Eight-ball pool

Play WPA eight-ball with two players, or use the partner variation. Agree on the ruleset first: local rules often differ on scratches, groups and the 8 on the break.

2 or 4 peopleOne rack, or an agreed race to three; skill and table time determine lengthPocket pool table, cue ball, balls 1–15, triangle rack, cues and chalk

The quick version

Clear your solids or stripes, then legally pocket the called 8 to win. Groups stay open after the break. Ordinary fouls give cue-ball in hand anywhere; break fouls differ. A scratch with the 8 still up is not an automatic loss.

Get ready

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Rack and choose the match

Rack fifteen balls tightly: apex on the foot spot (the marked dot at the racking end), 8 in the third row's middle, a solid and stripe at the rear corners; others without a deliberate pattern. Solids are 1–7, stripes 9–15. Identify the head string through the second diamonds at the breaking end.

For this social format, toss for first break and alternate breaks thereafter. Play one rack or first to three rack wins; neither can tie. Break selection and match length are hosting choices.

Break, choose groups and finish

Break from behind the head string

Place the cue ball behind the line and use your cue tip to send it into the rack; no call is needed. Pocket an object ball or send four object balls to rails. Pocketing legally keeps your turn; a legal dry break passes play. Otherwise the opponent may accept the layout, re-rack and break, or ask you to re-rack and break again.

Handle a break exception

An 8 pocketed on a legal break gives the breaker a choice: spot the 8 on the foot spot and continue, or re-break. An 8 pocketed with a foul gives the opponent the choice of spotting it with cue-ball in hand behind the head string, or re-breaking. Other break fouls let the opponent accept the layout or take cue-ball in hand behind the head string. Balls driven off stay out except the 8, which is spotted.

Claim your group

The table remains open after the break even if solids or stripes fell. Legally pocket a called solid or stripe to take that group; the opponent takes the other. While open, contact any object ball first except the 8. If a whole group is already gone, you may temporarily claim it and shoot the 8. A miss leaves the table open.

Take the next shot

After groups are set, contact your group first, then pocket a ball or have any ball reach a rail. Call the intended ball and pocket; you need not call every cushion or incidental ball. A legal called pot keeps your turn. A miss passes the layout as it lies. You may call safety before a legal shot: your turn ends even if a ball falls. Incidental pocketed balls stay down.

Shoot the 8 separately

After all your group is gone, call the 8's pocket and contact the 8 first. A legal called pot wins. Pocketing it early, into another pocket, or with any foul loses; driving it off also loses. These loss conditions exclude the break. If you foul while the 8 stays on the table, apply normal foul handling instead.

Make the foul and reset clear

Pocketing the cue ball or sending it off the table is a scratch. Wrong first contact, no pocket or rail after contact, an object ball off the table, improper touching, double hits, prolonged pushes, shooting while balls move or no foot on the floor also foul. Stop: ordinary fouls give the opponent cue-ball in hand anywhere; pocketed or driven-off object balls stay out, except the break's spotted 8.

After a break foul with restricted cue-ball placement, contact a ball on or beyond the head string, or cross it before contacting one behind it. Spot the 8 on the foot spot, or as close behind it on the centerline as possible without moving balls. If both agree on a stalemate, re-rack with the original breaker. Record decided racks and reset all balls.

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Ideas & Twists

Choose a variation together before you start.

Eight-ball pool · See main rules

Suggested house variation

Alternate-shot partners

Four players form teams sharing one group each. Partners alternate every shot, even during a continuing turn. Track each team's next shooter; a foul or miss ends its visit without erasing partner order. Alternate breaking teams each rack and breaking partners within each team. Keep legal-shot and 8-ball rules; first team to the agreed rack target wins.

Eight-ball pool · See main rules

Suggested house variation

Three-rack rotation

With three players, play A–B, B–C, then C–A, one rack each. Toss for each break and keep ordinary rules. Everyone plays twice; most rack wins takes the set. If everyone wins once, share the result. Fully reset each rack.

About this guide

WPA rules effective September 15, 2025, supply the core mechanics. Break selection, alternating breaks, race length and variations are social choices. Announce this ruleset first; local formats differ. Unusual referee procedures remain in the full source.

World Pool-Billiards Association · rules of play, sections 1–4 ↗

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STUD Sportsmanship

All challenges, rule calls, scoring decisions, and outcomes should be handled in good faith. If a challenge is phrased unclearly or leaves out a detail that later becomes relevant, resolve it according to the original intent of the group and the fair spirit of the activity, not by exploiting loopholes or technical wording. If an unforeseen circumstance, ambiguity, or disputed dynamic arises, participants should work together respectfully to reach the fairest interpretation. Where no agreement can be reached, the matter should be decided by the group, event host, or an agreed neutral third party.

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