Table Games
How to play Eight-Ball Pool
Clear your assigned solids or stripes, then legally pocket the 8 in its called pocket.
What you need
Six-pocket table, cue ball, balls 1–15, cues, chalk and triangle rack
Set up the game
- Rack tightly using the WPA diagram: prescribed interior 8-ball position and one solid and stripe in rear corners.
- Lag for first-break choice and agree a race length.
Playing Eight-Ball Pool
- Break from behind the head string. Pocket a ball or send at least four object balls to rails; an illegal break gives accept/rerack options.
- The table stays open after the break. Legally pocketing a called ball assigns its group to you and the other to the opponent.
- Once assigned, contact your group first; pocket a ball or drive a ball to a rail after contact. Call non-obvious ball and pocket.
- Continue while legally pocketing your group. A miss or safety passes play; an ordinary foul gives opponent ball in hand anywhere.
- After clearing your group, call and legally pocket the 8. Early, wrong-pocket, off-table or foul-pocketed 8 loses, except special break-shot rules.
A legal miss can leave a hard reply
You have stripes. The cue ball hits 12 first; it misses the called corner but touches a cushion. No foul occurs, so your turn ends and the opponent plays from the resulting position. Had the cue ball fallen into a pocket, the opponent would instead place it with ball in hand.
A miss is not necessarily a foul
Contacting the correct group first and sending a ball to a rail can be legal even when the called pot misses. Opponent then plays the resting cue ball. A scratch or another standard foul instead grants ball in hand. Settle disputed contacts before the next shot; moving the cue ball after every miss changes the game. Match wins count racks, not a running total of pocketed balls.
Beginner decisions
- Choose the cue ball’s next stopping area as well as the immediate pot.
- Examine blocked balls before removing every easy connecting ball.
Common rule mix-ups
- Assigning groups from the break.
- Assuming a legal break 8 automatically wins; spot and continue or rebreak instead.
Questions about this game
Is scratching while aiming at 8 always a loss?
Not if the 8 stays on the table. Pocketing it while fouling loses.
Can I play safe?
Declare safety, complete a legal shot and pass, even if a ball drops.
Sources and edition notes
WPA 8-Ball, rules effective 2025-09-15 in the January 2026 posted rulebook. American numbered-ball pool, not Blackball, Heyball or bar rules.
Sources and stated format checked October 14, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
Report a rule or edition correction →