Lebanon Billiards Club http://lebanonbilliardsclub.bravehost.com/ 8-ball League Rules 2017-2018 Seasons League organization 1. The team: a team shall consist of a minimum of four players (although it is wise to have at least six) and a maximum of ten. Each team will have a captain. 2. Team captain: is an individual who is usually elected by the players. A simple majority may elect a new captain at any time. The captain must have a phone and provide that number to the league secretary. (We never give your number out to anyone without asking you first) Team captain duties Collection of fees: $6.00 per player to join ($5 to general fund and $1 to individual tournament), due prior to first match played, and $5.00 each night that a team member plays. Do not solicit players for your team who will not be able to pay the fee. This hurts the league and your team. It has led to teams being dropped from the league in the past. Bar Copy Distributing league information. Having four players in the right place at the right time. Play is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and must start by 7:15 p.m. At least one player from a team must be present for a team to begin play. After the first match, play will be continuous. (This means players present are expected to be at the table ready to play, not at the bar, the jukebox, or wandering around talking). The next player should be prepared and ready to shoot within five minutes. If no other players are present the team will forfeit any remaining matches. If no one from a team is present at 7:15 p.m. they will forfeit all four matches. The board of officers may cancel league play due to bad weather by 5:30 p.m. the night of play. Locations will be notified (captains also if they ve provided the required phone number) and it is each player s responsibility to contact locations. As a rule the schedule will just be pushed out one week and you will play where you were scheduled the day of cancellation. (See #5 Weather on next page.) The team captain is in charge of his/her team and is responsible for following all rules of etiquette and sportsmanship. MAKING SURE THAT SCORE SHEETS ARE PROPERLY FILLED OUT AND ARE TURNED IN ON TIME. ONCE THE SCORE SHEET IS SIGNED AND TURNED IN, NO CHANGES WILL BE MADE UNLESS THERE HAS BEEN AN ERROR MADE BY THE SECRETARY. READ WHAT YOU ARE SIGNING BEFORE YOU SIGN IT. 3. Basic weekly fee: the basic weekly fee is $20.00 per team ($5.00/player who plays). If you forfeit or play a team that forfeits and do not pay the weekly fee, the difference will be taken out of your winnings at the end of the season. 4. Calendar: the play schedule starts September 6 th. The individual tournament will be at the end of the regular season. It will be handicapped, blind draw, and single elimination. You must play at least 6 matches to be eligible to play in the Individual Tournament. There will be no play during the week of November 22 nd (Thanksgiving), the week of December 27 rd (between Christmas and New Year s) and the week of February 14 th (Valentine s Day). 5. Weather: if Lebanon schools close because of bad weather (this includes early closings) there will be no league play that night.
6. Scoring: matches are played head-to-head. Four matches are played each week. Points for matches won are accumulated over the course of the season and rankings are based on this. 7. Joining fee: your league fee of $6.00/player is due by the first week of play. No player may play who has not paid his joining fee. Conduct during league play 1) Physical contact: physical contact of a hostile or interfering manner should never occur. This includes the players at the table, other team members, and the spectators associated with either team. League management (board of officers) can impose penalties on the offending team. 2) Verbal abuse: consists of name-calling, threats, harassment, comments that cause embarrassment to the opponent, or extreme profanity. It is not harassment to root for your team, just don t do it while your opponent is shooting. 3) Immediate action: if the verbal abuse is entirely one-sided then the match must be awarded to the non-offending player. This is standard immediate action. The verbal abuse can come from the player, the team or spectators deemed to be with the team. It is considered one-sided only if no one from the other side responds or retaliates. All four rounds will be forfeited if it is determined that the abuse or harassment put the non-offending team in an unfair competitive situation. If players and/or teams are involved then the match results may or may not be affected (based on the board's decision). 4) Proximity to table: no more than four players should ever be at the table, two players and two coaches. The opposing shooter must stay 3 feet or more from the table when his opponent is shooting. 5) Team captains: it is your responsibility to make sure that your players are aware of these rules of conduct and ensure that they follow them. Players who refuse to follow these rules should be dropped from the roster. The point of this league is to have fun and be treated in a fair and sportsmanlike manner; members who display offensive behavior should not be tolerated. 6) Please note.any business that allows the use of their establishment for pool league has the right to exercise their own rules of conduct for their establishment. If you are barred from a business being on any league team does not allow you to enter that business. You would need the express permission of the owner to enter to play league. General rules 1. No gambling! 2. Age: 21 or older. 3. Byes: if a team drops out, the money paid by their opponents will be returned to them and any points won by opponents will be taken away. Money paid by the team that drops out remains in the league prize pool. All further opponents will receive a bye for the week they would have played the dropped team. 4. Forfeits: play begins at 7:00 p.m. If there is not at least one player from a team present to start play by 7: 15 p.m. they forfeit all matches. a. Where new teams are involved. Allow some leniency. b. A team may begin play with only one player present. There must be a second player ready to play at the end of the match, (See 2. of league organization). c. A team may receive forfeit points only if they have four players present at the time that the opposing team can no longer put up a player. You must put the name of your player present on the score sheet to receive the point. d. Deliberate forfeitures are not acceptable. If management finds that two teams have conspired to provide deliberate forfeiture points then the points will not be counted for either team. 5. Protests & disputes: in general, all protests and disputes must be made to the board by the team captain. Most protests and disputes should be settled immediately through compromise, common sense, and
by referring to the rules. If a dispute cannot be resolved based on the rules, then the two players should try to resolve it with negotiation and compromise. a. The board cannot see a good hit/bad hit situation so the players and the coaches involved should make every effort to resolve the issue. Replaying the game is often the best solution to an impasse... b. Once the decision to replay the game has been made, then no protest may be filed for that game. If you do not agree, you must be sure that the other team is fully aware that you still disagree. If you continue to play but still disagree with what has occurred and intend to protest or are playing under protest, you must clearly inform the other team of your intent. You can t agree to a situation with the idea that if you win it is okay and if you lose it isn t. Protests must be in writing on the score sheet and signed by both captains to be valid. 6. Order of play: home advantage. The visiting team will put up the first player and the teams rotate on putting up the next player. 7. Coaching: Each player will be allowed two timeouts per game. YOU MAY CHOOSE A DIFFERENT TEAMMATE FOR EACH OF YOUR TIMEOUT S/COACHING. a. A player may discuss strategy only with his coach. Discussion of the game with a fellow player is a foul. Coaches may NOT get a team member s opinion and pass that along as part of his coaching advice. b. Coaching should not cause excessive delays in the game. You are allowed two (2) coaching s per game. There will be a three (3) minute time out - 30 seconds later it will be ball in hand to the opposing player. Keep track of coaching on the score sheet so you can tell the opponent that he s asking for a coaching that he cannot take. It s up to you to know and notify the opponent of the coaching situation. c. If you want a coach, call a time out. Any of your teammates may call a timeout. d. Coaches may not place the cue ball in ball in hand, mark the table, place any item on the table to mark where to shoot or guide the player s cue, however it is ok for the coach to touch the table while giving instruction. Coaches must leave the playing area before the shot is taken. e. Avoid disputes. When it's your turn, go to the table and shoot. Don t sit there and talk to teammates because your opponent might think you are being coached. f. Coaching is giving advice as to which ball to shoot, where to leave the cue ball and other information relating to the game itself. Telling a player to shoot hard or soft is coaching, because it relates to the game. Telling a player which category of balls he has, reminding him to chalk up and other similar exchanges are not coaching. Answering a question concerning the rules is not coaching. 8. Closing team rosters: No player may join a team after the fourth (4) week without board approval. No player may play after the seventh (7) week without a handicap. Please note that this means that when you add a player after the 7 th week you must play them the first time their name shows on your roster or they will be dropped and not allowed to play this season. 9. Adding and dropping players: new players may be added to the roster any time during the first four weeks so long as the total number of players does not exceed ten. New players can be added to the roster any time after the first four weeks with board approval only (Captain s Meeting October 13, 2004). Once a player has been dropped from a team he/she cannot play for anyone the remainder of the season. Players may be dropped at any time during the season and should be dropped if they become unreliable or cause problems in the league. When dropping a player make sure it is noted on the score sheet. 10. New players: enrollment fees from a dropped player do not transfer to a new player. New players must pay an enrollment fee the first time they shoot. After the fourth (4) week they must be listed on the roster sheet and be board-approved before they shoot 11. Changing teams: players may not change teams within a season unless approved by the board and then only during the first four (4) weeks. It is preferable that there have been no matches played by the player. (It is better it not happen period!)
12. Player weekly play: no player may play for more than one team during the season and no player may play more than once each week. 13. Team location: a team may not change their home location during the season unless the location closes or the location requests it. 14. Assigned skill levels: the board is authorized to assign special skill levels to those players who are attempting to manipulate their skill levels by sandbagging or to a new player who is a known highly skilled pool player. 15. Handicaps: Handicaps levels will be established based on the last session of 8-ball a player participated in league and played at least 4 matches. Skill levels will range from 2 to 7. Win % Handicap 0 -.249 = 2.250 -.374 = 3.375 -.499 = 4.500 -.624 = 5.625 -.749 = 6.750 and up = 7 16. Team skill limit: there is no team limit on handicap totals. 17. Sportsmanship: good sportsmanship is essential! Players are urged to step well back or sit down while their opponent shoots. Repeated complaints of poor sportsmanship against any member can lead to cancellation of his membership. Good sportsmanship might get you selected by your peers for the sportsmanship award at the end of the season. 18. Rule changes: there will be no further rule meetings during the season. This is directly from the captains meeting held in August of 1997. They voted that there be no rule changes made during the league season. Game Rules 1. General description: eight ball is played with a cue ball and a normal rack of fifteen balls. Balls are racked with the front ball on the foot spot and the eight ball in the center of the rack. The primary purpose of the game is for one player to pocket the solid colored group of balls (1-7) or the striped group of balls (9-15) and then pocket the eight ball. Choice of balls to be pocketed is made by the player pocketing the first called ball of the game. Example: the first ball pocketed after the break is the three ball so that player must pocket the rest of the solid balls while his opponent pockets the stripes. A player continues to shoot so long as he pockets a ball of his own in the pocket that he called on each shot and does not foul. The player who pockets all of his balls first and legally pockets the eight ball wins. The pocket for the eight ball must be clearly called to be a legal shot. Make sure the shooter you are playing knows where the 8-ball is going to be pocketed. 2. The rack: the balls should be racked as tightly as possible. The shooter may ask for and receive a re-rack. 3. Lagging: players will lag to see who breaks first. After the first game the winner always breaks. It is loss of lag only when the cue ball fails to hit the foot rail, drops in any pocket, or is not the ball closest to the head rail 4. Breaking: At least four balls must go to the rail or a ball must be pocketed for the break to be legal. If not, the balls are re-racked and the same shooter breaks again. A rack not legally broken, which results in a scratch or a foul, will be re-racked and broken by the opposite player. The head ball or the second ball must be struck on the break. If the cue ball doesn t hit anything and goes off of the table, it is still the breaker s shot. 5. After the break: various circumstances can occur after the break: a. Foul on the break: this results in ball in hand behind the head string and the incoming player has an open table. (No object ball in the kitchen can be shot in this situation.) b. No balls pocketed: it is the other player s turn.
c. 8-ball pocketed: if there has been no scratch this is a win. A scratch is loss of game. d. One ball pocketed: it is still the shooter s turn and the table is open until a called shot ball is pocketed. If the breaker misses on his second shot the table is still open to the incoming player. e. One of each type ball pocketed: the table is still open. If the breaker misses on his second shot the table is open to the incoming player, choice of balls on an open table must be a clear and legal shot. It is sportsmanlike for the sitting player to remind the shooting player which balls he is shooting if he starts to shoot the wrong category of balls. It is also not coaching for anyone else to so remind the player (see rule 8 of general rules, the section on coaching! 6. Combination shots: these are legal but you must hit the correct ball first and the 8-ball is never neutral (as in you can t hit it directly). You must pocket one of your balls in the pocket called to continue shooting. 7. Pocketed balls: balls must remain in the pocket to count. Balls that bounce from the pocket back onto the table are not pocketed balls. 8. Ways to lose: a. The opposing player pockets his group of balls and legally pockets the 8-ball b. A player accidentally pockets the 8-ball or knocks the 8-ball to the floor c. Player pockets the 8-ball in the wrong pocket or did not call the pocket. d. The player scratches while shooting the 8-ball e. Note: a player may foul on the 8-ball by completely missing it. This is ball in hand to his opponent but not loss of game. f. It is loss of game if the player alters the course of either the 8-ball or the cue ball on an 8-ball shot. 9. Fouls that result in ball in hand : Fouls: if any of the following fouls are committed, it is ball in hand to the incoming player. Confirm with your opponent that you have ball in hand before you touch the cue ball. Only the player or the coach may call a foul (although anyone may suggest to the player or the coach that a foul has been committed). Ball in hand means that you can place the cue ball anywhere on the table except on a break foul. A player exercising his rights under this rule may place the cue ball on the table in any way that he desires. Even after having addressed the cue ball the player may choose to reposition the cue ball. This can be done by hand or by the use of the cue stick but care must be taken not to foul the cue ball with the tip of the stick. It is best to place the ball by hand to avoid disputes. a. Cue ball foul: anytime that the cue ball is pocketed, lands on the floor or is double-struck by the shooter Double hit is cue stick coming in contact with cue ball twice during a shot. Occurs most often when cue ball is frozen or nearly frozen to the object ball or the rail. You should hit the cue ball into object ball or rail at an angle or by elevating the butt of the cue at least 30 degrees. b. Hitting correct ball: you must strike one of the balls of the group you are shooting before the cue ball strikes one of your opponent s balls. If you are taking a shot that has the potential of being a bad hit, ask your coach and your opponent to watch the shot. On the same note, if you are concerned about your opponent s shot, ask him to have his coach watch and you and your coach watch. This simple procedure can prevent a lot of disputes and protests. c. Rail contact: after the cue ball strikes the object ball any ball on the table must strike a rail. There is no exception of any kind to this rule. d. Object ball frozen to rail: both players must agree before a shot is taken that the object ball is frozen to the rail. The shooter must either drive the object ball, the cue ball or any other ball to a rail after the cue ball has struck the object ball. If the cue ball strikes the rail first or strikes the ball and the rail simultaneously then it will be a foul if the cue ball or the object ball does not strike another rail. If the object ball is pocketed it is a legal shot. e. Jumping balls: this is illegal and is a foul. Accidentally miscuing and jumping a ball is not a foul f. Illegal aid: this is coaching from someone besides your coach or when you can t have a coaching.
g. Ball movement: while it is a foul to move the cue ball it is not a foul to accidentally move an object ball unless it is during shooting and that ball hits the cue ball. The opponent should replace the ball that has been moved as nearly as possible to its original position. h. Total miss: if the cue ball fails to hit any of your object balls. It is a foul i. Placing the cue ball: the cue ball is always alive and care must be taken when placing the cue ball in ball in hand not to touch any ball with it. If it touches a ball it is a foul j. Balls off the table: balls knocked off the table during play will be spotted on the foot spot or as close as possible from the spot towards the foot rail and not frozen to another ball.8-ball off table is loss of game. k. Touching balls: it is ball in hand if you touch a ball purposely during play. Exceptions to this rule are under rule 8, ways to lose 10. Table tampering: will not be done. The table itself cannot be manipulated in any way once play has started. If a request that a player not do this is ignored file a written protest on the score sheet 11. How to win: pocket your entire group of balls and properly pocket the 8-ball. The 8-ball shot must be separate from your last ball pocketed. The shot must be clearly called. Make sure your opponent acknowledges what pocket you are putting the 8-Ball in. 12. High Handicap Award: an award will be given to the player with the highest handicap at the end of the season. You must play at least 75% of matches to qualify for this award.