8 BALL
8 Ball is the most common billiards game, so much that most casual players know it to be the only billiards game that exists. This is how the game works, there are 2 groups of balls as well as a neutral ball which doesn't have a side. The aim is that after you pick a side group that you will be choosing, you must pot all balls by hitting the cue ball (white ball) into one of your balls into one of the 6 pockets that surround the table, once all the balls of your group are potted into any of the pockets; you must score the 8 ball as well which once completed will crown you as the winner. Each groups balls are designed differently to help you identify which ball is for your group, they are also numbered and are called solids or stripes. Solids are balls that are colored in one color and range from the numbers 1-7 (1-yellow, 2-blue, 3-red, 4-pink/purple, 5-orange, 6-green, 7-brown). Stripes are colored the same way and it the same order however they are colored in a way where there only a stripe of the color instead of the whole ball being colored, they are numbered from 9-15 (shown here). The 8 ball is a ball that is part of both groups and cannot be potted into a pocket until all balls in your group have already been potted, it is colored black. In the beginning of the rack, to have the balls spread out randomly, all balls must be shaped to gather in a triangular rack with all balls put in a random order as long as the 8 ball is in the center of the 3rd row. This rack must have its apex on a spot that is labelled with a mark on the table (shown here). Once this triangular shape made out of the balls has been formed (with a triangular rack), one of the players must break this triangle by hitting the cue ball very hard into the rack which causes all balls in the rack to fly around the table (shown here). The cue ball must be behind the line of the second diamond in length (shown here). The person who gets to decide who breaks is usually determined in a lag where both players take a cue ball and shoots in across the table length and whoever's cue ball lands closes to the rail they shot from, gets to decide (shown here).
How to play
RULES
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You must hit the cue ball into an object ball for that object ball to go in, you may hit 2 object balls together to hit one into a pocket if you decide to
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You may not pot the 8 ball until you have potted all the object balls in your group regardless if you are stripes or solids
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When you pot the cue ball it is called a scratch and the opposing player has the ball in hand and can put it wherever he chooses on the table
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When striking at a ball you must have at least one foot on the ground, however when scouting around the table looking for shot positions you may take both feet off the ground if necessary
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When breaking, the cue ball must be behind the second diamond line in length (shown here)
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Dependent on how the match is decided, you may play a game where every pocket must be called before potted into (call where and how you will score) is the pot isn't obvious, while some play with only the 8 ball being called
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When hitting a ball in your group, that ball, a ball it hits into, or your cue ball must touch a rail unless you potted a ball that is in your group into a pocket. If none touch a rail, it will result in a scratch / ball in hand for the opposing player
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Touching a ball with you hands, clothing, or anything other than the tip of your cue will result in a scratch and ballin hand for the opposing player whether it moved or not