Blackball
Blackball is a discipline of pool where fifteen object balls ( the colored ones ) and one cue ball ( the white ones ) are played on a 6-foot pool table. Of the 15 colored balls, seven are yellow, seven are red and one is black.
Blackball has similar rules to a forerunner of the 8-ball , but differs from it, for example, in the minimally different size of the balls , the prohibition of jump shots or the lack of some rules such as: B. the ball in hand .
regulate
Blackball is an announcement game. This means that you have to say in advance which ball will be played in which pocket if it is not obvious. Bankers , the game over gangs, or combinations are e.g. B. seldom obvious and should always be announced.
The aim of the game is to first sink the balls of your color and then the black one. Both players must first try to punch holes in their color group (yellow or red) completely in order to be allowed to sink the black ball, which, if done correctly, leads to winning the game. A player may continue to play as long as he manages to punch a ball without committing a foul.
Build up and break
The object balls are set up in a triangle at the beginning: the black 8 comes on the foot point. The color of the front ball is freely selectable, then the colors alternate on the edge (see picture), but the corner balls must be of different colors.
When breaking , at least two of the object balls must run across the center line or one object ball must be sunk. If both are not the case, the opponent can either take over the situation or demand that it be rebuilt (and also decide on the right to kick-off).
If the eight falls on the break, the game is restarted and the player who breaks is allowed to come to the table first.
Correct thrust
After the color selection has been made, it is sufficient for a correct shot to hit a ball of your group (in case of doubt, announced beforehand) and after the collision with the cue ball or an object ball touch a board without sinking any of the opponent's balls.
If a player is snookered at the beginning of his recording, he does not need to touch any boards after a correct collision. If the white press is on another ball of the color to be played, you only have to play away from the ball, in this case the necessary collision is already considered fulfilled.
foul
If the opponent fouls (e.g. punching the ball) you get a free shot. This free kick can also be fouled before the actual recording begins . The exception is a foul during the break, which is not punished with two shots. As an alternative to the free shot, the white ball can also be positioned freely in the head field to improve its position. Balls that are in the head field can also be played directly from there.
Dispute between the associations
The World Pool-Billiard Association and the World Eightball Pool Federation are arguing over the jurisdiction of this billiard variant, so they host both world championships and issue slightly different sets of rules.
The current WPA world champion is Claudio Cassar from Malta, Mick Hill from England recently won the world championship title at the WEPF .
Another world championship was held by the PPPO (Professional Pool Players Organization) and the EUKPF (European and UK Pool Federation) . However, this tournament has not taken place since 2005, after the EUKPF was renamed EBA (European Blackball Association) and incorporated into the WPA.