2026 DERBY CITY CLASSIC RULES & DISCLAIMERS

Players are responsible for knowing the DCC rules of play and when you are scheduled to play.

Permitted: Neat looking slacks or jeans (long pants), including neat, non-baggy sport pants. Neat looking shirts, including nice T-shirts, short or long sleeve; neat closed-toe dress shoes or tennis shoes, including neat boots. All dress items must be neat and not torn.

Prohibited: Short pants and distressed/ripped jeans. Backward hats and sagging pants. Any sloppy, dirty, torn, or untidy clothing. Open-toed shoes, sandals, and flip-flops.

Note: Players reporting to their match out of dress code will be given a verbal warning from the tournament director and must correct the problem before their next match. A second violation results in unsportsmanlike conduct.

Players should be seated when your opponent is at the table. Intentionally distracting your opponent when it is their turn is unsportsmanlike conduct and will be penalized accordingly.

All earphones, headphones, and ear plugs are prohibited on all TV arena matches. Earphones and ear plugs are permitted on other tournament play tables. A player that chooses to use ear ware is fully responsible for any verbal communication from an opponent or referee. Hearing aids are permitted on any tournament table.

During matches, players are required to turn their cell phones off or set them to silent mode. Still photos are permitted, but flash photography is not allowed. Live streaming or video recording of tournament matches is strictly prohibited without prior permission from Diamond.

Smoking and Vaping is prohibited in all tournament playing areas, including the action room, other special event areas, and anywhere there are tables for play or practice. You may smoke and vape in designated areas only.

Players have 15 minutes to be at your match table with your equipment and ready to play once your match is announced, or you lose the match by forfeit.

Players are allowed one five-minute timeout per match. You may only take a timeout when it is your turn at the table, either during a game or in between games. Your opponent may leave the playing area during your timeout, but they must be back when you are ready to resume play or they will lose their time out, if they have not already used it. During your timeout, if it is between games and your opponent remains in the playing area, they may hit balls on the match table while you are away, but neither player may practice on another table inside or outside the playing area.
If a player has a medical condition, the tournament official may adjust the time-outs.

When calling a referee, the non-shooting player is responsible for calling the referee to watch a shot. The shooter must wait for the referee before making the shot. Failure to do so is a foul. The decision of the referee or tournament official is final.

All games require you to rack your own balls to start a game. Players may not agree to do otherwise, unless a designated racker is used. When racking, do not touch the front balls, only push from the back balls.

The cue ball or an object ball must be driven to a rail after contact with a legal object ball or it is a foul.

Accidentally touching or disturbing a single stable object ball is not a foul, unless the disturbed ball has an effect on the outcome of the shot. See a referee for advice if you think this has happened. Otherwise, the opponent has the option to restore the disturbed ball or leave it in position. If the offending player attempts to restore the disturbed ball without giving their opponent the restoration option, it is a foul.
Accidentally touching or disturbing 2 or more object balls is a foul, and there is no restoration option for the disturbed balls.
Accidentally touching a moving ball is a foul, and there is no restoration option for the disturbed balls.

Jump Cues are allowed in the main 9-Ball event ONLY.
All other events, Jump Cues are NOT ALLOWED. A player may jump with their playing cue only.

When shooting a shot, players must have at least one foot in contact with the floor when the cue tip strikes the cue ball, or it is a foul.

The “base of the ball” rule does not apply at DCC. To be playable, object balls must be completely down table of the head string. This is determined by the EDGE of the Ball. The edge of the ball may not touch or overlap the head string, even if the base of the ball is completely down table of the head string. The decision of the referee is final.
Even the Break Shot, the EDGE of the cue ball must be fully behind the head string.

Players may call a tournament official to spot balls or declare frozen balls. Balls not declared frozen prior to a shot, are not considered frozen.

Object balls frozen to the cue ball or very close to the cue ball, require you to elevate the cue approximately 45 degrees to stroke the shot. This will be considered a legal shot even though a double hit may occur. Even with an elevated cue, you cannot place the cue tip on the cue ball and shove it forward or it will be called a push shot and result in a foul.
An unintentional miscue is not a foul. An intentional miscue is a foul. The decision of the referee is final.

Players may aim with their cue, but your hand must remain in contact with the cue. It is a foul to aim with a cue and take your hand off it while aiming.

If a player unscrews their playing cue while the opponent is at the table during the decisive rack of a match, it is considered concession of the match. Do not give up balls, pocket all required object balls. Violation is considered unsportsmanlike conduct. It is not considered unsportsmanlike to concede the last ball of a match.

In matches with a “Winner Breaks” format, if a player runs out the entire set without their opponent ever going to the table (other than the lag and to take the opening break shot of the match), the opponent will then have one opportunity to break and match the run. If the opponent can accomplish this, one more game will be played to decide the match with the players lagging for the break.

TV arena matches are subject to a shot clock, and possibly other matches as determined by tournament officials. Players will get one clock extension per game. When the clock reaches Zero, it will not be a foul as long as the player is down on the ball and does not move from that position. The shot clock will continue to run during the requested cleaning of a ball.

If both remaining players in an event have their Buy-back Option left, the Final will be one extended race as follows...Banks Race to 4, One Pocket Race to 4, 9-Ball Race to 11.

Winner of the lag decides who breaks first. Coin toss is acceptable if both players agree.

Nine balls are racked in a diamond pattern with the head ball on the spot. Use the triangle rack. When racking, do not touch the front balls, only push from the back balls.

Winner of previous game decides who breaks the next game.

A legal break requires the player to strike the head ball first and drive at least one object ball past the side pockets or pocket an object ball. If your break is illegal, the opponent may either accept the table in position or require you to break again.

The shooter must call the intended pocket and exact number of cushions before shooting. Short rails do not count.

A ball is illegally pocketed if it: goes into other than the called pocket; contacts other than the exact number of cushions called; caroms off any other object ball before being pocketed; is pocketed by a combination; contacts the cue ball more than once on the same shot. All illegally pocketed object balls and object balls knocked off the table are spotted.

Kick shots are not allowed to count as a banked ball.

Any scratch or foul results in loss of a ball. If you have no balls to spot, you “owe” a ball. You must spot what you owe at the end of your inning in which you have balls available to spot. The incoming player has cue ball in hand behind the head string after a scratch or cue ball off the table foul. The cue ball stays in position for other fouls. If a scratch or foul is “slept” and subsequently remembered, the ball is spotted after each player has shot once.

If the ball count scores of both players reach a negative count, the negatives will cancel each other out, until at least one player gets back to a ball count of zero.

Any ball count score that reaches negative five (-5) is loss of game.

It is a foul if a player deliberately traps or wedges the cue ball in the jaw of a pocket. In addition to the foul penalty, the opponent receives cue ball in hand behind the head string.

If a player wishes to take a deliberate cue ball foul, they must use their cue tip to strike the cue ball with a forward stroke. If they strike the cue ball with anything other than the cue tip, in addition to the foul penalty, the opponent receives cue ball in hand behind the head string, and it is considered unsportsmanlike conduct.

The object ball closest to the head string is spotted if this occurs. If 2 or more object balls are the same distance from the head string, the incoming shooter will designate which ball to spot.

The first player who legally pockets five (5) banked balls wins the game.

Winner of the lag decides who breaks first. Coin toss is acceptable if both players agree.

Players will alternate the break.

A legal break requires the player to pocket an object ball in other than the breakers pocket or drive at least one object ball or the cue ball to a cushion after contact. Failure to do so is a foul. An object ball legally pocketed in the breakers pocket is a re-rack and re-break.

At the end of a player's inning, if more than 4 object balls remain above the head-string, all object balls above the head-string will spot immediately. A ball is considered above the head-string if any part of the ball is touching the head-string. (Edge of ball determines)

Any scratch or foul results in loss of a ball. If you have no balls to spot, you “owe” a ball. You must spot what you owe at the end of your inning in which you have balls available to spot. The incoming player has cue ball in hand behind the head string after a scratch or cue ball off the table foul. The cue ball stays in position for other fouls, not specifically addressed in the rules. If a scratch or foul is “slept” and subsequently remembered, the ball is spotted after each player has shot once.

If the cue ball or an object ball is jumped off the table to prevent an object ball from counting toward the opponent's ball count, the object ball will go in the opponent's pocket and count toward their ball count and it is a foul and cue ball in hand behind the head string for the opponent.

If the ball count scores of both players reach a negative count, the negatives will cancel each other out, until at least one player gets back to a ball count of zero.

Any ball count score that reaches negative five (-5) is loss of game.

It is a foul if a player deliberately traps or wedges the cue ball in the jaw of a pocket. In addition to the foul penalty, the opponent receives cue ball in hand behind the head string.

If a player wishes to take a deliberate cue ball foul, they must use their cue tip to strike the cue ball with a forward stroke. If they strike the cue ball with anything other than the cue tip, in addition to the foul penalty, the opponent receives cue ball in hand behind the head string, and it is considered unsportsmanlike conduct.

If a player shoots into the wrong pocket and continues to shoot because their opponent failed to notify them of the error, any additional balls pocketed in that inning do not count, whether pocketed for the shooter or the opponent. The first shot to the wrong pocket in a given inning is the shooter’s responsibility, and the opponent is entitled to any balls pocketed on that first shot. However, any other pocketed balls in the wrong pocket in the same inning are to be spotted as illegally pocketed balls.

If a player commits 3 successive fouls in one game, it is loss of game. The opponent must notify the shooter that they are “on 2” fouls, immediately before the shooter’s next inning.

Slow play will not be tolerated. Tournament officials will issue a warning if they feel a player is delaying the progress of the match. A second warning will result in ball in hand anywhere on the table. A third warning is loss of game. A fourth occurrence is loss of match.

The object ball closest to the head string is spotted if this occurs. If 2 or more object balls are the same distance from the head string, the incoming shooter will designate which ball to spot.

The first player to legally pocket eight (8) object balls in their pocket wins the game.

The player that is leading in the game and ball count wins the match. If both players are tied in the game and ball count, the next player to take the score lead (games plus ball count) wins the match. (This score lead can be determined by pocketing a ball or a foul shot)

See website: onepocket.org

Winner of the lag decides who breaks first. Coin toss is acceptable if both players agree.

Nine balls are racked in a diamond pattern with the 1-ball in front and the 9-ball in the middle. The remaining balls are random, except the 2-ball cannot be on the back of the stack. Pattern racking is not allowed. The 9-ball is racked on the spot using the template rack. Once the balls are placed inside the template, do not touch the front balls, only push from the back balls. If the template is not straight, call for a re-rack.

Winner of previous game decides who breaks the next game.

The cue ball begins in hand completely behind the head string and completely inside the Break Box. The Break Box is one diamond each side of the head spot. The EDGE of the cue ball must be fully behind the head string and fully inside the Break Box. An Open Break is required. A legal open break requires you to contact the 1-ball first and either pocket a ball or drive at least 4 object balls to the cushions. Failure to do so is a foul, and counts as the first foul of the 3-foul rule. No push out option is allowed on an illegal break. The 9-ball made on an illegal break, spots up immediately.

Push out is allowed on the shot immediately after the break, except on an illegal break.

Jump Cues are allowed in the main 9-Ball event ONLY.

Any scratch or foul results in cue ball in hand.

If a player commits 3 successive fouls in one game, it is loss of game. The opponent must notify the shooter that they are “on 2” fouls, immediately before the shooter’s next inning.

At the point where all remaining matches in the event are played on the TV table, the matches will change to All Ball Fouls. Cue Ball Fouls only will be used until this point.

Object balls must be shot in rotation. The first player who legally pockets the 9-ball, including 9 on the break or combination shot on the 9, wins the game.