The BCAPL reserves the right to prohibit any equipment it deems untested or inappropriate, or that has not been evaluated by the BCAPL National Office.
1. You are responsible for all equipment and accessory items you bring to the table. You may not use, or attempt to use, equipment or accessory items in a manner other than their intended use:
a. You may use only your cue stick, held in your hand or not,
to help 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. A bridge may only be used to support the cue stick or another bridge.
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.
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.
Racking Procedures
1. All BCAPL events require you to rack for yourself when you are breaking. You must rack the balls as tightly as possible. That means that each ball should touch all balls adjacent to it. (AR)
2. After you rack the balls your opponent may inspect the rack but must not touch any ball. If your opponent is not satisfied with the rack, they may require you to re-rack the balls one time. After one re-rack, if both players cannot agree that the rack is suitable for play a referee must be called. The referee will then rack the balls for that game.
3. You should refrain from tapping balls unless necessary. It is preferable to brush the area of the rack to even out the cloth, and ensure that the spot attached to the cloth, if any, is in good condition.
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.
1. The use of a shot clock is intended to prevent slow play. There is normally no time limit for you to take a shot. However, a shot clock may be implemented if a referee judges that you are delaying a match unnecessarily or in an unsportsmanlike manner, or if event officials require that a match proceed at a faster pace. (AR)
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 period 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. If a player has ball-in-hand, the shot clock starts when 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”). If the player does not strike the cue ball within ten seconds it is a shot clock violation.
c. “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.
d. 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 if the player does not strike the cue ball within ten seconds it is a shot clock violation.
e. Each player is allowed one 30 second extension per rack. If both players are on the hill, each player receives two
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 or kick 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, kick, or combination shots, if you are not certain about a shot and you do not ask, the shot will be considered obvious
3. Regardless of whether or not your opponent asks, and regardless of how simple or obvious a shot may appear to you, bank shots, kick shots, and combination shots are defined as being not obvious and must always be called.
4. When calling bank shots, kick shots and combination shots you only have to designate the called ball and called pocket. If shooting a combination you do not have to say the word “combination” or state which ball will be struck first or the sequence of balls. When shooting a bank shot or kick shot you do not have to say the word “bank” or “kick” nor specify which cushions will be involved in the shot.
5. When the game winning ball is your legal object ball, if you pocket the ball on a bank shot, kick shot, 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.
6. If you do not call a bank shot, kick shot, or combination shot and you pocket any ball on that shot, your inning ends and the incoming player must accept the table in position.
7. 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.
9 Legal Stroke
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.
10 Legal Shot
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.
If any of the above requirements are not met, it is a foul.
a. any object 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 contacted 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 22 and 12.2 is always legal, the presence of one or more object balls nearby may create the possibility of a violation of Rule 22 during the same stroke, but after the initial cue tip to cue ball contact.
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 stated 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.
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.
17 Balls in Motion
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.
Due to the complex nature of push shots, it is not a foul to shoot a push shot during league play. It is a foul during tournament play
1. It is a foul if your cue tip strikes the cue ball more than once on the same stroke.
2. It is a foul if your cue tip is still in contact with the cue ball when the cue ball strikes an object ball. However, if the cue ball and object ball are in close proximity to each other and the cue ball strikes the object ball at a very slight angle the shot will be considered legal provided no other foul is committed. The referee is the sole judge of whether or not the angle taken results in a legal shot. The referee may not advise you concerning the angle taken for the shot. (AR)
A miscue is not a foul if the shot is otherwise legal.
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 ball set in motion as a result of the shot 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, a referee may restore it, your opponent may restore it, or you may restore it with your opponent’s permission. If you touch or restore the disturbed ball without your opponent's permission it is a foul.
4. It is a foul if there is an effect on the outcome of the shot. Your opponent is awarded penalties in accordance with the General Rules and specific game rules 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. It is a foul if you disturb more than one object ball.
8. It is a foul if a disturbed ball contacts any other ball.
2. (Deleted)
3. If you attempt to jump over or massé around an impeding illegal object ball then Rule 1.33, Disturbed Balls, 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 or amount of curve.
The base of a ball determines its position unless otherwise specified by specific game rules.
1. When 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.
2. It is a foul if, before contacting the first object ball, the first cushion contacted by the cue ball is behind the head string.
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 1.33.1 apply to touching or disturbing a single object ball with the cue ball or your hand. You may request that a referee pick the cue ball up for you immediately after a foul.
It is a deliberate foul if you:
a. intentionally strike the cue ball with anything other than your cue tip;
b. pick up the cue ball or contact the cue ball with your hand in order to end your inning;
c. intentionally 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 near or toward that pocket; .
f. cause a ball to move by contacting or moving any part of the table in any way.
In addition to any penalty required by specific game rules, the mandatory penalty for a deliberate foul is an unsportsmanlike conduct warning. A second violation results in loss of game; a third violation results in loss of match. Unless otherwise stated in specific game rules, if you violate (c) your opponent may have the ball either spotted or pocketed. If you violate (d) your opponent may have the ball spotted, placed on the lip of the pocket, or pocketed. The remaining balls are left in position.
2. Any person except your opponent who offers any significant assistance to you, whether 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.
2. If you concede a game you will receive an unsportsmanlike conduct warning. A second violation results in a deduction of one game from your score (if you have zero games, your score would be "minus one game"); 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.
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, event officials, or the sport in general.
2. Players are responsible for their actions at all times while they are present at the event venue, whether playing or not.
3. Unsportsmanlike conduct is penalized at the discretion of the referee or other designated event officials. Penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct vary and are based upon the referee’s or event official’s judgment of the severity and nature of the unsportsmanlike act. Referees or event officials have the authority to penalize or disqualify, with or without warning, any player who acts in this manner.
4. Unsportsmanlike conduct warnings and penalties required by rule carry forward only in regard to the specific rule violated. Unsportsmanlike conduct warnings and penalties related to conduct or behavior carry forward and are cumulative during the entire event.
5. 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 of the table.
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.
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 end 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 a 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 you shoot again; (AR)
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; (AR)
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 penalties in accordance with the General Rules and specific game rules and accepts the object balls 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.