Six-pocket table: play by number, by group, or in rotation — from eight-ball to straight pool.
Pool is a family of games on a rectangular table with six pockets. Side pockets sit on the short rails; balls are smaller and lighter than pyramid balls, pockets wider — combinations and power play are easier.
Clubs most often have 8 ft and 9 ft tables. The game format (eight-ball, nine-ball, ten-ball, straight pool) is specified on the tournament card on billiard.guru.
Pick a game — each page has the full ruleset, history, and discipline notes.
Classic pool · solids and stripes
Clear all your balls (1–7 or 9–15), then legally pot the black 8. The most popular format in the hall.
Read rules →Rotation pool · nine balls
Balls 1–9 in a diamond on the table. Pot in ascending order; win — legal 9.
Read rules →Rotation pool · call shot
Like nine-ball, but ten balls. Before every shot — call ball and pocket; lucky pots do not count.
Read rules →Point race · continuous rack
Every potted ball — one point. When one ball remains — the other 14 return in a rack.
Read rules →Tournament standard — 9 ft per World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) rules. Clubs favor 8 ft; 7 ft tables — for training and casual play.
| Parameter | 9 ft (tournament) | 8 / 7 ft (club) |
|---|---|---|
| Playing surface | 2540 × 1270 mm | 2240 × 1120 / 1980 × 990 mm |
| Overall table size | ≈ 2900 × 1630 mm | ≈ 2600 × 1450 / 2300 × 1300 mm |
| Height from floor | ≈ 750–800 mm | ≈ 750 mm |
| Markings | Kitchen, head string, center spot | Same elements |
| Parameter | Standard | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Set | 16 balls | 15 object balls + 1 cue ball |
| Object balls | 1–7 solids, 9–15 stripes, 8 black | In eight-ball — groups by color |
| Cue ball | White, no number | In pocket on break — foul or turn passes |
| Diameter | 57,15 mm (2¼″) | ≈ 170 g per ball |
| Material | Phenolic resin | Set uniformity required |
| Pocket type | Feature |
|---|---|
| Corner (4) | At rail intersections; "bags" with trimmed corners |
| Side on short rail (2) | Not to be confused with pyramid: side pockets — on the short side |
| Width | Noticeably wider than the ball — power shots and "cut" pots allowed |
| Ball return | Under each pocket; balls not returned until end of frame |
Before a tournament, check cloth level, cushion condition, and ball uniformity. Clubs may allow small deviations — ask the administrator.
Go through these at the table — fewer disputes about regulations and equipment.
Discipline confirmed
Eight-ball, nine-ball, ten-ball, or straight pool — per tournament card or agreement.
Match format
To N wins, to 7/9 frames, to 100 points — in the event description on billiard.guru.
Table size
7, 8, or 9 ft; on 9 ft combinations are longer, on 7 ft — tighter layout.
Pool balls, set of 16
Diameter ≈ 57 mm, white cue ball; no chips or large bounce differences.
Head string and kitchen
Cue ball on break fully behind the head string; on ball-in-hand — in kitchen or on line per regulations.
Break rules
Eight-ball — 4 balls to cushion or legal pot; nine-ball/ten-ball — contact the 1 and cue ball past head string.
Call ball and pocket
Ten-ball — required on every shot; eight-ball and nine-ball — only on final balls or per regulations.
Ball off table
Spot on line or at point; penalty — ball in hand to opponent.
Penalties and ball-in-hand depend on the tournament regulations — confirm with the referee before the match.
Pool is the global standard of pocket billiards: 57 mm balls, wide pockets, side pockets on the short rail. Below — from European billiards in 19th-century America to WPA, bar eight-ball, and Asian dominance in nine-ball and ten-ball.
There is no single "inventor of pool." Pocket billiards grew in the United States in the 19th century from European pocket games brought across the Atlantic by immigrants and traders. Six-pocket tables, balls smaller than pyramid balls, emphasis on runs and combinations — an American evolution, not a copy of one European game.
The first American halls appeared in the late 1800s in New York, Chicago, and other cities. Manufacturers such as Brunswick (founded 1845) mass-produced 7–10 ft tables; rules differed hall by hall until associations began to unify them.
Eight-ball, nine-ball, and straight pool (14.1) are different branches of one table, taking shape in the first half of the 20th century. Ten-ball is a later "tournament" discipline with mandatory call pocket.
| Period | Event |
|---|---|
| 19th century | Pocket billiards in American halls; growth of table production |
| 1900s–1930s | Eight-ball and straight pool take shape; "golden era" of 14.1 |
| 1960s–1970s | Nine-ball becomes a televised format |
| 1987 | WPA (World Pool-Billiard Association) founded — unified international rules |
| 1990s–2000s | Asian boom: Philippines, China, Taiwan — top of world pool |
| 2000s — present | Ten-ball as a "fair" alternative to nine-ball; prize growth in Asia |
The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) and national federations (in the USA — BCA and others) unify rules for tournaments. Tournament standard — 9 ft table, 57.15 mm (2¼″) balls, six pockets (side pockets on the short rail — not to be confused with pyramid).
Clubs favor 8 ft and 7 ft tables; bar eight-ball is often played under simplified "house" rules on break and ball-in-hand — they may differ from WPA.
On billiard.guru the "pool" format is listed separately from pyramid and Chinese pool; the tournament card specifies the discipline (eight-ball, nine-ball, etc.).
| Organization | Role |
|---|---|
| WPA | International rules, world championships |
| EPBF (Europe) | European tours and rankings |
| National federations | National championships, club leagues |
| Discipline | Essence | Where it is mass-market |
|---|---|---|
| Eight-ball | Solids 1–7 or stripes 9–15, then black 8 | Bars, clubs, amateur leagues worldwide |
| Nine-ball | Balls 1–9 in order; win on the 9 | Pro tour, Asia, USA |
| Ten-ball | Balls 1–10, call on every shot | China, Hong Kong, elite WPA series |
| Straight pool (14.1) | Race to 100/150, any ball with call | USA, historical niche, film "The Color of Money" |
Full regulations and history of each discipline — on a separate page at /rules/pool/…
| Region | Level | Schools and formats |
|---|---|---|
| USA | Very high | Birthplace of disciplines; eight-ball in bars, nine-ball on TV |
| Philippines, China, Taiwan | Very high | Nine-ball, ten-ball, academies, major prize money |
| Europe (UK, DE, ES…) | High | EPBF, 8 ft and 9 ft clubs, eight-ball |
| Latin America | High | Eight-ball in bars and sports halls |
| Russia | Medium–high | Major cities; second table after pyramid; eight-ball and nine-ball |
| Middle East, Southeast Asia | Growing | 8 ft club networks, WPA tournaments |
Eight-ball is the symbol of bar billiards in the USA and Europe: the "pool hall" as social space. Nine-ball and ten-ball are televised and professional sports with multi-million prizes in Asia.
The film "The Color of Money" (1986) with Paul Newman and Tom Cruise is a cultural icon of straight pool. ESPN, Matchroom, and Asian leagues broadcast nine-ball and ten-ball worldwide.
In Russia pool sits alongside pyramid in larger halls; on billiard.guru clubs mark the format separately. Players often start with eight-ball and move to nine-ball for rating tournaments.