4 Types of Cue Sports
Cue sports are games like pool that are played by using a stick called a cue to shoot different colored balls around a table. Often, the objective is to sink them into a pocket. These games are sometimes also referred to as billiards but, as you will see, whether it is appropriate to use the term generically depends on where you are.
1. American-Style Eight-Ball
If you’re from the United States, this game is probably what you think of when hear people mention billiards Rapid City SD. It uses 16 balls numbered balls all together: the cue ball (which is the only one you can hit directly), the 8 ball, seven striped balls, and seven with solid colors. This game is also known as Solids and Stripes because the objective is to sink either all of the striped balls or all the solid ones before your opponent sinks all of his or her colors.
2. Snooker
A snooker table looks similar to a pool table, but it is larger with smaller pockets. It uses more balls because the objective is to sink a red ball for a point before sinking a numbered ball for its base value. You can also “snooker” the other player(s) by blocking their shot with your ball.
3. Straight Pool
Straight pool uses all the same equipment as eight-ball. However, each ball you sink is only worth a point, and the game is played up to 150 points, so you have to keep fishing the balls out of the pockets and racking them over and over again. This is the game featured in the 1961 movie “The Hustler,” starring Paul Newman and noted pool expert Jackie Gleason.
4. English Billiards
Also known as the Queen’s Game, English billiards is considered a more refined type of cue sport that only uses three balls and has complicated scoring rules. You can learn to play English billiards on a snooker table because the dimensions are the same and snooker balls can be repurposed easily.
In England, English billiards are just called “billiards.” In other countries, “billiards” can be used generically to refer to any cue sports. … Read More..
