Laying Your Cue Down On The Table & BCA Rules

Here's the subject again of taking your hands off your cue and leaving it on the table surface. We had a player decide to get his jump cue so
he casually laid his play cue down on the table and went to retrieve the jumper. Now I noticed it right off and I wouldn't do it myself "just in
case" somebody reared up about the rule of using the cue as an aiming device. Still this night there was a discussion which arose that "If you
do that in Vegas at the nationals you're in for a foul assessment" I didn't get involved in the words being traded but it is my understanding that
the actual working of the BCA rule states that it must be "intentionally used as an aiming device", hence just laying it down as our guy did to
retrieve his jumper was not a foul.

I repeat myself, "I myself have never left a cue on the table unless I am calling for a time out or something, just because it keeps ANY
argument from happening." But I still remember discussing that rule here some time ago and was a little disturbed that BCA was seemingly
vague in it's definition.

So all your rule gurus out there, by the actual BCA wording, is it cut and dried that you foul if you leave your cue on the table for any reason
whatsoever???sid

[TomBrooklyn]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote: SidVicious:</font><hr> Here's the subject again of taking your hands off your cue and leaving it on the table surface...it is my understanding that the actual working of the BCA rule states that it must be "intentionally used as an aiming device", hence just laying it down...was not a foul.

...by the actual BCA wording, is it cut and dried that you foul if you leave your cue on the table for any reason
whatsoever???sid <hr></blockquote>

Sid, your understanding is correct. It is covered by BCA Rule 3.42. You can lay your cue on the table, however, you may not use it as an aiming device or it is a foul. In a tournement I would be careful not to lay it with the butt or tip directly in line with the cue ball and some object ball or pocket. Normally, a person laying down a stick will put it in a nice open space. It shouldn't be a problem. If you think your opponent is a nit, maybe you should ask him in a loud voice: "Is it ok for me to lay my stick here?" LOL

The BCA rule is unneeded. I think the player gets no advantage by using his stick to work out angles. This rule should be removed from the rule book.