Pool Etiquette: The Unwritten Rules of the Hall

While your opponent is shooting

• Stay still and out of their sightline. Don't move, chalk loudly, or hover near the pocket they're aiming at.
• Never coach or comment on a live shot unless asked.
• Keep your phone and conversation off the rail during their turn.

Honesty at the table

Call your own fouls. If your hand brushes a ball or you double-hit, say so — even if no one saw it. Reputation in a pool room is everything, and it's built one honest foul call at a time.

Winning and losing well

• Shake hands (or bump fists) before and after every match.
• Don't celebrate a lucky roll like you planned it — a quick 'sorry' for a fluke is customary.
• Lost a tough one? Compliment the shot that beat you. You'll be back next week.

The little things

Bridge your hand cleanly, don't sit or lean on the table, keep drinks off the rails, and leave the equipment better than you found it. None of it is in the official rules — all of it is why people want you at their table.