How To Rack & Break in Pool

Series Summary

Eight-ball pool is a great game. It is the standard game of todays billiards and the one most amateurs tend to play when socializing. This game consists of striped and solid color balls with one solid black 8 ball. The type of ball you will play is determined after the initial break. The object of the game is to hit all your balls in before your opponent and then successfully make the 8 ball as well. It is a game of precision, geometry and skill but it is a lot of fun and anyone can play.

In our free instructional series you will learn a lot about the rules of the game of eight ball. Tips on how to win, what is illegal and what the penalties are for the most common mistakes. These are all things that our expert will address. There are specific ways to increase your chances of winning at any cue sport. Watch our expert in this and his other series on cue sports, practice, practice, practice and you might just win yourself a few drinks of your own!

Video Transcript

"This is Richard on behalf of expertvillage.com. I'm going to go over some rules, basics and techniques on the game of 8 ball for beginners. The game is played with 15 numbered balls, often referred to as solids or stripes. The racking consists of 8 ball in the middle of the rack, a solid at one bottom corner and a stripe at the other bottom corner, the others can be placed randomly anywhere on the rack. The breaking of the balls consist of breaking the balls from the kitchen area which is right behind the head string. Any ball of the rack may be the first ball contacted on the break, but a legal break consist of four numbered balls hitting the rail after the balls have been broken. A scratch on the break, your opponent will get ball in hand in the kitchen and he will start the game and proceed from there. Going back to a legal break, if the breaker does not get four balls, four numbered balls to a rail then the opponent coming to the table has the options of either accepting the table as it is and starting with the cue ball where the cue ball is at or may ask for a re-rack and he himself may break the balls or have the breaker re-break the balls."