If any balls from a player's suit are on the table, the player must hit one of them first on every shot; otherwise a foul is called and the turn ends. In order to win the game, the player first designates which pocket the 8 ball will be pocketed into and then successfully pockets the 8 ball into that pocket. The balls in the rack are ideally placed so that they are all in contact with one another; this is accomplished by pressing the balls together toward the apex ball. It remains open until one player legally pockets any called ball other than the 8 after the break. The table is "open" at the start of the game, meaning that either player may shoot at any ball. Meaning the cue ball can hit cushions but still be considered a foul if it doesn’t contact an object ball. The object of the game is to legally pocket the 8-ball in a "called" pocket, which can only be done after all of the balls from a player's assigned group have been cleared from the table. These extra turns, called "bisques" are effective in levelling the odds of winning.

While slate tables look incredibly sturdy (because they are), MDF tables look a bit flimsy. MDF tables, on the other hand, weigh significantly less. However, the tables are constructed similarly to 9-foot (2.7 m) snooker tables, with rounded pocket openings, napped cloth and flat-faced rail cushions. If the breaker fails to make a successful break-usually defined as at least four balls hitting cushions or an object ball being pocketed-then the opponent can opt either to play from the current position or to call for a re-rack and either re-break or have the original breaker repeat the break. The shooter fails to strike one of their own object balls (or the 8 ball when it is the legal ball) with the cue ball, before other balls are contacted by the cue ball. The rules of blackball differ from standard eight-ball in numerous ways, including the handling of fouls, which may give the opponent two shots, racking (the 8 ball, not the apex ball, goes on the spot), selection of which group of balls will be shot by which player, handling of frozen balls and snookers, and many other details. In most leagues, it is the breaker's opponent who racks the balls, but in some, players break their own racks.

If the 8 ball is pocketed on the break, then the breaker can choose either to re-spot the 8 ball and play from the current position or to re-rack and re-break; but if the cue ball is also pocketed on the break (colloquially referred to as a "scratch") then the opponent is the one who has the choice: either to re-spot the 8 ball and shoot with ball-in-hand behind the head string, accepting the current position, or to re-break or have the breaker re-break. Another potential consequence of a scratch is being restricted to positioning the cue ball "behind the head string." The head string is an imaginary line dividing the table, and being behind it means that the cue ball must be placed or shot from the specific area nearest the end where the game began. This may seem a little over your head at first. The cue ball is placed anywhere the breaker desires behind the head string.

If you want to hit a ball that’s slightly behind another ball, you can master "swerve" (which we discuss below) to develop this highly important skill. There are seven solid-colored balls numbered 1 through 7, seven striped balls numbered 9 through 15, an 8 ball, and a cue ball. Sound. There is low-level support though. The base of the rack is parallel to the end rail (the short end of the pool table) and positioned so the apex ball of the rack is located on the foot spot. Shown in the photo is a set up for bottle pool where the "shake bottle" and two object balls are positioned in starting position. Too dim, and your pool table lighting won’t be doing it’s intended job. Of course, the reason to install your lighting before your table is that if your table is already installed and you decide you want to have a new light fitted afterward, there’s a risk that your table could end up being damaged during the installation.

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