“...Dear Matthew:
As a pool enthusiast, I run some tournaments. Last weekend I had the oddest situation occur, where both cue ball and 8-ball (we were playing an 8-Ball tournament) were stuck in the corner pocket. See the accompanying illustration.
Note that player A had the 8-Ball shot to win the game next, but they got stuck.
What do you think of this pool game scenario? How would you have solved my dilemma? I appreciate and look forward to hearing your insights. Best wishes..."
Whatever pool game you are jousting in, this rule remains the same. To paraphrase, since balls passing the jaw points of a pocket opening are considered impossible to dislodge on a legal shot without sinking, they are far all intents and purposes considered sunk.
In other words, once a ball is halfway inside the pocket opening (its base has passed the opening where it rests on the cloth) it is a goner and is to be treated as such.
Believe it or not, nearly the same pool game problem occurred on a table nearby during a tournament I played in last week. The problem was exacerbated because the tournament director was not familiar with the rules.
Although the rule is invoked only in rare instances, it’s good for players to know so they understand it is not possible to shoot a nearly fallen ball away from a pocket, and to adjust their strategy at the tables accordingly.
Thanks for the inquiry, keep those pool game tricky questions coming along.
