How to Setup a Pool Table

It's handy and a lot of fun to know your parlor games, and pool is one of the most popular. The ability to play it well can make you a big hit at parties and a sought-after partner at the local tavern. Not everyone is a pool shark, but you don't need to be one to reap the game's benefits. Casual knowledge of the rules, such as how to set up the table for a game of 8-ball, demonstrates that you are a well-rounded person with respect for the game.

Instructions

Setting Up The Table

1

Clear the table. No matter whether you're playing at a bar, pool hall or in someone's basement, give the table a quick once-over. Pick up chalk cubes, clear drinks from the rails and, most important, get the cues off the table. Players sometimes leave them on the rails, and, if you don't notice them or pick them up, they could block the pockets during the break.

2

Get the balls on the table. If you're playing on a coin-operated table, the balls will be released once you insert your quarters and push in the sliding mechanism. If it gets stuck, you may need to give it a good whack with the heel of your hand or the butt of a pool cue. If you're playing on a free table, the balls should be either in the pockets or in a holding slot at either the head or the foot of the table.

3

Rack the balls. Place all but the solid white cue ball in the plastic triangle.

4

Arrange the balls. Everyone seems to have a different way to do this, but the Billiard Congress of America stipulates the following: The eight ball goes in the middle, and the one ball goes up front. A striped ball is placed in one of the corners and a solid is placed in the other. League and house rules vary.

5

Place the rack. Find the foot spot, the black dot in the middle of the table. Slide the rack so that the one ball is directly over the foot spot, and that the back line of balls is parallel with the rail.

6

Remove the rack. Without touching any of the balls, slide the rack off and find a good place to put it. Many pool tables have built-in rack storage at the foot of the table. Some players like to insert their fingers into the back of the rack to tighten the grouping of balls before sliding it off, but this is not necessary.

7

Place the cue ball. The player who is breaking can place the cue ball anywhere behind the head string, an imaginary line marked by the middle dot on the other end of the table.

8

Chalk the cue. If you're breaking, always chalk the tip of the cue before shooting. It's cheap insurance against scratching, or sinking the cue ball, which causes you to lose your turn.