9 Ball Pool: Everything You Need To Know

Table of content:

• How do you play 9 ball pool?
• How do you play 9 ball pool rules?
• How is 9 ball pool different from 8-ball pool?
• What are the benefits of playing pool on GetMega?

9 ball pool is an exciting variant of billiard games where the objective is to pot or sink the nine-ball. This game is advanced and requires a bit of strategy which makes it a perfect form of entertainment for advanced pool players.

So how do you play nine-ball? Well, worry not, for we will tell you all you need to know about billiards 9-ball today.

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How do you play 9 ball pool?

As we have mentioned, 9-ball is played with the first 9 pool balls in the rack. The objective of the game is to pot ball 9 with a legal shot and without committing a foul. You can use these trick shots to gain an edge over your opponents.

1. To begin, the 9 balls for the game are racked and the first player attempts to break. We will discuss the rules of 9 ball break soon but know that it has to be legal.
2. Rules of 9 ball dictate that the game starts the moment the cue ball leaves the head spot and crosses over the head string.
3. Once the 9 balls billiard rack is broken, the first player may continue his or her turn as long as they keep hitting the smallest numbered ball on the table.
4. If a player misses hitting the smallest numbered ball, or sinking any ball on the table, or committing one or many fouls in a single shot, then they lose their turn.
5. If a player pockets the 9 ball while breaking the rack, then he or she wins automatically.
6. The object of this game is to keep hitting the balls with the smallest digit till the player pots the 9-ball to win the game.
7. The object balls need not be potted in sequence, however, the players must hit the smallest numbered ball with their cue ball. If it happens to hit another ball and drive it into a pocket, that’s just a bonus.
8. If a player commits a foul, then their opponent gets the ball in hand. That means the opponent has the unique opportunity to take the cue ball and place it anywhere behind the head string to make their gameplay much easier.

Learning about other variants like 10 ball rack can help to broaden your vision.

What are the 9 ball pool rules?

Here are the rules of 9 ball that make the gameplay challenging and interesting:

1. Racking – In 9 ball, the game is racked in a diamond shape where ball 9 is placed in the center. The number 1 ball is placed on the foot spot, i.e., the tip facing the player who breaks the 9-ball rack. The other balls can be arranged willy-nilly.
2. Breaking – A legal break in 9 ball is when the player starts by hitting the number 1 ball with adequate force. 4 balls from the rack must split and touch the rails or cushions of the table. If the player ends up sinking the 9 ball while breaking then he or she wins and the rules for breaking are rendered moot.
3. Foul – There are several ways to foul as per the rules of 9 ball pool such as:

• If a player happens to make an illegal break where 4 balls do not touch the rails or they don’t pot the 9-ball. In this case, the game may be re-racked or continued as per the discretion of their opponent.
• If a player pots the cue ball, the opponent gets ball in hand.
• If a player sinks the 9 ball along with the cue ball then the 9-ball is returned to the table.
• If a player doesn’t have at least one foot on the floor while playing.
• If a player accidentally moves or touches the cue ball.
• If a player bounces an object ball or the cue ball straight off the table.
• If no ball is touched to the rail or pocketed during a shot.
• If the cue ball comes in contact with any ball other than the smallest digit while shooting.
• If a player commits three consecutive fouls then the game is over and they lose.

A foul must be called out before a player plays their next shot. If the foul is ignored then the player can continue without a penalty.

4. Push-out – This is a unique situation in 9 balls billiard where a player can announce their intent to move the cue ball to a better position. The player need not hit any ball on the table or pocket anything while taking a push-out shot. If a ball happens to be potted, then it remains so, unless it is ball 9.

How is 9 ball pool different from 8-ball pool?

There are distinct differences in a game of 9 ball and 8-ball, namely:

What are the benefits of playing pool on GetMega?

The online platform of GetMega facilitates a multiplayer gaming system for amateurs and novice pool players alike. Here, you can play with 2 to 5 players on a single table. Each player is assigned a color and balls of the same color appear on the table.

The players need not focus on the grouping or many other fouls during gameplay. However, the best part of playing pool on GetMega is that you can win real cash. Players can cash out their money within a minute through one of the online platforms which adds to all the fun of cue sports on virtual platforms.

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