Billiard Games
Rules vary from game to game, but there are setups and rules that go for All. For instance when breaking, the cue ball ALWAYS sits in the kitchen (explained below), while the rack is on the other side of the table. Below are the setups and some various rules that might apply to the game you're playing.
Rack: Arranging the balls in a tight formation to allow for a good spread of balls around the table.
Break: Shooting the cue ball at the rack to spread the balls around the table
Scratch: When the cue (white) ball ends up in a pocket
The Kitchen: Behind the SECOND diamond on the end of the table where the ball was placed to break. When your opponent scratches, you would typically place the ball in the kitchen to shoot and can only shoot at a ball that's NOT in the kitchen.
Object Ball: This indicates the ball(s) you are allowed to shoot at. Shooting without hitting one of YOUR object balls first is a illegal shot. In some cases, this allows the opponent a "ball in hand", depending on how you're playing.
Ball in Hand: After a scratch and depending on the rules you are applying for the game, you are able to place the ball ANYWHERE on the table that you want instead of in the kitchen. Any game that involves a ball in hand usually allows this after an illegal shot as well.
Open Table: An open table is when no one has made a ball yet and you can shoot for whatever you want. Making a ball and scratching in the same shot is an invalid shot, in which case it's still open table.
Called Shots: In most games, there are strict rules about calling your shots! Telling the opponent what ball you're going to hit, if it's a bank, combo, kiss, and in what pocket the ball is going in. Trust me, it's a lot easier to just call your shot than arguing about it with your opponent for 20 minutes!!!
Slop: The exact opposite of Called Shots. as long as you hit an object ball first, making one of your own is legal and you continue to shoot.
Bank: This is when the cue ball or any ball involved in making a shot banks off of the railing.
Combo: Using your object ball to hit one of your balls in. Ex: you shoot the 1ball at the 4ball knocking the 4ball in the pocket.
Kiss: Knocking your object ball in the pocket by making contact with another ball. Ex: Shooting the 1ball at the 4ball so that the 1ball goes in the pocket.
8 Ball
This is the most commonly played billiards games around. The rack is a triangle formation facing towards the other side of the table, using a solid as the head ball and alternating (solid, stripe, solid, stripe) with the 8ball in the middle. The object is to make all of your balls in (stripes or solids) and then pocketing the 8ball before your opponent does it with theres. Starting with the break, lets say you make in a solid (1-7), if you make all of the solids in then make the 8ball BEFORE your opponent makes all of the stripes (9-15) in then the 8ball, you win! The 8ball MUST be called, but the others are at your discretion depending on if you're playing a called or slop game. If by chance you make the 8ball on the break, you automatically win. Be careful though, if you make the 8ball on the break and happen to scratch as well, you automatically lose! Scratching while shooting for the 8ball will also cost you the game.
Bank 8
A slightly different version of 8 Ball. All rules are the same with a few exceptions. You HAVE to bank the 8ball as well as call your shot. Don't worry though, scratching while shooting for the 8ball does NOT indicate that you have lost the game. When you do the opponent will place the cue ball in the kitchen and shoot from there. Bank 8 is a Called Shot game, NO SLOP!
9 Ball
This is a slop game, no need to call your shots! The rack is a diamond formation with the balls 1-9 in order starting with the head ball (the one facing towards the other side of the table). The object of this game is to make the 9ball in before your opponent does. The object ball will ALWAYS be the lowest numbered ball on the table, so pocketing the 1ball first is your main objective, then the 2ball, then 3ball, etc. If you happen to make a different ball in while shooting for the object ball, it's okay, it's legal and you can shoot again. There is only ONE exception to the slop rule of this game and that is, if you make the 9ball in before you have cleared the rest of the table, it MUST be called since we don't want anyone winning the game off of a stroke of sloppy luck!!!
Cut-throat
This is a great 3 player game using all 15 balls. The rack is the triangle formation just like in 8ball except that at each corner you need to have a low ball (1-5) a middle ball (6-10) and a high ball (11-15). The object of the game is to pocket all of your 2 opponents balls in. Figuring who has low, mid, or high is simple. The first person to pocket a ball is the first person to choose, the second person to pocket a ball then chooses from the 2 remaining sets, and the thrid is stuck with the last set. The person choosing will continue to shoot until they miss a shot THEN choose what they want to be. This is a full on Slop game and absolutely no need to call anything, as long as you make a ball you keep shooting. Now to the very interesting rules for this game! You are able to make one of your own in to get a better shot for someone else's ball. If you scratch, one ball for BOTH opponents that have been made are placed back on the table. So if you clear one opponents balls off of the table then scratch, they are still in the game with the one ball that was placed back on the table. You are also allowed to pocket all of your balls in while there are opposing balls still on the table, but if you miss a shot, you are out of the game (unless someone scratches).... I like to call this the Kamikaze rule!!! This rules sole purpose is to allow for better shots but sometimes it doesn't work out the way you want it to. So, if you have one of your balls on the table and one opponent ball and have no shot for theirs, you can make yours in for a better shot, you have no balls on the table, but it is still your turn. If you make the opposing ball in you win.
Sleepy Chicken
If you need to work on ball positioning, this is the game to play! Below the description is an illustration of how to setup the game in case you get confused. The idea is to first pocket all of the "pocket balls" without waking up the Sleepy Chicken (breaking the 4 center balls). After making those, you may THEN wake the Sleepy Chicken, in which you have 4 shots to pocket those balls. While shooting for the pocket balls, you get ball in hand to shoot for the first one. After that, your opponent calls which pocket ball to shoot at next until you have cleared all 6 of them. You only get ONE shot for each pocket ball and if you scratch or don't make the ball that was called by your opponent or wake the Sleepy Chicken, then that is the end of your run and it's your opponents turn to make more than you did. If you don't clear all 4 of the center balls after the "wake" then your opponent just has to get farther than you did. If you happen to clear all of them, then your opponent has to try to do the same with less (of the 4) shots. It's simple, just clear more balls off of the table than your opponent and in less shots. That's it!
