Ten-ball

Ten-ball is a rotation pool game similar to nine-ball, but using ten balls instead of nine, and with the 10 ball instead of the 9 as the "money ball".

Although the game has existed since the early 1960s, its popularity has risen since the early 2000s as a result of concerns that nine-ball has suffered as a result of flaws in its fundamental structure, particularly the ease with which players can often make balls from the break. The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) standardized rules for ten-ball are very similar to those for nine-ball, but with key changes to increase the difficulty of the game. In contrast to nine-ball, it is slightly harder to pocket any balls on the break shot with the more crowded rack, the initial shooter cannot instantly win the game by pocketing the 10 on the break, all shots must be called, and performing a string of break-and-runs on successive racks is statistically more difficult to achieve.

Racking

The 10 balls are racked in a triangle, with the 1 ball positioned at the apex of the rack, the 10 ball positioned in the middle of the rack, and the other balls placed randomly throughout, with the apex ball on the foot spot. Some leagues and tournaments (such as the US Open 10 Ball) may stipulate that the 2 and 3 balls are to be at the back corners of the triangle.

Play

As a rotation game, to make a legal hit in ten-ball, the cue ball must contact the lowest numbered ball first, and subsequently at least one ball must hit any rail or be pocketed, without the cue ball being pocketed. If no ball hits a rail and no ball is pocketed, a foul is declared, and the shooter's turn is over.

Under WPA standardized rules, ten-ball is a call-shot game; that is, the shooter must state which ball they intend to pocket and into which pocket. The pocketed ball does not have to be the lowest-numbered ball on the table—combination and carom shots are legal, as long as the shooter pockets the nominated ball in the nominated pocket without committing any foul.