How to Properly Rack Balls for 8-Ball Pool

Learn the official rules for how to arrange billiard balls with our guide

Co-authored by Hunter Rising Reviewed by Ashton Wu

Last Updated: September 6, 2024 Fact Checked

If you’re trying to play a round of 8-ball with your friends, racking the pool balls is the first step to starting any game. While there aren’t many rules for racking 8-ball, it’s important to do it properly so the game is fair. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through the right way to set up 8-ball with a rack so you can quickly start playing.

How to Rack 8 Ball

Set the triangle rack on the foot spot on one end of the table. Place any ball except for the 8-ball in the top corner, and place 1 striped and 1 solid ball in the remaining corners. Fill the spaces randomly with the other balls and put the 8-ball in the center of the rack.

1

Place a triangle rack on the table’s foot spot.

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A triangle rack keeps the balls organized and packed tightly. Locate the black and white dot, called the “foot spot,” in the center of one end of the table, about halfway between the corner and side pockets. Position the rack so the top point is directly over the foot spot, which is known as the “apex” of the rack. Align the base of the rack so it’s parallel with the edge of the pool table.^{[1]
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- The rack is an equilateral triangle, so it doesn’t matter which point you put over top of the foot spot.
- Make sure to straighten the base of the rack, or else the balls on one side have a greater chance of going into a pocket.
- If the table doesn’t have a marked foot spot, use the markings around the edge of the table to determine its location. Stand on the short end of the pool table, and find the second set of marks on the long edges between the corner and side pockets. Place the rack so the top corner lines up with those marks and the centerline of the table.
- Avoid using a diamond-shaped rack for 8-ball because they’re typically used for playing 9-Ball.

2

Place any ball besides the 8-ball at the apex.

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Any striped or solid ball works as the first ball in the rack. Choose one of the 7 striped or 7 solid balls, and position it on top of the foot spot inside of the rack. While many players like to use the 1-ball at the top of the rack, there are no official rules about which numbered ball has to go at the apex.^{[2]
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- When you’re playing 9- or 10-ball pool, both require the 1-ball at the apex of the rack.

3

Put a striped and solid ball in the rack’s remaining corners.

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Any numbers besides the 8-ball can go in the back corners. Place any one of the remaining striped balls in one corner, and choose a solid ball for the other corner. This gives both solids and stripes an equal chance of going in a pocket during the break. It doesn’t matter which number the ball has on it, as long as it isn’t the 8-ball.^{[3]
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- When you’re playing a game of 8-ball, if both the striped and the solid balls go in a pocket on the break, the player who shot first gets to choose which type of ball they’d like to continue playing for. If only one ball gets pocketed on the break, the player can choose to keep shooting for that type of ball, or they can choose the other.
  - Example: If the solid 6-ball went in the pocket on your break, you could keep shooting for solids or you can choose to shoot stripes instead.

4

Fill in the rack’s edges with random balls.

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Place the balls randomly, or try to alternate solids and stripes as best as you can so they break evenly on the table. Once you fill in the edges, position a solid and a stripe ball in the lower 2 spots of the remaining space.^{[4]
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5

Place the 8-ball in the center of the rack’s third row.

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Keeping the 8-ball in the middle prevents it from being pocketed early. Find the open space left in the third row from the top and set the 8-ball there. The 8-ball will align vertically with the apex ball.^{[5]
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- If a player pockets the 8-ball on the break, the other player receives an automatic win for the game.

6

Roll and lift the rack.

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Rolling the rack up and down ensures the balls are packed tightly. Push your fingers into the rack under the bottom row of balls, and then slightly push the rack forward. Pull the rack back again so that the apex ball is aligned with the foot spot and the base is parallel to the back of the table. Then, gently lift the rack up off the table to avoid touching or shifting the balls.^{[6]
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- If the balls shift when you lift the rack, rerack them to tightly pack them again. Then, try picking up the back end of the rack and pushing the apex forward and away from the balls before you lift it up.
- If the table has flaws and you can’t place the apex ball directly over the foot spot, use the rules for the United States Professional Poolplayers Association (UPA). Place the ball within a dime’s radius (half the width of a dime) of the foot spot.

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Question

If I shoot at a numbered ball and scratch, where does the cue ball go for the next shot?

Community Answer

Some people do ball in hand, which is where you can basically place it anywhere. Others make you place it anywhere behind the break line.

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Where do I rack if there is no foot spot on the table?

Glen A. Jackson

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In that case, hopefully there are diamond markers on the head, foot, and side rails; most but not all tables have them. Try to line yourself up, with the center of the rack right at the center foot rail diamond. Put all the balls in the rack, and then move it forward so the top ball is at the intersection of the center foot rail diamond and the 2nd diamond on the closest side rails. Without the diamonds, the concept is still the same, it just requires more guesswork. Lots of people will mark this with a simple black spot using a permanent marker. On old, felt-worn tables, the felt may be bare in that spot, possibly even have a small dimple where the top ball would be.

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Most of the time my hand trembles when I take a shot, which sometimes makes me miss the cue ball. How can I improve on this?

Community Answer

Press the heel of your hand tighter to the table. Use an open bridge instead of a closed bridge. If shooting from the rail, place the palm of your hand against the outside of the rail.

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Tips

If you’re playing with red and yellow pool balls, place 2 different colors in the back 2 corners. Then, place 2 balls of the opposite color next to the corner balls. On the right side of the rack, make a stripe of 3 balls that are the same color as the 2 on the left side. Fill in the remaining balls, and place the 8-ball so it’s in the center so it’s on the foot spot.^{[7]
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Let the player who will break first rack the balls. In a recreational game, toss a coin or do a “lag” test to determine who will break and rack. In a professional game, the player with the lowest official standing in the league always breaks first.

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