General competition rules

General provisions

Disciplines played are 9-ball and 10-ball under EPBF rules. The playing area is supervised by a referee (on call — area referee) and the tournament director; all questions during play go to the referee. Before the first match it is MANDATORY to pay the entry fee and licence to the tournament director. Smoking (including e-cigarettes) and alcohol consumption are strictly forbidden during play. A first offence is a warning; a second offence is loss of match.

Schedule and protocol

To keep the tournament on schedule, players must be in the club ready to play at least 30 minutes before their scheduled time (cue assembled, water, chalk). When called, go straight to the table and start warm-up / play. The tournament director may call you up to 20 minutes before the scheduled time. If you are absent 16 minutes after the scheduled time you will be disqualified. Warm-up lasts 3 minutes or one rack — players in the first round may arrive earlier. Each player is entitled to one 5-minute Time-Out between any two racks of a match. Notify the referee before taking a Time-Out.

Shot clock

The referee may impose a shot clock at any point on a match that, in his judgment, is significantly exceeding the reference time and affecting the tournament. Any referee may run the clock. If a shot clock is imposed: after the break the player at the first shot has 60 seconds; thereafter 35 seconds per shot with one 25-second extension per rack; the referee will warn you verbally 10 seconds before time runs out, regardless of the stage of your stroke.

Dress code — upper garment

Allowed: a plain collared shirt (long or short sleeve), a polo of any single colour (no fluorescent or garish colours), or a national-team / club jersey. The top must be tucked in and the belt must be visible; women may leave it untucked but skin must be covered throughout the match. The top must be long enough not to come out when stretching over the table — no torso skin may be visible at any point. Minimum short sleeves are required. Not allowed: plain T-shirts, patterned shirts or polos, any extra clothing over the top (vests, sweaters, hoodies, tracksuits).

Dress code — bottoms and footwear

Dress or chino trousers, clean and in good condition, with a belt, in any single colour. Women may wear a skirt (with or without a slit) that covers the knees when standing. Socks must cover the skin if the trousers do not fall over the top of the shoe. Not allowed: trousers with studs, rivets, chains or any metal; cargo / side-pocket trousers; jeans, denim and corduroy; tracksuit bottoms. Footwear: dress shoes of leather or similar material, single colour — black or matching the trousers; sports shoes must be all black including the sole. Footwear must be clean and dry. No football / indoor / canvas trainers, sandals, slippers, work boots or similar.

Other rules

Always call the referee for any potentially disputed situation — the referee cannot resolve disputes that were not flagged before the stroke. Leave the playing area quietly when your match ends. The winner is responsible for reporting the result to the referee at the scoring table. Mobile phones may not be used during play, including while the opponent is on a Time-Out. Phones must be silenced and out of sight of other players. After a warning the referee applies escalating penalties (foul, rack, match). Headphones and earplugs of any kind are not allowed. For any other questions speak to the tournament director or referee. Please respect Fair-Play — may the best player win!

This is an informative summary. Official tournaments follow WPA/EPBF rules.