Pocket billiards is usually played on a table 4.5 by 9 feet (1.4 by 2.7 m), although in special championships the table is sometimes 5 by 10 feet (1.5 by 3 m), and in some areas of North and South America the tables are as small as 3.5 by 7 feet (1.1 by 2.1 m). Pockets on the pocket billiards table are wider than those on the English billiards and snooker tables. In pocket billiards, 15 numbered object balls are used in addition to one white ball; the object balls numbered from 1 to 8 are in solid colours, those from 9 to 15 in stripes. At the beginning of play the 15 object balls are racked at one end of the table in a triangular pattern, using a triangular wooden or plastic “rack.” The first shooter breaks the formation with the cue ball; he then tries to sink the object balls in some designated order or manner. Not making a shot successfully allows another player to shoot. So does sinking the cue ball, which is known as “scratching.”
Many varieties of pocket billiards, or pool, are possible. The most popular version among recreational players is probably eight ball, in which one player attempts to sink all the striped balls followed by the 8 ball, while the other player attempts to sink all the solid balls and then the 8. The first to do so wins. Nine ball is often played in professional pool tournaments. In this game the object is to pocket the 9 ball after the cue ball first makes contact with the lowest-numbered ball on the table. As long as a shot first contacts the lowest ball, any ball pocketed allows the player to continue shooting. Another noteworthy version of pool is rotation, or “Chicago,” in which the object is to pocket the balls in numerical order, starting with the lowest number. The numbers of the balls are added up to determine the winner of the game. In so-called straight pool (also called 14.1 continuous pool, or rack pool), each player tries to sink 14 of the object balls in any order or combination. Before each shot, however, the player must call the number of the ball and the designated pocket; if successful, he scores one point.
Governing bodies
The world governing body of English billiards and of the English form of snooker is the Billiards and Snooker Control Council. Formed in 1919, it represents an amalgamation of the former Billiards Association, established in 1885, and the Billiards Control Club, established in 1908. It frames the conditions and rules of both games and publishes the official organ, Billiards and Snooker.
The principal governing body of the American pocket billiards games, including the American form of snooker, is the Billiard Congress of America, which has been the ruling body since 1948. It maintains the rules of the games and sanctions championship tournaments including the U.S. Open Pocket Billiards Championship, regarded as the world championship.