How to play AFL 8 ball! The basic rules of playing AFL 8 ball...

The basic rules for playing AFL 8 ball is as easy as 1, 2, 3 and all the standard 8 ball or kelly pool rules apply.

The great thing about advanced AFL 8 ball is that you don't need anything more than you already have in your home 8 ball games room - cues, standard 8 ball or casino kelly pool set (or 2 AFL 8 ball sets), chalk, a slab or 2 and a few good mates! :-)

Please note: The advanced fun and leisure 8 ball footy game rules are still being amended and updated. Be sure to check back regularly to keep up to date with any new or amended rules and changes. If you have a web site and would like to link to our web site please feel free to do so. :-)

• Advanced fun and leisure 8 ball footy game table layout and set up:

  The standard 8 ball table is sectioned down the middle, lengthwise. One half is player 1's goal square target area and the other half is player 2's goal square target area. The goal target sides of the table alternate after each quarter. Each pocket represents either a goal or a behind. For scoring purposes a behind (corner pocket) is worth one point and a goal (center pocket) is worth 6 points, more details on scoring a little later. See image for table layout, goal target areas and alternating orientation below.

  Tip: Use a plastic golf marker or button to help remind yourself of the goal and behind pockets you are attacking. Remember, you must pot your balls in the opposing players behind or goal pocket for your score to count. Potting a ball in your own pockets will result in penalty shots or 'free kicks' being awarded to the other team or player.
  

• Advanced fun and leisure 8 ball footy ball rack set up:

  The rack set up is as per the following diagram. The balls are arranged in rows and the head ball or the position where ball number 1 one is usually placed during normal 8 ball games is left blank. The number 8 ball is not used in advanced fun and leisure 8 ball footy. The balls are racked alternately for each quarter. See below:
  
  Please Note: In the example below we have used solid colour balls for our diagrams. Eg. Blue represents the small or solid colour balls and the Red balls represent the band coloured or large balls of a standard 8 ball/kelly pool set.

• Advanced fun and leisure 8 ball footy scorecards:

  The Advanced fun and leisure 8 ball footy scorecards have been designed to allow you to keep score of the 8 ball footy game quarter by quarter and also allows you to easily keep track of your goal attack areas and ball rack orientation. You don't need to use my 8 ball footy scorecards, you can just as easily use your chalk scoreboard or simply a pen and paper.
  
  The scorecard is designed to be imported as a graphic file (scorecard-x1.gif) in popular word processing or graphic design programs. You can easily fit 4 score cards to an A4 page in landscape mode or 2 cards in portrait mode.
  
  Click here to see the 8 ball footy scorecard, right click and 'save the image as...' to your computer.
  TIP: Remember where or which folder you saved the scorecard image to on your computer so you can find it later. :-)

• The aim of advanced fun and leisure 8 ball footy:

  Apart for making your 8 ball games more enjoyable, fun and competitive, the aim of advanced fun and leisure 8 ball footy is to get the maximum number of points by potting your balls in any one of your opponents goal or behind pockets. (1 goal pocket - center pocket, 2 behind pockets - corner pockets.)

• Starting advanced fun and leisure 8 ball footy:

  Now you have an idea of the 8 ball footy table layout, how the balls are racked up and the aim of the game, let's go into the basics rules of game play. The game play rules are simple black and white rules so you shouldn't have any need to lodge appeals with those late night running 8 ball footy tribunals. :-)
  
  Except for the custom advanced fun and leisure 8 ball footy rules detailed below it should be noted that standard 8 ball rules apply to any situation or play infringement that may arise during any quarter.

  1. Each quarter can be a timed quarter (EG: either 7 or 15 mins per quarter) or the quarter continues until one player has potted all their 7 balls in the opponents goal or behind pockets. The timed quarter continues until the time has expired, or until one player has potted all of his or hers 7 balls. (Personally, I prefer the timed 7 minute quarter games as this adds more excitement and intensity to the game and generally puts a lot more error-pressure on both the players.)

  2. For the first quarter, the balls are racked as per our 1st quarter diagram above. The balls are placed at the opposite end of the table to the area. As per normal 8 ball rules.

  3. To start the game a coin is tossed to see who is player 1. Player 1 has the solid colour balls and player 2 has the band coloured balls throughout the whole 4 quarters of play. Who tosses the coin to decide player 1 is entirely up to you... but no double headed coins allowed! :-)

  4. Throughout the game, a players cue ball shot must hit their own ball types first, failing to do so will award the other player an addition shot or 'free kick'. As per normal 8 ball rules.

  5. Player 1 starts by placing the white cue ball on any of the 3 spots. The shot must be played so that the cue ball comes in contact with the ball rack formation. As per normal 8 ball rules. The first shot to break the rack of balls of each quarter is the only time a player can hit any ball type with the cue ball first without penalty. Failure to hit the racked balls with the cue ball will result in an addition shot or 'free kick' awarded to player 2.

  6. Next, Player 2 takes his shot. Player 2 cue ball shot must hit his own ball type first or an addition shot or penalty 'free kick' will be awarded to player 1. Play continues until one player has potted all of the 7 ball types in his opponents behind or goal target pockets, or until the timed quarter has elapsed.

  7. During a timed 8 ball footy game, if a player hits the cue ball and the 7 minute time elapses during the play of the shot, whatever the result will be considered allowed and within the prescribed timed quarter.

  8. If a player hits the cue ball and the ball leaves the playing area the ball is considered 'out of bounds on the fall' and the opposing player is awarded possession of the cue ball. Only possession of the cue ball is lost by the player and no additional shot or penalty 'free kick' is awarded to the opposing player. The cue ball must be 'spotted' or placed on one of the 3 the boundary line spots of the area. The shot can be taken either up (back), across (flank) or down (forward) the playing area. If all of the boundary line spots of the area are occupied by other balls the player places the cue ball on the next available spot located down the centre of the table. Once again, the shot can be taken either up (back), across (flank) or down (forward) the playing area.

  9. Mis-cueing or hitting the cue ball without making contact with one of your own balls is considered 'dropping the ball'. Possession will be awarded to the opposing player, no additional shot or penalty 'free kick' is awarded to the opposing player.

  10. If a player pots an opposing players ball in his own goal pocket or, an opposing player pots a ball in the opposing players goal or behind pocket, the possession of the cue ball is given to the opposing player and an additional shot or penalty 'free kick' is awarded. The potted ball remains in the pocket and is added to the final quarter score for the opposing player.

  11. If a player pots one of their own ball in one of their own behind or goal pockets the possession of the cue ball is awarded to the opposing player and an additional shot or penalty 'free kick' is given to the opposing player. The potted ball is returned to the playing field and is placed on the 'penalty spot'. This is the last black spot at the end of the table opposite the area. Refer to the table layout diagram above.

  12. At the end of each quarter the players goals and behinds are tallied and written on the score card. For each of the players balls in the opposing players center or goal pocket is counted as 1 goal. 6 points are awarded for each goal scored. For each ball potted in either of the opposing players corner pockets 1 behind is scored and 1 point is awarded for each behind.
      
      If a player has 4 balls in the opposing teams goal pocket and 3 balls in the opposing teams behind pockets the score is 4 goals and 3 behinds. This is recorded on the score card as a 4 - 3. As a goal is worth 6 points and a behind is worth 1 point, the point score is calculated as 4 goals x 6 points = 24 points and 3 behinds x 1 point = 3 points giving a total point score for the quarter of 27 points.

  13. The goals and behinds and the points are recorded after the completion of each quarter and the balls are re-racked according to the alternate ball rack diagrams. Player 1 starts first or 'breaks' in the first and third quarters and player 2 starts or 'breaks' first in the 2nd and 4th quarters.

  14. Once a player scores a goal in the opposing players goal pocket that player continues to play until he fails to score a goal from the next or proceeding shots. If a players scores a point the play or possession of the cue ball is passed onto the opposing player. Only when a goal is scored does the player in possession of the cue ball continue to play another shot.

  15. The winner is the player with the highest total score for all the 4 quarters added together.