9-Ball Scores

The Game

• 9-Ball is played with balls 1–9. The cue ball must contact the lowest-numbered ball on the table first, but balls may be pocketed in any order off a legal hit (combos, caroms, kisses all count).
• Nothing is called in this format — any ball that drops on a legal stroke counts, slop included.
• Winner of the lag shoots first. The winner of each rack breaks the next one.
• There is no push-out and no three-foul rule.

Scoring — It’s a Points Game

• Balls 1–8 are worth 1 point each; the 9-ball is worth 2 points — 10 points in every rack.
• You win the match by reaching your Points Required to Win (based on skill level, chart below) before your opponent reaches theirs.
• Pocketing the 9 ends the rack; any balls still on the table are dead (no one scores them).

Fouls — Ball in Hand

• Scratching, failing to hit the lowest ball first, no rail after contact, and other standard fouls give the opponent cue ball in hand anywhere.
• Balls pocketed on a foul stroke are dead — they stay down but score for no one. Exception: a 9-ball pocketed on a foul is spotted.
• There is no point penalty for a foul — the penalty is ball in hand.

Dead Balls

• Dead balls are balls credited to neither player: balls made on a scratch or foul, and balls left on the table when the 9 is made.
• Mark them as you go — every ball in every rack must be accounted for (10 points per rack, scored or dead).

Innings & Defensive Shots

• An inning is one turn for each player. It's complete when the player who shoots second (lag loser) misses or fouls.
• A defensive shot is any shot with no intent to legally pocket a ball. It still ends the turn and counts in the inning — but it must be marked on the scoresheet. Accurate defense counts keep handicaps honest.

Break, Break-and-Run, 9 on the Snap

• The break must be an open break. Balls made on a legal break count for the breaker and the breaker keeps shooting.
• 9 on the Snap: pocketing the 9 on the break stroke wins the rack instantly (2 pts + any other balls that fell). In this app, marking the 9 with no other balls marked yet asks Snap vs early 9; if other balls were already marked and the breaker never lost the table, you get Snap vs Break-and-Run.
• 9 made early: the 9 drops before the rest of the rack is cleared (combo, carom, etc.) — rack ends; leftover balls go dead. Not counted as a snap.
• Break and Run: breaking and clearing the entire rack without the opponent ever getting to the table.
• Snap and B&R are tracked separately on the scoresheet (and in this app).

Score of Match — 20 Match Points

Every match splits 20 match points between the two players. Find the loser’s skill level row, then the range containing the loser’s points earned — that column is the final split (winner–loser).

Summary of the handicapped 9-ball points format this scorer follows. Your league’s official rules and local rulings always prevail.