Look ridiculously suave
Megan Obright
Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: Culture
What makes a person appear sophisticated beyond all reason? Is it their clothing, mannerisms, speech or the company they keep? No, it is in fact how well they can handle their stick and balls...and by "stick" I mean a pool cue and "balls" those used in a game of billiards. Yes, pool can definitely up your social status. OK, so maybe it's not the only way to being the envy of all others in your proximity, but being able to play a decent game of eight ball can impress those other bar attendees, make you look irresistible to the opposite sex (well...maybe not. It's just a game, not a miracle) and possibly earn you some extra cash if you can master the art of hustling. Interested in becoming a real pool player, or being able to pretend you're one? Read on to learn some of the rules, jargon and trivia of the game.
Cue stick=A long peice of wood used to strike the balls during a game.
Cue ball=The unnumbered white ball which is struck by the pool cue and used to hit the numbered balls during the game.
Eight Ball: The most popular version of billiards in which the 15 pool balls are placed in a triangle shape and the white cue ball is shot at the balls to scatter them over the table. One player/team is assigned to the solid colored balls, with the other person/team assigned to the striped balls. The goal is for each player to shoot all of their assigned balls into the pockets of the table, and finally pocketing the black eight ball. The player to do this successfully wins the game. If a player pockets the eight ball before any of their assigned balls, they automatically lose the game.
Scratch=Pocketing the white cue ball, usually allowing the opposing player to place the cue ball in any desired location on the table.
Tit=the spot on the table that slightly juts in over the pockets. Also known as the knuckle, horn or jaw.
Interesting Facts:
-George Henry Sutton won a national billiard championship, despite not having any hands.
-Players in a champianship game can walk up to three miles by circling the table and getting to their seats between turns.
-It is unknown how long the game of billiards has been around, although there are references to it all the way back in Shakespeare's plays.
Cue stick=A long peice of wood used to strike the balls during a game.
Cue ball=The unnumbered white ball which is struck by the pool cue and used to hit the numbered balls during the game.
Eight Ball: The most popular version of billiards in which the 15 pool balls are placed in a triangle shape and the white cue ball is shot at the balls to scatter them over the table. One player/team is assigned to the solid colored balls, with the other person/team assigned to the striped balls. The goal is for each player to shoot all of their assigned balls into the pockets of the table, and finally pocketing the black eight ball. The player to do this successfully wins the game. If a player pockets the eight ball before any of their assigned balls, they automatically lose the game.
Scratch=Pocketing the white cue ball, usually allowing the opposing player to place the cue ball in any desired location on the table.
Tit=the spot on the table that slightly juts in over the pockets. Also known as the knuckle, horn or jaw.
Interesting Facts:
-George Henry Sutton won a national billiard championship, despite not having any hands.
-Players in a champianship game can walk up to three miles by circling the table and getting to their seats between turns.
-It is unknown how long the game of billiards has been around, although there are references to it all the way back in Shakespeare's plays.
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