How to Play Pool Like a Professional

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To play pool like a pro, you need a good pool cue, a fluid stroke, and precise aim. Whether you're a casual pool player or you want to become accomplished, this article will give you the basic toolkit that you need to become better at billiards.

How to Hit a Pool Ball

  1. Chalk your cue before every shot.
  2. Grip the cue firmly, but comfortably, with your elbow hanging perpendicular to the floor.
  3. Keep your cue parallel to the table when you shoot.
  4. Accelerate smoothly through the ball and follow-through.
Section 1 of 5:

Proper Shooting Form

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  1. Your aiming hand is your nondominant hand and it is called your bridge hand . Your dominant hand is your gripping hand. Hold the back of the cue comfortably enough that your elbow and forearm are not tense, but stiff enough that you can’t lose control of the cue. [1]
    • Bridge hand: Make a circle with the thumb and index finger of your non-dominant hand. Put the cue through the circle and rest it on the top of your middle finger, behind the knuckle. This is called a closed bridge.
      • You can also use something called an open bridge. To do this, put your palm on the felt and angle your fingers like you’re forming a tee-pee. Let the cue rest in the divot between your thumb and the side of your index finger.
    • Back arm: Your forearm should hang directly down at a 90-degree angle with the floor. When you shoot, treat the elbow like a hinge—nothing above your elbow should move.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Play Pool Like a Pro
    You must be comfortable at the table, so spread your feet out with your dominant foot on the back and your nondominant foot at the edge of the table. [2]
    • Turn your body slightly away from the table so that it doesn't interfere with the shot. Some players like to stand with their legs closer to a straight line, while others prefer a 45-degree angle to the table. It’s totally up to you.
    • You want to be as stable as possible. Picture a boxer. What kind of stance would keep them stable during a punch? That’s what you’re aiming for here: maximum stability.
    • Bend at the waist, not with your back. Your back should be comfortable, but straight. For most players, their chest/back will rest at a roughly 20- to 30-degree angle with the table.
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  3. 3
    Line your dominant eye over the top of the cue. Keep the cue directly below your chin during a stroke. If you compare the form of a professional pool player with that of a novice pool player, the professional player will always keep their head down thorough the entire stroke. This is known as "being down on the ball," so keep the cue directly below his or her chin during the stroke. [3]
    • If you’re a little uncomfortable at first, that’s okay. A good shooting form often seems uncomfortable for newer players. If the position feels awkward but you become increasingly more comfortable as you play, your form is good.
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Section 2 of 5:

Hitting the Ball

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  1. 1
    Chalk the cue tip before every shot. The vast majority of novice pool players chalk their cue incorrectly. Avoid twisting the chalk on top of the cue—this actually leaves no chalk on the center of the tip, which is where you need it the most. Instead, use the edges of the chalk cube to “scrape” the chalk onto the tip. [4]
    • Rotate your cue as you chalk. Keep scraping the chalk onto the tip and twist the cue as you work to ensure you apply chalk to the entire tip.
    • Look at a good player’s personal chalk. Most good players carry their own chalk. Ask to look at one of their used cubes. You’ll notice that it doesn’t have the crater in the middle of the cube the way cheap chalk for everyone does. Instead, it’s a flat-ish surface!
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Play Pool Like a Pro
    The cue typically needs to sit parallel to the table for most shots. There are situations where you’d want to “jack the cue up” to put spin on the ball, but this is usually unnecessary. [5]
    • What happens if you angle the cue up? This is called “jacking” up, and it imparts two types of spin on the ball—one spin in the direction of the angle you’re shooting from, and another spin in the direction based on where you hit the ball. This will send the ball flying in an unpredictable way for novice players, so keep your cue level unless you have a really good reason to not do that.
      • At higher levels of play, reasons to jack the cue up include masse shots , jump shots, and funky banks or kicks where you need to curve around something.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Play Pool Like a Pro
    Pool is a beautiful game partly because you’re doing the exact same thing every single shot, but no two shots are the same! Before each shot, get into position and take 3-4 practice shots where you don’t actually hit the cue. Picture the angle, set the speed in your mind, and take a deep breath to get comfortable with what you’re doing. [6]
    • What if I accidentally hit the ball when I take a practice shot? This is a sign of a bad stroke. Don’t worry, you’ll get better at this over time! For now, focus on readjusting how far your cue goes with each practice stroke. You’ll get a better sense for the speed and distance as you practice.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Play Pool Like a Pro
    Imagine that you are moving your arm through the water in a swimming pool instead of hitting the ball with a quick strike. A longer stroke imparts more momentum to the ball. [7]
    • Stroke it, don’t poke it! You’ll hear higher levels use this idiom when coaching novice players. It basically means that your cue should smoothly hit the cue ball and follow through as if the cue ball isn’t even there. If you slow your stroke down as soon as you hit the ball, you are going to be less accurate.
    • You’d be surprised how slowly you need to hit the ball. It actually doesn’t take very much power to send the ball flying!
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Play Pool Like a Pro
    The cue should continue on its course and almost hit the table ahead of the ball's starting position. Your cue shouldn't slow down until well after the tip has actually hit the ball. [8]
    • Test your form! Follow through on a shot and keep the tip still wherever it ends up. Is your tip roughly 9 inches (23 cm) away from your bridge hand? If so, your follow-through is good!
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Play Pool Like a Pro
    This position allows you to analyze the angle of the ball and the direction of every other ball that it strikes. It also ensures that you don't cause the shot to deviate by accidentally introducing a jumpy motion. [9]
    • Jumping up is one of the most common mechanical mistakes! Even if you don’t think you’re impacting the shot by getting up too early, you’d be surprised. Take a look at this excellent shot by pro player Johann Chua. He doesn’t even begin to get up from his shot until the cue ball has already bounced off of two rails! Here’s another great example from the same match where you can see his follow through, as well.
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Section 3 of 5:

Aiming Correctly & Accurately

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Play Pool Like a Pro
    The ball you’re trying to pocket is called the target ball. Imagine an invisible line directly between the target ball and the pocket where you want to sink the ball. Directly behind the target ball, imagine a “ghost ball” sitting on that line. To sink the target ball, you must aim at that ghost ball. [10]
    • The target ball is a type of object ball. In pool, the term “object ball” refers to any ball that isn’t the cue ball.
    • This is called the ghost ball aiming system. There are other (more complicated) ways to aim “correctly,” so you don’t need to use this system forever if you learn another way to aim, but ghost ball is considered the best aiming strategy for newer players.
    • You can test how this works with actual balls. Take two object balls and set them up aimed at a pocket in a straight line. The balls must be touching. Grab a cue ball and hit the second ball from literally any point on the table. The second object ball will go in every time! That’s because the point of contact is on the straight line .
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Play Pool Like a Pro
    Angle the cue so that it creates a parallel line from right above the cue ball to the target. This will help you visualize the line between the cue ball and the object ball. [11]
    • You do not have to do this on every shot. A lot of newer players will do this for every shot, and that’s totally okay if you want to do the same. However, if the line is very easy to visualize, you can just picture the line in your head.
    • Pro players do this in their head, and you can see them do it! Watch what Chua does before his next shot at this moment in a match versus Shane Van Boening. See how he walks around to the opposite side of the table, then bends down and looks at the balls? He’s picturing the line!
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Play Pool Like a Pro
    Set the tip where the center of the invisible ball (the one you imagined next to the real ball) should be located. Maintain the angle that you just created when you lined up the ball and the pocket. [12]
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Play Pool Like a Pro
    Pull the rest of the cue around to the right or left until the cue is positioned over the white ball. You now have the angle at which you need to hit the white ball to sink the other ball. [13]
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Play Pool Like a Pro
    Strike the center of the white ball so that it makes contact with the other ball. Follow through and watch the ball travel into the pocket! [14]
    • For easy shots, this may only take 3-5 seconds. Aiming may not be very complicated if your shot is relatively straightforward.
    • For tougher shots, take your time! It’s okay to do this entire aiming process 2-3 times if you’re really unsure (so long as you aren’t in a competitive match). Some players will take a full minute before executing a shot, so don’t rush.
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Section 4 of 5:

Equipment Selection

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  1. 1
    Prioritize the tip if you’re picking up a house cue. Don’t worry about the cue being perfectly flat or having a rubber bumper on the bottom—look at the tip. That’s the part that hits the cue ball, which means it’s the part that matters most. Look for a tip that’s round and even. The ideal cue tip has a curve similar to the edge of a nickel or dime. [15]
    • Why do some people roll the cue on a table before taking it? They’re checking to see if the cue is straight. This is completely unnecessary, though—it doesn’t actually matter if a cue is perfectly straight or not.
  2. 2
    Buy your own cue once you’re ready to take things up a level. Any reputable cue maker will produce a cue that’s exponentially better than whatever you pick up in the pool hall. That’s the first reason to buy a cue. The second reason is that you’ll improve by removing a big variable—different cue hits. By playing with the same cue every single time, you’ll get used to the way it plays, which will make it a lot easier to play. [16] Here are the key factors to look for (and our beginner recommendations):
    • Weight: Most playing cues are 18-21 ounces. We recommending starting with a 19 ounce cue if you aren’t preferable to a certain weight.
    • Tip: The type of tip your cue has matters a lot. Leather is mandatory for a playing cue (synthetic or phenolic is great for breaking cues, though).
      • Tips come in three “hardness” levels: soft, medium, or hard. We recommend using a soft or medium tip if you’re new to the game.
    • Shaft size: Shafts range from 11-14 mm, with 13 mm being the “normal” size. We suggest sticking with 13mm or going as low as 12.5 mm.
    • Wrap type: This is entirely a comfort thing, so choose whatever wrap feels best in your hands. Your options are: Irish linen, no wrap, leather, or rubber.
    • Manufacturer: Do not buy a cue from a company that doesn’t specialize in making pool cues. For a new player, the following brands offer great options: CueTec, Players, McDermott, Lucasi, and Viking. If budget is no major concern, Predator, Meucci, Joss, and Mezz are all reputable.
  3. 3
    Get a “glove” if you tend to sweat a lot. Pool gloves help provide consistent levels of friction when you shoot. If you tend to get sweaty (or you just like the way a glove feels), pick one up and bring it with you when you go to play. [17]
    • A pool glove should fit tightly, but not so tight that it cuts off circulation.
    • Some players hate the way gloves feel. There’s nothing mandatory about using one. A lot of pro players never use them.
    • Do not use talcum powder or hand chalk. This is amateur stuff. Not only will it damage whatever cue you’re using in the long run, but you’re going to make the table absolutely filthy. If your hands are sweaty,
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Section 5 of 5:

Taking Your Game Up a Level

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  1. 1
    Master how to shoot at pocket speed. Pocket speed refers to a very specific speed: it’s the speed of the cue ball necessary for the target ball to barely fall into the pocket. If you can master shooting at pocket speed, you’ll have a much stronger sense for what kind of speed you need to use when shooting harder. [18]
    • Try shooting an entire rack at pocket speed! Get a feel for how it feels in your hand and what kind of cue speed you need.
  2. 2
    Plan your next 2-3 shots out to maintain position. There’s an adage among pool players, “There’s no point in pocketing balls if you can’t run out.” In other words, you normally gain no advantage by making some of your balls but giving your opponent another shot at the table. To ensure you have good position (the location of the cue ball for your next shot), map out where the cue ball will go before you shoot. [19]
    • A “run out” occurs when the opponent doesn’t get another chance to shoot. If there are 5 balls on the table for you to shoot, you need to make all 5 in a row to “run out.”
    • Position play is probably the biggest difference between good and great players. Mastering a 2-3 ball pattern and being able to map out where the ball will go is extremely difficult, so don’t worry if it takes you a long time to learn.
  3. 3
    Learn English to better control where the cue ball goes. English refers to the spin on the ball. When the cue ball hits an object ball, the spin activates and helps to change the path of the cue ball. To put English on the ball, you hit the cue ball somewhere other than the center of the ball. Here’s how it works: [20]
    • Top English (“Follow”): Hit the cue ball above the center. The cue will float forward after hitting the object ball. You can see an example here .
    • Bottom English (“Draw”): Hit the cue ball below the center. The cue ball will fly backwards after hitting the object ball. You can see what it looks like here .
    • Left or right English (“Side spin”): Hit the ball to the left or right of center. This won’t do anything to a cue ball until it hits a rail or another ball, at which point the spin will activate and the ball will go flying like this .
    • Stun shot: This technically doesn’t require English, but it’s a type of shot you must know. This is where you hit the cue ball in the center (or just below it) at such a speed that it stops as soon as it hits the object ball, like this .
      • The vast majority of shots do not require* English.** A pro player could probably run out multiple racks in a row without using any spin. They’ll just use English because it makes position play easier.
  4. 4
    Practice with the bridge and use the right mechanics. The bridge is the stick with the weird mechanical shape on it. Players pull the bridge out to replace their bridge hand when they want to shoot a shot they can’t reach normally. Get used to using the bridge! Players don’t practice with it, and it ends up costing them games. Here’s the right way to use it: [21]
    • Set the bridge on line with your object ball. Put the bridge flat on the table. Use your nondominant hand to pin the bridge and hold it still.
    • Set the shaft of the cue top of the bridge. Let the cue rest comfortably and naturally on top of whatever groove in the bridge makes the most sense.
    • Shoot like you’re trying to throw a dart. Hold the back of your cue like a dart and take your practice strokes. When you’re ready to pull the trigger, “throw” the cue into the ball.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Play Pool Like a Pro
    This will pay off greatly in the future. In your spare time, start practicing with your non-dominant hand periodically until you become ambidextrous with the cue. Sometimes in pool, you get a shot that would be an awkward angle with your dominant hand, but your non-dominant hand will be able to reach the shot easily.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Is a flat cue tip better than a round cue tip?
    Community Answer
    A slightly rounded cue tip is better. You will have better control over the cue ball.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    Not Helpful 24 Helpful 76
  • Question
    How do I set up for my next shot?
    Community Answer
    This has to do mainly with learning how to position the cue ball. There are countless "cue ball control" or "pool positioning" videos online that can start to help you with this. The main elements of positioning begin with what ball you are aiming for next, the speed at which you hit, the right English/spin you need, and using rails to place the cue ball in the desired position so that you can easily make your next shot. After some practice and studying/application, you should begin to understand and execute positioning for your next shot.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    My space is an issue, so can I use small sticks?
    Community Answer
    Of course! Cues don't come in only one size. The smallest you may get is a 54".
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      Tips

      • Don't defeat yourself. Technique is important, but your main job is to stay calm and mentally focused.
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      • Find an instructor and work out your basic technique. Sound advice at early stage can help you avoid the frustration and enjoy the game more. In addition, you'll avoid having to correct bad habits developed over your pool career.
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      Tips from our Readers

      The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
      • It's more efficient to do drills than to just randomly shoot around in your spare time. Practicing your fundamentals may not be as fun as banging balls around on the table, but it's a better use of your time if you're serious about getting good!
      • Every poolhall has regulars who live for the opportunity to teach newer players. Don't feel shy about approaching someone who looks like they know what they're doing and asking for advice (so long as they aren't in the middle of a game).
      • It's important to have a slow, steady backswing. As seasoned players will say, "stroke it, don't poke it." You should swing through the cue ball like it's not even there.
      • Remember, pool is just a game. If you're not having fun, take a step back, relax, and remember you're doing this to enjoy yourself.
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      Warnings

      • Avoid betting with strangers. Strangers may "hustle" you by appearing to be bad pool players. However, after they place a bet with you, they suddenly develop excellent pool skills so that you lose the bet.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://blattbilliards.com/blogs/news/how-to-hold-a-pool-stick
      2. ↑ https://www.pooldawg.com/article/winning-pool-stance/
      3. ↑ https://blattbilliards.com/blogs/news/how-to-hold-a-pool-stick
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/ORDfx-UukSI?t=4
      5. ↑ https://www.pooldawg.com/article/winning-pool-stance/
      6. ↑ https://fcibilliards.com/blog/how-to-hold-a-pool-stick-the-right-way/
      7. ↑ https://www.pooldawg.com/article/how-to-shoot-straighter/
      8. ↑ https://drdavepoolinfo.com/faq/stroke/follow-through/
      9. ↑ https://drdavepoolinfo.com/faq/stroke/follow-through/
      1. ↑ https://www.billiardgods.com/gk-ghost-ball-aiming-technique/
      2. ↑ https://www.billiardgods.com/gk-ghost-ball-aiming-technique/
      3. ↑ https://www.billiardgods.com/gk-ghost-ball-aiming-technique/
      4. ↑ https://www.billiardgods.com/gk-ghost-ball-aiming-technique/
      5. ↑ https://www.billiardgods.com/gk-ghost-ball-aiming-technique/
      6. ↑ https://fcibilliards.com/blog/parts-of-a-pool-cue/
      7. ↑ https://www.pooldawg.com/article/beginner-guide-to-pool-cues/
      8. ↑ https://legendbilliards.com/blogs/our-stories/6-benefits-of-wearing-a-billiard-glove
      9. ↑ https://medium.com/leather-tip-cues/pocket-speed-vs-shot-speed-90d58ed6b1da
      10. ↑ https://www.billiards.com/blogs/articles/position-play
      11. ↑ https://www.pooldawg.com/article/understanding-the-english-of-a-cue-ball/
      12. ↑ https://youtu.be/QEQizzKMr20?t=20

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      If you want to play pool like a pro, make sure you’re holding the cue parallel to the table for better control. Before taking your shot, practice your stroke a few times before actually hitting the cue ball. When you do strike the ball, accelerate gradually to give you more control and momentum. After your shot, stay down so that you can see the angle and direction it took and make adjustments next time. If you want to learn how to choose a good pool cue and chalk the end of it, keep reading the article!

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