You are responsible for knowing the rules, regulations, and schedules that pertain to any BCAPL event you enter. You are also responsible for cooperating with all referees and event officials, and for accurately providing all requested information concerning your match to referees and officials when asked to do so.
a. You may use only your cue stick, held in your hand or not, to align a shot.
b. You may use either a built-in or an add-on cue extender.
c. You may use your own chalk provided the color is compatible with the cloth.
d. You may not use more than two mechanical bridges at any one time, and they may only be used to support the cue stick.
e. You may not use any item to prop up your bridge hand. You may hold chalk in your bridge hand while bridging, but the chalk may not be used to elevate your hand off the table.
f. You may not use any ball, your cue stick, the rack, or any other equipment or width-measuring device to determine if the cue ball or any object ball would fit through a gap or to judge what ball the cue ball would contact first.
Violation of this rule is a foul, and an unsportsmanlike conduct warning must be issued; a second violation results in loss of game; a third violation results in loss of match.
The start time for your match is the scheduled time or the time the match is announced, whichever is later. If you are not present at the table with your equipment within 15 minutes after the start time, you lose the match by forfeit.
The game or match begins when the cue tip strikes the cue ball during any stroke on the opening break
If your opponent requests that play be stopped in order to summon a referee or other official, you must honor that request. It is a foul if you take any shot after your opponent has requested that play be stopped.
When breaking, it is a foul if you stop, grab, or deflect the cue ball after your cue tip strikes it.
2. If you feel your opponent is deliberately or consistently playing at an abnormally slow pace, you may call a referee. If, after a reasonable time of observation, the referee judges that slow play is occurring, the offending player(s) will receive a warning. After the warning, if the referee further judges that the pace of play remains abnormally slow, the match will be placed on a 30 second shot clock.
3. If a shot clock is used, it always applies to all players at that table. Shot clock procedures follow:
a. During a player’s inning, the 30 second shot clock starts when the previous shot ends and runs until cue tip to cue ball contact begins the next shot. “The previous shot ends” means all balls have come to rest. If a player has ball-in-hand, the shot clock starts as soon as the player has possession of the cue ball and any spotting of balls or racking is finished.
b. If they are not already down on the shot when ten seconds remain on the shot clock, the player will receive a ten second warning from the referee (announced as “ten”). “Down on the shot” means the player is in a customary shooting position as it relates to their bridge hand and grip of the cue, or, if using a mechanical bridge, the bridge has been placed for the shot and the cue stick placed in the bridge’s groove with the player’s grip hand on the cue.
c. If a player is already down on the shot at the 10 second mark, no announcement will be made and the player may exceed the time limit provided they do not stand up off the shot. However, if the player stands up off the shot, the referee will immediately announce “ten” and the procedure resumes with the clock starting from ten seconds. Each successive time the player stands up off that same shot, “ten” is re-announced with the clock restarting at 10 seconds.
d. Each player is allowed one 30 second extension per rack. If both players are on the hill, each player receives two extensions in the decisive game. To use an extension, the player must verbally announce “extension” to the referee. The referee will then respond with “extension”, or “extension not allowed” if the player has no extension remaining. Timing procedures for extensions are the same as for other shots.
Any shot clock violation results in a foul and is penalized according to the specific rules of the game being played.
1. This rule applies only to games designated by specific game rules as Call Shot games. You must designate the called ball and the called pocket before each shot. The designation may be made verbally or by gesture. You do not have to call obvious shots. You do not need to indicate incidental kisses and caroms, or incidental cushion contacts that do not constitute bank shots.
2. If you are not certain what shot your opponent is attempting, it is your responsibility to ask. You must ask before your opponent is down on the shot. With the exception of bank or combination shots, if you are not certain about a shot and you do not ask, the shot will be considered obvious. Your opponent will receive credit for any balls legally pocketed on that shot and their inning will continue.
3. Regardless of whether or not your opponent asks, and regardless of how simple or obvious a shot may appear to you, bank shots and combination shots are defined as not being obvious and must always be called. If you do not call a bank shot or a combination shot and you pocket any ball on that shot, your inning ends and the incoming player must accept the table in position. When the game winning ball is your legal object ball, if you pocket the ball on a bank or combination shot but fail to call the shot your inning ends, the ball is spotted, and the incoming player must accept the table in position.
4. If a shot that was obvious prior to the stroke inadvertently becomes a bank shot because the ball did not go directly into the called pocket but instead contacted two or more cushions prior to being pocketed in the called pocket, the shot is scored for the shooter and the inning continues
You must use a legal stroke. Any lifting, sideways, or other brushing motion of the cue stick, such that the force that propels the cue ball does not primarily result from a forward motion of the cue stick as defined under “Legal Stroke”, is a foul.
Unless otherwise stated in specific game rules, a shot is legal if:
a. a legal stroke is used;
b. the first ball contacted by the cue ball is a legal object ball;
c. after that contact, any object ball is pocketed, or the cue ball or any object ball contacts a cushion.
1. If the first object ball contacted by the cue ball is frozen to a cushion, then after the cue ball makes contact with the frozen object ball:
a. a ball must be pocketed, or;
b. the cue ball must contact a cushion, or;
c. the frozen ball must contact a cushion attached to a separate rail, or;
d. another object ball must contact a cushion.
2. Any ball, including the cue ball, which is frozen to a cushion at the start of a shot and then is forced into a cushion attached to the same rail is not considered to have been driven to that cushion unless it leaves the cushion, contacts another ball, and then contacts the cushion again.
1. If the cue ball is frozen to a legal object ball, it is legal to shoot toward the object ball provided you use an otherwise legal stroke and no other foul is committed.
2. If the cue ball is frozen to a cushion, it is legal to shoot the cue ball into the cushion provided you use an otherwise legal stroke and no other foul is committed.
3. While the initial cue tip to cue ball contact of a stroke in the situations described in 12.1 and 12.2 is always legal, the presence of one or more object balls nearby may create the possibility of a double hit foul during the same stroke, but after the initial cue tip to cue ball contact.
4. Shooting the cue ball away from an object ball that is frozen to the cue ball does not constitute contact with that object ball.
1. If you commit a foul or otherwise violate the rules you are penalized according to the General Rules, the specific rules of the game being played, or both.
2. Unless otherwise specified in a specific General Rule or specific game rules, if you commit a foul or otherwise violate the rules your inning ends and your opponent is awarded ball in hand.
Any foul not called before the next stroke is taken is considered to have not occurred. The failure to call a foul on any previous shot does not restrict the ability to call a similar foul on any future shot.
If you commit more than one foul during a shot, only the foul that carries the most severe penalty is enforced. However, unsportsmanlike conduct may be penalized in conjunction with any foul.
It is a foul if you do not have at least one foot in contact with the floor when the cue tip strikes the cue ball. Footwear must be normal in regard to size, shape and manner in which it is worn.
It is a foul if you shoot while any ball is in motion. A spinning ball is in motion.
It is a foul if the first object ball that the cue ball contacts is not a legal object ball. A simultaneous hit with a legal and illegal object ball is a legal hit.
It is a foul if you scratch.
It is a foul if you cause any ball to be jumped off the table.
It is a foul if you shoot a push shot.
It is a foul if your cue tip strikes the cue ball more than once on the same stroke.
Unless it occurs on a jump shot or massé shot, a miscue is not a foul.
1. It is not a foul to accidentally touch or move a single object ball, with any part of your body, clothing or equipment, unless the accidental movement has, or would have had, an effect on the outcome of the shot.
2. "Effect on the outcome of the shot" means that either the disturbed ball makes contact with any ball set in motion as a result of the shot, or that the base of any other ball passes through the area originally occupied by the disturbed ball. That area is defined as a circle approximately seven inches in diameter centered on the position originally occupied by the disturbed ball .
3. If there is no effect on the outcome of the shot, your opponent has the option to leave the disturbed ball in position or restore it to its original location on the table. If the disturbed ball is to be restored, only your opponent or a referee may restore it. If you touch or restore the disturbed ball without your opponent's permission it is a foul.
4. If there is an effect on the outcome of the shot, it is a foul. Your opponent is awarded ball in hand and has no restoration option.
5. If you accidentally move a single object ball, and in the same shot commit a foul that is not related to the disturbed ball, your opponent is awarded the penalty for the foul and also has the restoration option for the disturbed ball that was not involved in the foul.
6. If a disturbed ball falls into a pocket with no effect on the outcome of the shot, your opponent has the restoration option. However, if the disturbed ball is designated by specific game rules as the game winning ball, it must be restored.
7. If you accidentally move more than one object ball, or if the accidentally moved ball contacts any other ball, it is a foul. Your opponent receives ball in hand and has no restoration option.
1. Jump shots are legal shots. However, it is a foul to intentionally cause the cue ball to rise off the bed of the table by "digging under" or "scooping" the cue ball with the cue stick.
2. It is a foul if you miscue on any jump shot or massé shot.
3. If you attempt to jump over or massé around an impeding illegal object ball then Rule 21, Cue Ball Fouls Only, does not apply to the impeding ball for that shot. If the impeding ball moves during the stroke it is a foul regardless of whether it was moved by the cue ball, your equipment or any part of your body.
4. Any attempt to curve the cue ball around an impeding ball is a massé shot, regardless of the degree of elevation of the cue stick.
The base of a ball determines its position unless otherwise specified by specific game rules.
If you have ball in hand behind the head string, it is a foul if the first ball contacted by the cue ball is behind the head string unless you first shoot the cue ball past the head string and it contacts a cushion at a point below the head string before contacting that ball. It is a foul if the first cushion contacted is behind the head string.
1. If your opponent has cue ball in hand behind the head string and places the cue ball on the head string or within ½ ball width outside of the kitchen, you must warn the player of the improper cue ball position before the shot is taken. If you do not give this warning and your opponent shoots, the cue ball placement is considered legal.
2. If your opponent places the cue ball completely and obviously outside of the kitchen (beyond the ½ ball width), you do not have to give the warning and if they shoot it is a foul.
1. When you have ball in hand, you may use your hand or any part of your cue, including the tip, to position the cue ball. If you use your cue stick to place the cue ball, any action which would be a legal stroke will be considered a shot, and must meet the requirements of a legal shot or it is a foul.
2. Once you have picked up the cue ball to take ball in hand, it remains in hand until your next stroke. After it has been picked up, the cue ball may be placed, picked up again and replaced successive times until that stroke is taken.
3. Immediately after a foul, when you are picking up the cue ball the first time to take ball in hand (as opposed to placing the cue ball or picking it up again for successive placements before the next shot), the provisions of Rule 24.1 apply to touching or disturbing a single object ball with the cue ball or your hand. If a referee is available, you may request that they pick the cue ball up for you immediately after a foul.
4. When placing the cue ball, it is a foul to touch any object ball with the cue ball or your hand which holds the cue ball. "Hand" is defined as including the wrist up to a point where a wristwatch would normally be worn. If the foul involves only a single object ball your opponent has the option of restoration as described in Rule 24. If more than one object ball is involved, there is no restoration option.
It is a foul if you intentionally mark the table in any way to assist you in executing any shot or future shot. Marking includes the deliberate placement of chalk or any other object at a specific point on a rail or cushion to aid the alignment of a shot, or placing any mark on the bed of the table. The foul occurs at the moment you attempt to mark the table, regardless of whether you remove the mark, or whether or not the shot is taken.
It is an intentional foul if you do any of the following during a game:
a. intentionally strike the cue ball with anything other than your cue tip;
b. pick up the cue ball in order to end your inning;
c. stop or deflect any ball that is in motion;
d. catch any ball that is falling into a pocket;
e. place your hand into a pocket while any ball is in motion;
f. cause a ball to move by contacting or moving the cloth, bed, or table in any way.
In addition to any penalty required by specific game rules, the mandatory penalty for these fouls is an unsportsmanlike conduct warning. A second violation results in loss of game; a third violation results in loss of match.
1. While your match is in progress, you must not ask for assistance in planning or executing any shot. If you ask for and receive assistance, it is a foul, and a mandatory unsportsmanlike conduct warning will be issued. A second violation results in loss of game; a third violation results in loss of match.
2. Any person except your opponent who offers any significant assistance to you, verbal or non-verbal, will be removed from the area.
When it is not your turn, you must not intentionally do anything which distracts your opponent or interferes with their play. Any such intentional distraction or interference is unsportsmanlike conduct.
1. You may not concede any game at any time for any reason. “Concede” means that as a result of any verbal or non-verbal action, you lead your opponent to believe that you are awarding them the game before its normal conclusion on the table. Before a game has ended, you must refrain from making any statements, such as “good game”, etc., or any other verbal inference that the game is over. You must also refrain from any non-verbal action, such as putting away your cue or accessory items, beginning to mark a score sheet, changing clothes, juggling tokens, etc., that infers the game is over. Whether or not you have conceded a game is determined solely by the referee’s judgment.
2. If you concede a game you will receive an unsportsmanlike conduct warning. A second violation results in loss of an additional game to the game conceded; a third violation results in loss of match. In team play, the second or third violations may be committed by any member of the team.
When your opponent is on the hill, if you make a motion to unscrew your playing cue stick during your opponent's inning you lose the match.
1. You must not commit any act which is unsportsmanlike in nature. This includes, but is not limited to, actions which are embarrassing, disruptive, or detrimental to other players, spectators, tournament officials, or the sport in general.
2. Players are not only responsible for their actions during a match, but also at all times while they are present at the event venue.
3. Unsportsmanlike conduct is penalized at the discretion of the referee or other designated officials. Penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct vary and are based upon the referee’s or official’s judgment of the severity and nature of the unsportsmanlike act. Referees or officials have the authority to penalize or disqualify, with or without warning, any player who acts in this manner.
4. Disqualification from any BCAPL event for unsportsmanlike conduct includes forfeiture of any prize money, trophy, or award won by that player or team. In addition, any championship recognition will be deleted from the official records for that event.
1. Balls to be spotted are placed on the long string with the number facing up. A single ball is placed on the foot spot. If more than one ball is to be spotted, they are placed on the long string in ascending numerical order, beginning on the foot spot and moving toward the foot rail.
2. If other balls interfere with spotting, the ball(s) will be spotted on the long string below the foot spot but as close as possible to the foot spot without moving the interfering balls. If there is no space available on the long string below the foot spot, the ball(s) will be spotted on the long string beginning at the foot spot and moving toward the head of the table.
3. Whenever possible, spotted balls will be placed frozen to interfering object balls or other spotted balls. If the cue ball is the interfering ball, the spotted ball will be placed as closely as possible to the cue ball without being frozen to it.
If balls are moved because of the action of a non-player or other influence beyond the control of the players, a referee will restore the balls as nearly as possible to their original positions and play continues. If the referee judges that the balls cannot be restored, the game will be replayed with the player who broke the game breaking again.
1. If a ball settles or otherwise moves by itself, it will be left in the position it assumed and play continues.
2. If a ball that is frozen to the cue ball moves as the cue ball leaves the area on a shot, whether or not it was moved by the cue ball or settled on its own is determined solely by the referee's judgment.
3. If a ball is hanging on the lip of a pocket and falls into that pocket by itself after the shooter has left the table to discontinue their inning or after being stationary for five seconds or longer, it will be replaced as closely as possible to the position it was in prior to falling.
4. If a hanging ball drops into the pocket by itself as you are shooting, the ruling depends on the ensuing action of the balls:
a. if no ball passes through the region previously occupied by the hanging ball, it is restored and play continues;
b. if the cue ball, before contacting another ball, passes through the region previously occupied by the hanging ball and, without contacting any other balls, either scratches or remains on the table, both the cue ball and the object ball are restored to their prior positions and the you shoot again;
c. if the shot is otherwise legal and any ball passes through the region previously occupied by the hanging ball, including the cue ball with or without scratching, and any other balls are contacted by such a ball at any point during the shot, a referee will attempt to restore the position prior to the shot and you shoot again. If restoration is not possible, the game will be replayed with the player who broke the game breaking again.
d. if the shot is illegal because the cue ball first contacts an illegal object ball before it or any other ball passes through the region previously occupied by the hanging ball, it is a foul. The incoming player is awarded cue ball in hand and accepts the table in position. If the hanging ball was designated by specific game rules as the game winning ball, it must be restored, otherwise it is not restored.