Start with the table
8-ball basics
Learn the goal, groups, turns, fouls, Ball in Hand, and how to finish a rack.
The goal of the rack
Two groups share the table: solids numbered 1–7 and stripes numbered 9–15. Clear your group first, then legally pocket the 8 ball in the pocket you call.
At the break the table is open, so neither group belongs to anyone yet. The first legal group ball pocketed after the break assigns solids and stripes.
- Clear all seven balls in your group.
- Call a pocket once the 8 ball is your legal target.
- Pocket the 8 ball legally to finish the rack.
Keep the turn—or hand it over
A legal pocket lets you continue. If no legal ball is pocketed, the turn passes to your rival. On most shots, the cue ball must contact a legal target first and then a ball must reach a pocket or cushion.
A scratch, wrong first contact, or shot with no cushion or pocket after contact is a foul. Your rival then receives Ball in Hand and may place the cue ball in a legal position.
Treat the 8 ball as the finish line
Do not pocket the 8 ball while balls from your group remain. When your group is clear, choose a pocket before shooting the 8 ball.
Pocketing the 8 ball early, in the wrong called pocket, on a foul, or together with a cue-ball scratch loses the rack in GameCamp.