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46-477: The BCA publishes an annual rule and record book that incorporates the WPA world standardized rules for games such as nine-ball , eight-ball , ten-ball and straight pool , as well as rules for other games that are not presently the subject of international competition, such as one pocket , bank pool , cowboy pool , rotation , American snooker , and Chicago among many others. The BCA holds an annual trade show ,

92-440: A break . The object balls are placed in a diamond-shaped configuration, with the 1-ball positioned at the front on the foot spot , and the 9-ball placed in the center. The rack used to position the balls may be either triangle-shaped, as is used for eight-ball and other pool games, or a specific diamond-shaped rack that holds only nine balls may be used. Racks are usually made of wood or plastic. A template that lies on

138-404: A cue stick , players must strike the white cue ball to pocket nine colored billiard balls , hitting them in ascending numerical order. An individual game (or rack ) is won by the player pocketing the 9 ball . Matches are usually played as a race to a set number of racks, with the player who reaches the set number winning the match. The game is currently governed by

184-464: A "buy-in" amount to become a participant. The sport has featured in popular culture, notably in the 1961 film The Hustler and its 1986 sequel The Color of Money . Nine-ball has been played with varied rules, with games such as ten-ball , seven-ball and three-ball being derived from the game. While usually a singles sport, the game can be played in doubles, with players completing alternate shots. Examples of tournaments featuring doubles include

230-515: A category for players that have made "lasting, memorable and important contributions" to billiards. The BCA's annual Billiard Expo (as it is known for short, or simply the Expo , within the industry) is the largest mostly-cue-sports trade convention in the world, and despite its broad name is primarily focused on pool (pocket billiards). It has been held in various locations, most frequently Las Vegas , Nevada , since its founding in 1984. The Expo

276-462: A concise, portable, inexpensive rulebook of carom and pool games that was to serve as the model for future BCA releases. The BAA in turn became the BCA in 1947. The BCA formed with, and for several years shared offices with, the promotional trade association National Billiard Council ( NBC ), now defunct. Early BCA rulebooks were essentially identical to the 1946 BAA edition, including the cover art and

322-421: A flip of a coin, but often by playing a lag , with both players playing a cue ball down the table, the closest to the top rail winning the initial break. After the break, if no fouls were committed, the shooter has the option to continue the rack as usual, or to play a push out . The rules on a push out are different to those of a regular shot, as the shot does not need to hit a rail or ball. After

368-401: Is contacted first by the cueball, and any one or more of the object balls are pocketed in any of the pockets with no foul being committed, a player's inning continues. When the table passes to another player, they must play from where the balls were last positioned, except if the prior inning ended in a foul. In that case, the incoming player takes ball in hand , anywhere on

414-520: Is exclusively sponsored by the BCA (and its members), and is managed by William T. Glasgow, Inc. of Orland Park, Illinois . The expressed purpose of the event is to "provide industry manufacturers, distributors, retailers, dealers and poolroom operators an annual venue for new business opportunities, including education, new products and networking." Vendor attendance in 2006 was nearly 300 companies filling between 1,300 and 1,400 10 sq ft (0.93 m) booth spaces. The June 25–27, 2009 event at

460-538: Is nominally based in Chicago, Illinois , at the same address as Billiards Digest (Luby Publishing). Nine-ball Nine-ball (sometimes written 9-ball ) is a discipline of the cue sport pool . The game's origins are traceable to the 1920s in the United States. It is played on a rectangular billiard table with pockets at each of the four corners and in the middle of each long side. Using

506-556: Is recognized and supported by the BCA. The amateur tournament's annual champions are listed in the BCA's Billiards: The Official Rules and Records Book . The United States Billiard Media Association ( USBmA ) was organized in January 2007 to elect "billiard media members to the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame Board". This media-focused suborganization also lists other goals in its materials, including "elevating

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552-404: Is struck to hit the nine object balls , which are numbered 1 through 9, each a distinct color, with the 9 ball typically having a yellow stripe on a white base. The aim of the game is to hit the lowest numbered ball on the table (often referred to as the ball on ) and pocket balls in succession to eventually pocket the nine-ball. As long as the lowest numbered ball on the table

598-532: The American Poolplayers Association (APA) and other organizations. Nine-ball events worldwide are run at the highest level by the WPA. The WPA World Nine-ball Championship has events for men, women and junior players. Events are generally open to any player who can pay the entry fee, however, some events are based on qualification. The WPA hosts a world ranking schedule based on WPA events, with other ranking systems also operated by

644-757: The Consumer Electronics Show , the Adult Entertainment Expo , and the Global Gaming Expo . In 2020, the 12th season of Shark Tank was filmed at the convention center. In 2021, Las Vegas Sands announced that it would sell the Venetian-Palazzo complex, including the Sands Expo, to Vici Properties and Apollo Global Management . Under the deal, Vici owns the real estate while Apollo purchased

690-571: The Diamond Pool Tour , Asian Tour and Euro Tour . Several games have been derived from nine-ball. Six-ball is essentially identical to nine-ball but with three fewer balls, which are racked in a three-row triangle, with the money ball placed in the center of the back row. According to Rudolf Wanderone , the game arose in early 20th century billiard halls; halls charged for matches by the 15 ball rack rather than by table, so players of nine-ball had six balls left over. For this reason,

736-644: The International Billiards & Home Recreation Expo . Also annually, it inducts great players, and those who have made great contributions to the sport, into the BCA Hall of Fame . The origins of the BCA began with the National Billiard Association of America ( NBAA ), founded July 25, 1921. The organization rapidly became the de facto governing body of the sport in the United States, with 35,000 members by 1928, and

782-554: The Las Vegas Convention Center . The new facility was developed by Las Vegas Sands , owner of the Sands Hotel. Groundbreaking took place on November 12, 1989. The Sands Expo, located behind the hotel, opened on November 9, 1990. The COMDEX computer trade show was the first event held in the space. At its launch, it was the only privately owned and operated convention center in the United States, and

828-650: The Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas saw 116 exhibitor in 412 booth spaces, with 1,120 buy attendees. The next event will be held June 14 (Wednesday) through 16 (Friday), 2010, at the Las Vegas Convention Center , with registration for attendees opening February 15. These were not the original dates, and some debate surrounded the matter, with the dates being finalized only as late as September 2009, and chosen to ensure maximum attendance by billiard entrepreneurs, most of whom have business peaks on weekends. By

874-735: The Venetian Convention and Expo Center ) is a convention center located in Paradise, Nevada , near the Las Vegas Strip . It is part of the Venetian and Palazzo resort complex, owned by Vici Properties and operated by Apollo Global Management . The convention facility was developed by Las Vegas Sands and opened as the Sands Expo on November 9, 1990. It was built as part of the Sands Hotel , since replaced by

920-530: The WPA World Ten-ball Championship . The sport has featured in popular culture, most notably in the 1959 novel The Hustler and its 1961 film adaptation , and the 1984 sequel novel The Color of Money and subsequent film . In Endless Ocean: Blue World , Nineball Island, which serves as the player's home base, is won through a game of nine-ball. Sands Expo and Convention Center The Venetian Expo (also known as

966-596: The World Cup of Pool , World Team Championship and the Mosconi Cup . The game was established in America by 1920, although its exact origins are unknown. Nine-ball is played with the same equipment as eight-ball and other pool games. The game of nine-ball is played on a billiard table with six pockets . The cue ball , which is usually a solid shade of white (but may be spotted in some tournaments),

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1012-603: The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), with multiple regional tours. The most prestigious nine-ball tournaments are the WPA World Nine-ball Championship and the U.S. Open Nine-ball Championships . Notable 9-Ball players in the game include Luther Lassiter , Buddy Hall , Efren Reyes , Earl Strickland and Shane Van Boening . The game is often associated with hustling and gambling , with tournaments often having

1058-513: The 1 ball is on the foot spot , which further stops overpowered break-off shots. The general rules of the game are fairly consistent and usually do not stray too far from the earliest format set by the Billiard Congress of America (BCA). These later formed the basis of the standardized WPA rules, which the BCA follows as a member, although amateur league play may be governed by similar but slightly different rules promulgated by

1104-687: The 2009/2010 season, CSI introduced a second league, the USA Pool League (USAPL), aimed at a more casual player. Both the BCAPL and USAPL (who share a rulebook) use BCA rules, with the addition of wheelchair rules, team play adaptations, and "Applied Rulings" from years of large-scale tournament administration. The US Collegiate Pocket Billiards National Championship , organized by the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) since 1937, with separate men's and women's divisions since 1939,

1150-617: The APA and the EPBF. Other major events held by the WPA include the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship , China Open 9-Ball Championship and the International 9-Ball Open . In addition, Matchroom Sport runs major international competitions including the Mosconi Cup , World Cup of Pool and World Pool Masters . Outside those events held on an worldwide basis, nine-ball is played in continental tour series. Events are held on series such as

1196-475: The Euro Tour is that the break shot be taken from a " break box " a rectangular box smaller than the regular nine-ball breaking area. While making the money ball on breaks are still possible, they are much more difficult with the break box. This was later used on the annual international Mosconi Cup tournaments. Another Mosconi Cup rule change in 2007 called for racking such that the 9 ball rather than

1242-569: The Venetian. The Sands Expo was renamed the Venetian Expo in 2021, while Vici and Apollo were in the process of purchasing it. The facility is frequently used for conventions booked at the Venetian and Palazzo. It is also used as overflow space for conventions that outgrow the Las Vegas Convention Center . In October 1989, the Sands Hotel received county approval for a convention center with approximately 1.1-million-square-foot, rivaling

1288-451: The absence of the increasingly popular game nine-ball from the ruleset. (Nine-ball did not appear until the 1967 edition.) The BCA rulebooks have remained in near-annual continuous publication to the present day. In 2000, the BCA made the major move of adopting the World Pool-Billiard Association 's standardized rules for eight-ball, nine-ball, and other games subject to international professional competition. The BCA had by this time become

1334-519: The cue ball over other balls. However, if any ball leaves the cloth at the end of a shot, it is counted as a foul. Jumping is common in nine-ball, and players often have a dedicated jump cue. As of the 2000s, the rules have been somewhat in flux in certain contexts, especially in Europe. The European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF), the WPA-affiliate in Europe, has instituted a requirement on

1380-447: The early 1980s. While not a common game, it was featured on television broadcaster ESPN 's Sudden Death Seven-ball which aired in the early 2000s. The most common derivative game is the game of ten-ball . The game is a more stringent variant, using ten balls in which all pocketed balls must be called . Unlike in nine-ball, the money ball cannot be pocketed on the break for an instant win. Due to its more challenging nature, and

1426-412: The end of the 2009 Expo, 65 companies had already contracted for 326 booth spaces at the 2010 Expo. The vast majority of attendees are industry insiders, rather than players. In 2006, 94% were billiard retailers, 5% billiard hall operators, and 1% "other" (e.g. bowling and amusement center operators). In 2009, only 70% were retailers. In that year, 83% were from the United States and 7% from Canada, with

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1472-418: The fact that there is no publicly known technique for reliably pocketing specific object balls on the break shot, there have been suggestions among the professional circuit that ten-ball should replace nine-ball as the pro game of choice, especially since the rise of the nine-ball soft break, which is still legal in most international and non-European competition. Ten-ball has its own world championship known as

1518-408: The game is often played with the balls numbered between 10 and 15, with the 15 ball as the money ball. Seven-ball is also similar to nine-ball, though it differs in two key ways: the game uses only seven object balls, which are racked in a hexagon, and players are restricted to pocketing the money ball on their designated side of the table. William D. Clayton is credited with the game's invention in

1564-421: The lowest numbered ball, pocketing the cue ball, or not making contact with a rail with the object ball. A foul shot for any reason offers the opponent ball in hand , which means they can place the cue ball at any location on the table. A player making three successive fouls (for any reason) awards that rack to the opponent. Unlike some other cue sports, such as snooker , players are allowed to jump

1610-475: The national affiliate of the WPA. In the new edition of the rules, the organization expressed a commitment to seeing pool and carom billiards become Olympic sports (and in fact selected Colorado Springs for its new headquarters for proximity to the US Olympic Committee ). The rules changes have not been without controversy, as some of them upset US player expectations; various leagues have ignored

1656-564: The new rules and continued with traditional US rules (e.g., in the game of eight-ball , legally pocketing the 8 ball on the break shot has commonly been treated as an instant win). In 1966, the Billiard Congress of America created its hall of fame to honor people who have been known to enrich the sport, containing two categories — "The Greatest Player", a category including players who played either internationally or nationally for 20 years or more and have won at least one national or international championship, and "The Meritorious Service",

1702-402: The preceding rack. The break is often the most crucial shot in nine-ball, as it is possible to win a rack without the opponent having taken a single shot. This is often called a break and run , or running the rack. Earl Strickland holds the record for break and runs, after he successfully ran 11 consecutive racks in a tournament in 1996. The first break of a match is sometimes decided by

1748-448: The push out, the opposing player has the option to play the shot that has been left, or to force their opponent to play on from that location. In early versions of nine-ball the push out could be called at any time during the game, but is now only for the shot after the break. If a player misses potting a ball on a shot, or commits a foul shot, then their opponent plays the next shot. A foul shot can involve not making first contact with

1794-1042: The remaining 10% being from elsewhere around the world. Despite operators not being in the majority, the event is geared toward them, with "Business of Billiards" seminars on successful hall operation, and exhibitors principally in the business of supplying such venues. Exhibiting vendors typically include product lines such as pool equipment (tables, cues, racks, chalk, etc.), billiards-themed apparel and accessories, instructional materials, bar and billiard furniture and furnishings (stools, neon signs, juke boxes, etc.), business services (food processing, point-of-sale computer systems, etc.), other commercial gaming equipment (darts, table shuffleboard, foosball, video games, pinball machines, etc.), plus assorted home recreation categories (poker, home spas and pools, tanning beds, sound systems, outdoors equipment, etc.), and billiard-related services such as cue repair. The BCA claims that, as of 2009, 55% of attendees make purchasing decisions for their businesses, 50% buy there, and 20% more buy within one month of

1840-573: The show. While Las Vegas is the most frequent host city for the event, it has also been held in Charlotte, North Carolina , Houston, Texas , Baltimore, Maryland , New Orleans, Louisiana , Kansas City, Missouri , Orlando, Florida , Minneapolis, Minnesota , Nashville, Tennessee , Louisville, Kentucky , and Ft. Worth, Texas . As of the 2010 event, the cost per 10 sq ft (0.93 m) exhibitor booth varied from US$ 1,350 to $ 1,800 depending upon BCA membership status. The event ticket price

1886-435: The table during the break has also come into use. The break consists of hitting the 1 ball, with the attempt to pocket any ball. If the 9 ball is successfully potted, the player automatically wins the rack. This is sometimes known as a golden break . Additional rules in some tournaments exist, such as a number of balls having to reach the head string , and players can be chosen to break alternately or whoever won

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1932-408: The table. The winner is the player who legally pockets the nine-ball, the game's money ball , regardless of how many balls have been pocketed beforehand. This can happen earlier than the nine-ball being the sole remaining object ball on the table if it is pocketed via a combination or other indirect method. Each rack begins with the object balls placed in a rack and one player playing

1978-523: The visibility and status of billiards in the media at large" as well as various member-support functions. Membership is strictly limited to "professional print, radio, TV, public relations and Internet media persons who cover cue sports", as determined by the USBmA executive board. As of February 2010, the group listed 33 members, including most of the better-known names in US-based cue sports publishing. USBmA

2024-716: Was $ 100 for non-exhibitors and non-members. These prices were up from $ 1,200 and $ 50, respectively, in 2007. The BCA Pool League (BCAPL) is one of the major amateur pool leagues in the United States and is present in over a dozen other countries outside the U.S., with a significant presence in Canada. Originally operated by the BCA, since 2004 the BCAPL has been owned and operated by billiards event promoter CueSports International (CSI) of Henderson, Nevada . The BCA Pool League has approximately 450 local leagues with 60,000+ members. Leagues are played on both bar-size 7-foot (2.1 m) and regulation 9-foot (2.7 m) tables. Beginning in

2070-719: Was closely tied to the Brunswick-Balke-Collender company, a major equipment manufacturer. After a decline in influence in the late 1930s, in part owing to a dispute with world carom billiards champion Willie Hoppe , the NBAA reformed in 1941 as the Billiard Association of America ( BAA ). Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois , and calling itself "the Governing Body of Billiards", the BAA produced

2116-520: Was the second largest convention center in the world. The Sands Hotel closed in 1996, and the Venetian resort opened in its place three years later. Since then, the Sands Expo has helped popularize Las Vegas as a convention city. An expansion was completed in 2003, and a $ 35 million renovation took place 10 years later, adding new carpeting, lighting and motion sensors as part of environmental efforts. The convention center has 2.25-million sq ft (209,000 m ). Notable events have included

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