Know the table
Read the marked hole values, recognise the mushrooms and get familiar with the D and trough before the first shot.
See the full animation in About60Learn it in the right order
How to play bar billiards. From the first shot to the final ball.
The About60 app teaches bar billiards as a connected sequence rather than a wall of rules. Start with the table, understand how a visit becomes a score, learn what can undo it, and then deal with the finish.
20 real app frames
Four guided sections
Full animations in About60
Section 1
Table basics & starting
Before thinking about tactics, understand the table and how play begins. The values, mushrooms, trough, timer and D all shape what happens next.
The app brings the table to life.
These are still frames from the onboarding. In About60, each step is animated so you can watch the setup and movement rather than trying to imagine it from text.
Start the game correctly
Pull the bar fully out, pause, then let it return gently. Releasing the bar starts the timed game and allows balls to return through the trough.
See the full animation in About60Every shot starts from the D
Place the cue ball fully inside the D and play it into another ball. A complete miss is not a harmless attempt — it is a foul.
See the full animation in About60
Section 2
Scoring & turns
A visit is a chain of scoring shots. Keep potting to build the break, use the red when it is available, and finish cleanly so the points survive the turn.
Scoring makes more sense when you can watch the sequence.
The About60 animations show the ball, the value, the running break and the point at which a successful visit is banked.
Build your break
Hit another ball and make a legal pot to continue. Each successful shot adds to the break and earns the next attempt.
See the full animation in About60White scores the marked value
A white ball scores exactly the value shown by the hole it enters — 10, 20, 30, 50, 100 or 200.
See the full animation in About60Red scores double
The red ball scores twice the marked value. When it is available in the trough, it must be the next ball played.
See the full animation in About60Bank the break
The break is added to the total only when the visit ends cleanly. A foul means the points from that visit do not count.
See the full animation in About60Use the ball nearest the D
If the trough is empty, the next ball played is the one remaining on the table nearest to the D.
See the full animation in About60Reset before the next player
Return every mushroom to its marked position. If a ball blocks a mushroom spot, move that ball to the trough first.
See the full sequence in About60
Section 3
Fouls & recovery
Fouls are not all equal. Most destroy the current break; the 200 mushroom can erase the entire accumulated score. A small number of situations also have specific recovery rules.
This is the section where movement matters most.
In the app you can see the path of the ball, the exact mistake and the resulting score change, rather than relying on a static definition.
Miss every other ball
If the cue ball fails to contact another ball, the visit ends and the current break is lost.
See the full animation in About60Topple a back mushroom
Knocking over a mushroom protecting a 50 or 100 hole forfeits the points built during that visit.
See the full animation in About60Front mushroom wipeout
Knocking over the mushroom protecting the 200 hole resets the player's accumulated score to zero.
See the full animation in About60Cross back over the baulk line
If a ball touches or crosses back over the baulk line during the visit, it is a foul and the break is lost.
See the full animation in About60Send a ball off the table
A ball leaving the playing surface is a foul unless it immediately rolls back onto the cloth without outside help.
See the full animation in About60Immediate roll-back exception
If the ball returns to the table bed by itself, no foul is called — but the shot does not produce a score.
See the full animation in About60
Section 4
End game
When only one ball remains, the score gap determines whether the end-game rules apply. The table is prepared differently, and the scoring attempt must begin with a cushion.
The final shot is easier to understand when you see it happen.
About60 animates the table preparation, the white and red thresholds, and the cushion-first requirement as separate steps.
Prepare the table
Follow the end-game setup before the final ball is played, leaving the table in the correct late-game configuration.
See the full animation in About60White-ball threshold
If the last ball is white, the end game is used when the two players are within 200 points of one another.
See the full animation in About60Red-ball threshold
If the last ball is red, the end game is used when the players are within 400 points, reflecting the red ball's double value.
See the full animation in About60Cushion first
The final scoring shot must contact a cushion before the ball is sent towards a scoring hole. Failing to do so is a foul.
See the full animation in About60Carry it into live play
Once the rules make sense, use the same app to score the match, bank breaks and keep the game state clear for everyone.
Explore live scoring in About60The page is the overview. The app is the lesson.
Download About60 to watch every step properly.
Static frames are useful for reference, but the onboarding was built as an animated sequence. The app shows where the ball starts, how it moves, what changes on the scoreboard and why a shot succeeds or fails.
- Replay the complete onboarding or jump straight to any of the four sections.
- Watch the table, scoring, foul and end-game animations in their intended sequence.
- Move directly from learning into live scoring, venue discovery, friends, groups and match history.
Frequently asked questions
Useful answers before your first game
Is this the full official rulebook?
No. This page is a structured beginner's guide based on the About60 onboarding. League and tournament rules can contain additional detail, so check the rules used by the competition or venue where you are playing.
When do the points from a turn count?
The points are banked only when the visit finishes cleanly. If the player fouls before the break is banked, the points built during that visit are lost.
Do I always have to play the red first?
You must play the red first when it is available in the trough. At other times, the next playable ball follows the normal ball-return sequence.
What is the difference between a foul and a wipeout?
A normal foul usually loses the current break. A wipeout is caused by toppling the mushroom protecting the 200 hole and resets the player's accumulated score to zero.
What changes when the bar drops?
Potted balls stop returning through the trough. Play continues using the balls left on the table, and the final-ball situation may trigger the end-game rules.
Where can I see the animations rather than still images?
Download About60 and open How to Play. You can replay the full onboarding or jump directly to Table Basics & Starting, Scoring & Turns, Fouls & Recovery, or End Game.
Competitive play: use this page to understand the game, then follow the rule set adopted by your league, venue or tournament.