Time-lapse photo of a player going down to take a shot.

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 called pockets (or "holes") along the rails, in which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. A billiard table or billiards table (or more specifically a pool table or snooker table) is a bounded table on which billiards-type games Billiard balls are used in Cue sports, such as Carom billiards, pool, and Snooker. Cue sports that are played on pocketless tables are generally referred to as carom 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

History

Historic print depicting Michael Phelan's Billiard Saloon, January 1, 1859. A billiard[s], pool or snooker hall (or parlo[u]r or room) (sometimes written poolhall, snookerhall New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1859 ( MDCCCLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

Outside the cue sports industry, pocket billiards is almost exclusively referred to as "pool," due to a perhaps unfortunate association with the "poolrooms" where gamblers "pooled" their money to bet remotely ("off-track") on horse races. This article is about the sport For other uses see Horserace (drinking game or Horse race (politics. Because these venues often provided billiard tables, the term "pool" became synonymous with billiards, and though the original "pool" game was played on a pocketless table, the name stuck to pocket billiards as it gained in popularity. Kelly pool (also known as pea pool, pill pool, keeley, the keilley game, and killy) is a Pocket billiards game with numerous Though the traditional view of billiards as a refined and noble pastime did not blend well with the low-class connotations of gambling, the billiards industry's attempts to distance itself from the term "pool" beginning in the late 19th century were largely unsuccessful. Is a concept in Sociology that refers to the group of people at the top of a Social hierarchy. Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary (see Hereditary titles) or for a lifetime Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions (or stratification) between individuals or groups in Societies or Cultures. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar There are hundreds of pocket billiards games. Some of the more well known include eight-ball, nine-ball, straight pool, and one-pocket. 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 Straight pool, also called 141 continuous or simply 141, is a Pocket billiards game and was the common sport of championship competition until overtaken One-pocket is a two-player (or -team Pocket billiards (pool game The game of snooker is played on a table with pockets but is considered to be its own cue sport discipline and is governed internationally by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association/World Snooker Association (professional) and International Billiards and Snooker Federation (amateur). 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 World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association ( WPBSA, also known as the World Snooker Association or simply World Snooker for short is the governing The International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF is the organisation that governs non-professional Snooker and English billiards around the world There are also hybrid games combining aspects of both pocket and carom billiards, such as English billiards, American four-ball billiards, cowboy pool and bottle pool. English billiards, called simply billiards in many former British colonies and in Great Britain where it originated also known variously as the English game Cowboy pool, sometimes just called cowboy, is a hybrid pool game combining elements of English billiards through an intermediary game with more standard Bottle pool, also known as bottle-billiards and bottle pocket billiards, is a hybrid billiards game combining aspects of both Carom billiards and Pocket

Pocket billiards is more popular than carom billiards in most countries of the world. Carom billiard games thrive in Asia, Europe and Latin America, but pool (especially in the form of nine-ball and eight-ball) and snooker are gradually taking over as the most widely played cue games.

As a competitive sport, pocket billiards is governed internationally by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), which has national affiliates such as the US Billiard Congress of America (BCA), and which represents pocket billiards in the World Confederation of Billiard Sports which in turn represents all forms of cue sports in the International Olympic Committee. 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. The World Confederation of Billiard Sports ( WCBS, often also known as the World Confederation of Billiard s Sports) is the international umbrella organization

Equipment

Pool Balls

Pocket billiards uses different equipment from carom billiards. Other than the table having pockets, the balls for pocket billiards are generally smaller and range from 2. 25 inches in diameter to 2. 375 inches in diameter. (By comparison Carom billiard balls are generally 2-3/8 (2. 375) in. , or 61. 5mm. ^[1] While UMB, the International Olympic Committee-recognized world carom billiards authority, permits balls as small as 61. 0 mm, no major manufacturer produces such balls any longer, and the de facto standard is 61. 5 mm. Modern pocket billiard tables range in size from 3. 5 by 7 feet, to 4. 5 by 9 feet. Modern cues are generally 58. 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 5 inches long for pocket billiards while cues prior to 1980 were designed for straight pool and had an average length of 57. 5 inches, while carom billiards cues are generally 56 inches long.

References