The great game of pool

When you go into a bar or pub anywhere around the world you are likely to find a pool table inside. This game has become one of the greatest pass times in our history. It has long been a professional sport as well, with big pay-days for the champions. Many homes around the world have also incorporated a pool table among the furniture. It is a game that can be played by children and adults alike, and can be very entertaining for spectators too.

How to play

Pool is a game played by two players on a table where there are 16 balls and 6 pockets. The balls are divided into 7 striped balls and 7 solid color balls, each of a different color and number, and there is also a shared black ball, the number 8. The final ball is a slightly smaller white ball, which is struck by the cue into the colored balls. Each player is either "stripes" or "solids", depending on what a certain player sinks first. Once a player has sunk all 7 of their balls they must sink the shared 8-ball and then the game is won. If the 8-ball is sunk by a player before their colored balls are sunk, they lose the game immediately.

A set of pool balls, showing different colors, patterns and numbers
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Additionally, if a player hits one of the opposing players balls with the white ball before it touches one of the players own balls, or if they are to sink one of the opposing players balls or the white ball itself, the opponent is given two shots in their next round, or in some rule variations the white ball can be placed anywhere on the table by the opponent.

Top view of a pool table showing the different areas and layout
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Where did it come from?

Historically, pool is a version of the collective game of billiards, which are all similar in that they are played on a cloth-covered table which is bounded by elastic bumpers known as the 'cushions'. The below table shows the three major subdivisions in billiards:

Carom billiards, referring to games played on tables without pockets, typically 10 feet in length, including balkline and straight rail, cushion caroms, three-cushion 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 world's 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.

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 classified entirely separately from pool based on a separate historical development, as well as a separate culture and terminology that characterize their play.

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It is generally regarded that all cue sports evolved from outdoor stick-and-ball lawn games. This was from games like croquet, golf or even the stick-less lawn bowls. The word "billiard" may have evolved from the French word billart or billette, which mean "stick". The modern day cue likely evolved from a "stick" like the golf club. "Cue" itself came from queue, the French word for "tail".

An image showing a form of billiards in the 17th century, vastly different to what the modern day game is.
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Most of the information we have on early billiards is from the writings of royalty and other nobles. However, it is evident also that the game was not only limited to the upper class of people, but was played by people from all walks of life. In 1600, the game was popular enough for William Shakespeare to mention it in the play Anthony and Cleopatra. In 1675 the first book of rules for billiards was published in England, and in this book it stated that the rules were suitable even for those who played on public billiards tables. The game was initially played with a wooden club called a mace, and the modern day pool cue was developed from these. When players had a ball laying near the cushion of the table it was difficult to play accurately because of the large head of the mace, so players would turn them around and instead use the thinner handle end.

Evolution of billiard equipment

Billiard equipment quality and availability vastly improved in England after 1800, largely because of the Industrial Revolution. Players also began to use chalk to improve the friction between the cue-tip and ball, but by 1823 the leather tip was developed, and this allowed players to put side- or back-spin on the ball when used in conjunction with the chalk. Here is a timeline of how equipment evolved to what would be the modern-day equivalent design:

• 1829 -Two-piece cues invented
• 1835 -Slate is more popular as a material for the table-bed.
• 1839 -Goodyear discovers the vulcanization of rubber and by 1845 it is used as cushions for billiard-tables.
• 1850 -Table dimensions are set to what they are today.

Today the major manufacturers of billiard equipment are companies like Spinsport and Spalding, who also manufacture equipment for various other games like Darts. A complete set of equipment can generally be purchased for a household for around $400 - $500. The most difficult thing is having a room that is large enough though, the following table can be used as a guide:

Finally, here is a video of professional Chris Melling playing with incredible skill:

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Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.unitedking.co.za
http://www.thebilliardshop.com