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Last Updated: Sep 2009
Last Updated: Sep 2009
Nine ball is a game similar to rotation that has more appeal for a mass audience than straight pool (which requires a delicate touch and subtle maneuvering). Nine ball became almost the exclusive choice for professional tournaments beginning in the 1970s. Nine numbered balls are used in the game. The cue ball must contact the lowest-numbered ball first and then sink a ball; the player continues to shoot until he or she fails to hit the lowest-numbered ball first or does not sink a ball. Pocketing the nine ball, which can even happen on the first shot, wins the game. This form of pool is also a popular choice for televised tournaments.
Among amateurs - who typically play in public rooms, private clubs, at home, and on the coin-operated tavern tables that became widely popular in the 1970s-eight ball is by far the most popular game. Fifteen consecutively numbered balls are used, divided into the balls numbered 1 through 7 (often called solids, because of their coloring) and those numbered 9 through 15 (stripes). The first ball sunk after the break determines which group of balls each player (or team) will target. To win, a player must pocket all the balls in his or her assigned group, followed by the 8 ball. Accidentally pocketing the 8 ball before the end of the game results in an automatic loss.
Billiards can be traced back to the 14th century, beginning as an outdoor game played on the ground with balls and sticks. The game was eventually brought indoors. The first reference to a billiard table appears in 1470, when King Louis XI of France purchased one. The game became so popular in royal circles that Mary, Queen of Scots, while awaiting execution in 1586, complained of being deprived of her billiard table. The game was quite popular in public rooms and inns as well. In 1591 English poet Edmund Spenser denounced "balyards" as a "thriftles" pastime.
The first books containing instructions for playing were written in the 17th century in England and France. At that time the cue ball was pushed by a wooden implement called a mace, the blunt end of which rested on the table. A small arch on the table was the target. In the course of the 18th century the arch yielded to pockets, and the mace gave way to the cue, the narrow end of which was supported by one hand. The English settled on a style of play, later called English billiards, combining pocketing and caroms; it was popular until the 1930s. The French concentrated on caroms only and by the mid-19th century were making tables without pockets.
Billiards evolved as a game of precision and artistry during the first third of the 19th century, when a series of technical advances were made: the invention of the leather cue tip, the use of chalk as a means of increasing friction between the cue tip and the cue ball, and the introduction of slate for table beds and rubber for cushions.
Among amateurs - who typically play in public rooms, private clubs, at home, and on the coin-operated tavern tables that became widely popular in the 1970s-eight ball is by far the most popular game. Fifteen consecutively numbered balls are used, divided into the balls numbered 1 through 7 (often called solids, because of their coloring) and those numbered 9 through 15 (stripes). The first ball sunk after the break determines which group of balls each player (or team) will target. To win, a player must pocket all the balls in his or her assigned group, followed by the 8 ball. Accidentally pocketing the 8 ball before the end of the game results in an automatic loss.
Billiards can be traced back to the 14th century, beginning as an outdoor game played on the ground with balls and sticks. The game was eventually brought indoors. The first reference to a billiard table appears in 1470, when King Louis XI of France purchased one. The game became so popular in royal circles that Mary, Queen of Scots, while awaiting execution in 1586, complained of being deprived of her billiard table. The game was quite popular in public rooms and inns as well. In 1591 English poet Edmund Spenser denounced "balyards" as a "thriftles" pastime.
The first books containing instructions for playing were written in the 17th century in England and France. At that time the cue ball was pushed by a wooden implement called a mace, the blunt end of which rested on the table. A small arch on the table was the target. In the course of the 18th century the arch yielded to pockets, and the mace gave way to the cue, the narrow end of which was supported by one hand. The English settled on a style of play, later called English billiards, combining pocketing and caroms; it was popular until the 1930s. The French concentrated on caroms only and by the mid-19th century were making tables without pockets.
Billiards evolved as a game of precision and artistry during the first third of the 19th century, when a series of technical advances were made: the invention of the leather cue tip, the use of chalk as a means of increasing friction between the cue tip and the cue ball, and the introduction of slate for table beds and rubber for cushions.
Pool Billiard, sometimes called pocket billiards, is the most popular style of play in the United States and is played in many other countries as well. A pool table is typically smaller than other types of billiards tables and has six pockets. The most widely played pool games are eight ball, nine ball, rotation, and straight pool. The most successful tournament players in the first half of the 20th century, Americans Ralph Greenleaf and Willie Mosconi, were noted mainly as straight pool players. Also called 14.1 continuous, a straight pool player tries to pocket balls consecutively in any order until missing.
When a player pockets the 14th ball, the 15th ball is then left on the table while the other 14 are racked, and the player then attempts to sink the 15th ball and keep going. After a miss, the other player takes over. Each ball counts as one point, with an agreed upon point total (such as 100) required to win the game. In rotation, players must hit the lowest-numbered ball on the table first to make a legal shot, then any ball may be pocketed. Balls are valued by their number (an eight ball is worth eight points) and the first to make an agreed-upon point total wins.
When a player pockets the 14th ball, the 15th ball is then left on the table while the other 14 are racked, and the player then attempts to sink the 15th ball and keep going. After a miss, the other player takes over. Each ball counts as one point, with an agreed upon point total (such as 100) required to win the game. In rotation, players must hit the lowest-numbered ball on the table first to make a legal shot, then any ball may be pocketed. Balls are valued by their number (an eight ball is worth eight points) and the first to make an agreed-upon point total wins.
