Cue sports

Billiards redirects here. This article covers the word as

an umbrella term for cue sports in general. For specic
games known as billiards and all other uses of the
term, see Billiard.

body of Mary, Queen of Scots, in her billiard table

cover in 1586, through its many mentions in the works
of Shakespeare, including the famous line lets to billiards in Antony and Cleopatra (160607), and through
the many famous enthusiasts of the sport such as: Mozart,
Cue sports (sometimes written cuesports), also known Louis XIV of France, Marie Antoinette, Immanuel
Napoleon, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, George
as billiard sports,[2][3] are a wide variety of games of Kant,
French president Jules Grvy, Charles DickWashington,
skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to
ens,
George
Armstrong Custer, Theodore Roosevelt,
strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered
Lewis
Carroll,
W.C. Fields, Babe Ruth, Bob Hope, and
billiards table bounded by rubber cushions.
Jackie Gleason.
Historically, the umbrella term was billiards. While that
familiar name is still employed by some as a generic label
for all such games, the words usage has splintered into 1 History
more exclusive competing meanings in various parts of
the world. For example, in British and Australian English, billiards usually refers exclusively to the game of
English billiards, while in American and Canadian English 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.
There are three major subdivisions of games within cue
sports:
Carom billiards, referring to games played on tables
without pockets, typically 10 feet in length, including balkline and straight rail, cushion caroms, threecushion billiards, artistic billiards and four-ball;
Pool, covering numerous pocket billiards games
generally played on six-pocket tables of 7-, 8-, or
9-foot length, including among others eight-ball (the
worlds most widely played cue sport), nine-ball (the
dominant professional game), ten-ball, straight pool
(the formerly dominant pro game), one-pocket, and
bank pool; and

Inset from School of Recreation, 1710. We perceive from the

engraving of the Billiards of the seventtenth century, that the
game was altogether dierent from what it is now.[4]

All cue sports are generally regarded to have evolved into

indoor games from outdoor stick-and-ball lawn games
(retroactively termed ground billiards),[5] and as such to
be related to trucco, croquet and golf, and more distantly to the stickless bocce and balls. The word billiard may have evolved from the French word billart or
billette, meaning stick, in reference to the mace, an implement similar to a golf club, which was the forerunner to the modern cue; the terms origin may have also
been from French bille, meaning ball.[6] The modern
term cue sports can be used to encompass the ancestral mace games, and even the modern cueless variants,
such as nger billiards, for historical reasons. Cue itself
came from queue, the French word for a tail. This refers
to the early practice of using the tail of the mace to strike

Snooker and English billiards, games played on a billiards table with six pockets called a snooker table
(which has dimensions just under 12 ft by 6 ft), that
are classied entirely separately from pool based on
a separate historical development, as well as a separate culture and terminology that characterize their
play.
There are other variants that make use of obstacles and
targets, and table-top games played with disks instead of
balls.
Billiards has a long and rich history stretching from its
inception in the 15th century, to the wrapping of the
1

2 AS A SPORT

the ball when it lay against a rail cushion.[6]

A recognizable form of billiards was played outdoors in
the 1340s, and was reminiscent of croquet. King Louis
XI of France (14611483) had the rst known indoor
billiard table.[6] Louis XIV further rened and popularized the game, and it swiftly spread among the French
nobility.[6] While the game had long been played on the
ground, this version appears to have died out in the 17th
century, in favor of croquet, golf and bowling games,
while table billiards had grown in popularity as an indoor
activity.[6] Mary, Queen of Scots, claimed that her table
de billiard had been taken away by those who eventually
became her executioners (and who covered her body with
the tables cloth).[6] In 1588, the Duke of Norfolk, owned
a billyard bord coered with a greene cloth... three billyard sticks and 11 balls of yvery.[6] Billiards grew to the
extent that by 1727, it was being played in almost every
Paris caf.[6] In England, the game was developing into a
very popular activity for members of the gentry.[6]
By 1670, the thin butt end of the mace began to be used
not only for shots under the cushion (which itself was originally only there as a preventative method to stop balls
from rolling o), but players increasingly preferred it for
other shots as well. The cue as it is known today was nally developed by about 1800.[6]

Illustration of a three-ball pocket billiards game in early 19th

century Tbingen, Germany, using a table much longer than the
modern type.

ve-pins, and four-ball, among others.

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, including pool
games such as eight-ball, nine-ball, straight pool and onepocket; Russian pyramid; snooker; English billiards and
others.

Initially, the mace was used to push the balls, rather than
strike them. The newly developed striking cue provided
a new challenge. Cushions began to be stued with substances to allow the balls to rebound, in order to enhance
the appeal of the game. After a transitional period where
only the better players would use cues, the cue came to
be the rst choice of equipment.[6]

In the United States pool and billiards had died out for a
bit, but between 1878 and 1956 pool and billiards became
very popular. Players in annual championships began to
receive their own cigarette cards. This was mainly due
to the fact that it was a popular pastime for troops to take
their minds o from battle. However, by the end of World
War II pool and billiards began to die down once again. It
The demand for tables and other equipment was initially was not until 1961 when the lm The Hustler came out
met in Europe by John Thurston and other furniture mak- that sparked a new interest in the game. Now the game is
ers of the era. The early balls were made from wood and generally a well-known game and has many players of all
dierent skill levels.[7]
clay, but the rich preferred to use ivory.[6]
Early billiard games involved various pieces of additional
equipment, including the arch (related to the croquet
hoop), port (a dierent hoop) and king (a pin or skittle near the arch) in the 1770s, but other game variants,
relying on the cushions (and eventually on pockets cut into
them), were being formed that would go on to play fundamental roles in the development of modern billiards.[6]
The early croquet-like games eventually led to the development of the carom or carambole billiards category
what most non-Commonwealth and non-US speakers
mean by the word billiards. These games, which once
completely dominated the cue sports world but have declined markedly in many areas over the last few generations, are games played with three or sometimes four
balls, on a table without holes (and without obstructions
or targets in most cases), in which the goal is generally
to strike one object ball with a cue ball, then have the cue
ball rebound o of one or more of the cushions and strike
a second object ball. Variations include three-cushion,
straight rail and the balkline variants, cushion caroms,

There are few more cheerful sights, when

the evenings are long, and the weather dull,
than a handsome, well-lighted billiard room,
with the smooth, green surface of the billiard
table; the ivory balls ying noiselessly here and
there, or clicking musically together.[8]
Charles Dickens Jr., (1889)

2 As a sport
The games with regulated international professional competition, if not others, have been referred to as sports or
sporting events, not simply games, since 1893 at the
latest.[9] 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,

3.2

Tables

three-cushion and eight-ball.

by one cue ball having a dot or other marking on it and

Snooker, though technically a pocket billiards variant and each of which serves as an object ball for the opponent).
closely related in its equipment and origin to the game of Carom billiards balls are larger than pool balls, having a
English billiards, is a professional sport organized at the diameter of 61.5 mm (2 7 16 in), and come as a set of two
international level, and its rules bear little resemblance to cue balls (one colored or marked) and an object ball (or
those of modern pool, pyramid and other such games.
two object balls in the case of the game four-ball).
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.

Equipment

Main category: Cue sports equipment

American-style pool balls are 57 mm (2 1 4 in), are used

in many pool games 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 dierent games (some of which do not use
the entire ball set). 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
at 56 mm (2 3 16 in) 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.

Snooker balls are smaller than American-style pool balls

with a diameter of 52.5 mm (2 1 15 in), and come in sets
of 22 (15 reds, 6 "colours", and a cue ball). English bilMain article: Billiard ball
liard balls are the same size as snooker balls and come in
Billiard balls vary from game to game, in size, design and
sets of three balls (two cue balls and a red, an object ball).
Other games, such as bumper pool, have custom ball sets.

3.1

Billiard balls

Cue balls from (left to right):

Russian pool and kaisa68 mm (2 11 16 in)
Carom61.5 mm (2 7 16 in)
American-style pool57 mm (2 1 4 in)
British-style pool (largish) 56 mm (2 3 16 in)
Snooker52.5 mm (2 1 15 in)
Scaled-down pool51 mm (2 in) for childrens smaller tables
Not shown: half-scale childrens miniature poolapproximately
28.5 mm (1 1 8 in).

quantity.
Russian pyramid and kaisa have a size of 68 mm (2 11 16
in). In Russian pyramid there are sixteen balls, as in pool,
but fteen are white and numbered, and the cue ball is
usually red.[10] In Kaisa, ve balls are used: the yellow
object ball (called the kaisa in Finnish), two red object
balls, and the two white cue balls (usually dierentiated

Billiard balls have been made from many dierent materials since the start of the game, including clay, bakelite,
celluloid, crystallite, 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 rst viable substitute was celluloid,
invented by John Wesley Hyatt in 1868, but the material was volatile, sometimes exploding during manufacture and was highly ammable.[11][12]

3.2 Tables
Main article: Billiard table
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 9footers, referring to the length of the tables 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 (2.7 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 19th century,
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 o moisture and provide a consistent playing sur-

3 EQUIPMENT
across the table bed), and competition-quality pool cloth
is made from 100% worsted wool. Snooker cloth traditionally has a nap (consistent ber directionality) and balls
behave dierently when rolling against versus along with
the nap.
The cloth of the billiard table has traditionally been green,
reecting its origin (originally the grass of ancestral lawn
games), and has been so colored since the 16th century,
but it is also produced in other colors such as red and
blue.[13]

Pool table with equipment.

face.

The cloth was earlier said to be the most important part

of the game, most likely because of the reection of the
games origin. The players were stubborn in the fact that
the cloth should not be ripped. They even made women
continue to use maces after cues were invented, for fear
that they would rip the cloth with the sharper cues.

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. Full-size pool tables are 4.5 3.4 Rack
by 9 ft (2.7 m) (interior dimensions). High-quality tables
have a bed made of thick slate, in three pieces to prevent Main article: Rack (billiards)
warping and changes due to temperature and humidity. A rack is the name given to a frame (usually wood, plasSmaller bar tables are most commonly made with a single
piece of slate. Pocket billiards tables of all types normally
have six pockets, three on each side (four corner pockets,
and two side or middle pockets).

3.3

Cloth

Main article: Baize

All types of tables are covered with billiard cloth (of-

Aluminium billiard rack that is used for 8-ball, 9-ball, and

straight pool.

tic or aluminium) 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. 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.
There are several other types of less common rack types
that are also used, based on a template to hold the bilWomen playing on an elaborately decorated green-covered table liard balls tightly together. Most commonly it is a thin
in an early 1880s advertising poster.
plastic sheet with diamond-shaped cut-outs that hold the
balls that is placed on the table with the balls set on top
ten called felt, but actually a woven wool or wool/nylon of the rack. The rack is used to set up the break and
blend called baize). Cloth has been used to cover bil- removed after the break shot occurs.
liards tables since the 15th century. In fact, the predecessor company of the most famous maker of billiard cloth,
Iwan Simonis, was formed in 1453.
3.5 Cues
Bar or tavern tables, which get a lot of play, use slower,
more durable cloth. The cloth used in upscale pool (and Main article: Cue stick
snooker) halls and home billiard rooms is faster (i.e.,
provides less friction, allowing the balls to roll farther Billiards games are mostly played with a stick known as

3.7

Chalk

a cue. A cue is usually either a one piece tapered stick the groove.
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 3.7 Chalk
for billiards and ash for snooker.
The butt end of the cue is of larger circumference and is
intended to be gripped by a players hand. The shaft of
the cue is of smaller circumference, usually tapering to an
0.4 to 0.55 inches (10 to 14 mm) terminus called a ferrule
(usually made of berglass or brass in better cues), where
a rounded leather tip is axed, ush with the ferrule, to
make nal contact with balls. The tip, in conjunction with
chalk, can be used to impart spin to the cue ball when it
is not hit in its center.
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.
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.

3.6

Mechanical bridge

The mechanical bridge, sometimes called a rake,

bridge stick or simply bridge, and in the UK a rest,
is used to extend a players 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 acionados 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.

Billiard chalk is applied to the tip of the cue.

Chalk is applied to the tip of the cue stick, ideally before every shot, to increase the tips friction coecient
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. 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. It was around the time of the Industrial Revolution that newer compounds formed that provided better grip for the ball. This is when the English
began to experiment with side spin or applying curl to the
ball. This was shortly introduced to the American players
and is how the term putting English on the ball came to
be. Chalk may also refer to a cone of ne, 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. 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
dicult 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 aect ball
behavior and necessitate more-frequent cloth cleaning.

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- Cue tip chalk (invented in its modern form by straight
rail billiard pro William A. Spinks and chemist William
approved.
Hoskins in 1897)[14][15] is made by crushing silica and the
In Italy a longer, thicker cue is typically available for this abrasive substance corundum or aloxite[15] (aluminium
kind of tricky shot.
oxide),[16][17] into a powder.[15] It is combined with dye
For snooker they are normally available in three forms, (originally and most commonly green or blue-green, like
their use depending on how the player is hampered; the traditional billiard cloth, but available today, like the
standard rest is a simple cross, the 'spider' has a raised cloth, in many colors) and a binder (glue).[15] Each manarch around 12 cm with three grooves to rest the cue in ufacturers brand has dierent qualities, which can sigand for the most awkward of shots, the 'girae' (or 'swan' nicantly aect play. High humidity can also impair the
in England) which has a raised arch much like the 'spider' eectiveness of chalk. Harder, drier compounds are genbut with a slender arm reaching out around 15 cm with erally considered superior by most players.

MAJOR GAMES

Major games

a single turn[13] (that is, 690 separate strokes without a

miss). With the balls repetitively hit and barely moving
There are two main varieties of billiard games: carom in endless nursing, there was little for the fans to watch.
and pocket. The main carom billiards games are straight
rail, balkline and especially three cushion billiards. All 4.1.2 Balkline
are played on a pocketless table with three balls; two cue
balls and one object ball. In all, players shoot a cue ball Main article: Balkline and straight rail
so that it makes contact with the opponents cue ball as
well as the object ball. Others of multinational interest
In light of these phenomenal skill developments in
are four-ball and ve-pins.
straight rail, the game of balkline soon developed to make
The most globally popular of the large variety of pocket it impossible for a player to keep the balls gathered in one
games are Pool and snooker. English billiards, with some part of the table for long, greatly limiting the eectiveness
features of carom billiards, was one of the two most- of nurse shots. A balkline (not to be confused with baulk
competitive cue sports, along with balkline, at the turn line, which pertains to the game of English billiards) is a
of the previous century and is still enjoyed today espe- line parallel to one end of a billiards table. In the games
cially in Commonwealth countries. Russian pyramid and of balkline 18.1 and 18.2 (pronounced eighteen-pointits variants like kaisa are popular in the former Eastern two) balkline, among other more obscure variations
bloc.
the players have to drive at least one object ball past a
balkline set at 18 inches (460 mm) from each rail, after
one or two points have been scored, respectively.
4.1.3 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 dicult enough that even the best
Man playing billiards with a cue and a woman with mace, from players can only manage to average one to two points per
an illustration appearing in Michael Phelan's 1859 book, The turn.
Game of Billiards.

4.2 Games played on a pool table

4.1

Games played on a carom billiards ta- Main article: Pool (cue sports)
ble

Main article: Carom billiards

4.1.1

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.
Although a dicult 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.
The rst straight rail professional tournament was held
in 1879 where Jacob Schaefer, Sr. scored 690 points in

There are many variations of games played on a standard

pool table. Popular pool games include eight-ball, nineball, straight pool and one-pocket. Even within games
types (e.g. eight-ball), there may be variations, and people may play recreationally using relaxed or local rules.
A few of the more popular examples of pool games are
given below.
In eight-ball and nine-ball, the object is to sink object
balls until one can legally pocket the winning eponymous
"money 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 predetermined 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
rst, although any object ball may be pocketed (i.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

7
(1 + 2 + 3 + 15 = 120), scoring 61 points leaves no
opportunity for the opponent to catch up. In both onepocket and bank pool, the players must sink a set number
of balls; respectively, all in a particular pocket, or all by
bank shots. In snooker, players score points by alternately
potting red balls and various special "colour balls".
4.2.1

Two-player or -team games

Eight-ball: The goal is to pocket (pot) all of ones

designated group of balls (either stripes vs. solids,
or reds vs. yellows, depending upon the equipment),
and then pocket the 8 ball in a called pocket.
Nine-ball: The goal is to pocket the 9 ball; the initial
contact of the cue ball each turn must be with the
lowest-numbered object ball remaining on the table;
there are numerous variants such as seven-ball, sixball, and the older forms of three-ball and ten-ball,
that simply use a dierent number of balls and have
a dierent money ball.
Straight pool (a.k.a. 14.1 continuous pool): The
goal is to reach a predetermined number of points
(e.g. 100); a point is earned by pocketing any called
ball into a designated pocket; game play is by racks
of 15 balls, and the last object ball of a rack is not
pocketed, but left on the table with the opponent reracking the remaining 14 before game play continues.

cannons (caroms) and the pocketing of balls as objects of

play. English billiards requires two cue balls and a red
object ball. The object of the game is to score either a
xed number of points, or score the most points within a
set time frame, determined at the start of the game.
Points are awarded for:
Two-ball cannons: striking both the object ball and
the other (opponents) cue ball on the same shot (2
points).
Winning hazards: potting the red ball (3 points);
potting the other cue ball (2 points).
Losing hazards (or in-os): potting ones cue ball
by cannoning o another ball (3 points if the red
ball was hit rst; 2 points if the other cue ball was
hit rst, or if the red and other cue ball were "split",
i.e., hit simultaneously).
4.3.2 Snooker
Main article: Snooker

Snooker is a pocket billiards game originated by British

ocers stationed in India during the 19th century, based
on earlier pool games such as black pool and life pool.
The name of the game became generalized to also describe one of its prime strategies: to "snooker" the op Bank pool: The goal is to reach a predetermined posing player by causing that player to foul or leave an
number of points; a point is earned by pocketing any opening to be exploited.
called ball by banking it into a designated pocket us- In the United Kingdom, snooker is by far the most popuing one or more cushion.[18]
lar cue sport at the competitive level, and major national
pastime along with association football and cricket. It is
played in many Commonwealth countries as well, espe4.2.2 Speed pool
cially in Asia. Snooker is uncommon in North America,
where pool games such as eight-ball and nine-ball domiSpeed pool is a standard billiards game where the balls nate, and Latin America and Continental Europe, where
must be pocketed in as little time as possible. Rules carom games dominate. The rst World Snooker Chamvary greatly from tournament to tournament. The pionship was held in 1927, and it has been held annually
International Speed Pool Challenge has been held annu- since then with few exceptions. The World Professional
ally since 2006.
Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) was established in 1968 to regulate the professional game, while
the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF)
4.3 Games played on a snooker table
regulates the amateur games.
4.3.1

English billiards

Main article: English billiards

5 List of cue sports and games

Dating to approximately 1800, English billiards, called 5.1 Carom games

simply billiards[19] in many former British colonies and in
Great Britain where it originated, was originally called the Main article: Carom billiards
winning and losing carambole game, folding in the names Main category: Carom billiards
of three predecessor games, the winning game, the losing
game and the carambole game (an early form of straight
rail), that combined to form it.[20] The game features both
Artistic billiards (a major world cue sport)

LIST OF CUE SPORTS AND GAMES

Balkline games (18.1, 18.2, etc.)

Seven-ball

Four-ball (yotsudama, sagu)

Speed pool

Straight-rail

Straight pool (a major world cue sport; a.k.a. 14.1

continuous)

Three-cushion billiards (a major world cue sport)

See also Hybrid games, below.

Ten-ball (a major world cue sport)

Three-ball

5.1.1

Target carom games

Five-pin billiards (a major international cue sport)

Goriziana (or nine-pin billiards)

5.2

Pocket games

Main article: Pocket billiards

5.2.1

Pool games

Main category: Pool (cue sports)

American rotation
Artistic pool (a major world cue sport)

5.2.2 Non-pool pocket games

Golf billiards (and its variant, around-the-world)
Russian pyramid (a major cue sport in Eastern Europe and countries of the former USSR)
See also Snooker games and Hybrid games, below.

5.3 Snooker games

Main category: Snooker
Technically a form of pocket billiards, snooker has its
own world-wide sporting community separate from that
of pool.

Bank pool

Snooker (a major world cue sport)

Baseball pocket billiards

Six-red snooker

Bowlliards

American snooker

Chicago

Brazilian snooker

Cribbage

Volunteer snooker

Cutthroat

Snooker plus

Eight-ball (a major world cue sport; informally

a.k.a. stripes & solids, or highs & lows)

See also golf billiards, above.

Blackball (a.k.a. eightball pool, British-style

5.4
eight-ball)
Chinese eight-ball
Equal oense

Hybrid carom and pocket games

These combine aspects of carom and pocket billiards, and

are played on tables with pockets (often as hazards not
targets).

Fifteen-ball
Honolulu

Bottle pool

Kelly pool

Cowboy pool

Killer

English billiards (a major world cue sport)

Nine-ball (a major world cue sport)

Five-pin billiards, historically

One-pocket (a major world cue sport)

Poker pool

Rotation (a.k.a. 61)

Kaisa

5.5

Obstacle and target games

Main category: Obstacle billiards

Bagatelle (obsolete)
Bar billiards
Bumper pool

Finger billiards or hand billiards (on a carom table)

Boccette (an adaptation of ve-pin billiards to
cueless play)
Finger pool (on a pool table)
Crud (the only billiards-based contact sport)
Bocce billiards or bocce pool (an adaptation of the
lawn game bocce to billiard or pool tables)

Danish pin billiards and other pin billiards games

Devils pool and victory billiards
Bottle pool, skittle pool (pin pool), and Italian vepin billiards and goriziana are vestigially classiable
here as well

5.6

Disk games

6 See also
Glossary of cue sports terms
BCA Hall of Fame
Hustling
Cue sports techniques

These are variations using small disks instead of balls, and

light-weight cue sticks.
Carrom (some variants of this table-top game use
miniature cues; mostly played with the hands)
Crokinole (some variants of this combination of carrom and shueboard use miniature cues)
Novuss (uses full-length cues)

5.7

Ground games

Main category: Ground billiards

Outdoor games played on a lawn, eld or court, played
with varying equipment that may include hoops, pins,
holes or other targets or obstacles, and clubs, curved-head
sticks, or mallets. Most such games are obsolete, aside
from croquet. Golf and eld hockey, as well as stick-less
games such as bocce, boules and bowls, are historically
related.
Croquet (popular lawn game and former Olympic
sport)
Jeu de mail (obsolete)
Pall-mall (obsolete)
Trucco (obsolete)

5.8

Cueless games

Main category: Finger billiards

These are developments from cue sports that dispense
with the cues, and are played with the hands directly.

7 Notes
[1] interpoolme. Discover the champion.
[2] Recognized Sports. olympic.org Ocial Website
of the Olympic Movement.
Lausanne, Switzerland:
International Olympic Committee. 2009. pp. Sports
section. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
[3] WCBS. Lausanne: World Confederation of Billiard
Sports. 2005. pp. Homepage and very name of organization. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
[4] Charles Knights Old England: A Pictorial Museum
(1844), in From Old Books. Retrieved December 27,
2006.
[5] Stein and Rubino, Paul, Victor (1996). The Billiard Encyclopedia: An Illustrated History of the Sport (2nd ed.).
Blue Book Publications, June 1996. ISBN 1-886768-064.
[6] Everton, Clive (1986). The History of Snooker and Billiards (rev. ver. of The Story of Billiards and Snooker,
1979 ed.). Haywards Heath, UK: Partridge Pr. pp. 811.
ISBN 1-85225-013-5.
[7] Pool History. The Pool Shop. Retrieved December
2011.
[8] Charles Dickens Jr. (April 13, 1889). Billiards. All the
Year Round (London: Charles Dickens and Evans, Crystal
Palace Press) 64: 349. OCLC 1479125.
[9] Meeting of the Champions; The Big Billiard Tournament
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, 1893-1210, p. 10; The New York Times Company, New York,
NY, USA.

10

EXTERNAL LINKS

[10] editors (2007). Russian Billiards. BilliardsVillage.com.

Retrieved 2008-08-14.

Ask Pro Instructors - Online Q&As from US certied billiard instructors.

[11] Shamos, Michael Ian (1993). The Illustrated Encyclopedia

of Billiards. New York, NY: Lyons & Burford. ISBN 155821-219-1.

Pool Lesson & Tutorial Videos - Online video tutorials on how to play pool.

[12] The New York Times Company (September 16, 1875).

Explosive Teeth.. Retrieved January 2, 2007.
[13] Shamos, Michael Ian (1991). Pool. Hotho & Co., June
1991. ISBN 99938-704-3-9.
[14] The Worlds 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. Retrieved February 24, 2007. The piece
is largely an interview of Hoskins.
[15] U.S. Patent 0,578,514, 9 March 1897
[16] Aloxite, ChemIndustry.com database.
February 24, 2007.

Retrieved

[17] Substance Summary: Aluminum Oxide, PubChem

Database, National Library of Medicine, US National
Institutes of Health. Retrieved February 24, 2007.
Archived April 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
[18] .
[19] Everton, Clive (1986). The History of Snooker and Billiards (rev. ver. of The Story of Billiards and Snooker,
1979 ed.). Haywards Heath, UK: Partridge Pr. ISBN 185225-013-5.
[20] Shamos, Mike (1999). The New Illustrated Encyclopedia
of Billiards. New York City, NY, US: Lyons Press. pp.
46, 6162, 89, 244. ISBN 1-55821-797-5.

References
Alciatore, David G. (Doctor Dave) (August 2004).
The Illustrated Principles of Pool and Billiards. New
York, NY: Sterling Publishing. ISBN 1-4027-14289.
Byrne, Robert (1998). Byrnes New Standard Book
of Pool and Billiards. New York: Harcourt Brace &
Co. ISBN 0-15-100325-4.
interpoolme.com. Rent a Table.

External links
Pool Playing Tips - Tutorials on Billiards or Cue
ball.
Billard Passion - Teaching aid and technical basis for
carom.

Uncle sam pooling tips - Interpoolme.com

Choose your table color - Interpoolme.com

11

10
10.1

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

Cue sports Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cue_sports?oldid=708033208 Contributors: Bryan Derksen, Ap, Rjstott, Imran, Frecklefoot, JakeVortex, Dominus, Dcljr, GTBacchus, Bagpuss, Rethunk, Snoyes, CatherineMunro, Den fjttrade ankan~enwiki, Stefan-S, Csernica, Jengod, Charles Matthews, Trontonian, Fuzheado, Jeeves, AnonMoos, David.Monniaux, JorgeGG, Robbot, Sander123, PBS, Altenmann, M1tk4, Academic Challenger, PxT, Diderot, Hig Herteneurst, Alan Liefting, Gwalla, Smjg, MichaelJHuman, Abigail-II, Lupin,
Dissident, Bnn, Everyking, Gus Polly, Mark T, David Johnson, Malokata, Niteowlneils, 20040302, Slyguy, Naufana, Lakefall~enwiki,
Edcolins, OldakQuill, CryptoDerk, LiDaobing, LucasVB, Phe, JoJan, Kusunose, Mzajac, Secfan, Sam Hocevar, Wallnerm~enwiki, Grunt,
Chepry, Mike Rosoft, Ties, DanielCD, A-giau, Rich Farmbrough, Ericamick, Michael Zimmermann, Kwamikagami, Mwanner, Kross, PhilHibbs, Sietse Snel, RoyBoy, Bdoserror, Theshowmecanuck, 2005, CeeGee, Adambro, Bobo192, Wipe, Cmdrjameson, R. S. Shaw, Brim,
Helix84, Pearle, Gsklee, Merope, HasharBot~enwiki, Fegor, Frodet, Stephen G. Brown, Jigen III, Wwylon, Improv, Yamla, Lightdarkness, Mrholybrain, Hu, Snowolf, Dabbler, Cburnett, Edgr, RJFJR, Drat, Cmprince, Gene Nygaard, Pymander, Rhymeswithgod, PunkPod,
Roboshed, Woohookitty, A.K.A.47, Zealander, Talskiddy, DESiegel, MrSomeone, Graham87, Mrpaulus, Jacob Finn, Rjwilmsi, Nanami
Kamimura, Vegaswikian, Bdegfcunbbfv, Andreas S., Fred Bradstadt, Sango123, Tommy Kronkvist, FlaBot, Jajvirta, GnniX, RexNL,
Gurch, Ayla, Chobot, PKM, Quicksilvre, YurikBot, Wavelength, Kafziel, Wolfmankurd, LizL05, RussBot, Bergsten, Gaius Cornelius,
CambridgeBayWeather, NawlinWiki, SEWilcoBot, TheLH, Asusa83, Cholmes75, Bigpad, Lomedae, Mikeblas, JHCaueld, Wknight94,
Mtze, Kelovy, Georgewilliamherbert, Nezuji, Lt-wiki-bot, Ballchef, Closedmouth, SMcCandlish, Locketudor, Sean Whitton, Wechselstrom, David Biddulph, John Broughton, That Guy, From That Show!, SmackBot, Reedy, Herostratus, McGeddon, Ariedartin, Nickst, Cdcon, Gjs238, Septegram, Gilliam, Buck Mulligan, Hmains, Ghosts&empties, Chris the speller, Kurykh, Keegan, Yalovets, MK8, Rmt2m,
Thumperward, JoeAustralia, TheScurvyEye, MalafayaBot, The359, Octahedron80, Shalom Yechiel, Frap, BradPatrick, Racklever, VMS
Mosaic, Darksinthe, Sophistifunk, Fuhghettaboutit, Localzuk, Salt Yeung, Hindleyite, BryanG, Grujah, ChaChaFut, Pilotguy, SashatoBot, SajmonDK, NotMuchToSay, Adavidw, JackLumber, Wolfman2000, Adagio Cantabile, SilkTork, Masciare, Sir Nicholas de MimsyPorpington, Thraxas, Ybeer, Agathoclea, Dodo bird, Squirepants101, MrDolomite, OnBeyondZebrax, Wizard191, Veyklevar, Mikehelms,
Skapur, Newone, Heckler, Tawkerbot2, Dlohcierekim, SeanMD80, Sirius.problems, Poolkris, Zahn, KnightLago, KevinTMC, Cydebot,
Aristophanes68, Aleksi Kanerva, Dragomilo, Pontus Lindengren, VPliousnine, Thijs!bot, Knakts, Mama ampon, KClier, Mojo Hand,
Headbomb, Atechi, Hoof38, CharlotteWebb, Nick Number, Amjaabc, Amlz, Escarbot, EdJogg, Jrcue, Prolog, IronCannibal, Edokter,
Dartman51, David Shankbone, JAnDbot, Husond, MER-C, Thespacedman, Andonic, Getjustin, Savant13, LittleOldMe, SteveSims, Magioladitis, VoABot II, Jshepp, Khelos, CheetahMan1, Allstarecho, TronNDoE, Glen, American Pool Network (APN), Heamsa, Rettetast, Milfmaster9, Meadwench, CommonsDelinker, Lawrence Firth, JBC3, J.delanoy, Captain panda, Sasajid, DrKay, DandyDan2007,
Theru, Mschlauch, Way2xtreme, Belovedfreak, Nwbeeson, Dogbertbh, Coppelia~enwiki, Tygrrr, Rmih, RobertW12345, Idioma-bot,
VolkovBot, Mr. Bouncy, AlnoktaBOT, Barneca, Philip Trueman, Tedmauro, Eve Hall, Miranda, Emonsmi, Fcb981, Anonymous Dissident, Feiman, Left Side, Liko81, Beyond silence, Localmotion528, BotKung, Saturn star, Michaeldsuarez, Aritoni, Peasantclock, AlleborgoBot, Apaqca, Cousindaz, Chuck Sirloin, SieBot, Carlos Reyna, Nubiatech, BotMultichill, Czieg98629, Dga123, Keilana, Wachholder,
Mtm9, Iron Ox, Oxymoron83, Lightmouse, Techman224, Rosiestep, StaticGull, Timeastor, Randy Kryn, ClueBot, Drmies, Animalsuntied, Dawnelizabeth8i, Mrmyerz, Valandvicguapo, Excirial, NuclearWarfare, Arjayay, Razorame, Darren23, Antalope, Apparition11,
Indopug, XLinkBot, Ost316, Kasper2006, Edgepedia, User9119, McTools, Jubilo~enwiki, Wsvlqc, Fyrael, Metagraph, Fieldday-sunday,
BarPoolcom, LemmeyBOT, Eremia, Tassedethe, Delibebek, Lightbot, Gail, LuK3, Legobot, Luckas-bot, Yobot, Fraggle81, Amirobot,
KamikazeBot, AverySellers, ZapThunderstrike, AnomieBOT, YeshuaDavid, Jim1138, Csigabi, Yabbox, Mkljun, Citation bot, ArthurBot,
LilHelpa, Xqbot, Paalappoo, Wikify567, Ubcule, GrouchoBot, RibotBOT, Mu rockz, Orrelly Man, FrescoBot, Tobby72, Citation bot 1,
Oscar747, Redrose64, HRoestBot, Catrig, Trezero, Jauhienij, White Shadows, Gburnley, Cnwilliams, Jamesm199, Markstroud, Trappist
the monk, Donut2790, DixonDBot, 1sttimeright, Rapiidoo, Bcbtcap, Unrulyevil, Hagaizenberg, Ridiculus mus, Jesse91, DARTH SIDIOUS
2, Queenvanilla~enwiki, Lolcakesnubcakelol, Kiko4564, EmausBot, WikitanvirBot, Immunize, GoingBatty, Tommy2010, NikHammondUK8, Wikipelli, ZroBot, Checkingfax, Mostafa.Hassan, HeartSWild, Evan-Amos, Moregofalupa, Mummostaja, ClueBot NG, CocuBot,
Dsjorde, Alxmo, Frietjes, Cuesportcollege, Widr, Helpful Pixie Bot, Syntaxerr3r, Longbyte1, Prof.daily, MusikAnimal, Stateofyolandia, Nishank.varshney, NC9BallGuy, Ian16th, Snow Blizzard, Thepidding, Cyberbot II, ChrisGualtieri, PhilMumford, Khazar2, Obtund,
NathanH28, Theinz21, DB Bond, Jda1951ga, Tentinator, Vsnares94, Sherwin35, Cboreth, Locobull, Guitarguru1989, Monkbot, Golf,
Rich sposato, Eengner, KasparBot, MALO dark pools pagina en wiki y falso, Aiyowolegequ, Najamstackon and Anonymous: 509

10.2

Images

File:1674_illustration-The_Billiard_Table.png
Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/1674_
illustration-The_Billiard_Table.png License: Public domain Contributors: Appearing in introductory history chapter (p.iv) of
Joseph Bennetts 1894 book, Billiards (publisher T. de la Rue), as taken from Charles Cottons 1674 book, The Compleat Gamester.
Original artist: Charles Cotton
File:Billiard_Chalk_and_Cue.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Billiard_Chalk_and_Cue.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Fcb981
File:Billiard_Rack.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Billiard_Rack.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: 1sttimeright
File:Billiard_ball_comparison.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Billiard_ball_comparison.jpg License: GFDL Contributors: Own work Original artist: SMcCandlish
File:Billiards-q75-1426x1200.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Billiards-q75-1426x1200.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Knight, Charles: Old England: A Pictorial Museum (1845) Original artist: unknown, from School
of Recreation, 1710
File:Chalk_stub.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Chalk_stub.png License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Myself
File:Commons-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?

12

10

TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

File:Cue_and_mace.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Cue_and_mace.jpg License: Public domain

Contributors: Google books digitized image; Original artist: Michael Phelan
File:Early-1880s-billiards-ladies-JMBB.jpg
Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/
Early-1880s-billiards-ladies-JMBB.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:PoolTablewithEquipment-non.jpg
Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/
PoolTablewithEquipment-non.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:Studenten_Billard.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Studenten_Billard.JPG License: Public
domain Contributors: R. A. Mller: Geschichte der Universitt, 1990, S. 189 (Stdtische Sammlungen Tbingen) Original artist:
Unknown<a href='//www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4233718' title='wikidata:Q4233718'><img alt='wikidata:Q4233718' src='https://upload.
wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Wikidata-logo.svg/20px-Wikidata-logo.svg.png' width='20' height='11' srcset='https://
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Wikidata-logo.svg/30px-Wikidata-logo.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.
org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Wikidata-logo.svg/40px-Wikidata-logo.svg.png 2x' data-le-width='1050' data-le-height='590'
/></a>

10.3

Content license

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