Nicky Meintjies asked:


A billiard table is rectangular shaped. The surface of the table is covered with green cloth. Though there are variations in the shape of billiard table and novelty tables are found in hexagonal, round, and zigzag shapes, the traditional rectangular shape is the most popular one. The rails of the table are raised and cushioned to facilitate the rebounding of the balls. There are two types of billiard tables: tables with pockets and tables without pockets. Tables with pockets are referred to as pocket billiard tables and these tables usually have six pockets that collect the balls. Of the six pockets four are found on the four corners of the rectangular table and two pockets are found facing each other in the middle of the longer sides of the table. The pockets in the corner are referred to as corner pockets and pockets in the middle of the longer sides are known as the side pockets. Pocket less billiard tables are used for a type of billiard known as carom, usually played with three balls.

The arrangement of billiard balls on the green bed of a pool table just before the break shot is sheer beauty. No other ball game offers so much color and variety as billiards does. In the game of Carom, a type of billiards played without pockets on the table, only three balls are used. One is a red ball and the other two are white balls with one of the white balls marked with a black dot. Sometimes a yellow ball is used instead of a white ball. The red ball is known as the “object ball”. The white ball is the “cue ball” for the first player. The yellow or the dotted white ball is the cue ball of the second player.

Billiard tables come in various sizes: 3.5 feet by 7 feet, 4ft by 8ft, 4.5ft by 9 ft, 5ft by 10ft, and 6ft by 12 ft. For tournament play 4.5 ft by 9ft tables are preferred. Billiard bars and halls use 3.5 ft by 7 ft tables to cope with space constraint. Pool and snooker games use 10ft and 12ft long tables. The height of the table is such that it allows for a person of average height to bend over the table at the waist level and play shots comfortably. The side railings of the table are raised a few inches above the table surface, and they are cushioned with vulcanized rubber so that when the balls hit the railings they rebound allowing for amazing angles of stroke play. A green cloth covers the entire surface and the railings of the table.

The pockets of a billiard table are rimmed with leather or plastic. The balls are collected in a plastic or leather net and are channelled to a collection chamber through ball return troughs inside the table. Carom billiard tables don’t have pockets. The surface of a carom billiard table is made up of slate, and often it is heated above room temperature to allow for faster play. International carom rules mandate that the bed of the table be heated for competition games.



Donna

Josy Kinney asked:


Billiard balls are available in a multitude of colors and these colors make them stand out beautifully against the green background of the pool table top. All other games that use a ball to play with, stick to one color. But in billiards you have a myriad of colors that are used. Some games are played with all the balls while others are played with a fixed number and color of balls. One such game is Carom, which uses three balls and this game is played without pockets. One of the three balls is red and the other two are either white or yellow. One of the yellow or white balls has a black dot on it. In Carom, the red ball is called the object ball and one white ball is used as the cue ball.

In the USA, pocket billiards is known as pool, so the billiard balls are called pool balls. Pool balls are the most eye catching sports utilities. Most billiard halls believe that the wide range of colors of the billiard balls adds to the enjoyment of the game. You name it and you will probably find a billiard ball in that color from yellow, burgundy, black, orange, purple, blue to red; they have them all. And if all the mono colors were not enough they also have them in double colors. The contrast they create when placed against a green back give the game an aesthetic value of sorts.

To a regular person, the color of the balls is the only difference between them, but a professional pool player will be quick to point out the various differences between different types of pool balls. To a novice player, most of these may not make sense in the beginning but a seasoned player will tell you that the weight of a pool ball is what separates it from the other pool balls. The weight of the pool ball is largely responsible for its performance. As you get better at your game you will realize the difference that the weight of the pool ball makes to your game.

Most pool balls also have a number on them. The balls used for Carom are not numbered but others are. The single colored balls are called solids while the double colored balls are called stripes. For example you may have a yellow ball with the number 1 written on it, the blue and white ball will be ten and a combination of green and white is number fourteen. The normal billiard balls used in most games are smaller than the ones used for Carom. There are also billiard balls available for training. These are marked with target rings that tell the new player exactly where he/ she needs to strike

When not in use, the balls are generally stored in the ball rack. In carom, since the game is played without pockets the balls stay on the table till the end of the game. But in pocket billiards the balls that fall into the pockets, pass through a trough into a collection area where they are held for further use. Today billiard balls are made out of Phenolin resin or polyester and acrylic. These materials make the billiard balls strong enough to sustain shots without chipping or cracking. But before the introduction of synthetic polymers, billiard balls were made out of clay or wood. The rich were known to use ivory balls, but they were a far cry from the durable and colorful billiard balls available today.



Leo

Nicky Meintjies asked:


The arrangement of billiard balls on the green bed of a pool table just before the break shot is sheer beauty. No other ball game offers so much color and variety as billiards does. In the game of Carom, a type of billiards played without pockets on the table, only three balls are used. One is a red ball and the other two are white balls with one of the white balls marked with a black dot. Sometimes a yellow ball is used instead of a white ball. The red ball is known as the “object ball”. The white ball is the “cue ball” for the first player. The yellow or the dotted white ball is the cue ball of the second player.

Billiard balls are also popularly known as “pool balls” because the game of pocket billiard is popular in the USA as “pool”. Pool balls are the snazziest of all billiard balls. Billiard halls prefer pool balls for the vibrant range of colors they come in. Yellow, blue, red, orange, purple, burgundy, green, black, and a combination of red and white, blue and white, yellow and white, orange and white, and purple and white – all these are the possible colors of billiard balls. They stand in good contrast to the green turf of the table.

When it comes to Billiard balls, you will find that there is a variety of differences between some of them. The obvious one is the difference in colour and stripes. Then there is the weight. While your average player will not even notice this, you can expect a professional pool player to notice not only the weight but the improvement that this factor makes to their playing. As your playing improves, you will also find that this makes quite of a big difference when playing the game.

Each pool ball also carries a number. Carom balls are not numbered. The balls with single colors are called solids and the others with two colors are called stripes. For instance, the yellow ball is number one, the blue and white ball is number ten and the green and white balls is number fourteen. Carom balls are slightly bigger than the pool balls. Training billiard balls are marked with target rings making it possible for the novice player to judge better about at which angle the ball needs to be struck.

When not in play billiard balls are kept in a ball rack. Billiard balls stay on the table until the end in a game of carom. In a game of pocket billiards the balls that fall in to the pockets are lead through the troughs and are collected to be in to play again. The earliest billiard balls were made up of wood and clay balls. Those that could afford it played with ivory balls. These days high quality billiard balls are made to withstand strong shots without chipping and cracking. Most billiard balls available in the market are made of Phenolin resin or polyester and acrylic.



Tiffany