🎱How to start playing 8 Ball Pool!

Welcome to 8 Ball Pool, arguably the most popular pool game in the World!🎱

Developed by Miniclip, and with a strong decade long history, 8 Ball Pool allows you to channel your inner pool player! With a huge variety of features, this is the best place to play pool and have fun!

Below you will be able to learn the basics about 8 Ball Pool, the game's features, what you can do, and find a brief explanation of the main menus inside the game. If you haven't already, please follow these links to download/access the game and get started!

• Android Devices
• iOS Devices
• Amazon Devices
• Browser Version

As you can see above, 8 Ball Pool can be played on several devices, and also on any web browser. However, please note that web and mobile versions are different. The best experience is on your mobile device. Some of the best features, like the Pool Pass and Pro Membership are only available on the mobile versions, and you can take advantage of the inherent portability: play and challenge other players or your friends absolutely anywhere (as long as you have an internet connection, of course 😁). 

Also bear in mind that you won't be able to play against friends who are using a different version than yours (i.e. play with a friend using a mobile version while you're playing on the web version). 

To be always up to date with the latest news and participate in exclusive giveaways, don't forget to follow our official Facebook page and to join our official Supergroup!

Your first steps!

1. Create an account

   It is highly recommended that, the first time you start playing, you create and link an account to your Facebook, Google or Apple account. This is the best way to make sure your account is safe and the relevant data is backed up. The best link is always Facebook, as you will also gain access to a lot of features, like in-game chat with Facebook friends, extra gifts, and of course, an increased sense of community and competition! Please note that it is also possible to play as guest, but this is not recommended, as your account information may be lost if you clear your device’s cache, or reinstall the game, and the Player Experience team won't be able to recover that information! Regarding this, please take a look at the following articles:
   Why and How to Upgrade a Guest Account
   Connecting Multiple Login Types to your Game Account
   
   

2. Explore the Home screen

   This is the screen you’ll always see when you first log into the game. From here, you can access every menu the game has. Here’s a fast explanation of each of them:
   
   
   1. Club: this is where you will be able to create or join a club, and then access everything related to it (its members, the leaderboard, etc). Check these articles for more information regarding this feature:
      Clubs: What are they and how to create one?
      Clubs: Gifts, chat and friendly matches
      Clubs: Leaderboards
      Clubs: Roles and Leadership
      
      
   2. Player Profile: the place for all your information, statistics, etc. See your level progression, trophies, collection power, change your avatar, and more! You can also access the Trophy Road menu from here. More on this feature here:
      Trophies and the Trophy Road
      Trophies FAQ
      
      
   3. Cues: marvel at your cue collection here! There is a lot of information to explore. You can find several tabs where the game’s cues are organized. Among other things, you can see how to acquire each cue (via surprise or victory boxes, promotions, cash or coins), You can also upgrade your cues with cash, and see their stats. One more thing here: by clicking on the Collection Power button on the top left corner of the screen, you can access this feature, which is similar to the Trophy Road. More information about it: Cue Collection Power! and Cue Collection Power FAQ. Also, make sure you take a look at this article for detailed information:
      How to buy and select a Cue
      
      
   4. Free rewards: in this menu, that you should check every day, you can find ways to earn extra coins and cash, by watching ads, completing offers, or just by claiming the free rewards. You can also access your daily missions; by completing them, you earn even more rewards!
      
      
   5. Leaderboards: now this is for the competitors among you! In this menu you can see all the information related to 8 Ball Pool’s weekly competitions. You can check your personal league, the friends league, the country league and the world league. Each of them has special rewards for the best players. You can also check the previous week’s final results. You can find more information about this topic on the following article:
      Leaderboard Revamp
      
      
   6. Shop: this is the place to go to if you need an extra bit of coins or cash, a surprise box, or if you are looking to buy a new shiny cue. Be sure to check the “Promotions” tab frequently, as the best offers will be shown there! Also, note that as you purchase items, you will receive VIP Points. More information about this here:
      VIP Level Multiplier in Promotions and Minigames.
      
      
      

3. Jump into a match (and there's lots of options 😅)

   In 8 Ball Pool you have several game modes to explore. There's always something to do, and lots of fun to be had.
   
   
   
   1. Play 1 on 1: this is the main game mode. You'll be matched with players around the same skill level as yours, and you also have a big variety of tables to chose from. Always make sure to click on the blue "i" icon on the bottom right corner of the table card in order to learn the rules for that particular table, and the prizes you can win by playing there.
      
      
   2. Special events: temporary events will usually show up here, as seen on the image above. These events vary a lot, sometimes they are special tournaments, win streak challenges or even some surprises! Keep a lookout for these. For more information about these, please check the following article:
      Win Streak Events: Winning Conditions
      
      
   3. Play Special: by clicking on this option, you'll be given access to a few more special game modes, namely 9 Ball(Click here for more on this mode), Tournaments, No Guidelines and Lucky Shot. After selecting the one you want, make sure you click on the blue "i" icon, on the bottom left corner of the table card, to learn mode about the game mode and get acquainted with its rules and prizes!  
      
      
   4. Play Minigames: this menu shows the minigames available in 8 Ball Pool (Surprise Boxes, Spin and Win, Scratch and Win, and Lucky Shot). In each of these sections, you can play already acquired minigames, or purchase more before playing. Remember, if you have any doubts on how each game works, you'll always find a blue "i" icon that has a thorough explanation of prizes and general rules. More information about Minigames and Surprise boxes below:
      Minigames: Lucky Shot
      Surprise Boxes: Repeated Pieces
      
      
      
   5. Play with Friends: this mode allows you to play with your friends. Remember that you should be connected to Facebook in order to take full advantage of this feature! Also, note that these matches do not count towards special events objectives! Most of these events have specific matchmaking rules, and playing with friends will not count toward them (Win Streak events, for example). As always, clicking on the blue "i" icon will provide additional information.
      
      
   6. Practice offline: this game mode allows you to practice your skills offline, without the pressure of playing a real opponent. Remember, practice makes perfect, so make sure you explore this game mode as well!
      
      

4. Check the Settings, send and receive some gifts, view who's online, and open those victory boxes
   
   
   
   

   1. Settings: it is very important that you check this menu when starting your 8 Ball Pool career. There's a lot of options that you might not be aware of, like your login options (very important, as explained in the beginning of this article), the game's Terms and Conditions, language options, and also some very relevant gameplay options, like tweaking the cue sensitivity, turning on the aiming wheel, or change the power bar location. Please check these out!
      You can click here for more on how the settings work!
      
      

   2. Send Gifts/Inbox: this is the place to go to for some extra coins. Here, you can see the players that sent you coins as gifts, accept them (and how satisfying it is to hear them being added to your balance log!), but also send or request some from others. You can do this once a day, so be sure to check this feature frequently! Also, note that your VIP level will increase the amount of coins you receive from these sources. On this topic, please check the following articles:
      What is Gifting?
      
      
   3. Friends: this is the quickest way to access the Friends menu. Here, you can see who is online, invite new friends (and receive some free coins by doing so) and challenge them. You can also keep track of you played matches with these players, for some extra competitivity.
      
      
   4. Box slots: victory boxes will be stored here until you open them. Please note that these boxes take some time to unlock, so you should always check if the timer is already running down! If not, click "Start unlocking", or just pay a small sum of cash to instantly unlock them and get your hands on the rewards.

As you can see, there's a lot to to and to explore in 8 Ball Pool. This article is meant to help new players understand a bit more about the game and learn the basics; hopefully, if this is your case, you will feel a bit more knowledgeable and on even grounds compared to more experienced players. However, feel free to explore our 8 Ball Pool Knowledge Base for more information, as we update it regularly with articles detailing new features, updates and generic announcements. You can find it here: 8 Ball Pool Knowledge Base

I hope you have fun in the game and always feel free to provide additional feedback on our social media pages or to the Player Experience team!