Everything you need to know about pool

The pool is a type of cue sports. This variation is very popular all over the world and is very often demonstrated in movies and TV series. Let us look at this sport a bit closer.

Equipment

Three basic things are necessary for the game: a cue, a table, and balls. What are their peculiarities?

First of all, it is crucial to pick the right size of the cue for you. Most cues are 147 cm long, but there are also shorter and longer ones. The most important part of the cue is the sticker on the tip of the cue. Stickers come in soft and hard; as a beginner, you are best off using the medium or medium-soft one.

Standard table sizes are 7, 8, and 9 feet, i.e., 213, 244, or 274 cm. A proper table is one that is twice as long as it is wide. For example, a 7-foot table is 7 feet long and 3.5 wide. If you play on a smaller table, you need a shorter cue, too.

As for balls, there are even-numbered and odd-numbered balls, striped and full ones, and, most importantly, there is the black eight, which is heavier than other balls. During the game, direct hits with the cue are made only on this ball.

A complete set of balls includes 15 numbered colored balls of a special color and one white die. The aiming balls are numbered from 1 to 15. Numbers from 1 to 8 are solidly colored: 1-yellow, 2-blue, 3-red, 4-purple (purple), 5-orange, 6-green, 7-dark maroon, 8-black. Sight balls with numbers from 9 to 15 are white, but with a central stripe: 9-yellow, 10-blue, 11-red, 12-violet (purple), 13-orange, 14-green, 15-maroon. This peculiarities makes it easier to tell different balls apart.

How to play

When first introduced, playing pool can seem like some kind of art. In addition to simply driving balls into pockets, there are different variations, strategies and terminology to master. However, the game is so engaging and exciting that it will all be fun.

The game is held as follows: it is necessary to make sure that all balls are equal in weight and size (preferably 2 beats and 2 sighted non-stripe balls). They should be placed them from the front mark on different sides. The player simultaneously performs a hand strike from home (from behind the front line), sending balls to the backboard and back. The winner will be the player whose ball stops closer to the front board, in addition, he must touch the back board at least once.

The draw will be considered lost automatically in one of the following cases:

1) The ball did not reach the backboard.

2) The ball came into the opponent’s half.

3) The ball jumped out of the pool.

4) The ball fell into the pocket.

5) The ball stopped in a corner pocket behind the lip of the front board.

6) The board touched the long side.

7) The board touched the backboard two or more times.

If the rules are violated by both opponents, and the judge has difficulty in determining whose ball is closer to the front board, the draw must be repeated.

When a player takes a shot from the hand, they can place the cue ball anywhere on the playing surface of the table. They can move the ball as much as they want until the cue ball is struck. The player can use parts of the cue to position the ball, including the sticker, but without moving the ball forward. In some varieties of the game, mainly for the initial strike, the movement of the cue may be limited to the house area, depending on the rules of the particular game.

If a player places the cue ball behind the house line and all the balls available to hit are also in the house, they may ask that the ball closest to the house line be placed on the lower mark. If two or more balls are at the same distance from the house line, it is up to the player to determine which ball should be placed on the bottom mark.

If it is required to order strikes, the number of the target ball and the pocket into which the ball will be played must be announced before striking, unless it is obvious. Additional hit details (touching the boards or other balls) are not important. In order for an ordered shot to count, the referee must be sure that the player is taking the shot he or she has ordered. Therefore, if the blow is not obvious the player must declare the pocket and the ball.

Types of the game

There are many varieties of pool. They differ in rules and the number of balls on the table.

• “Pool-8” and “Blackball”. The main goal of the player is to drive the balls of his group (fully colored or with a stripe) or color. The last ball to be played is the “eight” (it is black, which is why the game was given the name “Blackball”).
• “Pool-9”, “Pool-10”, and “Pool-7”. These varieties are very similar to each other and differ only in the number of balls on the playing area. Pool-9 is considered to be a classic variant of the game. Its essence is to hit only the balls with the minimum number. Billiard players must eventually drive the ninth ball. Pool-10 and Pool-7 are very similar to it and differ only in complexity and number of balls. Poole-10 involves 10 balls and Poole-7 involves seven balls. Poole-7 is usually used as a practice game.
• “Straight”. This type of pool is also called “14+1 with continuation. Here, each player is awarded a point per ball played. The winner is declared the highest possible number of points.
• “In one pocket”. Before the game each athlete chooses a pocket by drawing lots or agreements. During the game, they must score balls strictly in their pockets. The one who scores more wins.
• “Through the Ball”. The balls must be driven by hitting a sighted ball against another sighted ball. To do this, the ball is hit on the batter, and then the batter hits the intermediate aiming ball, which in turn hits the correct one by inertia.
• “Rotation”. Players drive the balls in order and receive points equal to the number of the ball scored (one point for ball number 1, two points for ball number 2, and so on). The first player to score 61 points becomes the winner of the game.
• “Board Pool”. The game is also played for points. In this situation, points are awarded only for those balls that are driven into the pocket not directly, but through something: from the board or from other balls. One point is awarded for each ball driven into the pocket.
• “Scratch Pool”. It is also called the Russian pool. Each player is assigned their own balls (by color or group – colored or striped), which should be ricocheted from the bit. Russian pool is reminiscent of Pool 8 and the game “Through the Ball”.

It is important to note that all variations of pool use the same special equipment: neither tables, nor cues, nor the balls themselves are not different.

History

American pool was born in 1857. There is a document of this year, which is the patent No. 19.101, issued to American Michael Phelan for the invention of a new type of the game. Before that only English billiard tables of 6*12 feet were used in the USA.

The pocket on English tables is quite different in quality, not in size. It has rounded lips. Since 1971, 10 feet has been the standard length; this applies to both carambole and loose tables. The width of the pocket was approximately four inches.

In 1949, a new standard of equipment for tournaments was approved. The game changed significantly. The table size became 4.5*9 feet with pockets of 5 inches.

Initially the name of the game did not refer to the American billiard. This term became popular when the game gained a lot of popularity in the USA and other countries.

As you can see, this game is a spectacular one. Although it is often demonstrated in movies and series, any person can learn to play it. Moreover, this game is considered to be a professional sport, and international and national tournaments are held regularly.