Potting the black must always kiss the cushion before hand

Slow lingering kiss or just a peck?

Must be sloppy French

Take it out to dinner first either way.

and then sink the pink and brown

Never seen that. But I've played in places where you have to name the pocket for the black. If it goes in any other pocket then you lose. This was apparently done to prevent people from just smashing it around the table until it went in.

Yeah naming the pocket for the black is pretty much universal in my experience

Oh, that's a pretty handy rule. Never heard of that one.

Sometimes this is accompanied with you must state if it will touch the cushion on its way in

My dad made me play that one. You had to keep the same nominated pocket too.

Yep, same reason as before. It stops people from just smashing it and hoping it goes in.

Really useful for Pub pool, so you don't end up smashing something.

We had this rule in one pub where you had to do this but also finish on a double. Making the most of your 20p, 50p, £1.

We had a rule that it had to go into the opposite pocket your last ball went in.

I hated this rule, it would turn what should be a simple game into ridiculously longer for no reason. Annoying if you just want to leave but even more annoying when you’ve been up next to play for 45 mins.

We had a rule as some players (me being one of them) weren't as good. If you were two balls ahead you have to bounce shot the black into the pocket you designate.

Common rule in South afiica. "double on black"

We used to play 'not the obvious pocket'. When your opponent is on black you get to nominate a pocket that they cannot pot it in. It's a fun rule and lengthens games so good for poor students.

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My wife and her equally unskilled mate once played a game that went for an hour and a half, thankfully there were several tables or we would have been lynched

I think I saw the BBC Breaking News alert for that one, glad to hear the situation was finally resolved

I remember name the pocket, not specifically a non obvious one, though.

We used to call it fluky black. If you are on the black but your opponent is not. No doubles no nomination, just have to wack it.

I was forced to play 3 more games of winner stays on by a very angry skinhead back in the day. I was playing with my friend and I won, we both put the cues down and left then “oi winner stays on”, I said we were done, but he aggressively suggested it was in my best interest to play him. So I did. He potted the black on his third shot. Again I said he can play with his shaven headed compadre, but no rules are rules, he slammed down another 50p, so I beat him fair and square, third game he beat me and I was able to leave the table and the pub.

Never mind the pub I'd fucking leave town after that

Difficult to leave town, but haven’t been back to that pub in over 20 years

Back in the 90s when my OH and I were at uni we decided to try a few cheeky afternoon pints and a game of pool in our local (a very locally local if you know what I mean). I beat OH at pool and while I was doing the hahaha you're a loser thing I noticed he was smirking. Asked him what was so funny and he said "it's winner stays on... you're playing _him_ next" and points to a massive, rough looking local guy agreed about 50. To the guy's credit he was pleasant enough and I don't think he played his A game against this little, slightly drunk 18 year old girl and to my own credit I don't think I embarrassed myself too badly, although he obviously won. We decided the locals might have had enough of us after that though and we headed back to the familiarity of the student union (where it was never winner stays on as people wanted to play their mates). Sounds like I got off lighter than you did!

I had a similar experience, only it was the other way round. We had a rule where if you wanted to play next you put your money on the table, so I put my money down and waited. When the game was over the guy who won tried to make me play him, because "winner stays on". But I didn't want to play him because a) he was much better than me, and b) I didn't really know him and wanted to play against my friend. It was quite a tense stand off for a few minutes!

A braver man than me.

For starters, wtf is that ball set up? Same colour on every corner? Eh?

Wait, that's not how you set it up?

[This](https://www.jacksontrophies.com/media/wysiwyg/British_Style_Pool_Balls.jpg) is how I would set them up

Yep. That's either English pub rules or general pool rules, but I always do it that way too.

Up always remember the banana in the bottom right.

Yes. This is the correct way.

It's actually not, the yellows make a tick (swap red and yellow along the bottom) now as it was changed ( at least in most leagues) Edit: I put make a C not tick. They currently make a C at the bottom right but new rules make it a tick

I haven't played league pool for a few years now but it was always a C (or a bridge, as we called it). Just checked the EPA rules though and [you're right.]( https://imgur.com/L1D5Tlf.jpg) When was that change made?

I’ve been doing some googling and have struggled to find a definitive date. The best I’ve found is [this page](https://thepoolcoach.co.uk/2019/10/05/rack-em-up/) which suggests that the change happened some time in the 90’s! So I’ve been racking the balls wrongly somewhere between 24 and 34 years 😲

World rules uses the tick, lots of people in pubs use the C.

If it’s anything like my local, it’s probably because they’ve got a set of rules stuck up on the wall that were printed and laminated in the late eighties.

Well the shape is correct but the pattern is wrong. At the very least, there should be a red and yellow on each rear corner.

I just had to google it. I have been racking up wrong for nearly 30yrs 😂

It changed in the 90s the way I do it is apparently the old rules now.

I learned 1-2-3-C is it not that anymore?

C???? it's a banana!!!

[Nope](https://www.epa.org.uk/rules/international_pics.php#1). Don't think it matters unless you want to play seriously though, and I'm pretty sure some leagues still use the old rack.

Fuck it I'm not learning a new way

If you pot the white , can only play down the table

Unless it leaves 'the box / line"

I was totally convinced this was an actual rule after hearing in in several pubs and being how I learned to play. only found out it's completely made up a couple of months ago.

>only found out it's completely made up I got some bad news, pool's just made up... everything is just made up.

Wait it's made up? My whole life is a lie.

I've never heard of any rules about what direction the white goes in / or what you can or cant do with the white until last month. I work in a hospital that got a pool table on the ward so therefore heard any number of regional rules, with - of course - each person insisting that their rules are the official rules of pool.

Always detested that rule.

Me too, it means your opponent fouling can massively disadvantage you.

That 'rule' originates in billiards.

Yep, if you're 'double baulked' in English Billiards, you need to play past the baulk line. However in competitive play, the chance of getting a cannon if you do that is very slim and you're likely to miss anyway, so professional players typically just play to deliberately miss and take the penalty; that way, you can put the opposing player in a bad position and only take 2 point penalty, which is pretty much nothing in comparison to the game point total (which is usually 500 to 1500 points).

Definitely is a rule in certain versions.

Drop your trousers and do a lap of the table if you get 7 balled

We played it that the victor chose an animal & the loser had to do a lap of the bar acting as that animal

We do crawl under the table and sign your name the date

I thought this was standard practice.

We did 3 laps. 😅

Standard, no?

Can confirm, have lapped trouserless

We called that gettin ‘graneed’ as in your gran. Don’t know why must just be a Scottish thing haha

Yep, we had that too.

We had to go naked around the block in our halls at uni.

Yep

That’s in the official rule book

They had that rule at the student bar in Worcester college Oxford. Lot of fellas in tweed. Made sure I didnt lose.

This is a great rule when playing in Dubai. The added excitement of a possible custodial makes for a fun game.

That is a rule, isn't it?

If you lose against a local you had to down half a pint of Guinness.

Is the Guinness provided? If so, I am available.

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Oh no… Losht for the sheventeenth tim…

We always played "no look" on the black. You can only pot the black looking directly at your opponent

My buddy always insisted on this and would utter "you see , pool..." takes shot "... is a man's game." He kept a dead serious face whilst doing this, usually did alright with it, but more than once he did it whilst so pissed he missed the cue ball.

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This was all 15 years ago and I only now realize how long ago that is in some ways.

You pot the black in the break and you win.

I've never seen that done. Get outta town!

The secret is either power and luck or setting the balls up in an extremely specific configuration - they're still technically in the right positions but if you fudge some very tiny gaps between them just right you can get the black to roll just fast enough into a corner pocket.

in all the years of playing ive done it once. a certain type of spin and a shit ton of luck

One time my mate took a shot and it wasn't quite hard enough. I shouted It's got no legs it's get no legs. I shit you not, as soon as I was saying that a man in a wheel chair with no fucking legs wheels himself into my line of vision. The ground could not swallow me up quick enough. My mates pointed out that man has no legs. I said yes I know that now!

😭😭😭 I'm finished, I can imagine that

Used to call those a "Douglas Bader" when we were playing golf. A hole in 9 was called a German(nein), could have been 10, 11 or 12 but we sort of stopped counting at 9 and you were that shit you'd be let off with a couple of strokes.

I played at a pub in France and if the white ball stopped against the cushion you were aloud to put the fat end of the cue between the ball and the cushion. Absolutely bizarre.

From a French town here in Canada and we did that growing up too

Pretty common rule in America too

Not a rule but some Scottish guy couldnt believe it when i played for a snooker. "Ye play pool like yer country" was his response (I am English).

Tbf when someone plays a snooker on a pool table they deserve a bit of anglo saxon. But we've all done it. Feels dirty and good at the same time

Pub near where i grew up had the rule of never wake the cats up , if there asleep you play around them .

Like on the table?

Yep the cats loved sleeping under the lights so you had to play around them .

That’s cool! Would they stay sleep through all the racket? And did they ever get hit with a ball?

Mostly slept through sometimes they batted a ball and they got hit quite a bit but they were fat fluffy lumps so probably didnt even feel it

Make sure you don't step in the dog shit. The couple that ran the joint didn't mind their dog crapping on the carpet, but weren't happy if you trod it in. Place got shut down as they were running a dog pit out the back for illegal fighting.

Can’t beat a game of killer

Killer brings out the absolute filth in everyone. You'd stich your best mate up for six quid

Banned in ours and cards, always kicks off haha

One shot on the black Even if your oponent fouls and you would normally have two shots. If you are on the black you only get one shot

Oh fuck that isn't a normal rule? I feel lied to by everyone 😂

That’s all I’ve ever played.

I'm sure this is an actual rule, I've never seen it played differently

Its fairly common but an older outdated rule from my experience, also leads to lots of weird intentional fouls. If you fuck up and foul shouldn't matter if they're on the black or not just don't fuck up :P

If they intentionally foul at all during the game you win

2 shots carry on the black white can play up or down table after a foul?

Yep

I always feel that's the rule of a scoundrel. I just like to use the word scoundrel

I hate that stupid rule where the winner stays on. I want to have a game of pool with my mates, not get annihilated by a professional level pool player in 3 minutes. It should be, you pay, you play, you fuck off and let the next pair play

No k-holes on the pool table.

But whiteys are alright?

Al’whitey then

There's this one dude who has a 'winner stays on' rule which sounds normal, but he's a terrible loser, he'll bitch and refuse the leave the table if he loses. It's become an unwritten right of passage that all new players have to play him first, if you win, one of the locals will buy your next drink, but either way that dude isn't ganna leave the table so you'll be playing one of us next anyway.

Winner stays on is a stupid rule. It’s just for people to show off how good they are by beating a load of beginner level players. Luckily there is a large element of chance to a game of pool so eventually they get fucked off

A good slap side ways will fix the bitch.

This image looks like AI generated a ‘British Pub’

This is local pool for local people

These were the rules when I used to play about 30 years ago - anything unusual here? Winner stays on Challenger breaks Two shots carry (ie after your opponent fouls, and you pot your first shot, you still have two shots.) If the cue ball is potted it must be placed in the D and must be hit forwards (ie towards the larger area in front of the D, not the smaller area behind the D) Named pocket for black ​ I think that's it, but I'm sure I'll wake up in a sweat during the night having remembered another!

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I've always played shots do carry, with various different people over the last 20 years. Maybe it's a regional thing, I'm in Kent.

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If they sink all their balls and I don’t sink any I have to walk around the table with my trousers down.

7 balled, so they must see your own.

My local insists that you can only pot the black whilst using your own penis as a cue

And the ladies? Do they use your penis too?

Think thats called being snookered

Doubles on the black.

No peeing in it

Everything here is just a subset of "Dave's Rules". They were different every single game that he played...

Underrated comment

Prison rules

In a bar in Sweden, you could only pot the black in the pocket opposite where you potted your last red/yellow ball.

That's far too complicated when you're three sheets to the wind

Even sober I'd forget that after a few minutes.

‘Whack the black’. This is a rule of my own invention. I watched my brother play an arsey twat in The Stag, Southend Green, London. This guy had his own cue, with its own case. My brother cleared the table and was left with an easy shot on the black. Instead of sinking it he hit it ridiculously hard, and the black bounced back onto the table. This happened a few more times until he finally won, and the arsey guy twisted the two ends of his cue apart and went home. I asked my brother afterwards what was going on. He told me that when someone pisses him off, nudging the black in gently isn’t enough. It has to be decisive. I loved this idea. I’m not very competitive myself - I play to win, but only because I win to play. I loved this as a way of levelling up. If you are winning, you should win with panache, or the win doesn’t count. Sometimes I insist on this rule - if the black crawls into the top pocket you forfeit the game. Mostly it’s a rule I keep to myself - only I have to whack the black.

In Amsterdam dude tried yelling me the 8 ball needs to hit 3 walls. I hit it after 4 tries.

Birkenhead Rules: No two shot carry. One shot on the black. Double the black, named pocket.

Loser buys the Gary’s

Iv seen the game disappearing in most places i drink. the amount of fights it caused. • Guys would put coins down (not even £1 coins, fucking pennies) to reserve games, around 20-25 and hold the table the whole day.

Went to my unis pool society. I was very confused with the 2 carry rule and especially 2 on the black.

Winner stays on, I really hate that

Any kind of trick shot is an illegal move.

Agreeing to play Leicester rules. Was this a thing? I went to uni t’up north in the early 90s… how did word spread about such ruling?!

They can move the balls wherever they want if you foul. Not the white...any of the balls. Alright old man, I didn't want to play with you anyway. I just wanted to keep the peace.

Never seen it enforced in a pub, but the official English 8 ball rules state that a ball must be potted or hit a cushion on every shot. Prevents you rolling up against one of your balls for a easy snooker. Confused me when I entered a comp at the local snooker centre.

My regular place while in college had a rule that if you managed to get a ball (any ball) into the kitchen somehow, you'd immediately win. This rule came about after that, somehow, happened once. The ball would have to go around the corner to get there tho, so it was near impossible and no-one ever made any actual attempts, but whenever one of the balls would accidentally leave the table there would be someone bringing it up, every single time.

Always find out before you play, pool rules will be similar with only a couple of intricacies. If you don’t ask first the literally hundreds of new rules will spring up as the game proceeds.

Is it a proper rule that as the new guy I have to be naked during the pool match? Or have they fooled me 14 times?

Pot the black in the first pocket you potted in and you wernt able to cover the pocket the first ball of your opponents first potted in was probably the strangest. And I’ve played A LOt of pool.

What on earth... What madman put that rule in?

On a foul typically you can move the white to behind the line or in the "D". I went further a field for a few pints one day and saw people placing it anywhere they wanted on the table!

That's barbaric!

"Winner stays on" when it's not even a free table. No. If I'm paying for the table I'll play with whoever the fuck I like. My money, my table.

WINNER STAYS ON !!!!

It’s always knobheads who think they’re Alex Higgins love this rule. They think beating 10 people in a row who are way below their skill level is impressive

Yep. Same happened to me too once years ago. I used the same argument and he stood down. TBH I'd never heard of it before and thought he was taking the piss. Later found out that was the rule at that pub, so never went back for another game.

If you aren't good enough to earn control of the table, the lessons are cheap.

Double on the black, opposite pocket (to the last ball you pot). Good times.

If you put the white while on the black, you lose.

This is a proper rule

There are Gibraltar rules, which seem to be flexible and favour the locals of Gibraltar. Not that I minded as I was usually shitfaced :).

2 shots on the black

I played someone for £20 the other day and he offered to kick ox me for the money after I won. Not sure if that's a local rule but I declined.

Last bag, black must be potted in the same bag as your last colour

I've personally never been to a pub with its own rules on pool so I'd guess not every pub has it own rules

Pool isn’t worth the grief. Read a book instead.

If you get 7 balled you have to run around the table with your pants down.

Never mind the rules, where is this place? Looks great

I used to play "german rules" you have to put the black down the same pocket as your last regular ball. Probably not even german in origin.

You cant start unless you roll a six..

Local pub I was at you could pick up the white and place it anywhere, also you could shoot 2 on the black ball, in addition you didn’t need to choose a pocket for the black to go in, so you could fluke shot all you want.

Eating an onion if you're the only one on your team to lose

If I win, I don’t get beaten up.

I feel like "if you lose without potting a single ball you must walk round the table with your trousers down" was common. garbage machismo shash for shandy drinkers

If the white is potted by your opponent then you can place it anywhere on the table?!?

Always hated places that played two shot carry. Such a bullshit rule.

I entered this thread secure in the knowledge that I had a decent understanding of the rules of pool. I’m now totally uncertain of everything I know about pool

My mate the other day fouled by pushing the white behind his ball but without touching it, snookering me in the process. He thought he was a clever bastard. I thought since it was a foul I could move the white anywhere on the table (or even behind the line at least as there was a line), but he insisted I couldn't. I also would've expected a free ball or something, but no he didn't let me and said I was trying to cheat. I'm not 100% anyway so just went with it. Still won though, YEAsSSS!

Yeah we would play that that’s a free shot - you’re allowed to hit his ball. Opens up an opportunity to make his life difficult.

Is that the pub from Brassic tv series ?

I was once 8 balled and was told to run round the table 3 times with my pants round my ankles otherwise I’d get filled in by the locals

Wish we had a pub like this in the states! Wow.

You have to pot the black in the pocket your first colour goes in.

I used to play in a pub league, one year the committee (lead by a guy everyone thought was a dick) made a new rule where everytime you hit the white, after you hit a ball you had to hit a cushion or it was a foul. It was designed to stop unending games of crafty "snookering". Everyone hated it and the next year it was promptly removed. There were some other stupid dick ones but that stood out.

Bad rules

2 shots when your opponent fouls for English pool is very bizarre for me (Canadian living in England)

Only one shot on the black if your opponent fouls and there are none of their balls left on the table.

The brunswick arms in brisbane had a round pool table…not sure it had rules

Danny always wins - that’s the weirdest rule I ever heard in a pub, and luckily for me, he won! It sounded more like a threat than a rule so I think I escaped with my life that night!

If you pot the white, a ball you’ve already pitted goes back on the table

How does that work on a pay table?

Doesn’t seem like that would work at all on a pay table does it.

Everyone has to have their weiner poking through the fly of their pants. If they don’t have a fly, a hole must be cut