Fuly

6. Fouls

The following actions are considered fouls in the pool if they are included in the specific rules of each game. If multiple fouls occur during a single push, only the most serious foul is penalized. If a foul is not called before the start of the next stanza, it is treated as if it had not occurred.

 

6.1 White in the pocket or stamped from the table

If the cue ball falls into the pocket or flies off the table, the shove is a foul. See 8.3 Sunk ball and 8.5 Knocked off the table.

 

6.2 Wrong ball first

In games that require the first ball played to be a certain ball or one ball from a certain group of balls, it is a foul if White hits another ball first.

 

6.3 After contact without a boundary

If no ball sinks during the push, the cue ball must hit the cue ball and after this contact at least one ball (cue ball or any cue ball) must reach the rim or the push is a foul. (See 8.4 Reaching the hoop) 

 

6.4 Without feet on the ground

If the player at the table does not have at least one foot on the ground at the moment the skin touches the cue ball, the shove is a foul. 

 

6.5 Ball knocked off the table

Knocking the ball off the table is a foul. Whether the ball is re-set on the table depends on the rules of that game. (See 8.5 Knocking a ball off the table) 

 

6.6 Player touches the ball

It is a foul to touch, move or change the path of any ball except normal contact of one ball with another. It is a foul for a player to touch, move or change the path of a cue ball except when the cue ball is in the hand or when there is normal skin contact with the cue ball during a push. The player is responsible for the equipment he has at the table, such as chalk, supports (rakes), clothing, hair, body parts, and the cue ball when it is in his hand, all of which could play a role in such fouls. If such a foul is accidental, it is a standard foul, but if it is intentional, it is 6.17 Unsportsmanlike Conduct. 

 

6.7 Double Hit / Sleeping Ball

If the cue touches white more than once during a shot, it is a foul. If White is close to the cue ball but not touching it, and the skin on the cue is still in contact with White when White hits the cue ball, the push is a foul. If White is very close to the cue ball, and the player only very gently licks the cue ball during the push, the push is judged not to have violated the first paragraph of this rule, even though the skin is actually still in contact with White when White hits the cue ball.

However, if White touches the played ball at the start of the push, it is legal to play directly or partially into that ball (provided it is a valid target ball given the rules of that game), and if the played ball moves during such a push, White is deemed to have hit it. 

A cue ball is not considered to be touching any ball unless it is declared to be touching by the referee or an opponent. It is the player's responsibility to request such a declaration before the stroke. If it is played away from a dormant ball, it does not satisfy the obligation to hit that ball unless the rules of that particular game state otherwise. 

 

6.8 Pushed push (space)

Extending the contact time between the skin and the white beyond that of a normal jerk is a foul. 

 

6.9 Balls still in motion

It is a foul to start playing a shot while any ball still in play is moving or spinning. 

 

6.10 Poor placement of white

When White is in hand and his position is limited to the area behind the line of scrimmage, it is a foul if White plays from the area on or in front of the line of scrimmage. If a player is unsure whether white is positioned behind the shooting line, he may ask the referee for a ruling. 

 

6.11 Bad play from behind the line

When White is holding behind the line of scrimmage, and the first ball White hits is also behind the line of scrimmage, the push is a foul unless White crosses the line of scrimmage before that hit. If such a push is intentional, it is unsportsmanlike conduct.

The cue ball must either cross the line or hit a ball that is in front of or on the line, otherwise the push is a foul and the cue ball is in the next player's hand according to the rules of that game. If such a shove is intentional, it is also unsportsmanlike conduct. 

 

6.12 Tágo on the table

If a player at the table uses a cue to measure his shot by placing the cue on the table and not holding it in his hand, it is a foul. 

 

6.13 Playing out of turn

Playing out of turn unintentionally is a standard foul. Normally, balls will be played from the position that was accidentally created after this play. If a player intentionally plays out of sequence, it should be considered 6.17 Unsportsmanlike Conduct. 

 

6.14 Three consecutive fouls

If a player fouls three times without a legal shove in between, it is a serious foul. In games that count for games, such as the 9, these fouls must occur within one game.

Some games, such as eight, do not use this rule.

 

6.15 Stalling

If the referee feels that a player is playing too slowly, he may ask the player to speed up the pace of play. If the player does not speed up, the referee may impose a stop time for that game, which applies to both players. If a player exceeds the time limit for that particular tournament, a standard foul will be called and the player next in line will be awarded according to the rules of the game being played (Rule 6.17 Unsportsmanlike Conduct may also apply.) 

 

6.16 Foul with a sluice

It is a foul when a stopper that is removed from the board interferes with play, i.e. when the stopper is on the boards and a ball (white or colored) touches the stopper on the boards. 

 

6.17 Unsporting behaviour

The normal sanction for unsportsmanlike conduct is the same as for a major foul, but the referee may apply the sanction according to his assessment of the conduct. Possible penalties include a caution; a standard foul penalty, which will count as a series of three fouls as appropriate; a major foul penalty; forfeiture of a game, set or match; or elimination from competition with the possibility of forfeiture of all prizes, trophies and points.

Unsportsmanlike conduct is any deliberate behaviour that harms the sport or that disrupts or alters the game so that it cannot be played fairly. This includes:

a) Interfering with an opponent
b) Changing the position of the balls in the game other than during the push
(c) Playing a shot with a deliberate kickover
(d) Resumption of play after a foul or stoppage of play
e) Training during the match
f) Table marking
g) Game stalling
h) Inappropriate use of equipment.