Billiards

Billiards here means four cue sports on one table: 9-ball, 14.1 straight pool practice, six-red snooker and three-cushion carom. Play billiards free in your browser with no download, against the computer on Easy, Medium or Hard, or against a friend on the same device. The balls slide, then roll, and the spin you put on the cue ball changes where it goes after contact. If you want classic solids and stripes instead, play our 8 Ball Pool game.

How to play

Drag on the table to aim. The guide shows a ghost ball at the contact point, the object ball’s path and roughly where the cue ball heads next. To shoot, pull back from the cue ball and let go, or drag the power bar and release. Tap the small ball beside the power bar to set spin: high for follow, low for draw, left or right for side spin.

• 9-Ball: always hit the lowest-numbered ball on the table first. Pocket a ball and you shoot again. Pocket the 9 on any legal shot to win, combinations included; a 9 on the break is a golden break. A scratch, a miss, the wrong ball first or no cushion after contact is a foul: ball in hand anywhere for your opponent. A 9 pocketed on a foul is re-spotted, and three fouls in a row lose.
• Push out: on the shot right after the break you can press Push out. That shot needn’t hit the lowest ball or a cushion; your opponent then takes the table or passes it back.
• 14.1 Straight Pool: a solo practice mode. Any ball counts, one point each. Your run ends on a miss or a foul (a foul also costs a point). With one object ball left, the other 14 are re-racked with the top spot empty and you keep going.
• Snooker (6 reds): start from the D. Pot a red for 1 point, then any colour: yellow 2, green 3, brown 4, blue 5, pink 6, black 7. While reds remain, colours are re-spotted (on the highest free spot if their own is covered). When the reds are gone, the colours must be potted in order from yellow to black. A foul gives your opponent the value of the ball involved, at least 4 points. An in-off gives them ball in hand in the D.
• 3-Cushion: there are no pockets. You shoot the white, your opponent the yellow. To score, your cue ball must hit both other balls and touch at least three cushions before it reaches the second one. The opening shot must hit the red first. Score and you shoot again; first to 5 wins.

Spin and physics tips

• Stun for position. A firm center hit on a short straight shot stops the cue ball dead. From further away it rolls before contact and follows a little.
• Follow and draw. Top spin carries the cue ball forward through the object ball. Back spin pulls it back toward you.
• Side spin off the rail. Right english sends the cue ball further right off a cushion, and left english sends it left. In 3-cushion it widens or shortens the path around the table.
• Read the guide. A green object-ball line means a legal ball; red means a foul. Switch the guide to line only or off for a harder game.
• Snooker is about the next red. A black that leaves you nothing on the reds ends your break; a lower colour with good position is often worth more.
• In 9-ball, look for the combo. If the lowest ball lines up with the 9, the combination wins on the spot.

FAQ

Is this billiards game free?

Yes. No account or install; it runs in the browser on desktop, tablet and phone.

How is this different from 8 Ball Pool?

8 Ball Pool is solids, stripes and the 8. Billiards covers 9-ball, straight pool, snooker and carom, with a spin pad for side spin as well as follow and draw.

Can I play against the computer?

Yes, in 9-ball, snooker and 3-cushion. The computer simulates candidate shots, then adds aim and power error by level: Easy misses often, Hard rarely does. 14.1 straight pool is a solo practice mode.

Are the rules complete?

They follow each game’s core rules, with a few simplifications. In snooker there is no free ball or miss rule, and the colour you hit first counts as your nominated ball. In 9-ball the break has no minimum number of balls that must reach a cushion. In 14.1 you don’t have to call your shots.

Are my results saved?

Yes. Results per computer level, 2 player wins and your best 14.1 run are stored in your browser.

More table games: flick strikers in Carrom or line up putts in Mini Golf.