Blackball

Blackball is a pool game common in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the commonwealth countries. The pool game bares some resemblance to 8-ball and it borrows some terms from the snooker game. The governing body of blackball is the World Pool-Billiards Association (WPBA) and the most important blackball tournament is the World Cup Blackball. 

Blackball Equipment 

Blackball pool is played on a standardized pocket billiards table. The set of object balls consists of 7 red balls, 7 yellow balls, a black ball and the cue ball. 

Game Object 

Similar to 8ball pool, the object of the game is to pocket one group of object balls (either yellow or red balls) and then to pocket the blackball. The first player who pockets the blackball legally, wins the game. 

Blackball Rules & Terms 

Blackball rules are almost identical to 8ball pool rules. The main difference, from the eyes of the American 8ball pool amateur player, is that blackball terminology is foreign and closer to the one used in English snooker games.  

For example, the act of sinking a ball into a pocket is called "potting". The course of play, which commences with the opening break and ends with the potting of the blackball, is called "frame". A ball is said to be "on", once it is the legal object ball for the shooting player. 

Moreover, the playing surface on the billiards table is marked with a black spot and a baulkline. The black spot is located in the middle of one half of the table (so if you would draw two diagonal lines from two corner pockets to the center pockets, the black spot would sit on their meeting point). The baulk line is drawn on the second half of the table, so that the area it marks (called in baulk) would be about 1/5 of the table's length. The baulk line plays the same role that the head string is played in 8ball pool game.