Pool is akin to billiards or snooker if looked at a glance; however the rules are different for a pool and the game is a favorite amongst the youngsters in particular. A pool table is a must have for night clubs and other places where young people hang out. A pool table looks like a billiard table with balls and sticks to play with. A pool game is played on a long rectangular table having six pockets. There are four corner pockets and two pockets located on the sides at the center of the table. Other equipments that are required are a long wooden stick called the cue stick, a white ball called the cue ball, which is used to hit other balls and a number of other multicolored balls.
The cue ball is to be hit with the stick and pocket as many balls as one can. Now this game has got on to the Internet as well—just like so many different popular games. Online pool games have become a huge rage amongst the youth across the globe and there are some web sites that specialize in this game. Some offer the game for free; whereas for some one has to pay a subscription fee. Online pool games are as exciting as the real game itself and have many distinct advantages, such as having 24×7 accesses to the games and getting to play from the comforts of one’s home. The rules are same for both the online and the real games. The most basic requirement for playing a pool game is to be able to shoot with a correct technique. Using the right amount of force and shooting at the correct angle are very vital. Online pool games allows one to choose the quantum of force to be applied while hitting the cue ball; the only difference being that instead of a real cue stick one has to use the click of the mouse.
All the online pool sites have online instructions and simulations that help you to get acclimatized with the game. The game is not only about using the cue stick to hit the balls– it requires a lot of intricate calculations involving the possible outcomes of a shot and how the shot would impact the opponent. One can go on hitting till one pockets the balls and has to stop when he fails to pocket a ball. At this time, the opponent gets the chance and the game continues moving to and fro till there is a clear winner. Only after getting familiarized with the rules specific to 8 ball, 9 ball or straight pool game, should one go for betting, because betting without knowing the rules may result in huge losses as you may be pitted against the best online players.
The 8 ball pool game is the most popular pool game and is played with 15 object balls and one cue ball. The 9 ball cue ball was until very recently played by professionals, however now it has entered the online arena where any one can participate. The game is played with 9 balls that are numbered and one cue ball. During the game, a player is required to make contact with the lowest ranked ball on the table. The straight pool or 14.1 pool was the ultimate professional pool game in the US; however, this version of the game has become very popular online where a person has to score a predefined number of points (usually 150). There are 15 numbered balls on the table.