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"Billiards" redirects here. For other uses, see Billiard.
Illustration of a three ball pocket billiards game in early 19th century Tübingen, Germany, using a table much longer than the modern type.
Illustration of a three ball pocket billiards game in early 19th century Tübingen, Germany, using a table much longer than the modern type. Pocket billiards, most commonly referred to as pool, is the general term for a family of games played on a specific class of Billiards table, having 6 receptacles Tübingen, a traditional University town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is situated 30 km (19 miles southwest of Stuttgart, on a ridge between Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

Cue sports are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike colored billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber cushions. A game of skill is a Game where the outcome is determined mainly by mental and/or physical Skill, rather than by pure chance. A cue stick (or simply cue, or more specifically pool cue, snooker cue, or billiards cue) is an item of sporting equipment essential to the This article is about the term used for African-Americans You might be looking for Coloured people or Color (disambiguation. Billiard balls are used in Cue sports, such as Carom billiards, pool, and Snooker. Baize is a coarse Woollen (or in cheaper variants Cotton) Cloth, sometimes called " Felt " in American English based on a A billiard table or billiards table (or more specifically a pool table or snooker table) is a bounded table on which billiards-type games TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles

Historically, the umbrella term was billiards. While that familiar name is still employed by some as a generic label for all such games, the word's usage has splintered into more exclusive competing meanings among certain groups and geographic regions. In the United Kingdom, "billiards" refers exclusively to English billiards, while in the United States it is sometimes used to refer to a particular game or class of games, or to all cue games in general, depending upon dialect and context. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located English billiards, called simply billiards in many former British colonies and in Great Britain where it originated also known variously as the English game The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

There are three major subdivisions of games within cue sports:

More obscurely, there are games that make use of obstacles and targets, and table-top games played with disks instead of colored balls. This article is about the term used for African-Americans You might be looking for Coloured people or Color (disambiguation.

Billiards has a long and rich history stretching from its inception in the 15th century; to the wrapping of the body of Mary, Queen of Scots in her billiard table cover in 1586; it is mentioned once in the works of Shakespeare, including the famous line "let us to billiards" in Antony and Cleopatra (1606–07); to the dome on Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello, which conceals a billiard room he hid, as billiards was illegal in Virginia at that time; and through the many famous enthusiasts of the sport including, Mozart, Louis XIV of France, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, George Washington, Charles Dickens, George Armstrong Custer, Theodore Roosevelt, Lewis Carroll, W.C. Fields, Babe Ruth, Bob Hope, Jackie Gleason, and many others. William Shakespeare ( baptised Antony and Cleopatra is a Tragedy by William Shakespeare. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623 Thomas Jefferson (April 13 1743 – July 4 1826 was the third President of the United States (1801–1809 the principal author of the Declaration of Independence Monticello (mɒntəˈtʃɛloʊ located near Charlottesville, Virginia, was the estate of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna von Habsburg-Lothringen (November 2 1755 &ndash October 16 1793 known to history as Marie Antoinette ( pronounced /maʀi ɑ̃ntwanɛt/ Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30 1835 – April 21 1910 better known by the Pen name Mark Twain, was an American Humorist, satirist George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the Theodore Roosevelt (ˈroʊzəvɛlt October 27 1858 January 6 1919 also known as T Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (ˈdɒdsən (27 January 1832 &ndash 14 January 1898 better known by the Pen name Lewis Carroll (/ˈkærəl/ was an English W C Fields ( January 29, 1880 &ndash December 25, 1946) was an American Juggler, Comedian, and Actor George Herman Ruth Jr (February 6 1895 &ndash August 16 1948 also popularly known as " Babe " " The Bambino " and " The Sultan of Bob Hope, KBE KCSG ( May 29, 1903 &ndash July 27, 2003) was an American comedian and actor who appeared in Herbert Walton Gleason Jr, baptized John Herbert "Jackie" Gleason ( February 26, 1916 – June 24, 1987) was an

Cues
Cues

Contents

History

Inset from School of Recreation, 1710. "We perceive from the engraving of the Billiards of the seventeenth [sic] century, that the game was altogether different from what it is now."
Inset from School of Recreation, 1710. "We perceive from the engraving of the Billiards of the seventeenth [sic] century, that the game was altogether different from what it is now. "[1]

All cue sports are generally regarded to have evolved into indoor games from outdoor stick-and-ball lawn games [2], and as such to be related to troco, croquet and golf, and more distantly to the stickless bocce and bowling. A lawn game is any outdoor game that can be played on a Lawn. Troco (also called trucks and lawn billiards) is an English Lawn game played with Balls cues and rings that remained Croquet is a Game played both as a recreational Pastime and as a competitive Sport which involves hitting wooden or plastic balls with a mallet through Bocce (or Bocci, or Boccie) is a precision Sport belonging to the Boules sport family closely related to Bowls and Pétanque Bowling is a Game / Sport in which players attempt to score points by rolling a Bowling ball along a flat surface either into objects called pins The word "billiard" may have evolved from the French word billart, meaning "mace", an implement similar to a golf club, which was the forerunner to the modern cue. Golf clubs are used in the sport of Golf to hit a Golf ball. Each club is composed of a shaft with a lance(grip and a clubhead The term "cue sports" can be used to encompass the ancestral mace games, and even the modern cueless variants, such as finger pool, for historical reasons.

Accordingly, in addition to the three general subdivisions listed earlier, a now rare obstacle category was prevalent in early times. The obstacle games (see illustration to the right, featuring a croquet-like variant), appear to have been the earliest, and include the obsolete bagatelle and pin pool among many other variations, some with elaborate structures (likely inspirational of miniature golf), and yet others on a sloped table (the ancestors of pinball), up to the relatively recent bumper pool (popular in the 1970s in home game rooms). Bagatelle (from the Château de Bagatelle) is an indoor table game related to Billiards, the object of which is to get a number of balls (set at nine in the nineteenth Minigolf, or miniature golf, is a miniature version of the Sport of Golf. Bumper pool is a casual Billiards game played on an octagonal recreation room (also known as a rec room or rumpus room) is a room used for a variety of purposes such as parties games and other everyday or casual

The object of obstacle games varies from avoiding obstructions and traps, to hitting or passing through or into them on purpose to score, to using them strategically to score in some other way, such as by rebounding off them to reach a hole in the table or trapping opponents' colored balls. This article is about the term used for African-Americans You might be looking for Coloured people or Color (disambiguation.

The early croquet-like games eventually led to the development of the carom or carambole billiards category – what most non-US and non-UK speakers mean by the word "billiards". Carom billiards, sometimes called carambole billiards or simply carambole and in some cases used as a synonym for the game of straight rail from These games, which once completely dominated the cue sports world but have declined markedly in most areas over the last few generations, are games played with three or sometimes four balls, on a table without holes (or obstructions in most cases, five-pins being an exception), in which the goal is generally to strike one object (target) ball with a cue ball, then have the cue ball rebound off of one or more of the cushions and strike a second ball. Five-pins ( Italian cinque birilli) also known as stecca (in Italian five-pin billiards, 5-pins, TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles Variations include three-cushion, straight rail, balkline variants, cushion caroms, Italian five-pins, and four-ball, among others. Cushion caroms (or cushion carom billiards) sometimes called by its original name the indirect game, is a Carom billiards discipline generally played on Four-ball is a Carom billiards game The game is played on a pocketless table with four balls usually one light red one dark red and two white

Over time, a type of obstacle returned, originally as a hazard and later as a target, in the form of pockets, or holes partly cut into the table bed and partly into the cushions, leading to the rise of pocket billiards, especially "pool" games, popular around the world in forms such as eight-ball, nine-ball, straight pool and one-pocket amongst numerous others. A billiard table or billiards table (or more specifically a pool table or snooker table) is a bounded table on which billiards-type games Pocket billiards, most commonly referred to as pool, is the general term for a family of games played on a specific class of Billiards table, having 6 receptacles One-pocket is a two-player (or -team Pocket billiards (pool game The terms "pool" and "pocket billiards" are now virtually interchangeable, especially in the US. English billiards (what UK speakers almost invariably mean by the word "billiards") is a hybrid carom/pocket game, and as such is likely fairly close to the ancestral original pocket billiards outgrowth from 18th to early 19th century carom games. English billiards, called simply billiards in many former British colonies and in Great Britain where it originated also known variously as the English game

As a sport

At least the games with regulated international professional competition have been referred to as "sports" or "sporting" events, not simply "games", since 1893 at the latest. [3] Quite a variety of particular games (i. e. sets of rules and equipment) are the subject of present-day competition, including many of those already mentioned, with competition being especially broad in nine-ball, snooker, three-cushion and eight-ball.

Snooker, though technically a pocket billiards variant and closely related in its equipment and origin to the game of English billiards, is a professional sport organized at the international level, and its rules bear little resemblance to those of pool games.

A "Billiards" category encompassing pool, snooker and carom was featured in the 2005 World Games, held in Duisburg, Germany, and the 2006 Asian Games also saw the introduction of a "Cue sports" category. This article is about the real-life event. There is also the World Games computer game. Duisburg (ˈdyːsbʊɐ̯k is a German city in the western part of the Ruhr Area ( Ruhrgebiet) in North Rhine-Westphalia. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Asian Games, also called the Asiad, is a Multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Cue sports of Snooker, English billiards, and three-cushion carom for men as well as Eight-ball and Nine-ball Efforts have also been underway for many years to have cue sports become Olympic competitions. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games

Equipment

Billiard balls

Main article: Billiard balls
Pool balls
Pool balls

Billiard balls vary from game to game, in size, design and number. Billiard balls are used in Cue sports, such as Carom billiards, pool, and Snooker. Carom billiards balls are larger than pool balls, and come as a set of two cue balls (one colored or marked) and an object ball (or two object balls in the case of the game four-ball also known as yotsudama). Four-ball is a Carom billiards game The game is played on a pocketless table with four balls usually one light red one dark red and two white American-style pool balls, used in any pool game and found throughout the world, come in sets of two suits of object balls, seven solids and seven stripes, an 8 ball and a cue ball; the balls are racked differently for different games (some of which do not use the entire ball set). TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles Blackball (English-style eight-ball) sets are similar, but have unmarked groups of red (or blue) and yellow balls instead of solids and stripes, and are smaller than the American-style; they are used principally in Britain, Ireland, and some Commonwealth countries, though not exclusively, since they are unsuited for playing nine-ball. TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Snooker balls are also smaller than American-style pool balls, and come in sets of 22 (fifteen reds, 6 "colours", and a cue ball). TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles Other games also have custom ball sets, such as Russian pyramid and bumper pool. Bumper pool is a casual Billiards game played on an octagonal

Billiard balls have been made from many different materials since the start of the game, including clay, bakelite, celluloid, crystalite, ivory, plastic, steel and wood. The dominant material from 1627 until the early 20th century was ivory. The search for a substitute for ivory use was not for environmental concerns but based on economic motivation and fear of danger for elephant hunters. It was in part spurred on by a New York billiard table manufacturer who announced a prize of $10,000 for a substitute material. The first viable substitute was celluloid, invented by John Wesley Hyatt in 1868, but the material was volatile, sometimes exploding during manufacture and was highly flammable. Celluloid is the name of a class of compounds created from Nitrocellulose and Camphor, plus dyes and other agents John Wesley Hyatt ( November 28, 1837 &ndash May 10, 1920) was an American inventor [4][5]

Tables

Main article: Billiard table
Pool table with equipment.
Pool table with equipment. A billiard table or billiards table (or more specifically a pool table or snooker table) is a bounded table on which billiards-type games

There are many sizes and styles of pool and billiard tables. A billiard table or billiards table (or more specifically a pool table or snooker table) is a bounded table on which billiards-type games Generally, tables are rectangles twice as long as they are wide. In Geometry, a rectangle is defined as a Quadrilateral where all four of its angles are Right angles A rectangle with vertices ABCD would be denoted as Most pool tables are known as 7-, 8-, or 9-footers, referring to the length of the table's long side. Full-size snooker and English billiard tables are 12 feet (3. 7 m) long on the longest side. Pool halls tend to have 9-foot (2. A billiard[s], pool or snooker hall (or parlo[u]r or room) (sometimes written poolhall, snookerhall 7 m) tables and cater to the serious pool player. Pubs will typically use 7-foot (2. 1 m) tables which are often coin-operated. Formerly, 10-foot (3 m) tables were common, but such tables are now considered antique collectors items; a few, usually from the late 1800s, can be found in pool halls from time to time. Ten-foot tables remain the standard size for carom billiard games. The slates on modern carom tables are usually heated to stave off moisture and provide a consistent playing surface.

The length of the pool table will typically be a function of space, with many homeowners purchasing an 8-foot (2. 4 m) table as a compromise. High quality tables are mostly 4. 5 by 9 ft (2. 7 m). (interior dimensions), with a bed made of three pieces of thick slate to prevent warping and changes due to humidity. Smaller bar tables are most commonly made with a single piece of slate. Pocket billiards tables normally have six pockets, three on each side (four corner pockets, and two side pockets).

Cloth

Main article: Baize
Women playing on an elaborately decorated green-covered table in an early 1880s advertising poster.
Women playing on an elaborately decorated green-covered table in an early 1880s advertising poster. Baize is a coarse Woollen (or in cheaper variants Cotton) Cloth, sometimes called " Felt " in American English based on a

All types of tables are covered with billiard cloth (often called "felt", but actually a woven wool or wool/nylon blend called baize). Baize is a coarse Woollen (or in cheaper variants Cotton) Cloth, sometimes called " Felt " in American English based on a Cloth has been used to cover billiards tables since the 15th century. In fact, the predecessor company of the most famous maker of billiard cloth, Iwan Simonis, was formed in 1453.

Bar or tavern tables, which get a lot of play, use "slower", more durable cloth. The cloth used in upscale pool (and snooker) halls and home billiard rooms is "faster" (i. A billiard room (also billiards room, pool room, snooker room) is a Recreation room, such as in a house or recreation center with a billiards e. provides less friction, allowing the balls to roll farther across the table bed), and competition-quality pool cloth is made from 100 % worsted wool. TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles Worsted (pronunciation) is the name of a Yarn, the Cloth made from this yarn and a yarn weight category Snooker cloth traditionally has a nap (consistent fiber directionality) and balls behave differently when rolling against versus along with the nap.

The cloth of the billiard table has traditionally been green, reflecting its origin (originally the grass of ancestral lawn games), and has been so colored since the 16th century. [6]

Rack

Main article: Rack (billiards)

A rack is the name given to a frame (usually wood or plastic) used to organize billiard balls at the beginning of a game. A rack is the name given to a frame (usually Wood or Plastic) used to organize Billiard balls at the beginning of a game A rack is the name given to a frame (usually Wood or Plastic) used to organize Billiard balls at the beginning of a game Wood is hard fibrous lignified structural tissue produced as secondary Xylem in the stems of Woody plants notably trees but also shrubs Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products This is traditionally triangular in shape, but varies with the type of billiards played. There are two main types of racks; the more common triangular shape which is used for eight-ball and straight pool and the diamond shaped rack used for nine-ball.

Cues

Main article: Cue stick

Billiards games are mostly played with a stick known as a cue. A cue stick (or simply cue, or more specifically pool cue, snooker cue, or billiards cue) is an item of sporting equipment essential to the A cue is usually either a one piece tapered stick or a two piece stick divided in the middle by a joint of metal or phenolic resin. High quality cues are generally two pieces and are made of a hardwood, generally maple for billiards and ash for snooker.

The butt end of the cue is of larger circumference and is intended to be gripped by a player's hand. TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles The shaft of the cue is of smaller circumference, usually tapering to an 0. TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles 4 to 0. 55 inch (11–14 mm) terminus called a ferrule (usually made of fiberglass or brass in better cues), where a rounded leather tip is affixed, flush with the ferrule, to make final contact with balls. TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles The tip, in conjunction with chalk, can be used to impart spin to the cue ball when it is not hit in its center. Cue sports techniques (usually more specific eg billiards techniques, snooker techniques) are an immensely important aspect of game play in the various Cue

Cheap cues are generally made of pine, low-grade maple (and formerly often of ramin, which is now endangered), or other low-quality wood, with inferior plastic ferrules. Gonystylus, also known as ramin, is a Genus of about 30 Species of Hardwood Trees native to southeast Asia, in A quality cue can be expensive and may be made of exotic woods and other expensive materials which are artfully inlaid in decorative patterns. Many modern cues are also made, like golf clubs, with high-tech materials such as woven graphite. Skilled players may use more than one cue during a game, including a separate generally lighter cue for the opening break shot (because of cue speed gained from a lighter stick) and another, shorter cue with a special tip for jump shots. TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles

Mechanical bridge

The mechanical bridge, sometimes called a "rake" (among other nicknames), "bridge stick" or simply "bridge", "rest" in the UK, is used to extend a player's reach on a shot where the cue ball is too far away for normal hand bridging. It consists of a stick with a grooved metal or plastic head which the cue slides on. Many amateurs refuse to use the mechanical bridge based on the perception that to do so is unmanly. However, many aficionados and most professionals employ the bridge whenever the intended shot so requires. Some players, especially current or former snooker players, use a screw-on cue butt extension instead of or in addition to the mechanical bridge. Bridge head design is varied, and not all designs (especially those with cue shaft-enclosing rings, or wheels on the bottom of the head), are broadly tournament-approved. In Italy a longer, thicker cue is typically available for this kind of tricky shot. Commonly in snooker they are available in three forms depending on how the player is hampered; the standard rest has a simple cross, the 'spider' has a raised arch around 12cm with three grooves to rest the cue in and for the most awkward of shots, the 'giraffe' which has a raised arch much like the 'spider' but with a slender arm reaching out around 15cm with the groove.

Chalk

Billiard chalk is applied to the tip of the cue to increase friction.
Billiard chalk is applied to the tip of the cue to increase friction.

Chalk is applied to the tip of the cue stick, ideally before every shot, to increase the tip's friction coefficient so that when it impacts the cue ball on a non-center hit, no miscue (unintentional slippage between the cue tip and the struck ball) occurs. TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles Cue tip chalk is not actually the substance typically referred to as "chalk" (generally calcium carbonate, also known as calcite or carbonate of lime), but any of several proprietary compounds, with a silicate base. Chalk (ʧɔːk is a soft white porous Sedimentary rock, a form of Limestone composed of the Mineral Calcite. Calcium carbonate is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula Ca[[Carbon C]] O 3 Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of Calcium carbonate ( Ca[[carbon C]] O 3 Calcium oxide ( CaO) commonly known as burnt lime, lime or quicklime, is a widely used Chemical compound. For the Artificial intelligence Androids of the 1990s Science fiction series Space Above and Beyond, see Silicate (AI "Chalk" may also refer to a cone of fine, white hand chalk; like talc (talcum powder) it can be used to reduce friction between the cue and bridge hand during shooting, for a smoother stroke. TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles Talc (derived from the Persian via Arabic talq) is a Mineral composed of Hydrated Magnesium Silicate with Some brands of hand chalk actually are made of compressed talc. (Tip chalk is not used for this purpose because it is abrasive, hand-staining and difficult to apply. ) Many players prefer a slick pool glove over hand chalk or talc because of the messiness of these powders; buildup of particles on the cloth will affect ball behavior and necessitate more-frequent cloth cleaning.

Cue tip chalk (invented in its modern form by straight rail billiard pro William A. Spinks and chemist William Hoskins in 1897)[7][8] is made by crushing silica and the abrasive substance corundum or aloxite[8] (aluminum oxide),[9][10] into a powder[8] and using forced air to achieve the desired consistency. William Alexander Spinks Jr (1865&ndash1933 known professionally as William A The Chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica or silox (from the Latin " Silex " is an Oxide Corundum (from Tamil kurundam குருந்தம் or kuruvindam குருவிந்தம் is a Crystalline form of WikipediaNaming An oxide is a Chemical compound containing at least one Oxygen atom as well as at least one other element It is combined with dye (originally and most commonly green or blue-green, like traditional billiard cloth, but available today, like the cloth, in many colors) and a binder (glue). Baize is a coarse Woollen (or in cheaper variants Cotton) Cloth, sometimes called " Felt " in American English based on a [8] Finally, a 15 ton-per-square-inch hydraulic press is used to compress the "chalk" into large cakes which are dried on a rack, and then cut into small cubes, dimpled on the top to receive the cue tip, and wrapped in paper sleeves. Each manufacturer's brand has different qualities, which can significantly affect play. High humidity can also impair the effectiveness of chalk. Harder, drier compounds are generally considered superior by most players.

Major games (carom and pocket)

Carom billiards table in a Parisian café.
Carom billiards table in a Parisian café. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city
Main articles: Carom billiards and Pocket billiards

There are two main varieties of billiard games: carom and pocket. Carom billiards, sometimes called carambole billiards or simply carambole and in some cases used as a synonym for the game of straight rail from Pocket billiards, most commonly referred to as pool, is the general term for a family of games played on a specific class of Billiards table, having 6 receptacles The main carom billiards games are straight billiards, balkline and three cushion billiards. All are played on a pocketless table with three balls; two cue balls and one object ball. In all, players shoot a cue ball so that it makes contact with the opponent's cue ball as well as the object ball.

The most popular of the large variety of pocket games are eight-ball, nine-ball, one-pocket, bank pool, snooker and, among the old guard, straight pool. Eight-ball, sometimes called stripes and solids and more rarely bigs and littles or highs and lows, is a Pocket billiards (pool game popular Nine-ball is a contemporary pocket billiards (pool game with historical beginnings rooted in the United States and traceable to the 1920s One-pocket is a two-player (or -team Pocket billiards (pool game Snooker is a Cue sport that is played on a large Baize -covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long In eight-ball and nine-ball the object is to sink object balls until one can legally pocket the winning eponymous "money ball". TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles Well-known but waning in popularity is straight pool, in which players seek to continue sinking balls, rack after rack if they can, to reach a pre-determined winning score (typically 150). Related to nine-ball, another well-known game is rotation, where the lowest-numbered object ball on the table must be struck first, although any object ball may be pocketed (i. Rotation, sometimes called rotation pool or 61, is a pocket billiards (pool game requiring a standard pool table, and triangular rack e. , combination shot). Each pocketed ball is worth its number, and the player with the highest score at the end of the rack is the winner. Since there are only 120 points available (1 + 2 + 3 ⋯ + 15 = 120), scoring 61 points leaves no opportunity for the opponent to catch up. In both one-pocket and bank pool, the players must sink a set number of balls; respectively, all in a particular pocket, or all by bank shots. TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles In snooker, players score points by alternately potting red balls and various special "colour balls". TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles

Man playing billiards with a cue and a woman with mace, from an illustration appearing in Michael Phelan's 1859 book, The Game of Billiards.
Man playing billiards with a cue and a woman with mace, from an illustration appearing in Michael Phelan's 1859 book, The Game of Billiards. Michael Phelan may refer to Mike Phelan, (born 1962 an English football player Michael D

Straight rail or straight billiards

Main article: Balkline and straight rail

In straight rail, a player scores a point and may continue shooting each time his cue ball makes contact with both other balls. Balkline (sometimes spelled balk line)is the overarching title of a large array of Carom billiards games generally played with two and a third red, on a -covered

Although a difficult and subtle game, some of the best players of straight billiards developed the skill to gather the balls in a corner or along the same rail for the purpose of playing a series of nurse shots to score a seemingly limitless number of points. TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles

The first straight rail professional tournament was held in 1879 where Jacob Schaefer, Sr. scored 690 points in a single turn[6] (that is, 690 separate strokes without a miss). Jacob (Jake Schaefer Sr (1855 &ndash 1910 nicknamed "the Wizard" was a professional Carom billiards player especially of the straight rail and balkline With the balls repetitively hit and barely moving in endless "nursing", there was little for the fans to watch.

Balkline

Main article: Balkline and straight rail

In light of these phenomenal skill developments in straight rail, the game of balkline soon developed to make it impossible for a player to keep the balls gathered in one part of the table for long, greatly limiting the effectiveness of nurse shots. Balkline (sometimes spelled balk line)is the overarching title of a large array of Carom billiards games generally played with two and a third red, on a -covered A balkline (not to be confused with baulk line, which pertains to the game of English billiards) is a line parallel to one end of a billiards table. TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles English billiards, called simply billiards in many former British colonies and in Great Britain where it originated also known variously as the English game In the games of balkline – 18. 1 and 18. 2 (pronounced "eighteen-point-two") balkline, among other more obscure variations – the players have to drive at least one object ball past a balkline set at 18 inches from each rail, after one or two points have been scored, respectively.

Three-cushion billiards

Main article: Carom billiards#Three-cushion billiards

A more elegant solution was three-cushion billiards, which requires a player to make contact with the other two balls on the table and contact three rail cushions in the process. Carom billiards, sometimes called carambole billiards or simply carambole and in some cases used as a synonym for the game of straight rail from This is difficult enough that even the best players can only manage to average one to two points per turn.

English billiards

Main article: English billiards

Dating to approximately 1800, English billiards is a hybrid of carom and pocket billiards played on a 6-foot (1. English billiards, called simply billiards in many former British colonies and in Great Britain where it originated also known variously as the English game Carom billiards, sometimes called carambole billiards or simply carambole and in some cases used as a synonym for the game of straight rail from Pocket billiards, most commonly referred to as pool, is the general term for a family of games played on a specific class of Billiards table, having 6 receptacles 8 m) by 12-foot (3. 7 m) table. Like most carom games, it requires two cue balls and a red object ball. TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles The object of the game is to score either a fixed number of points, or score the most points within a set time frame, determined at the start of the game.

Points are awarded for:

Snooker

Main article: Snooker

A pocket billiards game originated by British officers stationed in India during the 19th century. Snooker is a Cue sport that is played on a large Baize -covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long The history of the British Army spans over three and a half centuries and numerous European wars Colonial wars and World wars. The colonial era in India began in 1502 when the Portuguese established the first European trading center at Kollam The name of the game became generalized to also describe one of its prime strategies: to "snooker" the opposing player by causing that player to foul or leave an opening to be exploited. TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles

In the United Kingdom, snooker is by far the most popular cue sport at the competitive level. It is played in many other countries as well. Snooker is far rarer in the U. S. , where pool games such as eight-ball and nine-ball dominate.

Eight-ball

Main article: Eight-ball
Eight-ball rack
Eight-ball rack

In the United States, the most commonly-played game is eight-ball. Eight-ball, sometimes called stripes and solids and more rarely bigs and littles or highs and lows, is a Pocket billiards (pool game popular Eight-ball, sometimes called stripes and solids and more rarely bigs and littles or highs and lows, is a Pocket billiards (pool game popular The goal of eight-ball, which is played with a full rack of fifteen balls and the cue ball, is to claim a suit (commonly stripes or solids in the US, and reds or yellows in the UK), pocket all of them, then legally pocket the 8 ball, while denying one's opponent opportunities to do the same with their suit, and without sinking the 8 ball early by accident. On the professional scene, eight-ball players on the International Pool Tour (IPT) were the highest paid players in the world as of 2006 (the IPT nearly folded in 2007, and as of 2008 is attempting a comeback). The International Pool Tour is a professional sports tour created in 2005 by Kevin Trudeau. In the United Kingdom the game is commonly played in pubs, and it is competitively played in leagues on both sides of the Atlantic. The most prestigious tournaments including the World Open are sponsored and sanctioned by the International Pool Tour. Rules vary widely from place to place. Pool halls in North America are increasingly settling upon the World Pool-Billiard Association International Standardized Rules. The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA is the international governing body for Pocket billiards (and also sactions rules and events for Carom billiards But tavern eight-ball (also known as "bar pool"), typically played on smaller, coin-operated tables and in a "winner keeps the table" manner, can differ significantly even between two venues in the same city. TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles The growth of local, regional and national amateur leagues may alleviate this confusion eventually.

Nine-ball

Main article: Nine-ball

Nine-ball uses only the 1 through 9 balls and cue ball. Nine-ball is a contemporary pocket billiards (pool game with historical beginnings rooted in the United States and traceable to the 1920s It is a rotation game: The player at the table must make legal contact with the lowest numbered ball on the table or a foul is called. The game is won by legally pocketing the nine ball (which can be done by pocketing all the available balls in ascending order, typically 1 through 9, by striking the lowest numbered remaining ball first and then driving the 9 into a pocket on the same shot, or by pocketing the 9 ball on the break shot). Nine-ball is the predominant professional game, though as of 2006–2008 there have been some suggestions that this may change, in favor of ten-ball. Ten-ball is a modern Pocket billiards (pool game It is a game very similar to Nine-ball, but more difficult using ten balls instead of nine and with the 10 ball [11] There are many local and regional tours and tournaments that are contested with nine-ball. The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), and it American affiliate the Billiard Congress of America (BCA), publish the World Standardized Rules, although some independent tournaments may differ from them on certain points (especially if using pre-"Texas express" rules). The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA is the international governing body for Pocket billiards (and also sactions rules and events for Carom billiards The Billiard Congress of America is a governing body for Cue sports in the United States. TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles The European professional circuit has instituted rules changes, especially to make it more difficult to achieve a legal break shot. [11][12] The largest nine-ball tournaments are the independent US Open Nine-ball Championship and the WPA World Nine-ball Championship for men and women. The US Open Nine-ball Championship is an annual pool tournament that has been in existence since 1976 The WPA World Nine-ball Championship is an annual international professional Nine-ball pool tournament sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association Male professionals have a rather fragmented schedule of professional nine-ball tournaments. The United States Professional Pool Players Association (UPA) has been the most dominant association of the 1990s and 2000s. United States Professional Poolplayers Association ( UPA) is a governing body of men's professional pool in the United States, with the mission Female professionals have a steady professional circuit that is governed by the Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA). A hotly contested event is the annual Mosconi Cup, which pits invitational European and US teams against each other in one-on-one and scotch doubles nine-ball matches over a period of several days. The Mosconi Cup is an annual Nine-ball pool Tournament contested between teams representing Europe and the USA since 1994 TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles The Mosconi Cup games are played under the more stringent European rules, as of 2007. [12]

Three-ball

Main article: Three-ball

A variant using only three balls, generally played such that the player at turn continues shooting until all the balls are pocketed, and the player to do so in the fewest shots wins. Three-ball (or "3-ball" colloquially is a Pocket billiards folk game played with three standard pool and a. The game can be played by two or more players. Dispenses with some fouls common to both nine- and eight-ball.

One-pocket

Main article: One-pocket

One-pocket is a strategic game for two players. One-pocket is a two-player (or -team Pocket billiards (pool game Each player is assigned one of the corner pockets on the table. This is the only pocket into which he can legally pocket balls. The first player to pocket the majority of the balls (8) in his pocket wins the game. The game requires far more defensive strategy than offensive strategy, much unlike eight-ball, nine-ball, or straight pool. It has been said that if eight-ball is checkers, one-pocket is chess. Chess is a recreational and competitive Game played between two players. This statement can be verified by watching a game of one pocket. Most times, accomplished players choose to position balls near their pocket instead of trying to actually pocket them. This allows them to control the game by forcing their opponent to be on defense instead of taking a low percentage shot that could result in a loss of game. These low percentage shots are known as "flyers" by one pocket aficionados.

Bank pool

Main article: Bank pool

Bank pool has been gaining popularity in recent years. Bank pool is a Pocket billiards game that has as it most fundamental requirement that all scoring shots in the game to be made by a called ball off a and into a called Bank pool can be played with a full rack (can be a long game), but is more typically played with nine balls (frequently called "nine-ball bank"). The balls are racked in nine-ball formation, but in no particular order. The object of the game is simple: to be the first player to bank five balls in any order (eight balls when played with a full rack). Penalties and fouls are similar to one pocket in that the player committing the foul must spot a ball for each foul. This must be done before the incoming player shoots.

List of cue sports

Carom billiards games

Pocket billiards games

Snooker

Obstacle billiards games

Cueless and/or ball-less developments

  • Novuss (a variant that uses full-size cues)
  • Crokinole (some variants of this combination of carrom and shuffleboard use miniature cues)

See also

References

  1. ^ Charles Knight's "Old England: A Pictorial Museum" (1845), in From Old Books. Ten-ball is a modern Pocket billiards (pool game It is a game very similar to Nine-ball, but more difficult using ten balls instead of nine and with the 10 ball Three-ball (or "3-ball" colloquially is a Pocket billiards folk game played with three standard pool and a. Snooker is a Cue sport that is played on a large Baize -covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long Snooker plus was a variation on the game of Snooker and it was created by Joe Davis, the reigning World snooker champion of the time Golf billiards (also referred to as simply golf in clear context and sometimes called golf pool or golf pocket billiards) is a Pocket billiards Bagatelle (from the Château de Bagatelle) is an indoor table game related to Billiards, the object of which is to get a number of balls (set at nine in the nineteenth Bar billiards is a form of Billiards which was possibly initially based on the traditional game of Bagatelle. Bumper pool is a casual Billiards game played on an octagonal Crud is a fast-paced game loosely based on billiards or pool purported to originate in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Carrom or carroms is a family of Tabletop games sharing a similarity in that their mechanics lie somewhere between Billiards and Table shuffleboard Novuss is a Game of physical skill which is closely related to Pocket billiards, but on a smaller scale Crokinole (pronounced croak-i-knoll /ˈkɹokɪnol/ is an action Board game similar in various ways to Pitchnut, Carrom, Marbles, and Shove TemplateCuegloss will have to be hacked to support multi-page articles Hustling is the deceptive act of disguising one's skill in a Sport or Game with the intent of luring someone of probably lesser skill into Gambling (or Cue sports techniques (usually more specific eg billiards techniques, snooker techniques) are an immensely important aspect of game play in the various Cue Retrieved December 27, 2006. Events 537 - The Hagia Sophia is completed 1512 - The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the
  2. ^ Stein and Rubino, Paul, Victor (1996). The Billiard Encyclopedia: An Illustrated History of the Sport (2nd ed. ). Blue Book Publications, June 1996. ISBN 1-886768-06-4.  , specific page reference needed
  3. ^ "Meeting of the Champions; The Big Billiard Tournamet to Begin To-morrow – What Ives, Schaefer, and Slosson Have Been Doing in Practice – The Older Players Not Afraid of the Big Runs Made by Ives – Something About the Rise and Progress of the Young 'Napoleon' of the Billiard World", no byline, The New York Times, 1893-12-10, p. Year 1893 ( MDCCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V 10; The New York Times Company, New York, NY, USA. The New York Times Company ( is an American media company It is The City of New York
  4. ^ Shamos, Michael Ian (1993). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards. New York, NY: Lyons & Burford, Pages: various. The City of New York ISBN 1-55821-219-1.  
  5. ^ The New York Times Company (September 16, 1875). Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers Year 1875 ( MDCCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Explosive Teeth. Retrieved January 2, 2007. Events 366 - The Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine River in large numbers invading the Roman Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  6. ^ a b Shamos, Michael Ian (1991). Pool. Hotho & Co. , June 1991. ISBN 99938-704-3-9.  
  7. ^ "The World's Most Tragic Man Is the One Who Never Starts", Clark, Neil M. ; originally published in The American magazine, May 1927; republished in hotwire: The Newsletter of the Toaster Museum Foundation, vol. 3, no. 3, online edition accessed February 24 2007. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the The piece is largely an interview of Hoskins.
  8. ^ a b c d U.S. Patent 0,578,514 , 9 March 1897
  9. ^ "Aloxite", ChemIndustry. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common com database, retrieved February 24, 2007.
  10. ^ "Substance Summary: Aluminum Oxide", PubChem Database, National Library of Medicine, US National Institutes of Health, retrieved February 24, 2007. The United States National Library of Medicine ( NLM) operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest Medical library. "NIH" redirects here For other meanings of NIH see NIH (disambiguation.
  11. ^ a b Varner, Nick (February 2008). "Killing Me Softly?: The Outbreak of the Soft Break Threatens the Game of 9-ball". Billiards Digest 30 (3): pp. 34–35. Chicago, Illinois: Luby Publishing. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. ISSN 0164-761X. An International Standard Serial Number ( ISSN) is a unique eight-digit number used to identify a print or electronic Periodical publication.  
  12. ^ a b Panozzo, Mike (February 2008). "Long Live the Cup!". Billiards Digest 30 (3): pp. 34–35. Chicago, Illinois: Luby Publishing. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. ISSN 0164-761X. An International Standard Serial Number ( ISSN) is a unique eight-digit number used to identify a print or electronic Periodical publication.  

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Organizations

History

Technical information

News sources

Dictionary

cue sports

-noun

  1. Plural form of cue sport.
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