How to Play 9-Ball
9-Ball in under a minute and a half. Hit the lowest numbered ball first, make a ball drop or hit a rail, and pot the 9 on any legal shot to win, even on a combination or the break.
In this video
- 0:00 The rack and the break
- 0:14 Lowest ball first
- 0:33 Fouls and ball in hand
- 0:46 Winning on the 9
- 0:58 The push out
You'll also see where the game shows the ball you need, what counts as a foul, how ball in hand works, and the push out: the shot after the break where anything goes except a scratch.
Prefer reading? The full rules, written out →
Step by step
The rack and the break
Nine-ball is played with nine balls, racked in a diamond with the nine in the middle. The first shot is the break. Pot a ball, and you keep shooting.
Lowest ball first
On every shot, your cue ball must hit the lowest numbered ball on the table first. And a ball must drop, or hit a rail. The ball you need sits next to the shooter's name, and it's circled in the tray below. So the balls go down in order, one after another.
Fouls and ball in hand
Hit the wrong ball first, or scratch, and it's a foul. Then your opponent gets ball in hand: they can drag the cue ball anywhere. Foul three times in a row, and you lose the game.
Winning on the 9
Pot the nine on any legal shot, and you win. It counts on a combination, like that one, and on the break too. So: hit the lowest ball first, make a ball drop or hit a rail, and the nine wins.
The push out
One more rule: the push out. On the shot right after the break, whoever shoots next may push out. Click Push Out, then play any shot you like. Just don't scratch. Then your opponent chooses: take the shot from there, or make you shoot again. Rack up a game of nine-ball at cueverse.gg.
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