Kick-off: At the start of the game, kick-off is played by one side. The kick-off player must pocket at least one ball or lose the right to attack.
Offensive Possession: In a match, after each stroke, the offensive possession will be transferred to the opposing team. If one side fails to hit the ball into the pocket, the offense will be reserved to the opposing team.
Fouls: During a match, a player will be judged a foul if he violates the following rules:
No ball hit.
Two shots (double taps).
Touching the ball with an object other than the cuehole.
Hitting the opponent's ball without hitting it first.
Knock the white ball off the table.
Illegal strokes (e.g. crossing the sideline, hitting the underband, etc.).
Foul handling: The player who commits a foul will be judged to have lost the right to attack, and the opponent will gain the right to attack. The player who commits the foul has the option to re-bat, but it must be done before the next legal stroke.
Free Kick: When a foul occurs on the tee-off, the opponent can choose to take the free kick from any position. A free kick is when the opponent can hit the ball from anywhere on the table.
Color balls: There are 15 color balls, which are divided into two types: red balls and color balls. There are 15 red balls and 6 colored balls. The goal of the game is to hit all the red balls into the pocket and then hit the colored balls in order.
Scoring: In a match, 1 point is awarded for each red ball hit. When a team hits the last red ball into the pocket, that team can choose any colored ball to hit. For each ball hit, that side will score a corresponding number of points. The score of the color ball is: 2 points for the yellow ball, 3 points for the green ball, 4 points for the brown ball, 5 points for the blue ball, 6 points for the pink ball, and 7 points for the black ball.
Victory Condition: A team wins when they score enough points within the required number of innings (usually 9 or 10 innings) (usually twice as many as their opponent) or a leading score in the final innings (usually twice as many as their opponents).
Draw: If both teams score the same number of innings within the allotted number of innings, the match will go to overtime. Extra time is played with the sudden death method, where the first team to score wins.
Color Change: In a match, when one side has scored a certain number of points (usually 5 points), the two teams can exchange colors. This means that both sides need to use each other's colors to make their shots.
Jump Ball: When a red ball is hit into the pocket, the batsman can choose to jump the ball if there are other red balls underneath it. A jump ball is when a batsman can jump over the red ball in the middle and hit the red ball directly below it.
Welting: When a red ball is close to the sideline, the batter can choose the welt. Welt is when the batsman can hit the ball along the sideline to get it into the pocket.
Defense: During a match, the defending team can use a variety of strategies to prevent the opposing team from scoring. For example, by stopping the white ball in a difficult position, or trying to make the opponent hit the more difficult red ball, etc.
Clearance: In a game, one side can pocket all the red and colored balls, which is called a clearance. After the table is cleared, that side will receive all the remaining balls for the score.