What’s Inside My Billiard Balls?

May 17, 2022

Pool is a recognizable cue sport that requires a specific table, billiard balls, and cue stick. The rules and equipment used in pool have dramatically changed from their original creation centuries ago. Even the materials used to make the iconic billiard balls have changed over time. Billiard Balls Early billiard balls were often made of clay or wood that could easily be procured and molded. Higher-class players would use strong animal bones or ivory, which led to the balls being called ivories for some time. However, due to excessive elephant hunting and the minimal number of balls able to be made from elephant tusks, players soon looked for other more accessible materials. The billiard industry in the mid to late 1800s challenged scientists and inventors to come up with improved alternative materials. It was the efforts of these intelligent creators that eventually led to the billiard balls in use today. Inventors of the time created preliminary plastics that would eventually be modified and adjusted over time to create durable and resistant pool balls. Common materials used in billiard balls today include Bakelite, phenolic resin, and clear acrylic. Some pool balls are even made of a form of polyester material like...

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Types of Billiard Racks

April 11, 2022

Billiard racks are sporting equipment made of wood, plastic, or metal and are used to rack the billiard balls into the desired playing formation before starting a game. Although there are different types of pool games, the concept of starting the game is the same. The following are different types of billiard racks for pool games. 8-Ball Billiard Rack The 8-ball billiard rack is the most common equipment used in racking balls for billiard games. It is a triangular rack with an inner width of 11.25 inches and a height of 10 inches. When using the 8-ball billiard rack to play, 15 balls are put inside the frame, with the 8 ball placed in the middle. In addition, an apex ball is placed at the tip of the triangular rack facing the head of the pool table. Apart from the 8 ball, any ball can be used as the apex ball. A solid ball is placed on one corner of the rack, and a stripe ball is placed on the remaining corner. The other balls are placed randomly throughout the billiard rack in the remaining spaces. 9-Ball Billiard Rack Besides the 8-ball rack, the 9-ball billiard rack is also common....

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3 Signs It’s Time to Refelt Your Pool Table

March 17, 2022

Over time, the felt on your pool table gets damaged, and it no longer looks or functions as it did when it was new and pristine. Between the friction of the balls as they careen across the felt and the nicks and scratches that happen during intense play, it’s nearly impossible to keep a pool table in like-new condition. The good news is that a simple refelting will restore beauty and full function to your piece. These are three signs it’s time that your pool table gets a little TLC. 1. Play Is Impacted Though an unattractive pool table is a bummer, it isn’t a deal breaker. However, poor performance and impacted play is. If you’ve noticed that the ball seems to roll slowly or to catch in places, refelting will be necessary to correct this issue. Another problem that can happen is the ball tending to change direction suddenly, which is a sign of damage beneath the top layer of felt. 2. It’s Visibly Damaged A few nicks here and there aren’t sufficient reasons to rush for a felt replacement, but a pool table that’s full of nicks, scars, rips, and tracking marks would most likely benefit from refelting....

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4 Excellent Tips on How to Create Your Game Room

February 16, 2022

Creating a game room in your home can be a fun and exciting project. Whether you’re a seasoned gamer or just getting into the hobby, there are some things to consider when creating your game room. Here are four tips for creating your game room. 1. Evaluate the Available Space The size of your game room will be a major factor in what type of gaming equipment you can install. Make sure to measure the space and plan accordingly. The nice thing about a game room is that it can be of any size. If you have a small space, there are plenty of compact gaming options available. Just make sure to plan accordingly and don’t overcrowd the room. Contrary, if you have a large space, go all out! Install multiple televisions, gaming consoles, and seating. Just be sure to leave enough room for people to move around. 2. Think About the Lighting Poor lighting can be a major distraction when gaming. Make sure you have plenty of light in your game room, especially if you’re playing during the evening or night. There are a few different ways to achieve good lighting in your game room. You can install multiple...

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Basic Pool Table Maintenance Tips

January 10, 2022

If you take care of your pool table, it will last longer and make playing games on it more fun. Pool tables are expensive, so taking care of yours is a perfect idea. Felt Care The felt on the table is the most important thing to take care of. It’s also the most easily damaged, both during play and otherwise. Keep the felt free of dust and make sure everyone chalks their cues away from the table. Damaged felt interferes with play and is unsightly. Brush the felt in one direction toward the pockets. The brush should be either nylon or horse bristle, as they are gentle and won’t damage the felt. Use a large brush so you get the job done faster. Brush the table after every 10 hours of play or at least once a week. If you don’t cover your table when not in use, you may need to brush it more frequently. Vacuuming You can vacuum your pool table but use one that has a low power setting. Vacuuming can remove stubborn chalk, dust, pet hair and other debris. Use the brush attachment so you don’t damage the felt. Only use a vacuum on your pool...

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New Pool Tables Games for Your Holiday Guests

December 20, 2021

While pool tables are typically used to play eight-ball, they can have unlimited uses during the holiday season. When thinking of entertainment options for your holiday get-togethers, consider these fun activities that can make your pool table the star of the show. Themed Eight-Ball Every level of pool player can play this traditional singles or doubles game. Red, green or gold felt can be cut and laid out on the pool table to add holiday flare. The billiard balls can be painted with temporary, washable paint to look like ornaments or other holiday figures. This classic pool game can be easily themed to match the holiday with some safe paint and swaths of felt. White Elephant Add more incentive to any active pool game by having players win gifts. Assemble up to six piles of White Elephant gifts and label each pool table pocket with a number that corresponds to the gifts. Players will need to get the ball into a certain pocket to pick a gift from that pile. White Elephant gifts can have a variety of value and be as practical as headphones or as funny as an empty box. Kelly Pool This pool game is great for...

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Is It Pool or Billiards?

November 18, 2021

Certainly, a question for the ages, are pool and billiards the same thing? No doubt this has been debated over many a bar argument, but the quick answer actually is no. Instead, pool and billiards refer to different games. Let’s explore why pool and billiards aren’t the same. The Games Technically, the term billiards includes pool as one of the games, but billiards is far more than just pool. Billiards games are separated into carom billiards and pocket billiards. Further, pocket billiards is divided into pool, snooker, and English billiards. Therefore, billiards can be considered the term for all games that are played with a cue stick and cue ball. So, pool is actually a subcategory of billiard games, also known as cue games. The Tables Billiard games are played on different types of tables differing in size, color, and number of pockets. While a pool table is usually about seven to nine feet long, other billiard tables can be larger, perhaps up to 10 or 12 feet. A billiard table can have up to four or six pocket cushions. Meanwhile, a pool table is taller than other tables, and its surface is generally colored to differentiate it from other...

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Cue Tip Hardness and How It Affects Your Game

October 20, 2021

Whether you play competitively or just for fun, pool can be both a challenging and thoroughly enjoyable pastime. Still, if you want to take your game to the next level then it’s important to arm yourself with the right pool cue. This means understanding the differences between soft and hard cue tips in order to choose the best one for your particular playing style. Choosing the Right Pool Cue Tip When shopping for pool cue tips, the main factor you’ll need to consider is hardness. Choosing between soft, medium and hard tips mostly comes down to your personal preference, but it’s still important to know what the differences between them are. How Tip Hardness Affects Your Shot Soft tips absorb or cushion more of the impact when your tip strikes the ball. One major advantage of this is that it allows you to put more spin on the shot whenever you strike the ball off the center. Essentially, the softer the cue tip is the more feel and spin control you’ll have. One major drawback to softer cue tips is that they do tend to get misshapen more easily and wear out more quickly. This means that they usually require...

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Tips To Improve Your Shuffleboard Game

September 14, 2021

Shuffleboard is becoming an increasingly popular tabletop game at parties or casual hangouts. While the basic mechanics of the game are fairly straightforward, you want to be at your A-game when the next shot is the tiebreaker. Here are a few techniques to help improve your shuffleboard game. Work the Angles Similar to billiards, shuffleboard is a game of angles. You need to determine where best to shoot from and how much weight to give in order to leverage those angles. For example, some shots may look impossible to hit, such as if your opponent’s weight is guarded by another one of their weights. By picking the correct angle on your next shot and banking it off the side of the table, it’s possible to knock your opponent’s weights out of the way. Pick Up New Shooting Strategies Playing the same trick shots, again and again, makes your play style predictable, and it’s something that your opponents can take advantage of. If you’re playing a casual game of shuffleboard, that’s completely fine. But, if you’re playing a competitive match, having multiple shooting techniques will make you a more well-rounded player. Techniques that you can learn include spin or the Old...

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5 Choices to Make to Get Your Hands on the Perfect Pool Table

August 10, 2021

Though it began in France centuries ago, the game of Billiards, or “pool”, has since become a family favorite. Because pool tables range so much in price, it’s important to know what you really want out of a pool table before you invest in one. Five of the biggest factors to consider when choosing the perfect pool table are outlined below. 1. Slate Is the Best Option For the smoothest experience and best accuracy, choosing a pool table with slate is the way to go. Alternatives like plywood, slatex, and fiberboard simply don’t deliver the best results. 2. A Good Frame Makes a Good Table A truly good pool table is dependent on the wood frame. With excellent pool tables, you can expect to find that the slate has been framed with wood glued to the bottom, along with cross beams for additional sturdiness. 3. Strong Legs Are Imperative Along with a sturdy frame must come strong legs that can not only hold the weight of the structure itself but can also support the added weight of players taking shots or leaning on the table. Of the two types of legs, post or perfect legs, although typically more expensive, are...

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