Interpreting the rule about measuring a shot with your cue stick?

Question

Here is the pertinent rule as I know it:

"If the shooter uses his cue stick in order to align a shot by placing it on the table without having a hand on the stick, it is a foul."

Here is the situation. The shooter over his shot about to strike when he puts his cue down (basically along the same path as his intended shot) and puts both hands on the rail (no hand on the cue) and kneels down to look at some angle or something else (also generally in the same direction as his shot).

Most of the time, it is obvious when a player is using his stick to measure a bank shot angle but in this scenario, it is not entirely clear what he is doing. In this case, he may or may not have been using his stick to check an angle.

What's your ruling? Do you take into account what type of shot he was trying?

Answer 1

Although I rarely see this rule enforced, technically anytime during their turn at the table the shooter leaves his cue stick on the table without having a hand on the stick it is a foul, regardless of the shooter's intention. Most players are really good about not doing this though. The only times I ever see a good player leave their playing cue on the table is when they are racking the balls. In that situation the cue is usually pointing away from the rack anyway so there is no chance they could be fouled for aiming, especially if they are not the breaking player.



P.S. Yes Mark, it is a rule.



6.12 Cue Stick on the Table



If the shooter uses his cue stick in order to align a shot by placing it on the table without having a hand on the stick, it is a foul.

Answer 2

No foul has been committed. Of course that depends on what standard of rules you're playing by. But generally, no foul is committed by simply placing your cue on the table without having a hand on it.



You can read the APA rule book at this link. The APA is the world's largest amateur pool league with over 270,000 active members.



http://www.poolplayers.com/ Look under the Membership tab at the top of the page.

Answer 3

Before I lay my cue stick down, I let the player know what I'd LIKE to do, & ask what his view is, on removing the hand from the cue, then act accordingly.

Answer 4

this is a RIDICULUOS rule & does NOT exist !!



you can use your shoe to line up a shot !!....you can use an umbrella to line up a shot !!



"no contact - no foul"...it doesn't get ANY easier than this !!



http://www.internationalpooltour.com/



http://www.billiards.com/article/official-bca-8-ball-rules