Kelly Pool

Kelly Pool (also called Pea Pool or Pill Pool) is a multi-player pool game (2-15 players) that emerged in mid-19th century America — a wildly popular bar-room and gambling variant of rotation pool. Each player secretly draws a small numbered 'pea' or 'pill' (like a numbered bead in a leather 'bottle') at the start; the drawn number is that player's target ball, kept secret. Play proceeds in rotation (players shoot in numerical pea order or seat order depending on ruleset), striking the lowest-numbered ball first as in 9-ball rotation. A player wins by potting their secret pea ball at any point during the game. Kelly Pool became notorious for gambling (each player antes into pot; winner takes all) and was famously banned in many US pool halls during Prohibition era for gambling associations. It remains widely played casually and has seen a modern revival in dive bars + amateur circuits. Rules vary regionally — some variants require public pea reveal on potting; others keep secret until game end.

Winner takes pot; no ongoing score across games (except money accumulated).

Win condition · First player to legally pot their secret pea ball wins the inning and takes the pot.

Rotation game — 15 numbered object balls racked in triangle; cue ball starts in kitchen for break.

• 15 numbered pool balls (1-15) + cue ball

  Standard pool ball set.

• Peas / pills (1-15)

  Numbered wooden or plastic beads (~1cm), traditionally kept in a leather 'bottle' for random draw. One drawn per player.

• Cue stick + chalk

  Standard pool cue and chalk.

• Antes / pot (optional gambling)

  Cash pot each player contributes; winner takes all (traditional). Skip in casual play.

• Any player (rotation order)

  ×2

  Every player has equal role; plays in seating or pea-number rotation.

Almost always self-refereed; disputes resolved by group consensus.

• Self-refereed (casual)
• Referee (tournament — rare for Kelly Pool)

• Play toward your pea early

  If your pea number is low (1-5), attack it directly since it must be hit first anyway.

• Bluff to protect high pea

  If your pea is high (10-15), pretend not to care about that ball to prevent opponents from playing safe on it.

• Peddle to negotiate

  In social play, reveal pea to opponents to negotiate cooperative play against a leader.

• Bank + combination options

  As lower balls clear, higher balls become accessible via combos + banks — practice these shots.

• Foul management

  Elimination variant rewards careful foul avoidance; conservative safety play beats reckless attacks.

Pea / Pill

Numbered bead drawn at start to assign each player's secret ball.

Bottle

Leather shaker holding all 15 peas for random draw.

Rotation

Must strike lowest numbered ball first on every shot.

Ball-in-hand

After opponent foul, place cue ball anywhere on table.

Peddle

Reveal your pea number to another player (tactical negotiation).

Ante

Buy-in contribution to game pot.

• APA amateur league (Kelly Pool as league night)

  weekly · USA (some regional leagues) · since 1979

• Historic National Kelly Pool Championship

  irregular · USA (early 20th century pool halls) · since 1910

• Modern revival exhibition tournaments

  irregular · regional USA + Canada · since 2010

• 🇺🇸United States
• 🇨🇦Canada
• 🇬🇧United Kingdom
• 🇦🇺Australia

• American Poolplayers Association (APA — recognizes as league game)

  Founded 1979 · Missouri, USA

  Official site ↗

• No dedicated Kelly Pool governing body

  Founded 1900 · N/A (folk cue game)

• APA— American Poolplayers Association
• Wikipedia — Kelly pool— Wikipedia