Billiard Games

Billiard games (or cue sport games) define every possible game played on a rectangular, cover-felt table with a cue stick, the cue ball and at least one more colored ball. The term "billiard" is a reminder from the French origins of the game, meaning "mace", billiard refers to the ancestor of today's cue stick.

Mostly referred to as "pool games", the term relates to all the billiard games played on a 7/8/9 foot table with six pockets. In this type of billiard games, the players desire to shoot the balls into the table pockets. The most popular pocket billiard games are 8-ball and 9-ball. Other pocket billiard games include 10-ball, 3-ball, one pocket and more.  

Also known as "carambole", carom billiard games are played on a 10 foot, usually heated, billiard table with no pockets, with three balls including two cue balls and one object ball. The object of carom billiard games is to carom off two of the balls at the same shot. Less popular in English speaking countires, carom billiard games include carambole/straight rail, three-cushion billiard and balkline. Cowboy billiards is a billiards game that combines the discplines of both carom and pocket billiard games.

Though played upon a 6-pockets table, snooker has always been a stepson in the family of pocket billiard games. Snooker is played on 12 ft. baize-covered table with 15 red balls, 6 colored balls and one cue ball. The terminology used in snooker is not identical to the one used in pocket billiards.


This distinction between the three types of billiard games, however, does not take in account hybrid billiard games such as cowboy billiards,  nor folk games from the family of cutthroat billiards or other online billiard combination that mixes the objective of golf with the fast paced action of pocket billiards.