THE BREAK
Break hard enough
Under WPA rules, if nothing drops, at least four object balls must reach a rail. The WEPF rules accept one colour potted or four balls to a cushion.
See the numbersWHAT THE RULEBOOKS SAY
Same black ball,
three rulebooks.
Eight-ball looks the same in every pub and club.
Check a black-ball shot
THE BLACKalways goes last
Fifteen object balls, two groups of seven and the black last. But the World Pool-Billiard Association, the International 8-Ball rules and the World Eightball Pool Federation each settle the break, fouls and the clock a little differently.
At a glance
- Clear your group first
- Fouls hand over the table
- A foul on the black loses
- Agree the rules before the break
57.15mm
Diameter of a WPA pool ball
The WPA equipment specifications set every ball at 2¼ inches (5.715 cm) across, weighing 5½ to 6 oz (156 to 170 g), in cast phenolic resin.
BALL SIZE · WPA
4balls
Object balls that must reach a rail
If the breaker pots nothing, WPA rules require at least four object balls to be driven to one or more rails, or the break is illegal and the opponent chooses what happens next.
THE BREAK · WPA
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
Small ball,
firm break.
One figure on the equipment,
one on what a legal break needs.
The International 8-Ball rules score the break instead: one point for each ball potted and each ball that crosses the line between the centre pockets, with three points needed for a legal break.
A QUICK BLACK-BALL CHECK
What just happened
to the black?
Pick what happened on the shot to see what the rules say. The bar shows how bad it is for the player at the table.
Based on the WPA Rules of Play (effective 15 September 2025), the International 8-Ball Rules (version 1a, February 2021) and the WEPF World Eightball Pool Rules (2014).
THE SHORT ANSWER
Clear your group,
then the black.
Every version agrees on the goal.
They differ on the details around it.
FOULS
A foul hands over the table
WPA and International rules give the opponent cue ball in hand anywhere. The WEPF rules give the opponent two visits instead.
Compare the penalties
THE BLACK
The black can lose it
Pot the black before your group is cleared, or pot it and foul in the same shot, and you lose the rack in all three rulebooks.
Check a shot
FOUR THINGS TO AGREE FIRST
Settle it
before the break.
Most arguments over a pool table come from players using different rulebooks. These are the points where the main versions differ.
Called shots or not
WPA eight-ball is a call-shot game: you name the ball and pocket. Under International rules, combination shots do not have to be called.
What a foul costs
WPA and International rules: cue ball in hand anywhere on the table. WEPF rules: two visits for the opponent.
Groups after the break
Under WPA and International rules the table stays open after the break; groups are decided by the first ball legally potted afterwards.
How long a shot can take
International rules allow 45 seconds a shot; the WEPF rules make it a foul not to play within 60 seconds.
WHERE IT CAME FROM
From numbered balls
to the black.
American pool grew out of Fifteen-Ball Pool, played with fifteen balls numbered 1 to 15 and scored by the number on each ball. The word pool itself came from the pool rooms where it was played.
Eight-ball was invented shortly after 1900. Today the WPA set uses solids 1 to 7, stripes 9 to 15 and a black 8, while the WEPF and International games use seven reds, seven yellows and the black.
Questions
Questions people ask
What is the aim of eight-ball?
Each player takes a group of seven balls. The player who pockets their whole group and then legally pockets the 8-ball wins the rack.
If you pot the black on the break, do you win?
No, not under the WPA, International or WEPF rules. Under WPA rules potting the 8-ball on a legal break is not a foul, and the breaker can spot it and play on or break again. International rules always re-spot it. Under the WEPF rules the balls are re-racked and the same player breaks again.
Are groups decided on the break?
Not under WPA or International rules. The table stays open after the break, and groups are decided by the first ball legally potted after it. Under the WEPF rules a breaker who pots one or more colours must name a colour before playing on.
What is pool with red and yellow balls?
It is eight-ball played with seven reds, seven yellows and a black instead of numbered balls: you pot your colour, then the black. The WEPF and International 8-Ball rules use this set, and the WPA's Blackball rules allow it; the WPA's standard eight-ball set uses numbered solids and stripes.
What counts as a foul in eight-ball pool?
Under the WPA rules the standard fouls include potting the cue ball or knocking it off the table, hitting a ball outside your group first once groups are set, failing to drive any ball to a rail after contact when nothing is potted, touching a ball other than with a normal shot, a double hit or push shot, and having no foot on the floor as you strike. The opponent then gets the cue ball in hand anywhere on the table; under the WEPF rules a foul gives two visits instead.
What is ball in hand?
After a foul, the incoming player may place the cue ball anywhere on the playing surface. WPA and International rules use it; the WEPF rules give two visits instead.
What should I check before buying pool balls or a cue?
For balls: the set your rules use (numbered spots and stripes for WPA eight-ball, or reds, yellows and a black for the WEPF and International games), a complete set of fifteen object balls plus a white cue ball, and the size, which must suit your table: WPA-specification balls are 2¼ inches (57.15 mm) across and weigh 5½ to 6 oz. For a cue: WPA competitions expect one at least 40 inches long, no heavier than 25 oz, with a tip no wider than 14 mm.
Sources
Where the facts come from
- WPA: Rules of Play (World Pool-Billiard Association), sections 3 (fouls), 4 (8-Ball) and 8 (Blackball)
- WPA: Recommended Equipment Specifications
- International 8-Ball Rules, version 1a (February 2021), via WPA
- World Eightball Pool Federation: World Eightball Pool Playing Rules (via English Pool Association)
- Traditional Games: A history of pool in the USA
What changed
- : Rewrote the FAQs on potting the black on the break (adds the WEPF re-rack) and on red and yellow sets, added the WEPF rule on groups, and added FAQs on what counts as a foul and what to check before buying pool balls or a cue. Sources: the existing WPA, International and WEPF rulebooks.
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