🎱 Billiards

Cue sports cover pool, snooker and carom billiards, three games that share a cue and a cloth and little else. Pool is played to pot numbered balls in order or by group, snooker alternates reds and colours, and carom has no pockets at all.

🚀 Start Here

• Billiards Equipment List
• Billiards Terms and Slang
• Best Billiards Athletes of All Time
• Where Billiards Is Most Popular
• The Tournaments That Matter

⏳ Billiards History

• 15th Century: Billiards evolved from lawn games like croquet in Europe; King Louis XI owned a billiard table.
• 1470: First known text mentioning billiards in a French inventory list; mace sticks were in use.
• 17th Century: Introduction of the cue stick; the game spreads to England, tables appear in taverns, and billiards is referenced in Shakespeare’s works.
• 18th Century: Billiards attracts royals and Francois Mingaud invents the leather cue tip.
• 19th Century: The game expands worldwide; Michael Phelan develops the modern game and publishes the first rule book; snooker is invented, and the International Billiards Association is established.
• Early 20th Century: Emergence of iconic players like Willie Hoppe and Ralph Greenleaf; historic venues like the London Billiard Club host prestigious championships.
• Mid 20th Century: With players like Willie Mosconi and Minnesota Fats, the sport reaches new heights; billiards becomes a popular leisure activity; “The Hustler” (1961) and “The Color of Money” (1986) create greater interest in the game.
• Late 20th to Early 21st Centuries: Advancements in technology improve quality of play; global competitions like the World Snooker Championship and U.S. Open attract millions; players like Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan, and Efren Reyes expand the sport’s reach.