Foul shots
1. If a player´s cue tip strikes the cue ball more than once in the same stroke and if cue tip, cue ball and object ball make simultaneous contact. This is known as a push stroke.
2. If a ball is forced off the table
3. If a player plays a shot with both feet off the floor
4. If a player strikes or touches a ball other than with the tip of the cue
5. By causing the cue ball to jump over any other ball
6. By playing with the balls wrongly spotted
As explained earlier the six colours are re-spotted on their own designated spots after having been potted. If however those spots are occupied or partially covered by other balls they are played on the highest available spot e.g if after potting the green that particular balls spot is found to be unavailable and the pink brown and yellow spots are free the green would be replaced on the pink spot. assuming that all the spots are covered the colour is replaced nearest its own spot without touching another ball in a direct line between it and the nearest point on the top cushion.
The ability to work out where colours will be positioned after they have been potted is of paramount importance when constructing a break. Lack of awareness leads directly to errors. On countless occasions, players can be heard to mutter, ´i forgot the brown had to go there´ or ´why didn´t i realize the black wouldn´t spot´. Knowledge of the re-spotting mechanism reduces these frustrating faux pas to a minimum.
Free ball
If a player is snookered on the reds after a foul shot by his opponent he may nominate any coloured ball as a red. This is known as a ´free ball´. If it is potted, it counts one and a colour can then be nominated in the usual way. if no reds remains, a free ball is valued at the same number of points as the lowest value colour remaining and the colours are then taken in sequence. for the purpose of this rule, a player is deemed to be snookered if he cannot directly hit both extremities of the object ball
