Quick Pool Games

Pool games, often called billiards or cue sports, involve a variety of setups and variations. They can be enjoyed by a single player, two players or teams. All variations played use a cue stick to hit billiard balls into the pockets. The table features a felt cloth cover over a wooden countertop with rubber sides. This game of skill can be played recreationally or competitively in tournaments to suit the player’s preference.

  1. 3-Ball

    • A variation of the classic game, 3-Ball features a trio of balls of any color pattern or number. Two players try to sink the billiard balls in the fewest strokes. To set up the game, place the the balls in a triangle, in the same spot as if you were setting up a standard game. Then, place the cue ball at any place behind the scratch line, again similar to a normal break. Every shot taken, including the break, counts as a point for each player; each shot goes toward a cumulative score when the game ends. If a player scratches, accidentally hitting the cue ball in a pocket, a two-point penalty is assessed in addition to the point for the original shot. The player with the fewest points at the end of the game wins.

    8-Ball

    • In 8-Ball, a two-player game whose purpose is to sink all the “low” balls, 1 through 7, or “high” balls, 9 through 15, before your opponent. After sinking either the solids, called lows, or stripes, known as highs, the player must call a pocket location where he is aiming to sink the 8-ball; if successful, the sunken 8-ball awards a win to the player who made the shot. To play, set up the balls in a pyramid shape on one end of the table, breaking it with a cue ball placed anywhere behind the scratch line. To claim stripes or solids, a player must call and sink a ball of that type after the break. Instant loss results from sinking the 8-ball in any pocket besides the one called or sinking the cue ball into the same pocket of the 8-ball.

    9-Ball

    • In 9-ball, a fast paced adaptation of standard billiards, two players compete against each other in either a single game or, more commonly, a series of games to decide who wins the match. Playing 9-ball requires the balls 1 through 9 set up in a diamond shape on one end of the table, featuring the breaker on the other side. 9-ball's rules stipulate that every shot must begin with striking the lowest-numbered ball on the table. However, once the player strikes the lowest ball, any other ball may go in to any side pocket. The player does not have to call what pocket any given ball is headed toward. The game ends after sinking the 9 ball. Making the 9 ball on the break results in a victory for the breaker.