Pool rules: 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball

Three games, one table

Pool on a pool table means, above all, three games: 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball. All are played with the cue ball on a 7ft, 8ft or 9ft table with six pockets and a set of 16 balls of 57.2 mm. They differ in the number of balls on the table, how the target is chosen and how a rack is won. Below are the rules as played at WPA events and in Polish leagues, with notes on where "pub rules" differ, because every venue has its own version.

Rules common to all games

The cue ball is struck with the tip of the cue, never the ferrule or the butt. The stroke must be a hit, not a push: the tip touches the ball once. After the hit the cue ball must first touch a ball that is legal in the given game, and then either a ball is pocketed or any ball touches a cushion. No cushion contact after the collision is a foul.

Pocketing the cue ball, driving a ball off the table, touching a ball with a hand or clothing, shooting while balls are still moving and lifting both feet off the floor at the moment of the stroke are also fouls. After a foul the opponent gets ball in hand: anywhere on the table in 9-ball and 10-ball, anywhere in tournament 8-ball too, but in the pub version often only behind the head string. Three consecutive fouls in 9-ball and 10-ball lose the rack, provided the opponent warned after the second.

The break is played with the cue ball behind the head string (in the kitchen). Tournament rules require that on the break at least four balls touch a cushion or one is pocketed, otherwise the opponent may ask for a re-rack.

8-ball: solids and stripes

In 8-ball there are 15 balls on the table: seven solids (1–7), seven stripes (9–15) and the black eight. The balls are racked in a triangle, the eight in the middle, one solid and one stripe in the bottom corners. After the break the table is open: the group (solids or stripes) goes to the player who first pockets a ball with a clean shot after the break. Balls pocketed on the break itself do not assign a group.

A player shoots their group to the end and then the eight. An eight pocketed early, into an uncalled pocket or together with a foul loses the rack. Under tournament rules every shot in 8-ball is called: the player names the ball and the pocket, though obvious shots need no declaration. In the pub version only the eight is usually called.

An eight pocketed on the break is not a win under WPA rules: the breaker chooses whether the eight is spotted or the rack is broken again. In many venues an eight on the break means a win, so agree before you play. More on the tables 8-ball is played on at home and in clubs in the guide which billiard table to buy.

9-ball: rotation and fast play

In 9-ball there are nine balls (1–9) racked in a diamond, the one at the front, the nine in the middle. The cue ball must always first touch the lowest-numbered ball on the table, but any ball may drop. Whoever pockets the nine legally wins the rack, including on the break and including by combination: cue ball into the one, one into the nine.

There is no calling. Balls pocketed by accident stay down and the player continues. After a foul the opponent has ball in hand anywhere. This is the game of the World Nineball Tour, the US Open and world championships, where the break box rule (cue ball from a narrow strip in the middle of the head string) and alternate or winner break apply, depending on the event. We keep a calendar of these tournaments with results in the tournament calendar.

In 9-ball cue-ball control and safeties matter. A player with no chance to pot may play so the opponent cannot see the lowest ball. After a failed attempt the opponent has fouled and the cue ball goes in hand. At this level a jump cue comes in handy for hopping over the blocking ball.

10-ball: rotation with calling

10-ball is 9-ball with ten balls in a triangle, the ten in the middle and one difference that changes everything: every shot is called. The player names which ball goes into which pocket. A ball pocketed by accident into another pocket does not end the visit in the pub version, but under WPA rules the opponent may then take the table or hand it back. A ten pocketed on the break does not win; it is spotted.

Because of calling and the extra ball, 10-ball is considered harder and fairer than 9-ball, which is why it is a WPA world championship discipline and the format of many tour finals. The break in 10-ball is harder, because a ten-ball rack spreads less predictably, and this is where a separate break cue pays off most.

Break and race-to: how a match is scored

A tournament match is played to a set number of racks won, called race-to. Race-to 7 means whoever wins seven racks first wins. Amateur club events usually play race-to 3 or 4, the EuroTour race-to 9, world championship finals race-to 13 or more.

Who breaks the next rack depends on the format: winner breaks rewards good play, alternate break evens the chances and is the World Nineball Tour standard. In amateur tournaments on BidBil the organiser sets the format and race-to when creating the bracket, and scores are entered from a phone. If you run a club league, you can create a tournament with a bracket and live results without registering the players.

Snooker in brief

Snooker is played on a 12ft table with 15 reds and 6 colours of 52.5 mm. A player pots a red (1 point) and a colour (2 to 7 points) alternately; colours return to the table until the last red is potted, then they are potted in order from yellow to black. Fouls cost 4–7 points to the opponent. A frame is won by the player with more points; a match is played to a set number of frames. Snooker is different equipment: snooker cues are thinner and made of ash, and the balls are smaller. For scoring at home and in the club there is the free snooker counter.

Frequently asked questions

Is pocketing the cue ball on the break a foul? Yes, in all three games. The opponent gets ball in hand. Balls pocketed on that break stay down in 9-ball and 10-ball, and in 8-ball the table remains open.

What happens if I pot the opponent's ball in 8-ball? The opponent's ball stays down, and if you did not pot one of your own at the same time, you lose the visit. It is not a foul unless the cue ball did not touch your ball first.

Do you have to call the nine in 9-ball? No. Nothing is called in 9-ball; a nine pocketed in any legal way wins. Calling applies in 10-ball and in tournament 8-ball.

When do you lose a rack in 8-ball? When the eight drops before all your balls are potted, when it drops into a pocket other than the one called, or when the cue ball drops with the eight or you foul on the shot.

What is ball in hand? After a foul the opponent places the cue ball anywhere on the table and plays from there. In pub 8-ball often only behind the head string and only shooting away from it. WPA tournament rules give ball in hand anywhere in all three games.

Summary

8-ball is groups and a called eight, 9-ball is rotation without calling and a nine that wins from anywhere, 10-ball is rotation with calling. Fouls, ball in hand and the cushion requirement are common. The equipment for all three games is the same: billiard cues, 57.2 mm balls and a slate-bed table. The full official rules are published by the WPA, and Polish leagues play under PZBil regulations.