Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Place all of the billiard balls on the table. For straight pool and 8-ball, all 15 solid and striped balls plus the cue ball are used. For 9-ball, only the cue ball plus the balls numbered 1 through 9 are used.
Place all of the balls (except the cue ball) into the rack. For 8-ball, use the large, triangular-shaped rack. For 9-ball, use the diamond-shaped rack.
Place the 1 ball (the solid yellow ball) at the head of the rack, pointing toward the center of the table, if you're playing 8-ball. The next ball on either side, slightly behind the 1, should both be striped balls, followed by the 8-ball directly behind the two striped balls. Except in competition games, the remaining balls can be placed into the rack in any order. For competition games, however, the balls should alternate around the perimeter in a solid-stripe-solid-stripe manner.
Place the 1 ball at the head of the rack for 9-ball; put the 9 ball be in the center. For non-competition games, the remaining balls can be in any order, but for competition games, the balls should be in ascending numerical order counterclockwise around the perimeter of the rack.
Slide the entire rack of balls forward, toward the center of the table while standing at the end of the table opposite the cue ball. Place your fingers into the rear portion of the rack, forcing all of the balls forward into a tight-knit group. Pull the rack back toward the spot on the table, stopping when the head ball is centered over the spot. All of the balls should be firmly touching one another with no gaps in between them.
Lift the rack gently off the balls, watching closely to see if any balls move or if there are any gaps between them. If any movement or imperfections are noticeable, replace the rack over the balls and repeat the previous step.