ABOUT POOL/BILLIARD
The most important thing you’ll need to know before you begin is….
How do I play pool?
8 ball pool is played by 2 people, with 15 coloured balls and a white cue ball. Half of the ballas
are solids (1-7) and half are stripes (9-15). The 8-ball is black and is in neither group, serving
as the last ball to pocket and win the game.
To start the game, the players 'rack up' - put all the balls in a triangle formation at a designated
place on the table (this is done for you in online pool) - and one person 'breaks' (takes the first
shot). When the first ball is pocketed, this decides which player plays solids and which plays
stripes. So if one player breaks, and pockets the 4 ball, she will go on to play solids. If she
breaks and pockets both the 4 and the 12 balls, she can choose which group she wants to play.
Players then take it in turn to take shots, aiming to pocket only balls from their group (solids
or stripes). After a successful shot, the player can continue to play. After an unsuccessful shot,
play moves to the other player. When one player has potted all of his balls, he may take a shot at
the 8-ball, to win the game. He must designate which pocket he is aiming for. If he succeeds, he
wins the game.
Illegal shots include:
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Hitting a ball from the other group
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Hitting the 8-ball directly unless all other balls have been pocketed
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The cue ball misses all other balls
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The white cue ball is pocketed
These are all designated as foul shots, and in this case, play passes to the other player, who can
place the cue ball anywhere on the table.
You can also play 9-ball pool and snooker at BilliardMagic.
In 9-ball pool, the aim of the game is to pocket all nine balls in order, from the lowest number to
the highest. The winner is the player who pockets the 9-ball after all the other balls have already
been sunk.
Snooker is a rather different game, played on a larger table with 15 red balls, and 6 other coloured
balls, plus the white cue ball. Each coloured ball has a different value, as follows: red (1),
yellow (2), green (3), brown (4), blue (5), pink (6), black (7).
The goal of this game is to score as many points as possible.
How do I play online pool?
Online pool is much like real-life pool. It is important to
focus on the game in hand. And of course, it’s all about
angles.
Use the mouse to direct the cue and take your shot.
Vary the speed with which you move the mouse towards
the ball to create stronger or weaker shots. It will take
a few goes to get the hang of this, but in no time,
you'll find you’re playing online pool like a natural.
Our top-of-the-range software means that you get an
authentic pool experience, with accurate physics
backing it all up.
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Download the Software – Billiard, Snooker and Pool Online
