American rotation

American rotation, abbreviated AR or AmRo, is a pool (pocket billiards) game. It is a modern, tournament-oriented, call-pocket, call-safe variation on traditional rotation pool (or 61), devised to increase the degree of difficulty of the sport. It is the "flagship game"[1] of the American Billiard Club (ABC), a division of CueSports International (CSI).[2] The game was established by US professional pool player and instructor Joe Tucker in February 2013,[1] and is contested in a pro–am American Rotation Championship Series of tournaments, with national championship held several times annually at varying locations.[3][4][5]

American rotation

Highest governing body	American Billiard Club (ABC)
Nicknames	AR or AmRo
First played	February 2013, by Joe Tucker
Clubs	Goal 512
Characteristics
Team members	Single opponents
Mixed gender	Yes, Open Division and Ladies Division
Type	Indoor, table
Equipment	Billiard ball, billiard table, cue stick
Venue	Billiard halls, and the American Rotation Championship Series
Presence
Country or region	United States and Canada

Object

The object of the sport is to score 100, 125 or 140 points, depending on the format and agreed-upon winning point score.[6] Matches usually last between 8 and 15 racks, and take 90 minutes or longer to complete.

Rules

The appropriate rack for American rotation.

• It is an accumulated-points game. Balls numbered 1–10 have a point value of 1. Balls numbered 11-15 have a point value of 2. Each rack contains a total of 20 points.
  • A player wins by reaching a pre-determined score of 100, 125, or 140 points. (Scoring apps exists for both Android and iOS.)
• All 15 standard, numbered object balls are racked in a pyramid formation, with the apex ball on the foot spot.
  • The balls are racked in a specific order: The 15 ball is at the apex; the 2 and 3 balls are directly behind the 15 ball (in either order); the 1 ball is in the center; the 13 and 14 balls are behind the 1 ball (in either order); and all other balls are placed in any remaining position. Pattern racking these remaining balls is also allowed. (See illustration)
  • Players lag for the first break. Players then alternate breaks in successive racks during a match.
  • Players break their own racks.
  • Unlike in most games, a player has cue ball in-hand after the break (the breaking player, if the break was legal, the opponent if it was not).
  • Specialized break cues are permitted.
• A player's cue ball must strike the lowest-numbered object ball remaining on the table (balls need not be pocketed in this order; combination shots are legal). The exceptions are the break shot, and the "free shot" after three consecutive fouls, as detailed below.
• Called shots or called safeties are required; every shot must be one or the other.
  • Additional balls pocketed on the same shot as the called shot are scored to the shooter.
  • If a player misses a called shot, the incoming player may pass (i.e., require the original shooter to continue shooting another called shot or safety).
  • If uncalled balls were pocketed on the missed called shot, they are credited to the player that takes the next shot.
  • These two passing and credit-to-next-shooter rules also apply if balls were pocketed during a called safety.
• The incoming player has ball-in-hand after an opponent's foul.
  • Fouls are as defined as in the BCAPL "cue ball fouls only" rules, except that if any stationary ball is improperly disturbed, or the roll of any ball is interfered with, during the act of shooting, it is a foul (disturbed balls are not re-placed in such a case).
  • Balls pocketed on a foul remain pocketed, and are scored to the shooter's opponent.
  • After three consecutive fouls (not including a foul break) by an opponent, the incoming player receives two consecutive balls-in-hand. The first is a "free shot" in which: a) call-shot is not required; b) striking an object ball other than the lowest-numbered is not a foul; c) scratching the cue ball into a pocket is not a foul; d) and any balls pocketed on the free shot are scored to that shooter. Absent any foul on the free shot, the second ball-in-hand shot is played as any other ball-in-hand, with normal rules applicable. If a foul occurred on the "free shot", the player receives no second ball-in-hand, and the opponent receives ball-in-hand and credit for any balls pocketed on the foul, as with any other foul. Either player reaching three consecutive fouls, or the last ball of the rack being pocketed, resets both players' foul counts to zero.
• Specialized or partial cues are not permitted for jump shots, which must be executed with the same playing cue used throughout the game.[6]

The official rule book, Guidelines for American Rotation, is available from the American Billiard Club website.[6]

American Rotation Championship Series

The American Rotation Championship Series ("the ARCS" for short), is a three-staged cycle of player qualifications that culminates in a national championship. The cycle repeats six times annually. Entry into the national championship is dependent upon performance at the regional qualifier tournaments.[7][8]

American Rotation Championship Series results
Event	Date	Results	Personal Info		ARCS Venue
ARCS 1 National Championship[8][9]	October 2013	Champion	Joe Dupuis	Brockton, Massachusetts	Diamond Billiards, Richmond, Virginia
		Runner-up	James Roberts	Tampa, Florida
ARCS 2 National Championship[10]	January 2014	Champion	Jerry Calderon	Miami, Florida	Derby City Classic, Elizabeth, Indiana
		Runner-up	Joe Dupuis	Brockton, Massachusetts
ARCS 3 National Championship[4][11]	July 2014	Champion	Mike Dechaine	Providence, Rhode Island	BCAPL Nationals, Rio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
		Runner-up	Jerry Calderon	Miami, Florida
ARCS 4 National Championship	Oct 12,2014	Champion	Mike Dechaine	Providence, Rhode Island	U.S. Open 9 Ball Championship, Chesapeake/Norfolk, Virginia
		Runner-up	Joe Dupuis	Miami, Florida
ARCS 5 National Championship[12]	Jan 29, 2015	Champion	Mike Dechaine	Providence, Rhode Island	Derby City Classic, Elizabeth, Indiana
		Runner-up	Jody McLaughlin	Des Moines, Iowa

Recognition

American rotation is included in professor and pool author/columnist David G. Alciatore's pool resources site.[13] Matches are streamed live over the Internet at the news and entertainment site AZBilliards. Previous championship matches have also been streamed via InsidePool.tv.[14]
Tom Simpson, from the National Billiard Academy, discusses why luck is a small factor in American rotation.[15]

References

1. Tucker, Joe. "History". AmericanBilliardClub.com. American Billiard Club. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
2. Tucker, Joe. "The Game". AmericanBilliardClub.com. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
3. Tucker, Joe. "Calendar". AmericanBilliardClub.com. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
4. Tucker, Joe (August 14, 2014). "Mike Dechaine Takes the American Rotation Series III Championship". NYC Grind. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
5. Poolmag's 8-ball, Blog (April 2013). "New League Unites America's Billiard Clubs". poolmag.com The Official Site of Pool & Billiard Magazine. Summerville, SC. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
6. Tucker, Joe. "Rulebook: Guidelines for American Rotation (AR)". AmericanBilliardClub.com. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
7. "The ARCS". AmericanBilliardClub.com. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
8. Dimmick, Holly (October 9, 2013). "American Rotation Championship Series Finals set for October 12". AZBilliards.com. Scottsdale, Arizona: EPPA Inc. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
9. Tucker, Joe (October 21, 2013). "Dupuis Wins First Ever American Rotation National Championship". AZBilliards.com. Scottsdale, Arizona: EPPA Inc. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
10. Tucker, Joe (February 3, 2014). "Jerry Calderon Takes the American Rotational National Championship Series II at the Derby". NYC Grind. New York, NY: Alison Fischer. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
11. Tucker, Joe (August 28, 2014). "American Rotation Championship Series III". AZBilliards.com. Scottsdale, Arizona: EPPA Inc. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
12. Tucker, Joe (January 29, 2015). "Dechaine Wins Third Straight American Rotation Title". AZBilliards.com. Scottsdale, Arizona: EPPA Inc. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
13. Alciatore, David G. (2014). "Drills and Games in Pool and Billiards: Useful drills and games for helping you improve at pool". Billiards and Pool Principles, Techniques, Resources. Boulder, Colorado: self-published via Colorado State University. Retrieved September 28, 2014. Ongoing, online supplement to his book, The Illustrated Principles of Pool and Billiards and Billiards Digest column, "Illustrated Principles".
14. Fischer, Alison (January 25, 2014). "NYC Grind Joins with Inside Pool to Live Stream the American Rotation Championships". Retrieved September 28, 2014.
15. Simpson, Tom (April 2013). "A New Spin On Rotation". poolclinics.com. Columbus, OH: National Billiard Academy. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.