Game Rules 02 Billiards Guide
What is 10-Ball?
The rules, and how to play.
10-Ball is built much like 9-Ball, but its call-shot rule demands more skill and strategy. It is used more and more in official tournaments in Japan and abroad, and stronger players favor it as a game where ability shows directly in the result.
At a glance
Key points
- Balls
- One cue ball and ten object balls numbered 1 to 10. Eleven balls in all
- How to win
- Whoever calls the 10 and pockets it as called wins the rack
- Which ball first
- Always hit the lowest-numbered ball on the table first
- Rack
- Triangle (four rows). The 1 at the front (on the foot spot), the 10 in the middle of the third row
- Call shot
- Yes. Except on the break, you name the ball and the pocket (no call is needed for a safety)
This page follows the Nippon Billiard Association (NBA) “Pocket Billiards Competition Rules” (June 2026 revision, in Japanese). Where the World Standardized Rules (WPA Rules of Play, in effect since September 2025) differ, we have added a note each time, under “Under the World Rules (WPA).” At a tournament, that event’s own regulations take precedence.
01Balls used
- 1 cue ball (white)
- 10 object balls, numbered 1 to 10
Counting the cue ball, the game uses 11 balls.
On every shot, the cue ball must first hit the lowest-numbered ball on the table.
02Object of the game
The object is to pocket the 10-ball before your opponent does. Following the call-shot rule, you work your way through the rack from the 1, building your pattern as you go, and the player who finally pockets the 10-ball wins the rack.
03Racking
The ten balls are set in a triangle rack. The 1 goes at the front, on the foot spot, and the 10 in the middle of the third row. The object balls should be packed as tightly together as possible.
| Position | Ball | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apex (foot spot) | The 1 | Always fixed |
| Middle of the third row | The 10 | Always fixed |
| Two back corners | The 2 and the 3 | Pattern rack only. Either side is fine |
| Others | Remaining balls | Placed at random |
Under the NBA rules, each tournament adopts either a “random rack” (every ball other than the 1 and the 10 placed at random) or a “pattern rack” (the 2 and the 3 also placed in the two back corners). [NBA Ch. 10, Art. 3, Para. 7]
04What is a call shot?
The defining feature of 10-Ball is its call-shot system. On every shot except the break, you must name in advance the ball you will pocket and the pocket it will go in.
- Name the ball you will pocket
- Name the pocket it will go in
- Only if the shot goes as called do you keep shooting
If the called ball goes in the called pocket, any other balls pocketed at the same time count as well (except the 10). [NBA Ch. 10, Art. 6, Para. 1]
Defensive shots (safeties)
If you are not trying to pocket a ball and want to play defensively, you simply shoot without calling. The June 2026 revision abolished the “safety” call in 10-Ball. [NBA Ch. 10, Art. 6] On a shot where you have not named a target, you cannot keep shooting even if an object ball goes in; the turn passes to your opponent.
When the revised rules take effect is left to each organization. Please also check the regulations of the tournament you are playing in.
05Break shot
The first player breaks from anywhere in the kitchen (behind the head string). The call-shot rule does not apply to the break. For the break to be legal, after the cue ball hits the 1-ball, at least four object balls (not counting the cue ball) must reach a cushion, or at least one object ball must be pocketed. [NBA Ch. 10, Art. 4, Para. 1]
If the 10-ball is pocketed on the break
The 10-ball is spotted on the foot spot, and the breaker may keep shooting. Even if the 10 is the only ball that goes in, it is spotted and the breaker continues. [NBA Ch. 10, Art. 4, Para. 5]
Some tournaments, however, adopt a rule under which this wins the rack outright (a “break ace,” as it is called in Japan).
There are two ways to decide who breaks: “winner breaks,” where the winner of the previous rack breaks, and “alternate break,” where the players take turns. [NBA Ch. 10, Art. 4, Para. 6]
06Basic rules of the shot
- The cue ball must first hit the lowest-numbered ball on the table
- Name the ball and the pocket (call shot)
- If the shot goes as called, you keep shooting
- A miss or a foul passes the turn to your opponent
07How to win
You win the rack in any of the following ways.
- You pocket the 10-ball as called, on a called shot
- Your opponent loses on three fouls
08Main fouls
After a foul, your opponent receives Ball in hand (they may place the cue ball anywhere on the table and play). [NBA Ch. 10, Art. 7]
| Foul | What happens |
|---|---|
| Bad hit | The cue ball did not hit the lowest-numbered ball first |
| No rail | After the cue ball hit the lowest-numbered ball, no ball reached a cushion and no object ball was pocketed |
| Scratch | The cue ball goes into a pocket |
| Touching a ball | Touched the cue ball or an object ball with the body or cue, other than in a stroke |
| Ball off the table | The cue ball or an object ball left the table |
| Double hit | Struck the cue ball twice with the cue |
| Both feet off the floor | Both feet were off the floor during the shot |
| Three fouls | The same player fouls three times in a row in the same rack and loses that rack. It does not apply unless the player was warned of “two fouls” after the second one [NBA Ch. 10, Art. 7, Para. 3] |
For definitions of fouls and how each game treats them, see the List of Fouls.
09Push out
Only on the shot right after the break (or, if a ball was pocketed on the break, the next shot), the player may declare a “push out.” Saying “push” is enough.
Push out rules
The usual requirements (hitting the lowest-numbered ball first, reaching a cushion) are waived, and you may send the cue ball anywhere you like.
After a push out, the opponent chooses who plays: they may shoot from there themselves, or hand the shot back to the player who pushed.
Even if an object ball goes in on a push out, you cannot keep shooting. A 10 that goes in is spotted on the foot spot; other object balls stay down. [NBA Ch. 10, Art. 5, Para. 2; WPA 6.8]
On a push out, only three things are fouls: a scratch, a double hit, and touching a ball. [NBA Ch. 10, Art. 5, Para. 1]
10The option rule
A rule unique to 10-Ball is the “option.” When the turn changes without a foul in one of the situations below, the player who now has the shot may choose either to play on from there, or to give the turn back to the opponent (to pass). [NBA Ch. 10, Art. 6, Paras. 2-4]
- The called ball went into a pocket other than the one called
- The called ball did not go in, and only an uncalled ball was pocketed
If the option brings the turn to a player who is on two fouls and that player chooses to pass, they remain on two fouls. [ibid., Para. 5]
11Match format and rack handicaps
10-Ball matches, too, are played until one player wins an agreed number of racks. In a “5-saki” match, whoever wins five racks first takes the match; in English this is written “Race to 5.”
| Notation | What happens |
|---|---|
| Race to 5 (5-saki) | First to five racks wins. Common for casual games and practice matches |
| Race to 7 (7-saki) | A standard length for tournament qualifiers and main draws |
| Race to 9 (9-saki) | Set when a longer match is wanted, such as a final |
When the players differ in strength, a rack handicap is used. When a stronger player meets a newer one, giving each a different number of racks to win makes for a closer contest: for example, “Race to 7 for the stronger player, Race to 4 for the newer one.”
There is also a method called a “ball handicap,” which allows more flexible settings: for example, one player scores a point by pocketing the 10-ball, the other by pocketing any ball from the 8 up.
12Frequently asked questions
How many balls are used in 10-Ball?
One cue ball and ten object balls numbered 1 to 10. Counting the cue ball, that makes 11 balls in all.
If I pocket the 10 partway through, do I win?
Under the NBA rules, you win if you call the 10 on its own and pocket it as called. A 10 that goes in without being called, or that goes in along with another ball you called, is spotted on the foot spot and play continues.
Under the WPA rules, the 10 wins only when it is the last ball on the table.
Do I call safeties too?
No. The June 2026 revision abolished the safety call in 10-Ball. The WPA rules have never had one.
What is a call shot?
It is the rule that you name the ball you will pocket and the pocket it will go in before you shoot. For details, see the Glossary.
What if the 10 goes in on the break?
The 10 is spotted on the foot spot, and the breaker keeps shooting.
How does it differ from 9-Ball?
There is the call shot; there is the “option” when a ball goes in other than as called; and the ten balls are racked in a triangle.
👉 Once you know the rules: lessons and match streams in Billiards in Depth