pool

Game derived from billiards and played in many different forms. Originally popular in the USA, it is now also played in Europe.

It is played with balls of different colours, each of which is numbered. The neutral ball (black) is the number eight ball. The most popular form of pool is eight-ball pool in which players have to sink all their own balls before the opponent, and then must sink the eight-ball to win the game. Other forms include sinking balls in numerical order (rotation), or sinking a designated ball into a designated pocket (straight pool).