Straight pool, called 14.1 Continuous Pool in the WPA rules, is played with fifteen numbered balls and the cue ball, and every called ball you legally pocket scores one point. When fourteen balls from a rack have gone down they're re-racked and the same shooter carries on, and the first athlete to reach the required score wins.
Everything here comes from the World Pool-Billiards Association Rules of Play: WPA rules, effective 21 October 2026, section 14.1 plus the general rules it points to, as of November 2026. Pub and club house rules often differ, so if you're in a bar league, check theirs first.
One thing the WPA section doesn't do is fix the winning number. It only says the first athlete to reach the required score wins the match, so settle the target with your opponent or the organiser before the lag.
How a game of straight pool flows
Two athletes play. A lag decides who chooses the first shooter, and the opening break comes from a full rack of fifteen. After that you stay at the table as long as you keep pocketing called balls, and your score goes up by one for each. Miss and your opponent comes to the table. Foul and you lose points as well as your turn.
When fourteen balls from a rack have been pocketed, play pauses, those fourteen go back in the rack and the shooter keeps going. That's why it's called continuous: there's no natural end to a rack, just a running score across as many racks as it takes.
Lagging and the opening break
- Lag for the break. The referee places a ball on each side of the table near the Head String, and both athletes shoot at about the same time, sending the ball to the foot cushion and back. Whoever finishes closer to the head cushion wins. The lag counts as the first shot of the match.
- The winner of the lag chooses who breaks.
- Rack all fifteen balls in a triangle with the apex ball on the Foot Spot. No Ball Rack Template is used.
- The breaker starts with the cue ball in hand above the Head String.
- The breaker must either pocket a called ball, or drive the cue ball and two object balls to a rail after the cue ball contacts the rack.
- If neither happens, it's a breaking foul: two points off the breaker's score. The other athlete can accept the balls where they are or make the breaker play another opening break.
A lag shot is bad and can't win if the ball crosses the Long String, hits the foot cushion more than once, is pocketed or driven off the table, or touches a side cushion.
The re-break option can repeat. The non-breaking athlete can keep asking for another opening break until the breaker meets the requirements or the table is accepted as it lies.
Calling shots and calling safety
Straight pool is a call shot game. For each shot you indicate the ball and the pocket, unless they're obvious. You don't have to say which cushions the ball will hit or which other balls it'll touch, because those details are irrelevant. Only one ball can be called per shot. If there's any chance of confusion, such as a bank or a combination, say it out loud, and if the referee or your opponent isn't sure, they can ask for a call.
If you'd rather not try to pocket anything, you can call safety instead. Play passes to your opponent at the end of the shot, and any object ball you pocket on a safety comes back out and is spotted.
The same goes for balls pocketed on a foul, balls that drop when no called ball goes down, and any ball driven off the table. They're all spotted, which means placed back on the table at or as close as possible to the Foot Spot.
Scoring one point per ball
Each legally pocketed called ball is worth one point, and each extra ball that drops on that same shot is also worth one point. Fouls subtract points from the player who commits them, so a score can go below zero.
| What happens | Effect on your score |
|---|---|
| Called ball pocketed legally | Plus one, and you keep shooting |
| Extra balls pocketed on that same legal shot | Plus one each |
| A ball drops but your called ball doesn't | Nothing, the ball is spotted and your turn ends |
| Ball pocketed on a called safety | Nothing, it's spotted and play passes |
| Standard foul | Minus one, and play passes |
| Breaking foul | Minus two, plus a possible re-break |
| Third standard foul in a row | Minus one, then minus fifteen more |
A quick worked example. You call the 3 in a corner pocket, it drops and the 7 goes in too: that's 2 points and you stay at the table. Next you call the 10 in a side pocket and miss, but the 5 falls somewhere else. No point, the 5 is spotted and your opponent comes to the table. Your opponent then scratches the cue ball into a pocket. That's a standard foul, so one point comes off their score, and you get the cue ball in hand above the Head String. If they were on zero, they're now on minus one.
Re-racking after fourteen balls
When fourteen balls from a rack have been legally pocketed, play is suspended while they're re-racked. The fifteenth ball stays put and the apex position is left empty, so the triangle holds fourteen. The shooter then carries on, and there's no restriction on which object ball he plays first in the new rack.
Things get fiddly when the cue ball or the fifteenth ball sits inside the rack area. The rules include a full table for it, but these are the cases you'll meet:
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- If the fifteenth ball was pocketed on the shot that scored the fourteenth, all fifteen balls are re-racked.
- If both the cue ball and the fifteenth ball are in the way, all fifteen are re-racked and the cue ball is in hand above the Head String.
- If only the fifteenth ball is in the way, it goes on the Head Spot, or the Center Spot if the cue ball blocks the Head Spot.
- If only the cue ball is in the way, it's in hand above the Head String when the object ball is on or below the Head String, and on the Head Spot, or the Center Spot if that's blocked, when the object ball is above it.
A ball counts as in the way if it's within or overlaps the outline of the rack, and the referee will tell you when asked.
Fouls and the fifteen-point penalty
A standard foul costs one point. Balls are spotted as needed, the cue ball usually stays in position, and your opponent comes to the table. The standard fouls listed for straight pool include:
- Scratching the cue ball into a pocket or off the table, after which your opponent has it in hand above the Head String.
- No ball reaching a rail after contact when nothing is pocketed.
- Shooting without at least one foot touching the floor.
- Driving an object ball off the table.
- Touching or moving a ball other than with a normal shot.
- Hitting the cue ball twice on one shot, or a push shot.
- Starting a shot while a ball is still moving.
- Playing out of turn, and slow play.
The serious one is three fouls in a row. If you foul three times without a legal shot in between, you lose one point for the third foul as usual, then an additional fifteen points. Your foul count goes back to zero, all fifteen balls are re-racked, and you have to shoot under the opening break requirements, rail rule included. A breaking foul doesn't count towards the three.
There's a safeguard. The referee must tell a shooter who's on two fouls that he's on two fouls when he comes to the table. If that warning isn't given, a third foul is treated as only the second. So if you're not sure where you stand, ask.
Stalemates and how a match ends
You win by being first to reach the required score, and the shooter stays at the table until he misses, fouls, plays a safety or gets there. If the referee decides no progress is being made, he announces it and each athlete gets three more turns. If there's still no progress, he declares a stalemate, and both athletes can agree to accept it without taking those extra turns. They then lag again to decide who shoots a fresh opening break, and the current score carries over.
What I'd learn first
I'd learn the scoring before anything else: one point a called ball, one off for a foul, two off for a bad break, and the fifteen-point hit for three in a row. Then I'd get into the habit of calling every shot out loud, even obvious ones, because that's what stops the arguments about which ball was meant.
I'd skip the special racking table until you're playing in a league with a referee. In a casual game you can deal with an awkward fifteenth ball when it happens. If you're coming from 8-ball, the big change is that there are no groups to claim and the score runs across racks. And if you want to practise reading angles without a table, there are free billiards games you can play online.
Frequently asked questions
What is straight pool?
It's the common name for 14.1 Continuous Pool: fifteen balls and the cue ball, one point per legally pocketed called ball, with re-racking after fourteen balls.
How many points is a foul in straight pool?
A standard foul takes one point off your score, a breaking foul takes two, and a third consecutive foul adds a fifteen-point penalty on top.
Do you have to call shots in straight pool?
Yes. You indicate the ball and pocket unless they're obvious, or you call safety instead.
How many balls are re-racked in straight pool?
Fourteen, once fourteen balls from a rack have been pocketed. The apex position is left empty and the shooter continues.
How do you win a game of straight pool?
Be the first to reach the required score. The WPA rules don't fix the number, so agree it before the lag.
