8-Ball Pool Rules — and Where the Rulebooks Differ

Everyone knows 8-ball; almost nobody plays it by the same rules. This page gives the game in ten lines, then the four places the rulebooks split — call shots, the 8 on the break, what a scratch costs and what loses the game — across the WPA world rules, the APA and BCA leagues, and the bar. 9-ball and racking are at the end.

8-ball in ten lines

Rack fifteen. Triangle on the foot spot, 8 in the middle, a stripe and a solid in the back corners.
Break from the kitchen. Cue ball behind the head string; pocket a ball or send four to a cushion, or the break is illegal.
The table is open. Nobody owns a group until a ball is legally pocketed after the break; then the shooter has that group.
Hit your own ball first. Then a ball must be pocketed or some ball must reach a cushion, or it is a foul.
Keep shooting while you make balls. Miss, and the other player shoots.
Fouls give ball in hand. Scratch, wrong ball first, no rail, ball off the table, double hit: the opponent places the cue ball anywhere under league rules.
Clear your group, then call the 8. Name the pocket; the 8 must go there and only there.
The 8 loses if it goes early. Pocketing the 8 before your group is gone, on a foul, in the wrong pocket, or with a scratch, ends the game against you.
Three fouls in a row lose under WPA rules; leagues vary.
Winner breaks next in most leagues; alternate breaks in many tournaments.

Where the rulebooks differ

Same balls, same table, four rulebooks. These are the differences that start arguments.

Rulebook	Call shots?	8 on the break	After a foul	Legal break	You lose if
WPA / World Standardized Rules	Yes -- ball and pocket; obvious shots need not be stated	Not a win: breaker re-racks and breaks again, or spots the 8 and keeps shooting	Ball in hand anywhere on the table (behind the head string only after a scratch on the break)	Pocket a ball or drive four balls to a cushion, or the opponent may re-break or accept	8 pocketed early, on a foul, in an uncalled pocket, or with a scratch; three consecutive fouls
BCA Pool League (CSI)	Yes -- ball and pocket	Breaker wins the rack	Ball in hand anywhere	Pocket a ball or four balls to a cushion	8 early, on a foul, in the wrong pocket, or with a scratch
APA (American Poolplayers Association)	Only the 8-ball; every other ball counts however it drops	Breaker wins (a scratch while making it is a loss)	Ball in hand anywhere	Pocket a ball or four balls to a cushion	8 early, on a foul, in the wrong pocket, or with a scratch; handicapped races decide the match
Typical bar / house rules	Usually everything, including banks and kisses	House choice: win, or re-rack	Cue ball behind the head string, shooting out of the kitchen	Rarely enforced	8 early or with a scratch; often 'last pocket' variants

Ball in hand, and why bar rules feel different

The biggest gap between league pool and bar pool is what a foul costs. Under the WPA, BCA and APA a foul hands the opponent the cue ball to place anywhere — ball in hand — which makes a scratch nearly a lost rack against a good player and turns safety play into the heart of the game. Traditional bar rules only send the cue ball behind the head string, and you have to shoot out toward a ball past it; that is gentler on the fouler and produces the long lags and lucky kicks that bar pool is known for. If you learn one thing before a league night, learn that ball in hand is real.

Call shot, slop and the 8

The WPA and BCA make you call the ball and the pocket for every shot, though the WPA lets an obvious shot go unspoken; a ball that drops somewhere else is spotted or simply does not count and your turn ends. The APA takes the opposite view for its handicapped leagues — slop counts on every ball but the 8. Every rulebook agrees on the 8: it must be called, it must go in the called pocket, and making it early, on a foul or with a scratch loses the game outright. The one thing they cannot agree on is the 8 on the break, so the table above is worth a look before money changes hands.

9-ball in a paragraph

Nine balls in a diamond, 1 on the foot spot, 9 in the middle. The lowest-numbered ball on the table must be struck first, but any ball that drops off a legal hit counts, and the 9 wins whenever it is pocketed legally — off the break included, in most events. No call shots. Ball in hand anywhere after any foul, a push-out is allowed immediately after the break, and three consecutive fouls lose the rack. It is the professional game because it is fast and because every rack is a fresh puzzle laid out in order.

The table itself

Pool table dimensions, sizes and room needed

Regulation 9 ft measured, 7 and 8 ft sizes, the room formula, the labeled markings and the rack diagrams.

Open

Racking the balls

How to rack 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball (PDF)

The three racks drawn ball by ball with the placement rules under each.

Download

What are the basic rules of 8-ball?

Rack fifteen balls with the 8 in the middle, break from behind the head string, and the table is open until someone legally pockets a ball after the break — that shooter takes that group, solids (1–7) or stripes (9–15). Pocket your whole group, then the 8 in a called pocket, and you win. Pocketing the 8 early, on a foul, in the wrong pocket, or scratching while making it, loses. After any foul the opponent gets ball in hand under league rules.

Is the 8-ball on the break a win?

Depends on the rulebook. Under the APA and the BCA Pool League it wins the rack (an APA scratch while making it loses). Under the WPA World Standardized Rules it is not a win: the breaker chooses to re-rack and break again or to spot the 8 and keep shooting. Bars split both ways, so ask before you break.

What happens after a scratch in pool?

League rules: the opponent gets ball in hand anywhere on the table — the WPA, BCA and APA all agree — except after a scratch on the break, when the cue ball goes behind the head string. Traditional bar rules put the cue ball behind the head string after every scratch and make you shoot out of the kitchen at a ball beyond it.

Do you have to call your shots?

WPA and BCA: yes, ball and pocket, though under WPA rules an obvious shot need not be spoken. APA: only the 8-ball has to be called; every other ball counts however it goes in. Bar rules usually call everything, banks and kisses included. Nobody has to call the details of how the ball gets there.

What is a legal break?

From behind the head string, the cue ball must pocket a ball or drive at least four balls to a cushion. If it does neither, the incoming player may accept the table or have the balls re-racked and break (or have the offender re-break, under WPA rules). A scratch on the break gives the opponent the cue ball behind the head string.

What is a foul in pool?

Scratching the cue ball; failing to hit one of your own balls first (or any ball on an open table); no ball reaching a cushion after contact; knocking a ball off the table; a double hit or push shot; touching a ball with anything but the cue tip on the cue ball. One foul gives ball in hand; three in a row loses under WPA rules.

How is 9-ball different?

Nine balls racked in a diamond with the 1 on the foot spot and the 9 in the middle. You must hit the lowest-numbered ball first but may pocket any ball off it, and pocketing the 9 legally at any time wins. No call shots, ball in hand after any foul, a push-out is allowed right after the break, and three consecutive fouls lose the rack.

How do you rack for 8-ball?

A tight triangle with the apex ball on the foot spot, the 8 in the centre of the third row, and one stripe and one solid in the two back corners. The WPA asks for the rest to be placed at random rather than deliberately alternated. The rack sheet on the dimensions page draws it, along with the 9-ball diamond and the 10-ball triangle.

Based on the WPA World Standardized Rules, the APA Official Team Manual and the CSI / BCA Pool League rulebook; leagues revise these, so check the current edition before a match. Updated through September 2026.