Player Support

BACK TO THE GAME

This article contains everything you need to know about Arkadium’s 8 Ball Billiards Game.

Use the list below to navigate specific topics about 8 Ball Billiards. 

How to play

This is the game's starting screen. You will have several different options.

1. Matchmaking allows you to start a new game against an opponent right away without any sort of complication. Simply press it, and you'll arrive at a room to play Billiards against an online opponent.
2. Vs Bot allows you to start a match against a computer opponent.
3. New Room will create a brand new room, where you can await an opponent. This can be an online stranger should you decide to open your room's access, or should you like a private match, you can set one up with a friend.
4. Local Play allows you to play the game of chess with someone next to you.
5. Rooms. These are the public rooms already created by other players. You can see the player count on the side. You can join a room to play a match, or to watch two players play their own match.
6. Sound options allows you to control the sound of the music and game actions to your liking.
7. Shop allows you to shop for different items for you to use in the game.

If you're in need, take a refresher on the rules by clicking on the information button.

The below values represent your Game Level, Account Level and Shop Credit. While the credit buys items in the Shop, your game level and account level work differently.

Your game level increases as you play more games. Clicking on it will take you to the level rewards page, where you can claim rewards as you gain more levels.

Your account level will also increase as you play more games. The rewards will differ from those in the level menu. Be sure to increase both for massive points.

The game's Shop has a large number of things to purchase. From brand new cues, to pool table colors, to many others. Use earned credits to purchase these.

Matchmaking

By selecting Matchmaking, you will be matched with a human player from artound the world. A small window will appear that notes the game is looking for an opponent for you. Once an opponent is found, you'll automatically enter the match.

Vs Bot

By selecting Vs Bot, you will open the bot menu. You will be placed with a computer opponent, called a "bot". You can pick out the bot's difficulty in the menu. Select Start Game to start. Choose between Public and Private on whether you want the match to be viewable by spectators. By clicking "hide guide ray", you can hide the helping line that matches up your shots.

The bot has a wide range of difficulty values to choose from for your amusement.

New Room

By selecting New Room, you'll be able to choose through a number of options to make your match to your liking. Selecting between Public or Private opens your room to other players or only to those of your liking. You can select "Bot Count" to choose the number of bots in the room.

By choosing between Presets and Advanced, you can choose whether you'd like the room to have particular match rules, or simply be the default.

By choosing Advanced, you can pick between a few options. You can choose how much time a player has to make a move in the game, the maximum number of players allowed in a room, and you can hide the guide ray or block guest players as an option.

Selecting Save as Preset will save your preferences as an extra preset, so that you can choose it directly when creating a new room, to avoid having to set the rules each time. You'll be asked to name your preset if you choose to.

It will then be available from the Presets. You can delete it by pressing the trash can icon on the top right of it.

Local Play

When choosing Local Play, you'll have the same options to choose from as before, but you will not be creating a new online room. Instead, you'll be playing with a local opponent, someone next to you. Click Play to begin the match.

The game

The game is a familiar match of 8 Ball Pool, where after the initial break, the player's team is chosen by which type of ball is sunk first. The remaining balls for both the player and the opponent will be seen above, and the sunk balls will be seen on the right. The options menu is on the top left.

To play, this game works differently than the classic 8 Ball Pool game we offer on Arkadium.com. You have to move the pool cue by clicking, and keeping the mouse button clicked. This is how you direct your shot.

Then, on the left of the game, you're able to adjust your shot's strength by pulling back the cue and letting go when you decide on how strong your shot should be.

Your goal is to pocket the colored pool balls of your type while preventing your opponent from doing the same. 

The eight ball. After you pocket all seven of your pool balls, you need to pocket the eight ball (black ball) to win — hence the name 8-ball pool. You must also pocket the black ball exactly into the pocket you choose.

NOTE: be careful! Hitting the black ball into the wrong pocket, or pocketing the black ball before the other seven, results in an instant loss

Tips

Here are some tips to get better at the game:

Aiming & Shot Accuracy

1. Use the Guide Ray Effectively:

   • Learn to trust it and align your shots carefully.

   • Extend the aim mentally to anticipate rebounds and second contacts.

2. Pay attention to the surroundings:

   • Antecipate complicated shots.

3. Mouse Control Tips:

   • Use a steady hand; lower sensitivity on your mouse for better control.

   • Rest your wrist and use small, controlled movements for precise aiming.

Controlling Power

1. Start with Medium Power:

   • Avoid max power unless needed (like breaking or when snookered). Most shots benefit from control rather than force.

2. Practice Cue Ball Control:

   • Learn how power affects cue ball behavior:

     • Soft shot = cue ball stops quickly.

     • Stronger shot = cue ball travels farther, may spin off more rails.

3. Play against Easier bots:

   • Try different difficulties and take note of cue ball paths for future reference.

Cue Ball Positioning (Cue Ball Control)

1. Plan Your Next Shot:

   • Don’t just sink a ball—think about where the cue ball will go afterward. Set up your next shot.

Strategy & Decision-Making

1. Know the Rules:

   • Don’t pot the 8-ball before clearing your set (stripes or solids).

   • Fouls give your opponent ball-in-hand in many games.

2. Clear Clusters Early:

   • Tackle difficult or clustered balls early in your turn, when you have more options.

3. Play Safe:

   • If you don’t have a clear shot, leave the cue ball in a tough position for your opponent.

Scoring

The 8 Ball Billiards game has no scoring system. There is no way to save score in the 8 Ball Billiards game. This game is meant to be a fun competitive game experience to play billiards online with a variety of people, without a specific scoring system or leaderboard. The game is incompatible with the regular competitive Arkadium leaderboards, and it's meant for simple fun, strategic matches.