🎱 Pool

How to play

Fifteen numbered balls are racked in a triangle at the right of the table and the white cue ball sits to the left of them. You shoot by pressing on the cue ball, dragging backwards and releasing, exactly like pulling a cue back. There are no turns, groups or fouls here: the aim is simply to sink all fifteen in as few shots as you can.

• Press and drag on the cue ball — pulls back the shot. A dashed line shows the direction the ball will travel.
• Release — plays the shot. The further you dragged, the harder it is struck.
• New Game button — re-racks all fifteen balls and resets both counters.

Scoring

There are no points. Sunk counts the object balls potted out of fifteen and Shots counts the shots taken, so a lower Shots figure for the same clearance is the better game. Potting the cue ball is not punished: it returns to its starting spot after a moment and play continues, though the shot still counts. Cushions absorb roughly a third of the speed on each rebound and the cloth slows the balls steadily, so a shot does not run forever.

Tips

• The ball goes opposite your drag. Drag away from the direction you want it to travel, not towards it.
• Break into the side of the rack rather than straight at its front ball. A glancing hit spreads the triangle far better.
• Aim through the object ball to the pocket, then place the cue ball on the extension of that line behind the contact point.
• Use less power for close pots. A hard shot that rattles the jaws often leaves the ball in a worse place than a soft one that misses.

Frequently asked questions