Is playing 8-ball pool haram?

Question

Is playing 8-ball pool haram? I love to play, but somebody told me to not play because it's haram.

Answer 1

It's just a game; it's not inherently haram (see the fatawa below), but it can lead to haram acts such as gambling, inappropriate mixed-gender intermingling, enmity between players, and neglecting religious duties.

One fatwa on this topic is:

... it is at least dis-likable as the Muslim wastes much of his time that could be used in more recommendable acts to be rewarded by Allah.
_IslamWeb

Another is:

Playing pool billiards in clubs is not permissible, not because the game itself is haraam, rather because these clubs involve many haraam things such as swearing, neglecting prayer and gambling, and playing in them involves keeping quiet about evil with no need to stay in these places.
_{Islam Q&A}

Another fatwa describes the permissibility of an online version of 8-ball pool:

We have studied the 8 ball pool online game observed that the game does not have any principle violations of Shariah
_AskImam

Answer 2

SA brother. Whoever told you its haram, you should ask them what is their daleel/proof that it is haram. Assuming there is no gambling involved, it could be seen as a recommended activity as it can improve your hand-eye coordination which is something that you get from archery which is an approved sunnah from the prophet pbuh.