9-Ball Pool Rules
9-ball is the fast, tactical cousin of 8-ball — the game you'll see in pro tournaments. Only nine balls, one simple rule that changes everything, and racks that can end in a single visit. Here's how it works, then play it free online at CueVerse.
1. The rack
Only balls 1 through 9 are used, racked in a diamond shape:
- The 1-ball sits at the apex on the foot spot.
- The 9-ball goes in the centre of the diamond.
- The other balls fill in randomly.
2. The one rule that defines 9-ball
On every shot, the cue ball must strike the lowest-numbered ball on the table first. You don't have to pot the balls in order — you just have to hit the lowest one first. That opens the door to combos, caroms, and banks: hit the 3, then send it into the 9, and if the 9 drops, you win.
3. Taking your turn
Make a legal shot and pot any ball, and you keep shooting. Miss, or fail to pot anything, and play passes to your opponent — the balls stay where they lie (no re-spotting except the 9 after a foul or a push out).
4. Fouls
The main fouls are:
- Not hitting the lowest ball first.
- Scratching (potting the cue ball).
- No rail contact after the hit and nothing potted.
- Knocking a ball off the table.
A foul gives your opponent ball in hand anywhere on the table — a huge advantage in a game this open. If the 9 is potted on a foul, it's re-spotted.
5. Three fouls in a row
Foul on three consecutive shots without a legal shot in between and you lose the rack. It keeps players from stalling with endless safeties.
6. Push out
The shot right after the break may be a push out. You don't have to hit the lowest ball or a rail, though a scratch is still a foul. It's a way out of a bad leave: move the cue ball somewhere you'd both think twice about. After a legal push out, your opponent chooses — shoot from where the balls lie, or make you shoot again. A 9 that drops on a push out is spotted; any other ball stays down. On CueVerse, use the Push Out button before you shoot.
7. Winning
Legally pot the 9-ball and the game is yours — whether that's the last ball standing or a lucky combo on the second shot. That "anything can happen" tension is what makes 9-ball so watchable.
Practice on CueVerse
New to rotation? Use the 9-Ball Training table — no turns, no fouls, endless re-racks — to drill your patterns, then jump into a rated lobby game.