9-Ball Billiards
Object of the game
The object of the game is to sink the ball with the number 9. The following rules apply:
The white ball must be used to sink the balls numbered from 1 to 9 consecutively. The ball which is to be played is shown on the upper edge of the table.
Fouls
A player commits a foul if:
- s/he sinks the white ball
- plays no ball or the wrong ball
- less than four balls reach the edge or none are sunk during the opening break
- no balls are sunk or reach the edge of the table after the first contact with the white ball
After a foul, the opponent may set down the white ball anywhere on the field and continue playing.
A player who three consecutive fouls loses automatically and the game is over.
Pushout
At the start of the game, the player who made the break - and did not commit a foul while doing so - play a pushout. This means that s/he is not obligated to play the ball with the lowest number, as is usually the case, but can make any shot without this being counted as a foul (except if the white ball is sunk). The balls sunk are not used again, except the 9.
The opponent can then decide whether to accept the setup, or else let the player who made the pushout continue playing.
The point of the pushout is that if a player cannot easily continue playing after the break, s/he can try to set up a situation in which s/he can continue playing, but the opponent cannot.