Pool Payday Review: A Mobile Game for Billiards Fans

Pool Payday

9

Product Rating

9.0/10

Strengths

  • Free non-cash practice rounds and live matches
  • 8-ball and trick shot head-to-head matches
  • Low cash entry fees
  • Several ways to earn bonus cash and points

Weaknesses

  • You may need to wait for opponents
  • Only the winner receives cash prizes
  • Cash tournaments are not available in every state
  • Cash withdrawals can take 4-6 weeks

Billiards video games are fun to play for enjoyment or competition. If you’re looking for free practice rounds and legit cash tournaments, consider Pool Payday. This game offers head-to-head competitions and the opportunity to win real prizes from your phone.

Here is a closer look at Pool Payday – a fun hobby with the chance to earn money, depending on where you live.

Table of Contents
  1. What Is Pool Payday?
    1. Who Can Play Pool Payday?
  2. How Much Does Pool Payday Cost?
  3. Pool Payday Rules
    1. 8-Ball Pool
    2. Trick Shot Pool
  4. How Pool Payday Works
    1. Free Practice Rounds
    2. Live Tournaments
    3. Missions
    4. Skillz Rewards
    5. Bonus Cash
  5. Pool Payday Cheats
  6. Pool Payday Pros and Cons
    1. Pros
    2. Cons
  7. Pool Payday FAQs
  8. Pool Payday Alternatives
    1. Blackout Bingo
    2. Solitaire Cube
    3. Swagbucks
    4. Mistplay
  9. Final Thoughts on Pool Payday

What Is Pool Payday?

Pool Payday is a mobile pool game made by Hidden Pixel Games. It is part of the Skillz platform, a leader in the phone games that pay real money niche.

It’s possible to play free practice rounds to hone your skills or to have some friendly competition. As this is a casino game, you may also decide to participate in cash tournaments and potentially win real money.

Who Can Play Pool Payday?

You must be at least 17 years old to download the Pool Payday app and play it for free. Free practice rounds are available in every state and in many countries. 

Like other Skillz network games, players must be 18 years or older to compete in cash tournaments. Unfortunately, cash tournaments are unavailable in these states:

  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Louisiana
  • Montana
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee

How Much Does Pool Payday Cost?

Pool Payday is completely free if you don’t participate in cash tournaments. The single-player and head-to-head matches are free to play.

The entry fee for cash tournaments depends on the prize amount and the number of players. Typically, the entry fee starts at $0.60 for a $1 prize. 

Here are some of the other entry fees for head-to-head matches:

  • $1.60 entry fee= $3 prize pool
  • $6 entry fee = $10 prize pool
  • $18 entry fee = $30 prize pool
  • $30 entry fee = $50 prize pool

You may see different variations for limited-time tournaments.

A $1.50 transfer fee for cash withdrawals less than $10 applies. In addition, it can take up to six weeks for a cash-out to complete. 

Learn more about Pool Payday

Pool Payday Rules

The Pool Payday gameplay rules are simple but depend on the match type.

8-Ball Pool

You might prefer the basic 8-ball pool rules for head-on matches. In this game, you go head-to-head against an opponent and try to sink the stripes or solids. Then, after pocketing your pattern, you pocket the 8-ball to win – without scratching the cue ball.

This game method doesn’t award you points for trick shots. However, you must continue putting balls into the pocket to avoid giving your opponent a term. Pocketing the cue ball ends your turn.

Trick Shot Pool

Pool Payday Trick Shot Rules

An exciting variation is Trick Shot Pool, a turn-based game where you take one shot, and your opponent follows until the table is empty. 

It doesn’t matter if you sink stripes, solids, or the 8-ball.

Instead, the number of points you earn depends on several factors:

  • Ball number: The base number of points you earn depends on which ball you pocket. For example, the 5-ball is worth five points, and the 12-ball is worth twelve points.
  • Pocket bonus: Each pocket has a bonus multiplier between 1x and 10x. Sinking a ball gives you the base points plus the multiplier. Example: A 10-ball with a 10x multiple equals 100 points, but an 8x multiplier only results in 80 points.
  • Trick shots: Pocketing a ball after bouncing it off a wall or another ball earns bonus points. 

You incur point penalties if you don’t pocket a ball or accidentally send your cue ball into a pocket.

Learn more about Pool Payday

How Pool Payday Works

Pool Payday Practice Round

Pool Payday is free to download to your Android or iOS device. You can start by playing a quick tutorial that teaches you how to maneuver the cue stick and score points. 

After completing five single-player practice rounds, you can start competing in head-to-head competitions. These matches can either wager real money or Skillz tickets.

It’s possible to redeem your cash winnings through PayPal. This 8-ball casino game also lets you save Skillz tickets for merchandise rewards, but you will need a significant balance.

Here are some of the best features of Pool Payday.

Free Practice Rounds

You can play in unlimited practice rounds for free. These single-player games use the trick shot rules and last three minutes. 

Use these rounds to hone your skills, such as aim and speed. In addition to pocketing balls, 

Even though you’re not playing head-to-head, these practice rounds have a competition factor. The gaming app matches your score to a competitor with a similar skill level, and the winner receives Skillz tickets redeemable for merchandise prizes or bonus cash.

Live Tournaments

You can play head-to-head with the 8-Ball or Trick Shot rules against another player in real-time. After the platform finds an opponent, you play in real-time until someone wins. Each game only takes a few minutes, making them convenient if you have limited free time.

As a heads up, there may not always be a potential opponent waiting in the wings for you to enter the floor. You can enable notifications when waiting for an opponent to accept the matchup.

Missions

As you complete matches, you will unlock in-game rewards like customized cue sticks and pool table designs. It’s not quite the same thing as winning real money, but it can be a fun feature to customize your gameplay.

Skillz Rewards

You will earn Skillz Rewards tickets for your efforts. You can redeem this in-game currency for physical merchandise like clothing or jewelry and bank them up for bonus cash to cover your entry fees.

While these rewards are exciting, you need many tickets to request a prize. For example, you need 20,000 tickets for $1 bonus cash, and you only win 50 tickets with the cheapest head-on matchup ($0.80 cash entry fee).

Bonus Cash

You will regularly encounter bonus cash offers when you make qualifying deposits. One example is getting $10 bonus cash with a $10 deposit.

It’s also possible to enter promo codes for additional bonuses.

These promotions help defray the ongoing expenses of pay-to-play games.

Pool Payday Cheats

There are no official cheat codes or authorized hacks. Pool Payday can discontinue your account if the app notices unauthorized activity. Instead, you may consider watching YouTube videos and playing practice rounds to discover strategies to complete more trick shots.

Learn more about Pool Payday

Pool Payday Pros and Cons

Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this game.

Pros

  • Free non-cash practice rounds and live matches 
  • 8-ball and trick shot head-to-head matches
  • Low cash entry fees
  • Several ways to earn bonus cash and points

Cons

  • You may need to wait for opponents
  • Only the winner receives cash prizes
  • Cash tournaments are not available in every state
  • Cash withdrawals can take 4-6 weeks

Pool Payday FAQs

Is Pool Payday legit?

Yes, Pool Payday is a legit game and part of the Skillz games platform. You can win real cash through 8-Ball Pool or Trick Shot gameplay. It’s also possible to play for free if you don’t want to compete for cash.

Is Pool Payday easy to play?

The game is easy to play, but each turn has a time limit, so you must quickly position your cue stick by sliding your fingers on your device screen. Therefore, you will need to play several practice rounds to learn how to aim your cue stick and master ball speed to be more competitive. 

The game is still skill-based. Your opponent may have more experience, but the app tries to match you with opponents of a similar skill level for fair competition.

Is there Pool Payday free money?

The easiest way to get free money is by redeeming promo codes and cash deposit promotions.

Learn more about Pool Payday

Pool Payday Alternatives

You may also like to try these games as a change of pace. It’s possible to play for free and compete for cash. These games are for single players, but you compare your score to competitors with the same board where the highest scores win the payout.

Blackout Bingo

Blackout Bingo lets you daub bingo squares with two-minute rounds. You earn bonuses by getting multiple bingos and quickly tapping the correct number. For more information, check out our Blackout Bingo review.

Please Note! Cash tournaments are available in most of the world. Cash tournaments are not enabled in the following states: AR, CT, DE, IN, LA, ME, SD. If you don’t live in a prize-enabled region, you can still play for free.

Solitaire Cube

Solitaire Cube uses the Klondike Solitaire rules, where you must stack your cards and solve the puzzle in five minutes or less.

Swagbucks

If you are open-minded about what games you play, consider Swagbucks. This get-paid-to-site pays you to complete milestones in many mobile games like casino, adventure, and strategy. 

It’s possible to play for free but in-game purchases may be required to earn the total payout on certain games. You can also earn points by taking surveys and completing shopping offers to redeem your rewards for gift cards and PayPal cash. Learn more in our full Swagbucks review.

Mistplay

Android users can also consider Mistplay to try out new games and redeem points for gift cards and in-game rewards. You earn points based on your gameplay length and reaching levels in a game. Read our Mistplay review to learn more.

Learn more about Pool Payday

Final Thoughts on Pool Payday

Pool Payday has a short learning curve and can be a fun hobby if you enjoy 8-Ball pool or making trick shots. The head-to-head competition in real-time is also a unique feature. While you must partake in cash tournaments to maximize the app, you may also enjoy the free matches to play against someone else without going to your local bar or bowling alley.  

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About Josh Patoka

After graduating in $50k with student loans in May 2008 from Virginia Military Institute with a B.A. International Studies and Political Science with a minor in Spanish (he studied abroad in Sevilla, Spain for 3 months), Josh decided to sell his soul for seven years by working in the transportation industry to get out of debt ASAP and focus on doing something else with a better work-life balance.

He is a father of three and has been writing about (almost) everything personal finance since 2015. You can also find him at his own blog Money Buffalo where he shares his personal experience of becoming debt-free (twice) and taking a 50%+ pay cut when he changed careers.

Today, Josh relishes the flexibility of being self-employed and debt-free and encourages others to pursue their dreams. Josh enjoys spending his free time reading books and spending time with his wife and three children.

Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank or financial institution. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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