RULES OF PLAY
Unsportsmanlike conduct from any individual will not be tolerated.
Any one disturbing the tournament by loud and abusive language
or being argumentive will result
in ejection from this tournament.
Any disrespectful conduct
toward a referee or any APL staff member
will not be tolerated.
This will result in loss of game or loss of match
or ejection from the tournament.
NOTE: Important additions/changes to rules “11”, “21”
1.
Teams will win by playing pool, not through the interpretations of the
rules. League Operator, Division Reps, and referees will be on site
through out the tournaments in cases of controversy, their decisions are final!
2. Team Captains are responsible
for checking their team in at the tournament desk prior to the start of the
match. All registration fees, if any,
have to be paid at the Captains meeting.
3. All matches will be played
using the race grid.
4. This is a single elimination
tournament.
5. All matches have a 4 hour time
limit. At the end of 4 hours the
proceeding match will be sudden death, a race to one.
6. The first team to win (3)
matches will advance to the next round of play.
7. Unsportsmanlike conduct will
not be tolerated. Unsportsmanlike
conduct calls will be made at the sole discretion of the Division Reps,
Referees or League Operator. These calls
are very serious and will result in penalties from ball-in-hand to loss of game
or match or ejection from the tournament.
Every player has earned their right to play here and we expect all
players to conduct themselves as winners.
8. There will be a 45 second shot
clock that will be randomly monitored by the officials. Slow play will be given a first warning, and
then penalties will result from ball-in-hand to loss of game.
9. If a team is not present when
their match is called the opposing team must wait 15 minutes before taking the
1st match and 5 minutes thereafter for each additional match until a 3-0 team win
has been established. Once a match
starts either team has (2)-two minutes to put up their next shooter.
10.
Only
the player (anyone on the team can keep score away from the table) is allowed
in the playing area. Any person
suspected of “sideline” coaching will be ejected from the playing area. Outside interference may result in a team
being disqualified from competition.
11.
The player must mark the pocket, when shooting the 8-ball, with an
object that is large enough to see but not annoying to their opponent. Any player on the team may remind a player to
mark the pocket. If a player is marking the wrong pocket and their coach or any
player says mark the pocket when the player is ready to shoot and the player
has no time outs left this is a ball in hand foul to the opponent. The coach
and player must pay attention to their match.
If the player is blocking the view of the coach the coach must get off
their chair and look to make sure their player has marked a pocket before he
says to mark the pocket. If there is a second marker left on the table for any
reason after the shooter marks their pocket and makes the 8-ball does not
constitute a loss of game as long as the shooter shoots the 8-ball in the
pocket that they marked.
12. All Players will be allowed
(1)-one minute time-out per game.
13. If there are common players on both teams these common players
cannot play the match.
14. Teams are responsible for
reviewing their team roster for possible errors. The APL is not responsible for typographical
errors. If an error is detected it must
be reported to the Tournament Director before the start of that team’s first
match. If an error is detected after the
start of the team’s match any changes made will be for future matches and will
be at the Tournament Director’s discretion.
15. A player can call safe and
pocket a ball, on a good hit, and be considered a legal safe.
16. On the break, the breaking
player must hit one of the first 3 balls of the rack.
17. Any member of the team can
call out “mark the pocket”. We ask that
encouragement to be controlled. If anyone calls out mark the pocket when the
shooter is marking the wrong pocket or if there is another marker on the table
and the shooter does not have any time outs left will be a foul and cue ball in
hand to the opponent.
18. No cell phones in the playing
area.
19. A player and coach cannot
talk to each other while the opponent is shooting. The coach and player may only confer if a
legitimate time-out is called by either team. A player may speak to team
between racks for encouragement for a very short period of time.
20. Handicaps can and will be
moved. If a player goes up 2 s/l the team is disqualified. If 3 players from the same team go up 1 s/l
the team is disqualified.
21. Teams can forfeit a match at
any time. They must furnish the opposing team with the name of the player they
are using for the forfeit. A player cannot shoot again once they are used to
forfeit a match. The player they are using for the forfeit does not need to be
present. The team must also show they
are within the 25 point team handicap with at least 5 players on their
roster. At the end of the 3rd or 4th
match a team must show they can make the 25 point team handicap. If they cannot they loose the entire match.
(Example: if a team uses 20 handicap points in the first 3 matches they must
have a 3 and a 2 or two 2’s left on their roster or they will loose the entire
match. If a team uses 23 handicap points
in the first 4 matches they must have a 2 left on their roster or they will
loose the entire match.)
The Amateur Pool League rule book
and or bylaws will prevail.
22. If a player has an *A next to
their name they will have to fill out a membership application to play. If they did not fill one out before play the
match will stop until an application is filled out. If an application is not filled out before
play or while play is going on does not constitute a loss. There may not be an application available.
The player may be suspended from league play until an application is filled out
and sent to the league office.
23. Re: typo page 24 APL rule book; the paragraph
should have read “all balls” knocked of the table, not just the opponent’s
balls.
24 “Bill Oakes” rule; you may only use the tip to
strike the cue ball. Striking the cue
ball with the butt end of your stick is a foul and ball-in-hand to the
opponent.
Rules for Coaches
1) A referee can declare anything a
coach says that can affect the strategy of a game a time- out.
2) A coach cannot turn down a
time-out from a player. A player cannot
turn down a time-out from a coach.
Coaches cannot ask things like: “Are you okay”? or
“do you want a time-out”? These will be considered a time-out. If a coach asks
a player if they want a time out, when there are no time outs left, will result
in a ball-in-hand foul to the opponent.
If a coach is not sure if his player has any time outs left should ask
the opposing coach quietly if in fact his player has any time outs left. A player may ask the coach if they have a
time out left without it being a foul.
3) Coaches should not leave their
chairs except for a time-out during a game.
If they do a referee can declare that a time out.
4) Coaches can call out “mark your
pocket”, or “time out”. The Coach can also cheer their players on. We ask that
encouragement to be controlled. If a coach’s encouragement is offending the
opposing player or opposing captain they will be asked to refrain from talking
or encouraging their players in between shots. Referees will determine if the
encouragement is strategy or not. If it
is determined as strategy it will be a ball in hand foul to the opponent.
5) The coach and their player in a
match can call fouls. Spectators or team
mates cannot call fouls. Coach and
player please pay attention to your match.
If a spectator or team mate calls a foul and the player and or coach did
not see it, or does not call it, there is no foul.
6) A coach or player may ask a
referee to watch a shot or make a call.
7) If a player or coach has a
question regarding rules they should ask the referee.
8) After each match, both teams must
sign and turn in the score sheets for review.
9) A coach can be disqualified
giving their player strategy if no time out is called.
10) There is no conferencing between
players during a time out. Only the coach and shooter in the match may converse
with each other. If a conference occurs
between the coach and any member of the team, other then the shooter, it will
be a ball in hand foul to the opponent.
11) Coach cannot use the players cue
or his own cue to show the player how to line up or shoot a shot during a time
out. If this occurs it is a ball in hand
foul to the opponent.
Referees Function
Referees are there to resolve
disputes. They will not interject themselves into a match unless they are
called to observe a situation. If a
referee or tournament director sees a foul they cannot call the foul unless it
is a blatant foul that needs clarification and the player that fouled or their
coach denies the foul. Make sure you,
the coach, and your player pay attention to your game. Have total control of
all matches. If there is a situation that cannot be resolved the referee will
get advice from the head referee. If the dispute still cannot be resolved the
head referee will confer with the tournament director whose decision is final.
Referee will randomly monitor player shots.
Shots should not take more then 45 seconds. Referee will monitor the (1)
minute time-out.
Game Forfeits
The following will be considered
automatic forfeit of the game if: 1) the opponent offers to shake hands before
the 8-ball is shot; 2) the opponent picks up the rack before the 8-ball is
shot; 3) a player rakes the balls on the table at any time even if they think
the game is over; 4) if a player starts to break down their cue stick when
their opponent is shooting the 8-ball.
If other scenarios arise that are questionable the referee will make a decision
if the scenario should be considered loss of game.
Moving Ball Violations and Other
Fouls
Player moves ball with butt of stick
during warm up stroke:
Opponent has the option of leaving the
ball where it stopped or have the ball placed where it was.
Player touches any ball with bridge
at any time when shooting a shot:
This is a foul since players are
responsible for any accidents occurring when using specialized equipment.
Player moves a ball with stick
during shot and causes the ball to move out of the way keeping the cue ball
from striking the ball when it should have:
This is a foul since the cue ball
moved into an area where the moved ball originally was. The outcome of the shot has been affected and
restoration at this point is impossible.
Player has ball in hand and while
positioning the cue ball he drops it and moves an object ball or touches
another ball with their hand or stick:
This is a foul since the rule is
very strict on placement. When placing
the cue ball into position the hand becomes live and anything moved or touched
with the ball or hand is considered a foul.
A player his ready to shoot or is
near the table and is bumped by another person and causes the cue ball or any other
ball to move.
This is not a foul and both players
must agree to place the ball/s in question back where they were. A referee or tournament director should be
called if this happens.
If a ball which was accidentally
moved when a shooter attempts a shot, makes contact with a moving ball (any
object ball or cue ball) after the ball was moved.
This is a cue-ball-in hand foul.
Stopping the cue ball after shooting
the 8-ball:
This is a foul and loss of game
since a player interfered with the cue ball before it came to a stop. It does
not matter if the 8-ball was made or not it is still loss of game. Make sure you do not touch the cue ball until
it stops moving.
Double
Hit Foul
As long as the shooter hits the cue
ball with a stroke, and not a push, is no foul when the cue ball and the target
object ball are touching (frozen) or the distance (width) of a piece of
chalk. A push is when the shooter lays
the cue tip onto the cue ball and does not bring his/her arm back before the
stroke and pushes the cue ball rather then stroking it.
There is no foul if a shooter
strokes the cue ball no matter where it is in relation to the object ball.