pool v. billiards v. snooker
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 Cue sports are games in which a cue stick is used to strike a cue ball, which in turn caroms around a cloth-covered table, striking other object balls. Table sizes vary between and within these games, but the aspect ratio remains fixed at 2:1. Pool, billiards, and snooker are different types of cue sports.
Pool
Pool is a class of cue sports played on a table with 6 pockets (4 in the corners and 2 in the middles of the long sides), and includes such games as eight-ball (the most popular cue sport in the world) and nine-ball. Competition pool tables are 2.54 by 1.27 meters.
Eight-ball is played with 1 cue ball, 7 solid-colored balls for one player, 7 striped balls for the other, and a black 8-ball. Players take turns attempting to pocket all 7 of their balls, and then try to sink the 8-ball.
9 ball employs the balls numbered 1 through 9, with the object being to pocket the 9 ball first. However, the lowest numbered ball still on the table must be struck first on each turn.
Billiards
Billiards can be a comprehensive term for all cue sports, or it can indicate carom billiards, English billiards, or various other billiards games, depending on context.
Carom billiards is played on a pocketless 2.84 by 1.42 meter table with 2 cue balls and 1 red object ball, all of which are larger and heavier than the balls used in pool. Points are gained by causing the cue ball to hit the object ball and the opponent’s cue ball on a single stroke.
English billiards is like a combination of carom billiards and pool, being played on 6-pocket table with 2 cue balls and a red ball. Points are awarded both for hitting the other cue ball and the red ball on the same shot, and for making balls fall into the pockets.
Snooker
Snooker tables, like pool tables, have 6 pockets, but are quite a bit larger, at 3.57 by 1.78 meters. Snooker is played with a cue ball, 15 red balls worth 1 point each and one each of yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, and black, with values ranging from 2 to 7 points. The object of snooker is to gain the most points by alternately potting (pocketing) red balls and colored balls, replacing the colored balls on the table after they are potted. When no red balls remain on the table, the colored balls must be potted in a predefined order.