View source for Three-ball

{{short description|Folk game of pool}}
{{About|the cue sport discipline}}
[[Image:Three-ball rack in std triangle 1a.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Racking a game of three-ball with the standard fifteen-ball triangle rack.]]
'''Three-ball''' (or "3-ball", colloquially) is a [[Folklore|folk]] game of [[Pool (cue sports)|pool]] played with any three standard pool {{Cuegloss|object ball}}s and {{Cuegloss|cue ball}}. The game is frequently [[Gambling|gambled]] upon. The goal is to {{Cuegloss|pocket}} ({{cuegloss|pot}}) the three object balls in as few shots as possible.<ref name="poolsharp">[http://www.poolsharp.com/3ball.html PoolSharp's "Three-Ball Rules"]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061114020257/http://www.poolsharp.com/3ball.html |date=November 14, 2006 }}</ref><ref name="vphq">{{cite web |url= http://www.sportplanet.com/vp3/vp3rules.shtml#Three_Ball_Rules |work=SportPlanet.com's Virtual Pool Headquarters |title=Virtual Pool Game Rules: Three Ball Rules |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher=[[IGN Entertainment]] |location=San Francisco, CA, US |year=2003 |access-date=2012-02-10 |archive-date=2012-02-04 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120204231614/http://www.sportplanet.com/vp3/vp3rules.shtml }}</ref><ref name="3ballrack">{{cite web |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100709203015/http://www.3ballrack.com/rules.html |archive-date=2010-07-09 |access-date=2012-02-10 |title=3 Ball Pool Game Rules & Tournament Instructions |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |work=3BallRack.com |publisher=Tallenproducts |location=Lake View, NY, US |year=2009|url=http://www.3ballrack.com/rules.html }}</ref> The game involves a somewhat more significant amount of [[luck]] than either [[nine-ball]] or [[eight-ball]], because of the disproportionate value of pocketing balls on the {{Cuegloss|break}} shot and increased difficulty of doing so.

== Play ==
There are no widespread official or standardized rules for three-ball, though local tournaments promulgate rulesets that have some sway over area player populations even outside the context of the tournaments. Below are listed the most common, widely accepted rules.

The game is played on any [[Billiards table#Pool|pool table]]. A single {{Cuegloss|round}} usually consists of three<ref name="3ballrack" /> or five<ref name="vphq" /> {{Cuegloss|game}}s per player, with each player's individual game scores added to calculate their final score for the round, and a {{Cuegloss|Match|match}} may consist of several multi-game rounds, back-to-back or spread out over a period of time.<ref name="vphq" /> In a gambling context, three-ball is typically played in multiple games (each played out until someone wins the [[betting pool]], then after new antes are placed, play begins again), sometimes for many hours, with players able to enter and leave as suits their finances and risk-aversion.

=== Object ===
The object of the game is to sink all of the object balls in as few strokes as possible, with {{Cuegloss|point}}s being added to the player's score for each stroke and for specific fouls.<ref name="poolsharp" /><ref name="vphq" /><ref name="3ballrack" /> Unlike in eight-ball and nine-ball which are [[Turns, rounds and time-keeping systems in games#Turn-based|alternating turn-based]] games, the player at turn remains at turn until ''all'' object balls are pocketed,<ref name="poolsharp" /><ref name="vphq" /><ref name="3ballrack" /> or the player concedes or reaches the maximum point limit ''(see below)''. All strokes count as one point each, whether they pocketed no balls, one ball, or more than one ball.<ref name="poolsharp" /><ref name="vphq" /><ref name="3ballrack" /> {{Cuegloss|Foul}}s incur additional penalty points (''see below'').

There is a predetermined cut-off score of a certain number of points, after which the player must turn the table over to the next player (or conclude the game/round if the player was the last in the lineup).<ref name="vphq" />

=== Winning ===
Once a player's inning is over, the next player starts over with a fresh rack.<ref name="poolsharp" /><ref name="vphq" /><ref name="3ballrack" /> After all players have finished, the player with the lowest score is declared to be the winner.<ref name="poolsharp" /><ref name="vphq" /><ref name="3ballrack" /> In a tournament context, the winner of the event may be the player with the lowest total score over many rounds of play (strict scoring), or the highest number of won rounds (loose scoring). In case of a tie, a playoff round is played between the tied players (and repeated if another tie results).<ref name="poolsharp" /><ref name="3ballrack" />

=== One Tie, All Tie Format ===
This format is a popular version of Three Ball when gambling.  In this format, an ante amount per player is established for the game, with each game consisting of only one round.  At the end of the first round, if there is a tie for the lowest score between two or more players, ALL the players advance to a tie-breaking round.  Hence, the term "ONE TIE, ALL TIE".  All players then put an additional ante into the pot with each successive tie-breaking round.  This format is a great way to keep all players, including those players of lesser skill, engaged with every shot.  This format also leads to large pots, that grow progressively every time a new tie-breaking round begins.  


=== The rack ===
[[Image:Three-ball straight rack in diamond 1a.jpg|thumb|200px|left|A three-ball straight rack, using the side of the nine-ball diamond rack to align the balls with the head and foot spots.]]
Three object balls (conventionally the 1, 2 and 3 balls<ref name="vphq" /><ref name="3ballrack" /><ref name="superpool">{{cite web |url= http://www.zgroup-mobile.com/reviews/SuperPool/SuperPool.html |year=2005 |title=Reviews: SuperPool |work=ZGroup-Mobile.com |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher=ZGroup Mobile |location=Damascus, Syria and Dubai, UAE |access-date=2012-02-10 |archive-date=2012-02-06 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120206001033/http://www.zgroup-mobile.com/reviews/SuperPool/SuperPool.html}}</ref>) are [[Rack (billiards)|racked]] either in a triangle with the apex ball on the {{Cuegloss|foot spot}},<ref name="poolsharp" /><ref name="vphq" /><ref name="3ballrack" /><ref name="superpool" /> or in a straight line, again with the lead ball on the foot spot, and the other balls behind it, lined up toward the center of the {{Cuegloss|foot rail}}. No particular arrangement is necessary, as there is no specific order in which the balls must be pocketed, nor do any of them have specific point values.<ref name="3ballrack" /> As in other games, the player at turn may demand a {{Cuegloss|re-rack}} if not satisfied with the correct formation or position of the racked balls. Racking may be done with a standard wooden or plastic rack, or (in informal play) by hand.
{{clear}}

=== The break ===
The players' turn order is decided at random at the beginning of the game or match, as in other several-player pool games. The [[cue ball]] is placed anywhere behind the {{Cuegloss|head string}} ("in the {{Cuegloss|kitchen}}")<ref name="3ballrack" /> and a hard break is typically performed. The break is the first {{Cuegloss|Stroke|stroke}} of a player's game, and thus counts toward their score.<ref name="poolsharp" /><ref name="vphq" /><ref name="3ballrack" /> Any balls pocketed on the break are considered to be legally pocketed and the player now only has to sink the remaining balls.

=== Fouls ===
Fouls consist of pocketing the cue ball or knocking the cue ball off the table (a {{Cuegloss|scratch}}); a {{Cuegloss|double hit}} on the cue ball with the [[cue stick]]; {{Cuegloss|push shot}}s; and moving a ball with a hand, the {{Cuegloss|butt}} of the cue, or other illegal motion.<ref name="poolsharp" /><ref name="Shamos 1999" /> Every foul of any kind costs the player an additional one-point penalty.<ref name="poolsharp" /><ref name="vphq" /><ref name="3ballrack" /> A shot in which the player pocketed one or more object balls but also fouled still incurs a penalty.<ref name="poolsharp" /><ref name="vphq" /><ref name="3ballrack" />

Shots after a scratch must be taken from on or behind the {{cuegloss|head string}} and must go forward across/from the head string rather than be taken {{Cuegloss|ball-in-hand}} anywhere on the table.<ref name="3ballrack" />

Object balls knocked off the table are spotted on the foot spot,<ref name="3ballrack" /> and do not count as fouls.

{{Cuegloss|Kiss|Kisses}}, {{Cuegloss|Carom|caroms}}, {{Cuegloss|kick shot|kicks}}, {{Cuegloss|bank shot|banks}}, {{Cuegloss|combination}}s and non-scoop-under {{cuegloss|jump shot}}s are legal.<ref name="poolsharp" /><ref name="Shamos 1999">{{Shamos 1999}}</ref> The game is not typically played with {{cuegloss|call-shot|called shots}}.<ref name="3ballrack" />

=== Teams ===
The game can be played as a team game in two ways. First, players can be divided into even teams, with each player on each team shooting a full game per round, and the scores within each team being combined to yield the final score.<ref name="3ballrack" /> Secondly, the game can be played in {{Cuegloss|scotch doubles|{{not a typo|scotch doubles}}}} format, with players alternating shots, and each team only playing a single game per round, as if there were only two players.

== History ==
The modern game of three-ball appears to have originated from an earlier game of the same name, played as a [[Rotation pool|rotation]] game with the 1 through 3 balls, and the same rules as nine-ball, but with the 3 taking the place of the 9.<ref name="Shamos 1999" /> Its evolution over the last few decades can be traced back to 1984, in the Chicago suburbs, where J. C. Lee came up with three-ball as a quick and fun way to practice pool. He soon realized that several players, with varied billiard skill, could be involved in one turn-based game. The "one tie, all tie" rule, with re-ante betting rounds became an instant catalyst for the popularity of the game.<ref>T. Larsen {{incomplete reference|date=October 2022}}</ref>

== As practice for other games ==
[[Image:Three-ball rack in mini-triangle.jpg|thumb|right|Using the 8, 9 and 6 balls for practice, in a special three-ball rack. (Side view.)]]
Some players use repetitive playing of solo three-ball as a form of practice. This form of practice is often used as a drill to hone position play with the final balls of a rack in eight-ball and nine-ball. An eight-ball practice variant is to use two solids or two stripes and the 8 ball, and shoot the 8 ball last, while practice for nine-ball will often use the 7, 8, and 9 balls shot in order. 

==References==
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[[Category:Pool (cue sports)]]