Pool

Getting Started

1 Familiarize yourself with the equipment. There are generally three things you'll be using: a cue, table, and pool balls. You can probably guess which is what.
Pick a cue appropriate for your size. Most sticks are 58 inches (147 cm) in length, but shorter and longer ones are available. The tip is the most important part of a cue (it's on the narrow end you'll be hitting with). Tips vary from soft to hard, though inexperienced pool players are best served with a medium to medium-soft tip .
There are three standard sizes to a pool table: 7, 8, and 9 feet (2.7 m). The Billiard Congress of America defines a "regulation" pool table as any table that is twice as long as it is wide. For example, a 7-foot table is 7 feet (2.1 m) long and 3.5 feet (1.1 m) wide . If you are playing on a smaller table, you may want a shorter cue.
As for the pool balls, there are evens and odds, solids and stripes, and, most importantly, the 8 ball and the cue ball. The 8 ball is always black. The cue ball is always solid white, a bit heavier, and should be the only ball directly hit during the game.

Learn the language. In order to play the game, you have to be able to understand the terminology and rules. Familiarizing yourself with the vocabulary of the game will make it easier and quicker to learn.
The "break" happens at the beginning of the game when a player breaks up the fifteen pool balls. It is the first shot. Some players break straight on while others break at an angle.
A scratch occurs when the cue ball jumps off the table or rolls into a pocket. Determine the scratch rules before you start any game.

3 Get the rules down. For now, let's stick to standard 8-ball. Quite clearly, knowing the rules is the only way to win.
Use the triangle to "rack up" the 15 pool balls. Different people have different preferences for the set up, but make sure the 8-ball is in the middle.
A player breaks. If he or she makes a ball into a pocket, he or she claims that type (solid or stripes) for the duration of the game and shoots again. The other player receives the variation they did not claim.

Playing the Game

1 Master the stroke. Each person has a different preferred hand position. If you are right-handed, hold the base of the stick with your right hand and rest the narrow end on your left. If you are left-handed, do the opposite.
For a good hand position, try putting your index finger on the top of the stick (curving it) and put your thumb at the bottom of the stick. This is a good, basic way to put your hand in position because you have total control of the stick. Hold it tight as well.

Make the shots. Line the pool tip up with the cue ball, aim, and hit away! Sounds easy, huh?
As a beginner, focus on hitting the cue ball straight and with power.
Aim as if you were to directly hit your object ball. See that spot you'd be hitting if you were allowed to? Alright. Now, aim to get the cue ball to that spot on your object ball.
Experiment with slow, easy shots. Sometimes a softer touch helps your ball to ride the edge of the table or stay in a more defensive position

3 Switch it up. Now that you've got 8-ball down, why stop there?
Try "Cutthroat Pool." Each player chooses a section of the numbers (if 2 players, 1-7 and 9-15; if 3 players, 1-5, 6-10, 11-15) on the correlating pool balls. The object of the game is to sink your opponent's balls and only have yours left on the table. The last one with a ball (or balls) on the table wins.
Try 9-ball. This one can be a bit about luck, but that can be said about most games. The object of the game is to sink the balls in the pockets in numerical order, from 1-9. Each player takes turns going up to the 9 ball. The one to sink the 9 ball wins.
One player could sink 1-8 and still lose. That's the beauty of it!

Focus. Always focus and keep your eye on the ball. Tune out distractions as best you can.
Don't get too confident or frustrated--the tables can turn in a second. Focus on improving your shot, not winning.
Allow yourself a game to warm up. Once kids stop running around, the TV gets turned off, and your muscles start remembering what you've learned, you may see an improvement.