No. The game runs directly in your web browser and works in Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge, on desktop and on phones. Nothing to download and no plugin to install.

Drag back from the cue ball. The direction sets your aim and the distance you pull back sets the power, then release to take the shot. A short tap cancels, so you cannot fire by accident while lining up.

The dashed line is the cue ball path, the solid line is where the object ball will go and the faint line is where the cue ball ends up after contact. They are calculated from the same physics the table runs, so they do not lie to you.

Your opponent gets ball in hand and can drag the cue ball to any legal spot before shooting. Fouls include scratching the white, failing to hit a cushion, striking the wrong group first and hitting the eight before your group is cleared.

They play differently rather than simply more accurately. The Rookie takes the easiest pot available. The Hustler plays safe instead of gambling. The Surgeon sets up the following shot every time. The Shark attempts the hard pots the others decline. You beat each over a race of frames to unlock the next.