8-Ball
Pot your solids or stripes, then sink the 8 to win
How to play
8-Ball on Matsuri is free online 8 ball pool for two players: break, claim solids or stripes, clear your group and sink the 8. Send a friend an invite link to play in Telegram or any browser, or play Mocha, the hall's host. It runs on phone or desktop, inside Telegram via @MatsuriGamesBot, with no download, and on the web a guest account is made for you, so there is no sign-up.
8-Ball is two-player pool on a 9-foot table with real ball physics. Break from behind the head string, and the first ball potted legally after the break decides who has solids and who has stripes. Pot one of yours and you shoot again; a foul, such as a scratch or hitting the wrong ball first, gives the other player ball in hand anywhere on the table. Clear your group, then sink the 8 in any pocket to win, with no pockets to call. Send a friend the invite link to play in Telegram or any browser, or play Mocha, who sees every clear pot but misses now and then.
- Aim by dragging on the table (or moving the mouse; a click locks it), then slide the power bar and let go, or press on the table and pull back.
- After the break, the first ball you pot fairly decides your group: solids (1–7) or stripes (9–15). Pot one of yours and you shoot again.
- A foul (the cue ball in a pocket, hitting nothing, or hitting the other group or the 8 first) gives the other player ball in hand: they put the cue ball anywhere.
- Clear your group, then sink the 8 in any pocket to win; no calling pockets. Sink the 8 too early, or foul on it, and you lose.
How to play 8-Ball
The fifteen balls are racked in a triangle at the foot spot, with the 8 in the middle. The breaker places the cue ball anywhere behind the head string and breaks. On the break only a scratch or a miss is a foul. If the 8 drops on the break it goes back on the foot spot, and if any other ball drops the breaker shoots again. The table is open after the break: the first ball someone pots legally decides the groups, solids 1 to 7 or stripes 9 to 15, and on an open table any ball except the 8 may be hit first.
Your turn goes on while you pot one of your own balls without a foul. The fouls are: the cue ball in a pocket or off the table, hitting nothing, hitting the other group first (or the 8 while balls of your own are left), and a shot where nothing is potted and no ball reaches a cushion after the contact. After a foul the other player has ball in hand and may put the cue ball anywhere on the table.
Once your group is cleared you shoot at the 8. Pot it without a foul, in any pocket, and you win: there is no calling of pockets. Pot the 8 before your group is cleared, including on the same shot as your last ball, or scratch while potting it, and you lose. Aim by dragging on the table (or moving the mouse, a click locks the aim), set spin on the cue ball if you like, then slide the power bar and let go.
8-Ball strategy and tips
- On an open table, choose your group with your eyes, not your luck. Before taking the first pot, look at which group has fewer balls stuck together or against a rail, since that group will be easier to clear.
- Plan the cue ball, not just the pot. The aim guide shows where the object ball goes and where the cue ball heads after contact; choose the pot that leaves the next ball easy.
- Ball in hand is the biggest gift in the game. Put the cue ball where a straight, short pot also leaves a second ball open, rather than simply next to the nearest ball.
- When there is no pot, play safe but legally: touch one of your own balls first and make sure some ball reaches a cushion, or it is a foul and your opponent gets ball in hand.
- Keep the 8 out of your plans until your group is gone. Potting your last ball and the 8 on the same shot loses, so take them one at a time.
- If the aim guide shows a red ghost with a cross, that ball is not yours to hit first. Look for another line rather than risk the foul.
Modes and difficulty
Play a friend: open a table, send the invite link in a Telegram chat or anywhere else, and the match starts when they sit down; anyone else who opens a full table can watch. Play Mocha: she sits across the table, takes the easiest clear pot she can see, places the cue ball well with ball in hand and aims about two degrees off at most, so careful position play beats her. After a match, ask for a rematch and the other player breaks. There are no levels, ranks or ladders.
Playing 8-Ball on Matsuri
8-Ball uses the same 9-foot table and physics as the hall's solo Pool game, and the physics is exact enough that the server and every browser play a shot out identically. The server runs each shot, keeps the balls where they stopped and checks every rule, and both players watch the same shot roll out. Mocha reacts to fouls, big pots and close finishes. A match pays a little candy once at least eight shots have been played: against a friend 15 for a win and 5 for a loss, against Mocha 6 for a win, within the day's candy budget, and candy dresses Mocha in new outfits.
A little history
Eight-ball grew up in the United States in the early 1900s, and by the middle of the century it was the standard game on bar tables everywhere. Many places play it with a called 8 or called pockets; the bar-room version here keeps the classic idea of solids, stripes and the black ball last, without the calls.
Questions
- Can I play 8 ball pool online with friends for free?
- Yes. Open a table, send the invite link, and your friend plays in Telegram or any browser. It is free, with no ads, no download and no sign-up; on the web a guest account is made for you.
- Do I have to call the pocket for the 8?
- No. Once your group is cleared, pot the 8 in any pocket without a foul and you win. Potting it before your group is cleared, or scratching while potting it, loses.
- What happens after a foul?
- The other player gets ball in hand and can place the cue ball anywhere on the table. Fouls are a scratch, hitting nothing, hitting the wrong ball first, or a shot where nothing is potted and no ball reaches a cushion.
- Can I play 8-ball alone?
- Yes, play Mocha. She sees every clear pot and aims about two degrees off at most, so a careful player can beat her.