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English billiards

A late nineteenth century match between   John Roberts, Jr  and 

Edward Diggle.

English billiards,[1] called simply   billiards[2] in Great

Britain, where it originated, and in many former British

colonies, is a cue sport for two players or teams. Two cue

balls (originally both white and one marked e.g. with a

black dot, but more recently one white, one yellow) and a

red object ball are used. Each player or team uses a dif-

ferent cue ball. It is played on a billiards table with the

same dimensions as a snooker table and points are scored

for cannons and pocketing the balls. English billiards has

also, but less frequently, been referred to as “the English

game”, “the all-in game” and (formerly) “the common

game”.[3]

1 History

English billiards was originally called the winning and los-

ing carambole game, folding in the names of three prede-

cessor games, the winning game, the losing game and  the

carambole game (an early form of straight rail), that com-

bined to form it.[3]

1.1 Origins

The winning game was played with two white balls, and

was a 12-point  contest. To start, the player who could

strike a ball at one end of the table and get the ball to come

to rest nearest the opposite cushion without lying against

it earned the right to shoot for points first. This is the

origin of the modern custom of "stringing"(or"lagging").A player who pocketed the opponent’s ball scored two

points,[3] as is still the case in modern billiards.

Fouls   (or   faults): A player missing the opponent’s ball

added one point to his opponent’s total; the shooter con-

ceded two points if that player’s own ball (then acting as

the cue ball) went into a pocket after striking the oppo-

nent’s ball; and the player conceded three points if the

cue ball was pocketed without even hitting the opponent’s

ball. These rules continued to exist in English billiards

until 1983, when a standard two points for all fouls was

introduced.

By contrast, in the losing game a player could only score

(2 points) by pocketing the cue ball through a carom offthe opponent’s ball.[3] "Winning hazard" and "losing haz-

ard" are terms still mentioned in the official rules for these

two fundamental shot types, although "pot" and "in-off"

have become the usual terms for them in British English.

The final element was the cannon (or carom) shot, which

came from   carom or carambole billiards, a three-ball

game popular in various countries of western Continental

Europe, especially popularized by France[4] (and today

also popular in many parts of Asia and South America).

In the 1700s, the carambole game added a red  object

ball to the two white cue balls, and dispensed with the

pockets.[5] This ball was adopted into the English game,which retained the pockets,[5] and the goal was to can-

non off both the red and the opponent’s ball on a sin-

gle shot, earning 2 points. This influence on the English

game appears to have come about through the popularity

of French tables in English coffee houses; London alone

had over two thousand such establishments in the early

18th century.[6] One period advertisement read: “A very

good French Billiard Table, little the worse for wearing,

full size, with all the materials fit for French or English

play”.[6]

The three ancestral games had their British heyday in the

1770s, but had combined into English billiards, with a16-point score total, by approximately 1800.[3] The skill

required in playing these games helped retire the billiard

mace in favour of the cue.

There are a number of pocket billiard games directly

descended from English billiards, including bull dog,

scratch pool, thirty-one pool and thirty-eight. The

last of these gave rise to the more well-known game

cowboy pool.[7][8] English Billiards was virtually un-

known in the United States until 1913, when Melbourn

Inman visited the US and played the game against Willie

Hoppe. By 1915 the game had become rather popu-

lar, prompting American billiard hall proprietors of theperiod to increase the number of English-style tables in

1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Hoppehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Hoppehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboy_poolhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cue_stickhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#macehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#macehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#object_ballhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#object_ballhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Europehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Europehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carom_billiardshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#caromhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#cannonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Englishhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#in-offhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#pothttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#losing_hazardhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#losing_hazardhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#winning_hazardhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#caromhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#cue_ballhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#faulthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#foulhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#laghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#string-offhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#pointhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_railhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#cannonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snooker_tablehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#object_ballhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#cue_ballhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#cue_ballhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cue_sportshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Nationshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Nationshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britainhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britainhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Digglehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Roberts,_Jr._(billiards_player)

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2   2 RULES 

their establishments.[9] It also became favored in British

colonies; the game’s longest-running champion was an

Australian,  Walter Lindrum, who held the World Profes-

sional Billiards Championship from 1933 until his retire-

ment in 1950. The game remains popular in the UK, al-

though has been eclipsed by snooker.

1.2 As a sport

The first  governing body  of the game, the English Bil-

liards Association, was formed in the UK in 1885, a pe-

riod that saw a number of sporting bodies founded across

the British sporting world.[10] By the mid-20th century,

the principal sanctioning body was the Billiards Associa-

tion and Control Council (later the Billiards and Snooker

Control Council).

In the 19th century and up through the mid-1950s, a com-mon way for championship titles to change hands was by

a challenge match. A challenge was issued to a champi-

onship title holder accompanied by stake money (“accla-

mation”) held by a third party.[11] Up until the first organ-

ised professional tournament in 1870, all English billiards

champions were decided by challenge.

The first champion was Jonathan Kentfield, who held the

title from 1820–1849, losing it to John Roberts, Sr.  after

Kentfield refused his challenge. Roberts’s 21-year reign

lasted until he lost to William Cook in 1870. That year

was also the first in which an English billiards challenge

match was held in the United States.[3]

From 1870 to 1983 the champions were:  John Roberts,

Jr., (1870, 1871, 1875–77, 1885);   Joseph Bennett,

(1870, 1880–81);  Charles Dawson, (1899–1900, 1901,

1903); H.W. Stevenson, (1901, 1909–11); Melbourne In-

man, (1908–09, 1912–19);  Willie Smith, (1920, 1923);

Tom Newman, (1921–22, 1924–27); Joe Davis, (1928–

32);   Walter Lindrum, (1933–50);   Clark McConachy,

(1951-68); Rex Williams, (1968–76, 1982–83); and Fred

Davis, (1980).[3]

Over the course of the 20th century, English billiards has

been increasingly superseded as the favoured competitive

spectator cue sport in the United Kingdom by the game

of snooker played on the same table. However, because

of the “in-off” scoring option, ball control (including for

snooker) can be enhanced after much solo practice. A

common exercise is to hit the object ball from the “D”,

go in-off into the centre pocket while the object ball hits

the top cushion and returns to the same position halfway

down the table. A highly skilled player can repeat the shot

over and over, except in competition where the sequence

run is limited, because it constitutes a nurse shot.

2 Rules

2.1 Balls and table

There are three balls. They are the same size as  snooker

balls (52.5 mm or 2  1 ⁄ 16 in with a tolerance of 0.05 mm)

and they must weigh the same to a tolerance of 0.5  g

within a set.[12]

The balls are designated as:

•   Red, an object ball;

•  White, the cue ball  for player 1, and an

object ball for player 2;

•  White with a spot or yellow, cue ball for

player 2, and an object ball for player

1.[13]

The   billiard table  used has the same dimensions as a

snooker table,[12] (and in many venues, both games are

played on the same equipment). The playing area of a

standard tournament table measures 11 feet 8 inches by5 ft 10 in (3569 mm by 1778 mm) with a tolerance of1 ⁄ 2  inch in both directions, though smaller ones, down to

half size, are often found in snooker halls, pubs and home

billiard rooms.

2.2 Beginning the game

A game in progress, red ball about to be potted.

First the players string (lag) to see who willbe the starting

player; this is done by both players simultaneously hitting

a cue ball up the table hitting the top cushion and comingback into baulk (the first quarter length of the table). The

player who gets their ball closest to the baulk cushion can

now choose which cue ball he wants to use during the

game and to break or let the opponent break.

The red ball is placed on the spot at the top of the table

(same as the black spot   in snooker) and the first player

begins by playing in-hand from  

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2.5 Fouls    3

2.3 Scoring

Points are awarded as follows:

•   Cannon – striking the cue ball so that it hits, in any

order, the other cue ball and the red ball on the same

shot: 2 points.

•   Winning hazard   (or   potting, in snooker terms) –

striking the red ball  with one’s cue ball so that the

red enters a pocket: 3 points; or striking the other 

cue ball  with one’s cue ball so that the other cue ball

enters a pocket: 2 points.

•   Losing hazard  (in-off in snooker terms) – striking

one’s cue ball so that it hits another ball and then

enters a pocket: 3 points if the red ball was hit first;

2 points if the other cue ball was hit first; 2 points if

the red and the other cue ball are hit simultaneously.

Combinations of the above may all be scored on the same

shot. The most that can be scored in a single shot is there-

fore 10 – the red and the other cue ball are both potted

via a cannon (the red must be struck first), and the cue

ball is also potted, making a losing hazard off the red.

Winning is achieved by a player reaching a fixed number

of points, determined at the start of the game, e.g.  first to

300 points or by a timed game.

2.4 Other rules

If the red is potted it is respotted on the spot at the top

of the table (the black spot). After the red has been pot-

ted twice off the spot without a cannon or losing hazard,

it is respotted on the middle spot. If the middle spot is

occupied, it goes on the pyramid spot  (the pink spot in

snooker). If both the middle and pyramid spots are oc-

cupied, it goes back on the spot. When potted from the

middle or pyramid spot, it returns to the spot at the top

of the table.

After a losing hazard, play continues in-hand from the

“D”. When playing from in-hand, a striker must touch a

ball or cushion out of baulk before striking a ball in baulk.If playing in-hand and all balls on the table are in baulk,

and contact is not made with any ball, this is a miss; 2

points are awarded to the opponent, who must play from

where the balls have come to rest.

If an opponent’s cue ball is potted, it remains off the ta-

ble until it is that opponent’s turn to play, when it is re-

turned to that player, who may play it in-hand from the

“D”. There is one exception to this rule: only 15 hazards

in a row may be played, after which a cannon is needed

to continue the break. If only the red ball is on the ta-

ble at the start of the break (meaning a cannon cannot be

made), then after 15 hazards the opponent’s ball must beplaced on the “brown spot”. It becomes a “line ball” and

may not be played directly from baulk.

If the cue ball is touching an object ball, then the balls

must be respotted: red on its spot and opponent’s ball in

the centre spot, with the striker to play from in-hand.

Matches held under professional regulations include a rule

forcing the player to execute a shot in a way to have his

cue ball cross the baulk line, heading towards the baulkcushion, once between 80 and 99 points in every 100 in a

running break.

2.5 Fouls

If a foul occurs, two points are awarded to the opposing

player who has the choice of playing from where the balls

lie or they can be respotted.

There are a few different ways a foul can occur by:

•

 Playing/Striking the opponent’s cue ball or Red ob-ject ball

•  Making any ball jump off the table

•  Failing to make contact between one’s cue ball and

at least one object ball (Unless double baulked)

•  A double-hit or push shot

•   Jumping one’s cue ball over an object ball

•   Playing a 16th consecutive hazard or 76th consecu-

tive cannon

•  When in-hand, not hitting an object ball or cushion

out of baulk before hitting a ball in baulk.

3 See also

•   International Billiards and Snooker Federation

•   IBSF World Billiards Championship

•   English Amateur Billiards Association

•  World Professional Billiards and Snooker Associa-

tion

•  World Professional Billiards Championship

4 Notes

[1]   “Welcome to englishBilliards.org!". Retrieved October

2011.

[2]   Everton 1986 Serves as a good example; the book refersto

English billiards simply as “billiards”, from cover to cover.

[3]   Shamos 1999, p. 89.

[4]   Shamos 1999, p. 243.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_billiards#CITEREFShamos1999https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_billiards#CITEREFShamos1999https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_billiards#CITEREFEverton1986http://www.englishbilliards.org/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Professional_Billiards_Championshiphttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Professional_Billiards_and_Snooker_Associationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Professional_Billiards_and_Snooker_Associationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Amateur_Billiards_Associationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBSF_World_Billiards_Championshiphttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Billiards_and_Snooker_Federationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#pyramid_spothttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#middle_spothttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#respothttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#in-offhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#losing_hazardhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#pothttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#winning_hazardhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cue_sports_terms#cannon

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4   6 EXTERNAL LINKS 

[5]  Stein & Rubino 2008, p. 81

[6]  Stein & Rubino 2008, p. 80

[7]   Shamos 1999, pp. 61–62.

[8]  NYT staff 1885

[9]  NYT staff 1915

[10]  Midwinter 2007, p. 59

[11]   Shamos 1999, p. 46.

[12]   Kumar 2000, p.  101

[13]   Kumar 2000, pp. 101–104.

5 References

•  Everton, Clive (1986).  The History of Snooker and Billiards   (rev. ver. of The Story of Billiards and 

Snooker , 1979 ed.).  Haywards Heath, UK: Partridge

Pr. ISBN 1-85225-013-5.

•  Kumar, Ashok (2000).   International encyclopaedia

of sports and games  1. Mittal Publications.   ISBN

81-7099-747-X. This is a tertiary source that clearly in-

cludes information from other sources but does not name

them.

•   Midwinter, Eric (2007).   “The Football Associa-

tion”.  Parish to Planet: How Football Came to Rule

the World .  Studley, UK: Know the Score Books. p.59. ISBN 978-1-905449-30-9.

•   NYT staff (21 January 1885).   “The Thirty-eight

Game”.   New York Times . Retrieved December

2006. — Copied from the   Rochester Democrat ,

which published the article on 18 January 1885

•  NYT staff (21 November 1915).  “English Billiards

Grows. Recently Imported Game Now Quite Pop-

ular Here”.   The New York Times . Retrieved June

2009.

•   Shamos, Mike  (1999).   The New Illustrated Ency-clopedia of Billiards . New York City: Lyons Press.

ISBN 1-55821-797-5.

•  Stein, Victor; Rubino, Paul (2008) [1994].  The Bil-

liard Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). New York City: Balk-

line Press.  ISBN 978-0-615-17092-3.

6 External links

•   World Billiards (World Billiards Ltd)

•  Events and Ranking

•   International Billiards and Snooker Federation

•   EnglishBilliards.org – general information, tutorials,

etc.

•  English Billiards Statistics Project – player stats and

Elo rating list

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elo_ratinghttp://www.billiard-junkies.org/index.php?action=ebsphttp://www.englishbilliards.org/http://www.ibsf.info/http://www.wbeventsonline.com/http://www.world-billiards.com/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-615-17092-3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-55821-797-5https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Ian_Shamoshttp://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C0DE6DB153BE233A25752C2A9679D946496D6CFhttp://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C0DE6DB153BE233A25752C2A9679D946496D6CFhttp://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C0DE6DB153BE233A25752C2A9679D946496D6CFhttp://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60611FE3A5C15738DDDA80A94D9405B8584F0D3http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60611FE3A5C15738DDDA80A94D9405B8584F0D3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-905449-30-9https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studley,_Warwickshirehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1905449305/qid=1232757460/ref=sib_books_pg?ie=UTF8&keywords=Billiards%2520rules&p=S027&checkSum=OsuB1ZFzjup7oUhKKA8CYtVPcLiC78%25252Bb8OuLQIFvjkY%25253D#reader-pagehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1905449305/qid=1232757460/ref=sib_books_pg?ie=UTF8&keywords=Billiards%2520rules&p=S027&checkSum=OsuB1ZFzjup7oUhKKA8CYtVPcLiC78%25252Bb8OuLQIFvjkY%25253D#reader-pagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tertiary_sourcehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/81-7099-747-Xhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-85225-013-5https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transworld_(company)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transworld_(company)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haywards_Heathhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Evertonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_billiards#CITEREFKumar2000http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Xw-Pi6jTATkC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA101#v=onepage&q&f=falsehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_billiards#CITEREFKumar2000https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_billiards#CITEREFShamos1999https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_billiards#CITEREFMidwinter2007https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_billiards#CITEREFNYT_staff1915https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_billiards#CITEREFNYT_staff1885https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_billiards#CITEREFShamos1999https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_billiards#CITEREFSteinRubino2008https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_billiards#CITEREFSteinRubino2008

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7 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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•   English billiards  Source:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_billiards?oldid=700909877  Contributors:   Deb, Chuq, Michael Hardy,

Trontonian, Furrykef, Warofdreams, PBS, Hemanshu, Abigail-II, Yekrats, Beland, Oknazevad, Discospinster, R ich Farmbrough, Eri-

camick, MeltBanana, Sortior, Grutness, Cardigan3000, Arcenciel, Thryduulf, Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ), Shanedidona, Rjwilmsi,

Tommy Kronkvist, Chobot, Clark Kent, Gaius Cornelius, Bigpad, SMcCandlish, Mais oui!, SmackBot, Thumperward, Djln, Jacob1986,

Fuhghettaboutit, JackLumber, Tasc, Vanished user k9iuw4roilaldkj, Jeremy68, JohnClarknew, West Brom 4ever, MichaelMaggs, Sam-

myrice, SteveSims, Alex Holowczak, Alexbot, T.M.M. Dowd, Luwilt, Addbot, Nmcc89, LaaknorBot, Tassedethe, Tide rolls, Lightbot,

Yobot, Tmv23, AnomieBOT, Materialscientist, Citation bot, Eumolpo, Armbrust, Locobot, Orrelly Man, CWSteiner, Billiardist, Lotje,

EmausBot, WikitanvirBot, Vladimir Oskolkin, Gareth Griffith-Jones, Helpful Pixie Bot, PhilMumford, William.hesson and Anonymous:

49

7.2 Images

•   File:Billiards_match_-_Spencer_Diggle.jpg   Source:    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Billiards_match_-_

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