The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), the governing body of pool which has continental and national affiliates around the world, promulgates standardized rules as Pool Billiards - The Rules of Play. 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. This results in some differences in gameplay approach. There, they must compete in Death Games with their souls on the line, the results of which reveal what secrets led them to their situation and what their fate will be afterwards, with the arbiters judging if their souls will either be sent for reincarnation or banished into the void. It may be inferred that it developed from a variety of games in which propelling a ball was a main feature. There are stories of the balls exploding during pocket billiards games even after manufacturing was complete. Nevertheless, the rules for eight-ball may be the most inconsistent of any billiard game, as there are several competing sets of "official" rules. Are billiard balls ceramic?

The rules of blackball differ from standard eight-ball in numerous ways, including the handling of fouls, which may give the opponent two shots, racking (the 8 ball, not the apex ball, goes on the spot), selection of which group of balls will be shot by which player, handling of frozen balls and snookers, and many other details. The balls in the rack are ideally placed so that they are all in contact with one another; this is accomplished by pressing the balls together toward the apex ball. The base of the rack is parallel to the end rail (the short end of the pool table) and positioned so the apex ball of the rack is located on the foot spot. However, the tables are constructed similarly to 9-foot (2.7 m) snooker tables, with rounded pocket openings, napped cloth and flat-faced rail cushions. These are used for amateur and professional play. It is popular in amateur and professional competition in the UK, Ireland, Australia and some other countries. WPA professional competition generally employs regulation tables, while the amateur league championships of various leagues, including BCAPL, VNEA, and APA, use the seven-foot tables in order to fit more of them into the hosting venue.

In most leagues, it is the breaker's opponent who racks the balls, but in some, players break their own racks. Special sets designed to be more easily discernible on television substitute pink for the dark purple of the 4 and 12 and light tan for the darker maroon of the 7 and 15 balls, and these alternative-color sets are now also available to consumers. The billiard balls, formerly made of ivory or Belgian clay, are now usually plastic; they each measure from about 21/4 to 23/8 inches (5.7 to 6 cm) in diameter, the larger balls being used in carom billiards. 1⁄16 inches (52 mm) in diameter, the latter being the same size as the balls used in snooker and English billiards. A cue ball will tend to curve away from the shot line with english, toward the left with left-hand english and vice versa. The British version of eight-ball, known internationally as either blackball or simply eight-ball, has evolved into a separate game, retaining significant elements of earlier pub versions of the game, with additional influences from English billiards and snooker. I also met Anthony, the other owner of the very recently opened bar (and Billiards hall), but it was Albert behind the bar this afternoon chatting with my buddy and I over a couple of beers and a delicious "Wiz Wit".

In short, a world-standardized rules game of eight-ball, like a game of nine-ball, is not over until the "money ball" is no longer on the table. There goes the game. Once there it clings to its attractor as it is buffeted to and fro in a literal sea of chaos, and quickly moves back to the surface if temporarily thrown above or dumped below the waves. The regulation size of the table's playing surface is 9 by 4.5 ft (2.7 by 1.4 m), though exact dimensions may vary slightly by manufacturer. If playing individually (Cutthroat), the first player to stake out is the winner. Perhaps it reminds them of their first game, an ancestral home, what is billiards or even their favorite sports team. That number places the difficulty of performing each sport in context with the other sports we rated. Smaller 6-foot (1.8 m) tables are sometimes used in places where a larger table would be too large. After the balls are scattered with a break shot, a player is assigned either the group of solid or striped balls once they have legally pocketed a ball from that group. Following a foul, the incoming player has ball-in-hand anywhere on the table, unless the foul occurred on the break shot, as noted previously.