9-Ball Rules: Break, Push Out, Fouls and APA Scoring
The game in one line: on every shot the cue ball must hit the lowest-numbered ball on the table first. Anything that goes in after that keeps you at the table, and whoever legally pockets the 9 wins, even on a combination or on the break.
The one rule that trips people up: you don't have to pocket the lowest ball, only hit it first. Run the 3 into the 9 and the game is yours.
9-ball is the rotation game the pros play, and the rules are shorter than 8-ball's: no groups, no calling the 9, no lose-on-the-8. But the three rulebooks most players meet still disagree in a few places, mostly on the break and the push out, and APA league play scores the game in a completely different way. Below are the rules question by question, from the current editions: the WPA world rules, the APA league rules and the CSI rules used by the BCAPL.
1. How do you rack for 9-ball?
Nine balls in a diamond: the 1-ball at the front, pointing at the breaker, and the 9-ball in the middle. The other seven go in any order. Where the diamond sits is the one detail that differs:
- WPA: the 9-ball sits on the foot spot (rule 5.2), so the whole rack is about two rows further up the table than you might be used to.
- APA and CSI: the 1-ball sits on the foot spot (CSI rule 3-2), the traditional placement.
Racks for every other game, and how to get the balls tight, are in How to Rack Pool Balls.
Rack tightly, with every ball touching its neighbours. The WPA rules also allow a racking template; if you leave it on the rail and a ball hits it, that's a foul (rule 3.15).
2. What makes a legal break?
All three rulebooks agree on the basics. The breaker starts with the cue ball in hand behind the head string (WPA calls the area "above the head string"). If no ball goes in, at least four object balls must reach a cushion. They differ on what happens if the break doesn't meet that standard:
- Hitting the 1-ball first. CSI states it outright: the cue ball must contact the 1-ball before any other ball or cushion, or the break is a foul (rule 3-3). Under WPA it follows from the rule that applies to every shot, lowest ball first (3.2), so it is a foul too. Under APA, missing the 1-ball first is not a foul: the break is illegal, the opponent re-racks and the same player breaks again.
- Fewer than four balls to a rail. WPA and CSI: a foul, so your opponent gets ball in hand. APA: an illegal break, re-racked and broken again by the same player. If an illegal APA break also scratches, the other player breaks the re-rack.
- The WPA three-ball rule. The WPA rules add that if nothing is pocketed, three balls must also cross the head string, or the break counts as an illegal break; the WPA's playing regulations (Regulation 16) set out what happens next.
APA adds one thing the others don't: breaking soft or "safe" is not allowed, and league management can penalise players who don't break hard. Technique for a stronger break is in how to break in pool.
3. What happens if the 9 goes in on the break?
You win, in all three rulebooks, as long as the break is otherwise legal. Players call it a golden break or "9 on the snap".
If you scratch or foul on the same shot, the 9 comes back up on the foot spot and your opponent has ball in hand. Any other balls you made stay down.
4. Do you have to hit the lowest ball first?
Yes, on every shot except a push out. The first ball the cue ball touches must be the lowest-numbered ball on the table. Hit anything else first and it is a foul, even if a ball goes in.
After that legal first hit, anything that drops counts. Use the 1 to knock in the 5 and you keep shooting, and the 1 is still your target next shot. Use the lowest ball to make the 9 and you win. If the cue ball seems to hit the lowest ball and another ball at the same moment, WPA rule 3.2 gives the benefit of the doubt to the shooter.
There is one more condition on every shot: if nothing is pocketed, some ball, the cue ball or any object ball, must reach a cushion after the cue ball's first contact (WPA 3.3, APA's foul list). Otherwise it is a foul.
5. Do you have to call your shots in 9-ball?
No. 9-ball is not a call-shot game in any of the three rulebooks, so a ball that goes in by luck, a "slop" shot, still counts, including the 9. The only thing you announce is a push out. (10-ball, the WPA's other rotation game, is call-shot.)
6. What is a push out?
The push out is a one-off option on the first shot after the break, available only if the break was not a foul. You announce it before shooting, and for that shot the lowest-ball-first and cushion rules don't apply: you can roll the cue ball anywhere, hit any ball or none. Then your opponent decides who plays the next shot from where the balls lie. If you foul on the push out, your opponent gets ball in hand.
A ball pocketed on a push out doesn't keep you at the table. The 9 comes back up; any other ball stays down.
- WPA (rule 5.4) and CSI (rule 3-4): push out allowed.
- APA: not allowed in handicapped play. Only the non-handicapped Masters divisions, which follow U.S. Amateur Championship rules, use it.
When to push, and where to leave the cue ball, is a game within the game: see the 9-ball push-out rule and five push-out scenarios.
7. What is a foul, and what is ball in hand?
The fouls that come up most often are the same in every rulebook:
- a scratch: the cue ball goes into a pocket or off the table;
- hitting the wrong ball first;
- no cushion after contact when nothing is pocketed;
- missing every ball;
- an object ball driven off the table;
- touching or moving the cue ball, a double hit, or a push shot;
- no foot on the floor.
After any of these, your opponent gets ball in hand anywhere on the table, including after a foul on the break. Unlike 8-ball, there is no break exception that limits it to behind the head string. If the 9 went in on the foul, it is spotted; other balls stay down.
8. Is there a three-foul rule in 9-ball?
Yes in WPA and CSI rules, no in APA:
- WPA (rule 3.13): three fouls in a row in the same rack lose you the rack. The referee must warn you when you come to the table on two fouls; without that warning, a third foul counts as only the second.
- CSI (rule 3-6, with 1-22): three successive fouls in one game lose the game. Your opponent or the referee must warn you when you are on two fouls, and you must acknowledge it.
- APA: the APA game rules have no three-foul rule. Each foul is simply ball in hand.
Because a single foul only costs ball in hand, giving your opponent ball in hand on purpose can be the lesser evil; the three-foul rule is what stops you doing it over and over.
9. What if a ball goes off the table?
Driving any object ball off the table is a foul. What happens to the ball differs:
- WPA and CSI: only the 9 is spotted. Any other jumped ball stays off the table.
- APA: every ball knocked off the table is spotted straight away on the foot spot (or as close behind it as possible).
10. How does APA score 9-ball?
This is the biggest difference of all. In APA handicapped 9-ball you don't race to a number of games. You race to a number of points:
- balls 1 to 8 are worth 1 point each when you legally pocket them, and the 9 is worth 2;
- every rack is worth 10 points, counting balls that went down on fouls as "dead balls" credited to nobody;
- the match ends when a player reaches the target for their skill level.
| Skill level | Points to win |
|---|---|
| 1 | 14 |
| 2 | 19 |
| 3 | 25 |
| 4 | 31 |
| 5 | 38 |
| 6 | 46 |
| 7 | 55 |
| 8 | 65 |
| 9 | 75 |
From the APA "Points Required To Win" chart. Doubles uses a separate chart by combined skill level, from 19 points (combined 4 or less) to 46 (combined 12).
So a skill-level 3 playing a skill-level 7 needs 25 points to the stronger player's 55, and every ball they pocket counts, even in racks they lose. In a team match, each individual match is worth up to 20 team points. APA Masters divisions don't use points: they play straight games, won by pocketing the 9.
Where the rulebooks differ
| Question | WPA | APA | CSI (BCAPL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rack position | 9 on the foot spot (5.2) | 1 on the foot spot | 1 on the foot spot (3-2) |
| Break doesn't hit the 1 first | Foul (3.2) | Not a foul: re-rack, same player breaks | Foul (3-3) |
| Fewer than four balls to a rail, nothing pocketed | Foul (5.3) | Illegal break: re-rack, same player breaks | Foul (3-3) |
| Three balls past the head string | Required if nothing is pocketed (Regulation 16) | No such rule | No such rule |
| 9 pocketed on a legal break | Win | Win | Win |
| Push out after the break | Allowed (5.4) | Not in handicapped play; Masters only | Allowed (3-4) |
| Three consecutive fouls | Lose the rack, after a warning (3.13) | No such rule | Lose the game, after a warning (3-6) |
| Object ball off the table | Only the 9 is spotted | Every ball is spotted | Only the 9 is spotted |
| Scoring | Games (racks) | Points: 1 per ball, 2 for the 9, race by skill level | Games (racks) |
Highlighted cells are the ones that start arguments. Rule numbers refer to the editions listed at the end of the article.
Before you break, agree on three things: which rulebook you are using, whether push outs are on, and whether the three-foul rule applies. In a bar game those three settle almost every dispute.
The rules say hit the 1 first. Geometry says how.
AimGeometry is a free pool trainer in your browser. It draws the aim line, the ghost ball and the cue ball's path, and tells you by how many degrees you missed, which is where most 9-ball runs actually end.
Try the aiming lesson →FAQ
Can you win 9-ball on the break?
Yes. A 9 that goes in on a legal break wins in WPA, APA and CSI rules. If you foul on the same shot, the 9 is spotted and your opponent has ball in hand.
Can you make the 9 on a combination?
Yes, as long as the cue ball hits the lowest-numbered ball first. That's one of the things that makes 9-ball quick: a single combination can end the game at any time.
Where does the cue ball go after a scratch on the break?
Anywhere on the table, in all three rulebooks. In 8-ball some rules restrict it to behind the head string after a break foul, but not in 9-ball.
Which 9-ball rules are official?
The WPA rules are the world standard for tournaments. Leagues such as the APA and BCAPL use their own, so check which set your league or event follows.
Related reading: 8-Ball on the Break · Kick Shots in Pool · 8-Ball Rules: 14 Questions Answered · The 9-Ball Push-Out Rule · 9-Ball Push-Out Scenarios · How to Break in Pool · Pool Drills for Beginners
Sources: WPA Rules of Play, effective 2026-10-21 (General Rules, Fouls and section 5, 9-Ball); APA game rules (© 2026 American Poolplayers Association) and the APA Official Team Manual pages "Scoring" and "Games Must Win Charts" at rules.poolplayers.com; Official Rules of CueSports International (sections 1-22 and 3, 9-Ball). Leagues and tournaments can change details, so check the rules in use at your event. The rack diagram uses a 9-foot table with the foot spot 25 inches from the foot rail and 2¼-inch balls. This article contains no sponsored or affiliate links.