Shooting Pool, Not Just Banging The Balls Around

Object- World Standardized 8 Ball is played with all 15 balls and the cue ball. There are two groups, balls 1-7 is the first group and 9-15 is the second group. The first person or team who pockets all of the balls in their group and the 8 ball legally wins.

Calling Your Shot- When taking your turn, you must call your ball and the pocket you are going to pocket the ball in. You must also call any rails or other balls you will hit. You do not have to call obvious balls or pockets, but your opponent may ask if he/she is unsure of what ball or pocket you are aiming for. Bank shots and combination shots are never considered obvious. You do not have to call rails. It is a foul if you hit a different ball in than you call or hit it into a different pocket. Any balls pocketed on a foul shot are left in. Breaks are not called shots.

Racking- When you rack for 8 ball start by putting the 1 ball in the front corner,place a solid in one of the other corners, place a stripe in the remaining corner, then place the 8 ball in the middle. The other balls can go where ever you like .

Breaking- You can lag to figure out who breaks or just decide if it's a friendly game. The person who breaks will shoot the ball from behind the second row of diamonds ( head string). If the cue ball jumps off the table it is a foul and is the other player's turn. If you pocket the cue ball it is a foul and it is the other player's turn. If you pocket a ball you can continue shooting your group. If you hit both a strip and a solid. you can pick what group you want and can continue with your turn.If no balls are pocketed then it is an open table and the other player my choose the group he or she wants.

To Win- You must pocket all of one group of balls (either stripes of solids), then make the 8 ball without fouling.

(Paraphrased from Billiard Congress of America)

Object-Nine-Ball is played with nine balls plus numbered one through nine and a cue ball. On each shot, the first ball the cue ball contacts must be the lowest numbered ball on the table, but the balls do not need to be pocketed in order. If a player pockets any ball on a legal shot, he remains at the table for another shot, and continues until missing, committing a foul, or winning the game by pocketing the 9-ball. After a miss, the incoming player must shoot from the position left by the previous player, but after any foul the incoming player may start with the cue ball anywhere on the table. ( This is called ball in hand. )Players are not required to call any shot. A match ends when one of the players has won the required number of games determined before playing.

Racking-The object balls are racked in a diamond shape, with the 1-ball at the top of the diamond and on the foot spot, the 9-ball in the center of the diamond, and the other balls in random order, racked as tightly as possible. The game begins with cue ball in hand behind the head string.

Breaking-Winner of the lag has the option to break. In 9-Ball, the winner of each game breaks in the next, unless otherwise specified by the tournament organizer.

End of Game-On the opening break, the game is considered to have commenced once the cue ball has been struck by the cue tip. The 1-ball must be legally contacted on the break shot. The game ends at the end of a legal shot which pockets the 9-ball, or when a player forfeits the game as the result of a foul.

(Paraphrased from Billiard Congress of America)