Situation: In a 9-Ball game, Player A is shooting and, while making the 9-ball, commits a foul. Player B does not see the foul and mistakenly believes the game is over. Before anyone can stop them, Player B gathers all the balls on the table in preparation for the next rack. How should we proceed?

The answer depends on a few factors, so let's break it down:

Current Rack:

If both players can agree on the position of the balls, they can be placed back as they were, and play continues.

If the players cannot agree or recall the positions of the balls, all remaining balls are considered “dead,” and the game proceeds to the next rack.

Who Shoots or Breaks Next:

Player B would shoot/break next because Player A fouled in their last shot at the table.

However, if Player B contacts any object ball with the cue ball while dragging the balls, Player A will receive ball-in-hand as a result of Player B’s foul. Player B is allowed to move the cue ball as long as they don't foul while doing so as they currently have ball-in-hand following Player A’s foul.

This situation largely falls under the “Accidentally Moved Balls” section in the OTM (Official Tournament Manual), even if multiple balls are moved. Only the actions involving the cue ball (and whether it contacts another object ball) are covered by the “Fouls” section.

Not all rules will cover all scenarios so in these cases common sense of a rule can be applied. When possible reach out to the League Office for clarifications.

Rule: Official Team Manual (OTM) page 49-50 section 9 “Accidentally Moved Balls”: https://media.poolplayers.com/TMRB/Team-Manual-English.pdf

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