Pool Payday Game Review [2025]: Keep Your Eye on the Ball To Win Money

What is Pool Payday?

Pool Payday: 8 Ball Billiards is an app available on the App Store and Galaxy Store that transforms your in-person pool hall experience into a virtual, online version. It was created by Hidden Pixel Games, LLC, a company launched in 2017, and Pool Payday was released soon after.

With Pool Payday, you can earn real cash by competing in virtual tournaments with other players. Your real-life pool skills might come in handy in the app version, whether you want to play just for fun or put a little cash on the line.

Game	4.3 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score products and companies on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence our ratings.
Gaming platform	Skillz
Compatible systems	iOS, Samsung
Minimum entry fee (for cash tournaments)	$0.60
Minimum cash deposit	$5
Minimum withdrawal amount	$0
Withdrawal methods	Mailed paper check for U.S. players (or as a refund to your original payment method)
States that prohibit cash tournaments	Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee
Tournament types	Offline and practice (free) Head-to-head Brackets Events Matches Leagues
	Download Pool Payday

Is Pool Payday legit?

Pool Payday is a legitimate mobile game on the Skillz games platform, which connects online players through social competition. Skillz hosts billions of online tournaments for millions of players worldwide and offers millions in prizes each month. Other popular games that use Skillz include Dominoes Gold, Blackout Bingo, and Solitaire Cube.

Pool Payday has over 90,000 ratings and reviews on the App Store and an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. The app is also available in the Galaxy Store with over 1,800 reviews and an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Reviews describe Pool Payday as a "great app" and "great game."

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How does Pool Payday work?

Once you've created a Pool Payday account, you can play games using Z coins (the in-game currency) or your cash balance. You automatically start with a certain number of Z coins, and you can earn more by winning games, earning trophies, and claiming daily rewards. You can unlock unlimited play if you earn enough and keep winning.

Scoring higher than your opponent is the typical route to winning Pool Payday. The scoring generally follows normal rules of pool, like hitting the correct balls into the pockets, though there are variations in scoring methods depending on the game mode you're playing.

Want to earn bonus points? Learn to use some of the game's key features, such as trick shots, pocket calling (naming the pocket before your shot), expert ball positioning, and higher speed. If you fail to pocket a ball or scratch (pocket the cue ball), you lose one of your three starting cue balls. Once you run out of cue balls, pocket all the balls, or the time runs out, the game ends.

Playing games with Z coins won't directly earn you real money, but you can win tickets, which you can trade for prizes through the Skillz Rewards store. Prizes include bonus cash, gift cards, electronics, and apparel. Trading your tickets for bonus cash puts money in your cash balance. You can participate in cash games to win real money if your balance is high enough.

Types of game modes in Pool Payday

Real-time or turn-based

You can choose to play in real-time pool game mode, which means, well, you're taking turns in real time against an opponent. Your goal is to score the most points.

Offline mode

The other choice is to play in Offline mode, which means you don't need to wait for your opponent. You're simply trying to get the highest score possible, without pausing to let the other person play. Again, the highest score wins.

Practice

You can play against one player of a comparable skill level. Z coins get you in to play practice games to get the hang of the app.

Head-to-head

This version pits you against another player, but there's a cash entry requirement. You could win cash, tickets, or league medals.

Brackets

In bracket gameplay, you go against multiple players. A cash entry is required, and again you can win cash or tickets or league medals.

Events

Looking for something even more competitive? Try a bigger multiplayer event in Pool Payday. Again, there's a cash entry requirement. Events are usually timed, and you may be able to enter more than once to try to improve your score. The total prize pool is divided among top-scoring participants and typically includes cash and tickets.

Real-time matches

In a live, turn-based match, you can see how your billiards skills stack up against another competitor. You can choose between 8-ball pool or trick shot pool. You also get to select either Z coin or cash entry requirements.

Leagues

If you get enough game-playing experience in Pool Payday, you can be entered into Leagues, a timed prize pool. Win games to earn medals; the more medals won, the higher your League ranking (and the higher your potential payout).

Game play in Leagues may be in either Practice or Pro categories, and there's also a division based on whether you want to play using actual cash or Z coins.

Who can use Pool Payday?

Pool Payday isn't for everyone. Because it allows users to deposit real money, Pool Payday is rated for individuals 17 or older by the App Store. Plus, Skillz requires players to be 18 or older to compete.

The app is available on iOS devices, including iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices running iOS 12.0 or later. Users with certain Android devices can also download the game through the Galaxy Store. If using Apple Vision, you'll need visionOS 1.0 at minimum.

Competing in online cash tournaments isn't legal everywhere. If you live in one of the following states, you're ineligible for cash play but can play free versions of Pool Payday:

• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Montana
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee

Pool Payday is free to play, but it offers real-money options if you want to participate quickly in cash games and try to win real cash.

However, if you enjoy playing pool and have time to spare, Pool Payday could be a fun way to win real money. Keep in mind that even though it's a virtual pool game, actual pool skills and knowledge might come in handy.

How much can you earn with Pool Payday?

Like other game apps, Pool Payday rewards you if you can win your matches against other players, refer other players, or use a promo code. As with any form of gaming with real money, there's always a risk you might actually lose any money you put up. So be sure you only risk what you can afford to lose; other than that factor, make sure you're having fun.

You won't risk losing any money if you only play the free game mode using Z coins rather than cash. However, it will take longer to earn enough tickets you can trade for bonus cash that will allow you to participate in cash games.

For example, you might earn two tickets for winning a Z coin game that takes you three minutes to play. You will then need 20,000 tickets to trade for $1 of bonus cash. That's 10,000 games you'd have to win to earn enough tickets for that trade and around 30,000 minutes (500 hours) of play time. 

Alternatively, you could deposit some of your own money and immediately start playing in cash games. It typically requires about 60 cents to play in the least expensive cash mode, and the winning prize is typically $1. You could try more expensive game modes — such as paying $3 for the possibility of winning $8 — or entering an event for $1 where the prize pool might be $700 or more, and the player with the highest score could win more than $150. However, we don't necessarily recommend this unless you're really confident in your skills since you're more likely to lose your money.

How to withdraw cash

To withdraw your cash balance, simply select the "Withdraw" option from the in-game menu. This option only shows up once you've registered your account as a new player.

If you've deposited any money into your account, withdrawing money automatically reverts to the payment method you used for your deposit, including a credit card or PayPal. After that amount, U.S. players will be issued a paper check, whereas players in other locations will receive payment by PayPal.

If Pool Payday doesn't seem like it would be the right fit for you, you might find other leisure-like activities that make money on our list of the best side hustles.

How to get started with Pool Payday

1. Download Pool Payday from the App Store or Galaxy Store

2. Open the app and select "Play"

3. Choose an avatar and enter a username

4. Play a few practice games in the tutorial

5. Once you're able to navigate the menu, select "Account" and then "Save Account" to create your account

6. Enter your date of birth and other information to register your account

7. Select a game mode to start playing the game

Pool Payday alternatives

Are you intrigued by the mobile gaming idea but not so much by Pool Payday itself? There are other gaming apps to choose from if you want to learn how to make money in your spare time.

Blackout Bingo

Another game on the Skillz platform we recommend is Blackout Bingo, a fast-paced bingo game that also centers on tournament-style gaming. This one is available for iOS and Samsung devices, and you might consider it over Pool Payday if you're not that great at pool or just want something that requires a little less skill. Like Pool Payday, Blackout Bingo offers a lot of different modes and game styles, and we've found that we can earn more by strategizing between modes.

Download Blackout Bingo | Learn more in our Blackout Bingo review.

Bubble Cash

Bubble Cash is a competitive bubble shooter game that's a little like pool in that you're shooting bubbles (balls), and the game also offers free and pay-to-play tournaments. We've found this one to be pretty addicting, and the gameplay is simple enough to learn quickly but challenging enough to stay interesting. You can get Bubble Cash if you've got an iOS or Samsung phone, but you won't be able to download it from Google Play. We recommend Bubble Cash over Pool Payday if you think you'll fare better in the cash tournaments or would just find this type of game more fun.

Download Bubble Cash | Learn more in our Bubble Cash review.

Scrambly

If you don't want to pay to play games, you don't have to. Cash rewards platforms like Scrambly will pay you just to try and spend time playing games, and this particular platform is one of the best we've tested when it comes to game variety and payout options. There are all sorts of games to try on Scrambly, from classics like Scrabble and Solitaire to non-skill casual and simulation games. You can even get paid to take surveys. It's available for iOS and Android devices (through Google Play), but there isn't an Apple app. Instead, you'll open it through your browser and scan a QR code to install games that are compatible with your phone. 

Download Scrambly | Learn more in our Scrambly review.

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4.3

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score products and companies on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence our ratings.

Free matches to practice your onling pool skills

Play pro matches to potentially win cash prizes

Excitement of real-time competition

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Kate Underwood is a professional writer who spent fifteen years as a high school English and French teacher before writing about personal finance. Her specialties include investing, retirement planning, loans, and credit card rewards. Her work can be found on numerous publications, including Business Insider and ConsumerAffairs. She lives in Kentucky with her husband, two kids, and way too many pets.