8 ball pool online

Play a friend online with a code

1. Open Lamplight Pool and tap Play a friend.
2. One of you taps Host a game and gets a four character room code, like K7QM. We leave out letters and numbers that look alike, so it's easy to read out loud.
3. Send the code, or tap Share link. Your friend types the code under Join a friend, or just opens the link.
4. The host picks 8 ball or 9 ball and a race to 1, 3 or 5, then taps Start. A coin toss on both screens decides who breaks.

You see your friend line up every shot as it happens, with the cue, the aim line and the power bar moving on your screen too. There's no typed chat, just quick reactions like a thumbs up. Neither of you needs an account, and if the connection drops we hold the match for two minutes and pick up where you left off.

Play the computer

Our house players shoot on the same table with the same physics and controls you have, and they only see the table. They miss the way people miss. The easygoing ones go for the easiest pot and often leave it short, the steady ones allow for throw and play for the next ball, and the experts play position, safeties and the odd bank shot. Quick match lets you pick any of eight levels.

The career takes you through six venues, from The Garage to The Grand Hall, with four house players in each. Tables grow from a 7 foot table with generous pockets to a full 9 foot table with tight ones. There's also a two player mode for sharing one device and a practice table.

8 ball rules in a minute

• Fifteen balls are racked with the 8 in the middle. After the break the table is open.
• The first group you pot on a clean shot is yours: solids (1 to 7) or stripes (9 to 15).
• Pot one of your balls and you shoot again. Miss, or foul, and it's your opponent's turn.
• Clear your group, then pot the 8 to win. Potting the 8 early, or on a foul, loses the rack.
• A scratch, missing every ball or hitting the wrong ball first gives your opponent ball in hand.

Called shots are off by default, and you can turn them on in Settings. Prefer 9 ball? You always hit the lowest numbered ball first, and whoever pots the 9 on a legal shot wins.

Physics that teaches real pool

We built the table first. The cue ball slides before it rolls, so a firm center hit stops dead on a straight shot. Object balls get pushed slightly off line by friction, side spin changes how a ball comes off a rail, and the pockets have real points, so a ball that clips the jaw can rattle out. The shots you learn here work on a real table.

Tips for better breaks and runs

• Think about where the cue ball goes next, not just the pot. A rolling cue ball leaves a cut shot at about 30 degrees from its line.
• For a stop shot, hit a touch below center so the cue ball is still sliding when it arrives.
• On soft cut shots, aim a hair thinner, because the object ball gets thrown a little toward the cut.
• Leave yourself an easy next ball rather than a hard one. Position beats power.

Our full Lamplight Pool guide covers 9 ball, fouls, spin, the Daily Table and the collection of cues and cloths.

Questions