In 8 ball, each player takes one group of seven balls, and whoever pockets their whole group and then legally pockets the 8 ball wins the rack. Pocket the 8 ball too early, or foul on the shot that pockets it, and you lose.
There's a catch before you start: there are two sets of 8 ball rules from the World Pool-Billiard Association, and they don't agree on everything. This page follows both, as of November 2026, and labels which is which.
- The WPA Rules of Play, effective 21 October 2026. I'll call these the WPA rules.
- The WPA affiliated International 8-Ball Rules, version 1a, February 2021. I'll call these the International rules.
The two rule sets side by side
Most arguments over a pool table come from people playing different versions without realising it. Here's where the two documents differ.
| Question | WPA rules | International rules |
|---|---|---|
| Balls | Numbered 1 to 7 and 9 to 15 (solids and stripes), or two solid colours | Seven reds, seven yellows and a black or striped eight ball |
| Legal break if nothing drops | At least four object balls driven to one or more rails | At least three points: one for each ball potted and one for each ball crossing the centre pocket line |
| How groups are set | By the called ball legally pocketed after the break | By the first ball legally potted after the break |
| 8 ball on the break | Not a foul: spot it and play on, or re-break | Re-spotted |
| Calling shots | Every shot except the break is called | Indicate your group if it isn't obvious |
Balls, table and racking
You need a cue ball and fifteen object balls: two groups of seven plus the 8 ball. The International rules are written for a six pocket rectangular table.
Under the WPA rules, the fifteen balls are racked as tightly as possible in a triangle. The apex ball sits on the foot spot and the 8 ball goes directly below the apex ball. One ball from each group goes on the two lower corners, and the rest go in without any deliberate pattern.
Two players, or two sides, share the cue ball and take turns. A lag decides who breaks first.
Breaking and the open table
The WPA break
- The cue ball starts in hand above the head string.
- No ball is called, and the cue ball doesn't need to hit any particular ball first.
- If you pocket a ball without fouling, you keep shooting and the table stays open.
- If nothing drops, at least four object balls must reach one or more rails. If they don't, it's an illegal break and the incoming player can accept the table, re-rack and break, or re-rack and make you break again.
- If the 8 ball drops on a legal break, it isn't a foul. You can spot it and accept the balls where they lie, or re-break.
The International break
Here a break is legal only if you score at least three points in total. You get a point for each ball potted, the 8 ball included, and a point for each ball that crosses the imaginary line between the two centre pockets without being potted. A failed break means a re-rack, and your opponent can break or hand the break back to you. Groups aren't decided on the break, balls potted on the break don't count towards groups, and an 8 ball potted on the break is re-spotted.
What an open table means
Until groups are set, the table is open and nobody owns a group. Under the WPA rules you can hit any ball first on an open table except the 8 ball. Hit the 8 ball first and that's a foul, unless a group has already been completely pocketed.
Solids and stripes, or reds and yellows
Under the WPA rules you call a ball before each shot. If that ball is legally pocketed, its group becomes yours and your opponent gets the other. If it doesn't drop, the table stays open and play passes.
Under the International rules, the first ball legally potted after the break decides your group, and you must indicate your group if it isn't obvious.
Calling your shot and staying at the table
Under the WPA rules, you indicate the ball and the pocket when it isn't obvious, and you can call only one ball per shot. Details such as which cushions it hits or which balls it touches on the way don't matter. You can also call safety instead, and anything that drops on a safety stays down.
You stay at the table as long as you keep legally pocketing balls from your own group. Miss, or pocket only the wrong colour, and the turn passes.
The International rules add two useful details. Potting an opponent's ball without also potting one of your own loses your turn. But you can pot balls from both groups in one combination shot, as long as you strike one of your own balls first.
The International rules also run a shot clock. You get 45 seconds for each shot. The timekeeper warns you at 10 seconds and counts down from 5, and each player gets one extension per frame of another 45 seconds.
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Fouls and ball in hand
After a standard foul, play passes to your opponent with the cue ball in hand, which means they can place it anywhere on the playing surface. The fouls listed include:
- scratching the cue ball
- hitting the wrong ball first (your first contact must be with your own group, except on an open table)
- no ball reaching a rail after contact
- not having a foot on the floor
- a push shot or a double hit
- playing out of turn
- touching a ball
- slow play
How you win, and how you lose, on the 8
There are no points within a rack. Once your group is cleared, the 8 ball is your target, and under the WPA rules it's a called shot like any other. Pocket it legally and the rack is yours. A match is a set number of racks, or frames, decided by the event.
Under the WPA rules you lose the rack if you:
- pocket the 8 ball and foul on the same shot
- pocket it before your group is cleared
- pocket it in a pocket you didn't call
- drive it off the table
None of those apply to the break. Under the International rules you also lose the frame if you foul in the same shot that pots the 8 ball, pot the 8 ball with your own balls still on the table, deliberately don't play your own group first, or behave in an unsporting way. That includes potting your last group ball and the 8 ball in the same shot, which loses the frame even though both balls dropped.
Two more WPA details. If the 8 ball is pocketed or driven off the table on the break, it's the only ball ever spotted: no other object ball is spotted. And if nobody is making progress, the referee announces a stalemate warning. Each player then gets three more turns, after which a stalemate is declared and the original breaker of the rack breaks again.
My verdict before you rack up
I'd ask one question before the first break: which rules are we playing? It settles the break, how groups are set and whether you can drop your last ball and the 8 together, which are the three things people fall out over most.
I'd learn the losing shots on the 8 first, because those end the rack. I'd skip the stalemate rules and the shot clock until you're playing in a league or a refereed match, since casual games rarely need them. If you want to practise angles between visits to the pub, there's a list of free billiards games, and the darts rules are worth knowing for the other end of the room.
Frequently asked questions
How many balls are in 8 ball?
Fifteen object balls and a cue ball: seven balls of one group, seven of the other, and the 8 ball.
What happens if you pot the 8 ball on the break?
Under the WPA Rules of Play it isn't a foul: the breaker may spot the 8 ball and play on, or re-break. The International rules re-spot the 8 ball.
What is ball in hand in 8 ball?
After a foul, the incoming player may place the cue ball anywhere on the playing surface.
Do you have to call your shot in 8 ball?
In the WPA Rules of Play, yes: you call the ball and pocket on every shot except the break.
How do you lose on the 8 ball?
Pocketing it before your group is cleared, in an uncalled pocket, with a foul, or driving it off the table loses the rack under the WPA rules.
