How to play pool?

[johnnyse011]

Can someone explain how to play pool to me like I'm 5? What are the usual terminologies used? We knew the 8-ball where you're supposed to sink balls into pockets, but that's about it

 

[Curtis_30]

Okay, I'm gonna try..

Think of pool like this: you have a special stick called a cue, and you use it to push a white ball (the cue ball) to hit other colored balls. Your goal is to make your colored balls fall into the holes around the table. You're right, those are called pockets!

There are two main groups of colored balls: solids (just one color) and stripes (with a stripe around them). You and your friend each get to try and sink all of your type of balls first. After all of your balls are in the pockets, then you try to get the special black ball, the 8 ball, into a pocket. If you get the 8 ball in before all your other balls, or if you accidentally knock it in at the wrong time, then you lose!

Some words you'll regularly encounter.. "Break" is the very first hit to scatter the balls. A "scratch" is when the cue ball goes into a pocket, which is usually not good. "Foul" is when someone does something wrong, like hitting the wrong ball first. "Rack" is what you do to set up the balls in a triangle at the beginning.

Sounds good?

 

[CrabCzar]

Okay, I'm gonna try..

Think of pool like this: you have a special stick called a cue, and you use it to push a white ball (the cue ball) to hit other colored balls. Your goal is to make your colored balls fall into the holes around the table. You're right, those are called pockets!

There are two main groups of colored balls: solids (just one color) and stripes (with a stripe around them). You and your friend each get to try and sink all of your type of balls first. After all of your balls are in the pockets, then you try to get the special black ball, the 8 ball, into a pocket. If you get the 8 ball in before all your other balls, or if you accidentally knock it in at the wrong time, then you lose!

Some words you'll regularly encounter.. "Break" is the very first hit to scatter the balls. A "scratch" is when the cue ball goes into a pocket, which is usually not good. "Foul" is when someone does something wrong, like hitting the wrong ball first. "Rack" is what you do to set up the balls in a triangle at the beginning.

Sounds good?

nailed it! let me add some more.
now, when it's "your turn," you keep shooting as long as you make one of your balls go into a pocket legally. If you miss, or foul, then it's the other person's turn!
also if someone "scratches" or "fouls," the other person often gets "ball in hand." That means you can pick up the white cue ball and put it anywhere on the table you want, which is a big advantage! one more thing, have fun OP!