It’s Time to Play

How To Play

Setup

• Racking the Balls:

  • Manually arrange the balls on the table, then place the rack over them to create a tight formation.

  • Carefully remove the rack before the break shot.

• Ball Placement and Break:

  • The one ball should be at the front of the rack, with the eight ball in the center.

  • The player breaking must strike the one ball first.

Gameplay

• Breaking:

  • The breaking player aims to pocket balls, determining whether they play solids or stripes based on the first ball pocketed.

• Shooting and Fouls:

  • Players take turns shooting at their designated group of balls (solids or stripes). If a player pockets a ball from their group, they continue their turn.

  • A player's turn ends if they fail to pocket a ball or commit a foul.

• Fouls:

  • A foul occurs when:

    1. The cue ball hits a ball other than the object ball, or hits no ball at all.

    2. A ball is knocked off the table. In this case, the ball can be placed back where it left the table or at a pre-agreed spot.

    3. An opponent's ball is pocketed.

• Combination Shots:

  • In games like "Eight Ball," a legal shot involves the cue ball striking the object ball first. If a ball from the player's group is pocketed, it is a legal shot; if an opponent's ball is pocketed, it is a foul.

  • In games like "Rotation" and "Nine Ball," all pocketed balls remain pocketed, regardless of the order.

Scoring

You can play any game you would on a pool table with backyard billiards. Here are some popular games:

• Winning the Game:

  • The game is won by legally pocketing the eight ball after all the balls from the player's group are cleared.

• Suggested Games:

  • Eight Ball: Standard game with two players or teams. The first player to pocket their group of balls and then legally pocket the eight ball wins.

  • Last Pocket: Similar to Eight Ball, but the eight ball must be pocketed in the same pocket as the last ball of the player's group.

  • Round the World: Players must pocket balls in a clockwise sequence around the table.

  • Rotation: Balls are pocketed in numerical order, with the player scoring the most points or pocketing the last ball winning.

  • Nine Ball: Players pocket balls in numerical order, with the nine ball being the winning ball.

  • Elimination: Three players each have a set of five balls to pocket. Players aim to pocket opponents' balls, and the last player with balls remaining wins.

History

Billiard’s origin most likely began as a game played on the ground in a similar style to Croquet. By the 1600s, the first table versions of billiards started being played in France, and the game had soared in popularity since the shift. In the 1990s, Cap Toys Inc. brought Billiards back outside in this version of the classic game. Cap Toys was located in Clevland, Ohio, and was a subsidiary of Berrie & Co. Berr & Co. sold off Cap Toys Inc. to Hasbro in 1997.