How to Play 8-Ball, Basic Rules

Learning how to play 8-ball pool? This is the basics of 8-ball pool. Learn what lag, ball in hand, and how to rack the balls. More information covers lose of game by fouling on the 8-ball.

Lag means that the player shoots a ball from behind the header towards the footer. The object is to get the ball to hit the rail and stop as close as possible to the rail. The next person does the same thing. The person who is closest to the rail gets to go first.

Ball in hand is when there was a scratch on the table. When you have ball in hand you can place the ball anywhere you want to. The exception to this is a scratch on the break. When there is a scratch on the break you must place the cue ball behind the head string and are only allowed to shoot at a ball that is on or below the head string.

8-ball is played using all 15 balls and the cue ball. The object is to make all of your balls and then make the 8-ball to win the game. When you rack the balls the 8 ball goes in the middle and you alternate solids and stripes.

The two players can lag to see how goes first. If you make a solid ball on the break then you have solids for the game. If you make both a solid and a stripe then you choose which you are. If you make nothing on the break then the table is still open and your opponent can shoot at either stripes or solids.

When it is your turn you call what ball you are trying to make and which pocket you are going to make the ball into. If you miss or make a different ball then it is the other players turn. If you make the cue ball or hit your opponents ball first then it is a scratch and the result is ball in hand for the other player.

You can lose the game by making the 8-ball on the same stroke as the last ball made, jumping the 8-ball off the table, making the 8-ball in a pocket that you did not call, making the 8-ball when it is not the legal object ball, or fouling when the 8-ball is made.

If the 8-ball is your legal object ball then a scratch or foul is not a loss of game if the 8-ball is not made or jumps off the table. It is ball in hand when that happens.

Those are just some basic rules for 8-ball that you will need to know. The different ways of losing the game is something everybody should learn. Ball in hand is also something worth knowing.