Billiard

Billiards is a family of cue sports played on a rectangular table where players use cues to strike balls, scoring points or legally pocketing balls depending on the variant. The term covers several disciplines, most notably pool, snooker, and carom billiards. Differences among these games include table pockets, ball sets, and scoring rules. In carom billiards, played on pocketless tables, players aim to carom the cue ball off two object balls in a single shot. In pool and snooker, played on tables with pockets, players pocket designated balls according to the rules of a specific game.

History and development of billiards traces to Europe in the late Middle Ages, when lawn games were adapted for indoor play on cloth-covered tables. Over time, pocketed games diverged from non-pocket variants, and standard table sizes and ball sets emerged during the 19th and 20th centuries. The word billiards derives from the French billard, reflecting its origins in indoor cue sports.

Equipment and play characteristics vary by discipline. Tables range from about 6 to 12 feet, with professional pool competition commonly on 9-foot tables; snooker tables are typically larger. Cloth is usually baize, and cushions are rubber with gunmetal or wooden rails. Essential equipment includes cues, chalk, and racks. Pool uses 16 balls (one cue ball and 15 object balls). Carom billiards uses three balls: a white cue ball, a yellow or alternate-colored object ball, and a red object ball.

Competitive play is organized internationally by bodies such as the World Pool-Billiard Association for pool, and the Union Mondiale de Billard or World Confederation of Billiard Sports for other disciplines, with national federations governing regional play and professional circuits existing for several variants.