Generally, Pool, Billiards, and snooker belong to cue sports; that is, they are all played with cue sticks on a table covered with cloth. Technically, however, they are all different games when it comes to playing them or the accessories used to play them. The differences come in many ways, such as the lengths of the tables, ball sizes, size and tips of the cues, number of pockets, and, obviously, the rules which govern these games.
Let’s get to 4 interesting differences between snooker, billiards, and pool.
3 Interesting Differences Between Snooker, Billiards, and Pool.
Table of Contents
The difference in Tables
The difference comes in the lengths of the tables used in snooker, billiards, and the pool.
The standard length of the pool table is 8 feet which are also known as home or recreational tables, but generally, the lengths may vary from 7 to 9 feet. There are six pockets to pot balls.
The standard length of the billiard table is still as same as the pool table. There are, however, no pockets in a carom billiards table, as compared to snooker and pool tables.
In contrast to pool and billiards, the standard full-sized snooker table is way bigger than 8 feet. The snooker table is 12 feet long and 6 feet wide.
The Difference in Balls
The difference comes in the number of balls and the diameter of the balls.
In a Pool ball set, the full set of balls is 16; one is the cue ball or the striker, the other is eight solid balls and seven stripe balls. The solid-colored balls are numbered from one to eight, and the stripe-colored balls are numbered from nine to fifteen; each ball has a diameter of 21/4 inches. A complete guide on the best pool ball set can become handy while buying.
In carom billiards or billiards, there are only three balls; one is a white ball, the other two balls are red and yellow. The yellow and white ball is used as a striker interchangeably. The diameter of each ball in billiards is 27/16 inches.
In snooker, there are a total of twenty-two balls; there are fifteen reds, and one each of yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black, and the white ball, which is the ‘striker’ ball. The diameter of each ball is 21/16 inches.
The difference in Cues
Cues that are used for playing billiards, snooker, and pool are different in their weights, tips size, ferrule makes, and lengths.
Pool cues are heavier in weight and can weigh up to 21 oz. The ferrule, generally, is made of plastic, and the lengths may vary from fifty-seven to fifty-nine inches. The tip length also varies from twelve mm to fourteen mm.
Carom billiards or billiard cues are lighter than pool cues and can weigh from 16.5–18.5 oz.
The ferrule is of plastic in pool cues; however, the length can vary from 54 inches to 56 inches. The tip length of the billiard cue is between eleven to twelve mm.
In contrast to billiards and pool cues, snooker cues have a brass or titanium ferrule, weigh around 18 oz, and the length perhaps can vary from 57 inches to 59 inches.
The difference in Rules.
Each game has its own comprehensive set of rules.
A lot of games fall under the pool category. In eight ball pool, in the break shot, if the solid-colored ball is potted then the player has to pocket all the solid-colored balls, and the black to win the game. The other player has to pot all the stripped-colored balls to win the eight-ball pool game.
In carom billiards, the rules and the table are different. The player must have to contact the two balls on the table to score a point. There is no concept of pocketing the balls as there are no pockets on a carom billiards table.
Each snooker game consists of frames. To win the frame, the player has to score more than the other player. The points are based on the color of the balls; yellow has 2 points, green has three points, brown has four, blue has five, pink has six, black has seven, and each red has 1 point. Players have to pocket one red ball with any colored balls to enhance their score in the frame.
Conclusion
Snooker has its demographics in which it is the most famous cue sport. The pool has its own following where it is liked and played by the people. Billiards, on the other hand, has a separate audience that loves that cue sport. All these differences, however, make these games more fun to watch and play.
