How to Play Yahoo!! Pool

Pool has been digitized and made available for people to play on Yahoo!!. You can choose to play eight ball or nine ball. The eight-ball pool game requires each player to pocket all of the solid color or striped balls in any order, with the first person sinking a ball determining which balls will belong to which player for the game. After pocketing all colors, sink the eight ball to win. In nine ball, the balls should be pocketed in order from one through nine, with each player taking a turn when the opponent misses a shot. Win nine ball by sinking the nine ball after all other balls have been pocketed or by using a combination shot.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Go to the Yahoo!! game room for pool, and select the level at which you want to play (see Resources below). For your first few games, select a beginner or social room.

2. Look at the box in the pop-up window and enter the numbers and/or letters you see, clicking the continue box to move on to the game room you selected.

3. Join a game by clicking the "join" box or create a new table (game) by clicking the "create a table" box on the left. Look for the type of pool match you want to play (eight ball or nine ball).

4. Start playing by clicking "play now" when two people are at the table.

5. Look for a ball to hit with an unobstructed path into a pocket. If you get to break (or get to place the ball), left-click the ball, drag the ball into position and release the button.

6. Move your cue stick into position by holding the left-mouse button down to swivel the stick around the cue ball. The cue stick should be on the opposite side of the cue ball (white ball).

7. Hold down the right-mouse button when the cue stick is in the desired position.

8. Pull the mouse toward you and watch the power meter on the right side of the screen to determine how hard you will hit the ball. The further you pull the mouse toward you, the harder you will hit the cue ball.

9. Release the right-mouse button to make the pool shot happen.

10. Knock the pool balls into the pockets until the game ends.

Tips & Warnings

• A combination shot involves hitting one of the balls into another ball, which then goes into the pocket. In nine ball, the cue ball must hit the appropriate ball, but it can hit the nine ball for the win. For example, hitting the cue ball into the five, which deflects the nine into a pocket, can work.
• You will need a Yahoo!! username and password to play pool online at Yahoo!!. Setting up an account only takes a few minutes.
• Varying the power used for shots will greatly impact where the balls go. Experiment with using different amounts of power for various shots.
• Don't hit an opponent's ball before your own when playing eight ball.