How to Play Table Pool

Pool has for centuries been a game of angles, skill and a small degree of luck. Players take turns shooting balls around a bumper-lined table, aiming for pockets placed evenly around the edge of the table. There are a number of games that can be played with a set of pool cues, balls and a table, but the official game of pool is a traditional game with a set of rules.

Instructions

Standard 10-Ball Pool

1

Put the triangle on the table and stack all of the colored balls in it. Place ball number one in a corner, and the number ten ball in the center of the rack. Put all of the other balls around the edge of the triangle.

2

Put the One ball on the black dot in the middle of the pool table, with the triangle oriented so it points directly at the white dot at the other end.

3

Move the rack in a circular motion a couple of times, so that the balls all shift toward the front of the rack and it ends up where it started. Remove the triangle.

4

Place the cue ball on the white dot and have each player select a cue stick.

5

Flip a coin to pick the order of the players. Player one should step up and break. They do this by shooting the cue ball at the rack of balls.

To shoot, hold the narrow tip of the cue stick with your dominant hand, and the wider end with your other hand. Hold the tip about an inch away from the cue ball, using your dominant hand to aim the stick. Test your shot by pulling and pushing the cue stick just a little to see if the tip lines up with your intended shot. When ready, pull the stick through the fingers your dominant hand so it smacks the cue ball. When the cue ball is moving, remove all of your limbs and the cue stick from the table.

Wait for the balls to come to rest before moving on.

6

The first player lines up their shot behind the cue ball, so they can shoot the lowest-numbered ball into one of the pockets.

Players must call their shots--they must announce which pocket they intend to shoot each ball into. If the player makes their shot, they can shoot again; if they do not, the next player takes their turn. If the cue ball sinks into a pocket, the shot is not legal, even if the intended ball sinks, and the shooting player must pass the right to play.

Repeat this step until all balls are in the pockets. The winner is the player who legally pockets the Ten ball--or the highest-numbered ball if that ball is pocketed during play.

7

Re-rack the game for another, as described in steps 1 through 4, and start again. The player who won the previous round breaks. Play as many rounds as you choose.