APA 8-Ball Scorer

The Game

• 8-Ball is played with solids (1–7), stripes (9–15), and the 8. After the break the table is open until a player legally pockets a called group ball.
• You must clear your group, then legally pocket the 8-ball to win the game.
• Winner of the lag breaks the first game. Winner of each game breaks the next.
• There is no push-out and no three-foul rule in APA play.

Scoring — It’s a Games Race

• Each player races to a number of games won based on skill level (Equalizer).
• First player to reach their race number wins the match.

Fouls, Scratches & Object Ball Fouls

• Scratch / standard foul: opponent gets cue ball in hand. Tracked as a foul.
• Object ball foul: wrong ball first, no rail after contact, etc. — still BIH / turn over; tracked separately so defense counts stay honest.
• Scratch on the 8 or pocketing the 8 in the wrong pocket = loss of game.
• Early 8 (pocketing the 8 before clearing your group) = loss of game.

Innings & Defensive Shots

• An inning is complete when the lag loser ends a turn (miss, foul, or defense).
• A defensive shot is any shot with no intent to legally pocket a ball — mark it. Accurate defense counts keep handicaps honest.

Break, Break-and-Run, 8 on the Break

• 8 on the Break: legally pocketing the 8 on the break stroke wins the game (tracked separately).
• Break and Run: break and clear the table without the opponent ever shooting.

Score of Match — 20 Match Points

Every match splits 20 match points. Find the loser’s skill level and how many games the loser won — that sets the split (winner–loser).

Summary of APA/CPA 8-Ball Equalizer® format. Local league operators’ rulings prevail. Some divisions use a full Games Must Win matrix for special formats.