Pool Puzzle
How few shots to clear it? I’m counting
How to play
Pool on Matsuri is a free online pool game played solo: six numbered balls on a 9-foot table, cleared in as few strokes as possible, with par and stars as in golf. It plays in any browser on phone or desktop and inside Telegram via @MatsuriGamesBot, with no download. Everyone gets the same daily table, and a cleared table can be sent to a friend.
This is a solo pool puzzle: six numbered balls are scattered across a table with six pockets, and your goal is to clear them all in as few strokes as you can. Aim with the mouse or a drag, set spin on the cue ball for follow, draw or side, then pull back for power and release. Any ball can go in any pocket. Sink the cue ball and it costs a penalty stroke, and you place it again behind the head string. Every table has a par: finish at or under it for three stars. The daily table is the same for everyone and ranked on a shared leaderboard.
- Aim by dragging on the table, or by moving the mouse (a click locks it; scroll or ← → fine-tune).
- To shoot, slide the power bar and let go; with a mouse, press on the table and pull back (or hold Space).
- Clear my table in as few shots as you can. Tap while the balls roll to fast-forward.
How to play Pool Puzzle
Six object balls, numbered 1 to 6, are scattered across the table, and the cue ball starts on the head spot. There is no rack, no break and no called shot: any ball may go in any of the six pockets, in any order. Each shot sets an aim, optional spin on the cue ball (topspin to follow, backspin to draw, side spin that takes effect off the cushions) and a power. A ball that clips the jaw of a pocket can rattle out, and the side pockets have narrower mouths than the corners.
Every shot is a stroke. Potting the cue ball is a scratch: it adds a penalty stroke, and you get ball in hand, placing the cue ball anywhere behind the head string. The table is done when all six balls are down. Par is a computer player's clear of that table plus two strokes; at or under par earns three stars, up to three over two, any other clear one. The score is 2000 minus 100 per stroke, minus up to 99 for cue-ball travel (up to 18 strokes; longer clears score far less). An unfinished table scores nothing.
Pool Puzzle strategy and tips
- Plan the cue ball, not just the pot. The guide shows the ghost ball, the object ball's line and where the cue ball heads after contact; choose the pot that leaves the next ball easy, since good position saves more strokes than any single great shot.
- Control distance with spin. Backspin pulls the cue ball back toward you after contact, topspin carries it forward, and a firm centre hit on a straight shot stops it close to where the object ball was.
- On angled pots, prefer the corner pockets. The side pockets are narrower, and a ball arriving at a sharp angle tends to catch the jaw and rattle out instead of dropping.
- Use the softest pace that gets the ball there. Hard shots send the cue ball running around the table toward pockets and scratches, and long cue-ball travel also trims a little off the score.
- Deal with clusters early. Two balls close together near a rail can cost several strokes later, so look for a pot that also nudges them apart while the table is still open.
Modes and difficulty
The daily table is the same layout for everyone and changes at 00:00 UTC; only the first daily try counts on the leaderboard. Practice deals a new layout each time. After a clear, share the table and a friend plays the same balls in the same places, with your score to beat. There are no levels or difficulty settings: each table's par is the target. Two-player 8-ball, against a friend or Mocha, is a separate game in the hall.
Playing Pool Puzzle on Matsuri
This is pool as a puzzle: since par comes from a computer player's own clear plus two strokes, three stars are within reach of careful play rather than only perfect aim. The table turns landscape on a desktop; on a phone, drag to aim and slide the power bar. The server replays every shot through the same physics to check the score, and a cleared table pays 15, 20 or 25 candy by stars.
A little history
Clearing a table in the fewest strokes borrows golf's idea of par and turns pool into a puzzle of position play, and running balls off in any order is a familiar way for players to practise cue-ball control. The 9-foot table used here is the size seen in professional tournaments, and scratch is the standard word for potting the cue ball.
In the same series: Pool
- 8-Ball: Clear your balls, then sink the 8 to win
Update log
- · Fine aim on a phone, the way pool games do it: a ridged wheel beside the table under your thumb, and two buttons that turn the aim a tenth of a degree.
- · Pinch to zoom up to 2.5x and pan with two fingers; double-tap zooms on the cue ball.
- · Stars within reach: three at or under par, two up to par plus three, one for any clear.
- · Pool Puzzle arrives: clear the table in as few shots as you can.
Questions
- Can I play this pool game free in my browser without downloading?
- Yes. It is free, has no ads and needs no download or signup. It runs in any browser on phone or desktop, and inside Telegram via @MatsuriGamesBot.
- What is the daily table?
- Each day everyone gets the same layout of balls, so scores on the daily leaderboard are directly comparable. Your shots are replayed on the server to check the score.
- What happens if I pot the cue ball?
- A scratch counts as a foul: it adds one penalty stroke, the cue ball comes back, and you get ball in hand to place it behind the head string before your next shot.
- How do par and stars work?
- Par is set for each table from a computer player's clear plus two strokes. Clear the table at or under par for three stars, within three strokes over par for two, and any clear earns one. Fewer strokes and shorter cue-ball travel give a higher score.