Generally, the World Standardized 8-ball Rules apply. However, the league reserves the right to implement or amend rules that will foster league play at the local level. Any changes to the rules will not take affect without reasonable notice to the members. For 9-ball information, click here.
Format
The format for 8-ball is a 5-person team, round robin play. This means that each team plays five rounds or matches, and each player plays once in each round. For example, in the first round player 1 on team A plays player 1 on team B. Player 2 on Team A plays player 2 on Team B, and so forth until all players have played once. The team with the most points wins the first round.
In the second round, the lineup rotates so that player 1 on Team A plays player 2 on Team B. Player 2 on Team A plays player 3 on Team B, and so forth.
Scoring
The player who wins receives 10 points. The losing player gets one point for each ball pocketed. At the end of each round ("match"), the team with the most points wins. At the end of the night, the team with the highest total points wins a sixth round.
Handicap
The team with the highest team average gives the other team the difference between the two teams' averages. For example, if team A has a total average of 350, and team B has a total average of 300, then team A must give team B 50 points handicap, or 10 points per round.
New female players typically start as a 70 average. New male players typically start as an 80. Averages are adjusted weekly, based on the total score for all games played, divided by the number of games played. The league reserves the right to adjust the average for a known player with advanced skills. If you are currently a player in another league, your average will be converted accordingly.
For the Tuesday night league, the team’s total average (five players) for any given match is capped. If your team's average exceeds that cap, then your team must play in the Thursday night league. On Tuesdays, the maximum handicap per round is 10 points. On Thursday, the maximum handicap is 7 points per round. There are no restrictions on a team’s total average on Thursdays..
Awards
The winners of the Tuesday and Thursday night league playoffs will win a trip to the ACS National Championships in Las Vegas. Additional monies and/or awards will be paid out depending on the number of teams in each league.
Teams /players
It is recommended that teams have a maximum of eight players. Only five of the eight can play on any given night.
In order to play in the finals, playoffs or other qualifying events, or to be eligible for an individual award at the end of the session, a player must have played a predetermined percentage of their team’s scheduled matches (i.e., 9 matches for a 16-week session.). A player who has played less than the required percentage of the scheduled matches can still play in Las Vegas as long as the player has played eight matches during the session. The player simply won’t be able to participate in the playoffs.
Playoffs
The format for playoffs is a race to 13, the same format as the competition in Las Vegas. Handicaps are not used. Therefore, handicaps will not used in playoffs. However, the total team average still applies to the Tuesday night playoffs.
Disputes
Our goal is to encourage good sportsmanship conduct and to settle disputes as fairly and quickly as possible. Teams are encouraged to resolve the issue among themselves. In case of a dispute over the rules during a game, if the players cannot work things out among themselves, then re-rack.
Please remember that this is a new league and that rules may be changed or added to promote fairness and achieve the goals of the league. The rules provided above are not all inclusive. However, rules that affect play will not be changed or added without proper notice to all players.
Palm Beach County ACS
Palm Beach County ACS