The object of this game is to pocket your opponents’ balls before they can do it themselves. A popular party or pub game, Cut-Throat is played by three to five people using the standard set of object balls 1 through 15. When racking the balls, the 1-ball is positioned on the foot spot, and the 6 and 11 balls on either corner, the rest of the balls are positioned randomly. At the start of the game, the players decide whether they will call the shot they will play prior to playing, or not.

In a three-player game, the balls are divided equally, with balls 1 to 5 belonging to player 1, balls 6 to 10 to player 2 and the rest to the other player. Likewise, if there are five players, the balls are divided equally, with each player assigned three consecutive balls. When a player’s last group ball is pocketed by an opponent, he is eliminated from the game. The person who has a ball remaining on the table, after everyone else’s has been pocketed is the winner.