Pool on a screen removes the two things that make the real game hard: a cue you have to hold steady, and a table that is never quite level. What is left is the part that was always the interesting bit anyway, which is deciding where the white ball should stop.
Beginners judge a shot by whether the object ball goes in. Anyone who has played for a while judges it by where the cue ball finishes, because a pot that leaves you snookered has cost you the next two shots.
That single change in how you look at the table is worth more than any amount of aiming practice.
How to play Arkadium's 8 Ball Pool
The table is set with fifteen balls and a white cue ball. The first ball you pot decides whether you are solids or stripes for the rest of the frame.
- Drag or move the pointer to set the direction of the shot.
- Set the power, usually by holding and releasing, or with a slider.
- Pot the balls of your group, then finish on the black eight.
- Potting the eight before your group is gone loses the frame immediately.
- Potting the white, or hitting the wrong group first, hands your opponent a free shot.
The ghost ball
Aiming in pool is one idea, and it is not the line from the cue ball to the pocket.
Picture where the cue ball has to be at the moment it touches the object ball. That is a ball sized spot, directly behind the object ball, on the line running from the pocket through the object ball's centre. Aim the cue at that spot, not at the ball itself.
Once you see the ghost ball, cut shots stop being guesswork. Almost every miss by a new player comes from aiming at the object ball rather than at where the cue ball needs to arrive.
Power
Hard shots go in less often and leave the cue ball somewhere random. Soft shots stay controllable but do not always reach.
The useful default is medium and firm, enough that the object ball reaches the pocket with a little to spare. Save maximum power for breaking and for the rare shot that needs to travel the length of the table.
Tips and strategy
Play the table, not the ball
Before you take a shot, look at what you want to do next. The best shot on any table is rarely the easiest pot, it is the pot that leaves the white where your next ball is already open.
If two balls are both makeable, take the one that leaves you nearer the other.
Clusters
A group of your balls packed together is a problem you have to solve before it is the only thing left.
Break clusters early, while you still have easy shots elsewhere to fall back on. Doing it late, when your position is already tight, is how frames get lost from a winning table.
The order matters
Look at your remaining balls as a route rather than a set. Ask which ball has only one pocket available, and plan to take that one when the cue ball can reach the right side of it.
Balls near a pocket are safe to leave. Balls in the middle of the table, or on a cushion, are the ones that need a plan.
The black
Do not think about the eight only when it is the last ball left. Think about it two shots earlier.
Pot your second to last ball in a way that leaves the cue ball on the right side of the black. Getting there and finding you have no angle is the commonest way a won frame slips away.
When you have no shot
Pool has a legal answer to a bad position and it is not a wild swing. Play safe: hit one of your own balls softly and leave the white where your opponent has nothing.
A safety that gives away nothing is worth more than a low percentage pot that gives away everything.
The break
The opening shot decides how the rest of the frame goes, and it is the one shot where full power is correct.
Hit the head ball as squarely as you can. A square contact spreads the pack evenly and gives you options whichever group you end up on. A thin contact sends most of the energy sideways, leaves the pack half intact, and usually hands the table to the other player.
If nothing goes in on the break, that is fine. A break that spreads the balls well and leaves the white in the middle of the table is a better outcome than a lucky pot that leaves you snookered behind the pack.
Habits worth building
- Look at the whole table before aiming, not after.
- Use the ghost ball on every shot until you stop needing to.
- Choose the softest power that will do the job.
- Never take a hard pot when an easy one is available, even if the hard one looks impressive.
If you want other things on the site that reward looking one step ahead, Mine Sweeper is the clean version of that instinct, and there is more in board and skill.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I decide whether I am solids or stripes?
The first ball legally potted after the break sets your group for the rest of the frame.
What is the ghost ball?
The spot where the cue ball must be at the moment of contact, directly behind the object ball on the line from the pocket through its centre. Aim there rather than at the ball.
What happens if I pot the black too early?
You lose the frame straight away. The eight is only legal once every ball in your group is gone.
Should I always take the easiest pot?
Take the pot that leaves the cue ball in the best place for the next one. A simple pot that strands the white is worse than a slightly harder one that sets up the rest of the table.
What do I do when there is no shot on?
Play safe. Touch one of your own balls gently and leave the cue ball where your opponent has nothing available. Giving away nothing beats a low percentage attempt.
Is it free to play?
Yes, free in the browser with nothing to install and no account.