free ball

[erichmj]

Hi,

I had a free ball to play because opponent made a foul shot before as I snookered him on blue and pink balls ('on' ball is yellow), then I called brown ball as my 'free ball', after I hit the brown ball he was snookered as the pink and blue balls were still in front of the yellow ball, and the brown ball is behind the cue ball but not in a straight line between the cue ball and yellow ball; then the opponent said to me I have snookered him on the free ball (brown ball)? is it correct?

my understanding is that you cannot snooker your opponent on the free ball, but in our case the free ball wasn't in between the yellow ball and cue ball so shouldn't be a snooker?

Thanks

[erichmj]

Hi All,

sorry, forgot to introduce myself.
My name is Eric from Sydney Australia.
only played snooker for 2-3 years now

Thx.

[jrc750]

If the brown doesn't stop him getting to the yellow, then its ok, the fact that the pink and blue are in his way is immaterial. But obviously if you full ball snookered him on the brown then it's a foul

[erichmj]

If the brown doesn't stop him getting to the yellow, then its ok, the fact that the pink and blue are in his way is immaterial.

yes, the brown ball doesn't stop him getting to the yellow, the only balls that stops him or snookered him was the pink and blue balls.

But obviously if you full ball snookered him on the brown then it's a foul

even the brown ball is behind the cue ball and isn't in between the cue ball and yellow ball?

[DeanH]

Correct, you cannot snooker behind the nominated free-ball, except when only the Pink and Black are on the table.
But you describe that the Brown ball is not between the cue-ball in a straight line and the On ball, Yellow, so there is no snooker with the Brown. What was the thinking of your opponent, what would make him think the Brown was the snookering ball? If he was thinking of playing of a cushion to get to the Yellow and the Brown was in his line of shot, there is still no snooker as the rules state "direct stroke in a straight line" and a cushion shot is not a direct stoke in a straight line, also a swerve shot is not a "straight" shot, obviously

[erichmj]

his argument point was he didn't get a clear shot as the brown ball is directly behind the cue ball
so he called that I snookered him on the brown ball.

thanks for the help, DeanH & jrc750

[DeanH]

ah ha, I was thinking that you may have "Chinese Snookered" him, so hampering his cueing but not interfering with a direct straight line shot to the ball on, this is totally legal and I would say, a very good shot
But no foul.

[Souwester]

It was a fair shot. It is the obstructing ball nearest to the cue ball that is the effective snookering ball (although in your case the free ball brown isn't an obstructing ball anyway).

Imagine if you had blue/pink closest to the cue ball, then brown and then yellow, after you played brown as your free ball. That would still be a fair stroke, as the blue/pink would be the effective snookering ball.

Remember also, that the free ball would have to snooker the opponent on *all* balls on. Imagine there are two reds left, and are positioned along the cushion with other balls, in a straight line... red, yellow, cue ball, green, red. If you have a free ball you are perfectly entitled to roll up to either yellow or green. Although your opponent is snookered on both remaining reds, it wasn't a foul, because if you played yellow, it's the green that's snookering him on the other red, and vice versa.

[Cue-Be-Doo]

If I'm full ball snookered on the blue after a foul stroke by my opponent and the blue ball is sitting right over a pocket, am I allowed to play my nominated free ball (in this case it was pink) onto the blue ball and pot it ? In other words, does the nominated pink mean I now effectively have two blue balls on the table and I can play one onto the other like when you have multiple reds ?

[DeanH]

Yes correct, the Pink essentially become the On-Ball, the Blue, and you can use the Pink to pot the Blue.
5 points.
If the Pink pots as well, no extra points, and the Pink is respotted. The Blue remains in the pocket.
You can even use to the Pink to angle the Cue-ball onto the Blue directly, points and respotting as above if each/both balls are potted.

[The Statman]

If I'm full ball snookered on the blue after a foul stroke by my opponent and the blue ball is sitting right over a pocket, am I allowed to play my nominated free ball (in this case it was pink) onto the blue ball and pot it ? In other words, does the nominated pink mean I now effectively have two blue balls on the table and I can play one onto the other like when you have multiple reds ?

But ONLY in that order, i.e. you must hit the nominated ball first.

You cannot hit the 'real' ball on to send the nominated ball into a pocket (i.e. pink over the pocket in your scenario).

[cantpotforshíte]

If I'm full ball snookered on the blue after a foul stroke by my opponent and the blue ball is sitting right over a pocket, am I allowed to play my nominated free ball (in this case it was pink) onto the blue ball and pot it ? In other words, does the nominated pink mean I now effectively have two blue balls on the table and I can play one onto the other like when you have multiple reds ?

Yes it does. You can nominate pink as a free ball, and then play it onto the blue and pot it for 5 points. Effectively as you said, as if you have two blues on the table.
You cannot, however, nominate pink as the free ball and play the blue onto the pink to pot it. you have to hit the nominated ball first.

[DeanH]

Yep, that is correct:
In snooker - the nominated free-ball MUST be the first hit by the cue-ball.
but recently Souwester mentioned that it is diferent in World Rule Pool, where the Nominated free-ball does not necessarily have to be hit first.

[Souwester]

Yep, that is correct:
In snooker - the nominated free-ball MUST be the first hit by the cue-ball.
but recently Souwester mentioned that it is diferent in World Rule Pool, where the Nominated free-ball does not necessarily have to be hit first.

Confusing innit!

[DeanH]

From Soty94 : One more quick question as this situation came up last night. The black ball was in the jaws of the green pocket with the yellow ball frozen to it (forming a straightforward plant). I commit a foul stroke and my opponent cannot see both sides of the yellow thereby leaving him the free ball option. My question here is, could my opponent have nominated the black as the free ball and knocked in the yellow-on-black plant?

No, as mentioned, the nominated ball must be hit first, so in this instant you cannot nominate the black, well saying that he can but as he cannot hit it first he will give a foul away most probably.