League rules

• Default session: 16 weeks, alternating 8-ball and 9-ball (8 eight-ball / 8 nine-ball weeks under the alternating schedule).
• Target size: 3 teams of 3 active players (up to 1 sub per team when the pool allows), about 18 players league-wide.
• Match nights use 3 tables — typically one 1v1 match per table, three tables running.
• Base targets (Fargo-adjusted): 8-ball race to 5 racks; 9-ball race to 5 racks. Both games report score in racks only — never “points” for the race total.
• Each match runs on a 45:00 match clock. Scorers may also enable an optional shot clock (see §10). The same season roster is used for both games; captains may choose a different active three for 8-ball vs 9-ball nights.

• Annual registration dues: $25 per player (puts you on the draft board). The inaugural session may waive this fee so players can try the league; dues resume for the following session. Weekly match fees still apply every night either way.
• Rating path A — Fargo: self-report a rating between 150 and 850 (optional Fargo ID). Non-finite values default to 400.
• Rating path B — APA skill level converted to a starter Fargo band (CSI/BCAPL-style starters — not an official FargoRate certificate):

Note: APA 8-ball SL 3 maps to ~275, not ~350. Starters can be refreshed toward live Fargo when the league connects a FargoRate key.

• Session-locked ratings: each player’s starting Fargo is frozen for the 16-week session and used for handicaps. Match scoreboards snapshot those ratings.
• Session-end review: after the session, the platform owner runs the rating engine (W/L vs expectation, rack margins, opponent strength), then approves / overrides / skips each proposed change before it becomes the next session’s starting rating.

• Draft mode is season-start only. Weekly re-drafts are not used — standings stay fair across the season.
• Captains are assigned (or stay on their teams). Remaining roster spots are filled by a tiered snake draft.
• Fargo tiers:
  • T1 Anchors — 550+
  • T2 Grinders — 400–549
  • T3 Core / Beginners — under 400 (including ratings below 200)
• Snake order: Round 1 drafts T1 in randomized team order; Round 2 drafts T2 in reverse order; Round 3 drafts T3 forward again.
• A captain already on the roster counts toward their tier — that team skips the round for their captain’s tier.
• Draft stops when each team reaches the active roster size (3). Admins randomize order (before picks), lock the draft, or reopen it (clears non-captain spots and picks; captains remain).

• Captains set an active lineup of exactly 3 players for the night (subs allowed when roster depth permits).
• Team vs team; tables host simultaneous 1v1 matches.
• A race is won when a player reaches the race target and is strictly ahead of the opponent.
• Night flow: Scheduled → Lineups set → Live → Completed (or Cancelled).
• Schedule modes: Fixed (one game all season), Alternating (default — swap 8/9 by week), or Split night (stored preference for mixed nights).
• Each completed table awards 1 match point (Pts) to the winning team and feeds the bonus-point ledger for both players.

Spots use each player’s Fargo. The lower-rated player receives the head start. Spots cannot exceed race-to − 2 (so both sides still need to play).

• 8-ball & 9-ball: roughly 40 Fargo ≈ 1 rack, with mild efficiency dampening on large gaps (so a small gap like 612 vs 640 / Δ28 is still even — no spot; the first full rack of spot needs about ~43+ Fargo). At race-to-5, max spot is 3 racks.
• Handicap starts are applied when the match is created (and rebuilt when a rating is edited or the match is restarted). They remain the floor for −rack corrections.

• Ball in hand is awarded to the incoming player after any of the following fouls (8-ball or 9-ball):
  • Scratch (cue ball pocketed)
  • Cue ball driven off the table
  • Any object ball driven off the table
• With ball in hand, the shooter may place the cue ball anywhere on the table (unless a house rule limits the first shot after the break to the kitchen — follow the posted house sheet if so).
• 8-ball is call-your-pocket (no slop). The shooter must call the intended ball and pocket on every shot. If the called ball is made in a different pocket than called (e.g. 1-ball called in the bottom corner but falls in the side), it is not a foul — the turn simply passes to the opponent with no penalty (no ball in hand unless a separate foul also occurred).

Break milestones award bonus points (BP) for tie-breakers and the season ledger. Every player is eligible for full values — there is no novice cap. A milestone always adds exactly +1 rack toward the race score; the BP value is tracked separately (player → team → match night → season).

• Standings and the live scoreboard show a dedicated BP column for transparency.

• Unit: racks. Base target: race to 5 (Fargo-adjusted).
• Won rack → +1 rack (no BP).
• Snap → +1 rack + 3 BP.
• Break-and-Run → +1 rack + 2 BP.
• Call your pocket — no slop (see §6). Wrong pocket on a called ball = end of turn, no penalty.
• Scratch on the break with the 8 also pocketed: this is not a loss and awards no BP. Re-rack the entire table (the 8 is not spotted). The break goes to the opponent, unless the opponent defers and gives the break back to the original breaker.
• Solids / stripes are display-only for the scoreboard; they do not change the score.

• Unit: racks (same language as 8-ball). Base target: race to 5 (Fargo-adjusted).
• Won rack → +1 rack (no BP).
• Break-and-Run → +1 rack + 3 BP.
• Snap (legal 9 on the break, no scratch) → +1 rack + 2 BP.
• Early 9 → +1 rack + 2 BP.
• Scratch on the break with the 9 also pocketed: this is not a Snap and not a loss. Do not re-rack. The breaker places the 9 on the foot spot — or, if the spot is blocked, as close as possible to the spot toward the bottom rail (away from the kitchen / breaking area), without touching the ball that occupies the spot.

10A. Match clock (45:00)

• Every match is timed for 45 minutes. The scoreboard shows a countdown from 45:00.
• On-screen warnings fire at 5:00, 1:00, and 0:10 remaining.
• When the match clock hits 0:00, a distinct alarm sounds and the scoreboard announces “Stop playing.” Play freezes under the buzzer rules in §10C — the rack in progress does not continue except in the tied-score / tied-BP deciding-rack case.
• Pause is for disputes only. Resume continues the same 45:00 period (or returns to finish-the-rack / deciding-rack mode if the buzzer already sounded on a tied score with equal BP).

10B. Shot clock (optional)

• The shot clock is not required for every match. If one player is playing slowly, their opponent may request that the scorer turn the shot clock on for both players. Outside that situation it can stay off.
• When enabled, limit options are 30, 45, or 60 seconds per shot (default 30s). It applies equally to both sides.
• How to run it: tap the player’s turn button when they are up. That starts (or resumes) the match clock if needed and begins their shot countdown. When the shot is over, tap the next player’s turn.
• The shot clock runs with the match clock but never stops or extends the 45:00 period. Extensions add time to the shot only.
• Extension tokens: each player gets 2 tokens per match (not one). While that player is on the shot clock, tap +30s to add thirty seconds to whatever time is left (e.g. 12s remaining → 42s). The match clock is unaffected. Restarting a match restores both tokens.
• When the shot clock hits 0, a loud buzz sounds. That alerts the table the shot time is up; start the next player’s turn (or re-start the same player) as needed. Shot-clock expiry does not by itself change the rack score.
• Dispute Pause also pauses the shot clock; it resumes when the match clock resumes if a shooter is still armed.

10C. Buzzer — set (match) tie-breakers

• When the 45:00 buzzer sounds, play freezes immediately:
  • Leading score (e.g. 4–3) → the leader wins outright. The rack in progress is discarded and does not count (no late bailouts).
  • Tied score (e.g. 4–4) → Step A: compare cumulative match BP (Snap / B&R / Early 9). Higher BP wins the match.
  • Tied score and tied BP → Step B: if a rack is already under way when the buzzer sounds, play that rack to completion — the winner of that rack wins the match. If the table was between racks (no game in progress), play one deciding rack instead. (No lag-for-break overtime; the deciding table play itself breaks the deadlock.)
• Restart match resets scores to handicap starts, clears suits / BP for that set, resets the 45:00 timer and shot clock, and reverses any standings ledger entry if the match had already been finalized.
• −rack corrects mistakes but cannot drop a side below its handicap start. Undo reverses the last scored event (except the initial handicap spot).

The standings board shows W, L, PF, PA, Pts, and BP. BP is the season-long total of break-milestone bonus points.

• Match-night (team) tie-breaker: if two or more teams finish a week with identical table wins / match points, rank them by cumulative BP across all three tables that night.
• Session-wide (16-week) standings order:
  1. Total match points (Pts)
  2. Season cumulative bonus points (BP)
  3. Head-to-head record between the tied teams
• Still tied after Pts, BP, and head-to-head: each team nominates one player for a best-of-5 in the discipline of the tie (8-ball or 9-ball). After nomination, the opponent chooses their player.
• Player BP leaders are tracked separately for the season (golden breaks, break-and-runs, early 9s).

Weekly match fees never fund league profit. Annual dues alone fund league operations.

• Weekly match fee: $10 per player per night → allocated only to Venue / table time, Local trophies, and Prize pool.
• Annual dues: $25 → 100% League profit / operations.
• Venue-first night math (default bar model):
  • Fee pot: 18 × $10 = $180
  • Venue first: 3 tables × $10/hr × 2h = $60 (racing block plus buffer)
  • Remainder $120 → trophies 25% = $30; prize = $90
• Season-scale projection at full attendance: weekly fees × 16 weeks. Exact ledger balances are on the Finances page.

• Players register, pay dues, appear in the draft pool, and play assigned matches.
• Captains set lineups, represent the team in the draft, and keep roster names current with platform help.
• Local admin runs draft order/lock, season game mode, night operations, and can view the Pts / BP standings board.
• Platform admin manages brand, teams (add / rename / delete), players, captains, race targets, and draft reopen.
• Live match completion updates the BP ledger and standings, and submits results toward Fargo when connected.