Kelly Pool Rules (Pea Pool)
Kelly pool, also called pea pool or pill pool, is the great equalizer of bar games. Each player shakes a numbered pea out of a bottle, keeps it secret, and tries to pocket the ball matching that number before anyone else pockets theirs. Because nobody knows which ball anyone is protecting, the game mixes rotation-style shooting with a poker element that no other pool game has.
It handles anywhere from two players to a whole crowded barroom, needs nothing but a standard ball set and a cheap shake bottle, and a rack rarely lasts more than a few minutes. That combination is exactly why it has survived for over a century in pool halls and taverns.
The Bottle, the Peas, and the Setup
The equipment that makes kelly pool unique is the tally bottle, a small leather or plastic shaker holding numbered peas, sometimes called pills, marked 1 through 15 or 1 through 16. Each player shakes out one pea and looks at it privately. That number is their money ball for the game, and revealing it early throws away their biggest advantage.
Rack all fifteen balls in a standard triangle with the 1-ball on the foot spot. Some rooms place the 2 and 3 at the back corners like a rotation rack, and that works fine. Determine shooting order by lot, by lag, or by drawing a second pea, then break from behind the head string.
Rotation Play
Kelly pool is played on rotation rules: the cue ball must contact the lowest-numbered ball on the table first on every shot. Any ball pocketed on a legal shot stays down, and the shooter keeps shooting. Miss, and the next player steps up. Scratches and failure to hit the lowest ball first are fouls; the usual bar penalty is spotting any illegally pocketed balls and passing the turn, with the incoming player getting the cue ball in the kitchen or, in stricter rooms, ball in hand.
This rotation requirement is what creates the drama. Your secret ball might be the 14, but you cannot just fire at it. You have to work through the low balls, or get there on a legal combination off the lowest ball, which is the classic kelly pool play.
Winning, Getting Knocked Out, and Scoring Variants
The clean version: pocket your own secret ball on a legal shot and you win instantly, showing your pea as proof. If another player pockets your ball, most versions eliminate you, and you announce it and set your pea aside. When only one player still has a live ball, they win by default.
Plenty of scoring variants exist. Some crowds play that whoever sinks your ball collects a point or a drink from you. Others score every pocketed ball at one point and the secret ball at two or more, playing to a target score across several racks. In the old gambling version each ball pocketed carried a small payment from every other player, which is part of why the game spread so fast. Agree on the variant before the break, because the differences change strategy completely.
Strategy Basics
The core skill is misdirection. If you obviously play position toward one ball for two innings, everyone at the table knows your number, and someone will happily dump it in a pocket to knock you out. Good kelly players pocket low balls efficiently, take what the table gives them, and only reveal intent at the moment they can actually cash out.
Watch the other players the same way. Someone nursing the cue ball toward the high end of the table is telegraphing. Sinking a ball you suspect belongs to the best shooter at the table is often worth more than advancing your own cause. And remember the count: as low balls disappear, the rotation eventually forces contact near your ball whether you like it or not, so plan for when your number becomes the lowest ball on the table.
The Australian Version
Kelly pool means something slightly different in Australia, where the name covers a hugely popular pub game that developed its own local character. Australian kelly pool is commonly played with standard blackball or eight-ball style equipment and local house rules, often in teams, and in many pubs the shake bottle has disappeared entirely. If you are reading Australian rule sheets online, be aware they may describe a different game than the American pea-and-bottle version covered here. When in doubt, ask the table what rules they play before you put your name up.
Our picks
Links open the current selection and price on Amazon so you can compare real reviews before buying.
Tally Bottle and Pea Set
The essential kelly pool kitA traditional leather-style shaker bottle with numbered peas 1 through 16 is the one piece of gear kelly pool actually requires, and it doubles as a fair way to draw playing order for any game.
Check price on AmazonReplacement Numbered Pill Set
Backup peas for busy roomsPeas walk off in bar settings constantly, so a spare set of numbered pills keeps the game alive without replacing the whole bottle.
Check price on AmazonAramith Crown Standard Ball Set
Durable full 15-ball setKelly pool uses all fifteen balls every rack, and a cast phenolic set shrugs off the constant racking and hard bar-table breaks far better than cheap polyester balls.
Check price on AmazonFrequently asked questions
How many people can play kelly pool?
Traditionally two to fifteen players, one per numbered pea, though the game plays best with three to six. Since each rack is short and elimination is possible, it handles big casual groups better than almost any other pool game.
Do you have to keep your number secret?
Yes, in the standard game your pea stays hidden until you pocket your ball and claim the win, or until your ball is sunk and you are knocked out. The secrecy is the whole strategic engine of the game.
What happens if you pocket your own ball out of rotation?
It has to be a legal shot, meaning the cue ball contacted the lowest-numbered ball on the table first. Pocket your ball on a foul and it spots back up, and you have usually just told the whole table which ball to hunt.
Related guides
LeaguePool is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.