How to play Pool
- Break. One player breaks: place the white cue ball anywhere behind the dashed line, then hit the triangle of balls as hard as you like. The first break switches between players every game.
- Groups. After the break the table is "open". The first ball you pot makes that group yours: solids (balls 1 to 7) or stripes (9 to 15). Your rival gets the other group. The small balls on the end rails show which group belongs to whom, and how many are left.
- Keep shooting. Pot one of your own balls and you shoot again. Miss, and it's your rival's turn.
- Hit your own balls first. On every shot the white ball must touch one of your balls before any other. While the table is open, any ball except the black will do.
- The black. Once all your balls are down, pot the black (the 8 ball) to win the game.
- Watch out. Pot the black before your group is cleared, or foul on the same shot as the black drops, and you lose straight away.
Fouls and ball in hand
These shots are fouls:
- The white ball drops into a pocket.
- The white ball misses every ball.
- The first ball the white touches isn't one of yours (or is the black, while the table is open).
- No ball is potted and no ball touches a cushion after the white hits the first ball.
After a foul your rival gets ball in hand: they can pick up the white ball and place it anywhere on the table before their shot. Balls potted on a foul stay down. If the black goes down on the break, it comes back to its spot and the game carries on.
Controls
| Device | How to shoot |
|---|---|
| Phone or tablet | Drag anywhere on the table to aim. Then put your finger on the cue, pull it back and let go |
| Mouse | Click and drag on the table to aim. Then drag the cue back and let go |
| Keyboard | ← → (or A D) to aim, hold Shift to aim finely, ↑ ↓ (or W S) for power, then Space or Enter to shoot |
The further you pull the cue back, the harder the shot: the ring around the white ball fills up as you pull. Let go with almost no pull to cancel. With ball in hand, drag the white ball itself to move it.
The aiming line shows where the white ball will go and the ball it will hit. The white circle shows where the white ball meets it, the solid line where that ball will roll, and the faint line where the white ball glances off. A red circle means that ball isn't yours to hit first.
Computer levels
The computer sees exactly what you see. It picks its shot by trying shots out on a copy of the table with the same physics as the game, then plays it with a hand that isn't perfectly steady.
| Level | How the computer plays |
|---|---|
| Easy | Goes for an easy-looking pot, always at the same strength, and its aim wanders. It misses plenty of shots. |
| Medium | Tries every pot it can see at three strengths and plays one that works, with a steadier aim. |
| Hard | Thinks about where the white ball stops for its next shot, and plays safe when nothing is on. |
| Expert | Tries hundreds of shots, including banks and kicks off the cushions. It prefers shots that still work if it's slightly off, and rarely misses. |
Tips to win
- Pick the easy pot. A ball close to a pocket, nearly in line with the white, is the safest shot on the table.
- Think one shot ahead. A gentle shot keeps the white ball near your next ball. A hard one sends it bouncing round the table.
- Hit it softer than you think. Most pots need far less power than a full pull, and soft shots drop more often.
- Use the cushions. A ball comes off a cushion at about the angle it arrives, so you can bank the white round a ball that's in the way.
- Play safe. When there's no good pot, roll the white gently behind your balls, where your rival can't easily hit theirs. Remember that a ball must still touch a cushion.
About pool
Billiards began in Europe more than 500 years ago, and the green cloth is said to recall the grass of the lawn game it grew from. Pool, or pocket billiards, is played on a table with six pockets, and 8-ball, the game here, became popular in the United States in the early 1900s. Today it's the best-known pool game, played in clubs, pubs and homes around the world.
Our version keeps the main rules of 8-ball and leaves out the fussy ones: you never have to call your pocket, and any foul gives your rival ball in hand anywhere on the table.
Questions
Can two people play Pool on one phone?
Yes. Choose 2 Players and take turns at the table: hand the phone across, or lay it flat between you. The bar at the top shows whose turn it is.
How do I make the ball go where I want?
Look at the aiming line. Aim so the solid line from the ball you'll hit points into a pocket, then pull back gently. The aiming line only shows the first ball, so judging the power is up to you.
What happens if I pot the black too early?
You lose the game. The black only counts once all seven of your balls are down. The one exception is the break: if it drops then, it goes back on its spot.
Is Pool free?
Yes. It's free in your browser, with no download, no sign-up and no ads during a game.
Updated 7 November 2026