rules of english billiards

[karl parris]

can any one tell me where i can get the most up to date book of thr rules of billiards.ihave looked on amazon but cant find it on there!

[moglet]

Hi Karl and welcome, try here:

http://www.ibsf.info/rules-billiards.shtml

I'm told the "running a coup" has been changed slightly since these rules were put up.

[karl parris]

thanks for your reply but this does not list the rule i wish to know(i dont think).if some ones could comfirm the rule.if the red and aponents white are both in bulk and i have my white in hand can i play a miss,by not making any atempt to hit the balls in bulk.and is it right that my oponet can not spot up the balls because they are in bulk? if some one could throw some light on this it would be a great help,thank you

[moglet]

thanks for your reply but this does not list the rule i wish to know(i dont think).if some ones could comfirm the rule.if the red and aponents white are both in bulk and i have my white in hand can i play a miss,by not making any atempt to hit the balls in bulk.and is it right that my oponet can not spot up the balls because they are in bulk? if some one could throw some light on this it would be a great help,thank you

If both your opponent's and the red ball are in baulk and you are playing from hand you can play any shot so long as your cueball goes forward of the baulk line first, if you intend to contact a ball in baulk or leave your ball in baulk you must make contact with a cushion "out" of baulk first, then the only penalty is the two points for the miss if you do not make contact with another ball. The running the coup rule which allowed you to play your cueball directly into a pocket has been changed, the ruling is now a bit vague and no longer allows you to "pot" your own ball "directly" into a pocket whilst not contravening the baulkline rule. This means that you can now play a double off a cushion or even two cushions as long as you don't "appear" to have deliberately "run the coup", whilst still not breaking the baulkline rule of course, but still a foul I believe. The foul does allow for the respot.

In the normal way of things playing out of baulk with or without the intention of contacting a ball in baulk incurs the penalty miss if there is no contact made with another ball, but does not allow for the respotting of the red and your ball.

This is my reading of it of course but there may be other opinions.

[karl parris]

thank you for for your answer to this question,this has helped me,but if any one else would like to put their interpretation of this rule it would be great.

[The Statman]

Yes, that is absolutely correct.

The 'Miss' in billiards means essentially that the foul has not been committed (i.e. failing to hit another ball) but without the option of resetting the balls which comes with any other foul.

So, only when you are double-baulked (or single-baulked if the other white is off the table), then the resetting of the table is not an option for the next player if you fail to hit an object ball.

[moglet]

According to the EABA, running a coup, playing the cueball directly into a pocket from in hand, was abolished in the amateur game in 2001. Before then it was deemed a miss, the only penalty, now it is a foul and does allow for the respot. It is not clear to me, however, if when the cueball finds a pocket "accidentally" is it given as a "miss" or a foul.