Jonathon Hardcastle asked:


Bars and recreation venues in rural or urban areas offer to their visitors the excitement and the sportsmanship of a famous table-played game, called pool or billiard. On the billiards table’s totally flat surface, pool game fans strike, with the use of a specially designed long wooden stick known as “cue stick,” colorful balls moving them around the table’s area. Pool games attract a variety of publics from around the world, who enjoy the exhilaration of calculating angles and estimating how many strikes it will take them to accomplish their winning goal.

Pool tables are mainly separated into two categories, called carom and pocket tables. In fact, the word “billiards” when standing alone refers to the carom games played on a table without pockets, as opposed to games played on pocket billiards which people recognize as “pools” or also known as “snooker” tables. In Britain and Ireland though, the word “billiards” denotes the “English billiard” exclusively, which is the version of the table with the ball pockets. The difference between the two types is that carom billiards tables do not have six openings four at each table corner and two at the middle of each of the table’s largest sides in which the pool player is called to direct the colorful balls on the surface of the table by striking each one of them, or more than one at a time, with a white ball. The white ball acts as the “mediator” between the cue stick’s point and the round surface of the colored ball the striker aims to hit. If the striker manages to hit the white ball with the right speed and from the right angle then it will in turn hit the colored one which will be directed to fall into one of the tables’ holes. Pool table fans generally refer to pocket billiard games, such as 8-ball, 9-ball, straight pool and one-pocket.

Found in many sizes and styles, billiards or pools are tables in a rectangular shape and are generally twice as long as they are wide. When someone refers to the number of a pool table’s foots this actually denotes its longer sides’ length. Mainly a function of space, the pool table’s length varies. English billiard tables, for example, are 12 feet long, while bars typically offer 7-foot tables. Pool halls tend to have 9-foot tables for more professional players, whereas the once commonly found 10-foot tables are now considered collectible items. Finally, the “felt” or “baize” is the cloth that covers the pool table’s exposed surface and he higher its quality the faster the balls run on its completely flat surface.

While the world “billiard” has presumably originated from the French word “billart,” which means “mace”-an implement that was the predecessor of the modern cue-the game did not remain constricted in Europe. Evolving from an outdoor to an indoor game, billiard became known as “pool,” which originates from “poolrooms” where people gambled off their money betting on horse races. Since billiard tables were commonly found in this type of venues, pools became a synonym of billiards and gained fanatic supporters in every continent.



Brittany

George Wood asked:


Many of the billiards games get their basic principles of game play is the billiards game of rotation. The actual game of rotation is as challenging as any billiards game can be, even if seven ball, nine ball, and ten ball come from the basic idea of rotation. The player is required to hit the lowest numbered ball first in an effort to make more difficult shots, but, he is not required to call the shot that they wish to hit.

The rack is displayed like this: the number one ball on the tip, the two and three balls at the back corners, the fifteen ball being directly in the center of the rack. Based on the point value for each individual ball, scoring in rotation billiards requires that the point value is the number on the ball. A legally pocketed ball is a ball that is pocketed after a shot hits the lowest numbered ball on the table first, so the shooter gets credited for every legally pocketed ball on each shot.

Until the shooter does not legally pocket a ball, the player is entitled to continue shooting, every time a shooter pockets a ball legally. To accrue more points by pocketing high numbered balls than it is opponent, is the players goal. Any shooter who gets 61 point at any time during the game, is declared the winner of the game, because there are 120 points available when totaling all 15 balls. To win in the rotation billiards there is no final shot needed, the only purpose of the game is to score more total points than the opponent.

Very similar to many other sports, rotation billiards is required of you to simply outscore your worthy adversary. Is easier to understand for newcomers to the game, but also, it does demand skill for dreaming up shots that can first hit the lowest numbered ball on the table before pocketing a ball.

One Pocket Billiards Game: One pocket billiards is the billiards answer to soccer, while 14.1 continuous billiards is the billiards answer to basketballs horse. Requiring to shooter to specialize in specific types of shots, in on pocket billiards the table is cut from six pockets for shots to two open pockets. You do not have to call what ball will go into that pocket but, you must call the desired pocket for your shot in one pocket billiards.

The desired pocket on every shot is the opponents target goal, and that is the similarity for one pocket billiards to soccer. Requiring somewhat of a defensive strategy in addition to the usual offensive strategies of billiards, each play is essentially defending a target pocket. If a player shoots a ball into one of the four other pockets instead of making a ball into the opponents target pocket, then the shot is declared something like “illegally pocketed ball”.

The opponent receive a winning point total if a shooter accidentally pockets a ball in their own goal pocket, and then, they do indeed lose the game. The shooter would have pocketed over half of the total billiards ball into the opponents pocket only if they reach the object. The object is to get to eight balls pocketed in the target or opponents goal pocket. The shooter loses only if the shooter has six pocketed balls and his or her opponent has seven total and the shooter accidentally pockets a ball in his or her own goal.

Before starting the game, the two shooters should choose which pocket they wish to use as a target pocket. The breaking shooter is required to make at least one ball into the targeted pocket, and the balls are set up in the racking triangle at random. Also, is required that the shooter makes a contacted ball hit a cushion, to continue his/her turn as the shooter. The game is over if the target pocket is scored on eight or more times.



Nathan

Josephine Thunder asked:


8-ball is the most popular billiard game in the world. It is so popular, that 8-ball pool is almost a synonym for billiards. However, 8-ball is only a part of a one big happy family of billiard games.

8-ball pool, 9-ball pool, snooker, one pocket, balkline are all cue sports games. They all share a rectangular cloth-covered table, a long cue stick, a set of balls and an ambition to score, but they differ in their rules, objects, and even their terminology.

Generally, billiard games divide into two types: pocket billiard games and carom billiard games. Pocket billiard games, usually referred to as pool games, are the type of billiard played on a table that has six pockets. In pocket billiard games, the players aspire to sink the balls into the table pockets, according to specific games rules.

Carom billiard games, on the other hand, are played on pocketless tables. Only three billiard balls are involved in the carom games. The purpose of the players in most carom games is to maneuver their cue ball so it will carom off the other two balls, again, according to the specific requirements of the game.

8-ball pool is a pocket billiard game. Other popular pocket billiard games include 9-ball pool, 14.1 continuous (formerly known as straight pool) and even snooker. Snooker is the most popular cue sports in the UK. Even though snooker is played on a pocketed pool table, it is not governed by the same association that administrates pocket billiard rules. Therefore, pocket billiard general rules do not apply to snooker.

The equipment used in snooker games is also different from the one used in pocket billiard tournaments. For example, the snooker table is a bit larger than the standard pool table plus its pockets are narrower. The terminology used in both billiard games is different as well. While pool players’ goal is to “pocket” the “object balls”, snooker players aim to “pot” the “red” or the “on-ball”.



Cathy

George Wood asked:


Poker Pocket: it combines the skill and talent of billiards with the intrigue and skill of poker. If the total ball number is 15 on the billiards table, then poker pocket is played with one more ball than extra which totals. Each four balls are to be labeled with a J for Jack, another four with K for King, A for Ace, and the last four ones with Q for queen. The objective is simple, played by maximum three opponents, it is required that you make a better poker hand for yourself than your opponents.

Each player may pocket up to five balls for one inning or frame and after doing so is done with his or her hand of poker. Any legally pocketed balls are given credit to the player doing the opening break, and after that it continues until the player has pocketed five balls. Just like in the popular card game in that the best hand is four of a kind, then its a full house, three of a kind, two pairs, a straight, or a simple basic pare, here, the object is to have the best hand.

Six ball: is much like the object of rotation in that every legal shot, and it must first contact the lowest numbered ball on the table before it pockets any other ball. As long as the six ball is placed directly in the middle, the rack is simply just six balls in any random order. When scoring is concerned, the balls have absolutely no point value, and the only object of the game is to pocket the number six ball.

The game is over and a new game must be started if in the opening shot, the player makes contact with the one ball first and then contacts the six ball. As long as the player legally pockets the ball, the shooter can stay at the table, similar to other games of rotation. To players looking for a quick and easy game without the concern of the game dragging on four hours, this game is very attractive.

So, the next time you come out of your local pool hall or complete your billiards tournament inside the old bowling alley, do not forget the long history of billiards. Do not forget that the game you already won has added to the well-known history of billiards, or that the contest you just lost was lost long ago by much much more masterly people than you. Presidents and Kings have lost and won at billiards just like you or me, although they likely did not drown their pity in a cheap beer with a big basket of mozzarella sticks.



Lori

Jim Harves asked:


A new site offering online pool and snooker plus exciting tournaments.

Billiard Magic is a brand new site dedicated to online billiard games. Catering for anyone who enjoys a game of pool or snooker, this site has everything you need to know about playing online.

Offering a variety of billiard games, backed up by top of the range software and graphics, Billiard Magic welcomes both experienced players wishing to perfect their technique and newcomers who would like to learn a new game.

Not only can you play fun billiard games at Billiard Magic, but there are lots of exciting opportunities to enter tournaments and win cash prizes. Regular promotions means it’s never dull at BilliardMagic.

Playing online can be a lot of fun, especially when you start to meet the other players. Hundreds of pool and snooker fans from around the globe may be logged on at any one time, giving you access to an amazing choice of opponents. By watching others play, you can learn new techniques and strategies and generally improve your game.

Choose from 8 ball pool, 9 ball pool or snooker. Online pool is played just like real live pool, except players use the mouse to line up the cue and hit the ball. By varying the speed of the mouse, the shot can be varied in strength – as in reality. Accurate technology means that shots work on angles the same way as in live pool, and players must calculate the correct angle for their shot.

Helpful software gives tips for beginners on how to figure out your angle, making this complicated process a little easier for the technically challenged. If you’re serious about improving, you could even watch the pros playing in tournaments to see how they do it.

Players have the choice of playing for fun or for money at Billiard Magic. To play for money, there is a simple deposit process by which players add money to their account. Any winnings can then either be used for further play, or can be withdrawn, according to the terms and conditions.

All games can be played either against the computer, or against other real players. Or better still, get your friends to sign up, and play against each other. Get a head start by practising online before you invite them to a match.

In online pool the same rules apply as in traditional pool, so if you make a foul, the turn passes to your opponent. Foul shots include not hitting any ball on your shot and pocketing the white cue ball. Other shots can cause the player to lose immediately, such as pocketing the black by mistake.

Tournaments are held regularly at Billiard Magic, with sit and go, or freerolls available. Win a tournament and as well as the cash prize, you’ll go into the hall of fame.

Playing pool and snooker online is fun and challenging and the more you play, the more skilled you will become. The thrill of winning real money by playing online pool is a huge adrenalin rush. Start playing today and discover the winner in you!



Esther