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🔊 Listen to this These series of “Game Rules’ provide rules of many different games for the pool table. The rules here have been simplified from the official versions – to make them a little easier to understand.

There are other games that have been invented, copyrighted and generally available to the playing public. Web searches will turn these up and the rules printed out for use.

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Chicago (carom-scratch)

Object

Score points by shooting object ball off of cue ball into pocket. Each ball counts as one point.

Opponents

Two players.

First player determined by local rules (coin, lag, card draw, etc.)

Balls

Regular set of balls.

Racking

Regular random rack. Cue ball is placed on top position (apex ball).

Breaking

Object ball is played from kitchen off of cue ball. If any object ball is pocketed, play continues.

Regular play

Any object ball is selected and caromed off of the cue ball into a pocket. If successful, scores one point. Another object ball is shot off the cue ball, etc.

Incidental object balls pocketed count.

Shooter must make a legal hit off the cue ball.

Inning ends on a foul or no ball pocketed.

Fouls

Penalties are loss of turn, loss of 1 point, and an object ball re-spotted. (If at zero points, 1 point added to opponent’s score.)

• No legal shot
• Ball off the table (re-spotted)
• Illegal ball movement (optional – moved balls can be replaced with opponent’s approval and play continues with no penalty)
• Scratch (cue ball is pocketed) – cue ball is placed on center spot and incoming player starts