What Does the 🎱 8 Ball Emoji Mean?

Co-authored by Imad Jbara and Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: May 12, 2022

Did the 🎱 (8 Ball) emoji just shoot across your screen? This black-and-white icon isn’t super common in the emoji world, so it’s totally fair if you aren’t sure what it means. We’re here to help—we’ve outlined everything you need to know about this classic emoji, so you can use and reply to it in your own convos. We’ve even covered some alternate meanings for the 🎱 (8 Ball) emoji in case you stumble across it in a more unconventional context.

Section 1 of 4:

What does the 🎱 (8 Ball) emoji mean?

The 🎱 (8 Ball) emoji refers to a game of pool or billiards. The original poster might be bragging on TikTok or Twitter about a great pool game they just played, giving a shout-out on Instagram or Snapchat to an excellent pool player, or texting something billiards-related to a friend.^{[1]
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- “Just had the best game of my life yesterday!! 🤩🎱”
- “Guess who just won $50 at the bar 😏🎱”

Section 2 of 4:

How to Use the 🎱 (8 Ball) Emoji

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Send the 🎱 (8 Ball) emoji to invite someone to play a game of pool with you. In the mood to wreck your friend in a game of pool? Shoot over a quick text with an invite and see what they say. Be sure to specify where the game’s going down if you don’t have a pool table at your place.
- “You, me, pool at 8? Blue Moon Tavern usually has some tables open 🎱”
- “That last game was a disaster. I want a rematch! Meet me at my place at 9 🎱😈”
2
Use the 🎱 (8 Ball) emoji when chatting about a game of pool. Maybe you just watched an expert pool player mop the floor with their opponents, or you saw a fight almost break out between 2 amped-up pool players. Share all the deets with a friend—with the help of the 🎱 emoji, of course!
- “Dude I just saw someone lose $200 in a pool game 😰🎱”
- “My cousin just creamed me in pool LOL. I think he could honestly go pro 🎱”

Section 3 of 4:

How to Reply to the 🎱 (8 Ball Emoji)

1
Accept or decline an invite to play pool. Ready to shoot your shot? Let the other person know that you accept their challenge and that you’re excited to face off. It’s totally fine if you’re not in the mood for a game, though—just thank the other person for their invite and politely let them know that you’re not interested.
- Friend: “Up for a game of pool tonight? 🎱”
  You: “You’re on!! Hope you’re ready for your winning streak to end 😈”
- Friend: “I’m so bored LOL. Wanna meet at the bar and play some pool? 🎱”
  You: “Sorry, I’m swamped with work tonight 😭 Thanks for the invite, though!!”
2
Share your thoughts about a pool game. Maybe your texting partner just got out of a rough match, or just saw the match-up of the century go down at the club. Feel free to offer your own opinion on the topic and see where the conversation goes from there.
- Friend: “Ugh I just lost $20 playing pool 😠🎱”
  You: “Sorry bro 😞 If it’s any consolation, I’m sure you’d kick my butt any day of the week LOL”
- Friend: “Pretty sure this guy at the bar is a professional pool player 🤔🎱”
  You: “Maybe you can offer to be his agent 😂”

Section 4 of 4:

Alternate Meanings of the 🎱 (8 Ball) Emoji

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The 🎱 (8 Ball) emoji can represent prostate cancer awareness. Several years ago, many male UK Facebook users created posts with just the 🎱 emoji. Then, they would send a message to their male friends on Facebook Messenger, encouraging them to post the emoji themselves for prostate cancer awareness. They’d also encourage the person to pass the message on to their male friends, too. ^{[2]
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- The “8” on the 🎱 emoji represents the Gleason score, which is a test used to diagnose the severity of prostate cancer. An “8” score is considered more advanced.^{[3]
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2
The 🎱 (8 Ball) emoji might be referencing a magic 8 ball. Although this emoji mostly looks like a pool ball, it also resembles a magic 8 ball. This children’s toy claims to predict the future with vague answers—so, someone might use this emoji when they’re jokingly predicting the future.
- Person 1: “Do you think Jake is going to ask me to prom? 😰”
  Person 2: “Reply hazy, try again 🎱”
3
The 🎱 (8 Ball) emoji is occasionally used as a symbol for drugs. In the drug-using community, an “8-ball” signifies ⅛ ounce (3.5 g) of drugs.^{[4]
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Research source} If you see the 🎱 emoji pop up in a drug-related conversation, it’s probably shorthand for this specific measurement.