How to play pool.

What you need

• A table with six pockets. Table maker Olhausen says 8 feet is the most popular home size; WPA specifications cover 9-foot and 8-foot tournament tables. (Parts of the table)
• Balls: a white cue ball plus fifteen numbered object balls. Balls 1 to 7 are solid colors, 9 to 15 are striped, and the 8 is black. Regulation balls are 2.25 inches across.
• A cue. The standard adult cue is 58 inches. Shorter players and children use shorter cues. (Choosing your first cue)
• Chalk, applied to the cue tip to add friction against the cue ball and prevent miscues.
• A rack to set the balls up.

Who breaks first

In organized play the first break is decided by a lag. Under WPA rules, each player shoots a ball to the foot cushion so it rebounds back up the table, and the ball that ends up closer to the head cushion wins; the winner decides who breaks. A coin flip is the other common method.

How a turn works

Your turn at the table is called an inning. You keep shooting as long as you legally pocket a ball you were allowed to play. When you miss, or foul, your inning ends and your opponent comes to the table. Under WPA rules a shot begins when the tip touches the cue ball and ends when every ball has stopped moving.

Fouls and ball in hand

The basic fouls under WPA rules include:

• Scratching: pocketing the cue ball, or knocking it off the table.
• Wrong ball first: the cue ball has to hit a ball you are allowed to play before anything else.
• No rail after contact: if nothing is pocketed, some ball has to touch a cushion after the cue ball hits an object ball.

After most fouls, your opponent gets ball in hand: they can place the cue ball anywhere on the table before shooting. Some games and situations limit ball in hand to the kitchen behind the head string. The rules overview lists every foul.

Your first game: eight-ball

Eight-ball, in short:

1. Rack all fifteen balls tightly in a triangle with the front ball on the foot spot and the 8 as the first ball directly behind it (the middle of the third row).
2. Break from behind the head string.
3. The table is "open" until someone legally pockets a called ball; that player then owns that group, solids (1 to 7) or stripes (9 to 15), and the opponent takes the other.
4. Clear all the balls in your group, then call and pocket the 8 to win.
5. Pocketing the 8 early, or in a pocket you did not call, loses the game.

The full rules, including what happens if the 8 goes in on the break, are on the eight-ball page.

Official rules versus the rules you learned

Dr. Dave Alciatore points out that eight-ball rules vary widely because most people learn the game by word of mouth. Common "bar rules" differ from the official WPA rules on things like calling every shot and where ball in hand is taken. Agree on the rules before you start, especially with a new opponent. The league and bar rules page compares them.

Next steps

Once you know how a game works, the biggest gains come from fundamentals: a stable stance and grip, a solid bridge and a straight stroke.