Side Pocket brings pool (or billiards if you prefer) to your Nintendo Game Boy. You can play 9-Ball, in which you must sink the 9-ball as soon as possible, or you can engage in Pocket Play, in which you accumulate points by sinking target balls. In Pocket Play you begin at the Club Class Level and try to progress past City Class, State Class, and World Class Championships, each requiring a specified amount of points before you can advance.

Your perspective in this game is from directly above the pool table. Pictured at the top of the screen you'll find an "English" Indicator, which shows the spot where you will shoot the cue-ball, and the Power Indicator, which controls how hard you strike the cue-ball. You can play Side Pocket by yourself, or you can compete against a friend.