A pool game typically begins with a specific maneuver known as the break.
Understanding the Pool Game Start
The initial action in a pool game is crucial and sets the stage for the entire match. According to standard rules, particularly in 8-ball, which is the most common variant, the game commences with the "break".
- The Break: This is the first shot of the game. The balls are racked (arranged in a triangle) at one end of the table, and the player breaking hits the cue ball (the white ball) from behind a designated line (the head string) towards the racked balls. The goal of a good break is often to sink one or more balls and spread the remaining balls across the table.
Once the balls are broken, players take turns hitting balls into pockets. As mentioned in the reference, players subsequently "try to hit all of their assigned balls into pockets using the cue ball". In 8-ball, players are assigned either the solid-colored balls (1-7) or the striped balls (9-15) based on which type of ball is legally pocketed first after the break.
- Post-Break Play: After the break, the game proceeds with players attempting to legally pocket their assigned group of balls. The cue ball is the only ball players are allowed to strike directly with their cue stick; they must use the cue ball to hit their object balls. The game continues until one player has pocketed all of their assigned balls and then legally pockets the 8 ball. The 8 ball must be the last ball pocketed (before the opponent legally pockets it).
In summary, the break shot is the defining starting point of a pool game, initiating the action and scattering the balls across the table for subsequent play.
