Pool rules, for watching
Start with how a match works. Then the rules you see every few minutes, then the ones that change results.
Checked 14 October 2026
Settling an argument? Search all 23 rules
- What are the basic rules of pool?
- What are the head string and the foot spot on a pool table?
- How do you decide who breaks in pool?
- What does "ball in hand" mean in pool?
- Do you have to call your shots in pool?
- When does a ball count as pocketed in pool?
- What happens when you foul in pool?
- What is a "no rail" foul in pool?
- Is it a foul to touch a ball in pool?
- Are jump shots legal in pool?
- What does "above the head string" mean for ball in hand?
- What is the three-foul rule in pool?
- How do you play 8-ball?
- What makes a legal break in 8-ball?
- How do you choose solids or stripes in 8-ball?
- How do you lose at 8-ball?
- How do you play 9-ball?
- What is a push out in 9-ball?
- What happens after a foul in 9-ball?
- How is 10-ball different from 9-ball?
- How does straight pool (14.1 continuous) work?
- How is blackball different from 8-ball?
- How are one-pocket and bank pool played?
Where these rules come from
| Tag | Document |
|---|---|
| WPA with rule number, for example WPA 4.3(d) | World Pool-Billiard Association, Rules of Play (effective 2025-09-15). Read in full |
| WPBSA Snooker | The snooker part of the WPBSA rule book. Used for the comparison rows |
| R | "Why the rule exists", or a point reasoned from the rule, not stated in it |
| C | Common usage or general knowledge, not a rule |
| Not saved | A document that exists and is not in research/ |
Checked on 14 October 2026.
Not covered: heyball, pyramid and artistic pool (the document lists them but says their chapters are under review and points to the WPA website), the International Eightball Pool Federation's "international rules" 8-ball (named, not included), the WPA Playing Regulations, which the rules cite (for example Regulation 16 on the three-ball break, Regulation 26 on calling frozen balls and Regulation 30 on para pool), and the WPA equipment specifications (table sizes). None is saved. Nor is any Indian federation document.