Pool And Billiards

Billiards was the umbrella term for the sport as a whole historically. While that familiar name is still employed changeably a generic name for all games, the word's usage has splintered into more inclusive competing meanings among certain groups and geographic regions. For example, in the United Kingdom, billiards refers exclusively to English Billiards, while in the United States it is sometimes used to refer only to carom games and by a minority to Eight-Ball (being the only cue game known to many players).

Today, the two can easily be exchanged and mean the same thing. When people refer to one, it is assumed the other is also being included. On the technical side, there is a difference. Billiards is played with smaller balls. In billiards, only three balls are used; white, yellow and red. Both the white and the yellow ball can act as the strikers. Billiards is basically pool without pockets. Usually the cloth on a billiards table is much faster. The object in billiards (3 cushion billiards) is to hit the object ball then go three rails and hit the other ball, or hit 3 rails and hit both object balls with the cue ball (these are called caroms).

It is obvious that most of us are familiar with pool and pool tables. Some of us may be aware of the different variations of the pool game, a few being Eight-Ball, Nine-Ball and Cut Throat. As stated above, billiards is played on a table with no pockets. We know that pool tables are constructed with 6 pockets. The game is played with two sets of balls, each containing seven balls, with one set being solid colored and the other striped. The two sets are combined into one set and then completed by a black 8-ball. This is a standard set of pool balls and can be broken up to play different versions of the game.

While there are vast differences between the two games, they are commonly grouped as one and referred to as cue sports. If someone says they are going to shoot a game of billiards, we all know what they are referring to in general. It all depends on what style of the game you would like to play. Billiards is a form of pool. So perhaps in future reference, it should all be covered by using the term pool, unless you are actually playing by billiards rules and regulations.

Reima Petramaa is a webmaster, who manages several Web 2.0 sites online. His web site http://billiards.infosegment.com gives free information and advice on billiards.