what do I have?”. Carom looks into the ball return, seeing only a solid ball, and knowing that she has just pocketed a ball, tells Snooker that he has stripes. Snooker then makes a stripe in the same side pocket that Carom had previously made one. When Snooker does this, the stripe which was hung up before, now comes dislodged and both stripes (the one Carom made and the...

     Snooker and Carom, two old dogs at the pool games, are playing on different teams in tournament play. Carom is breaking. Carom scratches on the Break. Snooker picks up the cue out of the ball return and places the cue ball completely and obviously outside the kitchen and is getting ready to shoot when his team mates yell “in the kitchen”. Carom immediately calls a foul, but it is not acknowledged by Snooker. You are the referee called to the table. You make the call!!!!      Carom says that it is a coaching foul because Snooker’s team mates yelled “in the kitchen” and that Snooker was going to take a totally different shot shooting out of the kitchen. Snooker responds that it is just rule information and that his team mates were just clarifying the rules and there should not be any foul. Snooker is totally wrong here. Compare it to a situation where the teams are patching the pocket, and one of their team mates forgets to patch the pocket and is about ...

  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...

 Always 10-0. Yes always      As with most rules, someone will try to argue against the situation. Nobody wants to get a 10-0 against them. They broke and made 2 solids. On their opening shot, made another solid, but in the process, the 8-ball is kicked into a pocket. They will argue that since they made a solid, they are solids. Therefore they get 3 points. Unfortunately for them, this is not the case. This happens probably at least once or twice per tournament. Let's dig in... Let's look at the  VNEA rule : C. OPEN TABLE The table is “open” when the choice of groups (stripes or solids) has not yet been determined. When the table is open, it is legal to hit a solid first to make a stripe or vice versa. Note: The table is always open immediately after the break shot. When the table is open it is legal to hit any solid or stripe or the 8-ball first in the process of pocketing the called stripe or solid. On an open table, all pocketed balls remain pocketed. The ch...

 It has been a long night. I think I am solids...     We've all been there. Not quite sure what happened two or three shots ago. Either the shots on the pool table or those tequila shots! I just am not 100% sure if I am solids or stripes. Pretty sure I'm solids. I scratched in the side when I shot that 2 ball in the corner.  Here is a story inspired by a story sent to me by my colleague and mentor Nils McConnell.       Let's start from the beginning of the game. I break and as usual, go big and dry. As I go sit down to sulk, I talk to the waitress and order another drink to help me forget how bad I am at breaking. I turn my attention back to the game and watch my opponent shoot the 2 ball in the corner, comes around table, kiss off a ball, and scratch in the side. Hey my luck just turned around for once! I have ball in hand with a wide open table (thanks to my awesome break)! Solids look pretty good, so I fire in the 6 in the side running the cue ...

 Here are two examples of accidentally moving balls Here is another great article written by my colleague Fred Johnson for the Colorado VNEA newsletter. Don't worry, this one is not about miscuing on the break!. Here we will look at two very similar situations; however, there are differences. Should the calls be different?       Snooker and Carom, two old dogs at the pool game,  are playing each other in league play. Carom is kicking at the 12-ball. Carom  makes a good hit on the 12-ball; however, Carom accidentally moves the 4-ball  with her stick. The 4-ball makes contact with the 9-ball and moves the 9-ball.  The cue ball comes off the cushion and makes contact with the 9-ball. Snooker  declares a foul. Carom fails to acknowledge the Foul saying that the cue ball  never struck the ball that she moved. You are the referee called to the table.  You make the call!!!!       Obviously this involves the Ac...

  Miscue on the break. Cue ball scratches and 3 Object balls hit a rail. Here is another great article written by my colleague Fred Johnson for the Colorado VNEA newsletter. They do miscue on the break a lot. Chalk anyone? Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading and learn something.      Snooker and Carom, two old dogs at the pool game, are playing each other again in league play. Once again, they cannot agree on the Rules. Snooker is breaking and miscues. Snooker just watches the cue ball float down the table, strike the rack, causing three object balls to jump out and hit the rail, and Snooker scratches in the corner pocket. Carom approaches the table, and she says she wants to rerack and break herself. Snooker says: “No, I scratched, it is a foul, you have cue ball in hand behind the headstring, and you just have to live with how the table is now”. Carom responds: “No, I have the option of accepting the table in position and shooting from behind the headstring, but I do...

A miscue on the break. Player double hit the cue ball. Here is another great article written by my colleague Fred Johnson for the Colorado VNEA newsletter. He does seem to miscue on the break a lot... Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading and learn something.      Snooker and Carom, two old dogs at the pool games, are playing each other in league play. Carom is breaking. As she is addressing the cue ball for the break, and is making forward stroke motions, Carom accidentally taps the cue ball forward all with her stick. As the cue ball is moving forward, Carom hits the cue ball a second time, hitting the racked balls hard, and breaks the rack wide open. Snooker declares a foul, and much to his surprise, Carom acknowledges the Foul. However, they do not know what the options are for Snooker. You are the referee called to the table. You make the call!!!! There could be a number of options here.  Under Rule H. 10., a double hit on the...