Pool Rules

8 Ball Pool Scratch Rules: WPA, BCA & APA compared.

A scratch happens when the cue ball ends up where it shouldn't — in a pocket or off the table. The standard penalty is ball-in-hand for your opponent. The exception, and the rule everyone argues about, is what happens when you scratch on the 8-ball — and that depends entirely on which league's rules you're playing.

Reading time: 6 minutes Updated: April 2026 Difficulty: Beginner

The four ways to scratch

Cue ball pocketed

The cue ball drops into a pocket on any stroke. The most common scratch.

Cue ball off the table

The cue ball jumps the rail and lands on the floor. Counts as a scratch.

Cue ball hits nothing

The cue ball travels without contacting any object ball. Foul under WPA / BCA.

Illegal 8-ball pocket

Pocketing the 8 before clearing your group, or in the wrong pocket. Automatic loss.

What counts as a scratch in 8 ball pool

Under standard pool rules, a scratch is one specific kind of foul: any shot where the cue ball ends up off the playing surface, either by dropping into a pocket or by jumping the rail. Both produce the same penalty — your opponent gets ball-in-hand and you lose your turn.

Some rule sets and most casual players also use the word "scratch" loosely to describe related fouls — failing to hit any ball, failing to drive a ball to a rail after contact, hitting your opponent's ball first. Strictly speaking these are fouls, not scratches, but they carry the same ball-in-hand penalty so the practical difference is small.

The standard scratch foul

Under both WPA (World Pool-Billiard Association) and BCA (Billiards Congress of America) rules, the cue ball going into a pocket or off the table is the textbook scratch. The shot ends, any object balls you pocketed on the same shot stay down (with one exception — the 8-ball, covered below), and your opponent shoots next with ball-in-hand.

The "no contact" scratch

WPA and BCA rules require the cue ball to make contact with at least one of your object balls and then either pocket a ball or drive any ball to a cushion. Failing to hit anything — sometimes called a "table scratch" in casual play — is a foul that hands the table to your opponent.

The 8-ball scratch rule (the one everyone argues about)

Here's where the rule sets diverge, and where most house arguments start. The question is: what happens if you scratch while shooting at the 8-ball? The answer depends on whether you're playing under official tournament rules or under the bar-room version most casual players grew up on.

Scenario	WPA / BCA rules	APA league rules	Common house rules
Scratch + pocket the 8-ball on the same shot	Loss You lose the game.	Loss You lose the game.	Loss You lose the game.
Scratch but the 8-ball stays on the table	Foul Ball-in-hand for opponent. You keep playing.	Loss Any foul on the 8 = loss.	Loss Most bar players treat any 8-ball scratch as loss.
Pocket the 8 in the wrong pocket (called shot)	Loss You lose the game.	Loss You lose the game.	Loss You lose the game.
Hit a stripe before the 8 when shooting the 8	Foul Ball-in-hand. Game continues.	Loss Foul on the 8 = loss.	Varies — usually a foul, sometimes called a loss.
Pocket the 8 before clearing your group	Loss You lose the game.	Loss You lose the game.	Loss You lose the game.

Scratching on the break

Scratching on the break shot has its own set of rules because the break is a unique shot — no called pockets, all 15 balls in motion, and no obligation to hit a particular ball first.

Standard penalty for a break scratch

Under WPA, BCA, and APA rules, scratching on the break gives your opponent ball-in-hand behind the head string — the imaginary line two diamonds out from the head rail. Your opponent can't place the cue ball anywhere on the table; they have to play from the kitchen. Any object balls you pocketed on the break stay down.

If the 8-ball goes in on the break

This is one of the most misunderstood scenarios in pool. Pocketing the 8-ball on the break is not an automatic loss under WPA and BCA rules. Your opponent gets a choice:

• Have the 8-ball re-spotted on the foot spot and play from current position, or
• Re-rack and have you break again, or
• Re-rack and break themselves.

If you scratched and pocketed the 8-ball on the break, your opponent has the same options but plays with ball-in-hand behind the head string. The 8-on-the-break = automatic win or automatic loss is a house rule, not an official one — though it's so common in casual play that most people assume it's official.

How to avoid scratching

Most scratches aren't bad luck — they're predictable cue ball paths the player didn't see coming. Three principles cover 90% of scratch-prevention:

• The 30-degree rule. A rolling cue ball that hits an object ball at any angle between a quarter-ball and three-quarter-ball hit deflects roughly 30 degrees from its original line. Trace that 30-degree line in your head before every shot — if it ends in a pocket, change your spin or angle.
• The 90-degree rule. On a stun shot (no top or bottom spin), the cue ball and object ball separate at almost exactly 90 degrees. If you can see that the 90-degree line points to a pocket, you need to add follow or draw to redirect the cue ball.
• Stop shots and draw shots. The two most reliable cue-ball-control techniques. A center-ball stop shot keeps the cue exactly where it stops the object ball; a draw shot pulls it backward. Master these two and you'll eliminate most accidental scratches.
• Don't go for thin cuts unless you have to. The thinner the cut, the less control you have over where the cue ball ends up. If a thicker shot is available, take it.
• Watch the rails. Cue balls heading toward a rail with no spin will rebound at the same angle they hit. If the rebound line crosses a pocket, you're in trouble.

Frequently asked questions