Baulk Baulk is the rectangular area of the table bordered by the Baulk line and the three cushions at the head of the table. The Baulk line is parallel to the head rail, and one-fifth of the length of the playing surface is removed from the pillow. For the applicable general rules, ”behind the header chain” should be read as ”in baulk”. The following rules apply to the opening breakshot: (a) The marker ball starts in the hand behind the head cord. (b) If no called ball is placed in the pocket, the marker ball and two object balls shall each be pressed onto a rail after the marker ball has touched the rack or the shot is a fault of rupture. (See 8.4 Leads to a rail.) This is punished by subtracting two points from the circuit breaker score. (See 4.10 Breaking Foul.) The unbreakable player can accept balls in position or ask the breaker to play another opening break shot until he meets the requirements of an opening break or the non-shooter player accepts the table in position. (See 4.11 Serious misconduct) A set of competing but very similar rules has been published by the World Pool Billiard Association (WPA) under the name ”Blackball” to better distinguish it from the American game (for which the WPA has also promulgated the globally standardized rules). [6] It was intended that ”Blackball” would unify the various existing UK rule sets (probably including the wePF rules), although this has not yet happened.

The umbrella organisation of WPA Blackball in Europe with many national and local member groups is the European Blackball Association (EBA). After a series of high-level meetings that resulted in an overwhelming vote of the players on Sunday, September 16, the IPA is proud to announce that from next season (2013) they will play the rules of blackball and join their many colleagues in this popular arm of pool sports. Blackball already has an excellent structure, recognized by the WPA as the umbrella organization of the small table pool, and with the WPA (World Pool Billiard Association), which in turn is recognized by the IOC (International Olympic Committee), there is no superior sports federation to refer to at present or in the foreseeable future. The Eighth American-style ball was created around 1900, derived from the basic pyramidal pool. In 1925, the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company began offering ball sets specifically for the game, using unnumbered yellow and red balls (as opposed to the solids and numbered stripes found in most sets of billiard balls), a black back ball, and the white tail ball. These were introduced to make it easier for viewers to identify the two sets in early professional games in casinos, and became known as ”casino-style” sets. [2] In the years following World War II, playing eight balls on small coin pool tables became a common pub game in American bars, a hobby that spread to Britain in the early 1960s. In the years that followed, British gambling differed from American gambling in terms of equipment (including the use of casino-style balls that disappeared in the United States) and rules. [3] The following definitions of the parts of the table refer to the attached diagram. Details on the exact size and location can be found in the WPA device specifications.

For the most up-to-date information, see www.wpa-pool.com on the WPA website. The table consists of rails, cushions, a playing surface and pockets. The end of the foot of the table is where the object balls usually begin, while the tip of the head is where the landmark ball usually begins. Behind the head cord is the area between the head splint and the head cord, without the head cord. Two competing standards bodies have adopted international rules. The older of the two sets of the British pool are the rules of the World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) (often referred to as the ”World Rules”). [5] The majority of WEPF members come from the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as from current and former Commonwealth of Nations countries, as well as other countries. The following general rules apply to all games covered by these rules, unless the following definitions apply in all of these rules. For more information, see: List of Eight-Ball World Champions § Blackball and ”British-Style” Eight-Ball Pool.

British pool tables are available in variants from 6 × 3 feet (1.8 × 0.9 m) or 7 × 3.5 feet (2.12 × 1.06 m), with 7 feet being the actual size for league matches. The table has pockets that are only larger than balls and rounded, as in the snooker game, while the international-style (or ”American-style”) table has pockets that are much wider, with pointed ankles. 14.1 The continuous pool, also known as the straight pool, is played with fifteen numbered balls and the tail ball. Each ball inserted on a legal shot has one point and the first player to reach the required score wins the game. .