Nine-Ball Basics

From the break to the next rack.

1. Agree the race. Decide the break.

   Use nine object balls and one shared cue ball. Agree how many racks win the match. Under this WPA reference, the lag winner chooses the first breaker and players alternate breaks after that.

2. Rack nine. Break into the 1.

   Make a tight diamond: 1 at the front, 9 in the middle on the foot spot, the other seven randomly placed. Start the cue ball behind the head string, at the breaking end. Contact the 1 first.

3. Read the break result.

   A legal break that pockets a ball keeps the breaker at the table; a legal dry break passes the turn. A break foul gives the opponent cue-ball in hand anywhere. Check the extra three-ball break procedure below before treating a soft break as an ordinary foul.

4. Lowest first. Then follow the result.

   On a normal shot, first contact the lowest-numbered ball still on the table. A legal pot of any object ball keeps your turn; a legal miss passes the turn with the cue ball left where it stops. A foul passes the turn with ball in hand. Identify the lowest remaining ball again before each shot.

5. Finish the rack. Continue the match.

   Legally pocket the 9 to win the rack, including by a combination. You do not have to pocket every other ball first. Record the rack, alternate the break, and keep playing until someone reaches the agreed race total.

Fouls & what they cost.

An ordinary WPA nine-ball foul ends your turn. Your opponent gets ball in hand anywhere on the playing surface, including after a break foul. Confirm the ruling before picking up the cue ball. Other pocketed balls stay down; the 9 is spotted if needed.

Scratch or cue ball off the table

The cue ball drops into a pocket or finishes off the playing surface. Pocketing the 9 on the same shot does not rescue it.

Wrong ball first, or no object-ball contact

The first object ball touched must be the lowest number still in play. Hitting the 9 first while the 2 remains is a foul, even if the 9 goes in. A declared legal push-out is the exception.

No rail after contact

If no ball is pocketed, after the legal first contact at least one ball must reach a cushion. The cue ball or any object ball can satisfy this. A cushion touched only before object-ball contact does not count.

Object ball off the table

Driving an object ball off the playing surface is a foul. Return the 9 by the spotting procedure; other object balls stay out of play.

Touching balls with body or equipment

WPA uses all-ball fouls: your hand, clothing, hair, cue, chalk, or bridge must not disturb an object ball. Handle the cue ball only when entitled to ball in hand. Some local formats use different accidental-contact procedures.

Double hit or push shot

Striking the cue ball twice, or keeping the tip against it beyond a normal stroke, is a foul. A push shot is different from the declared push-out option. Have close or frozen-ball situations checked before shooting.

Moving balls, wrong turn, or no foot down

Wait until all balls stop moving and spinning, shoot in your own turn, and keep at least one foot on the floor at tip contact. The rulebook also covers placement, shot-clock, and rack-template fouls.

Push out. Then let them choose.

After a legal break with no foul, whoever is due to play the second shot of the rack can announce a push-out before shooting. That may be the breaker after making a ball, or the opponent after a dry break. The special insufficient-break procedure above changes who may use it.

1. Declare it clearly to the referee and opponent before the stroke.
2. You may move the cue ball without hitting the lowest ball, any object ball, or a cushion. Other foul rules still apply, including scratches and double hits.
3. After a foul-free push-out, the other player chooses: take the position or make the pushing player shoot again from there. Pocketing a ball does not earn another turn.
4. A pocketed 9 is spotted; other pocketed object balls stay down. A push-out cannot win the rack. If it fouls, use the ordinary foul penalty instead of the choice.

A push-out is a one-shot post-break option, not a rescue button for later turns. It is also different from pushing the cue tip through the ball, which is a foul.

When the 9 counts.

• Legal normal shot: pocket the 9 without a foul and win the rack. Contact the lowest ball first; combinations and uncalled legal pots count. This is not call-shot.
• On the break: a 9 on a break that meets the applicable WPA break requirements wins. The three-ball rule can require spotting it instead.
• With a foul: no win. Spot the 9 and give the opponent ball in hand. A standard foul with the 9 is not, by itself, loss of rack.
• During a push-out, or off the table: spot the 9. The next turn follows the push-out choice or foul penalty, respectively. No other object ball is spotted.

Spotting returns the 9 on the foot spot when clear. If blocked, place it as close as possible on the table’s center line toward the foot rail without moving other balls; consult WPA 1.5 if that line is blocked too. A declared stalemate reracks with the original breaker; it is not a player’s free rerack request.

A few familiar situations.

Playing APA handicapped nine-ball?

Use the APA manual and local bylaws. Its handicapped league format differs from this WPA race of racks; the Masters format has separate provisions.

• Scoring: balls 1–8 are worth one point each; the 9 is worth two. The match is a race to the player’s required points. Pocketing the 9 ends a rack and does not necessarily win the match. APA scoring →
• Push-outs: not allowed in APA handicapped competition. Do not use the WPA post-break option there. APA after the break →
• Racking: APA puts the front 1 on the foot spot, with the 9 in the diamond’s center. That differs from the 9-on-the-spot WPA diagram here. APA racking →

For house rules, settle rack placement, break order, calling the 9, push-outs, accidental contact, three fouls, and scoring before the first break. Familiarity is not a rulebook.