Explained: The difference between billiards, pool and snooker?
Many of us use the terms billiards, pool and snooker, interchangeably. However, they are three separate sports with significant differences.
Billiards, originally called carrom, is a two-player cue sport played with balls and a cue stick on a snooker sized table. On the other hand, snooker is also a cue sport which, although played with the similar equipment has different set of rules altogether. Likewise, pool is also a cue game but is played on a pool table and is often associated with gambling. Here are the major distinctive features among the three.
Ball differences
In snooker, there are 22 balls in total, out of which there are 15 red balls, 1 white ball (known as the ‘striker’ ball) and 6 balls coloured yellow, brown, blue, pink, black and green each. Each ball is sized 21 by 16 inches in diameter. In billiards, on the other hand, there are 3 balls in total. They are white, yellow and red in colour and the first two can be often used as the striker ball. The diameter of the balls are 27 by 16 inches. In pool, the number of balls is usually 16, although this number can change depending on the game’s variation. The balls are 21 by 4 inches in diameter. Out of the 16, numbers 1-8 are of solid colours, numbers 9-15 are of striped colours and the 16th one is a solid, white-coloured ball, known as ‘cue’ ball.
Table differences
Both billiards and pool are played on tables of different sizes: Bar table (7 feet), home or recreational (8 feet), pro or tournament (9 feet). However, the significant difference lies in the fact that billiards tables do not have pockets, while pool tables do. In case of snooker, 10 feet tables are used in England and 12 feet tables are used in the US. These are also pocketed tables.
Rule differences
All the three games have comprehensive set of rules and variations. In case of billiards, the key is to score points or ‘counts.’ This is done by bouncing one’s own ball (cue ball) off of the other two balls on the table. It is often considered as the easiest of the three.
In case of snooker, the game is organised into frames. The goal is to win a frame by scoring the most points, using the cue ball to pocket the other coloured balls. The red balls are worth 1 point, yellow ones worth 2 points, green ones worth 3 points, the brown ones worth 4 points, blue ones worth 5 points, pink ones worth 6 points, and the black ones are worth 7 points. There are rules regarding which ball can be pocketed at which turn. In case a wrong ball is pocketed, it is regarded as a ‘foul’ and no points are awarded.
Considering pool is often used for the purpose of gambling, it is customary for players to agree to reach a target point, and if they meet the target, they are declared as winners. For a typical pool game, the target point is 100, while for a professional pool game, it is 150. The goal is to pocket any ball on the table, and each successful pocket gets one point.