How to Play 9 Ball: Rules, Break, Push Out and Fouls
Updated
In 9-ball you play with the balls numbered 1 to 9, and on every shot the cue ball must hit the lowest-numbered ball on the table first. Any ball may drop on a legal shot, and you keep shooting as long as you pocket something. Whoever legally pockets the 9 wins the rack, even if other balls are still on the table.
The rules below follow the World Pool-Billiard Association, or WPA, in the version in force since 21 October 2026. Leagues, bars and browser games change some details, and those differences are marked.
The balls and the rack
| Ball | What it is |
|---|---|
| 1 | The front ball of the rack and the first ball you must hit |
| 2 to 8 | The other object balls, played in number order |
| 9 | The money ball: pocket it legally and the rack is yours |
| White | The cue ball, the only ball you strike with the cue |
The nine balls are racked tightly in a diamond. Under current WPA rules the 1 sits at the front point, facing the breaker, and the 9 sits in the middle of the diamond, on the foot spot. The other seven go in any order.
Some tournaments and older rule sets put the 1 on the foot spot instead, as the Wikipedia article on nine-ball notes. Either way the 1 leads and the 9 is in the middle.
How to break in 9-ball
- You break with the cue ball in hand behind the head string, the line across the table near the end you break from.
- The cue ball must hit the 1 first, since it is the lowest ball on the table.
- If no ball drops, at least four object balls must reach a rail, or the break is a foul.
- If any ball drops and you did not foul, you keep shooting.
- If the 9 drops on a legal break, you win the rack on the spot.
Under WPA rules the break alternates between players from rack to rack. Some events give the next break to the winner of the last rack instead.
The three-ball break rule
WPA ranking events add one more test. On the break, at least three object balls must be pocketed or cross the head string, in any mix. If you miss that test but the break is otherwise legal, your opponent may take the table as it lies or hand the shot back to you. A 9 pocketed on such a break is put back on its spot instead of winning.
The push out
On the first shot after a legal break, the shooter may announce a push out. On that one shot the cue ball does not have to hit the lowest ball first, and no ball has to reach a rail.
After a push out, the other player decides who shoots next: they can take the shot that was left or make you play it. A 9 that drops on a push out is spotted, not counted as a win. In early versions of the game a push out could be called at any time; today it is only allowed on that first shot after the break.
Playing the rack: lowest ball first
- The cue ball's first contact must be the lowest-numbered ball left on the table.
- After that contact, any ball may go in any pocket. You do not have to pocket the ball you hit.
- Pocket one or more balls without a foul and you shoot again.
- A combination counts: hit the 3 into the 9, pocket the 9, and you win the rack.
- If you miss without a foul, your opponent plays the cue ball from where it stopped.
Pocketed balls stay down. The only ball ever spotted in WPA 9-ball is the 9 itself, after it drops on a foul or a push out, or leaves the table.
Fouls and ball in hand
| Foul | What happens on the table |
|---|---|
| Scratch | The cue ball drops into a pocket or leaves the table |
| Wrong ball first | The cue ball first touches any ball other than the lowest one |
| No rail after contact | Nothing is pocketed, and no ball reaches a rail after the cue ball hits a ball |
| Ball off the table | An object ball is driven off the table |
On a real table there are more fouls, such as touching a ball with your hand or cue, a double hit, a push shot, or shooting while balls are still moving.
After any of these fouls your opponent gets ball in hand: they may place the cue ball anywhere on the table before their shot. Three fouls in a row by the same player in one rack lose that rack, and under WPA rules the referee must warn a player who is on two fouls.
How 9-ball differs from 8-ball
| 9-ball | 8-ball | |
|---|---|---|
| Balls | 1 to 9 | 1 to 15 |
| First contact | Always the lowest ball on the table | A ball from your own group |
| Calling shots | No calls under WPA rules | Every shot after the break is called |
| How you win | Pocket the 9 legally at any time | Clear your group, then pocket the 8 |
| Three fouls in a row | Lose the rack | Not a rule in 8-ball |
The full rules of the 15-ball game are in 8 ball pool rules.
Tips that win more racks
- Think one ball ahead. Before each shot, decide where the cue ball should stop to give you an easy angle on the next lowest ball.
- Watch for the 9. Whenever the lowest ball sits near the 9, check whether a combination or a carom can put the 9 down early.
- Use ball in hand well. Place the cue ball for a shot on the lowest ball that also leaves you position on the next one, not only for the easiest pot.
- Play safe when there is no good shot. Hit the lowest ball legally and leave the cue ball where your opponent cannot see the next ball. A foul from them gives you ball in hand.
Play 9-ball and other pool games in a browser
9 Ball Pool 3D follows 9-ball rules: hit the lowest-numbered ball first and legally pocket the 9 to win. You can play computer opponents, a three-round championship, a mode against the clock or a practice room. Move the mouse to aim, click once to lock the aim and start the power meter, and click again to shoot; on a phone you drag to aim and tap twice.
Nine, Eight and Snooker puts 9-ball, 8-ball and snooker in one 3D game, with single game, game against a friend, observer and free table modes. You click where you want to aim, then fine-tune with A and D or the arrow keys.
To practice cue control, Billiard Challenge gives you levels where you must pot set balls within a limited number of attempts. Real Pool 3D runs from easy to expert levels in different settings. 8 Ball Pool 2D sets power by how long you press, and Billiard Hustlers adds spin and curve shots against the clock. In TRZ Pool you pocket 10 balls, and consecutive pots raise your score.
More cue games are in the billiards games collection, and billiards games online explains how pool, snooker and Russian billiards differ.
Common questions about 9 ball
What happens if you scratch in 9 ball?
It is a foul, so your opponent gets ball in hand anywhere on the table. If the 9 dropped on the same shot, it comes back to its spot and the rack goes on.
Does the 9 ball on the break win?
Yes, under WPA rules a 9 pocketed on a legal break wins the rack. The exception is a WPA ranking event where the break fails the three-ball rule: then the 9 is spotted.
Can you play 9 ball by yourself?
You can practice alone: rack the nine balls and try to pocket them in number order with as few misses as possible. 9 Ball Pool 3D has a practice room and a mode where you play against the clock.
Learn the lowest-ball rule, the push out and the three-foul rule, and you can play 9-ball at any table.
