Eight-ball

Eight-ball is a popular game played on a table.

It uses sixteen balls and a long stick. Seven balls are solid colors. Seven balls have stripes. One ball is black.

You must sink all your balls first. Then you try to sink the black ball. You must pick a pocket for it. If you sink it, you win! It is a fun game to play with friends.

Eight-ball is a famous game of pool. People play it all over the world.

It uses a large table with six pockets. You use a cue stick to hit the balls. The game uses sixteen balls in total. Seven balls are solid colors. Seven balls have stripes. The last ball is black and is called the 8-ball.

To start, you put the balls in a triangle. The black 8-ball goes in the middle. A player hits the cue ball to break the rack. This shot scatters the balls. Once a player sinks a ball, they get a group. They must sink all their solids or all their stripes. After that, they try to sink the black 8-ball. You must pick a pocket for the 8-ball before you shoot. If you sink it in that pocket, you win! If you sink it in the wrong pocket, you lose. The game began in the United States around 1900. It grew from an older game called pyramid pool.

Eight-ball is a very popular game of pool played all over the world. Many people think of the name "pool" as meaning this specific game.

It is a discipline of billiards that uses a table with six pockets. Players use a cue stick to hit a white cue ball. The goal is to pocket your assigned group of balls first. Finally, you must pocket the black 8-ball to win the game. It is the second most played professional pool game today.

To start, players place sixteen balls into a triangular rack. The black 8-ball must sit in the very center of the rack. The two back corner balls must be one solid and one stripe.

A player hits the cue ball to scatter the balls, which is called a break. Once a player pockets a ball, they are assigned a group. They get either the seven solid balls or the seven striped balls. They must sink all their assigned balls before they can aim for the 8-ball.

Winning requires great skill and focus on the final shot. A player must choose a specific pocket for the 8-ball before they hit it. This is called a "called" pocket. If the 8-ball goes into a different pocket, the player loses. If the 8-ball is knocked off the table, that player also loses. Some players are so good they can win without the other person shooting at all. This is sometimes called "running the table."

The game began in the United States around the year 1900. It grew out of an older game called pyramid pool. In pyramid pool, players could win by pocketing any eight balls. Two big changes created the eight-ball game we know now. First, the 8-ball must be pocketed last to win. Second, each player only gets to pocket half of the other balls. By 1925, the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company made special sets to help people see the balls better.

Rules for eight-ball can change depending on where you play. The World Pool-Billiard Association sets rules for professionals and amateurs. However, many local leagues like the APA or VNEA use their own rules. Some people even use "house rules" when playing casually with friends. In the United Kingdom, a version called blackball is very popular. It uses different colored balls and different rules for fouls. Even with these changes, the spirit of the game remains the same.

Eight-ball is a highly popular discipline of pool played on a billiard table. Many people use the word "pool" to describe this specific game. It is a game of skill played with sixteen billiard balls and a cue stick.

The game is often considered synonymous with the sport of pool itself. It is currently the second most played professional pool game. Only nine-ball is played more frequently in professional settings. For several decades, it has also remained ahead of straight pool in popularity.

The game uses a specific set of sixteen balls. Seven of these are solid-colored balls numbered 1 through 7. Another seven are striped balls numbered 9 through 15. The final object ball is the black 8-ball. There is also a white cue ball used to strike the others. The object balls are organized into two groups, often called solids and stripes. Players must navigate these groups to reach the final goal of the game.

To begin, players set up the balls in a triangular rack. The base of this rack sits parallel to the foot spot. The apex ball, or the front ball, is placed on the foot spot. Ideally, all balls should be in contact with one another. This is achieved by pressing them toward the apex ball. The 8-ball must be placed in the center of the rack. Specifically, it sits in the middle of the third row. The two back corner balls must consist of one stripe and one solid ball.

The game starts with the break shot. A player uses the cue ball to scatter the racked balls. If the breaker fails to make a successful break, the opponent has choices. A successful break usually involves at least four balls hitting the cushions. After the break, the table is considered "open." This means either player may shoot at any ball. The game changes once a player legally pockets a called ball. That player is then assigned a specific group, or suit. The other player receives the remaining suit. These assignments stay fixed for the rest of the game.

Once a player has their group, they must pocket all seven balls. On every shot, they must hit one of their own balls first. If they hit an opponent's ball first, it is a foul. After all seven balls from a suit are cleared, the player targets the 8-ball. To win, the player must "call" a pocket. This means they must designate which pocket the 8-ball will enter. If the 8-ball goes into a different pocket, the player loses. If the 8-ball is knocked off the table, that player also loses. A player can even win by "running the table," which means they pocket every ball without the opponent shooting.

Eight-ball has a distinct history rooted in the United States. It emerged around 1900 as a development of pyramid pool. In pyramid pool, a player could win by pocketing any eight balls. Two major changes transformed it into eight-ball. First, the 8-ball had to be pocketed last to win. Second, each player was limited to half of the other object balls. By 1925, the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company created purpose-made ball sets. These sets helped spectators easily distinguish between the solids and the stripes.

Rules for the game can vary significantly depending on the setting. The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) provides standardized rules for professional play. However, many amateur leagues use different rulesets. The APA, VNEA, and BCAPL all have their own specific regulations. Even casual players often use informal "house rules" that change from venue to venue. In the United Kingdom, a popular variant is known as blackball. This version uses unnumbered, solid-colored balls, typically red and yellow. It also features different rules for handling fouls and racking.

The equipment used also depends on the level of play. A regulation American-style table has a playing surface of 9 feet by 4.5 feet. However, some leagues allow smaller seven-foot tables. Amateur championships often use these smaller tables to fit more players in a venue. Professional competitions generally require the full regulation size. The balls themselves are often color-coded for clarity. Some special sets even use pink and light tan colors. This makes the balls easier to see on television broadcasts.