Pool.
8-ball and 9-ball with real follow, draw and english, a club ladder, three cups and thirty trick shots. Play the computer or a friend.
Something else to get into
How to play Pool
- Choose a mode. Trick shots teach one idea at a time, the ladder builds up to the strongest rival, and Quick match lets you set the game, opponent and level.
- Aim by moving the mouse or dragging on the table. The guide shows where the cue ball meets the first ball and where both balls travel next.
- Make small corrections with the fine-aim wheel, the arrow keys or the mouse wheel. Hold Shift for the finest steps.
- Pull the power bar down and let go to shoot. With a mouse you can also press on the table and drag back like a cue. Keyboard players set power with Up and Down and shoot with Space.
- Add spin from the cue ball button: high for follow, low for draw, left or right for english. The guide updates so you can see the effect before you shoot.
- After a foul you have ball in hand. Drag the cue ball to a clear spot, then aim. On the opening break it must stay behind the head string.
Make your move
On your computer
- Mouse: move over the table to aim and click to lock the line; press on the table and pull back to shoot, or drag the power bar.
- Arrow keys: Left and Right turn the cue, Up and Down set power; hold Shift for fine steps. Space shoots.
- W, A, S, D add follow, left english, draw and right english; C resets spin. Mouse wheel fine-tunes the aim.
- P or Escape pauses. F or a click fast-forwards rolling balls. In practice, U retakes a shot and R re-racks.
On your phone or tablet
- Drag anywhere on the table to aim, then use the fine-aim wheel for tiny turns.
- Pull the power bar down and release to shoot; slide back to the top to cancel.
- Tap the cue ball button to set spin, and drag the cue ball itself when you have ball in hand.
- Tap the table while balls roll to speed them up. Play landscape, or use full screen in portrait for a tall table.
About Pool
Pool is an original browser billiards game set in a small, lamp-lit club. Every ball is shaded in three dimensions and rolls with its real spin, so numbers tumble, stripes turn and two overhead lamps catch in the finish. The cloth, rubber cushions, rounded pocket jaws and wooden rails are drawn for this game, and six tables change the atmosphere without changing a single bounce. The whole game loads only after you press Play, with no account, download or purchase.
The table follows real billiard behaviour. A struck ball slides first and friction turns that slide into roll, which is why a firm centre hit stops the cue ball dead at short range but rolls it forward from further away. Top spin follows the object ball, bottom spin draws the cue ball back, and side spin, often called english, widens or narrows the rebound from a cushion. Cushions absorb more speed on hard hits, collisions throw a cut ball very slightly, and a ball arriving at a steep angle can rattle out of the jaws. Breaks are struck harder than ordinary shots, and the 15-ball rack is shuffled with the 8 in the middle.
8-ball uses clear house rules. The break leaves the table open, your first legal pot afterwards decides solids or stripes, and potting one of your own group keeps you at the table. Clear your group, then sink the 8 to win; an early 8, or the 8 with a scratch, loses the frame, and an 8 on the break is re-spotted. 9-ball is a rotation game: hit the lowest numbered ball first, and any legal pot keeps your turn. A legal 9 wins at any moment, even through a combination, while a 9 dropped on a foul is re-spotted. In both games a scratch, the wrong first contact, missing everything or reaching no cushion after contact gives the other player ball in hand anywhere on the table.
The computer opponent plays through the same physics as you. It lists pots with ghost ball geometry, tests the best of them in the simulation, and then adds aim and power error that matches its level. Rookie and Regular mostly pick the easiest pot. Sharp starts thinking about where the cue ball will stop and uses follow and draw, while Shark and Master add side spin and play safeties when nothing is on. The club ladder introduces eight rivals, each with a home table and a style, and three cups put you into an eight-player knockout bracket where one loss ends the run. Pass and play lets two people share one screen.
Trick shots come in three sets of ten: Foundations, Cue Control and Trick Shots. Each layout was solved offline with the shipped physics, so every three-star ring is reachable, and stars unlock the next set as well as new cues. Practice gives you an open table with no opponent and lets you retake any shot. Your ladder progress, cups, stars, best clears, frame records, chosen table, cue, guide level and sound setting are saved in this browser. Pool plays in landscape and also offers a tall, rotated table for portrait phones in full screen.
Real spin, honest physics
The cue ball slides before it rolls, so a centre hit stuns, top spin follows through and bottom spin screws back. Side spin changes the angle off a cushion, and a little collision throw bends cut shots the way it does on a real table.
A guide you can trust
The aiming guide runs the same simulation as the shot itself, so the ghost ball, the object ball line and the cue ball path already include your spin and power. Choose Guided, Standard or Pro to decide how much it shows.
Thirty trick shots, ninety stars
Pot the named balls, then stop the cue ball inside a gold ring for three stars. Banks, kicks, plants, combinations and short clearances each have a verified solution, and a hint can reveal the line after a couple of misses.
A club to climb
Beat eight regulars at their own tables, win three knockout cups, or pick any of five computer levels. Tables and cues unlock as you play and never change how a shot behaves, so nothing can be bought to win.
A little help for your next high score
- Work backward from the pocket: picture the ghost ball touching the object ball, then send the cue ball to that spot.
- Use the softest pace that still reaches the pocket. Slower balls are more likely to drop through the jaws instead of rattling out.
- From close range a centre hit stops the cue ball; from further away, strike a little lower to keep it from rolling on.
- Before every shot, decide where the cue ball should stop for the next one. Stun, follow and draw are how you get there.
- Running english keeps the cue ball travelling along a cushion; reverse english shortens the angle. Try both in practice first.
- When nothing is on, play safe: touch your ball, reach a cushion, and leave the cue ball tucked behind other balls.
Good questions
Does Pool use official tournament rules?
It uses clear house rules. In 8-ball the break leaves the table open, the first legal pot after it assigns groups, fouls give ball in hand anywhere and an early 8 loses. 9-ball follows the lowest-ball-first rule, and a legal 9 wins at any time. There are no called pockets, push-outs, jump shots or shot clocks.
How strong is the computer?
There are five levels: Rookie, Regular, Sharp, Shark and Master. Every level plays through the same physics as you. Higher levels miss less, think about cue ball position, use spin, and play safeties when nothing is on.
Can two people play on one device?
Yes. Choose Quick match, then A friend, to pass one phone, tablet or computer between two players for 8-ball or 9-ball. There is no online multiplayer.
How do the trick shot stars work?
Potting the named balls without a scratch earns one star. Stopping the cue ball in the gold ring earns two or three, and the short clearance shots award stars for finishing within par. Every layout has a verified three-star solution, and a revealed hint limits that attempt to two stars.
Do tables or cues make shots easier?
No. The six tables and six cues are cosmetic and unlock by playing, through ladder wins, cups, computer frames and trick shot stars. Nothing is sold, and every cue hits exactly the same.
What is saved between visits?
Your ladder progress, cup wins and any unfinished cup, trick shot stars, frame records, practice bests, chosen table and cue, guide level, handedness and sound setting are saved in this browser. Earlier Pool records carry over. A frame in progress is not restored after closing the page.