Play 8-Ball Pool online

Fifteen object balls start in a triangle rack: solids numbered 1 to 7, stripes numbered 9 to 15, and the black 8. After the break the table is open. The first group ball legally pocketed decides the groups: that group belongs to the shooter, and the rival takes the other.

Keep shooting while you legally pocket balls from your group. When every ball in your group is gone, call a pocket and sink the 8 there to win the rack.

A shot is legal when the cue ball first touches one of your balls, or the 8 once your group is clear, and a ball is then pocketed or reaches a cushion. A legal shot that pockets nothing simply passes the turn.

• Fouls: pocketing the cue ball (a scratch), hitting the wrong ball first, missing every ball, or no ball reaching a cushion or pocket after contact.
• Ball in Hand: after a foul, the incoming player may place the cue ball anywhere legal before shooting.
• The break: a ball pocketed on the break does not assign groups. The table stays open.
• Losing the rack: pocketing the 8 early, in a pocket you did not call, on a foul, or together with a scratch.

Set your aim line, choose how hard to strike, and pick where the cue meets the cue ball. The aim guide shows the contact point and the direction each ball heads after impact, so you can plan both the pot and where the cue ball goes next.

Striking above center adds follow, so the cue ball rolls on after contact. Striking below center adds draw, pulling it back. Left or right of center adds side spin, which changes how the cue ball comes off a cushion. Mouse, touch, and keyboard all work, and a fine-aim control makes small adjustments easier on a phone.

Choose Easy, Medium, or Hard before each match. Easy rivals play simpler shots and miss more often. Hard rivals plan banks, kicks, and safeties, and they leave you less to work with after a miss.

Wins, levels, and recent matches are saved in your browser, so you can keep playing without an account.

Potting balls is only half of 8-ball. The player who wins is usually the one who leaves the cue ball in the right place for the next shot.

• Choose your next ball before you shoot, and aim to leave the cue ball with a clear line to it.
• Use medium power by default. Softer shots are easier to control.
• Break up clusters early, while you still have other balls to play.
• Keep the cue ball off the cushions when you can. Shots from the rail are harder.
• When no pot is realistic, a safe shot that leaves your rival nothing easy can be better than a risky attempt.
• Plan a route to the 8 before you pocket your last group ball.