Help me understand some Pool Rules

[ash]

Heya guys, I don't play pool much.... well actually at all.

I was just wondering about the rules with 8 ball pool.
- If you hit your own colour in, and then by accident your opponent's colour, what happens?
- In a freeshot after a foul, what can you do? Can you hit: - nothing, opponents ball, black ball?
- If you hit the cue ball in with your colour, does your colour come out? If you hit your opponents ball and cue, does your opponents ball come out?
- Do all fouls give you one freeshot, then your normal shot? Like e.g. if you hit the ball of the table
- If I "total" snooker somoene, and they can't hit their colour, and I am left in a snookered situation, what happens? I play under the same rules as the previous guy, still having to choose my colour... or since I have a freeshot, can I touch the other colours?

Thanks, would be greatly appreciated. I have been trying to read the rules on the net, but there are like 3 forms (rules) of the game, and don't know which to choose when playing mates.
ash

 

[Bing]

The answer really depends on where you play and what type of pool you are playing! UK and US 8-ball have different rules, and you'll find different house rules almost everywhere you play!

This might not be 100% accurate for those reasons but should get you started:

- If you hit your own colour in, and then by accident your opponent's colour, what happens?

If you pot an opponents colour at any time it is a foul shot unless you called a free ball on the first shot following a foul by the other player. So in this example it would be a foul shot.

- In a freeshot after a foul, what can you do? Can you hit: - nothing, opponents ball, black ball?

You can hit any ball but if you intend to hit your opponent's colour / the black ball you should call 'free ball' before you take the shot. Sometimes you will have to identify ('nominate') which ball you intend to hit. You can pot your opponents ball and the free shot continues - however potting the black obviously still loses.

- If you hit the cue ball in with your colour, does your colour come out? If you hit your opponents ball and cue, does your opponents ball come out?

Anything that is potted at any point stays down except the cue ball.

- Do all fouls give you one freeshot, then your normal shot? Like e.g. if you hit the ball of the table

Yes all fouls result in a free shot then normal shot in UK 8-ball. US rules do not give the player a free shot but 'ball in hand' (can place the white anywhere on the table). UK house rules vary on the free shot - some places you are allowed to move the white anywhere behind the break line if you want to, others you will have to play it where it lies.

- If I "total" snooker somoene, and they can't hit their colour, and I am left in a snookered situation, what happens? I play under the same rules as the previous guy, still having to choose my colour... or since I have a freeshot, can I touch the other colours?

You would call 'free ball' and play to hit anything, or as above if allowed pick up the white and move it behind the D-line.

The main variants in house rules are:

- whether or not you have to nominate which pocket you are attempting to pot the black into to win the game
- if a free shot carries over to the black (some house rules allow only 1 shot on the black irrespective of whether the opponent fouled)
- whether you can pick up the white after an opponent's foul

Hope this helps! (I'm sure someone will correct me on some of this!)

 

[ash]

Thanks!

And final question.

At the start, when you haven't hit a colour in yet, what happens if say you hit the yellow, and the red colour goes in, is the red your colour now, or not, since you aimed to hit yellow in first.

Thanks!

 

[Bing]

You would be on reds.

 

[ash]

Thanks!

 

[DJ Doc45]

And if you managed to do what my flukey mate did and pot the black off the break you win the frame instantly!!!