Pool Guide: 8-Ball and 9-Ball
Pool (pocket billiards) is played on a 7, 8 or 9 ft table with a cue ball and 15 numbered balls 2¼ in across. In 8-ball one player takes the solids (1–7) and the other the stripes (9–15), and you win by clearing your group and then pocketing the 8. In 9-ball only balls 1–9 are used, every shot must hit the lowest-numbered ball first, and whoever pockets the 9 wins.
This page collects every pool guide on the site, by getting started, rules, technique, strategy and practice. Rules are checked against the WPA, APA and CSI rulebooks.
Getting Started3 articles
What pool is, how it differs from snooker, English pool and Chinese 8-ball (heyball), table sizes, and how to play American pool.
Billiards vs Pool vs Snooker: The Differences, to ScaleTable sizes drawn to scale, ball sizes, pockets and scoring from the official specifications, and why "billiards" means different games in the US, the UK and Europe.How to Play American Pool — Complete Beginner's GuideZero to first competitive game. The table, balls, rack, break, 8-ball + 9-ball rules, common variations, and the 5 mistakes every beginner makes.English Pool vs American Pool — 8 Key DifferencesThe UK pub game and US pool look similar but play very differently. Table, balls, rules, foul penalties, safety play — what crosses over and what doesn't.
Rules6 articles
8-ball, 9-ball and heyball (Chinese 8-ball) rules, the break, the push out and racking.
8-Ball Rules: 14 Common Questions Answered (WPA, APA, CSI)Can you hit the 8 first? What if you scratch on the 8, or sink it on the break? Answers from the three main rulebooks, side by side, with the rule numbers.8-Ball on the Break: Do You Win? Scratches, Fouls and Re-racks Under Every Rule SetAPA: a win, or a loss if you scratch. WPA and CSI: spot the 8 or re-break. Blackball: re-rack and break again. Plus scratches, illegal breaks, groups after the break and the 9 on the break.Heyball Rules: Chinese 8-Ball Rules Explained (WPA 2025)No calling, not even the 8. A forceful break or a penalty. Groups go by the ball you hit first, and a scratch on the 8 is only a foul. The current WPA heyball rules, compared with 8-ball.9-Ball Rules: Break, Push Out, Fouls and APA ScoringHow to rack, what makes a legal break, the 9 on the break, the push out, three fouls, and how APA scores 9-ball by points: the WPA, APA and CSI rulebooks side by side.The 9-Ball Push-Out Rule: When to Use It and When Not toWPA Rule 2.4 — the most under-used legal rule in 9-ball at the amateur level. The strategic theory and decision math.How to Rack Pool Balls: 8-Ball, 9-Ball, 10-Ball, UK and SnookerWhere the foot spot is, where the 8 and the 9 go, how to rack red and yellow balls and set up a snooker table, with to-scale diagrams and the rules behind each rack.
Technique9 articles
Aiming, cut angles, english, the 30° rule, bank and kick shots and the break.
The Geometry of Pool — A Complete Visual GuideEvery pot is a geometry problem with a knowable answer. The ghost ball, cut angles, fractional aiming, the 90° tangent, the 30° rule, throw, and banks — the whole system in one map.How to Aim in Pool: Ghost Ball vs Contact Point vs Fractional AimThe three methods every pool player should know, what each one is actually doing geometrically, and which one to use when. With diagrams.Pool Cut Angle Chart: Overlap and Aim Point for Every Angle from 0° to 85°Overlap = 1 − sin(cut angle). Overlap, aim offset in inches and millimetres, object ball speed and the stun-shot cue ball path for every angle, plus a simulator you can drag.Ghost Ball Aiming: 7 Practice Drills (Beginner → Pro)Learning ghost ball takes 5 minutes; making it automatic takes 7 days of drills. Seven progressively harder setups that build it into a reflex.The 30° Rule: Why Your Cue Ball Doesn't Always Follow the TangentThe 90° tangent rule is what tutorials teach; the 30° rolling-ball rule is what pros actually use. The difference, in detail.What Is English in Pool? Side Spin, Squirt, Swerve and Throw ExplainedEnglish is side spin. It pushes the cue ball off line, curves it back and drags the object ball. Inside vs outside, running vs reverse, back hand english and when to use it.Pool Bank Shots Made Simple: The Diamond Midpoint FormulaOne arithmetic shortcut — (start + target) ÷ 2 — that turns 1-rail bank shots from black magic into geometry. With worked examples.Kick Shots in Pool: How to Aim One-Rail and Two-Rail KicksMirror the object ball across the ball-center line, not the cushion. For two rails, rotate it 180° around the corner point. When diamond systems help, and the WPA rules on kicks.How to Break in Pool — 8-Ball & 9-Ball Technique That Actually WorksThe break is an accuracy shot that happens to be hit hard. Where to hit the rack, how hard to swing, squatting the cue ball, the wing-ball secret, and the 5 mistakes that ruin most breaks.
Strategy1 article
When to push out, and what to leave.
Practice1 article
Drills with pass marks, from straight shots to position play.
From other sections, also useful for Pool4 articles
Chinese 8-Ball Table Size and Pockets: Heyball vs PoolThe same 9-foot playing area as a pool table, but pockets about 85 mm wide against 114–118 mm. Dimensions, pocket sizes to scale, what they do to your aiming margin, and room size.Snooker Cue vs Pool Cue: Tip, Length, Weight and JointAbout 9.5 mm against 13 mm at the tip, ash and brass against maple and fibre, one-piece or 3/4 joints against a centre joint, and whether you can use one for the other game.Cue Tip Size and Hardness: What Actually Changes a ShotA softer tip does not give more spin. Typical tip sizes for pool, snooker and UK pool cues, what diameter and hardness really change, tip shape, layered tips and when to replace.Pool and Snooker Ball Sizes: mm, Inches and Weight ChartPool 57.15 mm, snooker 52.5 mm, UK pool 2 in with a smaller cue ball, carom 61–61.5 mm. Every size and weight with its rulebook source, drawn to scale.
Practice drills21 drills
Free in your browser: every shot tells you how far off you were.
Pool vs 9-Ball vs Snooker — Which to Learn FirstPush Out in 9-Ball — The Rule and the TacticsPool Aiming Practice — Ghost Ball & Contact Point DrillsStraight-In Shot Drill — Free Online Pool PracticeHalf-Ball Hit — 30° Cut Shot Practice DrillThin Cut Shots — 60° (1/8-Ball) Practice DrillFractional Aiming Drill — Read Cut Angle from OverlapDraw Shot & Follow Shot Drills — High and Low PracticePool English Explained — Squirt, Swerve and ThrowWhen to Use Side Spin in Pool — Practice DrillsJump Shot Technique — Legal Jumps and a Practice DrillMassé Shot in Pool — Curving Around a Blocker90° Tangent Line & 30° Rule — Pool Position DrillsPattern Play Practice — Plan Three Balls AheadTwo-Rail Position Drills — Cue Ball Off Two CushionsBank Shot Practice — The Mirror System ExplainedDiamond System Pool — One-Rail Bank Shot Drills9-Ball Break Technique — Wing Ball and Squat Drill9-Ball Sequence Practice — Running the Rack in Order9-Ball Pattern Play — Backward Planning DrillsSafety Play in Pool — Distance, Angle and Snookers
FAQ
What is the difference between 8-ball and 9-ball?
8-ball uses all 15 balls split into solids and stripes; you clear your group, then pocket the 8. 9-ball uses balls 1–9; you must hit the lowest-numbered ball first, and pocketing the 9 on a legal shot wins, even early. 9-ball also has the push out after the break.
Do you win if you make the 8 on the break?
Only in APA leagues (and it is a loss if you also scratch). Under WPA and CSI rules the breaker chooses between spotting the 8 and playing on, or breaking again. See 8-ball on the break.