Racking Up Pool Balls - UK Pool Tables

How do I correctly Rack Up UK Pool Balls.

We often get asked by many customers what the correct way to set up pool balls is. In this post, we discuss setting up red and yellow pool balls and spots and stripe pool balls.

Please check out the videos below, which show how to rack up red and yellow balls and the spots and stripes for UK pool.

Setting Up Red and Yellow Balls.

There are two popular ways of racking up your red and yellow pool balls, which we talk about below.

The first method, shown in the photo below, is still used in many pubs and pub leagues. It was the most popular way of setting up balls in the 1980s and '90s, and it is still popular with players using old EPA rules. EPA is the 'English Pool Association'.

The most popular and preferred way of Racking Up Red and Yellow Balls. 

The preferred method for racking up your pool balls, which is used in most pool leagues and professional events throughout the UK, is shown below. This is the set up under The World 8 Ball Pool Federation Rules.

This way of setting up the balls is very similar to the traditional EPA old rules method. The only difference is the red and yellow balls in the centre of the bottom row are swapped over. Other than that, it is identical.

Please check out the video below, which shows the best way of remembering the sequence.

Racking Up Spots and Stripe UK Pool Balls. 

Racking up a set of UK spots and stripe pool balls is done precisely like racking up red and yellow pool balls. The game is the same, so the ball set-up does not change. Although spots and stripe balls are numbered, this does not play a part in racking up as the numbers are not used in UK pool. The numbers on the balls are only used when playing 9-ball pool.

Being able to rack up your ball set correctly is just the first stage to playing pool. You will also require the latest pool rules. We can offer you the latest World 8 Ball pool rules as a downloadable poster for free. Just click HERE to view it. 

Racking Up to play 9-ball pool on a UK table. 

8-ball pool is the most popular game played on UK home and pub pool tables. Although this post is dedicated to racking up to play 8-ball pool, it is now becoming increasingly popular to play 9-ball American pool on UK tables.

To do this you require a set of spots and stripe pool balls and a diamond to rack the balls. UK pool tables use 2-inch balls, so a UK-sized diamond is needed.

As the name suggests, 9-ball only requires 9 balls to play. You need the No.1 ball through to the No.9 ball. You pot these in number order to win the game. To view the full rules for 9-ball pool, click HERE.

There is a particular way to rack up for 9-ball. The Number 9 ball should be centred in the middle of the diamond, and the number 1 ball should be at the head/front of the diamond. All the other balls can be placed randomly in any order. The image below demonstrates the correct set-up.