How is 10-ball different from 9-ball?
I · Intermediate · 9-ball and 10-ball · 8 of 810-ball uses ten balls, played in numerical order like 9-ball, but every shot except the break is called and there is no safety call. A player wins only by legally pocketing the 10-ball when it is the last ball on the table. A ball pocketed without making the called shot lets the opponent choose who shoots next.
How it works
- Balls: ten object balls, 1 to 10.
- The rack: a tight triangle with the 1-ball at the apex on the foot spot and the 10-ball in the middle, the rest in no set pattern.
- Break: from above the head string; with nothing pocketed, four balls must reach cushions.
- Push out: allowed on the second shot of the rack, as in 9-ball.
- Calls: every shot except the break; no safety call.
- Wrongly pocketed balls: a ball pocketed without making the called shot, with no foul, lets the opponent choose who shoots next.
- Extra balls: pocketed with the called ball, they stay down, except the 10-ball.
- The 10-ball: spotted if pocketed early or driven off; it wins only as the last ball.
- Fouls: as in 9-ball, with ball in hand anywhere and three fouls losing the rack.
The glossary has the nine-ball, the call shot, the push out, the rack, the ball in hand and the standard fouls.
Tricky cases
A player calls the 3 in the corner and it goes in the side. What now?
No foul, but the called shot was missed, so the opponent chooses who shoots next.
The 10-ball drops early on a legal called shot of another ball. Win?
No. The 10-ball is spotted and the player carries on.
Can a player play a safety openly in 10-ball?
No. There is no safety call; the player calls a shot as usual.
What does the opponent get after a foul?
Ball in hand anywhere on the table.
Why the rule exists
10-ball was built to take luck out of 9-ball. Calling shots and requiring the 10 as the last ball mean a rack is won only by planned shots.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 10-ball | Called shots; 10 last | WPA 6 |
| 9-ball | No calls; 9 wins at any time | WPA 5 |
| Calls with safety | 8-ball and straight pool allow a safety call | WPA 4.6, 7.5 |
From the rule book
World Pool-Billiard Association, Rules of Play (effective 15 September 2025), 10-Ball 6 (introduction) and 6.1 to 6.11. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the WPA Rules of Play, revised from time to time.