⚠️ Pool guide
Common Pool Fouls, Explained with Diagrams
Most disputed fouls come down to three questions: what did the cue ball hit first, did anything reach a pocket or rail afterwards, and did the cue tip make one clean contact?
The three-part legal-shot check
On a normal shot, strike the cue ball once, contact a legal object ball first, then pocket a ball or drive at least one ball to a rail. A scratch is a foul regardless of what happened before it.
The four fouls that start most arguments
Cue-ball scratch
The cue ball is pocketed or leaves the table. Pocketing an object ball on the same shot does not cancel the scratch.
Result: The turn ends. In standard 8-ball and 9-ball, the opponent gets cue-ball in hand.
Wrong ball first
In 8-ball, hit your assigned group first once groups are decided. In 9-ball, hit the lowest-numbered ball on the table first.
Result: A foul even if another ball is pocketed later in the shot.
No rail after contact
If nothing is pocketed, the cue ball must contact an object ball and then at least one ball must reach a rail. Missing every ball breaks the same rule, and a rail touched before contact does not count.
Result: A foul because the shot ends without a pocket or a post-contact rail.
Double hit or push shot
The cue tip may contact the cue ball only once in a normal forward stroke. A second hit, or tip contact prolonged into a push, is a foul. If the cue ball is already touching the object ball, shooting into it is legal and that ball counts as contacted.
Result: A foul; elevate the cue or change the shot when the balls are close but not touching.
Other fouls players overlook
- Touched ball — Moving or changing the path of any ball with a hand, cue, sleeve, hair, chalk or bridge is a foul. You are responsible for everything you bring to the table.
- Balls still moving — Wait until every ball has stopped moving and spinning before beginning the next shot.
- Ball driven off the table — Launching an object ball off the playing surface is a foul. Whether it is spotted depends on the game.
- Bad cue-ball placement — When ball in hand is restricted to the kitchen — the area above the head string — the cue ball must be placed and played from inside it.
- No foot on the floor — At least one foot must touch the floor at the instant the tip strikes the cue ball. Wheelchair competition replaces this rule rather than waiving it: the player stays seated and the feet must not be on the floor.
- Playing out of turn — Shooting when it is not your turn is a standard foul if it was a genuine mistake, and unsportsmanlike conduct if it was not. Let the previous shot finish before taking the table.
What “ball in hand” means
After a standard foul in WPA 8-ball or 9-ball, the incoming player may place the cue ball anywhere on the playing surface. The player may reposition it until taking the shot, provided no object ball is moved.
Break fouls can be different. Some give ball in hand only above the head string, while an illegal break may offer a choice to accept the table or re-rack. That is why “scratch means behind the line” is not a universal rule.
Frequently asked questions
Is it a foul if the cue ball misses everything?
Yes. On a normal shot the cue ball has to contact an object ball, and then a ball must be pocketed or driven to a rail. A complete miss fails that requirement in both 8-ball and 9-ball, and the incoming player gets ball in hand.
What if one shot breaks two rules at once?
Only the most serious foul is enforced. A foul also has to be called before the next shot begins — after that it is treated as if it never happened.
Is every scratch ball in hand anywhere?
During normal 8-ball and 9-ball play under WPA rules, yes. Some break fouls restrict placement above the head string, and house rules may use the kitchen more often.
Is it a foul if I hit the correct ball but nothing reaches a rail?
Yes, unless a ball was pocketed. After the cue ball contacts an object ball, at least one ball must reach a rail if nothing falls.
Is accidentally touching another ball a foul?
Under WPA all-balls-foul rules, yes. Some casual and amateur leagues use cue-ball-fouls-only rules and restore an accidentally moved object ball, so agree on the rule set first.
Does three consecutive fouls lose the rack?
In 9-ball, three consecutive fouls by the same player lose the rack when the player has been warned as required. Standard WPA 8-ball does not use the three-foul loss rule.