The first round is played exactly as at ordinary pool, the balls being given out in the same way—white set on the billiard spot, and black on the centre spot. After white has played—that is, after the conclusion of the first round—red can play on any other player’s ball.
By some rules he has to play on the nearest ball, by others the pool order is observed.
If he takes a life, he receives a single stake from the owner of the ball and must then play on the black.
By some rules he may take as many coloured lives as he likes before playing on the black. This cuts both ways, as the striker may have a better chance of getting position on black by taking several coloured balls first, but, on the contrary, he is spoiling his chance of a large break.
If the coloured ball is holed and the black also (e.g. by a cannon or plant), the black does not count, but is spotted at once and is the next ball to be played on.
Sometimes the black is allowed to count under these circumstances, and can be played on again, after it has been spotted, the theory being that, though black cannot be played on twice running, it may, under certain circumstances, be taken twice running.
If black is holed, the striker must play on a coloured ball, the rules of the room deciding which one, but in most rooms he is allowed his choice.
If he takes this life too, he must again play on black, taking coloured balls and blacks alternately till he breaks down, when the next player proceeds.
If the striker plays on black, and holes both black and a coloured ball, both are counted; but if a coloured ball goes down and black does not, the coloured ball does not count, and the break is at an end. If the striker holes the black and no other ball is left on the table, his ball is spotted.
In a game of this kind, where all are playing against all, to play for safety is mere waste of time; but when the next player has an easy stroke waiting for him, with perhaps a good chance of black to follow, the striker should sacrifice his own game (unless he has a reasonable chance of scoring) to spoil the next player’s; e.g. if red has a difficult stroke, and yellow, who follows him, has a good chance of taking (say) brown, then red should knock brown away, as, if yellow makes his first hazard and then gets black, red will have to pay with the others. But as a general rule the striker must play for himself alone, and play not merely for the first hazard but for the black afterwards. At no time is caution so necessary as when the next striker is in hand and there is a ball behind the baulk-line which is likely to be holed. If the black is safe, no danger is to be feared; but if it is anywhere in the middle of the table, some self-sacrifice may be necessary, so that it behoves every player as his turn comes round to think what kind of a stroke the next man is likely to have.