Beginner Pool Games

Pool halls are often known for seedy characters, pool hustlers and billowing smoke, but they are also filled with people who love playing pool and have varying levels of skills. Pool is a great pastime whether alone, with friends or playing complete strangers. Beginning pool players often get stuck playing one type of game, but beginners can play several games that offer challenge and variety on the pool table.

  1. 8-Ball

    • One of the most frequently played pool games, 8-Ball is easy to learn but hard to master. The game involves the use of a standard 15-ball rack, including seven striped balls, seven solid balls and a solid black 8-ball. One player breaks up the triangle of racked balls. If he sinks a ball other than the 8-ball, he continues shooting for either striped or solid balls. When he fails to pocket a ball, the other player tries to pocket the other set of balls, either solids or stripes. Once a player has pocketed all seven of his balls, he can sink the 8-ball to win the game.

    3-Ball

    • 3-Ball is an easy and fun beginning pool game that you can play alone or with 10 people. Played on a regular pool table with any three balls (some people use the 1, 2 and 3 balls), the object of 3-Ball is to pocket the three balls in as few shots as possible. Once the balls are racked on the spot in a small triangle, the player breaks them up, which is her first stroke. She then pockets the three balls, counting shots as she goes. For more than one player, take turns shooting. The player with the lowest number of shots wins. If two players tie, everyone shoots again until a clear winner emerges.

    9-Ball

    • Similar to 8-Ball, 9-Ball is a faster game in which players use all the solid balls and the striped 9-ball. Both players pocket the same balls in ascending numerical order. Players must make the 1-ball then the 2-ball, etc. The balls are racked into a diamond shape with the 9-ball in the middle. A player continues shooting if he legally pockets a ball. To legally pocket a ball, he must hit the current ball first, but he can hit that ball into another and make it to continue shooting. The player who pockets the 9-ball wins, even if he makes it on the break or by hitting the 1-ball into it.

    Cutthroat

    • Frequently, beginners simply want to play with their friends and not worry about the competition or improving their game. Cutthroat is a game to play with three people using a standard 15-ball rack. One player breaks the balls and, if she pockets a ball, decides whether she wants to be balls 1 through 5, 6 through 10 or 11 through 15. The object of cutthroat is to pocket all your opponents' balls before they pocket yours. Once a player's balls have been pocketed, she is eliminated from the game.