League Rules
How Bali Premier League matches are formatted and played. Individual frames follow the WPA World Standardized Rules for 8-Ball and 9-Ball.
Match Format
Game Type
Mixed
8-Ball & 9-Ball
Match Format
Race to 13
First team to 13 frames wins
Frames per Match
Up to 25
Match ends once a team reaches 13
Every match is a mixed format combining both 8-Ball and 9-Ball, played across singles and doubles frames. A match is a race to 13 — frames are played in the rotation below and continue until one team reaches 13 frame wins, up to a maximum of 25 frames. Any frames after a team clinches 13 are not played.
Frame Composition
Played top to bottom. The match stops as soon as a team reaches 13 frame wins.
| # | Discipline | Game | Play | Frames |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8-Ball Singles | 8-Ball | Singles · 1v1 | 4 |
| 2 | 8-Ball Doubles | 8-Ball | Doubles · 2v2 | 4 |
| 3 | 9-Ball Singles | 9-Ball | Singles · 1v1 | 4 |
| 4 | 9-Ball Doubles | 9-Ball | Doubles · 2v2 | 4 |
| 5 | 8-Ball Singles | 8-Ball | Singles · 1v1 | 4 |
| 6 | 8-Ball Doubles | 8-Ball | Doubles · 2v2 | 4 |
| 7 | 9-Ball Decider | 9-Ball | Single frame | 1 |
| Maximum | 25 | |||
Lineup & Player Assignment
To keep matches balanced and give every roster player a role, the following limits apply when captains set their lineups for each discipline:
Singles frames
A player may be assigned to only one of the four frames in a singles discipline. No player can appear more than once within the same set of four singles frames — each frame is played by a different player.
Doubles frames
A player may be assigned to at most two of the four frames in a doubles discipline, so no single player features in more than half of that discipline's frames.
Rules of Play
Individual frames are played under the WPA World Standardized Rules (World Pool-Billiard Association), effective 15 September 2025. The essentials for each game are summarised below.
8-Ball
- Object of the game
- Played with 15 numbered balls and the cue-ball. One player shoots the solids (1–7), the other the stripes (9–15). Clear your entire group, then legally pocket the 8-ball to win the frame. Shots are called.
- The rack
- 15 balls racked tight in a triangle: apex ball on the foot spot, the 8-ball directly behind the apex, and one ball from each group on the two bottom corners. Remaining balls are placed without any intentional pattern.
- The break
- Cue-ball in hand behind the head string. If no ball is pocketed, at least four object-balls must reach a rail or it is an illegal break. Pocketing the 8-ball on the break is not a foul — the breaker may re-spot it and continue, or re-break.
- Open table
- After the break the table is “open” until groups are decided. You must call your ball; legally pocketing it assigns you that group. While open, any ball may be struck first except the 8-ball.
- Loss of frame
- A player loses the frame if they pocket the 8-ball early, pocket it on a foul, sink it in an uncalled pocket, or drive it off the table (these do not apply on the break).
9-Ball
- Object of the game
- Played with balls 1–9 and the cue-ball. Balls must be contacted in ascending order — the lowest numbered ball on the table is always the legal target. The player who legally pockets the 9-ball wins the frame.
- The rack
- Nine balls racked tight in a diamond, with the 1-ball at the apex toward the head of the table and the 9-ball in the centre, on the foot spot.
- The break
- Cue-ball in hand behind the head string. If no ball is pocketed, at least four object-balls must be driven to a rail. At least three balls must cross the head string or it is ruled an illegal break.
- Push out
- After a legal break, the shooter may declare a “push out” — for that one shot the lowest-ball-first and rail-contact requirements are suspended. The opponent then chooses who shoots next.
- Three consecutive fouls
- Fouling three times in a single rack without a legal shot in between is a serious foul and loses the frame. A player on two fouls must be warned before their next shot.
Standard Fouls
These fouls apply to both 8-Ball and 9-Ball. The penalty for any standard foul is the same: play passes to the opponent, who takes cue-ball in hand and may place it anywhere on the table. If several fouls occur on one shot, only the most serious is enforced.
| Foul | Description |
|---|---|
| Cue-ball scratch / off table | The cue-ball is pocketed or driven off the table. |
| Wrong ball first | The cue-ball first contacts a ball that is not a legal target (wrong group in 8-Ball, or not the lowest ball in 9-Ball). |
| No rail after contact | After contact, no ball is pocketed and neither the cue-ball nor any object-ball is driven to a rail. |
| No foot on floor | The shooter has no foot touching the floor when the tip strikes the cue-ball. |
| Ball driven off the table | An object-ball is driven off the playing surface. |
| Touched ball | A ball is touched, moved, or deflected by anything other than normal play. |
| Double hit / frozen balls | The tip contacts the cue-ball more than once, or is still on the cue-ball at object-ball contact. |
| Push shot | Tip-to-cue-ball contact is prolonged beyond a normal stroke. |
| Balls still moving | A shot is taken while any ball is still moving or spinning. |
| Playing out of turn | A player shoots when it is not their turn (unintentional). |