Part 71

24. If the striker miss the object ball, or run a coup, or pocket the white ball, he shall be penalized in the value of the ball aimed at; but, if he strike another ball or balls, he shall be penalized in the value of the first ball so struck, unless the ball so struck is of lower value than the ball aimed at and missed, in which case the penalty is governed by the value of the ball aimed at. Should the striker in pocketing any ball hole the white, he cannot score, and is penalized in the value of the ball pocketed. Should the striker (excepting as provided in _Rule_ 9) pocket a ball other than the one aimed at, he cannot score, and is penalized in the value of such ball unless the ball pocketed is of lower value than the ball aimed at, in which case the penalty is governed by the value of the ball aimed at.

25. If the striker play at or pocket a ball except in the proper rotation, he shall be penalized in the value of the ball so played at or pocketed unless the ball so played at be of lower value than the ball which should have been selected, in which case the penalty is governed by the latter ball.

26. If the striker strike simultaneously a pool ball and a red ball, or two pool balls, he shall be penalized in the value of the higher ball.

27. If the striker pocket the white ball after contact with another, he shall be penalized in the value of the ball struck, unless the object ball so struck be out of order, in which case the penalty shall be governed by the ball of the higher value.

28. Should the striker give an intentional miss, he shall be penalized in the value of the black ball, and be compelled to play the stroke again. No score can accrue from such stroke, but the striker shall be subject to any further penalty he may incur.

29. If the striker pocket more than one ball, other than red balls, in one stroke, he cannot score, and is penalized in the value of the highest ball pocketed.

30. In the absence of a referee the marker of the room shall decide all disputes that may arise; and, if he does not know of the matter in dispute, the majority of the onlookers shall decide.

ENGLISH POOL.

This game is known in England as Colom-Ball, or Following Pool. The balls are placed in a pool bottle, and shaken up by the marker, who then gives one to each candidate for play in rotation. The player who receives the white ball places it on the spot, and the one who gets the red ball plays from within the D at the head of the table. The marker calls the colour of the player whose turn it is, and notifies him which ball will play on him, so that he may play for safety if he can. The following are Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co.’s rules:

The WHITE BALL is spotted.

RED BALL plays upon WHITE. YELLOW ” RED. GREEN ” YELLOW. BROWN ” GREEN. BLUE ” BROWN. PINK ” BLUE. SPOT-WHITE ” PINK. SPOT-RED ” SPOT-WHITE. SPOT-YELLOW ” SPOT-RED. SPOT-GREEN ” SPOT-YELLOW. SPOT-BROWN ” SPOT-GREEN. SPOT-BLUE ” SPOT-BROWN, and WHITE ” SPOT-BLUE.

_=1.=_ When coloured balls are used, the players must play progressively, as the colours are placed on the pool marking-board, the top colour being No. 1.

_=2.=_ Each player has _three_ lives at starting. No. 1 places his ball on the “winning and losing” spot, No. 2 plays at No. 1, No. 3 at No. 2, and so on--each person playing at the last ball, unless the striker’s ball be in hand, when he plays at the nearest ball.

_=3.=_ When a striker loses a life the next in rotation plays at the ball nearest to his own; but if this player’s ball be in hand, he plays at the ball nearest to the centre of the baulk-line, whether it be in or out of baulk.

_=4.=_ When any doubt arises as to the nearest ball, the marker measures the distance, and the player strikes at the ball declared to be nearest his own.

_=5.=_ The baulk is no protection.

_=6.=_ The player loses a life by pocketing his own ball off another, by running a coup, by missing the ball played on, by forcing his ball off the table, by playing _with_ the wrong ball, by playing _at_ the wrong ball, by playing out of his turn, by striking the wrong ball, or by having his ball pocketed by the next striker.

_=7.=_ Should the striker pocket the ball he plays at, and by the same stroke pocket his own or force it over the table, _he_ loses a life and not the person whose ball he pocketed.

_=8.=_ Should the player strike the wrong ball, he pays the same forfeit to the person whose ball he should have played at as he would have done if he had pocketed it himself.

_=9.=_ If the striker miss the ball he ought to play at, and by the same stroke pocket another ball, _he_ loses a life, and not the person whose ball he pocketed; in which case the striker’s ball must be taken up, and both balls remain in hand until it be their several turns to play.

_=10.=_ If the player inquire as to which is his ball, or if it be his turn to play, the marker or the players must give him the information sought.

_=11.=_ If the striker, while taking aim, inquire which is the ball he ought to play at, and should be misinformed by the marker or by any of the company, he does not lose a life. His ball must in this case be replaced and the stroke played again.

_=12.=_ When a ball or balls touch the striker’s ball, or are in line between it and the ball he has to play at, so that it will prevent him hitting _any part of the object-ball_, such ball or balls must be taken up until the stroke be played, and, after the balls have ceased running, they must be replaced.

_=13.=_ If a ball or balls are in the way of a striker’s cue, so that he cannot play at his ball, he can have them taken up.

_=14.=_ When the striker _takes_ a life, he continues to play on as long as he can pocket a ball, or until the balls are all off the table, in which latter case he places his own ball on the spot as at the commencement.

_=15.=_ The first player who loses his three lives is entitled to purchase, or _star_, by paying into the pool a sum equal to his original stake, for which he receives lives equal in number to the lowest number of lives on the board.

_=16.=_ If the player first out refuse to star, the second player out may do so; but if the second refuse, the third may star, and so on, until only two players are left in the pool, when the privilege of starring ceases.

_=17.=_ Only one star is allowed in a pool.

_=18.=_ If the striker move his own or any other ball _while in the act of striking_, the stroke is foul; and if, by the same stroke, he pocket a ball or force it off the table, the owner of that ball does not lose a life, and the ball so pocketed must be placed on its original spot. But if by that foul stroke the player pocket his own ball or force it off the table, _he_ loses a life.

_=19.=_ If the striker’s ball touch the one he has to play at, he is at liberty either to play at it or at any other ball on the table, and such stroke is not to be considered foul; in such a case, however, the striker loses a life by running his ball into a pocket or forcing it over the table.

_=20.=_ If, after making a hazard, the striker takes up his ball, or stops it before it has done running, he cannot claim the life for the ball pocketed.

_=21.=_ If, before a star, two or more balls, each having one life, are pocketed by the same stroke, the owner of the first ball struck can star; but if he refuse, the other player whose ball was pocketed may star.

_=22.=_ Should the striker’s ball stop on the place from which a ball has been taken up, the ball which has been removed must remain in hand until the spot is unoccupied, when it is to be replaced.

_=23.=_ Should the striker’s ball miss the ball played at, no person except the striker is allowed to stop the ball till it has ceased running or struck another ball.

_=24.=_ Should the striker have his next player’s ball removed, and his own ball stop on the spot it occupied, the next player must give a miss from baulk, for which miss he does not lose a life.

_=25.=_ When a ball has been taken up, and any other than the next player’s ball stop on the spot it occupied, the ball so taken up must remain in hand till it can be replaced. But if it be the turn of the ball in hand to play before the one occupying its proper place, the latter must be taken up till there be room to replace it.

_=26.=_ If the corner of the cushion should prevent the striker from playing in a direct line, he can have any ball removed for the purpose of playing at the object-ball from a cushion.

_=27.=_ When three players, each with one life, remain in a pool, and the striker make a miss, the other two divide without a stroke.

_=28.=_ Neither of the last two players can star, but if they are left with an equal number of lives each they may divide the pool; the striker, however, is entitled to his stroke before the division.

_=29.=_ All disputes are to be decided by the marker; but if he be interested in the game, they shall then be settled by a majority of the players.

BLACK POOL.

This is a variation of English Colour-Ball Pool. A black ball is placed on the centre spot. The colours follow one another just as in English pool, until all the balls have come upon the table. After that, any ball on the table may be played at, and if it is pocketed, the player has the option of playing at the black ball. If he pockets it, each player pays him the amount of a life, so that the player whose ball was first pocketed would have to pay two, one for his own ball and one for the black. If a ball is pocketed before the balls are all on the table, the player may play on the black; but the following players must play on their colours until the first round is complete. No one is ever dead, and the game may be continued indefinitely, although half an hour is the usual limit. The players share the expense of the table, as at Shell-out.

ENGLISH BILLIARDS.

This game is played with three balls, one red and two white. Every winning hazard off the red counts 3; hazards off the white count 2, and all carroms count 2. If a player makes a carrom and a losing hazard on the same stroke, it counts 5 if the red was the object ball; 4 if the white was the object ball. A player may make 10 on one stroke by playing on the red, making a carrom, and pocketing all three balls. A miss counts one for the adversary; but if the player who makes a miss runs into a pocket or jumps off the table, his adversary counts 3.

The secret of success in the English game is not in gathering shots or rail nursing, but in repeated position; that is, playing shots so that the object ball returns to its position, the cue ball falling into a pocket and being played again from an advantageous position in the D. If the red ball is left in a good position for a losing hazard in either of the side pockets, the player should place his own ball in such a position in the D that he can drive the red to the bottom cushion and back again, leaving himself another easy hazard in the side pockets.

If the red is near a bottom pocket, and the player’s ball is in hands, the beginner will invariably leave the red ball in baulk, even if he makes the hazard. The reason is that he strikes with just force enough to reach the red and go into the pocket, and this force is just enough to drive the red about the same distance in the opposite direction, leaving it where the cue ball came from--in baulk.

The English do not understand gathering shots, nursing, and cushion carroms so well as the Americans, and play chiefly for the winning and losing hazards. The objective point of the expert is the _=spot stroke=_, which consists in getting exactly behind the red ball when it is on its spot, and then driving it into the corner pocket, returning the cue ball to its position with a light draw shot. If the cue ball fails to come back exactly behind the red the position may be recovered in several ways, some of which are shown in the diagrams.

No. 1 is the perfect position for the spot stroke; the dotted lines in the others show the course that must be followed by the cue ball to recover the initial position.

_=Man-of-war Game=_ is a variety of English billiards in which there are three white balls, each belonging to different players.

The following _=LAWS=_ are taken, by permission, from the rules published by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co.

ENGLISH BILLIARD LAWS.

_=1.=_ The choice of balls and order of play shall, unless mutually agreed upon by the two players, be determined by stringing; and the striker whose ball stops nearest the lower [or bottom] cushion, after being forced from baulk up the table, may take which ball he likes, and play, or direct his opponent to play first, as he may deem expedient.

_=2.=_ The red ball shall, at the opening of every game, be placed on the top [or red] spot, and replaced after being pocketed or forced off the table, or whenever the balls are broken.

_=3.=_ Whoever breaks the balls, i. _e_., opens the game, must play out of baulk, though it is not necessary that he shall strike the red ball.

_=4.=_ The game shall be adjudged in favour of whoever first scores the number of points agreed on, when the marker shall call “game”; or it shall be given against whoever, after having once commenced, shall neglect or refuse to continue when called upon by his opponent to play.

_=5.=_ If the striker scores by his stroke he continues until he ceases to make any points, when his opponent follows on.

_=6.=_ If when moving the cue backward and forward, and prior to a stroke, it touches and moves the ball, the ball must be replaced to the satisfaction of an adversary, otherwise it is a foul stroke; but if the player strikes, and grazes any part of the ball with any part of the cue, it must be considered a stroke, and the opponent follows on.

_=7.=_ If a ball rebounds from the table, and is prevented in any way, or by any object except the cushion, from falling to the ground, or if it lodges on a cushion and remains there, it shall be considered off the table, unless it is the red, which must be spotted.

_=8.=_ A ball on the brink of the pocket need not be “challenged”: if it ceases running and remains stationary, then falls in, it must be replaced, and the score thus made does not count.

_=9.=_ Any ball or balls behind the baulk-line, or resting exactly upon the line, are not playable if the striker be in hand, and he must play out of baulk before hitting another ball.

_=10.=_ Misses may be given with the point or butt of the cue, and shall count one for each against the player; or if the player strike his ball with the cue more than once a penalty shall be enforced, and the non-striker may oblige him to play again, or may call on the marker to place the ball at the point it reached or would have reached when struck first. [The butt may also be used for playing a ball in hand up the table in order to strike a ball in baulk.]

_=11.=_ Foul strokes do not score to the player, who must allow his opponent to follow on. They are made thus: By striking a ball twice with the cue; by touching with the hand, ball, or cue an opponent’s or the red ball; by playing with the wrong ball; by lifting both feet from the floor when playing; by playing at the striker’s own ball and displacing it ever so little (except while taking aim, when it shall be replaced, and he shall play again).

_=12.=_ The penalty for a foul stroke is losing the lead, and, in case of a score, an opponent must have the red ball spotted, and himself break the balls, when the player who made the foul must follow suit, both playing from the D. If the foul is not claimed the player continues to score, if he can.

_=13.=_ After being pocketed or forced off the table the red ball must be spotted on the top spot, but if that is occupied by another ball the red must be placed on the centre spot between the middle pockets.

_=14.=_ If in taking aim the player moves his ball and causes it to strike another, even without intending to make a stroke, a foul stroke may be claimed by an adversary. (See Rule Fifteenth.)

_=15.=_ If a player fail to hit another ball, it counts one to his opponent; but if by the same stroke the player’s ball is forced over the table or into any pocket it counts three to his opponent.

_=16.=_ Forcing any ball off the table, either before or after the score, causes the striker to gain nothing by the stroke.

_=17.=_ In the event of either player using his opponent’s ball and scoring, the red must be spotted and the balls broken again by the non-striker; but if no score is made, the next player may take his choice of balls and continue to use the ball he so chooses to the end of the game. No penalty, however, attaches in either case unless the mistake be discovered before the next stroke.

_=18.=_ No person except an opponent has a right to tell the player that he is using the wrong ball, or to inform the non-striker that his opponent has used the wrong ball; and if the opponent does not see the striker use the ball, or, seeing him, does not claim the penalty, the marker is bound to score to the striker any points made.

_=19.=_ Should the striker [whose ball is in hand], in playing up the table on a ball or balls in baulk, either by accident or design, strike one of them [with his own ball] without first going out of baulk, his opponent may have the balls replaced, score a miss, and follow on; or may cause the striker to play again, or may claim a foul, and have the red spotted and the balls broken again.

_=20.=_ The striker, when in hand, may not play at a cushion within the baulk (except by going first up the table) so as to hit balls that are within or without the line.

_=21.=_ If in hand, and in the act of playing, the striker shall move his ball with insufficient strength to take it out of baulk, it shall be counted as a miss to the opponent, who, however, may oblige him to replace his ball and play again. [Failing to play out of baulk, the player may be compelled to play his stroke over again.]

_=22.=_ If in playing a pushing stroke the striker pushes more than once it is unfair, and any score he may make does not count. His opponent follows by breaking the balls.

_=23.=_ If in the act of drawing back his cue the striker knocks the ball into a pocket, it counts three to the opponent, and is reckoned a stroke.

_=24.=_ If a foul stroke be made while giving a miss, the adversary may enforce the penalty or claim the miss, but he cannot do both.

_=25.=_ If either player take up a ball, unless by consent, the adversary may have it replaced, or may have the balls broken; but if any other person touches or takes up a ball it must be replaced by the marker as nearly as possible.

_=26.=_ If, after striking, the player or his opponent should by any means obstruct or hasten the speed of any ball, it is at the opponent or player’s option to have them replaced, or to break the balls.

_=27.=_ No player is allowed to receive, nor any bystander to offer advice on the game; but should any person be appealed to by the marker or either player he has a right to offer an opinion; or if a spectator sees the game wrongly marked he may call out, but he must do so prior to another stroke.

_=28.=_ The marker shall act as umpire, but any question may be referred by either player to the company, the opinion of the majority of whom shall be acted upon.

PIN POOL.

The game of Pin Pool is played with two white balls and one red, together with five small wooden pins, which are set up in the middle of the table, diamond fashion, each pin having a value to accord with the position it occupies.

The pin nearest the string line is No. 1; that to the right of it is No. 2; to the left, No. 3; the pin farthest from the string line is No. 4; and the central or black pin, No. 5. These numbers may be chalked on the cloth in front of each particular pin.

Neither carroms nor hazards count; for pocketing a ball (when playing on a pocket table), or causing it to jump off the table or lodge on the cushion, or for missing altogether, nothing is forfeited other than the stroke. The only penalty is that the ball so offending shall be spotted upon the white-ball spot at the foot of the table, or if that be occupied then on the nearest spot thereto unoccupied.

When the pins are arranged, the rotation of the players is determined in like manner as in Fifteen-Ball Pool, after which each player receives from the marker a little numbered ball which is placed in the player’s cup on the pool board, and the number of which is not known to any of his opponents.

The object of the player is to knock down as many pins as will count exactly thirty-one when the number on the small ball held by him is added to their aggregate; thus, if the small ball is No. 9, the player will have to gain twenty-two points on the pins before calling game, and whoever first gets exactly thirty-one points in this manner wins the pool.

A white ball is spotted five inches from the lower end of the table, on a line drawn down the centre; and the red ball placed upon its own spot at the foot of the table.

Player No. 1 must play with the remaining white ball from any point within the string-line at the head of the table at either the red or white ball, or place his own on the string spot. Player No. 2 may play with any ball on the table--red or white. After the first stroke has been played, the players, in their order, may play with or at any ball upon the board.

Unless the player has played on some ball upon the board before knocking down a pin, the stroke under all circumstances goes for nothing, and the pin or pins must be replaced and the player’s ball put upon the white-ball spot at the foot of the table or if that be occupied, on the nearest unoccupied spot thereto. But should two balls be in contact the player can play with either of them, direct at the pins, and any count so made is good.

If a player, with one stroke, knocks down the four outside pins and leaves the black one standing on its spot, it is called a Natural, or _=Ranche=_, and under any and all circumstances it wins the game.

When a player gets more than 31, he is _=burst=_, and he may either play again immediately with the same ball he has in the pool rack, starting at nothing of course, or he may take a new ball. If he takes a new ball he may either keep it or keep his old one, but he cannot play again until it comes to his turn.

THE LITTLE CORPORAL.

This game is the regular Three-Ball Carrom Game with a small pin added, like those used in Pin Pool, which is set up in the centre of the table. The carroms and forfeits count as in the regular Three-Ball Game, but the knocking down of the pin scores five points for the striker, who plays until he fails to effect a carrom or knock down the pin. A ball must be hit by the cue-ball before the pin can be scored; playing at the pin direct is not allowed. The pin must be set up where it falls; but in case it goes off the table or lodges on the top of the cushion it must be placed upon the centre spot. The pin leaning against the cushion must be scored as down, and when the pin lodges in the corner of the table, so that it cannot be hit with the ball, it is to be set up on the centre spot. One hundred points generally constitute a game, but any number of points may be agreed upon.

THE SPANISH GAME OF BILLIARDS.

This game is played in the South, California, and in Mexico and Cuba, and is played with two white and one red ball, and five pins placed similar to those in Pin Pool. The red ball is placed on the red-ball spot, and the first player strikes at it from within the baulk semicircle. The game is scored by winning and losing hazards, carroms, and by knocking over the pins. It is usually played thirty points up.