Pool
Eight-ball against the computer: pot your group, then the 8.
Eight-ball pool on a seven-foot bar table, against the computer. You break, and the first ball you pot after the break gives you your group: the solids, 1 to 7, or the stripes, 9 to 15. You stay at the table while you pot your own balls, and once your group is cleared the 8 wins you the game. Three levels of opponent, and every day a Daily game, the same for everyone.
- Category
- Arcade
- Modes
- Easy · Medium · Hard · Daily
- Controls
- Mouse · Touch · Keyboard
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How to play
Drag your finger on the cloth to aim: the cue follows your finger, and the guide shows the first ball you will hit, where it heads and where the cue ball glances off. On the white disc, set the spin: up for follow, so the cue ball rolls on after contact, down for draw, so it comes back. Then pull the power bar down and let go. With the cue ball in hand, drag it where you want it; on the break it goes behind the head string. You stay at the table while you pot balls of your group. It is a foul if the cue ball drops, touches no ball, or first touches a ball that is not yours; your opponent then places the cue ball anywhere. Potting the 8 early, or together with the cue ball, loses the game; once your group is cleared it wins it. On a keyboard: the left and right arrows aim, up and down change the spin, and holding Space charges the power.
What is Pool?
Pool here is eight-ball, the game played on bar and club tables everywhere: fifteen numbered balls, a white cue ball and six pockets. You play it on a seven-foot bar table against the computer, from a gentle opponent to one that rarely misses.
The seven solids, 1 to 7, and the seven stripes, 9 to 15, are split between you once someone pots a ball after the break. The black 8 belongs to nobody: it is the last ball, and the one that decides the game. Every day brings a Daily game, the same rack for everyone.
How to play Pool
You break first, from behind the head string, then the two of you take turns at the table.
- Aiming. Drag your finger on the cloth: the cue follows it. The guide shows the first ball you will hit, the line that ball takes and the way the cue ball glances off.
- Spin. Touch the white disc high for follow (the cue ball rolls on after contact) or low for draw (it comes back).
- Power. Pull the power bar down and let go. A soft touch keeps the cue ball close; a hard one spreads the balls.
- Your group. The first ball you pot after the break makes its group yours. Keep potting your own to keep the table.
- Fouls and the 8. Potting the cue ball, touching no ball or hitting a ball that is not yours first is a foul, and the other side gets the cue ball in hand, anywhere on the table. Pot the 8 after clearing your group to win; pot it early, or with the cue ball, and you lose.
Tips and strategy
- Shoot the easy ones first. A ball close to a pocket and nearly straight is worth more than a long thin cut. Leave the hard balls for when the table is open.
- Think one ball ahead. Use the guide's cue ball line: a little follow or draw can leave you straight on your next ball.
- Softer is often better. Most pots need far less power than they seem to. A slow ball drops; a fast one rattles out and the cue ball runs away.
- Mind the scratch. If the cue ball's line heads straight for a pocket after contact, add draw or a touch less power.
- When nothing goes, play safe. Roll gently onto one of your balls and leave the cue ball far from the computer's best shots.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pool free?
Yes. Like every game on Play, it runs free in your browser, with no download and no account.
Which rules does it use?
Eight-ball, simplified for quick play: the first ball potted after the break decides the groups, any pocket counts, and a foul gives the cue ball in hand anywhere on the table. An 8 potted on the break comes back to the foot spot.
What happens when the 8 goes down?
If your group is already cleared and the shot is clean, you win. If you still have balls of your own on the table, or the cue ball drops too, you lose.
How is my score worked out?
A win is worth 600, plus 40 for every ball the computer still had to pot, less 5 for each shot you took, never below 300. A loss scores 15 for every ball of your group you potted.
What is the Daily game?
Every day everyone breaks the same rack against the same computer, so the scores compare directly on the leaderboard.
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