Playing pool is a fun way to bond with friends and family, but who says you can't flex your skills while you're at it? Practice is vital to improving your pool skills and impressing your guests.
Playing pool alone can help you learn various techniques that you can show off during matches. You can play many challenging and fun solo pool games in your free time. Many of these games are variations of two-player pool games, so you can perfect your game in private and flaunt your skills later.
How Do Solo Pool Games Work?
Pool players enjoy solo pool because it allows them to practice popular pool games independently. Solo pool games can also help you identify and fix common pool-playing mistakes you might make during games. Many solo games are variations of two-player games.
How to Practice Playing Pool by Yourself
You can practice playing pool by refining your skills via solo pool games. Here are some common ways to practice playing pool by yourself:
Practice Your Stroke
Perfecting your stroke takes time, patience and a lot of practice. Focus on improving your stroke by trying to execute a straight cue ball shot. Practicing your aim and hitting a cue pool ball from far away is also vital for perfecting your stroke. Test your stroke in various pool drills to help achieve a straight stroke. You can also practice your stroke accuracy by hitting object balls from multiple distances.
Practice Difficult Shots
When practicing on your own, try to perfect some pool shots you often miss. You can even drill down on practicing difficult pool shots, like shots that require more sidespin, to improve your skills and play like a pro at your next pool game.
Practice Taking Your Time
Playing pool alone means you have all the time in the world. You can drastically improve your game by taking time to control and analyze every shot. You can also focus on your strokes and positioning your cue ball to help you execute better and more precise shots.
Practice Staying Calm
Pressure and competitive anxiety in pool games can lead to choke shots. Practice composure with every shot in solo pool games to train yourself to be calmer in a multiplayer pool game. There's no one to impress in a solo pool game. All you must do is breathe easy, take your time and develop a solid mental game.
Pool Games You Can Play by Yourself
Many solo pool games are variations of multiplayer games like 8-ball and 9-ball pool. Practicing solo pool games helps you improve your technique and skill. Here are some pool games that you can play by yourself:
One-Pocket Pool
One-pocket pool is a game where players must sink more than half of the object pool balls to win. You can play one-pocket pool by yourself by racking up 15 balls and trying to sink them in various pockets. Decide which pocket you're aiming for before your shot.
3-Ball Pool
The aim of 3-ball pool is to sink three object pool balls in as few shots as possible. You can play a solo 3-ball pool game by positioning three object balls in a triangle on your pool table. Practice sinking all three balls in as few attempts as possible. The break shot counts as a shot, and a miss counts as two shots. Playing solo 3-ball is a fantastic way to practice your precision and mental game.
8-Ball Pool
Eight-ball is a traditional and popular pool game. In a game of 8-ball pool, each player has to pocket either seven solid or striped object balls. You can choose between sinking solids or stripes before the game.
To play an 8-ball pool game by yourself, you must rack all 15 object balls on your pool table, using a cue ball as you normally would. Execute a break shot and pocket all seven solid balls, then all the stripe balls — the order is up to you. Playing 8-ball pool by yourself is a fun way to polish up and refine your techniques for your next 8-ball pool game.
9-Ball Pool
The aim of 9-ball pool is to sink nine object balls. There are many rules in 9-ball pool, making it an intricate and fun game. You can play a solo 9-ball pool game by racking nine balls and pocketing all nine object balls in order of the 9-ball pool rules. Playing 9-ball pool challenges your precision and speed.
15-In-A-Row Pool
15-in-a-row pool — or rotation pool — is a fun and challenging pool game. The aim of 15-in-a-row pool is to pocket all 15 balls one after the other without missing. You can play solo 15-in-a-row pool by racking all 15 object balls in a triangle like in 8-ball pool. Try to sink every ball on the first shot, starting with your break shot.
If you miss any shot, including your break shot, you must start over. You can make your 15-in-a-row pool game more challenging by incorporating various equalizers, rules and time limits.
Cowboy Pool
The objective of cowboy pool is to sink eight object balls by hitting the cue ball first, unlike you would in a traditional 8-ball pool game. In regular 8-ball pool, you hit the cue ball so that it can propel the object balls into the pockets. In cowboy pool, you hit the object balls first so that they can strike your cue ball before landing in a pocket.
To play solo cowboy pool, rack eight object balls in a traditional 8-ball manner. Then, execute your break shot and aim to hit your object balls to propel the cue ball into the pocket. Playing solo cowboy pool can help you try different position plays and practice your angles.
Fargo Pool
Fargo pool is a challenging and exciting call-shot pool game that focuses on points rather than speed. You play most Fargo pool games for up to 10 innings. Each has two phases — the random and rotation phase.
You can play solo Fargo by racking all 15 balls in a standard triangle and executing a break shot. There are no penalties for scratches on the opening break in Fargo pool. You can place the ball in hand or cue ball anywhere on the pool table. Try to sink as many balls in the random and rotation innings in any order.
You can change both innings at any time. Sinking a ball in the random phase gets you one point and sinking a ball in the rotation phase counts as two points. Fargo pool is a great way to get familiar with various pool aspects and challenge your skills.
Target Pool
Target pool helps you improve your aim, position play and cue ball control. You can play target pool by lining up a random number of balls and practicing hitting your object balls into various pockets from different angles. You can also practice targeting and hitting your cue ball in other areas on your pool table. Playing target pool is an excellent way to practice hitting more complex shots.
Speed Pool
Speed pool is an excellent way to practice staying calm under pressure. In speed pool, you must try pocketing as many balls as possible in a certain amount of time. You can play speed pool by racking all 15 balls in a standard eight-ball triangle.
Set your timer, execute your break shot and sink as many balls as possible in your selected timeframe. Document each speed drill and practice until you achieve your best time for sinking all the balls. There are also various speed control drills that you can try when playing speed pool.
Practice Your Solo Pool Game on an Imperial Pool Table
Improving at playing pool requires practice. Practicing your solo pool game from the comfort of your home can give you the time to enhance your pool techniques and play confidently.
Imperial offers a variety of high-quality pool tables that help you improve your pool game. We are a fourth-generation family business dedicated to providing you with various pool tables that can add value and fun to your home. We offer pool tables, cues and accessories to help you practice and perfect your pool game.
