Have you heard of 8 ball pool game but don’t know where to go and how to play? This 8 ball pool guide is all you need to learn the basics of the game!
8 ball pool is a cue sports game, along similar lines as snooker or billiards. It is often also known as solids and stripes, spots and stripes, or highs and lows. This is a table game that is traditionally played as a singles or doubles game on a table with six pockets, cue sticks, 16 billiard balls, a cue ball, and 15 object balls.
You can now play the 8-ball pool game online! Like the traditional version of the table game, even an online 8 ball pool has a standard set of rules. If you have never played an online pool game before or have just started playing, it might seem overwhelming if you are not aware of the gameplay, the rules, the fouls, how to break a set, and what needs to be done to win a game.
If you are a novice online pool game player or want to simply try your hand at it to kill boredom, we have you covered. Read this 8 ball pool guide for beginners about the things that you should know to be good at online 8 ball pool. We take you step-by-step through the five most important things to know as a beginner at this engaging game.
The Game Setup:
8 ball pool consists of 15 object balls, of which seven balls are solids, and seven are stripes. The solids are numbered 1 to 7, and the stripes are numbered 9 to 15. The 8 ball, which is the highlight of the game, is black, and as the name suggests, it is numbered 8.
All 15 object balls are placed inside a triangular rack, and the balls can be placed randomly – there is no specific order of placing them. The only rule is that the 8 ball (black ball) has to be placed in the centre of the triangle, and the two corner balls of the lower part of the triangle should be a solid and a stripe. The cue ball can be placed anywhere the player who breaks the game desires.
Objective of the Online 8 Ball Pool Game:
The objective of online 8 ball pool is to put all your designated balls (either solids or stripes) in the pockets, and the 8 ball should be pocketed last. The player to pocket the 8 ball wins the game. In this online pool game, matches often consist of one-on-one battles. Several game tournaments use the ‘best out of’ game format where you can play multiple games, and the player who has the highest number of wins out of all the matches played is the winner.
Online 8 Ball Pool Gameplay:
Here is how you can play the online 8 ball pool game:
- Once you start the game, you or your opponent will be asked to place the cue ball on (or behind) the head string of the table.
- You need to drag your cue stick in a circular motion to aim at the cue ball.
- You have to pull down the stick to determine the force and release the cue stick to take the shot.
- You can use the ‘strike point’ option on the cue ball to spin the ball when required.
Selection of the Target Balls:
Whether you play for solids or stripes is not decided at the start of the game. This means you can shoot at any ball at the start. The table remains “open” until one of the players manages to pocket or pot one or more object balls (excluding the 8 ball) after the opening break. At this point, whichever ball is pocketed decides which “colour” or “suit” is yours and which is your opponent’s. If you pot the first ball after the break and it is a solid ball, you have to pot only solid balls for the rest of the game. Your target is then solids, and your opponent’s target is stripes.
Fouls in 8 Ball Pool:
In online 8 ball pool game, it is considered a foul when you do one of these things:
- You pot your opponent’s ball (if you are solids, you cannot pot a stripe and vice versa)
- You hit your opponent’s ball (if you are solids, you cannot hit a stripe ball with the cue ball and vice versa)
- You pot the cue ball
- The ball you hit doesn’t touch the pool table rail
- The cue ball doesn’t touch your desired ball.
Final Thoughts
An 8 ball pool game is a social table game that can now be played online. It’s a fun way to kill boredom or to enjoy one of the most popular table games from the comfort of your home. An online pool game is a relatively new concept, but it has gained a lot of popularity since it can be played from anywhere in the world, removing geographical barriers. Even if you are a novice player or playing online 8 ball pool for the first time, this 8 ball pool game guide should help you navigate this online 8 ball pool game easily! Just download the MPL app to compete one-on-one or play tournaments in the ‘best of’ format.
