Snooker, Pool and other such shenanigans

[Ellie]

Wondering if anybody here plays either game (or perhaps billiards or other games like it).

I am an avid snooker player, have been playing since I was three. Just a shame I suck heavily at it. I currently play some Saturdays with my Dad but am a few years out of key.

I have a pool table at home but it's either a three or four footer, not worth the effort to be honest. Saturdays it's down to the snooker club. My Dad has his own balls, which he changes yearly, and our cues are top knotch... it gets a bit professional.

I'm not a good player by any means though.

 

[Brewmeister]

Pool/Billiards. (what's the difference? if you were implying that there was a difference)

I have a 7' table. Although the kids use it more than I do.

Never tried snooker. I've watched it being played, but (like cricket) I have no idea what the rules are.

 

[Prexus]

I think the difference between pool and billiards is how you win, but they're both played with 15 balls (or they are the same which is likely)

I play billiards and 9-ball a lot. I used to play every week, sometimes twice. Now it is closer to once a month, but I love it. I own my own cue but I need a new one, don't have a table. When we were looking for condos I was hoping to get one with a billiards room but we found a perfect one without so that kinda sucked but I still enjoy it, and am very good.

 

[Anski]

I play pool pretty regularly, every Saturday my bros and such all convene on my house, which has a pool table and bar in the attic. I'm pretty good but I don't think i'd like, play in something professional for it.

 

[Ellie]

Billiards is played with two white balls and one red ball, unless I'm very much mistaken.

Pool is played with eight or nine balls and you just knock them in in two sets.

Snooker is very much more complicated. Larger table, thinner cue tip, smaller pocket to ball ratio. You pot red then colour then red then colour. Colours have different points based on their difficulty to pot (it doesn't seem that way but when you consider the pink and black's position their points do make a lot of sense, and the yellow/green are based on the fact most players are right handed).

Pool is generally a faster game.

Billiards is all about how you hit the balls.

 

[Guest]

;D

 

[Ellie]

I understand there are different types of pool, never knew the difference though. The one I've always played has ten balls in a triangle and one white, with them split into either spots and stripes or red and yellow, and you pot one set each depending on which you potted first. Idk what nineball and eightball and whatever else are though.

 

[Toams]

nineball is where you have nine balls on the table, and the cue ball. you then pocket all balls in the correct order (1-9). if you pocket the 9 ball you win. but you don't have to call shots, so you can pocket it throughout the whole game. You have to hit the correct numbered ball first though every shot. so you can win by special shots (kiss, cannon, etc.)

it's a quick game, and allows for DARING play

 

[Ellie]

That sounds cool actually, I should try that some time. I like slow, thought provoking games like snooker, but I also like fast paced and quick running games like that, it's a nice contrast.

 

[Danielle]

I don't think there is such a thing as eight ball pool? I think you mean nine ball and ten ball. The eight ball is just the ball you pot to end the game of ten ball... But now I am consusing myself.

 

[Toams]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-ball

 

[Ellie]

oh yeah 15 balls that's what I meant not eight.

 

[Prexus]

Yes 8-Ball is just the name given to playing with 15 balls, one player pots either stripes or solids. The 8-ball counts as neither, and you have to pocket it last (and usually have to call your shot with the 8, only pocket, no rails) if you pocket the 8 early you lose. Also if you pocket the 8 off a break, iirc, you lose. But that is very difficult to do.

Unlike in 9-Ball, where pocketing the 9 off the break is what you are trying to do.

In 9 ball, the arrangement of the balls is not important except that the 1 ball has to be at the front, and the 9 ball has to be in the middle, and it goes in this order

1
2
3
2
1

in terms of how many balls in each row. If you scratch (fail to hit the lead ball, hit a ball other than the lead ball first, or pocket the cue ball) the opponent gets ball-in-hand anywhere on the table with no rules. This usually leads to some sort of devious combo shot where they can hit the lead ball to sink the 9 ball and win the game.

It is very common in 9-Ball to "run the table" where the person who breaks never leaves the table, managing to clear all the balls either by comboing the 9 ball early, or simply clearing the table. You often play Best of 9 to determine a winner between two players in 9 ball.

 

[Brewmeister]

Tomas, good article on 8-ball. The only thing they didn't highlight was the difference between 'formal rules' & 'bar rules'. the former being played on a 'house' table, and the latter being played on a 'bar' (coin operated) table. On a bar table, once a ball is pocketed it can't be spotted until you put more money in the table. Therefor, the rules are a little different. I think most US 'bar' leagues play that if you sink the 8 ball on the break (without fouling), you win that game. 'formal' rules state that a foul or scratch grants the opponent 'ball in hand' anywhere on the table. In 'bar' rules you have 'ball in hand' behind the 'kitchen line'. i.e. behind the 'break' spot, or a line drawn from the 2nd spots on the siderail on the end you break from.

There are also 3-ball, 4-ball, 6-ball, & 8-ball variations of 9-ball. (same rules, fewer balls, quicker games).

I prefer 9-ball, especially when you have one table & a lot of players (like at a house party). the games go much quicker allowing more people to play.

Either way, fun game. It's all about physics... every action has an equal & opposite reaction.

 

[Prexus]

My name is Prexus not Tomas but yes

I don't go to bars with coin-op tables, I usually go to pool halls. The 'Kitchen' rules I always played with my friends, because i didn't like kitchen rules and they didn't know that its not normally played that way, was that as long as the cue ball crosses the kitchen line its okay. So I did a lot of backwards shots with lots of spin or english to get it across the line :D

 

[candle]

He said tomas because he linked to the wiki page

 

[Ellie]

I normally play snooker rules for potting the white (the cue ball goes back in the D you break from, which is a semicircle drawn from the baulk line. From there you can hit it any direction so long as you don't then foul).

For normal fouls we usually play "have two shots" rather than being able to put the white anywhere. Shots don't accumulate so if you pot one on your first "two shots" you don't then have another two.