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~i-. T'l~e S ort of Billiards
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<br />Billiards as we know it is over five hundred years old and, in its various disciplines, is enjoyed
<br />hundreds of millions of people around the world each year. Internationally, competition is p
<br />sued in three basic variations: Pocket Billiards, Carom Billiards, and Snooker:
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<br />PUCKGT BILLIARDS S\'UUKLR
<br />Pocket billiards, better known as pool, is generally played.with a cue
<br />ball (white) and IS object balls numbered 1-15 - eight of solid colors
<br />and seven white balls each with a different colored strip.
<br />The general object is to strike the cue ball so that it propels an object
<br />ball or balls into a desirrd pocket without pocketing the cue ball.
<br />Pool has found popularity in Europe, Asia, and North America.
<br />Variations of pool include:
<br />8-Ball A player wins by pocketing all of the snipes or all of
<br /> the solids, and then legally pockets the 8-ball.
<br />' 9-Ball The player pocketing the 9-ball, either on the break,
<br /> in its normal rotation, or in combination with any
<br /> other legal shot wins.
<br />Straight The object is to pocket the balls in numeric order.
<br />Pool or Theplayerwiththemostpointsattheendofthegame
<br />~ I4.1 wins.
<br />The most populaz table sizes range from the professional 4 1/2' x 9'
<br />size, to the 4' x 8' and the 3 1/2' x T sizes. Most pocket billiazd tables
<br />have six pockets -one in each comet, and one in the middle of each
<br />long rail.
<br />1 Balls are approximately 2 1/4" in diameter and weight about 6 ounces.
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<br />` Carom billiards is played with two different colored cue balls (ono white
<br />ej and the other a light yellow) and one solid red ball. It is extremely
<br />J populaz in Europe, South America and Asia.
<br />` The general object of cazom billiards is to strike your cue ball so that it
<br />,1 caroms off both your opponent's cue ball and the red ball in either or-
<br />r. This is worth one point
<br />~ Amore difficult variation is " 3-Cushion Billiards," in which a player's
<br />cue ball must contact one ball and then contact at (east dues cushions
<br />before it contacts tltc other ball to make the point.
<br />The cams is played on a table 5'r 10' with no pockcu. Balls weight
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<br />Snooker is a specialized form of billiards very similar in approac
<br />pocket billiards, yet different enough in its evolutionary growth, ec
<br />meat and demographic scope worldwide to warrant its own catego:
<br />a separate discipline among billiazd sports. As did pocket billiard
<br />American soil, in the latter 19th century, snooker also evolved f
<br />English billiards during the same period, except on the soil of ter
<br />Ties governed by England. The discipline has thrived and grow
<br />these same countries azound the globe, most notably in Great Bri
<br />Australia and Canada, in the 1900s. Many billiazd rooms in the i
<br />maintain at least one snooker table, as the game has some limited
<br />peal in this country.
<br />Snooker has few vaziations and is specifically designed with a w
<br />cue ball, a set of fifteen solid red balls, and six number balls, mark<
<br />thru 7. Each ball weighs approximately 5 ounces and is 2 1/16
<br />diameter. The regulation size table for competition measures 6'x
<br />and has a six pocket configuration as on a pocket billiard table. Snoc
<br />pockets, however, are much small than pool pockets, and the tubF
<br />ized rails continually slope into the sides of the pocket, as opposes
<br />the clean cut of the tails at the openings of poor pockets, so that i
<br />more difficult to pocket the balls.
<br />The red balls aze rocked in a triangle on the foot (pyramid) spot,
<br />the numbered balls are spotted on their assigned spots at various poi.
<br />around the table. Points are scored in the following manner. at
<br />start of the opening shots in a game a player must first initiate his or
<br />rum by attempting to pocket (or pot) any red ball, which is worth c
<br />point. If successful, the shooter must then attempt any one of the nu
<br />bared balls, which is worth the number of points marked on it. If
<br />player scores on this shot, the players must again attempt a red; the
<br />numberrd ball, etc. When a red is potted, it stays down. When a nu
<br />bared ball is pottui, it is respotted on its assigned spat. Once the
<br />balls aze all potted, the numbered balls aze potted in rotation. Whoa
<br />accumulates the most points when all the balls have disappeared fr~
<br />the tables wins.
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<br />Page 41
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