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67-474: There are no widespread official or standardized rules for three-ball, though local tournaments promulgate rulesets that have some sway over area player populations even outside the context of the tournaments. Below are listed the most common, widely accepted rules. The game is played on any pool table . A single round usually consists of three or five game s per player, with each player's individual game scores added to calculate their final score for

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

268-452: A billiard costs about 3,500 kilowatts a year (...). At current energy prices, that is about 2,400 to 2,500 euros a year per billiard table." Glossary of cue sports terms#head string The following is a glossary of traditional English-language terms used in the three overarching cue sports disciplines: carom billiards referring to the various carom games played on a billiard table without pockets ; pool , which denotes

335-412: A full game per round, and the scores within each team being combined to yield the final score. Secondly, the game can be played in scotch doubles format, with players alternating shots, and each team only playing a single game per round, as if there were only two players. The modern game of three-ball appears to have originated from an earlier game of the same name, played as a rotation game with

402-431: A host of games played on a table with six pockets; and snooker , played on a large pocket table, and which has a sport culture unto itself distinct from pool. There are also games such as English billiards that include aspects of multiple disciplines. The term billiards is sometimes used to refer to all of the cue sports, to a specific class of them, or to specific ones such as English billiards; this article uses

469-463: 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

536-462: 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

603-422: A particular game's rules for which a set penalty is imposed. In many pool games the penalty for a foul is ball-in-hand anywhere on the table for the opponent. In some games such as straight pool, a foul results in a loss of one or more points. In one-pocket, in which a set number of balls must be made in a specific pocket, upon a foul the player must return a ball to the table. In some games, three successive fouls in

670-411: A player's game, and thus counts toward their score. Any balls pocketed on the break are considered to be legally pocketed and the player now only has to sink the remaining balls. Fouls consist of pocketing the cue ball or knocking the cue ball off the table (a scratch ); a double hit on the cue ball with the cue stick ; push shot s; and moving a ball with a hand, the butt of

737-449: A row is a loss of game. In straight pool, a third successive foul results in a loss of 16 points (15 plus one for the foul). Possible foul situations (non-exhaustive): Also free shot . A situation where a player has fouled , leaving the opponent snookered . In UK eight-ball this would normally give the opponent the option of one of two plays: (1) ball-in-hand with two shots ; (2) being allowed to contact, or even pot ,

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804-405: 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

871-499: 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

938-518: 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),

1005-423: A straight line, again with the lead ball on the foot spot, and the other balls behind it, lined up toward the center of the foot rail . No particular arrangement is necessary, as there is no specific order in which the balls must be pocketed, nor do any of them have specific point values. As in other games, the player at turn may demand a re-rack if not satisfied with the correct formation or position of

1072-602: 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,

1139-536: 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

1206-424: 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

1273-576: 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

1340-403: Is a predetermined cut-off score of a certain number of points, after which the player must turn the table over to the next player (or conclude the game/round if the player was the last in the lineup). Once a player's inning is over, the next player starts over with a fresh rack. After all players have finished, the player with the lowest score is declared to be the winner. In a tournament context,

1407-579: 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

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1474-428: 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

1541-443: 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

1608-565: 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

1675-417: 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

1742-487: 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 ,

1809-473: 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

1876-657: The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA); meanwhile, its ancestor, eight-ball pool, is largely a folk game, like North American bar pool , and to the extent that its rules have been codified, they have been done so by competing authorities with different rulesets. (For the same reason, the glossary's information on eight-ball, nine-ball , and ten-ball draws principally on the stable WPA rules, because there are many competing amateur leagues and even professional tours with divergent rules for these games.) Foreign-language terms are generally not within

1943-591: The 1 through 3 balls, and the same rules as nine-ball, but with the 3 taking the place of the 9. Its evolution over the last few decades into a turn-based game with rules more akin to those of straight pool can be traced back to 1984, in the Chicago suburbs, where J. C. Lee came up with three-ball as a quick and fun way practice pool. He soon realized that several players, with varied billiard skill, could be involved in one turn-based game. The "one tie, all tie" rule, with re-ante betting rounds became an instant catalyst for

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

2077-456: 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

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2144-477: The baulk-line spot , etc. Also bigs , big balls , big ones . Also billiard shot . Also pool spectacles , snooker specs , etc. Also the black . Also the blue(s) . Also shake bottle , pea bottle , pill bottle , tally bottle , kelly bottle . Also bottomspin , bottom-spin , bottom . Also called-safe Also called-shot ; call-pocket or called-pocket . Also carambola . Not to be confused with

2211-431: 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

2278-494: 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

2345-455: 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,

2412-412: 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

2479-408: 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

2546-425: The continuation of a break , and are re-spotted until the reds run out, after which the colours must be potted in their order: Also point of contact . Also counting rack , counter ball rack , etc. Also dog it . Also double elimination . Sometimes interchangeable with scratch , though the latter is often used only to refer to the foul of pocketing the cue ball. A violation of

2613-427: The cue, or other illegal motion. Every foul of any kind costs the player an additional one-point penalty. A shot in which the player pocketed one or more object balls but also fouled still incurs a penalty. Shots after a scratch must be taken from on or behind the head string and must go forward across/from the head string rather than be taken ball-in-hand anywhere on the table. Object balls knocked off

2680-553: 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

2747-431: The disk-flicking traditional board game carrom , which is sometimes played with a small cue stick. Main article: Carom billiards Not to be confused with carom billiards . Also century break . Also coloured ball(s) , colour(s) ; American spelling color sometimes also used. 1.  In snooker , any of the object balls that are not reds . A colour ball must be potted after each red in

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2814-574: 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

2881-415: 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

2948-563: The game is to sink all of the object balls in as few strokes as possible, with point s being added to the player's score for each stroke and for specific fouls. Unlike in eight-ball and nine-ball which are alternating turn-based games, the player at turn remains at turn until all object balls are pocketed, or the player concedes or reaches the maximum point limit (see below) . All strokes count as one point each, whether they pocketed no balls, one ball, or more than one ball. Foul s incur additional penalty points ( see below ). There

3015-1016: The game. See the Seven-ball main article for the game. See the Eight-ball and Eight-ball pool (British variation) main articles for the games. See the Nine-ball main article for the game See the Ten-ball main article for the game Also apex ball , apex of the triangle , apex of the diamond or apex of the rack . Also backspin , back-spin , backward spin . Same as draw . See illustration at spin . Also balk space . Also balk line . Not always hyphenated. Plural: balls-on . Also on[-]ball . Also bar rules , pub pool , tavern pool . Also bar box , pub table , tavern table , coin-operated table , coin-op table . Also middle spot in baulk , baulk line spot , middle of

3082-501: 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

3149-488: 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

3216-414: The players' nationalities. The term "blackball" is used in this glossary to refer to both blackball and eight-ball pool as played in the UK, as a shorthand. Blackball was chosen because it is less ambiguous ("eight-ball pool" is too easily confused with the international standardized " eight-ball "), and blackball is globally standardized by an International Olympic Committee -recognized governing body ,

3283-465: 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

3350-612: 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

3417-503: The popularity of the game. Some players use repetitive playing of solo three-ball as a form of practice. This form of practice is often used as a drill to hone position play with the final balls of a rack in eight-ball and nine-ball. An eight-ball practice variant is to use two solids or two stripes and the 8 ball, and shoot the 8 ball last, while practice for nine-ball will often use the 7, 8, and 9 balls shot in order. Billiards table#Pool A billiard table or billiards table

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3484-413: The predominance of US-originating terminology in most internationally competitive pool (as opposed to snooker ), US terms are also common in the pool context in other countries in which English is at least a minority language, and US (and borrowed French) terms predominate in carom billiards . Similarly, British terms predominate in the world of snooker, English billiards , and blackball , regardless of

3551-407: The racked balls. Racking may be done with a standard wooden or plastic rack, or (in informal play) by hand. The players' turn order is decided at random at the beginning of the game or match, as in other several-player pool games. The cue ball is placed anywhere behind the head string ("in the kitchen ") and a hard break is typically performed. The break is the first stroke of

3618-405: 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

3685-425: The round, and a match may consist of several multi-game rounds, back-to-back or spread out over a period of time. In a gambling context, three-ball is typically played in multiple games (each played out until someone wins the betting pool , then after new antes are placed, play begins again), sometimes for many hours, with players able to enter and leave as suits their finances and risk-aversion. The object of

3752-454: 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

3819-639: The scope of this list, unless they have become an integral part of billiards terminology in English (e.g. massé ), or they are crucial to meaningful discussion of a game not widely known in the English-speaking world. See the Three-ball main article for the game. See the Four-ball billiards main article for the game. See the Nine-ball § Derived games section for

3886-416: 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

3953-465: 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

4020-400: The table are spotted on the foot spot, and do not count as fouls. Kisses , caroms , kicks , banks , combination s and non-scoop-under jump shot s are legal. The game is not typically played with called shots . The game can be played as a team game in two ways. First, players can be divided into even teams, with each player on each team shooting

4087-486: 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

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4154-402: 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

4221-584: The term in its most generic sense unless otherwise noted. The labels " British " and " UK " as applied to entries in this glossary refer to terms originating in the UK and also used in countries that were fairly recently part of the British Empire and/or are part of the Commonwealth of Nations , as opposed to US (and, often, Canadian ) terminology. The terms "American" or "US" as applied here refer generally to North American usage. However, due to

4288-448: 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

4355-554: 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

4422-551: 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

4489-417: The winner of the event may be the player with the lowest total score over many rounds of play (strict scoring), or the highest number of won rounds (loose scoring). In case of a tie, a playoff round is played between the tied players (and repeated if another tie results). Three object balls (conventionally the 1, 2 and 3 balls) are racked either in a triangle with the apex ball on the foot spot , or in

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