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Rules of 8-ball on 8Baller

These are the rules the game engine applies in every match, against the computer and in multiplayer. They follow standard WPA-style 8-ball with a few simplifications, listed at the end.

The table and the rack

Fifteen balls are racked in a triangle: the 8 ball in the centre of the third row, with one solid and one stripe in the two back corners. The remaining balls can be in any order. The cue ball is the only ball you ever strike directly.

The break

  • The breaker has ball in hand behind the head string (the kitchen): they place the cue ball anywhere in that area.
  • A break is legal if the cue ball hits the rack and either at least one object ball is potted, or at least four object balls reach a cushion.
  • If the break is not legal it is a foul, and the opponent has ball in hand anywhere on the table.
  • If the cue ball is potted on the break (a scratch), it is a foul and the opponent has ball in hand behind the head string.
  • If the 8 ball is potted on the break, nobody wins or loses. The 8 ball is put back on the foot spot (or the nearest free spot toward the foot cushion) and, if the break was otherwise legal, the breaker plays on.
  • Balls potted on the break do not decide groups. The table stays open.

Open table and choosing groups

After the break the table is open: neither player has solids or stripes. On an open table you may hit any ball first except the 8 ball. The table closes when a player legally pots a ball other than the 8 on a shot after the break. The first such ball potted gives that player its group (solids 1 to 7, or stripes 9 to 15), and the other player takes the other group. Balls potted on a foul shot never decide groups, so the table stays open after a foul.

Every shot after the break must meet both of these conditions:

  1. The cue ball must hit one of your own group balls first. On an open table, any ball except the 8 may be hit first. You may only hit the 8 first once all of your group is potted.
  2. After that first contact, either a ball is potted, or any ball (the cue ball or an object ball) must reach a cushion.

Potting a ball from the opponent's group is not a foul in itself, as long as the shot was otherwise legal. Those balls stay down, and your turn ends unless you also potted one of your own.

Keeping your turn

You continue to shoot after a legal shot that potted at least one ball of your own group (or, on an open table, any ball other than the 8). If you pot nothing, or only opponent balls, your turn passes to your opponent. A foul always ends your turn.

Fouls and ball in hand

These are fouls:

  • The cue ball is potted (a scratch).
  • The cue ball hits no ball at all.
  • The first ball hit is not a legal one (an opponent's ball, or the 8 ball before your group is cleared).
  • After first contact, no ball is potted and no ball reaches a cushion.
  • Any ball leaves the table.
  • An illegal break.
  • In multiplayer, running out of time for a shot (see below).

After a foul your opponent gets ball in hand: they may place the cue ball anywhere on the table (behind the head string after a scratch on the break). The cue ball must sit fully on the table, not inside a pocket opening and not touching another ball. Balls potted on a foul shot stay down, with one exception: balls that left the table are put back on the foot spot. If you pot one of your balls on a foul shot, you do not get to continue.

The 8 ball: winning and losing

You may aim at the 8 ball only after all seven balls of your group have been potted on an earlier shot.

  • You win by potting the 8 ball on a legal shot once your group was already cleared before that shot.
  • You lose if you pot the 8 ball before your group is cleared, or while the table is still open.
  • You lose if you pot the 8 ball and commit any foul on the same shot, including scratching the cue ball, hitting the wrong ball first, or sending nothing to a cushion.

Pockets do not have to be called: in 8Baller, any pocket counts, including for the 8 ball.

Multiplayer timing, disconnections and forfeits

Online matches have a shot clock so that nobody can stall.

  • You have 45 seconds for each turn. The first turn of a match carries a 15-second bonus.
  • If the clock runs out, you commit a foul and your opponent gets ball in hand.
  • If you run out of time three times in a row, you forfeit the match. Taking a shot resets the count.
  • If you lose your connection, you have a 60 second grace period to reconnect and rejoin the match in progress. If you do not return in time, the match is forfeited.
  • You can also choose to forfeit at any time. A forfeit is a loss.
  • In the lobby, a table that nobody joins is closed after 15 minutes, and a challenge you send expires after 60 seconds if it is not answered.

The server decides every shot. If a match is ended by an administrator, for example after a confirmed cheating case, ratings may be adjusted or the result removed. See About for how fair play is protected, and the community rules for conduct.

Ratings

Every rated multiplayer match changes both players' ratings using the Elo system. New players start on 1200. Beating a higher-rated player earns more points than beating a lower-rated one. Games against the computer and in the practice table do not affect your rating.

What 8Baller simplifies

To keep matches quick and unambiguous, 8Baller does not currently use: called shots or called pockets, the push-out, a re-rack option after an illegal break (the opponent simply gets ball in hand), a three-foul loss, or safety declarations. If you play in a league or pub that uses different local rules, check theirs before you play there.

Keep going

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