Pool Simulator: spin, massé and the official rules

About Pool Simulator

This is real pool on a 3D table. Every shot is simulated from the moment the cue tip strikes the ball until the last ball stops: spin, sliding and rolling, ball-on-ball contact, and rails and pockets built to official tournament specs. Hit above center and the cue ball follows; hit below and it draws back; hit to one side and it changes the angle off the rail and squirts slightly off line, just like with a real cue. Raise the cue and the cue ball curves (a massé) or jumps over another ball. The game plays by the complete official international rules (Mata-Mata follows Brazilian bar rules), and the referee doesn't miss a thing: scratches, hitting the wrong ball first, no ball reaching a rail after contact, balls off the table, double hits, push shots and the cue tip brushing another ball. You can try any shot you like, even illegal ones; the referee applies the exact penalty the rules call for. There are twelve disciplines: Mata-Mata, the most popular bar game in Brazil, plus 8-ball, 9-ball, 10-ball, 14.1 continuous (straight pool), one-pocket, bank pool, blackball, heyball, English 8-ball, free pyramid and artistic pool, with ten trick shots and three attempts at each. Except in artistic pool and when playing a friend by link, every match starts with the lag for the break, and you choose how many racks it takes to win (or how many points, in straight pool) and whether to play with a shot clock. Play against the computer at three skill levels, or with a friend: take turns on the same device, or play on separate devices with a link. When it's the computer's turn, the club member you're playing walks up to the table, cue in hand, and stands behind the cue ball; the camera then shows the shot through their eyes. A TV-style camera follows the action, and the best shots get an instant replay.

In Selminha's words

“Real pool has spin, massé, jump shots, rails that send the ball off at just the right angle and a referee who doesn't let anything slide. I wanted a simulator like that right in your browser, even on your phone: true-to-life physics, the complete official rules and a TV camera to watch the ball drop. It's the first game from Podium Bay, our seaside sports club.”

How to play Pool Simulator and the rules of each discipline

1. On the menu, choose a discipline, how many racks it takes to win and whether to play with a shot clock, then tap START. Next (except in artistic pool), pick your opponent: the computer, at three skill levels (club members Valentina Ríos, Don Tomás and Niklas Berg, from beginner to pro), or a friend, on the same device or by link.
2. First comes the lag (except in artistic pool, and when playing a friend by link, where the player who set up the table breaks first): both players shoot at the same time from the head of the table to the foot rail and back, and whoever leaves the ball closest to the head rail decides who breaks.
3. Playing a friend by link: tap “A friend, by link,” type your name and set up the table, then copy or share the link. Whoever opens it joins you at the table, and you break first; up to 50 people can watch. At the end, if you both say yes, a new match starts at the same table.
4. To aim, drag across the table; drag slowly for fine adjustments. The view button switches to an overhead view, where you tap the exact spot you want to aim at.
5. The cue-ball button in the bottom-left corner opens the cue panel: tap the big cue ball to choose where the tip strikes (your spin) and drag the butt of the cue to raise it. To shoot, pull down the power bar on the right and let go.
6. When the rules give you a choice (calling the ball and pocket, a safety, a push out, ball in hand), the buttons show up on screen. You can resign from the pause menu; the player who resigns loses the match. The RULES button at the top left opens the full rules of the discipline you're playing.

Full rules for Pool Simulator
More games to play with friends online

The disciplines

Mata-Mata

Brazil's most popular bar game: four reds vs. four yellows, set against the cushions, with the cue ball in the center. The first ball you hit decides your color, and the first player to clear their group wins the rack. Every foul gives your opponent two chances.

8-ball

One player takes the solids (1–7) and the other the stripes (9–15). Pocket all of yours, then the 8 in the called pocket, to win the rack. Pocketing the 8 too early or on a foul, or knocking it off the table, loses the rack.

9-ball

Only balls 1 through 9 are used, and the cue ball has to hit the lowest-numbered ball on the table first. Pocket the 9 on a legal shot and you win the rack, even with other balls still on the table. A push out is allowed on the shot right after the break, and three fouls in a row lose the rack.

10-ball

Like 9-ball, but with ten balls and every shot called (ball and pocket). The 10 only wins the rack when it's the last ball.

Straight pool (14.1 continuous)

Each ball pocketed in the called pocket is worth a point. When only one object ball and the cue ball are left, the other 14 are re-racked and play goes on. Each foul costs a point; a third foul in a row costs an extra 15 points.

One-pocket

Each player gets one of the foot pockets and can only score in it; a ball that drops in your opponent's pocket counts for them. The first player with 8 balls in their own pocket wins the rack.

Bank pool

Only banked balls count: you call the ball, which rails it hits (in order) and the pocket. Play a short rack with 9 balls (5 to win) or a full rack with 15 (8 to win).

Blackball

Reds and yellows, then the black, with no called shots. Every foul gives your opponent a free shot, and jumping the cue ball over a ball is a foul.

Heyball

Chinese 8-ball: solids and stripes, no called shots, and a mandatory hard break. A jump shot is only legal if you strike the top half of the cue ball.

English 8-ball

Reds, yellows and a striped 8. The break has to score 3 points (balls pocketed or crossing the middle of the table), and every foul gives your opponent ball in hand anywhere on the table.

Free pyramid

A version of Russian pyramid: 15 numbered white balls and one colored ball, and you can strike any ball with the cue, not just the colored one. Every ball pocketed is worth a point, every foul gives your opponent a point, and the first to 8 points wins.

Artistic pool

Ten trick shots of our own design, like massé, jump and bank shots, with three attempts at each. The harder the shot and the fewer attempts you need, the more points you get. For one or two players.

The referee

The lag

Both players shoot at the same time from the head of the table to the foot rail and back, and whoever leaves the ball closest to the head rail decides who breaks.

Fouls

Scratching or knocking the cue ball off the table, hitting the wrong ball first, no ball reaching a rail after contact, knocking an object ball off the table, double hits, push shots and the cue tip brushing another ball.

Anything goes

You can try any shot, even illegal ones, and the referee applies the penalty each discipline's rules call for. Strike too far from the center of the cue ball and you'll miscue, just like on a real table.

Ball in hand

In most disciplines, a foul gives your opponent ball in hand: they place the cue ball anywhere (or behind the line, when the rules say so) and shoot from there.

Called shots and safeties

In call-shot disciplines, you name the ball and the pocket; the game suggests them based on your aim, and you can change them by tapping the table. In 8-ball and straight pool, you can also call a safety.

Three fouls

In 9-ball, 10-ball, straight pool, one-pocket and bank pool, three fouls in a row cost you dearly, and the scoreboard warns you when you're on two.

The shot clock

The shot clock is on by default: every shot is timed (60 seconds in most disciplines) and each player gets one extension per rack (none in free pyramid); run out of time and it's a foul. You can turn it off in the match menu.

Resigning

You can resign from the pause menu; the player who resigns loses the match.

Controls on phone and computer

Computer

Drag across the table (with your finger or the mouse) to aim; drag slowly for fine adjustments · the view button switches between the camera behind the cue ball and an overhead view, where you tap right on your aim point · the cue-ball button in the bottom-left corner opens the cue panel: tap the big cue ball to set your spin and drag the butt of the cue to raise it · pull the power bar down and let go to shoot · tap to skip a replay · rule buttons (call, safety, push out, ball in hand, extension) show up when they apply · the RULES button opens the full rules of the discipline you're playing · the pause button opens the menu, and the speaker button turns the sound on and off · on a keyboard: A and D (or ← →) turn your aim (hold Shift for fine adjustments), hold Space or J and let go to shoot, E opens the cue panel (the arrow keys move the tip; Shift with ↑ ↓ raises or lowers the cue), Q switches the view, 1 to 5 press the rule buttons, Enter confirms, P or Esc pauses and M turns the sound on and off · on a controller: the left stick or the D-pad aims (LB/RB for fine adjustments), hold A or X and let go to shoot, LT opens the cue panel, RT switches the view, START pauses and BACK turns the sound on and off.

Touch

On phones and tablets the game is played in landscape mode (turn your device sideways) and in full screen. You aim with your finger, the power bar is on the right, the cue-ball button sits in the bottom-left corner, and the cue panel opens up large so you can set your spin precisely. The magnifier in the top-left corner gives you a close-up of where the cue ball will hit.

Table physics

The whole shot

Every shot is calculated before it plays on screen, from the moment the tip strikes the ball until the last ball stops: the balls slide, roll, spin, hit each other and the rails, and drop into a pocket, or don't.

Spin

Hit above center and the cue ball follows; hit below and it draws back; hit to one side and it changes the angle off the rail. With sidespin the cue ball squirts slightly off line, and friction at contact throws the object ball a little, just like on a real table.

Massé and jump shots

With the cue raised, the cue ball curves (a massé) or jumps over another ball. The cue can't go through the rail or the balls behind the cue ball: the red area of the panel shows how low it can go.

The pockets

Pocket openings, facing angles and shelves match official tournament specs: a ball that clips the jaw can rattle and stay out.

The table and balls

A 9-foot table (a 100-by-50-inch playing surface) and 2¼-inch balls, all to official tournament specs.

Camera and replay

A TV-style camera follows the action, and the best shots (banks, long shots, shots that sink more than one ball or shots with the cue raised) get an instant replay; tap to skip it.