Eight Ball Pool

Top-down 8-ball pool for two on one screen — break, pot your solids or stripes, then sink the 8 to win.

How to play Eight Ball Pool

Eight Ball Pool is the classic pub billiards game brought to your browser with a clean top-down view and real rolling physics. Fifteen numbered balls are racked in a triangle and broken apart with the white cue ball. One player pots the solid balls (1 to 7), the other the stripes (9 to 15), and whoever clears their group first and then legally sinks the black 8-ball wins the frame. Play a friend on the same screen, or take on the computer at three difficulty levels. Every shot is simulated on your device, so it works offline once loaded.

The goal

Be the first to pot all seven balls of your group — solids or stripes — and then legally pocket the 8-ball. Sink the 8 too early, or scratch the cue ball while shooting at it, and you lose the frame instantly, so save it for last and line it up carefully.

The table

The fifteen object balls are racked in a triangle at the foot of the table with the 8-ball in the middle and the two back corners split between a solid and a stripe. The cue ball starts at the head of the table, ready to break. The table has six pockets — one in each corner and one on the middle of each long rail.

Controls

Aim: drag on the table starting near the cue ball. The dotted guide line shows the path the cue ball will take and the direction the first ball it touches will travel.
Power: the further you drag away from the cue ball, the harder you strike it. The colour bar at the bottom fills up to show your power; release to take the shot.
Guide line: use it to plan cannons and pots. It updates live as you move, so you can find the exact angle before committing.
Ball in hand: after your opponent fouls you may place the cue ball anywhere legal — just tap an open spot, then aim as usual.

The rules

The break: the first shot of the frame. You only need the cue ball to strike the rack. If you pot the cue on the break it is a foul and your opponent takes ball in hand, but the table stays open.
Open table: right after the break neither player owns a group. The table stays "open" until someone legally pockets a ball; the first player to pot exactly one group (only solids or only stripes) on a shot is assigned that group for the rest of the frame.
Your group: once groups are assigned you must make the cue ball hit one of your own balls first on every shot. Hitting the opponent’s ball, or the 8, before your own is a foul.
Keep shooting: legally pot a ball of your own group and you stay at the table for another shot. Pot nothing (a "dry" shot) and your turn passes to your opponent — but that is not a foul.
Fouls: scratching the cue ball, hitting the wrong ball first, or failing to hit any ball hands your opponent ball in hand. Any object balls that dropped on a foul stay down; they are not returned to the table.
The 8-ball: only after your whole group is cleared may you shoot the 8. In this game the pocket is not called — the 8 may go in any pocket. Potting the 8 while you still have group balls left, or scratching as you pot it, loses the frame.

Winning

You win the frame the moment you legally pocket the 8-ball after clearing your group. You lose immediately if you pocket the 8 too early, pocket it and scratch on the same shot, or knock it off before your group is done. Because a single mistake on the 8 ends everything, most frames are decided by who controls the final few balls.

Playing the computer (ranked)

In “Eight Ball Pool vs Computer” you pick a difficulty — Easy, Normal or Expert — and break first. The computer chooses its shots by trying many aim-and-power combinations, simulating each with the same physics engine you play on, and picking the best one; higher levels consider more shots and aim more precisely, while Easy deliberately plays loose so beginners can win. Beat it to earn ranking points: Easy +10, Normal +30, Expert +100, saved to the leaderboard when you sign in. It all runs on your device, so it works offline.

Strategy tips

Think one shot ahead. Before you shoot, look at where the cue ball will end up — a pot is only useful if it leaves you a shot on your next ball.
Don’t over-hit. Soft, controlled shots keep the cue ball on the table and near your next target; blasting the rack often leaves the cue in a pocket or miles from anything.
Use the open table wisely. If you can pot a ball of either group, choose the group that gives you the easier run of remaining balls.
Play safe when there is no pot. A good defensive shot that hides the cue ball behind your opponent’s balls can win the frame as surely as a flashy pot.

Frequently asked questions

Are these the full official rules?

They are a friendly, simplified version of the World-standard 8-ball rules. To keep casual games flowing we skip the “four balls to a rail” break requirement and the general “hit a rail after contact” rule, and the 8-ball may be potted in any pocket (no call). Everything else — groups, fouls, ball in hand and the early-8 loss — follows the standard game.

What exactly is “ball in hand”?

After your opponent fouls, you pick the cue ball up and place it anywhere on the table that is not touching another ball or sitting in a pocket, then shoot from there. It is a big advantage, which is why avoiding fouls matters.

Do I have to call which pocket for the 8?

No. To keep things simple this version does not use called pockets, so the 8-ball counts wherever it drops — as long as your group is already cleared and you don’t scratch.

How hard is the computer?

There are three levels. Easy simulates only a few shots and adds a wobble to its aim, so beginners can win. Normal plays a solid all-round game. Expert searches many more shots and aims almost perfectly. Wins are worth 10, 30 and 100 ranking points respectively.

Does it work offline?

Yes. Once the page has loaded, both the two-player game and the computer opponent run entirely in your browser with no connection needed. Ranked scores you earn offline upload automatically the next time you reconnect, if you are signed in.