# Cue ball question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cue-ball-question/276682>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 25, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cue-ball-question/276682 "2004-11-25T23:12:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cue-ball-question/276682/1 "2004-11-25T23:12:21Z")

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when playing 50-cent pool (pool that must be paid for by inserting quarters into the machine, and once you sink a ball, its gone until the next game) how does the cue ball know to not go into the resevoir with regular balls? it instead has its own chute, if you will, and after a scratch can be found waiting there to be retrieved. how is this so?

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**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cue-ball-question/276682/2 "2004-11-25T23:13:31Z")

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IIRC, it’s slightly larger than the other balls and won’t fit into the regular ball chute.

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**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cue-ball-question/276682/3 "2004-11-25T23:22:41Z")

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do other balls drop down into a hole and the cue ball just go on forward to its own chute?

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**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cue-ball-question/276682/4 "2004-11-25T23:29:48Z")

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> [@MSUbulldogs101](#):
>
> do other balls drop down into a hole and the cue ball just go on forward to its own chute?

IIRC, the last stage in the return mechanism is two almost-parallel (ie gradually-widening) metal bars that the balls roll down. The colours drop through just before the end, with the white carrying on.

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**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cue-ball-question/276682/5 "2004-11-25T23:31:14Z")

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[http://stuffo.howstuffworks.com/question495.htm](http://stuffo.howstuffworks.com/question495.htm)

Great site.