How to play
Eight Ball is pool for two on a table with six pockets. One player takes the solids (1 to 7), the other the stripes (9 to 15). Pot all of yours, then the black 8, to win.
- Tap the table to aim the cue ball that way (the arrows fine-tune it), choose the power, then Shoot. The dotted circle shows where the cue ball will touch the first ball, and the short line where that ball will go.
- Break from anywhere behind the line. The table is open until someone pots a ball after the break: that ball’s group is theirs.
- Pot one of your own balls and you shoot again. Otherwise it’s the other player’s turn.
- A foul gives the other player ball in hand: they can put the cue ball anywhere. Fouls are potting the cue ball, missing every ball, hitting one of the other player’s balls (or the 8) first, or a shot where nothing goes in and no ball reaches a cushion.
- Pot the 8 after all your balls and you win. Pot it any earlier, or with a foul, and you lose. The 8 potted on the break just goes back on its spot.
Tips
Thin cuts are hard; pick the ball with the straightest line to a pocket. A softer shot leaves the cue ball near where it hit, which makes it easier to plan the next one. When nothing is on, roll the cue ball gently behind a cluster to leave your opponent nothing easy.
These are simplified pub rules: there are no called pockets and no spin.