What is the three-foul rule in pool?
A · Advanced · Fouls · 5 of 8Three fouls in a row, with no legal shot between them, are a serious foul, usually costing the rack. The referee must warn a player who comes to the table on two fouls. A slow player can be told to speed up and then put on a shot clock. Unsportsmanlike conduct can bring anything from a warning to expulsion.
How it works
- Three fouls: three fouls in a row without an intervening legal shot.
- Rack games: in games scored by the rack, the fouls must be in a single rack.
- The warning: a player on two fouls must be told when they come to the table; otherwise a third counts only as a second.
- Not in every game: 8-ball does not use the three-foul rule.
- Slow play: the referee may ask a player to speed up, then put a shot clock on the match for both players.
- Over time: exceeding the limit is a standard foul.
- Unsportsmanlike conduct: distracting the opponent, moving balls other than by a shot, deliberate miscues, playing on after a foul is called, practising during a match, marking the table, delaying the game, misusing equipment.
- Penalties: usually as for a serious foul, but the referee may choose a warning, a standard foul, loss of a rack, set or match, or ejection.
The glossary has the standard fouls, the losing the rack, the rack, the nine-ball, the eight-ball and the inning.
Tricky cases
The referee forgets to warn a player on two fouls, and they foul again. Is the rack lost?
No. Without the warning, the third foul counts only as the second.
Do fouls in the last rack count towards three in 9-ball?
No. In rack-scored games the three fouls must be in one rack.
Does a shot clock apply only to the slow player?
No. Once imposed, it applies to both players for that match.
A player marks the cloth with chalk to aim. What is that?
Marking the table is unsportsmanlike conduct.
Why the rule exists
Without the three-foul rule, a player could foul again and again to keep the opponent in trouble. The warning makes sure the player knows what is at stake.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 9-ball, 10-ball, one-pocket, bank pool | Three fouls lose the rack | WPA 5.8, 6.10, 12.9, 13.10 |
| 8-ball | No three-foul rule | WPA 3.13, 4.10 |
| Straight pool | Minus fifteen more points and a re-break | WPA 7.11 |
| Snooker | Repeated misses can lose the frame | WPBSA Snooker 3.14(d) |
From the rule book
World Pool-Billiard Association, Rules of Play (effective 15 September 2025), General Rules 1.4 and 1.11 and Fouls 3.13, 3.14 and 3.16. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the WPA Rules of Play, revised from time to time.