Pool format
Three-ball: rules and how to play
Clear three balls in as few shots as you can. Lowest total wins, like golf.
| Players | 2–8 |
|---|---|
| Length | 2–4 minutes a round |
| Equipment | Three balls |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
The object of the game
Pocket all three object balls in the fewest strokes.
Setting up
- Rack any three balls in a small triangle on the foot spot.
- Everyone takes a turn; lowest score wins the round.
The rules
Every stroke is a point, and low wins
Count every shot including the break. A perfect round is 1 — all three on the break. A scratch adds a penalty stroke, usually one.
You shoot until the table is clear
No passing. Your turn ends when the last ball drops.
House variants
This is a folk game with no governing body, so the version below is the common one and these are the variants you will meet. The only real mistake is not saying which you are playing before the first break.
Cap the score
Stop counting at six or seven so one bad round does not end somebody's night.
How a night of this actually runs
It takes 2–8 and runs about 2–4 minutes a round, which is the number that decides whether it suits your room more than any rule in it does. You need three balls, and it sits at a beginner 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?
Genuinely excellent filler. Rounds take two minutes, the number of players barely matters, and it needs nothing but three balls. Good warm-up before the main night starts.