Outdoor & pub games
Pool
- players
- 2–4
- minutes
- 30
- years
- 8+
In the box
1 pool table · Marbles · Cues · Chalk and triangle
Official rules (PDF, federation's site)
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- DexterityCapture
Where to buy it
Near you
In a shop
Within 50 km.
The basics
In 8-ball pool, pot your balls before your opponent, then the black. The break opens the game, the first player to pot a ball takes that group, and potting the cue ball is a foul that hands the table to the opponent, with ball in hand. The frame ends when the black is potted in the nominated pocket; potting it too early, or in another pocket, loses at once.
The rules, step by step
Setup
15 balls in a triangle, The 8 in the centre
- In 8-ball pool: fifteen numbered balls in a triangle, the 8 in the centre.
- In carom billiards: only three balls, on a table without pockets.
How to play
The break opens, 1st ball sets your group, Cue ball potted: foul
- The break opens the game. The first player to pot a ball takes that group.
- You must nominate the pocket for the black ball.
- Potting the cue ball is a foul: the opponent takes over, with ball in hand.
Scoring
Frames won counted
- In 8-ball and 9-ball, you count the frames won.
- In carom billiards, each time the cue ball contacts both other balls scores 1 point.
- In snooker, each ball has its value: red 1, yellow 2, green 3, brown 4, blue 5, pink 6, black 7. You alternate a red then a colour as long as reds remain.
End of the game
Black, nominated pocket, Black too early: loss
- In 8-ball, the frame ends when the black is potted in the nominated pocket.
- Potting the black too early, or in the wrong pocket, loses the frame immediately.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Variants
Discipline
8-ball
Count the frames won, best of 3.
9-ball
Same, on the 9 ball.
Carom (points)
Game to 50 points: enter the points from each inning.
Snooker (points)
Enter the points from each break.
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between 8-ball and the rest?
In 8-ball, one side plays the solids, the other the stripes; you must pot all of yours, then the black (the 8). Other games (French billiards, snooker) have different rules and tables.
What happens if you pot the cue ball?
Foul: the opponent takes the cue ball in hand and plays. Potting your target while also potting the cue ball cancels the shot.
When do you lose outright?
By potting the black ball (the 8) too early, or potting it at the same time as the cue ball. The black is kept for the end.
Do you have to call your shots?
Under strict rules, yes: you nominate the ball and the pocket. A ball that goes into another pocket by chance does not always count.
How do you keep playing?
As long as you legally pot one of your balls, you play again. A missed shot or a foul hands the table to your opponent.