Editing Nine-ball (section)

==Rules==
The game of nine-ball is played on a [[billiard table]] with six [[pocket (billiards)|pockets]]. The {{Cuegloss|cue ball}}, which is usually a solid shade of white (but may be spotted in some tournaments), is struck to hit the nine {{cuegloss|object balls}}, which are numbered 1 through 9, each a distinct color, with the 9 ball typically having a yellow stripe on a white base. The aim of the game is to hit the lowest numbered ball on the table (often referred to as the {{cuegloss|ball on}}) and {{cuegloss|pocket}} balls in succession to eventually pocket the nine-ball.<ref name="rules"/> As long as the lowest numbered ball on the table is contacted first by the cueball, and any one or more of the object balls are pocketed in any of the pockets with no {{Cuegloss|foul}} being committed, a player's {{Cuegloss|inning}} continues. When the table passes to another player, they must play from where the balls were last positioned, except if the prior inning ended in a foul. In that case, the incoming player takes {{Cuegloss|ball in hand}}, anywhere on the table. The winner is the player who legally pockets the nine-ball, the game's {{cuegloss|money ball}}, regardless of how many balls have been pocketed beforehand. This can happen earlier than the nine-ball being the sole remaining object ball on the table if it is pocketed via a {{cuegloss|combination}} or other indirect method.<ref name="rules" />

===Breaking===
[[File:EVD-billar-195.jpg|thumb|Two players competing in a {{cuegloss|lag}} to choose who breaks first.]]
Each rack begins with the object balls placed in a [[rack (billiards)|rack]] and one player playing a {{cuegloss|break}}.<ref name="vrules2">{{Cite web |title=9 – Ball Rules |work=vnea.com |access-date=6 January 2020 |url=http://www.vnea.com/111111new-page.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518072354/http://vnea.com/111111new-page.aspx |archive-date=18 May 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The object balls are placed in a diamond-shaped configuration, with the 1-ball positioned at the front on the {{cuegloss|foot spot}}, and the 9-ball placed in the center. The rack used to position the balls may be either triangle-shaped, as is used for eight-ball and other pool games, or a specific diamond-shaped rack that holds only nine balls may be used. Racks are usually made of wood or plastic.<ref name="dime_Bill">{{Cite web |title=Billiards Racks Dimensions & Drawings |url=https://www.dimensions.guide/element/billiards-pool-racks |access-date=6 January 2020 |work=dimensions.guide}}</ref> A template that lies on the table during the break has also come into use.<ref name="dime_Bill" />

The break consists of hitting the 1 ball, with the attempt to pocket any ball. If the 9 ball is successfully potted, the player automatically wins the rack. This is sometimes known as a {{cuegloss|golden break}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Golden Break |work=billiardsforum.com |access-date=6 January 2020 |url=http://www.billiardsforum.com/billiard-terms-definition/golden-break |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301014541/http://www.billiardsforum.com/billiard-terms-definition/golden-break |archive-date=1 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Additional rules in some tournaments exist, such as a number of balls having to reach the {{cuegloss|head string}}, and players can be chosen to break alternately or whoever won the preceding rack. The break is often the most crucial shot in nine-ball, as it is possible to win a rack without the opponent having taken a single shot. This is often called a {{cuegloss|break and run}}, or running the rack.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Break and Run |work=billiardsforum.com |access-date=6 January 2020 |url=http://www.billiardsforum.com/billiard-terms-definition/break-and-run |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702060821/http://www.billiardsforum.com/billiard-terms-definition/break-and-run |archive-date=2 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Earl Strickland]] holds the record for break and runs, after he successfully ran 11 consecutive racks in a tournament in 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Billiards Digest – Pool's Top Source for News, Views, Tips & More |url=http://www.billiardsdigest.com/new_current_issue/july_16/bb_index.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118120640/http://www.billiardsdigest.com/new_current_issue/july_16/bb_index.php |archive-date=18 January 2017 |access-date=6 January 2020 |work=billiards digest}}</ref> The first break of a match is sometimes decided by a flip of a coin, but often by playing a {{cuegloss|lag}}, with both players playing a cue ball down the table, the closest to the top rail winning the initial break.<ref name="rules" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Starting Strong: How to Win the Lag {{!}} Pool Cues and Billiards Supplies at PoolDawg.com |work=pooldawg.com |access-date=6 January 2020 |url= https://www.pooldawg.com/article/pooldawg-library/starting-strong-how-to-win-the-lag}}</ref>

===Push out and fouls===
After the break, if no fouls were committed, the shooter has the option to continue the rack as usual, or to play a {{cuegloss|push out}}. The rules on a push out are different to those of a regular shot, as the shot does not need to hit a rail or ball.<ref name="pushout">{{Cite web |title=Rules of Play |work=WPA Pool |access-date=14 May 2020 |url=https://wpapool.com/rules-of-play/#}}</ref> After the push out, the opposing player has the option to play the shot that has been left, or to force their opponent to play on from that location. In early versions of nine-ball the push out could be called at any time during the game, but is now only for the shot after the break.<ref name="pushout" /><ref name="rules" /><ref name="Jewett BD 2008-02">{{BDMag |first=Bob |last=Jewett |date=February 2008|title=Killing Me Softly?: The Outbreak of the Soft Break Threatens the Game of 9-ball|volume=30|issue=3|pages= 34–35}}</ref>

If a player misses potting a ball on a shot, or commits a foul shot, then their opponent plays the next shot.<ref name="rules" /> A foul shot can involve not making first contact with the lowest numbered ball, pocketing the cue ball, or, after hitting the lowest numbered ball, not pocketing an object ball and not making contact with a {{cuegloss|rail}} by an object ball or the cue ball.<ref name="vrules2" /> A foul shot for any reason offers the opponent {{cuegloss|ball in hand}}, which means they can place the cue ball at any location on the table. A player making three successive fouls (for any reason) awards that rack to the opponent.<ref name="vrules2" /> Unlike some other cue sports, such as [[snooker]], players are allowed to jump the cue ball over other balls. However, if any ball leaves the cloth at the end of a shot, it is counted as a foul. Jumping is common in nine-ball, and players often have a dedicated jump cue.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How To Massé and Jump the Cue Ball {{!}} Pool Cues and Billiards Supplies at PoolDawg.com |work=pooldawg.com |access-date=6 January 2020 |url= https://www.pooldawg.com/article/pooldawg-library/how-to-masse-and-jump-the-cue-ball}}</ref>

===European alterations===
[[File:Nine-ball break box diagram.png|thumb|An image showing the {{cuegloss|break box}} used on the [[Euro Tour]]. This box limits the areas in which a break can be played from.]]
As of the 2000s, the rules have been somewhat in flux in certain contexts, especially in Europe. The [[European Pocket Billiard Federation]] (EPBF), the WPA-affiliate in Europe, has instituted a requirement on the Euro Tour is that the break shot be taken from a "{{Cuegloss|Break box|break box}}" a rectangular box smaller than the regular nine-ball breaking area.<ref name="Jewett BD 2008-02" /><ref>{{BDMag|first=Mike|last=Panozzo|date=February 2008|title=Long Live the Cup!|volume=30|issue=3|pages= 34–35}}</ref> While making the money ball on breaks are still possible, they are much more difficult with the break box.<ref name="Jewett BD 2008-02" /> This was later used on the annual international [[Mosconi Cup]] tournaments.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Break rules set to change |work=kozoom.com |access-date=7 January 2020 |url=https://www.kozoom.com/en/pool-billiard/news/break-rules-set-to-change.html}}</ref> Another Mosconi Cup rule change in 2007 called for racking such that the 9 ball rather than the 1 ball is on the {{cuegloss|foot spot}}, which further stops overpowered break-off shots.<ref name="Jewett BD 2008-02" />