Pool format
Ten-ball: rules and how to play
Nine-ball with the luck taken out: every shot is called, so nothing counts by accident.
| Players | 2 |
|---|---|
| Length | 8–15 minutes a game |
| Equipment | Ten balls, triangle rack |
| Difficulty | Advanced |
The object of the game
Legally pocket the 10 ball in a called pocket.
Setting up
- Rack 1 through 10 in a triangle, 1 at the front, 10 in the centre.
- Break hitting the 1 first.
The rules
Lowest ball first, and call everything
Same rotation requirement as nine-ball, but every pocket must be called. A ball that goes in uncalled is spotted and the turn passes. No slop, ever.
The 10 on the break is spotted
Unlike nine-ball, an early 10 does not win. It goes back up and play continues, which is most of why the game exists.
How a night of this actually runs
It takes 2 and runs about 8–15 minutes a game, which is the number that decides whether it suits your room more than any rule in it does. You need ten balls, triangle rack, and it sits at a advanced level — so think about whether the weakest player in the room will still be enjoying it an hour in.
Compared with three strikes, the format this site is built around: that one takes any number of players, keeps everybody in the room for roughly two hours, and needs nothing but a rack and a way to count lives. Most of the games on this site are better as the game inside a night than as the shape of the night itself.
Is it any good in a bar?
The serious player's game, and completely wrong for a bar night. It is slow, it punishes mistakes hard, and calling every shot does not survive contact with a noisy room. Listed because people ask how it differs from nine-ball: it removes luck, and luck is what keeps a bar night fun.