Rules question

Tom Wirth

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Jul 5, 2004
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From
Delray Beach, Florida
I think I know the answer to this but not being a true bank pool player I admit not knowing the actual and official rule to this situation.

A player calls a straight back on a ball located within a diamond of the side rail. He slightly over banks the ball and as it travels down table it catches the side point and is clearly redirected along the cushion and into the called pocket.

What is the official tournament ruling?

To be clear. Had the ball been hit better and simply slid off the side cushion with incidental contact and fallen there would be no question that the shot would be considered a legally pocketed ball. In this case the path of the object ball is clearly altered by its contact with the side pocket point.

Thanks to all those who can provide something other than an opinion or guess.

Tom
 

crabbcatjohn

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Nov 30, 2014
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4,997
From
Benton, Ky.
I think I know the answer to this but not being a true bank pool player I admit not knowing the actual and official rule to this situation.

A player calls a straight back on a ball located within a diamond of the side rail. He slightly over banks the ball and as it travels down table it catches the side point and is clearly redirected along the cushion and into the called pocket.

What is the official tournament ruling?

To be clear. Had the ball been hit better and simply slid off the side cushion with incidental contact and fallen there would be no question that the shot would be considered a legally pocketed ball. In this case the path of the object ball is clearly altered by its contact with the side pocket point.

Thanks to all those who can provide something other than an opinion or guess.

Tom
Good shot where i play, side pocket point is still part of the long rail.
 

Tom Wirth

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Jul 5, 2004
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Delray Beach, Florida
Tom, you been playing a little bumps down there, have you?..:)

~Doc

No Doc. very little banks are being played around here. Very little of anything for that matter. I was playing a little One hole and my opponent had that happen to one of his shots and it caused me to think of what the ruling in banks.

How are the eyes?

Tom
 

Dennis "Whitey" Young

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Klamath Falls, Or.
Dennis "Whitey" Young

Dennis "Whitey" Young

I think I know the answer to this but not being a true bank pool player I admit not knowing the actual and official rule to this situation.

A player calls a straight back on a ball located within a diamond of the side rail. He slightly over banks the ball and as it travels down table it catches the side point and is clearly redirected along the cushion and into the called pocket.

What is the official tournament ruling?

To be clear. Had the ball been hit better and simply slid off the side cushion with incidental contact and fallen there would be no question that the shot would be considered a legally pocketed ball. In this case the path of the object ball is clearly altered by its contact with the side pocket point.

Thanks to all those who can provide something other than an opinion or guess.

Tom

This is an excellent question, kudos for bringing it up!

Hitting any pocket point on a rail in executing a bank shot constitutes contacting a rail and has to be called, unless the point contacted is a point of the called pocket, which would make it incidental (unimportant) cushion contact.

Contacting a side pocket point that especially "redirects" is not "incidental contact", and therefore does not comply with the intent of the rule. The key word is "redirect" which makes the point contact out of compliance if not called!

Bank Pool is a highly strict call shot game that has rules purposefully defined to eliminate "luck" ! "Whitey"
 

androd

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Dec 10, 2008
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New Braunfels tx.
This is an excellent question, kudos for bringing it up!

Hitting any pocket point on a rail in executing a bank shot constitutes contacting a rail and has to be called, unless the point contacted is a point of the called pocket, which would make it incidental (unimportant) cushion contact.

Contacting a side pocket point that especially "redirects" is not "incidental contact", and therefore does not comply with the intent of the rule. The key word is "redirect" which makes the point contact out of compliance if not called!

Bank Pool is a highly strict call shot game that has rules purposefully defined to eliminate "luck" ! "Whitey"

It would be the same as touching the rail close to designated pocket.
Good shot !
 

cincy_kid

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Nov 23, 2015
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Cincinnati, OH
Not a big bank player here but from what I know, in the placed I have played that would be a legal shot...

On a side note, I know a "whitey" from the Cincinnati area..but I a guessing this isn't you? :)
 

#Cruncher

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Jun 13, 2008
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128
I played in a local bank tournament this past Spring, and the director said that it's not a clean bank, if it is catches the point going down the rail. I replied "Since when?". He went to his first DCC in January and claimed that is how it was played there.

I didn't attend this past year, so couldn't refute that they had changed the rule. Can anyone substantiate the ruling? Perhaps, he's referring to shooting directly at the point and calling it cross corner?
 

Dennis "Whitey" Young

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Klamath Falls, Or.
Cruncher,
I can not comment upon DCC, but I put out to other's a question concerning another rule, and of course the rule is general and not entirely specific and leaves room for alternative interpretations. But Tom Rossman gave me back the best reply! He stated; " that it is hard to say, for there are so many rule making bodies and so many governing bodies of individual events these days that one has to go by the domain of administrative body of the event, for their domain governs! It is not like the old days where we had very few rule governing bodies, and few events, and went by house rules". I am paraphrasing. Whitey
 

daylate$short

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Jul 9, 2006
Messages
32
From
Aberdeen, SD
I was surfing the pool sites today and just happened to look at the DCC site. I have a friend who's planning on going for Banks this year, so I was looking at the rules:

"Calling a Bank: You must call the intended pocket and exact number of cushions before shooting.

Illegally Pocketed Balls: A ball is illegally pocketed if it: goes into other than the called pocket; contacts other than the exact number of cushions called; caroms off any other object ball before being pocketed; is pocketed by a combination; contacts the cue ball more than once on the same shot. All illegally pocketed balls are spotted."

I've been to quite a few DCC's but don't play Banks, so have never really looked at their rule set. Just thought I knew what's what. So I don't know if this is a new detail in the rules. I'm sure I've seen many shots have incidental rail contact near the called pocket and still be good. I can't imagine it not counting.
 

Dennis "Whitey" Young

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Klamath Falls, Or.
contacting points !

contacting points !

In Conversing with Bret Baker, the Tournament Director of DCC, he stated; "on this bank shot it is "not" considered a legal bank if the object ball comes off either point of the side pocket. Further, all rails and intended pocket must be called, but incidental adjacent rail contact just prior to the ball being pocket does not have to be called for it is not consider an additional contacted rail. Further, points are legal to be used in banks, but must be called". I am paraphrasing, but this is Bret's exact intent! Whitey
 
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