In 8-ball you and your opponent each own a group of seven balls - solids (1 to 7) or stripes (9 to 15). You clear your group, then pot the black 8 into the pocket you called, and the first player to do that legally wins the rack. Pot the 8 too early, in the wrong pocket or on a foul and you lose instead. Every rule below is how 8 Ball Lounge actually judges a shot, read out of its rules engine, so you can check it against what happens on the table.
Key takeaways
- Your group is decided by your first legal pot after the break, not by anything that drops on the break itself.
- A shot is legal when the cue ball hits one of your own balls first and then a ball is potted or any ball touches a cushion.
- Every foul gives your opponent ball in hand anywhere on the table. Only the opening break is played from the kitchen.
- Potting one of your opponent's balls is not a foul, but your turn ends unless you also potted one of your own.
- The 8 loses the rack if it drops before your group is clear, into a pocket you did not call, or on a shot that fouls.
Step by step
- Break the rack. Place the cue ball anywhere in the kitchen, the area behind the head string, and break. The break is legal if at least one ball is potted or at least four object balls reach a cushion. If a ball drops on a legal break you shoot again.
- Claim solids or stripes. The table stays open after the break. Your first legal pot after it gives you that ball's group: pot a solid and you are on solids, and your opponent is on stripes.
- Clear your group. Keep shooting while you pot your own balls on legal shots. A miss, a foul, or a turn where you pot only your opponent's balls passes the table across.
- Call and pot the 8. Once all seven of your balls are down, the 8 is your target. Call a pocket and sink the 8 in it on a legal shot to win the rack.
The break and the open table
The breaker places the cue ball behind the head string - the kitchen - and drives it into the rack. In 8 Ball Lounge the break counts as legal if at least one object ball is potted or at least four object balls touch a cushion. A weak break that does neither is a foul, and so is a scratch, where the cue ball goes down a pocket.
In 8 Ball Lounge, if the 8 drops on the break it is neither a win nor a loss. It goes back on the foot spot, or the nearest free point behind it along the centre line, and play carries on.
Balls potted on the break do not decide groups. The table stays open, so after the break any ball except the 8 is a legal first target, and the first ball to drop on your first legal potting shot decides which group is yours.
What makes a shot legal
Once the table is open or groups are set, every shot has two tests. The cue ball must hit a legal ball first - any ball except the 8 on an open table, one of your own group once you have one, and only the 8 once your group is clear. Then, after that first contact, either a ball must be potted or some ball, cue ball included, must touch a cushion.
Pass both tests and the shot is legal, whatever else happens. You keep the table if you potted at least one of your own balls; otherwise it passes to your opponent.
- Scratch - the cue ball goes down a pocket.
- No hit - the cue ball touches no other ball at all.
- Wrong ball first - the first ball the cue ball hits is not a legal target.
- No rail - nothing is potted and no ball reaches a cushion after first contact.
Ball in hand
Every one of the fouls above gives your opponent ball in hand: they pick the cue ball up and place it anywhere on the table that does not overlap another ball. That is a large advantage - with free placement almost any ball can be set up as a straight-in pot - so a foul usually costs more than a missed shot does.
The one exception is the opening break, where the cue ball is placed only in the kitchen. In 8 Ball Lounge, ball in hand after the break always means anywhere.
Because a foul is that expensive, the safe default when you have no good pot is a shot that still passes both legal tests: hit one of your own balls first and send something to a cushion. Leaving the table with a legal miss gives your opponent a shot. Leaving it with a foul gives them a free placement.
Calling the 8
When your group is clear the 8 becomes your only legal target, and it has to go in the pocket you called. In 8 Ball Lounge the pocket is called for you from wherever your guideline is pointing, and a marker shows the called pocket on the table. Tap a different pocket before you shoot to change the call.
There are three ways to lose on the 8, and they apply to both players: potting it before your group is clear, potting it in a pocket other than the one called, and potting it on a shot that is also a foul. That last one is the one that catches people - sink the 8 cleanly and scratch the cue ball behind it and the rack is lost, not won.
Spin basics: draw, follow and side
Where the cue tip meets the cue ball decides how it behaves after contact. Strike below centre and the ball carries backspin, so it draws back towards you after hitting the object ball. Strike above centre for topspin and it follows through. Strike left or right of centre - side spin, often called english - and it changes the angle the cue ball takes off a cushion.
In 8 Ball Lounge you set spin before the stroke by tapping the cue-ball face. The tip can be placed up to half a ball radius from centre, and side spin wears off as the ball travels across the cloth, so it matters most on shots where the cue ball reaches a cushion quickly.
Spin is for position, not for potting. Use draw to stop the cue ball coming forward into a pocket or a cluster, follow to roll on towards your next ball, and keep side spin for shots where the cushion angle really needs changing. The two hardest opponents in the game, Vega and Slate, use draw and follow for position themselves.
Try it
Everything above was measured against this game. It is free, runs in the browser, and needs no account.Everything above was measured against this game. It is free and needs no account.
Frequently asked questions
What are the basic rules of 8-ball pool?
Each player owns a group of seven balls, solids or stripes, decided by their first legal pot after the break. Hit one of your own balls first on every shot, then pot a ball or send one to a cushion. Clear your group, then pot the 8 in the pocket you called. Potting the 8 early, in the wrong pocket or on a foul loses the rack.
What counts as a foul in 8-ball?
Four things: scratching the cue ball into a pocket, missing every ball, hitting a ball that is not a legal target first, and a shot where nothing is potted and no ball touches a cushion after first contact. On the break, failing to pot a ball or send at least four object balls to a cushion is also a foul.
What does ball in hand mean in pool?
After a foul, the incoming player picks up the cue ball and places it anywhere on the table that does not overlap another ball, then shoots. The only time placement is restricted is the opening break, which is played from behind the head string.
Do you have to call the 8 ball?
Yes. The 8 must go in the pocket you called. In 8 Ball Lounge the call is made for you from where your guideline points, and you can tap another pocket to change it before you shoot. Potting the 8 in any other pocket loses the rack.
What happens if the 8 ball goes in on the break?
Nothing decisive. In 8 Ball Lounge the 8 is put back on the foot spot and play continues - it is never a win or a loss on the break.
Is potting your opponent's ball a foul?
No. As long as your first contact was legal and the shot passed the cushion test, potting an opponent's ball is legal - their ball stays down. Your turn just ends unless you also potted one of your own on the same shot.
Where can I play 8-ball pool online free?
8 Ball Lounge on Weekly Arcade is free on phone or desktop, with no account and no ads. It plays full 8-ball rules against four computer opponents, or two players can share one device with Pass and play.