Links to the official pool rules, with answers to frequently asked questions

In pool, it's hard to know what the "real" rules are, because there isn't just one set of real rules, even at the pro level.
So this will help you answer any rules questions, but first… you should decide which rules to use.

If you had to play with just one set of rules for pool in the USA, it should be WPA rules –
https://wpapool.com/rules/

The website has a bunch of links, but the one you want is the "Rules of Play" –
https://wpapool.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2026.01.02-WPA-Rules.pdf

These are the rules that pros use (in most events). The other documents on that site, like "Rule Regulations" covers stuff that mostly only pros and referees need to worry about… things like dress codes, taking breaks in a match, using a shot clock, etc.

You may have also heard of BCA rules. WPA rules are 100% the same as BCA rules. WPA (World Pool Billiard Association) is the governing body for pool worldwide.
BCA (Billiards Congress of America) is the North American branch of WPA.

Where some people get confused is "BCAPL", BCA Player League.

BCAPL is an amateur league started by BCA, and now run by CSI. And there's a few minor differences in the rules. These changes are to make it more accessible to amateurs. For example, in BCA or WPA, if you foul on the break, the cue ball must be played from behind the line. In BCAPL, you get ball in hand anywhere on the table.

BCAPL rules: https://www.playcsipool.com/bcapl-rules.html

There are other popular leagues. APA is the largest league in North America, with several differences from WPA rules. So if you shoot with someone for the first time, you should ask what rules they use. They may only know APA rules, which can be found here: https://rules.poolplayers.com/

One more thing… some parts of the game are left up to whoever is running the tournament or league. For example, some tournaments or leagues may not allow jump cues even though they're legal in a WPA event. Each event will decide if they allow template racks, or where you're allowed to break from. Some long-running events have 'house rules'. For example, the Derby City Classic one pocket event says that if you elevate a cue to 45°, you will not be called for a double hit, while the onepocket.org "official" rules state that a double hit can be called even with elevation. Many bars have their own house rules.

It can be time consuming to scroll through some of these dense rulesbooks, so here's some quick FAQ-type info you can look up.

Racking

8-ball: eight in the middle, any stripe and any solid on the back corners. The one doesn't have to go up top. Alternating stripes and solids isn't necessary. In APA, the only requirement is 8-ball in the middle. 9-ball: 9 in the middle, 1 up top, the rest should be random. 10-ball: 10 in the middle, 1 up top. In WPA, the rest are random. In BCAPL, the 2 and 3 must go on the back corners. 

In all games, pattern racking is not allowed.

Breaking

• Breaks can be legal or illegal, and that status is separate from any fouls you commit. It is possible, for example, to have a break that is legal, but still a foul. The reason for the whole legal/illegal thing boils down to whether you can be forced to break gain, or whether the opponent can take the break instead.

• For all rulesets, if you break too soft, or your cue ball was over the line, it's an illegal break. When a break is illegal, usually the balls are reracked and then broken again. For a break to be considered hard enough, at least 4 balls (not counting the cue ball) must touch a rail. In pro events, there may be additional requirements like the 3 point rule, or you have to satisfy a ref that you aren't deliberately soft breaking.

• In 9 and 10 ball, you must hit the head ball. In 8-ball, you can hit any ball. In APA 8-ball, you must hit the first or second rows.
If you fail to do that, it's not a foul, but it's considered an illegal break.

Scratch on the break, or CB jumped off the table –

WPA 8-ball: Behind the line BCAPL 8-ball: Ball in hand anywhere APA 8-ball: Behind the line 9 ball and 10-ball, all formats: Ball in hand anywhere 

Jumping a ball (not the CB) off the table –

WPA 8-ball: Foul, ball stays down, incoming player can play it from behind the line or rebreak BCAPL 8-ball: Foul, ball stays down, incoming player has ball in hand anywhere APA 8-ball: Foul, ball is spotted, incoming player plays behind the line. 9 and 10 ball, any format: ball stays down, ball in hand anywhere. 9 / 10 are spotted. Jumping the 8 off the table: WPA, BCAPL: spot it. APA: loss of game. 

Winning on the break –

8 on the break: WPA, BCAPL: spot it, option to rebreak. APA: Instant win, unless you foul, then instant loss. 9 on the break: Instant win, all formats. But, some tournaments may modify this and spot the 9 instead. 10 on the break: Not a win, gets spotted. 

Open table / choosing 8-ball groups

WPA and BCPL: table is always open after the break. Some pro events use "take what you make" rules. APA: take what you make. If you make balls from both groups, the table is open, regardless of how many balls you made for each. So, if you make 2 stripes and one solid, you are not locked into stripes. 

When the table is open, any combo is legal, like a stripe to a solid. But you can't use the 8 as the first ball in a combo. Hitting it early like that is a foul. You can legally do something like stripe – 8ball – solid.

Once you establish groups, it's a foul to shoot balls in the opponent's group.

APA has a special provision for accidentally doing this: the opponent must call the foul before you make your next shot. If they don't, and you make a legal shot, your inning continues. In theory, the opponent can allow you to several balls from their group, then inform you of the foul, but it's considered unsportsmanlike. However, once you make all the balls in a group and you're on the 8, you now take ownership of that group, and can legally pocket the 8 to win.

Calling Shots

You don't have to call "obvious" shots but the rules aren't always clear about what can be considered obvious. In WPA, they mention "banks, combinations, and similar shots" but don't spell out what 'similar shots' means. In BCAPL they spell them out: banks, caroms, kicks, kisses, or "rail contacts that are not incidental".

You only need to call which ball is going into which pocket. You don't need to call whether it touches a rail, or another ball, or any other details. If the right ball goes in the right pocket, you keep shooting. This means that occasionally, you can fluke a shot and continue shooting. For example, let's say you try to slam a shot into the corner, undercut it, and it flies around the table 4 rails before dropping into the same corner pocket. Since the intended ball went into the called pocket, you can keep shooting. This applies to 10-ball and straight pool too.

8-ball: Shots are called in WPA and BCAPL. Not required in APA. Calling the 8 however, IS required in APA. 9-ball: no shot needs to be called, in any format, but some tournaments have a 'house rule' that the 9 must be called. 10-ball: all balls must be called. In WPA, you cannot combo the 10 in early and win. It spots and you stay at the table. In BCAPL, you can combo it early and win. If you make a ball and call safe, it's treated the same as making any uncalled shot. The opponent will come to the table with the option to shoot, or make you shoot again. 

In one pocket you don't need to call anything. In banks, you need to call the ball and pocket every time no matter how obvious the bank, and the bank must go cleanly, a kiss off another ball is not allowed.

Early 8-ball, and other early balls

• Outside of the break, making the 8-ball early is an automatic loss in all formats.
• Making the 9-ball early is an automatic win, but some events require calling the pocket.
• Making an uncalled 10-ball early is not a foul, the ball is spotted.
In WPA you can't combo it to win, even if you call it. In BCAPL, you can.

10-ball – "passback" rules, and "Call-shot-call-safe"

In most modern 10-ball events, you only need to call your shot. You don't need to call safeties, since you can't make a ball and call safe. If you don't make your called shot, but make some other shot accidentally, it's treated like a push-out: the opponent can shoot from the current position, or force you to shoot. This applies to the 10-ball too… if you make it in the wrong pocket, it's spotted, and the incoming player has the option.

There's a variant of these rules called passback, or call-shot-call-safe. Under those rules, if you miss any shot, and the opponent doesn't like the leave, they can force you shoot again. To avoid this, you must explicitly call safety. If you played a shot, obvious or not, they can always pass the table back to you. These rules are uncommon.

Safeties and Push-outs

• Making a ball and calling safe is legal in WPA and BCAPL 8-ball. If you fail to say "safety" before the shot, and it could be considered an obvious shot (e.g. not a bank) you must keep shooting. In APA, you cannot make a ball and play safe. If any ball drops, you must keep shooting.

• Otherwise, if you're not planning to make a ball, calling safe is optional in all formats. APA encourages it to make scorekeeping easier.

• In WPA or BCAPL, both 9-ball and 10-ball, you can play a push-out after the break. You have to declare it, there's no such thing as an "obvious push-out". Any ball you pocket on a push-out, stays down, except the game-winning ball.

Accidental Touches

In WPA, touching any ball (with hand, hair, clothes, etc) is a foul. Playing this way is called "All ball fouls".
In BCAPL, it is "Cue ball fouls only", meaning it's NOT a foul to nudge one object ball, but is illegal to disturb the cue ball.

It's also a foul if you nudge multiple balls. In BCAPL, if a ball gets bumped, the opponent has the option to leave it in position or put it back. The shooter can't put it back unless his opponent gives permission. Also, it's a foul if you move just one ball, but that bump might change the outcome of the shot.

In APA, it's cue ball fouls only, and if you bump an object balls, they must go back to their original locations. There's no option to leave them there. This is still the case if multiple balls are moved. Also, if your cue ball settles where a bumped ball used to sit, the bumped ball is put back as close as possible to its original location, "in a fair manner".

Push Fouls

The meaning of "push shot" or "push foul" has effectively changed over time. Originally, it meant a shot where the the tip "rides" the cue ball for an extended period of time, pushing it along like a shopping cart. This kind of foul is very rare. In modern pool, 99% of the time, "push shot" is used to describe a double hit foul, in cases where the double hit happens too fast to see.

Double hits are always illegal, but different leagues and tournament will have different policies for enforcing the foul.

In WPA, and BCAPL – if two balls are frozen, you can shoot into the cueball and it's not considered a double hit, because both balls leave the tip simultaneously. But if there's any gap between them, it may be called a double hit. Additionally, if you hit the shot slowly, the tip may stay on the cue ball too long and you'll be called for the other kind of push foul. You can avoid this by "shooting away" from the object ball, meaning you cut the object ball sharply or "thin" it.

APA does not call push fouls when two balls are frozen, but doing it repeatedly may be considered unsportsmanlike.

Behind the Line vs. Ball in Hand

Generally, fouls are penalized with ball in hand anywhere on the table. Shooting from behind the line is a "bar rule", or oldschool rule from 50 years ago. There are exceptions though.

WPA, APA 8-ball: scratch or jumped ball on the break = behind the line. BCAPL 8-ball: fouling on the break = ball in hand anywhere. 9 & 10 ball: ball in hand anywhere, always. 1 pocket: behind the line, always. 

When playing behind the line, only the base of the ball needs to be behind the line in most games.
But in one pocket, the whole cue ball must be behind the line, and any ball you shoot at must be fully past the line.

Jumping

In all games, it's illegal to jump by hitting super low and 'scooping' the cue ball up into the air.
If a game allows jumping, you have to strike downward on the cue ball at an angle, bouncing it off the surface like a basketball.
If this kind of jump happens accidentally, it's considered a miscue and is not a foul.

8-ball: Legal jumps are traditionally not allowed, but not banned in the rulebook. It's up to the organizer or league. In APA, jump cues are banned, so it must be done with a full cue. 9-ball and 10-ball: Always allowed. 1-pocket: full cue only, but most events ban them altogether. 

Three foul rule

• In 9 and 10-ball, 3 consecutive fouls by the same player is loss of game.
• In one pocket, it's also a loss of game.
• APA 9-ball doesn't have this rule.
• 8-ball doesn't either, but some tournaments choose to add it.

In all games with a 3-foul rule, the player must be notified they're "on 2", before they commit the third foul. WPA specifies they must be notified as they come to the table. BCAPL doesn't say that, but does require that the opponent acknowledges the warning.

Five second rule

In all games, if a ball hangs on the edge of the pocket for more than 5 seconds, then drops, it gets put back where it was.
In APA the exact wording is "a few" seconds.

Stalemate

In all games, if neither player can advance the game, it's considered a stalemate and the balls are reracked, and the original breaker will break again.

• In WPA, if the ref decides the game is not progressing, he must warn players about a possible stalemate. Then, if they fail to advance the game after 3 full innings (3 turns from each player) then the stalemate is called. If the players agree, they can skip the 3 turns and go right to the re-break.

• In BCAPL, the ref doesn't have to warn players. If the game doesn't progress for 3 innings, it's considered a stalemate.

• In APA, players must agree to a stalemate regardless of how many turns pass without progress.