The Bounce Shot

A ball strikes the table, then lands in a cup. Does it sink one cup or two? And may the defending team swat it away?

The Commission's archive contains a troubling number of rulings about bounce shots. Tables disagree about whether a bounce is worth one cup or two, whether the defending team may swat it, and whether a bounce that is swatted into a cup counts.

The Commission considered the case for one cup: a bounce is easier to aim. It considered the case for two: a bounce is easier to defend, because the defending team can see it coming and swat it away. It found that these cancel out only if the bounce is worth more and can be defended.

After review, the ruling on the field is as follows. A bounce shot sinks the cup it lands in, plus one more cup of the shooting team's choice.

Once a ball has touched the table, the defending team may swat it away. If a swatted ball lands in a cup anyway, that cup is sunk, and the second cup is still awarded. A bounce shot during redemption sinks only the cup it lands in.

A table that wants bounces worth one cup may declare it at the Pre-Game Rules Meeting. A table that announces it while the ball is still rolling may not.

The ruling stands.

The Official dribbles an imaginary ball once, then holds up two fingers.