Pool, which is now frequently called billiards, is a game of both skill and luck. It is played on a rectangular table that has six holes (pockets) in it; one in each of the four corners, and one in the middle of the two long sides. There are 15 colored balls in the game, and one white. The white ball is referred to as the cue ball. The other balls are distinguished between stripped and solid colors.
There are many different ways to play pool. Eight ball, Nine ball, Rotation, and straight are different variations of the game.
In Nine ball the object of the game is to get all the balls on the table (which include only the solid colored one, and the cue ball) into the pockets. What makes this game challenging is that you must do so in numerical order. You can also win by pocketing the nine-ball, but only if the nine-ball is pocketed on a combination shot.
Rotation is a game very similar to nine-ball. The difference lies in the fact that you must pocket all 15 of the stripped and colored balls. There is also no shortcut winning by using combination shots. The object of the game is to get so many points that your opponent cannot reach that number; the number on the ball is used as the number of points the ball has.
Straight ball is a game where the player pockets any ball on the table in any order. The player who pockets the most balls when the game is done is the winner.
This website will take you through using one of the most popular games: eight ball.
