Boston Break!?!

RileysDad

Verified Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2004
Messages
73
Last week we had a little debate in Campbell about the legality of breaking "Boston" (banking the cue into the rack).

Memo quietly claimed that you were required, by the BCA rules, to break from the side oppposite the pocket you wanted.

Many of the other other in the room vociferiusly objected to the assessment and claimed that the breaker could call any pocket and shoot from anywhere desired.

Opinions please?
 

starfix_1

Active Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2004
Messages
32
From
Lafayette, La.
My opinion...

My opinion...

As a pool or billiard player exspecially in a game with alternate breaks I would say it is up to the locals at that establishment. You should be ready to combat anything that comes your way and of course if you so chose you can break that way.

RileysDad said:
Last week we had a little debate in Campbell about the legality of breaking "Boston" (banking the cue into the rack).

Memo quietly claimed that you were required, by the BCA rules, to break from the side oppposite the pocket you wanted.

Many of the other other in the room vociferiusly objected to the assessment and claimed that the breaker could call any pocket and shoot from anywhere desired.

Opinions please?
 

sappo

Verified Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2006
Messages
1,415
From
Tucson AZ
I dont know what the BCA rules state but i do remember watching an accu-stats match between Cory Duel and Shannon Daulton where Cory uses a hard break and takes the pocket on the side he was breaking from. This event was a big one-pocket event and they allowed it. So im guessing as long as any ball hits a rail after the cue ball comes in contact with an object ball you can break from either side.
 

NH Steve

Administrator
Joined
Apr 25, 2004
Messages
12,283
From
New Hampshire
RileysDad said:
Last week we had a little debate in Campbell about the legality of breaking "Boston" (banking the cue into the rack).

Memo quietly claimed that you were required, by the BCA rules, to break from the side oppposite the pocket you wanted.

Many of the other other in the room vociferiusly objected to the assessment and claimed that the breaker could call any pocket and shoot from anywhere desired.

Opinions please?
I'm thinking I have heard that break described as some other city, too. I've never bumped into in Boston, BTW.

There were former editions of the BCA rule book which required the cue ball to contact the rail after it contacted the rack -- which would have made the rail first break impractical. I'm not sure exactly what year, but even the BCA rules :) do not forbid such a break currently. Even the BCA rules only require one object ball to contact a rail (or go in your pocket) on the break.

From the BCA rules:
OPENING BREAK
Starting player must (1) legally pocket an object ball into his targeted pocket, or (2) cause the cue ball to contact an object ball and after contact, at least one object ball must contact a cushion. Failure to do so is a foul. Note: The cue ball does not have to strike a rail on the opening break.

From our own OnePocket.org rules:
2.2 The opening break begins with ball in hand behind the head string. On the break, the cue ball may contact either a cushion or any ball in the rack first, but in either case, after contacting at least one ball, an object ball must be pocketed, or the cue ball or at least one object ball must contact a rail, otherwise it is a one foul penalty. As long as a legal stroke is employed from behind the head string on the break, the incoming player must play the balls where they lie – there are no re-racks for a pocket scratch or failure to contact a cushion or pocket a ball on the break.
 

suki

Verified Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2004
Messages
328
From
Santa Cruz, Ca.
Memo knows better than that

Memo knows better than that

He has been playing 1p for bout 100 years, either he has gone senile or he is pulling a move, but what it would be I have no idea. You call any pocket you want before the break period.
 
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