In the wonderful and exciting world of pool, 9 ball rules have become very popular as this type of pool has fairly straightforward rules. The game originally emerged in the US although it has now spread to many parts of the world.
Any fan of pool or billiards shouldn’t miss out on 9 ball rules and how they impact the game.
Well, let’s get you familiar with what 9 ball rules actually are and how to play a game of pool using 9 ball rules.
9 ball pool: How does it work?
People who enjoy playing pool tend to play it mostly using 15 balls – i.e. seven striped balls, seven solid-coloured balls, and one cue ball.
While there are many types of pool games such as straight pool, 4-ball pool and 15-ball pool, 9 ball pool is rather unique as players play with nine object balls from 1-9 and one cue ball.
Here’s how you can play pool under 9 ball rules:
Main game objective
Under 9 ball rules, players must shoot the balls in the correct order, so, from 1-9 only. Therefore, during each shot, the first ball to make contact with your cue ball must be the lowest-numbered one on the table.
When you successfully pocket any ball on a legal shot, you continue playing until you miss a pocket, commit a foul, or successfully pocket all 9 balls to win the game!
If you miss, your pool-playing buddy will start from the same spot on the table where you left it. However, in case of a foul, the next shooter in your group can begin anywhere he/she pleases on the table with the cue ball in hand. The match comes to an end as soon as any one of you wins the required number of games.
Ball racking
Racking balls property is among one most important steps in 9 ball rules pool.
The goal here is to stack the object balls as tightly as you can, making a perfect diamond shape. The 1 ball needs to be at the bottom spot while the 9 ball must be at the centre. You can place the remaining balls randomly.
Legal break shot
Once you make a proper rack, anyone can break it. The rules for a legal break shot are as follows:
- You must break the cue ball from behind the head string only.
- The breaker starts with the 1 ball and pockets it or drives a minimum of four numbered balls into the cushion. If the current shooter fails to fulfil at least one of the above requirements, then the balls must be re-racked, requiring the shooter to break again.
- If the object balls jumps off the table during a break, it is considered a foul, and so the next shooter can place the cue ball anywhere on the table.
- If you pocket the 9 ball as a breaker, you win, as long as the break shot is legal.
- The break shot is not legal if you miscue and the cue ball doesn’t contact the racked balls, or if you interfere with the cue ball before it actually contacts any of the object balls.
Push out
Right after the break, the shooter executing the next shot can push out to create a more strategic position for the cue ball.
What better way to learn more about 9 ball rules than to buy a beautiful looking pool table to practice on? Great design, robustly built and excellent lastability – now that’s a table you can enjoy 9 ball pool on!
