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.

Competition Rules

General competition rules from the official BPL League Format document. These apply to every season.

Match night & timing
Matches start at 7:00 pm sharp, with practice from 6:00 pm. The host bar makes the table exclusively available to BPL players from 6:00 pm.
Race to 13
Every match is a race to 13 — the first team to win 13 frames wins the match.
Brackets of four frames
Frames are played in brackets of 4. The home team chooses its players first in the first bracket, the away team chooses first in the next, and first choice keeps alternating.
Discipline rotation
8-Ball singles, then 9-Ball singles, 8-Ball doubles, and 9-Ball doubles — repeating in that order until a team reaches 13 wins.
Breaks
A coin toss decides who breaks the first frame. After that, the break alternates every frame.
No handicaps
All frames are played level — there are no handicaps in BPL.
Player limits per bracket
A player may play a maximum of 2 frames in each bracket of 4 frames.
Team points
Each match is worth 3 points to the winning team; the losing team earns nil.
Changing teams
Players may change teams only after the season is over. A player who has played at least one frame for a team cannot switch teams during that season. If a player plays a frame or match for another team anyway, any frames won by that player are automatically forfeited to the opposing team — regardless of whether the breach occurred knowingly or unknowingly.

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).