Aim
Hold the left mouse button and drag, or drag a finger on a phone. Hold Ctrl (or use Fine aim) for small adjustments.
Free to play · no download
Play 8-Ball Pool online
Free 8-ball pool in your browser, on desktop and phone. Real table physics, no aiming lines, and live matches against real players. Nothing to download.
- 15
- object balls
- 45s
- shot clock
- 2
- players
- 0
- aiming lines
The game
8-Ball Pool, played properly
8-ball is the most played pool game in the world: fifteen numbered balls, solids against stripes, and the black 8 to finish. Chalk Rivals plays it to full rules on true table physics, with spin, elevation, cushions and pocket jaws on every shot.
Play a rival in the lobby, practise on your own with no clock, or learn the controls in the tutorial. It runs in any modern browser on desktop, tablet and phone.
Start the tutorial
Rules
How to play 8-Ball
The rules the table plays by, shot for shot. Fouls and the shot clock are below.
The break
Break from behind the head string. A legal break pots a numbered ball or sends at least four object balls to a cushion; otherwise your opponent chooses how to carry on. A cue ball that touches a cushion before a ball is a foul.
An open table
The table stays open after the break. The first legal pot gives you solids (1 to 7) or stripes (9 to 15). On an open table, the 8 cannot be the first ball you hit.
Every shot
Hit a ball of your own group first. After contact, a ball must drop or reach a cushion. Pot one of yours and you stay at the table.
The 8 on the break
Pot the 8 on the break and you choose: spot the 8 and keep playing, or re-rack and break again.
Winning the rack
Clear your group, then pot the 8 on a separate shot. Pot the 8 early, knock it off the table, or foul while potting it, and you lose the rack.
Fouls
Fouls and penalties
After a foul your opponent has ball in hand: they place the cue ball anywhere and play.
Pro rules are a table option: after the break you call the ball and the pocket, and a called ball in another pocket is a foul.
- The cue ball is potted or leaves the table.
- The first ball hit is not one of yours.
- No ball reaches a cushion or a pocket after contact.
- An object ball leaves the table.
- The 45-second shot clock runs out. Three timeouts in a row lose the game.
Controls
Your cue, your stroke
No aiming lines and no ghost ball. The cue ball goes where your stroke sends it.
Shoot
Right-drag down to draw the cue back, then forward through the ball. On a phone, switch to Shoot and do the same with one finger. A faster stroke hits harder.
Spin and elevation
Pick the contact point on the cue ball for top, back or side spin, and raise the cue for a swerve or a jump.
Views
Play from the cue view, walk round the table in 3D, or look straight down in 2D.
Online
Play 8-Ball against real players
Online, every match starts with a challenge: tap a player's name in the lobby, pick one frame, best of 3 or best of 5, and rated or casual. A rated match moves your rating once, on who wins the match, so a 2-0 and a 2-1 count the same. There are no aiming lines for anyone, in any mode.
FAQ
8-Ball questions
Is 8-ball pool free to play?
Yes. Every game, mode and table is free. The store sells looks only (cues, cloths, frames and rooms), and everyone plays exactly the same game.
Can I play 8-ball pool online with friends?
Yes. Open the lobby, tap your friend's name and send a challenge. You can play one frame, best of 3 or best of 5, rated or casual.
Do I need to download anything?
No. Chalk Rivals runs in the browser on desktop, tablet and phone, including older Android phones.
Are there aiming lines?
No, never, for anyone. You read every angle yourself, which keeps online matches fair.
Can I practise 8-ball on my own?
Yes. Practice tables have no shot clock and no opponent, and the tutorial walks you through aiming, spin and elevation.
What happens if I pot the 8 ball early?
You lose the rack. The 8 must be the last ball you pot, on its own shot, after your whole group is down.
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Free to play
Chalk up.
Chalk up.
Your rival's waiting.
Pick a table, take your seat and break. Nothing to download, on desktop and phone.