How To Rack Pool Balls

There are several ways how to rack pool balls. The correct way to rack pool balls depends on what game of pool is being played. The most common games of pool are Eight Ball, Nine Ball, and Straight Pool. Each game of pool has different rules for racking the pool balls.

To rack pools balls, you will need:

• Pool Balls
• Pool Table
• Rack

1. Racking Pool Balls for Eight Ball. The rack for Eight Ball is triangular shaped and the front tip is placed on the foot spot (dot) at either end of the pool table. All fifteen pools balls are used in a game of Eight Ball. The number one ball is placed in the front corner, a stripe ball is placed in one corner, and a solid colored balled is placed in the other corner. The eight ball is placed in the center of the rack and is surrounded by the rest of the pool ball in no particular order.
2. Racking Pool Balls for Nine Balls. In the game of Nine Ball the pool balls are played in numerical order starting with the number one ball. Therefore, when racking pool balls for a game of Nine Ball the balls must be placed in the rack in numerical order to comply with the rule of striking the lowest number on the table first. The proper rack for a game is Nine Ball is shaped like a diamond. However with a little effort a triangular rack may be used. The front tip of the rack is placed on the foot spot. Starting from the front point of the rack the balls are placed in order with the number one ball in the front corner. The next row is the two and three balls. The third row is the four, nine (center of the rack), and five balls. The fourth row has the six and seven ball. The final row is the eight ball. The balls are in a diamond shape.
3. Racking Pool Balls for Straight Pool. The rack for Straight Pool is triangular shaped. The front corner of the rack is placed on the foot spot. The number one ball is placed in the right corner and the number five ball is placed in the left corner of the rack. The rest of the balls are placed in the rack in no particular order. Because Straight Pool is played to a number of points, as opposed to the number of balls, additional racking will be required to make the points. When the cue ball and a single object ball are all that is left on the table during play, the pocketed balls will be recovered from the pockets and racked. The rack is placed on the foot spot so the spot is where the middle of the first ball in the rack would be. Fourteen balls are placed in the rack, leaving the front ball spot open, and play continues.

Tips and Warnings:

• Before removing the rack take a moment to press the pool balls together so there are no gaps. Remove the rack slowly.
• If the pool balls are not evenly placed with no gaps in between the balls the pool balls may roll away when the rack in removed.