Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Place the balls on 8-ball
• Tips

So you want to play pool? If you can place the balls correctly in the triangle, you show that you know how it works and that you are in control before the game starts. Although it is fairly easy to place the balls, there are a number of rules and tricks to get it right. Read this article to find out how to properly place the balls in a triangle on a pool table.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Place the balls on 8-ball

1. Place all other balls however you want. Make sure the number 1 ball is in the apex, the number 8 ball is in the center, and the balls in the bottom two corners of the triangle are half-whole. You can place the other balls however you want. For example, whole is allowed next to whole and half next to half, or mixed together.
   • A variant within the amateur game is to put the balls over and over, so half, whole, half, whole, and so on. This makes the balls in the bottom two corners the same; half and half or whole and whole.
   • Another variant within the amateur game is to arrange the balls by number from left to right. In this way, the ball with number 1 automatically enters the apex, numbers 11 and 15 are then in the corners and number 5 is where number 8 should actually be.
2. Place the ball in the apex at the level of the diamond-shaped mark on the side of the pool table. The center of the first ball should be in the center of the table at a quarter of the length of the table. Some tables have a small mark on the canvas where the first ball should be.
3. For 9 ball you need a diamond shape to put the balls on. Since you have to place the balls differently, you also need a different shape. The pattern of the diamond is 1-2-3-2-1. You can use the triangle for 9-ball, but then you cannot place the balls so tightly.
4. In all variants of 9-ball, the number 1 ball is in the apex and the number 9 ball is in the center. The ball with number 1 is therefore completely in front and the ball with number 9 is exactly in the middle.
5. Place all other balls in random order around the number 1 ball and the number 9 ball. As with 8-ball, it doesn't matter where you put the other balls.
   • At a amateur variant of 9-ball, the balls are placed in order from top to bottom and from left to right, with the exception of the ball with number 9. It remains in the middle. If you do it correctly, the ball with the number 1 will be in the apex and the ball with the number 8 at the bottom.

Tips

• Many people use the number 1 ball as the first ball, but it is not required.
• If you find it difficult to place the balls tightly against each other, move the balls to a certain point and suddenly stop so that they are against each other. If you move the triangle too slowly, it will not always be possible to get the balls together nicely.
• Another setup that people often use is to put a whole ball in one bottom corner of the triangle and a half in the other bottom corner, so that the chance of shooting a whole or half in it is the same.