We all love pool, whether its 8 ball, 9 ball or any of the other myriad of games you can play on a pool table. Surprisingly enough, there is quite a bit of confusion and dissention as to the actual rules of these games. In order to shed some light onto the rules, we decided to give an overview of the rules of the game with the help of our friends from the Billiards Congress of America (BCA). Keep in mind though that these are just the basics. For the complete rules, we recommend that you visit the BCAs website.

How to Play 8 Ball - The Basics

The Object of the Game The object is pretty simple. Sink your balls to get to the 8 ball, then pocket the 8 ball to win. One player is solids (balls 1-7) and the other is stripes (9-15). Well get into how to choose whos solids and whos stripes a little later.

Rack em Up Racking the balls really isnt as complex as people make it. Some people insist that the balls have to be 'boy/girl' with solids and stripes alternating in order, but that really isnt true. Put the 8 ball in the center, a solid on one corner and a stripe on the other corner and youre good to go. When you rack em, make sure that the rack is tight and that the front ball is on the foot spot.

The Break Usually the one who wins the opening lag gets the first break. After the opening break, breaking order varies based on the rules you set up at the start. The most common breaking orders are either alternating or loser breaks. Be sure to set the break rules BEFORE the start of a game. A couple other things. If you scratch on the break you dont automatically lose, the other player just gets ball in hand behind the head string. Likewise, if you sink the 8 ball on the break, you dont win. You either spot the 8 ball or re-rack.

Called Shots and Slop Traditionally, 8 ball is a 'call shot' game. That means you have to choose the pocket where youre shooting before taking your shot. If a ball goes into a pocket, but it isnt the called pocket, that would be the definition of slop.

Choosing Your Ball Group The way you choose your ball group is fairly simple. After the break, the table is open regardless of whether or not any balls have been pocketed. When a player pockets a called ball following the break, thats when you choose whether youre solids or stripes.

Winning the Game This one is easy. Clear your balls. Once your balls are clear, call the 8 ball and sink it. The first one to do so wins.

Losing the game There are a few ways you can lose beyond simply not sinking the 8 ball first. If you foul when you pocket the 8 ball, jump the 8 ball off the table, pocket the 8 ball in the wrong pocket, pocketing the 8 ball when it isnt the legal object ball.

These are just the basics as there are quite a few other rules involved with the details of the game. Safeties, combo shots, jump and masse shots and more can all be found at the BCAs website. Just click the link below and it will take you to a page on the BCAs website with all the official rules and regulations for the game of 8 ball.

Thats it. Go out, have fun and run out!