How To Play Billiards – Rules Explained

English billiards is a popular game in England. Nowadays its popularity is not geographical anymore. Billiards might look very chill match in the very first look, but it’s very complicated games. In this article, we will be learning the process and billiards rules.

Billiards is a cue sport, and it has a rich history. Its discovery was in the 15th century. Royal kings and princes used to play this game as a status symbol.

Interesting fact- billiards was an outdoor game and, later, it became an indoor game.                 

Billiards was the first cue ball spots, snooker and pool came later after decades. People play many forms of billiards around-the-world, but the most famous form of billiards is English billiards. The billiard game was trendy until the 1980s, but its popularity is decreasing nowadays. Snooker is taking over the billiards as it is the more tv friendly game. Billiards is a very complicated game but we will try to understand it more easily.

Process of playing billiards 

Billiards is a two-player game, and only three balls are used in this game. One red ball is an object ball, Yellow and White which are cue balls.

For the toss purpose, each player hits balls parallel to the long side of the table and hits the cousin and then comes back towards the players. 

Whosoever wins the toss gets to choose the ball which he wants to play with. Each player uses a different color cue ball to score more points than the opponent. Both the player needs to reach previously agreed total required to win the match.

The Object Of The Game

Both the player decided a specific score as the winning score. In the game of billiards, both players need to reach the winning score after scoring more points than the opponent. We earlier explained its decreasing popularity because of its difficulty.

Billiards is like chess, it requires players to think a lot as they both need to think in defensive as well as attacking way. It is a game where you need to think three times before making a shot as your bone shot can make a call for opponent’s pots. You need to think critically and have to be very patient while playing this game.

Players & Equipments

Billiards can be played one vs one or two vs tow. But the singles version of the game is more popular. English billiards is played on a table that has exactly the same dimensions of 3569 mm x 1778 mm as a snooker table. Many sports cafes and clubs play both games at the same table. In-order-to play billiards, three balls are required one white one yellow and one red where each one is 52.5 mm in size.

Both the players have a cue ( also called sticks) to strike the balls. The essential part of the cue is chalk. During the game, you might need to chalk the tip of your cue to take sides on the ball. Basically chalk gives you to take better controls of power and movement of the ball.

Rules Of Billiards 

• All forms of billiards must consist of three balls. (Red, Yellow, and white)
• Each of the players must have their own cue ball, ( one will have white ball, the will have Yellow)
• Both players have to decide the breakoff choice (who will break first).
• Break off process;- both players simultaneously hit the cue ball through the length of table balls hits the cushion and returning back towards the players. A person who hit the nearest will win the break.
• The red ball is placed in billiards spot and the cue ball is placed in D.
• Players take to attempt to hit the ball turn by turn (they can choose any shot from cannon, in-off, and pot) 
• Players can not leave until they reach the winning score 
• The winner of the game is who reaches the winning score fist after defeating another person’s score.
• Often the winning score is kept 300 points.

Scoring process 

Scoring processes in billiards are very few but they are critical we will understand in a very basic way. These are the scoring methods in billiards.

• A cannon is when the cue ball is struck so that it hits the red and another cue ball (might be in any order) on the same spot. This scores as two-point in the game.
• A pot:- This is also called a pocket. When the player hits the red ball by cue ball and the red ball enters in the pocket. This scores three-point. If the cue ball strikes to another cue ball and enters in down the pocket so this will be a two-point.
•  In-Off:- when a player strikes the cue ball to another ball and then the cue ball itself goes in the pocket. This scores three points. 

Many combinations can be played in the same turn, the maximum number of points possible in one shot is ten.

 Final words 

Guys, billiards is a very classy and tactical game. In this article, we discussed the overview of billiards and mainly focused on Billiards’ rule as they are very important to know.

Do not wait for any chance, just go to a sports complex near you and try to play one game of billiards I assure you will like it. It was fun for me to write this article how was your experience? 

Do let me know in the comments below.