Have you ever been to your friend’s house or to a pool hall where they ask you to play billiard, but you are not sure what they mean and how to play?
Are they asking about playing billiard or do they want to play pool game? What exactly are they asking and what should you say? Well, if you have ever been into that situation, let us help you clear your confusion. Today we are going to point out some incredible differences between billiards and pool so next time when someone asks you to play, you can confidently say “yes”.
Their distinction may sound confusing to some readers but when you put more attention, you can easily understand the differences and the category they belong to. So, without further ado, let’s get started and learn what is billiard and pool, and what makes them different from each other.
Billiards vs Pool:
Billiards could be any tabletop game that you can play with a cue stick as well as a ball. However, a pool game is actually that game that falls under the same definition. So, it is basically a billiard game.
By keeping that distinction in mind, the pool is primarily a particular game that has pockets on the tabletop. Due to this distinctive feature, the tabletop pockets distinguish the pool from different billiard games such as English billiards also falls under the category.
So, if you are playing any tabletop game that has pockets, then it means you are playing a pool game. But if you are playing a tabletop game without any pocket, you are playing billiards.
Some more facts about pool and billiards:
Let’s talk about each game separately:
- Billiards: Billiard game was originally called carom billiards that can be played with no pockets at all. The game is also a bit similar to the pool but some elements differentiate between the two. The balls used in billiards are comparatively heavy and larger and the tablecloth also facilitates the movement of the ball during the game. The billiard game features three balls, red, yellow, and white. The white or yellow balls are called cue balls and the process of hitting your target with the cue balls is basically called carom.
- Pool: Pool is an interesting indoor game that is also called pocket billiards. The game was originally evolved in the 18th century. From that time, the pool game is somewhat connected with gamblers and poolrooms. That’s the reason, the game is also recognized as an elite game for wealthy people.
Some Major Differences Between Billiards and Pool:
Now that you understand what are those two games, so let’s understand some basic and major differences between the two.
- Cloth used:
As explained earlier, the cloth reinforces the movement of balls and makes them move speedily in billiard. However, the cloth used in the pool game always restricts the movement of balls and makes them move slowly.
- Balls:
When it comes to playing pool, the number of balls usually ranges from 1 to 15, and it also depends upon the game you are playing. But in the case of billiards, there are always three balls, and they are comparatively heavy in size and shape than pool balls.
- Cues:
Now let’s talk about the sticks. When you are playing pool, the sticks you use are sturdy, long, and lean. But the cue sticks we usually use in billiards are quite thick, strong, short, and also have a fast taper.
- Table size:
There is also a great difference in the table size of both games. The table size of your pool game is generally three and a half feet by seven feet. But surprisingly, the table size of the billiard game is five feet by ten feet. If you have played the games before, you must be visualizing them in mind. Right?
- Originality/history:
Let’s have a look at their history. The billiard game was originated in the 15th century. But pool game dates back to the 18th century as well as commonly known as pocket billiards.
- What are the goals?
Now you must be wondering what are the goals of these two games. What are the objectives that players need to understand? Well, the goal of the billiards game is you have to make a fixed amount of points, or even score the highest number of points in the scheduled time that the players have agreed upon before starting the game.
But the objective of the pool game is different. You have to use the cue ball to target the other balls and then add them into the pocket in a particular order.
- Ball sizes:
Their sizes are also different. The billiards ball is approximately 61.5 mm in diameter. But the pool ball is typically 57mm in diameter. However, in the case of British balls, they are 51 mm in diameter.
- Rack:
How about the use of racks in both games?
Well to be clear, Billiards never used any kind of racks. In contrast, pool games always use a rack which helps the balls in arranging in a triangular shape before starting the game. Especially when you are playing an eight-ball game, straight pool, or other related games, you need the rack to arrange balls.
Moreover, in the case of playing a nine-ball game, you need to use a diamond-shaped rack.
- Popularity:
There are always some popular games in both billiards and pool games. For example, the popular game in billiards is cushion billiards. But the most popular game in the pool is the eight-ball which is played worldwide online and offline.
Final thoughts:
There are lots of differences between pool and billiard games. However, you may find some similarities as well. If you have ever played these games with friends, you might know what elements are similar and what are distinctive. But the fact is, both of these games are extremely popular with professionals. People love to play them for hours and in fact, there are several clubs and gaming zones that offer memberships and invite players for billiards and pool games.
We hope that you know the differences well and can differentiate them whenever you want to play in clubs.
