67-485: The World Pool Masters is an annual international nine-ball tournament. Formerly, it was called the European Pool Masters (until 1995) until players from other parts of the globe were invited. Throughout much of its history, the tournament has been featuring sixteen world-class pool players, competing in single-elimination format. In 2010, the number of players was doubled to 32. The first round of
134-502: A 9-ft table, the playing surface (the dimensions between the noses of the cushions) measures 100 by 50 inches (254 by 127 cm) with a + 1 ⁄ 8 -inch (3.2 mm) margin of error for either dimension. For an 8-ft table , the playing surface measures 92 by 46 inches (234 by 117 cm), with the same + 1 ⁄ 8 inch variance allowed. In the UK as well as a number of other British Commonwealth and European countries,
201-406: A 7-foot table is 76 by 38 inches (193 by 96.5 cm). Pockets, typically rimmed at the back with leather or plastic traditionally have drop pockets , which are small receptacles below each pocket to contain the balls. More modern tables may instead employ ball return pockets , a series of gutters inside the table, which deliver the balls into a collection compartment on one side of the table, in
268-421: A flip of a coin, but often by playing a lag , with both players playing a cue ball down the table, the closest to the top rail winning the initial break. After the break, if no fouls were committed, the shooter has the option to continue the rack as usual, or to play a push out . The rules on a push out are different to those of a regular shot, as the shot does not need to hit a rail or ball. After
335-463: A much faster roll to the balls. This "speed" of the cloth affects the amounts of swerve and deflection of the balls, among other aspects of game finesse. Snooker cloth traditionally has a directional nap , upon which the balls behave differently when rolling against vs. running with the direction of the nap. Sights , also known as diamonds (for their traditional shape ), are inlaid at precise, evenly spaced positions along
402-462: A nose height of 1 inch (25 mm). When installed properly the distance from the nose of the cushion to the covered slate surface is 1 + 7 ⁄ 16 inches (37 mm) while using a regulation 2 + 1 ⁄ 4 -inch (57 mm) ball set. On a carom table, the K-55 profile is used (with a somewhat sharper angle than pool cushions). K-55 cushions have cloth, usually canvas, vulcanized into
469-405: A similar manner to the ball return on a bowling alley . On a coin-operated table, the object balls are deposited inside an inaccessible window until the table is paid again, allowing the balls to be released into the compartment, while the cue ball is usually separated into its own ball return, often utilizing a different sized ball. A possible result of drop pockets is that if too many balls go into
536-499: A snooker table but with much smaller pockets), and Asian four ball which uses a pocketless 8 ft by 4 ft table. Games such as bagatelle often had more than six holes, including straight through the bed in the middle of the table, a feature still found in bar billiards and bumper pool . There are novelty billiard tables, often for pool, that come in various shapes including zig-zag, circular, and (especially for bumper pool) hexagonal. A circular table featured prominently in
603-518: A snooker table. One tactical consequence of this design difference is that the jaws of the WPA-type pocket are often used exactly like a horizontal version of the backboard of a basketball goal, to rebound the ball into the pocket; this technique does not work on blackball tables, and even shots down the cushion into a corner pocket are more difficult. For tournament competition under WPA world-standardized rules (and league play under derived rulesets),
670-602: A table play faster. A heated table is required under international carom rules and is an especially important requirement for the games of three-cushion billiards and artistic billiards. A pool table, or pocket billiards table, has six pockets – one at each corner of the table ( corner pockets ) and one at the midpoint of each of the longer sides ( side pockets or middle pockets ). Pool tables come in different sizes, typically referred to as 9-foot (2.7 m), 8.5 ft (2.6 m), 8 ft (2.4 m), or 7 ft (2.1 m) tables. In all cases,
737-536: A tolerance of ± 0.5 in (13 mm), though commonly referred to as 12 ft by 6 ft, the nominal outer dimensions including the rails. Smaller tables, approximately 10 ft by 5 ft down to half size, are also sometimes used in pubs , homes and smaller snooker halls . The height from the floor to the top of the cushion is between 2 ft 9.5 in and 2 ft 10.5 in (851 mm and 876 mm). A snooker table has six pockets, one at each corner and one at
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#1732798187233804-424: Is billiard board , used in the 16th and 17th centuries. Cushions (also sometimes called "rail cushions", "cushion rubber", or rarely "bumpers") are located on the inner sides of a table's wooden rails . There are several different materials and design philosophies associated with cushion rubber. These cushions are made from an elastic material such as vulcanized rubber (gum or synthetic). The purpose of
871-576: Is a bounded table on which cue sports are played. In the modern era, all billiards tables (whether for carom billiards , pool , pyramid or snooker ) provide a flat surface usually made of quarried slate , that is covered with cloth (usually of a tightly woven worsted wool called baize ), and surrounded by vulcanized rubber cushions, with the whole thing elevated above the floor. More specific terms are used for specific sports, such as snooker table and pool table , and different-sized billiard balls are used on these table types. An obsolete term
938-497: Is a discipline of the cue sport pool . The game's origins are traceable to the 1920s in the United States. It is played on a rectangular billiard table with pockets at each of the four corners and in the middle of each long side. Using a cue stick , players must strike the white cue ball to pocket nine colored billiard balls , hitting them in ascending numerical order. An individual game (or rack )
1005-579: Is filled with a hard-drying putty, epoxy or resin, then sanded to produce a seamless surface, before being covered with the cloth. When several pieces of slate are joined poorly it is possible for the resin to deform and cause an uneven playing surface; it can also be difficult to move once joined. Tables for the home market usually use slate beds as well, but the slate is often thinner, down to about + 1 ⁄ 2 inch (13 mm) . The early table beds were made of cloth-covered wooden boards. Today, inexpensive but not very rigid or durable materials used for
1072-428: Is marked by a baulk line drawn on the cloth across the width of the table at 29 inches (740 mm) from and parallel to the face of the bottom cushion . A semicircle with a radius of 11.5 inches (290 mm) centred on this line within baulk forms the "D" in which the cue ball must be placed when breaking or after the cue ball has been potted or shot off the table. The position of four of
1139-443: Is most often green in colour (representing the grass of the original lawn games from which billiards evolved), and consists of either a woven wool or wool- nylon blend called baize . Most bar tables, which get much use, use the slower, thicker blended felt because it is cheaper. This type of cloth is called a woollen cloth. By contrast, high-quality pool cloth is usually made of a napless weave such as worsted wool, which gives
1206-565: Is not switched off outside operating hours, consumption is 3,500 kilowatt-hour (kWh) per year, costing 525 euros (0.15 EUR/kWh). Switching off a billiard table heater whenever it is not used can save more than 50% in energy consumption and costs; this can be done automatically with timers . Another way to reduce energy consumption and costs is to use synthetic cloth rather than wool cloth, which requires much more energy to warm up. A disadvantage of synthetic cloth may be that certain types of games, such as balkline , may result in damaging
1273-414: Is played on a billiard table with six pockets . The cue ball , which is usually a solid shade of white (but may be spotted in some tournaments), is struck to hit the nine object balls , which are numbered 1 through 9, each a distinct color, with the 9 ball typically having a yellow stripe on a white base. The aim of the game is to hit the lowest numbered ball on the table (often referred to as
1340-417: Is the break box . Pocketless carom billiards tables are used for such games as straight rail , balkline , one-cushion billiards , three-cushion caroms , and artistic billiards . Regulation 10 × 5-foot carom billiards tables have a playing surface (measured between the noses of the cushions) of 2.84 by 1.42 metres (9.3 by 4.7 ft) with a 5-millimetre allowance. The standard height range of
1407-487: Is the outline of the triangle rack behind the foot spot where the balls are racked in straight pool , since the outline of this area is strategically important throughout the game. In artistic pool , lines may be drawn between opposite sights putting a grid on the playing surface. Other grid patterns are used in various forms of balkline billiards . A recent table marking convention, in European nine-ball ,
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#17327981872331474-624: Is won by the player pocketing the 9 ball . Matches are usually played as a race to a set number of racks, with the player who reaches the set number winning the match. The game is currently governed by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), with multiple regional tours. The most prestigious nine-ball tournaments are the WPA World Nine-ball Championship and the U.S. Open Nine-ball Championships . Notable 9-Ball players in
1541-439: The ball on ) and pocket balls in succession to eventually pocket the nine-ball. As long as the lowest numbered ball on the table is contacted first by the cueball, and any one or more of the object balls are pocketed in any of the pockets with no foul being committed, a player's inning continues. When the table passes to another player, they must play from where the balls were last positioned, except if
1608-473: The 2 + 1 ⁄ 4 -inch (57 mm) balls, wider at the side (middle) pockets than the corners. WEPF pool (sometimes informally called "British-style" or "Commonwealth-style") is played with 2 to 2 + 1 ⁄ 8 -in (51–54 mm) balls, and this type of table has smaller, narrow pockets (the width is calculated as the ball diameter multiplied by 1.6, and is consistent at all six pockets), with rounded entrances and nearly parallel sides, like those on
1675-581: The American Poolplayers Association (APA) and other organizations. Nine-ball events worldwide are run at the highest level by the WPA. The WPA World Nine-ball Championship has events for men, women and junior players. Events are generally open to any player who can pay the entry fee, however, some events are based on qualification. The WPA hosts a world ranking schedule based on WPA events, with other ranking systems also operated by
1742-571: The Diamond Pool Tour , Asian Tour and Euro Tour . Several games have been derived from nine-ball. Six-ball is essentially identical to nine-ball but with three fewer balls, which are racked in a three-row triangle, with the money ball placed in the center of the back row. According to Rudolf Wanderone , the game arose in early 20th century billiard halls; halls charged for matches by the 15 ball rack rather than by table, so players of nine-ball had six balls left over. For this reason,
1809-476: The Philippines , 8–5. For the 2019 World Pool Masters , the field was changed to accompany 24 players, with seeded players being given a bye through the first round. The 2022 World Pool Masters went back to its original format, inviting 16 players, with 8 seeded players meeting the other 8 in the first round of the single-elimination tournament. Nine-ball Nine-ball (sometimes written 9-ball )
1876-520: The WPA World Ten-ball Championship . The sport has featured in popular culture, most notably in the 1959 novel The Hustler and its 1961 film adaptation , and the 1984 sequel novel The Color of Money and subsequent film . In Endless Ocean: Blue World , Nineball Island, which serves as the player's home base, is won through a game of nine-ball. Pocket (billiards) A billiard table or billiards table
1943-562: The 1 ball is on the foot spot , which further stops overpowered break-off shots. The general rules of the game are fairly consistent and usually do not stray too far from the earliest format set by the Billiard Congress of America (BCA). These later formed the basis of the standardized WPA rules, which the BCA follows as a member, although amateur league play may be governed by similar but slightly different rules promulgated by
2010-527: The 1972 film Silent Running . For the home market, many manufacturers have produced convertible billiard tables (in the broad sense) that double as dining tables or as table tennis , foosball , or air hockey , tables, with removable hard tops. Home pool tables, which often lack a ball-return system, are commonly either 4 × 8 ft or 3.5 × 7 ft models, a medium between 3 × 6 ft. bar/pub tables and 4.5 × 9 ft tournament-size models. Low-end tables tend toward
2077-676: The APA and the EPBF. Other major events held by the WPA include the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship , China Open 9-Ball Championship and the International 9-Ball Open . In addition, Matchroom Sport runs major international competitions including the Mosconi Cup , World Cup of Pool and World Pool Masters . Outside those events held on an worldwide basis, nine-ball is played in continental tour series. Events are held on series such as
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2144-475: The Euro Tour is that the break shot be taken from a " break box " a rectangular box smaller than the regular nine-ball breaking area. While making the money ball on breaks are still possible, they are much more difficult with the break box. This was later used on the annual international Mosconi Cup tournaments. Another Mosconi Cup rule change in 2007 called for racking such that the 9 ball rather than
2211-456: The balls to roll better. Queen Victoria (1819–1901) had a billiard table that was heated using zinc tubes, although the aim at that time was chiefly to keep the then-used ivory balls from warping. The first use of electric heating was for an 18.2 balkline tournament held in December 1927 between Welker Cochran and Jacob Schaefer Jr. The New York Times announced it with fanfare: "For
2278-431: The bed of the pocket billiard table must be made of slate no less than 1 inch (2.54 cm) thick. The flatness of the table must be divergent by no greater than 0.02 inches (0.51 mm) lengthwise and 0.01 inches (0.25 mm) across the width. Some pool tables may feature mechanical scorekeeper on one side, which can be changed to denote points for games such as straight pool or rotation . A table designed for
2345-494: The beds of low-end tables (e.g. for children's recreation rooms ) still include wood, especially medium-density fibreboard and plywood , as well as plastics and other synthetic materials under various trade names. Billiard cloth (sometimes erroneously called felt ) is a specific type of cloth that covers the top of the table's "playing area". Both the rails and slate beds are covered with 21–24-ounce billiard cloth (although some less expensive 19-ounce cloths are available) which
2412-455: The centre of each of the longest side cushions. The pockets are around 86 mm (3.5 in), though high-class tournaments may use slightly smaller pockets to increase difficulty. The amount of undercut (trimmed underside of the rubber cushion's protruding nose at the pocket opening), if any, has a strong effect on how easily a ball is accepted by the pocket (the " pocket speed "). On snooker and English billiards tables,
2479-412: The cloth can affect the run of the balls, especially on slower shots and shots played with sidespin applied to the cue ball . A snooker table traditionally has the nap running from the baulk to the top end and is brushed and ironed in this direction. Other types of billiard tables are used for specific games, such as Russian pyramid which uses a '12 ft by 6 ft' table (similar to
2546-408: The colours are marked along the long string (lengthwise centre) of the table, perpendicular to the baulk line: the black spot , 12.75 inches (324 mm) from the top cushion ; the centre spot or blue spot , located at the midpoint between the bottom and top cushions ; the pyramid spot or pink spot , located midway between the centre spot and
2613-519: The cue ball over other balls. However, if any ball leaves the cloth at the end of a shot, it is counted as a foul. Jumping is common in nine-ball, and players often have a dedicated jump cue. As of the 2000s, the rules have been somewhat in flux in certain contexts, especially in Europe. The European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF), the WPA-affiliate in Europe, has instituted a requirement on
2680-486: The cushion rubber is to cause the billiard balls to rebound off the rubber while minimizing the loss of kinetic energy . The profile of the rail cushion, which is the cushion's angle in relation to the bed of the table, varies between table types. The standard on American pool tables is the K-66 profile, which as defined by the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) has a base of 1 + 3 ⁄ 16 inches (30 mm) and
2747-447: The early 1980s. While not a common game, it was featured on television broadcaster ESPN 's Sudden Death Seven-ball which aired in the early 2000s. The most common derivative game is the game of ten-ball . The game is a more stringent variant, using ten balls in which all pocketed balls must be called . Unlike in nine-ball, the money ball cannot be pocketed on the break for an instant win. Due to its more challenging nature, and
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2814-579: The event was played in double elimination with the second round in single-elimination. In 2011, the tournament reverted to the original 16-player single-elimination format, with each match a race-to-8, winner breaks. The 2011 edition was held in SM North EDSA Mall in Quezon City , Metro Manila , Philippines . Ralf Souquet of Germany won the said tournament for the record-setting sixth time, beating defending champion Dennis Orcollo of
2881-418: The fact that there is no publicly known technique for reliably pocketing specific object balls on the break shot, there have been suggestions among the professional circuit that ten-ball should replace nine-ball as the pro game of choice, especially since the rise of the nine-ball soft break, which is still legal in most international and non-European competition. Ten-ball has its own world championship known as
2948-574: The first time in the history of world's championship balkline billiards a heated table will be used..." An electrically heated table is required under international carom billiard tournament rules 'in order to ensure the best possible rolling', although temperatures are not specified. In tournaments, carom billiard tables have recommended heating temperatures of 33–37 °C (91–99 °F ), while billiard associations may heat their carom tables to as much as 45 °C (113 °F). An average modern billiard heater has an output of 600 watts. If it
3015-415: The full-size model. The playing surface of a good-quality snooker table has a bed of slate and is covered with baize cloth, traditionally green, though many other colours are now available. The thickness of this cloth determines the table's speed (lack of friction) and responsiveness to spin , thicker cloths being longer lasting but slower and less responsive. The nap of
3082-496: The game include Luther Lassiter , Buddy Hall , Efren Reyes , Earl Strickland and Shane Van Boening . The game is often associated with hustling and gambling , with tournaments often having a "buy-in" amount to become a participant. The sport has featured in popular culture, notably in the 1961 film The Hustler and its 1986 sequel The Color of Money . Nine-ball has been played with varied rules, with games such as ten-ball , seven-ball and three-ball being derived from
3149-408: The game is often played with the balls numbered between 10 and 15, with the 15 ball as the money ball. Seven-ball is also similar to nine-ball, though it differs in two key ways: the game uses only seven object balls, which are racked in a hexagon, and players are restricted to pocketing the money ball on their designated side of the table. William D. Clayton is credited with the game's invention in
3216-548: The game. While usually a singles sport, the game can be played in doubles, with players completing alternate shots. Examples of tournaments featuring doubles include the World Cup of Pool , World Team Championship and the Mosconi Cup . The game was established in America by 1920, although its exact origins are unknown. Nine-ball is played with the same equipment as eight-ball and other pool games. The game of nine-ball
3283-501: The games snooker and English billiards is usually called a snooker table . The playing area of a tournament snooker table, as standardized by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) and the amateur International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF), measures 11 feet 8.5 inches by 5 ft 10 in (3569 mm by 1778 mm) with
3350-421: The lowest numbered ball, pocketing the cue ball, or not making contact with a rail with the object ball. A foul shot for any reason offers the opponent ball in hand , which means they can place the cue ball at any location on the table. A player making three successive fouls (for any reason) awards that rack to the opponent. Unlike some other cue sports, such as snooker , players are allowed to jump
3417-488: The measurements and shapes of these proprietary templates which change from time to time, requiring that the templates be dated. The organizations do not recognize tournament play or records ( maximum breaks , etc.) if not performed on tables that conform to then-current templates. The cushions (sometimes known as rails, though that term properly applies to the wood sections to which the cushions are attached) are usually made of vulcanized rubber . The baulk area
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#17327981872333484-499: The object balls placed in a rack and one player playing a break . The object balls are placed in a diamond-shaped configuration, with the 1-ball positioned at the front on the foot spot , and the 9-ball placed in the center. The rack used to position the balls may be either triangle-shaped, as is used for eight-ball and other pool games, or a specific diamond-shaped rack that holds only nine balls may be used. Racks are usually made of wood or plastic. A template that lies on
3551-465: The playing surface into equal squares. Books, even entire series of books, have been written on geometric and algebraic systems of aiming using the diamonds. Spots are often used to mark the head and foot spots on the cloth. Other markings may be a line drawn across the head string (or across the balk line with the "D" , in British-style pool). Another case
3618-612: The pocket entries are rounded, while pool tables have sharp " knuckles ". This affects how accurate shots need to be to get into a pocket, and how fast they can be when not dead-on, including shots that run along and against a cushion, making snooker more difficult to play than pool. According to the WPBSA official rule book, "the pocket openings shall conform to the templates owned and authorised by The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA)". The WPBSA and IBSF rule books' equipment sections do not actually specify
3685-402: The preceding rack. The break is often the most crucial shot in nine-ball, as it is possible to win a rack without the opponent having taken a single shot. This is often called a break and run , or running the rack. Earl Strickland holds the record for break and runs, after he successfully ran 11 consecutive racks in a tournament in 1996. The first break of a match is sometimes decided by
3752-457: The prior inning ended in a foul. In that case, the incoming player takes ball in hand , anywhere on the table. The winner is the player who legally pockets the nine-ball, the game's money ball , regardless of how many balls have been pocketed beforehand. This can happen earlier than the nine-ball being the sole remaining object ball on the table if it is pocketed via a combination or other indirect method. Each rack begins with
3819-448: The push out, the opposing player has the option to play the shot that has been left, or to force their opponent to play on from that location. In early versions of nine-ball the push out could be called at any time during the game, but is now only for the shot after the break. If a player misses potting a ball on a shot, or commits a foul shot, then their opponent plays the next shot. A foul shot can involve not making first contact with
3886-405: The rails of some tables (not usually on snooker tables) to aid in the aiming of bank or kick shots. There are six along each long rail (with the side pocket interfering with where the seventh one would go, on pocket billiard tables) and three along each short rail, with each of the four corners counting as another in the mathematical systems that the diamonds are used to calculate. These sights divide
3953-405: The same pocket, it would fill up the receptacle and prevent any more balls from going in that pocket, requiring that some be moved out of the pocket manually before shooting again. Regardless of table size, the WPA standard (sometimes informally called "American-style") table has wide, angular pockets that funnel notably inward, generally 1.75 to 2.25 times as wide at the opening as the diameter of
4020-416: The smaller range, and may have MDF or wood beds as an alternative to slate; those with light-weight beds may be foldable for storage, as with table tennis. Miniature tables range in size from tabletop 1 × 1.6 ft to free-standing 2.5 × 5 ft models, and use scaled-down cues and balls. Billiard table beds are commonly heated with electricity, in order to keep the cloth dry, and allow
4087-465: The synthetic cloth too quickly because of the way players hit the balls. The 2022 Russia–European Union gas dispute caused rising energy costs around Europe, making heating billiard tables almost prohibitively expensive. The Royal Dutch Billiards Federation 's director said in October 2022 that "billiard and snooker localities are simply incapable of affording these energy prices anymore, as heating
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#17327981872334154-435: The table during the break has also come into use. The break consists of hitting the 1 ball, with the attempt to pocket any ball. If the 9 ball is successfully potted, the player automatically wins the rack. This is sometimes known as a golden break . Additional rules in some tournaments exist, such as a number of balls having to reach the head string , and players can be chosen to break alternately or whoever won
4221-486: The table is rectangular with a 2:1 ratio (e.g. 9 × 4.5 ft ). There are only two sizes approved for tournament play by the International Olympic Committee –recognized sport governing body of pool, the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), and its various regional and national affiliates; under the world standardized rules of pool, these are the 9 × 4.5 ft and 8 × 4 ft models. For
4288-402: The table, measured from the playing surface to the ground is between 75 and 80 centimetres. The slate bed of a carom billiards table must have a minimum thickness of 45 millimetres and in tournaments recommended heating temperatures is 33–37 °C (91–99 °F), which helps to keep moisture out of the cloth to aid the balls rolling and rebounding in a consistent manner, and generally makes
4355-448: The top cushion; and the baulk spot or brown spot , located at the midpoint of the baulk line (and, thus of the "D"). Due to its obviousness, the brown spot is not always marked (neither are the unmistakable green and yellow spots , at the left and right intersections, respectively, of the baulk line and the "D " 's curve. The exact placing of these markings are different on smaller tables, but proportional to
4422-554: The top of the rubber to adjust rebound accuracy and speed. Snooker tables use an L-shaped profile, such as the L77 profile. The bed table – the cloth-covered, horizontal playing surface – is, on high-quality equipment, made of solid, smooth slabs of slate , most often from Italy, Brazil or China. Small pool tables may use only one or two pieces of slate, while carom, English billiards and tournament-size pool tables use three. Full-size snooker tables require five. The gap between slates
4489-551: The typical pool table is a 7 ft × 3.5 ft (2.1 m × 1.1 m), although 6-foot (1.8 m) tables for the pub and home market are also common. These are the sizes used by internationally standardized blackball and the amateur World Eightball Pool Federation , as well as informal pub pool. The 7-foot size is also frequently used in North American amateur leagues, and are common coin-operated fixtures in bars and other venues. The playing surface for
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