How To Hit The Ball In 8 Ball Game Pigeon

One of the most impressive things to do is to sink the eight ball on the break.

This not only wins the game but it looks really cool!

How to Hit the Ball. To shot the ball you will need to click on the left side of your mouse. As you hold down the left side, please move your mouse to the left to the left to calculate the amount of force you would like to hit the ball with. When you are ready to hit the ball, please let go the left clicker to proceed on hitting the ball. One player is trying to pocket the solid-colored balls ('solids,' numbered 1-7) while the other player tries to knock in the striped balls ('stripes,' numbered 9-15). A player cannot sink the 8-ball until he or she has pocketed all of the appropriate balls (stripes or solids). The first player to pocket the 8-ball wins the game.

There are a few reasons NOT to try to make the eightball on the break, the cue ball could fly off the table, the eight ball and the cue ball could go in resulting in a loss, or you could scratch the cue ball.

POOL LESSON: How to make the eight ball on the break

Make sure the rack is tight. A tight rack will insure a more consistent outcome.

Set up the cue ball one ball away from the rail (see diagram for exact placement). If you are on the right rail use low left English, if you are on the left use low right English. Aim as if you are trying to split first and second ball. You actually do not want to hit the first ball as it will push the eight ball in the wrong direction. The idea is to make the eight ball in the side pocket opposite from the rail that you are shooting from.

It will take some practice in getting the right stroke. Anytime you hit the cue ball low and hard you risk sending the ball flying off the table. Especially in a bar where the cue ball is so much larger than the other balls. Try to learn how hard you can hit the ball without sending it flying.

Low left or right English is used to avoid scratching in the corner pockets. Hitting the cue ball with english and enough force to break the balls up will make the cue ball go off it’s aiming line. This is called squirt. If you are hitting the cue ball on the right side it will have the tendency to “squirt” to the left. So adjust your aiming line accordingly.

It takes a lot of practice to try to sink the eight ball on the break. Just remember that there is no sure fire way to make the eight ball on the break every time, but it is possible to help out your odds by using the technique described above.

Also known as “8 Ball”

The most popular American pocket billiard games is hands down – 8-ball.

The rules of the game are pretty simple. The first person to make all of their assigned groups (Solid or Stripes) of balls and then make the 8-ball in a designated or “called” pocket wins the game. Let’s break down some basic terminology before we move on.

Basic Definitions

We’ll go over some basic definitions so everyone is on the same page.

Cue Ball = White ball

Object Balls = 15 colored and numbered balls

-Solids = Numbered 1 through 7

-Stripes = Numbered 9 through 15

In diagram 6 black has 23stable discs while white has just one (d6) that cannot possibly be flippedby subsequent moves. How to play reversi game pigeon.

-8 Ball = Black ball numbered 8

Rail = The bank or walls within the box of the pool table (think of 4 walls in a room, but called Rails)

Scratch = When a player accidentally makes the cue ball into a pocket or commits a foul

Example: You are Solids but you accidentally hit a Stripe ball first

Pockets – There are 6 holes in which you can make the Object balls in called “Pockets”

  • The 4 pockets in the corner are called Corner Pockets
  • The 2 other remaining pockets on the sides are called Side Pockets

Cue/Cue Stick/Pool Stick – The main playing stick you use to strike the object balls

Quick Summary of 8-ball game

The pocket billiard game 8-ball is played with 15 object balls (labeled 1 through 15) and a cue ball (the white ball). Played with two players, whoever pockets their group of balls first (you can be SOLID – 1 through 7, or STRIPES – 9 through 15) and then pockets the 8-ball will win the game.

This is a call shot game, so you must call which ball you intend to make and the pocket it will go in. Failure to make it in the intended pocket forfeits your turn and it is now your opponent’s turn.

Universal Rules

(Regardless if you are playing bar rules or league rules – they are the same)

Most of the rules in all formats have some universal rules that are the same across the board. It may alter slightly from format to format.

  • A player must sink their appropriate balls (Solid or Stripes), then pocket the 8-ball in the “called” pocket to win the game.
  • The first player to make the 8-ball, wins the game.
    • A player cannot shoot the 8-ball until all of their appropriate balls are pocketed first.
  • If you make the 8-ball on the break without scratching, you instantly win.

How to Rack

You must “rack” or place the balls in a triangle at the “Foot” of the table with

  • The 8-ball in the center
  • A stripe ball in one corner of the rack
  • A solid ball in the other corner of the rack and
  • The first ball on the rack on the “Foot Spot”.

The rest of the balls don’t really matter where they go.

The Foot Spot usually has a black sticker or designated marked area.

What’s a “Tight Rack” or “Frozen”?

A Tight Rack – This means all the balls in the rack are touching without any space between the balls. This can also be called “Frozen”.

Be sure to make the rack “Tight” or “Frozen” which refers to each of the balls touching each other with no gaps. This ensures that the rack spreads better with energy transfer from your break is at a maximum.

Where to Break

The player who is breaking must break with the cue ball behind the “Head String”. This is also known as the Kitchen.

  • This is also where the 2nd diamond is, so you can break from anywhere behind the 2nd diamond and there may be a sticker or spot to help you identify this area.

Image Correction: The Head Spot is supposed to be labeled the Head String*

If you want to know some common tips on how to improve your break, click here to go to my post about 5 ways to improve your breaking!

Common Bar Rules

How To Hit The Ball In 8 Ball Game Pigeon

These are common bar rules that I have come across. The rules in your bar may be different and that’s okay too. FYI (For your information, they may vary so please confirm with your opponent on all rules before proceeding with the game, it will save you future headaches later).

After the Break:
How To Hit The Ball In 8 Ball Game Pigeon
  • Whatever you make is what you are (You made only solid balls on the break, you are solids for the remainder of the game)
  • If you make the 8-ball and don’t scratch, you automatically win the game
  • If you scratch or the cue ball flies off the table, your opponent must shoot from behind the Head String (in the Kitchen)
    • The object ball they decide to hit from here must be beyond that head string too so you are hitting towards the longer side of the table
No “Ball-in-Hand”
  • After a foul or table scratch has occurred, you just lose your turn and the cue ball stays where it is
    • In other League formats, this would result in a Ball-In-Hand which means you can place the cue ball anywhere. A lot of bar players feel this is too much of an unfair advantage, I will leave that up to you guys to decide for yourselves!
Call Your Shots!
  • A Player must call every single detail of how the ball is going to be pocketed or else the turn ends and it’s the opponents turn (Leave the cue ball where it stops naturally)
    • This means if you make the Orange 5-Ball but it hit off of the Green 6-Ball but you didn’t say something along the lines of “5-Ball off the 6-Ball”, your turn is over even though you made your ball.
    • Another example of this is if you call your Orange 5-Ball in the Corner Pocket but it misses, bounces and goes into the Side Pocket by accident. Sorry, you didn’t call the side pocket so – you got it, your turn is over!
Make the 8-Ball Clean
  • Just like Calling Your Shots, you have to call which Pocket the 8-ball will go into
    • No caroms allowed, only “Clean” shots so it can’t hit off another ball
    • You can bank it off a rail

Carom – When you hit the ball you’re trying to make off of another ball and your original ball goes into a pocket

League Rules (APA vs. BCA)

The two most popular and well-known Billiard/Pool Leagues today are APA and BCA.

APA stands for American Poolplayers Association (Largest American billiard league with over 260,000 Members) and BCA stands for Billiard Congress of America. We’ll go over some of the biggest differences between the rules for APA and BCA. I will have a link below if you want to read all the rules for either league format.

With APA and BCA being the most popular, we will go over their most popular rules, differences and similarities.

SituationsAPABCA
After the BreakWhatever you make on the break is what you areIt is still “Open” and you can still choose between solid/stripes
Scratching (Only) After the BreakYou must shoot from behind the Head Spot or KitchenYou have Ball-In-Hand, take the cue ball and shoot from anywhere
Scratching or Table ScratchResults in Ball-in-HandResults in Ball-in-Hand
Call ShotsYou do not need to call any shots, “Slop” or “Lucky” shots count (Regardless of a Carom)You must call each shot into each Pocket (Regardless of a Carom)
8-Ball Call ShotYou must “Mark” your 8-ball pocket with a “Marker” or “Object”.

Example: Cell phone, small toy, coin, etc.

This is not always the case in League play as some players will just let you call or point to the pocket

. Game pigeon 8 ball table toss.

You must call the pocket you intend to make the 8-ball in (Regardless of a Carom).
Scratching on the 8-BallIf you scratch on the 8-ball, that is an automatic lossYou do NOT lose! Your opponent just gets Ball-in-Hand and the game continue

These are obviously not all the rules or differences between APA and BCA, but I wanted to go over the main ones. If you want to know the official rules for both APA and BCA, check out the links below to their official websites:

How To Hit The Ball In 8 Ball Game Pigeon Free

Major Differences:

So there are some slight differences between APA and BCA. The biggest takeaway I noticed are two rules:

How To Hit The Ball In 8 Ball Game Pigeon
  1. After the break – In APA, you are what you make. In BCA, it is “Open” and gives the player more options.
  2. If you scratch on the 8-ball – You lose in APA, but in BCA you do not.

How To Hit The Ball In 8 Ball Game Pigeon Run

If you are interested in how to find a nearby bar or league, check out my post that goes into detail called How to Find a nearby Bar, Tournament or Pool League.

Summary

How To Hit The Ball In 8 Ball Game Pigeon Forge

Bar Rules or BCA Rules appear to be fairer to most players while APA is very forgiving because “Lucky” or “Slop” shots still count. There can be an argument made that since APA is the largest league for Amateurs and players need the handicap. This is a big debate between a lot of pool players and it’s common for players to complain about.

How To Hit Ball In 8 Ball Pool Game Pigeon

Be sure to choose the best format and rules for you to enjoy billiards. Most of the general rules are similar but there are slight tweaks.