There are many different games played on pocketless billiards tables around the world. Carom billiard cues are usually between 54” and 56” in length. They’re also constructed with a wood-to-wood joint and, in high-end cues, a wooden joint pin. The preferred carom billiard cue has a thicker butt, shorter ferrule, a conical taper, and a smaller tip than those cues typically used in snooker and pool.Īlthough the preferred weight varies depending on the type of game, carom cues generally weigh between 16.5 and 18.5 ounces. Billiard CuesĬues used in carom billiards are generally lighter and shorter than their common counterparts used in pool halls around the world. Modern billiard balls, however, are made from phenolic resin. Different materials have been used to manufacture these balls over the years, such as ivory, clay, and wood. On average, billiard balls weigh 7.5 ounces and measure 2.42 inches in diameter. The balls also differ in size and weight from snooker and pool balls. One white, one yellow, and one red, although sometimes a white ball with red or black dots will be used in place of a yellow ball. Only three balls are used in carom billiards. Heated slate is required in international carom billiard tournaments. Heated slate is important to ensure that the table plays fast and consistently throughout. The slate is just under the fabric of the table, giving the game a smooth, consistent field of play. If you’re not familiar, slate is the sheet of rock that almost all high-end tables are made with. Many carom billiard tables have heated slate. As mentioned above, there are no pockets in a carom billiards table, which is another big difference in the snooker and pool comparison. This is important because of the rules and point-scoring methods used in the game, as discussed below. Worsted wool offers less resistance and so makes it easy for the balls to travel fast on the surface. 100% worsted wool is usually used as the fabric of choice for carom billiard tables, whereas the ‘felt’ on other tables is usually a mix of wool and nylon. Billiard TablesĬarom billiards is generally played on a 4.7’x9.3’ or 5’x10’ table. Particularly France, where the game is thought to have originated. Carom billiards is not very popular in the United States but enjoys regular play in Europe. Carom billiards is said to have been the basis from which pool and snooker derived. We’ll discuss those versions in this article.Īlso known as carom billiards, this game is most noticeably played with only three balls and on a table with no pockets. Even if the rules are slightly different around the world, there are widely-accepted versions of the games. There are many different versions that fall under the different headings of pool, billiards, and snooker.Ĭhances are you’ve encountered someone who has an entirely different idea as to the rules of ‘pool’ than you do.

In other parts, ‘pool’ is used in the same manner. In some parts of the world today, the term ‘billiards’ is used to describe all the different games such as snooker and pool. Thus, the first indoor cue sports were born as a tabletop version of outdoor games. Games such as croquet were popular, but couldn’t be played in bad weather. Cue sports are said to have evolved as a result of European nobility’s need to entertain themselves year-round.

The 14th century is said to have given birth to indoor cue sports, which is a blanket term for the different sports played with a cue. Top 10 Best Pool Tables Under $1000 A Little History On Billiards, Pool, and Snooker.23 Must Have Billiard Accessories You Can’t Do Without.18 Unique Pool Table Lights for Your Billiard Room.Best Pool Cues for the Money: A Cue for Every Budget.Want to check out some billiard gear we like? Check out these articles! Hopefully by the end of this article you’ll have all the info you need on all three cue sports! In this article we’re going to discuss billiards vs pool vs snooker. All three games vary in table size, ball size, rules, cue size and width, and even the number of pockets used. But billiards is as different from pool as snooker is. The terms billiards and pool, on the other hand, are often used to refer to popular 8 ball or 9 ball games.

Most people know that snooker is very different from pool, even if they don’t know what snooker is exactly.

Pocket billiards