Billiards

I have the opportunity to play pool with some folks that I’ve never played pool with before and so I thought it would be timely to share my ruminations on the pool rules I’ve experienced in the US and the rules I recommend for friendly games. Bar Pool Rules The default that I’ve seen in most bars in the US is that you shoot 8-ball and you have to call every shot. If you call it off of another ball and it goes in without touching that ball, it is still a miss and you’re giving up control of the pool table. This can lead to debates on whether what actually happened adequately matches what was called. Compared to other alternatives there is a much higher chance of rules arguments like this. Those debates are not fun for me. It also feels pretty unforgiving and not what I’d want for a friendly game of pool. ...