Free Ball (rules&questions)

[Cue_147]

You are correct The Statman, i am a fool. lol

[RaNeN]

I have a few questions here.
Need some help please.

1) With the colours on the table, Player A makes a foul and leaves Yellow, Green, Brown and white in a straight line...Can Player B nominate the brown as free ball and roll the white behind it?

2) Last 2 reds on the table, Player A fouls, Player B has a freeball Nominates the yellow as the free ball and miscues and hits one of the reds, is this a foul?

3) Same as case 2 but with one ball, Is it a foul?

4) Have a look at the Image attached.
I want to know wether in the 3 cases in the image are free balls or not.
FB:1 When the red is just a little behind the yellow.(Yellow is a lil in front of the Red)
FB:2 When the Red & Yellow both are at the same distance, none of the balls are ahead of eachother. (I hope I am understandable).
FB:3 When the red is a little in front of the Yellow.

More questions to follow depending on the answers!!

Thank You.

[TIMO147]

images freeball

hi your answers: in the images they are all freeball situations.
1) no you cannot snooker behind a nominated freeball(brown)
2) no it is not a foul if you hit the red because your freeball is acting as another red
3) same as 2

[davis_greatest]

Answers below in blue...

I have a few questions here.
Need some help please.

1) With the colours on the table, Player A makes a foul and leaves Yellow, Green, Brown and white in a straight line...Can Player B nominate the brown as free ball and roll the white behind it?

No - if player B lays a snooker behind the brown, which was a free ball, this would be a foul. The only time that a snooker may be laid behind a free ball is when only pink and black remain, and black was nominated as a free ball.

2) Last 2 reds on the table, Player A fouls, Player B has a freeball Nominates the yellow as the free ball and miscues and hits one of the reds, is this a foul?

Yes, foul. If the player nominates yellow as free ball, he must hit yellow first, or yellow simultaneously with a red.

3) Same as case 2 but with one ball, Is it a foul?

Yes. Same if there are 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 or 379 reds.

4) Have a look at the Image attached.
I want to know wether in the 3 cases in the image are free balls or not.
FB:1 When the red is just a little behind the yellow.(Yellow is a lil in front of the Red)
FB:2 When the Red & Yellow both are at the same distance, none of the balls are ahead of eachother. (I hope I am understandable).
FB:3 When the red is a little in front of the Yellow.

If it is not possible for the cue ball to strike both extreme edges of the object ball (red), due to being snookered by a ball not on (the yellow), a free ball would be awarded. (This assumes that a player has just fouled and there are no other reds on the table on which the striker is not snookered.) All three of your cases would thus be a free ball (unless, in case 3, the red is sufficiently in front of the yellow for the white to hit the extreme edge of the red, without first striking the yellow).

More questions to follow depending on the answers!!

Thank You.

[davis_greatest]

2) no it is not a foul if you hit the red because your freeball is acting as another red

Yes, this is a foul. The player must strike the nominated free ball first (or simultaneously with a red).

[RaNeN]

Answers below in blue...

2) Last 2 reds on the table, Player A fouls, Player B has a freeball Nominates the yellow as the free ball and miscues and hits one of the reds, is this a foul?

Yes, foul. If the player nominates yellow as free ball, he must hit yellow first, or yellow simultaneously with a red.

What if the player nominates a ball that has a value of more than 4 points. Is it a 4 points foul? Or the value of the ball nominated as the free ball?

Also does the same rule follow for colours???? I mean when a player only has the colours left on the table.

3) Same as case 2 but with one ball, Is it a foul?

Yes. Same if there are 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 or 379 reds.

379 balls!!! What if there are 380 balls??

Thanks.

[DawRef]

Free Ball

I have once, when refereeing, asked a player to nominate and he has replied 'red' in this situation – he had a free ball and was touching a colour, and chose to play the red anyway. This could also arise if on a free ball, a colour and red were in similar direction and it was not clear which he was playing for.

Hi Statman

With reference to the above statement, I cannot see why you asked the player to nominate. By calling 'free ball', the player would have to nominate his choice anyway, whether it be red or colour (Section 2 Rule 12 (b)).

As I see it, the only time you ask a player to nominate is:
(i) if after potting a red (or free ball as red) two colours were side by side and you were unsure which colour the striker was going for,
(ii) if after potting a red (or free ball as red), the cue-ball ended up touching a colour.

Both would be a penalty of 7 if the striker didn't answer.

If the striker asked if the balls were touching, and the referee answered 'yes', then he could nominate that ball and just play away.

[davis_greatest]

What if the player nominates a ball that has a value of more than 4 points. Is it a 4 points foul? Or the value of the ball nominated as the free ball?

If there are reds on the table, and the player nominates a free ball but strikes a red first, the foul would be 4 points. It does not matter whether the free ball was blue, pink or black, as it acquires the value of a red for that shot.

Section 3, Rule 10 (ii): "any nominated ball shall be regarded as, and acquire the value of, the ball on except that, if potted, is shall then be spotted."

Also does the same rule follow for colours???? I mean when a player only has the colours left on the table.

Yes - if, say, just the six colours are left, and the player nominates pink as a free ball, but strikes yellow first, the foul would be 4 points (as he failed first to strike the pink).

If, say, just blue, plink and black are left, and the player nominates pink as a free ball, but strikes blue first, the foul would be 5 points.

Do you agree DawRef / T.S.?

[DawRef]

Free Ball (rules & questions)

No problems. Just to add further rule(s):

Section 3 Rule 10
After a foul, if the cue-ball is snookered, the referee shall state FREE BALL (see Section 2 Rule 16)

(a) If the player next in turn elects to play the next stroke,

(i) he may nominate any ball as the ball on,
(ii) any nominated ball shall be regarded as, and acquire the value of, the ball on except that, if potted, it shall then be spotted.

(b) It is a foul if the cue-ball should

(i) fail to hit the nominated ball first, or first simultaneously with the ball on, or
(ii) be snookered on all Reds or the ball on, by the free ball thus nominated, except when Pink and Black are the only object balls on the table.

etc., etc.

I think that covers everything, unless someone starts the previous thread AGAIN of after potting the free ball, pots a colour before the referee has spotted the free ball, what is the penalty? (Please don't. It went on long enough last time!!!!!!!!).

OK - here it is.
Player nominates Pink as Free Ball (reds on table). After potting the pink (1 point) pots the blue before the referee has spotted the pink. FOUL 6!! Why? Because as soon as the Pink was potted, it then attained its real value (6). Therefore, Section 3 Rule 12(b)(ii) then comes into force ("striking before the referee has completed the spotting of a colour").
That's my ruling and I'm keeping to it, unless a professional referee, examiner or someone from World Snooker Rules Committee wants to correct me.

[The Statman]

I have once, when refereeing, asked a player to nominate and he has replied 'red' in this situation – he had a free ball and was touching a colour, and chose to play the red anyway. This could also arise if on a free ball, a colour and red were in similar direction and it was not clear which he was playing for.

Hi Statman

With reference to the above statement, I cannot see why you asked the player to nominate. By calling 'free ball', the player would have to nominate his choice anyway, whether it be red or colour (Section 2 Rule 12 (b)).

As I see it, the only time you ask a player to nominate is:
(i) if after potting a red (or free ball as red) two colours were side by side and you were unsure which colour the striker was going for,
(ii) if after potting a red (or free ball as red), the cue-ball ended up touching a colour.

...

No. The Rule states:

12. Nominated Ball
(a) A nominated ball is the object ball which the striker declares, or indicates to the satisfaction of the referee, he undertakes to hit with the first impact of the cue-ball.
(b) If requested by the referee, the striker must declare which ball he is on.

(© World Snooker)

Since 1 December 1981, a player has not had to verbally nominate his free ball, only if the referee is unsure (same as for colours after a red).