Bank Pool & More

The Game

Bank Pool (also called "Banks") is a call shot game played with fifteen object balls numbered 1 through 15, plus a cue ball in the long rack game, and any nine object balls plus a cue ball in the short rack game. To score you are required to play a bank shot. The object of the game is to score a predetermined number of balls before your opponent. The game is played by two, three, four or five players. For three, four or five players, the long rack game is the suggested format.

The Rack

The balls are racked as follows:

• a.In long rack Bank Pool: in a triangle and placed randomly; apex ball on the foot spot.
• b.In short rack Bank Pool: in a diamond (the front nine positions of the triangle) and placed randomly; apex ball on the foot spot.
• c.The rows behind the apex are parallel to the foot string.

Break Requirements

You begin the break with cue ball in hand behind the head string. There is no requirement to contact any particular object ball first. You must cause at least four object balls to contact the cushions or it is an illegal break. If any balls are pocketed on the opening break, you continue shooting. Any balls pocketed on the opening break are not scored and are spotted after your inning ends.

If your break is illegal, your opponent may: (a) accept the table in position, or (b) re-rack the balls and break.

Subsequent Racks & Continuing Play

If a match consists of multiple games, players must alternate breaking subsequent games. All object balls are legal. Your inning continues as long as you legally pocket a ball. Your inning ends if you do not legally pocket a ball.

Scoring and Legally Pocketed Ball

A legally pocketed ball counts as one ball. Any ball pocketed in addition to the called ball on the same shot does not count and is an illegally pocketed ball.

A ball is legally pocketed if:

• a.It is pocketed as the result of a bank shot.
• b.The number of cushions are designated when calling the shot and only that number of cushions are contacted. Incidental contact with a cushion as the object ball approaches the called pocket is not considered an extra cushion.
• c.It is not pocketed as a result of a kiss or carom.
• d.It is not contacted by the cue ball more than once.

Illegally Pocketed Balls & Jump Shots

A ball is illegally pocketed if the shot does not meet the requirements of Rule 7-7, if it is pocketed in addition to the called ball, or if a foul is committed on the shot.

Jump shots may only be attempted with your playing cue.

Foul Penalties

For each foul you commit you must spot one of your previously scored balls, reducing your score by one. If you foul and have no previously scored object balls, you "owe" one for that foul and must spot balls after each scoring inning until all "owed balls" are eliminated. Your opponent accepts the cue ball in position, unless there is a scratch or it is jumped off the table, in which case your opponent receives ball in hand behind the head string.

It is a foul if you jump any object ball off the table. The object ball is spotted and your opponent accepts the cue ball in position.

End of Game

For two players:

• —Long rack game: one player has legally pocketed eight balls and does not owe any balls.
• —Short rack game: one player has legally pocketed five balls and does not owe any balls.

For three, four or five players, the long rack game ends when one player has legally pocketed five, four, or three balls, respectively, and does not owe any balls.

Eligibility and Disability Classification

To be eligible for a wheelchair event you must have a mobility-impaired disability requiring the use of a wheelchair. You may be required to provide a physician's letter to establish your eligibility.

CSI wheelchair play encompasses two disability classifications:

• a.Wheelchair players who meet the definition of minimal disability and are unable to make and sustain a functional bridge with their non-cueing hand.
• b.All other wheelchair players who meet the definition of minimal disability and are able to make and sustain a functional bridge with their non-cueing hand.

Minimal disability is defined as: loss of limb above the ankle; decrease of muscle strength in one lower limb of at least 30 points; or severe mobility problems comparable with the above.

Wheelchair Rules of Play

• 1.You must remain seated on the cushion or the seat of the wheelchair when playing a shot. You must have at least one cheek on the cushion or seat when you strike the cue ball.
• 2.If you use a cushion, it must remain flat and cover the seat of the wheelchair evenly. The cushion cannot be bunched up or straddled by your legs or stumps. The point where your buttocks rest on the seat or cushion must not be higher than 27 inches from the surface on which the wheelchair rolls.
• 3.Your feet must be kept clear of the floor when you strike the cue ball. You must not use your legs or stumps as leverage against any part of the table or wheelchair while shooting. It is a foul if you violate Rules 8-3-1 through 3.
• 4.If you have a classification 8-1-a disability, you may request the referee to assist you with your equipment and use any help aids such as cue extensions or special bridges. Another person may hold the bridge but must not help with the actual stroke. If you require assistance to roll around the table, another person may help but must not be touching the wheelchair during the actual shot.
• 5.Below-the-knee strapping is permitted to keep your feet on the footplates. Strapping above the waist is not permitted except for medical reasons.
• 6.You may not use a standing wheelchair in the standing position.

Breaking

When it is your team's turn to break, either player may break. You may discuss the decision with your partner. You are not required to maintain the order of play from any preceding game.

In 8-Ball, if you pocket the 8-ball on a legal break and do not foul, your partner must make the decision whether to spot the 8-ball and continue or re-rack and break again. If a re-rack is chosen, the player who broke the original rack must break again. In either case, the decision may not be discussed between partners.

All other game formats (9-Ball, 10-Ball, etc.) follow the specific game rules for after the break.

Continuing Play

After the break, players on a team alternate shots during their inning. The order of play must be maintained between innings. If a player shoots out of turn it is a foul.

In 9-Ball and 10-Ball, if either team plays a push-out shot after the break, the player that performed the push-out shot returns to the table to continue with the shot if the opposing team declines to take it. The push-out shot is not considered two separate shots but one shot with two parts.

Coaching

During your inning, open communication between partners is allowed. Communication and coaching cannot result in slower than normal play — as a general guide, there should be no more than 45 seconds between each shot. If a team consistently uses more than 45 seconds between shots, the opposing team may summon a referee to monitor the match.

The non-shooting player is allowed to point at or touch the table while offering advice but may not touch any ball including the cue ball when it is "ball in hand," or mark the table in any way.

Any player on either team, regardless of whose turn at the table it is, may: call a foul; request a stoppage of play to summon a referee; inquire whose turn it is; or inquire what group they have.

Time Outs

Each team is entitled to one five-minute time out per match. The time-out must be taken between games. It is a foul if a team member leaves the playing area without authorization during a game.

Authority of the CSI Referee

CSI referees are the direct representatives of CSI in all matters concerning the conduct of the actual game on the table and the comportment of the players and spectators during CSI events. A CSI referee is the final authority in all matters of judgment, including whether a stroke or hit was legal, whether a ball contacted a cushion, whether a ball is frozen, whether a shot was obvious, whether a position can be restored, and whether a player's conduct is unsportsmanlike.

A CSI referee has the authority to: suspend play; warn, penalize or disqualify players for rules infractions; request players to take specific actions; and request removal of persons who disrupt or interfere with play.

Answering Players' Questions

A referee must answer all players' questions regarding the CSI Rules, but must provide only factual information. A referee must never offer an opinion concerning subjective information that would affect play — for example, whether a legal hit can be made, whether a ball will fit through a gap, or how the characteristics of the table might affect play.

Referees will assist players with equipment as follows: they will help locate and retrieve chalk when supplied by the Administrative Authority; and they will retrieve a mechanical bridge upon request, but may not assist the player in the use of the bridge.

Calling Fouls

Referees will call fouls as soon as possible after they occur. When called to a table, a referee will call all fouls that occur while at the table. When making a ruling, the referee will announce the ruling and, if calling a foul, a brief description of the foul or rule that was violated.

A referee will not call a foul unless, in their judgment, they have clear evidence of a foul. In the absence of certainty, the referee is guided by a presumption of legality in most situations — for example, if in question: the stroke is legal, the shot is legal, the foot is in contact with the floor, the safety was called, the ball is not in motion.

Referee Presiding Over a Match

CSI events are usually played with referees having responsibility for more than one table. In that situation, referees will not make any calls concerning the game on the table unless they have been properly called to the table by a player involved in the game. Exception: unsportsmanlike conduct may be called without having been called to the table.

After having been properly called to a table, the referee takes over the responsibilities and duties of the non-shooting player. The non-shooting player must leave the table while their opponent is shooting. When a referee is presiding over a match, the referee will make all calls concerning the match and no request by the players is necessary.

Protests, Rules Interpretations, and Final Authority

You may protest if you feel a referee has incorrectly applied the rules or made an incorrect rules interpretation. You must make your protest both immediately after the decision in question and prior to the next shot being taken, or it will not be considered. Matters involving a referee's judgment may not be protested.

The Tournament Director or other designated event official is the final authority on all protests. No final decision on any protest may be made by any CSI referee while acting in the capacity of a referee.

Whenever possible, referees faced with unusual situations not specifically covered by the CSI rules must first look to the event's Administrative Authority for guidance before making a ruling.

Authority to Alter Rules

The Administrative Authority of an event may alter the CSI rules as necessary. If they choose to alter the rules, they must make a reasonable effort to ensure that all affected players are properly notified in a timely manner, that the alterations are available in writing, that the alterations are properly detailed and complete, and that the alterations are provided to the CSI National Office upon request.

The Game

Cutthroat is an informal pool game for three players using all fifteen object balls. Each player is assigned a group of five balls. The object is to be the last player with at least one ball remaining on the table.

Rack and Groups

Rack all 15 balls in a triangle with the 1-ball on the foot spot, the 6-ball on one rear corner, and the 11-ball on the other. Remaining balls are placed randomly. Groups are pre-assigned before the break:

• —Player 1: balls 1–5
• —Player 2: balls 6–10
• —Player 3: balls 11–15

Legal Shot

The cue ball must contact an opponent's ball first on every shot. After that contact, a numbered ball must be pocketed or any ball (including the cue ball) must contact a cushion. Pocketing a ball from your own group on a legal shot is allowed — your inning continues. You keep shooting as long as you legally pocket a ball on each shot.

Fouls and Scratches

On any foul, your inning ends and each opponent may restore one of their previously pocketed balls to the table. On a scratch or jumped cue ball, the same restoration applies and the incoming player receives cue ball in hand behind the head string. On other fouls, the incoming player takes the table as it lies.

A player whose entire group has been pocketed is eliminated from the shooting rotation but may be reinstated if an opponent commits a foul.

End of Game

The last player with at least one ball remaining on the table wins.