Where does the red go when it is potted in billiards?
I · Intermediate · Playing the game · 3 of 5A red that is potted or knocked off the table goes back on the Spot, or the Pyramid Spot if that is taken, then the Centre Spot. After two pots in a row straight off the Spot, it goes to the Centre Spot. If the cue-ball stops touching a ball, the balls are re-spotted and the striker plays from the D.
How it works
- The red: back on the Spot after it is potted or forced off the table.
- Spot taken: the Pyramid Spot, then the Centre Spot.
- Repeated pots off the Spot: after two in a row, not combined with another score, the red goes to the Centre Spot.
- The pattern: Spot, Spot, then Centre Spot, while those spots are free.
- Asking: the referee says how many pots have been made off the same spot.
- Touching ball: if the cue-ball stops touching another ball, the referee calls "Touching ball".
- Then: the red on the Spot, the opponent's ball on the Centre Spot and the striker in-hand.
- The referee's mistakes: a player is not responsible for a ball the referee spotted wrongly.
- A ball on the pocket edge: if it falls in later on its own, it is put back.
The glossary has the spotting the red, the spots, the touching ball, the in-hand, the forced off the table and the referee.
Tricky cases
The red is potted, but the opponent's ball sits on the Spot. Where does the red go?
On the Pyramid Spot. If that is taken as well, the Centre Spot.
A player pots the red off the Spot twice in a row. Where does it go next?
On the Centre Spot.
The cue-ball comes to rest against the red. Can the player play away from it?
No. The referee calls "Touching ball", re-spots the red and the opponent's ball, and the striker plays from in-hand.
A ball wobbles on the edge of a pocket and drops in a moment later. Does it count?
Yes, if it balanced momentarily and then fell in as part of the stroke. A ball that falls in on its own later, with no stroke involved, is put back.
Why the rule exists
The red is the scoring engine of the game, so where it returns matters. Moving it after repeated pots off the Spot stops a player from potting it from the same place over and over. Re-spotting on a touching ball removes a position in which no fair stroke can be played.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Red potted | Spot, then Pyramid Spot, then Centre Spot | WPBSA Billiards 3.9(a) |
| Red potted twice off the Spot | Centre Spot | WPBSA Billiards 3.9(b); 3.9(c) |
| Touching ball | Re-spot; striker in-hand | WPBSA Billiards 3.14(a) |
| Ball on the edge of a pocket | Replaced if it falls in without a stroke | WPBSA Billiards 3.12 |
| Snooker | No penalty for playing away from a touching ball on, if it does not move | WPBSA Snooker 3.8 |
From the rule book
World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, Official Rules of the Games of Snooker and English Billiards (May 2022 update), English Billiards part, English Billiards Section 3 Rules 9, 12, 13 and 14. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the association's rule book, which covers snooker and English billiards together.