Short answer: In 8-ball one player pots the seven solid balls (1 to 7) and the other the seven striped balls (9 to 15). Whoever clears their group and then pots the black 8 wins. Pot the 8 early, or pot the white ball on the same shot as the 8, and you lose.
8-ball is the pool game most people know from bars and phone games. Leagues and countries differ on the details, so this guide follows the rules used in Pocket Pool, our free 8-ball game against the computer, and notes the main places where other rule sets differ.
The balls
There are fifteen object balls and the white cue ball. Balls 1 to 7 are solid colours, 9 to 15 are striped, and the 8 is black. You only ever strike the white ball with the cue.
The break
The game starts with the fifteen balls racked in a triangle and one player hitting the white ball into them. In Pocket Pool you break first.
Solids or stripes
After the break the table is open: nobody has a group yet. The first player to pot a ball cleanly takes that ball's group, solids or stripes, and the opponent gets the other.
Taking turns
You keep shooting for as long as you pot one of your own balls without fouling. When you miss, the turn passes to your opponent.
Fouls
In Pocket Pool it is a foul if you:
- pot the white ball (a scratch);
- miss every ball;
- hit one of your opponent's balls first, or hit the 8 first before your group is cleared;
- hit your own ball first but then no ball reaches a cushion and nothing is potted.
After a foul your opponent gets ball in hand: they may place the white ball anywhere on the table before shooting.
Winning and losing on the 8
Once all seven balls of your group are down, pot the 8 to win. You lose the game at once if you pot the 8 before clearing your group, or if the white ball goes into a pocket on the same shot as the 8.
Where other rule sets differ
- Calling shots. Many leagues ask you to name the ball and pocket for each shot, or at least for the 8. Pocket Pool does not.
- Ball in hand. Some pub rules give the incoming player two shots, or ball in hand only behind the head line, instead of anywhere on the table.
- Potting the 8 on the break. Depending on the rules this is a win, a re-rack, or the 8 is put back on the table.
Tips for beginners
- Hit softer. Soft shots are more accurate. Keep full power for the break and long shots.
- Plan the white ball. Where it stops decides how easy your next shot is. In Pocket Pool a faint line shows where the white ball will deflect.
- Clear balls near pockets early, before other balls block them.
- With ball in hand, place the white ball a short distance straight behind an easy pot.
- Look at the 8 before your last ball. Leave yourself a simple shot on it.
Questions
What happens if you pot the 8 ball early?
You lose the game. Clear all seven balls of your group first.
How are solids and stripes decided?
By the first ball potted cleanly after the break. That player takes that group and the opponent takes the other.
What is ball in hand?
After your opponent fouls, you may place the white ball anywhere on the table before your shot.
What happens if you pot the white ball?
It is a foul, called a scratch, and your opponent gets ball in hand. If it happens on the same shot as the 8, you lose the game.
How many balls are there in 8-ball?
Sixteen: seven solids, seven stripes, the black 8 and the white cue ball.
