Encyclopedia
- This article is about the various cue sports. In English, "billiards" often denotes the gamut of cue games . Sometimes, however, "billiards" standing alone will refer in particular to carom games played on a pocketless table, as opposed to games played on tables with pockets, which may be referred to either as "pocket billiards" , as "snooker" or as "English billiards" . However, in some dialects, "billiards" always refers unambiguously to a specific game; for instance, in Britain and Ireland, "billiards" denotes "English billiards" exclusively. This article addresses the broadest of these usages.
Billiards is a family of games played on a table with a stick, known as a
cue stick, which is used to strike balls, moving them around the table.
All billiard games are generally regarded to have evolved into indoor games from outdoor stick and ball games. 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.
The word "pool" generally refers to pocket billiard games such as
8-ball,
9-ball, straight pool and one-pocket. The word "pool" comes from "poolrooms," where people gambled off track on
horse races. They were called poolrooms as money was "pooled" to determine the odds. Because such rooms commonly provided billiard tables, pool became synonymous with billiards by association. The terms "pool" and "pocket billiards" are now interchangeable.
Equipment
Billiard balls
The number, type, diameter, color, and pattern of
billiard balls differ depending upon the specific billiards game being played. In
eight-ball, straight pool, and related games, sixteen balls are employed: fifteen colored "object balls" and one white "cue ball." In most parts of the world, object balls 1 through 7 are solid-colored, and are respectively colored yellow, blue, red, purple, orange, green, and dark red or brown. The 8 ball is solid black. Balls 9 through 15 are white, each with a single wide colored stripe that matches the corresponding solid ball; the 9 ball has a yellow stripe, the 10 ball a blue stripe, and so on. In the game of
nine-ball, only object balls 1 through 9 are used. Regulation balls are 2 inches in diameter and weigh between 5 and 6 ounces . British pool also uses sixteen balls, but they are not numbered, with the "suits" being divided into reds and yellows instead of stripes and solids ; the balls and the pockets on the table are usually slightly smaller, though larger than those of snooker .
Some balls used in televised pool games are colored differently to make them distinguishable on television monitors. The 4 ball used in such games is colored pink instead of purple, while the 7 ball is tan rather than brown. The stripes on the 12 and 15 balls are colored to match, respectively. Cue balls used for televised matches may also depart from the norm, by having spots or stripes on their surface so that spin placed on them is evident to viewers. The spotted variant is humorously referred to as a "
measle ball". Various brands of practice cue ball also have spots, stripes, differently-colored halves or even target-like rings.
In
snooker, there are fifteen red balls, six colored balls , and one white cue ball. The red balls are typically not numbered, though the six colored balls often are, and can easily be mistaken at first glace for pool balls . Snooker balls are normally 2 inches in diameter.
In the carom games such as straight billiards , three-cushion billiards and balkline, as well as English billiards, there are two cue balls and a red ball. One of the cue balls is typically white and the other one is either yellow or white with a red dot. These balls are normally 2 inches in diameter.
Various specific ball properties such as
hardness, friction coefficient and resilience are very important. Coin-operated pool tables historically have often used either a larger or denser cue ball, such that its extra weight makes it easy to separate it from object balls so that the cue ball can be returned for further play, should it be accidentally pocketed. Modern tables usually employ a magnetic ball of regulation or near-regulation size and weight, since players have rightly complained for many decades that the heavy and often over-sized cue balls do not "play" correctly.
The exacting requirements of billiards are met today with balls cast from phenolic resin. Historically, balls were often made of clay, and even ivory for a period. In the mid-19
th century, in an uncommon show of accidental environmentalism, the billiard industry realized that the supply of elephants was limited. They challenged inventors to come up with an alternative material that could be manufactured. John Wesley Hyatt answered the call by inventing
cellulose nitrate in 1870, branded under the name celluloid, the earliest industrial plastic. Subsequently, to fix the problem of cellulose nitrate instability, the industry experimented with various other synthetic materials for billiards balls such as
bakelite and other plastic compounds. Eventually phenolic resin became the industry standard and is virtually the only billiard ball material used today.
Tables
There are many sizes and styles of pool and
billiard tables. Generally, tables are
rectangles twice as long as they are wide. Most pool tables are known as 7-, 8-, or 9-footers, referring to the length of the table's long side. Snooker and English billiard tables are 12 feet long on the longest side. Pool halls tend to have 9-foot tables and cater to the serious pool player. Bars will typically use 7-foot tables which are often coin-operated. Formerly, 10-foot tables were common, but such tables are now considered antique collectors items; a few, usually from the late 1800s, can be found in up-scale pool halls from time to time. 10-foot tables are 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 table as a compromise. High quality tables are mostly 9-footers, 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 .
All types of tables are covered with billiard cloth . Bar or tavern tables, which get a lot of play, use "slower", more durable cloth. Good quality pool cloth is "faster" , and the best quality pool cloth is made from worsted wool. Snooker table cloth traditionally has a nap and balls behave differently when rolling against the direction of the nap. The cloth of the billiard table is typically green reflecting its origin .
Rack
A rack is the name given to a frame used to organize
billiard balls at the beginning of a game. This is traditionally triangular in shape, but varies with the type of billiards played.
Cues
Billiards games are played with a stick known as a cue. 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. The "shaft" of the cue is of smaller circumference, usually tapering to an 11-14 millimeter terminus called a ferrule, where a leather tip is affixed to make final contact with balls. The leather tip, in conjunction with chalk, can be used to impart spin to the cue ball when not being hit in its center.
Cheap cues are generally one piece cues made of ramin or other low quality wood with inferior tips of various materials . A quality cue can be expensive and may be made of exotic woods and other expensive materials which are artfully inlaid in decorative patterns. Skilled players may use more than one cue during a game, including a separate cue for the opening break shot and another, shorter cue with a special tip for jump shots.
The mechanical bridge
The mechanical bridge, sometimes called a "rake" or simply "bridge" and known as a "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 professionals employ the bridge whenever the intended shot so requires.
Chalk
Chalk is applied to the tip of the cue stick, ideally between every shot, to increase the tip's friction coefficient so that when it impacts the cue ball on a non-center hit, no miscue occurs. The quality of chalk varies greatly from brand to brand, which can significantly affect play. High humidity can also impair the effectiveness of chalk. Cuetip chalk is often not actually the substance typically referred to as "
chalk," but some proprietary compound, frequently with a silicate base. "Chalk" may also refer to hand chalk, used to lubricate the cue and bridge hand during shooting .
Types of games
There are two main varieties of billiard games: carom and pocket. 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
8-ball,
9-ball, one-pocket,
bank pool,
snooker and, among the old guard, straight pool. In 8-ball and 9-ball the object is to sink object balls until one can legally pocket the winning eponymous ball. 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. Sometimes the pre-determined score is 61 where in the opponent cannot score more than that pre-determined score. . 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 banking. In snooker, players score points by alternately pocketing red balls and special balls of different colours.
Straight billiards or straight rail
In
straight billiards, a player scores a point and may continue shooting each time his cue ball makes contact with both other balls.
Although a difficult and subtle game, some of the best players of straight billiards developed the skill to drive both balls into a corner and from that position were able to score a seemingly limitless number of points.
The first straight billiards professional tournament was held in 1879 where Jacob Schaefer, Sr. scored 690 points in a single turn . With the balls barely moving and repetitively hit, there was little for the fans to watch.
Balkline
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 balls in a corner for an interminable period. A
balkline is a line parallel to one end of a billiard table. In the
games of balkline — 18.1 and 18.2 balkline, among other more obscure variations — the players have to drive either one ball or two balls past a balkline set at 18 inches from the rail after a fixed number of shots.
Three cushion billiards
- Main article: 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. This is difficult enough that even the best players can only manage to average one to two points a turn.
Eight ball
In the
United States, the most commonly played game is 8-ball. On the professional scene, 8-ball players who are on the International Pool Tour are the highest paid players in the world. In the
United Kingdom the game is commonly played in pubs and it is competitively played in leagues. 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 International Standardized Rules. But tavern 8-ball, typically played on smaller, coin-operated tables and in a "winner controls the table" manner, can differ significantly even between two venues in the same city. The growth of local, regional and national amateur leagues may alleviate this confusion eventually. The goal of 8-ball is to claim a suit , pocket all of them, then legally pocket the 8-ball, while denying your opponent opportunities to do the same with their suit, and not sinking the 8-ball early by accident.
Nine ball
9-Ball is a rotation game where only the 1 through 9 balls and cue ball are used. The player at the table must make a legal shot on the lowest numbered ball on the table or a foul is called. The game is won by legally pocketing the nine ball . 9-Ball is the predominant professional game. There are many local and regional tours and tournaments that are contested with 9-Ball. There is no particular governing body of 9-ball. Most places play with a version of "Texas Express", BCA or WPA rules. The largest 9-ball tournaments are the independent US Open and the World 9-Ball Championships for men and women. Male professionals have a rather fragmented schedule of professional 9-Ball tournaments at this time . Female professionals have a steady professional circuit that is governed by the Women's Professional Billiard Association.
One pocket
One pocket is a strategic game for two players. 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 in his pocket wins the game. The game requires far more defensive strategy than offensive strategy, much unlike 8-ball, 9-ball, or straight pool. It has been said that if 8-ball is
checkers, one-pocket is
chess. 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 acutally 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
Bank pool has been gaining popularity in recent years. Bank pool can be played with a full rack, but is more typically played with nine balls — the balls are racked in 9-ball formation, but in no particular order. The object of the game is simple: to be the first player to bank 5 balls in any order. Bank pool is one of the "cleanest" billiards games — no "kick" shots ; no caroms ; no combinations ; the object ball can't hit another ball on the way . Any ball pocketed on a foul, or in the wrong pocket, is spotted. If the cue ball is sunk , you must spot any balls that were sunk on that shot, and you "owe" a ball which you must spot as well. If you scratch and you haven't made a ball, you will owe the next one you sink. After a scratch, the cue ball must be shot from
behind the headstring. Any ball sunk other than the object ball is spotted after your turn. Technically, fouling during three successive turns means a loss of game, but that rule is largely ignored .
Snooker
A pocket billiards game originated by British Officers stationed in India during the 19th century. 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 .
In the United Kingdom, Snooker is by far the most popular form of billiards at the competitive level. It is played in many other countries as well. Snooker is far rarer in the U.S., where pocket billiards games such as eight ball and nine ball dominate.
List of Carom and pocket billiards games
Carom
- Eighteen-point-one balkline
- Eighteen-point-two balkline
- Artistic billiards
- Carambole billiards
- Four ball
- Pin billiards
- Straight rail
- Three-cushion billiards
Pocket
Other variants
Fictional variants
- Circular pool — played by the crew, and even a robot, on the starship in the film Silent Running is a 1971 science fiction film [i] directed by Douglas Trumbull [i] and starring Bruce Dern [i] ...
; the table was circular, with a single pocket in the center of the table, and played with normal pool balls. The distribution of balls at the beginning the game was not shown. The ship had artificial gravity of course, or the balls would not have remained on the table for long.
Notable pool and billiards enthusiasts
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More information
References
- Byrne, Robert. 1998. Byrne's New Standard Book of Pool and Billiards. ISBN 0-15-600554-9.
Patents
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Billiard ball c.1865 --
Billiard ball c.1868 --
Billiard ball c.1869 --
Billiard ball c.1871External links
- - The official website of The Billiard Congress of America--The governing body of pool in the United States.
- - The latest news and information from billiards and pool.
- - Offering billiards lessons and helpful tips.
- - A British website detailing the many Nine Ball Pool tournaments held within the British Isles and beyond.
- - A forum of cue enthusiasts and makers - a great base of knowledge
- - How-to-play tutorial with Flash animations
- - A free layout diagramming tool for online communication, practice training and studies of strategy
- - 76 Interesting Balkline Billiards Shots on Gathering Balls for Better Scoring Chance Using CueTable diagrams
- - Offering billiard tips, help, and a 500 term billiard glossary.
- - Winning billiards hints and tips.
