Many studies have also shown that certain colors tend to elicit certain moods or states of mind. The two most important reasons are eye comfort and playability - some colors are easier on the eyes than others and make the balls and pockets easier to see clearly. If the breaker fails to make a successful break-usually defined as at least four balls hitting cushions or an object ball being pocketed-then the opponent can opt either to play from the current position or to call for a re-rack and either re-break or have the original breaker repeat the break. Make a realistic assessment of the area, taking into account any existing storage or clutter. Because of this, it is possible for a game to end with only one of the players having shot, which is known as "running the table" or a "denial"; conversely, it's also possible to win a game without taking a shot; such a scenario may occur if the opposing player illegally pockets the 8 ball on any shot other than the break (such as sinking the 8 ball in an uncalled pocket, knocking the 8 ball off the table, sinking the 8 ball when a player is not yet on the black ball, or sinking both the 8 ball and the cue ball off a single shot).

Nevertheless, the rules for eight-ball may be the most inconsistent of any billiard game, as there are several competing sets of "official" rules. The table is "open" at the start of the game, what is billiards meaning that either player may shoot at any ball. Some leagues and tournaments using the World Standardized Rules may allow smaller sizes, down to 7 by 3.5 ft (2.1 by 1.1 m). The rule has been increasingly adopted by amateur leagues. American-style eight-ball rules are played around the world by professionals and in many amateur leagues. Meanwhile, many amateur leagues - such as the American Poolplayers Association (APA) and its affiliate the Canadian Poolplayers Association (CPA), the Valley National Eight-ball Association (VNEA) and the BCA Pool League (BCAPL) - use their own rulesets which have slight differences from WPA rules and from each other. British style pool is another billiard game that makes use of 15 object balls and a cue ball. There are many different styles of raking, some of which entail the use of special rake picks specifically designed for a particular technique.

While applying light to moderate torque, push and pull a gently rounded rake pick from front to back and back to front along the pin stacks. Each board is labeled with its keyway, and each lock cylinder on a board is labeled with the number of installed pin stacks (from one to six) and the keying code for its pinning. A key that is bitted to the wrong depth in even one pin position will not operate the lock. If the 8 ball is pocketed on the break, then the breaker can choose either to re-spot the 8 ball and play from the current position or to re-rack and re-break; but if the cue ball is also pocketed on the break (colloquially referred to as a "scratch") then the opponent is the one who has the choice: either to re-spot the 8 ball and shoot with ball-in-hand behind the head string, accepting the current position, or to re-break or have the breaker re-break.

On the break shot, no balls are pocketed and fewer than four balls reach the cushions, in which case the incoming player can demand a re-rack and take the break or force the original breaker to re-break, or may take ball-in-hand behind the head string and shoot the balls as they lie. The game arose from two changes made, namely that the 8 ball must be pocketed last to win, and that each player may pocket only half of the other object balls. In order to win the game, the player first designates which pocket the 8 ball will be pocketed into and then successfully pockets the 8 ball into that pocket. There are different types of this game, which today I'll tell you. This is the material that then became the standard when creating billiard balls up until today. If any balls from a player's suit are on the table, the player must hit one of them first on every shot; otherwise a foul is called and the turn ends. Perhaps it reminds them of their first game, an ancestral home, or even their favorite sports team.