Pool Shot▶Play

When the cue ball strikes a colored ball, that ball rolls until friction stops it. Reaching any of the six pockets removes the ball and scores +1. The cushions (rails) bounce the balls back into play.

If the cue ball itself sinks, that's a scratch — you lose a point (the score never goes below 0) and the cue ball comes back on the line near the bottom, beside any ball in the way. When the balls stop with fewer than two colored balls left, the table is topped up to six with new balls at random spots in the upper half.

You have 90 seconds. Final score is balls sunk minus scratches, never below 0.

Tips & strategy

Plan the cue ball's after-life as much as the ball you're sinking. A perfect pot leaves the cue ball drifting toward a position where the next shot is already half-set up — for example, hitting a corner ball thinly so the cue ball glides up the rail toward the cluster, instead of stopping dead next to the cushion with no follow-up. Casual play sinks one ball and stalls; ranked play sinks one and immediately has the next aim.

Use the cushions as deflectors, not as boundaries. A bank shot — bouncing the cue ball off a side rail before contact — opens lines that no straight shot could reach, and is often the only way to clear a colored ball that's hugging a corner away from the pocket mouth. Most beginners aim straight at the ball; intermediates see the angle of approach and bank to set up a softer pot at a cleaner pocket.

Power management matters as much as aim. A hard shot scatters the rack and gives you chaos for the next few seconds; a soft shot rolls into the target and stops near it, so the table settles sooner — about 3 seconds for a tenth of full power against more than 5 at full power — and you can queue the next shot fast. Use hard shots sparingly to break the rack open or to clear an awkward angle, and use soft, controlled rolls for every other pot — you'll sink more balls per minute than the wild swinger who rebreaks the table every shot.