Quick Rules
10-Ball (WPA Quick Rules)
Objective
Balls must be contacted in numerical order.
All shots are called.
The rack is won by legally calling and pocketing the 10-ball last.
Break
Cue ball in hand behind the head string.
Cue ball must strike the 1-ball first.
Legal break requires either:
at least one object ball to be pocketed, or
at least four object balls to contact a rail.
Failure to meet break requirements is a foul.
Push-Out (After Break)
After a legal break, the breaker may play one push-out.
Normal rules for ball order and rails do not apply.
After the push-out, the opponent may shoot or pass the shot back.
Call Shot & Legal Shot
Every shot (except break and push-out) must be called.
Cue ball must contact the lowest-numbered ball first.
After contact, a ball must be pocketed or driven to a rail.
Missed Call (No Foul)
If a called shot is missed without a foul, the incoming player may
shoot or require the shooter to continue.
Fouls (Ball in Hand)
All fouls result in cue ball in hand anywhere on the table.
Three consecutive fouls by the same player lose the rack.
Spotting
The 10-ball is spotted if pocketed early, on a foul, or driven off the table.
No other object balls are spotted.
Stalemate
If no progress is possible, the rack is replayed; original breaker breaks again.
Jump to: Objective | Break Shot | Push-Out | Call-Shot Requirement | Legal Shot | Missed Called Shot | Continuing Play | Fouls | Three-Foul Rule | Spotting Balls | Stalemate | Special Situations
Full Rules
Preamble
These 10-Ball rules follow the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) standards. All WPA General Rules on fouls, legal shots, cue-ball in hand, equipment, and conduct apply unless explicitly stated otherwise below.
1. Objective
10-Ball is a call-shot game played with ten object balls numbered 1 through 10 and a cue ball.
Balls must be played in ascending numerical order.
The rack is won only when the 10-ball is legally pocketed on a called shot as the final object ball.
2. Break Shot
The cue ball begins in hand behind the head string.
The cue ball must strike the 1-ball first.
A break shot is legal if:
At least one object ball is pocketed, or
At least four object balls are driven to a rail.
Failure to meet these requirements constitutes a foul, and the incoming player has cue ball in hand anywhere on the table.
3. Push-Out (Second Shot of the Rack)
If no foul is committed on the break, the shooter may choose to play a push-out.
The shooter must declare the push-out before the shot.
During a push-out:
Rules for wrong ball first and rail contact are suspended.
Pocketing balls on a push-out does not win the rack.
After the push-out, the opponent may choose to:
Shoot from the resulting position, or
Require the shooter to continue.
4. Call-Shot Requirement
All shots except the break and push-out must be called by stating the object ball and intended pocket.
If a shot is not obviously the intended ball and pocket, it must be clearly called.
5. Legal Shot
A shot is legal when:
The cue ball first contacts the lowest-numbered ball on the table, and
After contact, either an object ball is pocketed or any ball contacts a rail.
6. Missed Called Shot (No Foul)
If a player fails to pocket the called ball in the called pocket without committing a foul:
The shot does not count.
The pocketed balls remain down, except the 10-ball, which is governed by spotting rules.
The incoming player may:
Shoot next, or
Require the shooter to continue from the resulting position.
7. Continuing Play
If the shooter legally pockets a called ball, the shooter continues.
The rack ends only when the shooter legally pockets the 10-ball on a called shot after all other object balls have been cleared.
8. Fouls
All fouls result in cue ball in hand anywhere on the table.
Standard WPA fouls apply, including but not limited to:
Scratch or cue ball off the table
Wrong ball struck first
No rail after contact
Touched ball
Double hit or push shot
Balls still moving
Bad cue-ball placement
Jump-shot fouls
Rack template fouls
Unsportsmanlike conduct
9. Three-Foul Rule
If a player commits three consecutive fouls in the same rack, that player loses the rack.
The foul count resets after a legal shot by the same player.
10. Spotting Balls
The 10-ball is spotted if it is:
Pocketed early,
Pocketed on a foul or push-out, or
Driven off the table.
No other object balls are ever spotted in 10-Ball.
11. Stalemate
If a stalemate is declared, the rack is replayed.
The original breaker breaks the replayed rack.
12. Special Situations (Authority)
Handled by WPA 10-Ball Rules and WPA General Rules.