Editing Russian pyramid (section)

==Rule variations==
[[Image:Russian billiards ball at a corner pocket.jpg|thumb|200px|Russian pyramid ball near the corner pocket. The relative sizes of the ball and pocket make the game very challenging.]]
There are several rule variations of Russian pyramid. All games begin with fifteen numbered white balls {{cuegloss|rack|racked}} in a {{cuegloss|pyramid}} {{cuegloss|pack}}, as in [[straight pool]], [[eight-ball]], and [[Blackball (pool)|blackball]]. Players may pocket any object balls on the table regardless of number, and the first player to pocket eight or more balls wins the {{cuegloss|frame}}. In addition, shots do not have to be {{cuegloss|call shot|called}}.
Depending on the game variant, some specific balls may have to be in specific positions within the rack. The first player firmly {{cuegloss|break}}s the rack with the {{cuegloss|cue ball}} from just in front of the  {{cuegloss|baulk line}}.
The most common varieties are the following, each of which has slight local variations on the rules:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wpa-pool.com/pdf/web/Official%20International%20IPC%20Rules.pdf |title=Archived copy |website=www.wpa-pool.com |access-date=13 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108220643/http://www.wpa-pool.com/pdf/web/Official%20International%20IPC%20Rules.pdf |archive-date=8 November 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*'''Free pyramid''' (also known as '''American pyramid''')
:Any ball may be used as the cue ball. Players can pocket the ball they struck if it hits another ball first, with the goal being to {{cuegloss|carom}} the struck ball off one or more other balls into a pocket. Should the struck ball be pocketed without striking any other balls, the shot is a {{cuegloss|foul}}, and that ball is {{cuegloss|spotted}} behind the baulk line.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ebc-billiard.com/rules/pyramid/free-pyramid-rules|title=Free Pyramid rules - East European Billiard Council|website=ebc-billiard.com|access-date=2020-02-23}}</ref>

*'''Dynamic pyramid''' (also known as '''Siberian pyramid''' or '''Nevsky pyramid''')
:Only one ball is the cue ball. Players can pocket the cue ball with a carom shot off another ball and then the scorer must choose an object ball to be taken off the table. The player then has {{cuegloss|ball-in-hand}} and may place it anywhere on the table but may not pocket it until the next stroke; otherwise, it is a foul.

*'''Combined pyramid''' (also known as '''Moscow pyramid''' or '''combo pyramid''')
:The rules are the same as in dynamic pyramid, except that, after the cue ball is pocketed, the cue ball is spotted between the {{cuegloss|head rail}} ({{cuegloss|bottom cushion}}) and head or baulk, but not on top of that line; from here until the next stroke, balls can be only pocketed in the side and far-corner pockets. In pool, this part of the table is called the {{cuegloss|kitchen}} and the Russian equivalent is {{lang|ru|дом}} (''dom''), 'house'.

*'''Classical pyramid'''
:The rules are similar to [[fifteen-ball pool]]. The object is to score at least 71 points. For each correctly pocketed object ball, the player wins the number of points on the ball (except for the 1-ball, which scores 11 points). The last remaining ball on the table, regardless of its number, is worth 10 points. The total number of points is 130.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.billiard-prime.com/en/poleznaya-informaciya/pravila-russkoy-piramidy/classic-piramid.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522042710/http://www.billiard-prime.com/en/poleznaya-informaciya/pravila-russkoy-piramidy/classic-piramid.html |archive-date=2018-05-22 |title=Classical pyramid}}</ref>

*'''14.1 pyramid''' (also known as '''straight pyramid''' or '''long pyramid''')
:The rules are very similar to free pyramid, except that a frame continues until 14 balls are pocketed, similar to [[straight pool]]; these 14 balls are then re-spotted into an incomplete pyramid.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.llb.su/rules/pyramid/14+1_llb|title=Свободная пирамида с продолжением ЛЛБ|access-date=2022-08-20|website=lib.su}}</ref> The objective is to score at least a given number of points.

*'''Scratch pyramid''' (also known as '''SVOI''')
:Similar to free pyramid, but pocketing object balls before the cue ball is a foul; therefore, the player must pocket the cue ball after hitting object balls. Other balls can be pocketed as long as the cue ball is potted first.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamezer.com/en/rules/billiards/scratch_pyramid|title=Scratch Pyramid|access-date=2022-08-22|website=gamezer.com}}</ref>