How to Win Eight-Ball

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Michael Lamendola with expertvillage.com and today we're going to shoot some pool. Alright, so we've reached the end of this game of Eight Ball, and Jeff is kicking my tail and he's made all of his solids and now he has to make the eight ball. Now it's his shot. Now, there are different rules with the eight ball. Whether you're playing trash or call your shots, you have to call your shot on the eight ball. So, Jeff has to tell me that he's going to, what are you going to do Jeff? Eight ball in the corner pocket. Now, if Jeff scratches while shooting at the eight ball, he loses. If the eight ball goes into any other pocket besides the one he called, he loses. Don't lose. Alright, Jeff missed his shot. Now, what happens next is that it's my shot and I have a chance to make all of my balls and then make the eight ball. If I miss my shot, it goes back to Jeff and he has to call his shots all over again. But, the game ends when one of us sinks the eight ball and calls it at the same time. Remember, if you scratch on the eight ball you lose, and if you make the eight ball in any other pocket besides the one that you called you lose. And that is the basic version of how to play Eight Ball. Okay, real quick, I want to show you a variation of Eight Ball called One Fifteen. Now, the only stipulation is you have to play it at a pool table that has pockets where you can reach in and take the ball back out. If you're at a bar and the ball sits up here, this won't work. You rack it the same way as you would Eight Ball, except for the one has to go behind the eight to the left and the fifteen has to go behind the eight to the right. Now you play the game as you normally would, you break solids and stripes. But, the one has a designated pocket - that one right there. I've marked it with a piece of chalk on the felt in case you couldn't see it, I put the chalk right there. The one has to go in that pocket. The fifteen has to go in that pocket. Now, while you're shooting if you make these balls in any other pocket, you pull them out, place them on the spot and continue to shoot. And you can't get to the eight ball until you've made all of your balls, including, if you're solids the one ball in that side pocket, or the fifteen ball in that side pocket. Once they're made in their right pocket, then they stay in. And they can be made at any time during the game, just as long as you make them before you make the eight ball. And that's One Fifteen."