How to Play Pool by Yourself

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. Exploring how to practice pool by yourself 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.

Can You Play Pool by Yourself? 

You can play pool on your own — and it can be fun, beneficial and rewarding! There are various games you can practice alone that help you hone your pool skills. Even professional players enjoy solo pool because it allows them to practice popular pool games independently and refine their skills. 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. 

The Benefits of Playing Pool Alone

Playing pool alone can be extremely rewarding and beneficial. By prioritizing solo pool games, you can:

• Refine your skills: Naturally, the most noticeable advantage of practicing pool alone is the time and space to refine your skills. Practice is essential for mastering any skill, and while playing others is vital for improving, there are time restraints and other external factors that mean multi-player games may not be the ideal environment for refining a particular skill. When practicing alone, you can work on the same shots and develop muscle memory through repetition.

• Develop your style: Another great advantage of practicing alone is that you get to experiment and develop your own style as a pool player. Practicing alone allows you to find what feels most natural, comfortable and effective for your game. The fundamentals of developing your own style include finding your stance, grip, stroke and bridge, which is how you support the cue with your non-dominant hand.

• Develop your composure: Practicing as often as you can on your own is an excellent way to improve your focus and gain confidence in your abilities and unique style. The cumulative effect of this is that you get to develop your composure. The relaxed confidence and self-control you get from practicing are some of the greatest advantages you can gain from playing pool by yourself.

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 your grip: Relaxation is the key to finding and practicing a good grip that is comfortable and allows you to have a more accurate stroke. Explore what different grips feel like for you and how well you play. You can try playing with a loose and firm grip. You can also try an overlap grip in which you overlap your fingers on the cue to make your hold more secure. Placement is also essential for a good grip, so when you are experimenting and find a grip that you love, you can use tape to mark your placement so that you can practice consistently.

• Practice your stance: A strong, comfortable stance is vital for your balance, alignment and stability — all of which contribute to a more accurate stroke. To work on your stance, find your dominant eye for proper alignment. Then, explore comfortable foot placement and weight distribution. The right stance will feel stable and comfortable. It should also be easy to adjust your stance slightly as needed, depending on the shot.

• Work on your bridges: A good bridge helps you aim more accurately and hit the cue ball more precisely. The basic bridges you can practice include a closed bridge, open bridge and rail bridge.

• 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 in ways that 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.

• Create a practice routine: A practice routine is definitely not necessary if you are playing pool alone for sheer enjoyment. However, if you are playing to improve your skills, creating a good routine becomes essential for purposeful practices. Your routine can include areas you would like to practice, and you can delegate days for practicing different skills by playing different solo games.

• Track your progress: For practices to be sustainable, they should be rewarding. One of the most effective ways to recognize your achievements is by actively tracking your progress. How has your stroke and aim improved? Have you become more comfortable with that difficult shot? Tracking your accomplishments is satisfying and can give you a confidence boost that further betters your skills.

Pool Games You Can Practice by Yourself

Many solo pool games are variations of multiplayer games like 8-ball and 9-ball pool, and learning the fundamental rules for these pool games can be helpful. Practicing solo pool games helps you improve your technique and skill. Here are a few pool games to 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 strike 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 you can shop online, which add value and fun to your home. We offer pool tables, cues and accessories to help you practice and perfect your pool game.