Penalties named on 3 Oct 2026
The beginner account says a penalty lets the opponent place the cue ball anywhere for their turn. It names these plays:
- Hitting the other group first. Solids if you are on stripes, or stripes if you are on solids.
- Pocketing the cue ball.
- Pocketing the 8-ball, or targeting it, before the rest of your group is in.
- It also says there are more penalties than that list. The missing ones are not named there.
What to do with ball in hand
When you receive the cue ball, place it where the next shot is easy and the ball after that is still open. The official listing does not publish a kitchen line or other placement limit. If the game rejects a spot, move the ball until the prompt accepts it.
Where a later page disagrees
An 11 Oct 2026 community rules page says an early 8-ball is typically a loss, and it adds no-rail contact, the cue ball leaving the table, a wrong pocket on the 8-ball, and a placement foul. Those extras are standard ideas in real 8-ball, but they are not in the 3 Oct beginner account, and the official description does not list them.
Until you see the rule on your own table, treat only the three named plays as the documented penalty list, and expect ball in hand rather than an automatic loss. If your match ends the moment the 8-ball drops early, that result is what your server enforced. This page will not call the later list confirmed.
A practical check before you shoot
- Confirm you are hitting your own group, or that groups are not assigned yet.
- Look at where the cue ball will travel after contact, especially toward a pocket.
- Leave the 8-ball alone until your group is gone.
- Use less power when the cue ball is aimed near a pocket.
More detail on building the shot is in the first match guide.