This page follows Section 12 of the WPA Rules of Play, effective 15 September 2025, which builds on the general rules. One-pocket is scored by points within each rack, and its foul penalty works through the balls you have already scored.
Equipment and the rack
One-pocket uses the cue ball and all fifteen object balls. They are racked in a triangle with the apex ball on the foot spot, in no set order, and without a template.
Choosing pockets
On each rack, the breaker chooses one of the two foot pockets, and the opponent gets the other. If the breaker does not name a pocket, the breaker is given the foot pocket on the opposite side of the table from where the cue ball was placed for the break.
Objective and scoring
A ball legally pocketed in your own pocket scores one point for you. Balls that fall into your opponent's pocket count for your opponent, even when you were the one shooting. The first player to get eight object balls into their own pocket wins the rack.
The break
The break has no special requirements beyond starting with the cue ball in hand behind the head string. There is no minimum number of balls that must reach a rail, unlike the eight-ball, nine-ball, ten-ball and bank pool breaks.
Spotted balls
Balls are spotted when they are pocketed on a foul, pocketed in a side pocket or one of the head pockets, or driven off the table.
Fouls and owed balls
- Standard foul. Costs one point. You pay it by spotting one of the balls you have already scored.
- Nothing to pay with. If you have not scored any balls yet, you owe one. The debt is recorded with a marker, and later balls you score cancel it out.
- Scratch. After a scratch, the cue ball is in hand behind the head string, which the general rule 3.1 also states for one-pocket.
- Three consecutive fouls. Lose the rack. The CSI rules (1-22) also apply a successive-foul count in one-pocket, with a warning and acknowledgment required before a third foul counts.
Winning
You win the rack when you have eight balls in your pocket, or when your opponent commits three fouls in a row. If a single shot pockets both your winning ball and your opponent's winning ball, the shooter wins.
Stalemate
After a one-pocket stalemate, the balls are re-racked and the players lag again. Any owed-ball markers are kept.
Other one-pocket rulebooks
Dr. Dave Alciatore's site publishes a "WPA style" one-pocket rules document, and Pro Billiard Series publishes a one-pocket document in WPA format. We did not read either for this page, so we do not report how they differ. Dr. Dave has also proposed banning jump cues in one-pocket and straight pool; that is a proposal, not a current rule.
Quick reference
| Item | WPA one-pocket rule |
|---|---|
| Balls | 15 object balls, apex on the foot spot, no template |
| Scoring pockets | Breaker picks a foot pocket; opponent gets the other |
| Points to win the rack | 8 |
| Break requirement | None beyond cue ball in hand behind the head string |
| Foul penalty | 1 point, paid by spotting a scored ball or owing one |
| After a scratch | Cue ball in hand behind the head string |
| Three consecutive fouls | Loss of rack |