Home Pool Tables
The popularity of pool is growing all the time. What with Sky sports now showing pool tournaments live on TV, it is becoming the table game of choice, overtaking the more traditional game of snooker. The attraction is easy to see, it is an easy game to master and it is much quicker than its big brother snooker. This has increased the demand for home pool tables, providing you have the room for them and because they are smaller than snooker tables, more houses can accommodate them. Of all the billiards games, pool is the most played with tables in local pubs and leisure centres.
For the best experience, the slate bed tables are best, the MDF tables are not as responsive. The slate comes in thickness’s of ¾ inch to a full 1 ½ inches depending on the cost of the table. As might be supposed with that much rock on the table they are very heavy compared to their wooden counterparts. The slate itself can come as 1 piece or 2 or 3 separate pieces to save carrying weight when installing the table. Whilst single piece slate tables can be installed easily by the customer providing you have some hefty mates to help you put the slate on, the multi slate tables should always be installed by professionals as they can be tricky to line up right.
The frame of the pool table can be made from wood or metal which are used in the busy clubs. The choice of table really depends on the use it is put to, with the wooden types looking more decorous in the home environment and the steel and aluminium framed tables are made for the clubs. Tables made with metal frames are often painted with flash outlandish colours whereas the domestic tables have more traditional varnishes.
The games played on pool tables vary depending on which country you are in from the French which play on Carom pool tables which don’t have any pockets! They play a form of billiards on these tables where you score points for hitting the object ball or your opponent’s ball or both. Tables that do have pockets are more familiar and the games played are most often 8 ball and 9 ball. Pool tables are part of the larger family of billiard tables which have been around for a few hundred years and include snooker carom and pool tables, and I’m sure they will be around for a few more hundred years as it is a great game that anyone can play and if you get really good at it you can earn a very decent living on the professional playing circuit. So get yourself a pool table or get down to your nearest club and enjoy!
There?s More Than Just Eight-ball to be Played on Pool Tables
My high school years was spent on an Air Force Base in Italy, and many times after school, I would find myself hanging out at the Community Center playing pool with some of the GI’s. I fancied myself a fairly good player because I occasionally got a lucky shot, but in retrospect, I really wasn’t very good at all. At the time, we always played eight-ball, and only associated that game with pool tables, but since then have learned many other games that are a lot of fun to play. So if you are looking for some variety, consider some of the following games:
Nine ball
Three ball
One-pocket
Bank pool
Snooker
Let’s take a closer look at how each of these games are played.
Nine-ball
This game only uses the cue ball and the 1 through 9 balls. The balls are racked in a diamond shape with the one ball in the front and the nine ball in the middle. Though the balls can be pocketed in any order, the cue ball must first make contact with the lowest numbered ball on the pool table. The game is won by sinking the 9 ball, and a match is won by winning a predetermined number of games. When a shot is missed, the next player starts play with the cue ball in the position left by the other player. If a foul was committed, the incoming player can place the cue ball anywhere on the table.
Three-ball
When there is a lack of numerous pool tables, but many players, this is a good game to play. It just uses the cue ball plus three other balls. The object is to sink all three balls in the fewest number of strokes. One player plays until all 3 balls are pocketed, all strokes counted. Then the next player starts, trying to sink all three balls in fewer strikes. Often this game is played in innings, consisting of three or five rounds.
One-pocket
This is a two player game with each player choosing a pocket. The object is to shoot a majority of the balls (8) into your pocket. Fouls occur if you shoot your ball into the wrong pocket on the pool tables. This game often takes more strategy than other billiard games.
Bank pool
This game can be played with either a full rack (15 balls) for a long game, or with nine balls (lately more popular) for a shorter game. You have to sink a ball by banking it off of one of the sides. Shots are normally called. The first player to bank and sink eight balls is the winner (in the shorter game, five balls must be pocketed).
Snooker
Snooker can be played on average sized pool tables. The game requires 15 red balls, and six balls of various colors (1 each of yellow [2], green [3], brown [4], blue [5], pink [6] and black [7]) and a white cue ball. Each red ball is worth 1 point, the color balls are then worth 2 – 7 points as labeled above. The 15 red balls are racked up in the traditional triangle at the beginning of the game. Each colored ball has a set point on the table. The object of the game is to get the most points. First you have to sink a red ball in a pocket, and then any colored ball (remember the point value of each ball is important ). The red ball remains in the pocket, but any colored ball is replaced to its original starting place on the table after it is sunk. You receive points for each ball you sink. When you miss a shot, it is then the other players turn. Once all the red balls are gone, the color balls then have to be sunk in numerical order. The player with the most points, wins. Points can also be earned through fouls (such as sinking balls out of order – like two red ones in a row).
These are most the of the official games that are played on pool tables, though they all have more detailed rules, and many of them offer variations. So, next time you are looking for something to do, head on down to your local pool hall where they have a lot of pool tables, and try something new when you play pool with your friends.
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A Brief History of Pool Tables
Many people who don’t play any cue sports would assume that all games tables are the same. But from the fifteenth century which the earliest billiard table dates from, distinct differences in the size and materials manufacturers use, have developed. Should anyone be considering purchasing a games table, it is well worth brushing up on your knowledge of the differences.
Traditionally, all cue sports were called “billiards” but over the years, the term billiards has developed into different meanings around the world. In Britain and Australia for example, “billiards” usually refers exclusively to the game of English billiards but in America and Canada, it refers to cue games generally. In the UK the term “pocket billiards” is rarely used and “Pool” is the name most often heard for this game. Although “Snooker” is really a variation of pocket billiards, it has been formally recognised as a professional sport in its own right and its rules bear little resemblance to those of Pool.
English Pool Tables (also known as Traditional Pool Tables) vary in length from 6 foot long to 9 foot. Snooker tables range from 6 foot to 12 foot and American Pool Tables vary from 6 foot to 9 ½ foot in length. All types of Pool Tables can be purchased these days in a variety of styles from the traditional to contemporary, or even in “futuristic” styles. Where space is limited, many pubs and homes may opt to purchase “combination tables” which can be easily converted from a dining table to Pool Table or from a dining table to a multi-games table.
Copyright © 2009
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Magnify Entertainment in Life with Pool tables and Darts
There are certainly many ways of entertainment in one’s life and one great sport is snooker. Often an addiction amongst younger as well as older generations, the snooker is being vastly popularized in pubs, resorts and also private homes. A simple but tactful skill takes one through a great game of pool!
Now, just as you are wondering and expanding on this great idea of snooker, have a look on the essentials you would need to know about pool tables and also their cues.
A pool table in your home
It is quite rewarding to have a pool table in your house. It not helps unwind you from stressful weeks and hassle-full life but also provides you a quality entertainment to guests. Plus, perfecting skills on one’s own snooker table is a great idea! You would first need to specify a room for your snooker table in your home and keep in mind the ambience you want to create: it does contribute to your play to a great extent. Accessorize it with apt lighting and décor to give it a classy finish!
Pool tables do vary in design and sizes and so you can choose your preferred model. Buying these tables from a trusted brand is a wise decision and about the table itself at your home is a decision you would never repent for your life time!
Know the snooker cues well
Though snooker cues do have a lot of mystic about them, at the game it is the player who matters and not the cue. But cues are certainly important to suit your need and comfort. When choosing a cue, pick up the one that you like the look of and also practice with it to get used to it for a great play. Their weight ranges from 17 to 19 ounces.
The most popular choice of cues is a three-quarter split cue so that there can be extensions added to them. Pool cues are quite similar to the snooker cues though with just minor variations. Yes, these cues are expensive but it is owing to the type of wood used and also the amount of labor that goes into fining them.
Supporting the snooker-craze
If you are wondering of complementing your pool table in your house, a dart board is another great option that often acts as a stress buster and frustration-reliever! Rather than hitting the pubs and getting over-drunk and smashing those darts, it is better and safe to relieve yourself in your home on your personal dart board. You could even get imaginative (like pasting the picture of your undesired person or thing) to pull out the disappointment!
In order to make your game of darts successful and much more thrilling, there are a lot of darts equipment obtainable. These include shafts, varied darts, barrels and flights and other accessories. The latest of the darts equipment are available in the market in accordance to your choice and preference. While the dartboard and darts are hard-core equipments, shafts and flights are dart accessories!
Snooker & Pool Tables ? Fun for All!
Do you love cue sports and want to own a snooker or pool table? Well! BIGshop has a huge collection of discount pool tables that are suitable for your home. These contemporary style pool tables add to your home décor. Not only your home, but the modern look makes it perfect for a bar or office.
You can pick a 7 ft x 3 ft Pool Table at BIGshop with either a deep blue or cool green felt playing surface with matching chrome-coloured corners. They have a height adjustable chrome finish feet too. Above all, the construction is rock-solid! These discount pool tables have an automatic ball return system and you needn’t walk up to the pockets and retrieve the balls.
If you want a slightly bigger table, there are 8 ft pool tables as well. To add a classy touch to your room, you can opt for the solidly constructed 8 ft pool table with a rich green felt. The highlight of this table is that it is finished beautifully with wood grain. Further, this pool table looks absolutely fabulous with its net ball pockets.
We have 5 ft tables too for those who want smaller ones. These discount pool tables too are come with either a blue or green felt playing surface for you to pick your favorite. And if you want a versatile pool table, you can pick the Pool & Air Hockey Table. You can play both these on this 2-in-1 combination package.
You needn’t look anywhere else to buy pool table accessories! BIGshop offers a range of pool table accessories and billiard supplies with these discount pool tables. They include cues, balls, chalk, triangle and brush.
If you want to buy a pool table and pool table accessories to go with it, then shop at BIGshop. You’ll find a range of tables and accessories well within your budget.
Snooker & Pool Tables ? Fun for All!
Do you love cue sports and want to own a snooker or pool table? Well! BIGshop has a huge collection of discount pool tables that are suitable for your home. These contemporary style pool tables add to your home décor. Not only your home, but the modern look makes it perfect for a bar or office.
You can pick a 7 ft x 3 ft Pool Table at BIGshop with either a deep blue or cool green felt playing surface with matching chrome-coloured corners. They have a height adjustable chrome finish feet too. Above all, the construction is rock-solid! These discount pool tables have an automatic ball return system and you needn’t walk up to the pockets and retrieve the balls.
If you want a slightly bigger table, there are 8 ft pool tables as well. To add a classy touch to your room, you can opt for the solidly constructed 8 ft pool table with a rich green felt. The highlight of this table is that it is finished beautifully with wood grain. Further, this pool table looks absolutely fabulous with its net ball pockets.
We have 5 ft tables too for those who want smaller ones. These discount pool tables too are come with either a blue or green felt playing surface for you to pick your favorite. And if you want a versatile pool table, you can pick the Pool & Air Hockey Table. You can play both these on this 2-in-1 combination package.
You needn’t look anywhere else to buy pool table accessories! BIGshop offers a range of pool table accessories and billiard supplies with these discount pool tables. They include cues, balls, chalk, triangle and brush.
If you want to buy a pool table and pool table accessories to go with it, then shop at BIGshop. You’ll find a range of tables and accessories well within your budget.
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Snooker and Pool Tables ? Great Way to Relax!
Cue sports are a great way to relax after an exhausting day and no other cue sport can be as relaxing as a pool game. Are you planning to buy a snooker or pool table? BIGshop.com.au has a wonderful collection of billiard products including discount pool tables. These modern pool tables are so magnificent that they can be used not only your home, but also look good in office and bars.
You can choose discount pool tables of different sizes and dimensions according to the room size where you are going to place them. Larger pool tables, such as the 8ft x 3ft pool table with either green or blue green felt are used by professional players, whereas smaller tables, such as the 7ft x 3ft pool table are just fine for your home.
If you are living in an apartment and have space constraint, BIGshop offer smaller discount pool tables of 5ft length. These pool tables come with green or blue felt playing surface for you to choose from.
To fit in your budget, BIGshop offers these pool tables in different prices. The least expensive pool tables are only play toys for kids. These pool tables are manufactured with artificial materials and hence are of low quality. Economy level pool tables that are made from particle boards are mainly for recreational purposes. For a good playing experience, mid range pool tables would be the best choice as they feature a solid construction at an economical price. These tables are made using supreme quality, so ensure lifelong durability. You can find mid range pool tables in a variety of styles and designs. Custom level pool tables are considered as lifetime investments for their superior quality. They are made from world-class materials and can be passed on to generations.
Along with these discount pool tables, BIGshop.com.au offers other billiard supplies and pool table accessories, such as pool balls, pool cues, triangles, chalks and brushes. Visit BIGshop.com.au to buy discount pool tables, pool table accessories and billiard products.
A second BBC tribute to the sadly departed Paul Hunter. This one looks briefly at his life and career, including interviews with Paul and words from those around him.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
No Space for a Snooker Room? Invest in Snooker Dining Tables Instead
Many of us dream of having a games room. They offer the perfect place to play every game under the sun, and of course the obligatory pool or snooker table has to be installed. The only problem with this dream is that actually having such a room is pretty unlikely, with most rooms being taken up by other “necessities”. So just what can be done? Well, snooker dining tables offer the perfect solution.
Having snooker or pool dining tables in a home offers the best of both worlds – the convenience and functionality of a dining table combined with the fun of a pool or snooker table! Any dining room can instantly become a games room at a moment’s notice, offering a multi-dimensional room that can’t fail to impress.
People needn’t worry about the look either – with a stylish and properly-fitted table top no-one need notice that it isn’t a proper dining table, and they’ll be amazed when the top’s removed to reveal a perfectly functioning pool table. If the right company is chosen the quality will be exceptional, offering a piece of furniture that can happily take pride of place in any room.
But, that point of quality should always be remembered. There are plenty of companies out there that will be able to offer snooker or pool dining tables, but care needs to be taken when choosing. They should be able to offer tables of the highest quality with plenty of colour and design options to suit everyone, and one such company is Simplypoolandsnooker.co.uk.
So, anyone wanting to have a snooker or pool room in their own home should definitely consider investing in snooker dining tables instead. They offer the perfect alternative to traditional tables offering the best of both worlds, keeping every snooker lover in the household perfectly content.
Stephen Hendry 147 made on his Quarter Final at the BetFred World Championship 2009
In Praise of Snooker Tables
Snooker is one of the great games, relaxing, requiring some skill but not too strenuous. Having a snooker room in your home is something to aspire to, at least for men. However you do need a large room for the 12-foot full-blown version. The good news is you can get smaller tables too, starting at 7 foot. They still have the same slate bed and leather pockets so they last forever and still have that classic wood frame. The 7 foot and 8 foot versions only have 10 reds on the table so the table doesn’t get overcrowded with balls, but apart from that its almost as good as the real thing.
If you are thinking of buying a snooker table, first check the room size required. As a general rule of thumb, add 10 feet to each dimension to find out what room size you need. The 12-foot table for example requires a room size of 22 feet by 16 feet to allow for a clean cue action all around the table. The cues are normally 57 inches in length. So for a 7-foot table you need a room of 17 feet by 10 foot 6 inches. (A snooker table is always twice as long as it is wide)
When it comes to which one to buy, bear in mind that the actual playing surface is virtually the same on all snooker tables. The price you pay for a table is largely determined by the leg design and wood chosen. The tables can be made either in solid wood like mahogany or ash or made from boxwood covered in a veneer. The tables made from the solid wood are stained to give it the colour you want whilst the veneered type have the correct colour of veneer applied and are less expensive. Also the leg design is also a factor in the cost. A complicated design is more difficult to make and so more expensive.
The larger tables have 8 legs and the smaller tables have 4 legs and the medium size tables have 6 legs. The weight of a big 12-foot table is almost 1 ton and generally the weight of a snooker table is the equivalent weight of 2 men per leg. So a 4-leg table is half a ton up to the full ton for an 8 leg table.
Most of the weight of a snooker table is in the slate of course. The thickness of the slate is usually 1 inch up to 1-¾ inches for the tournament tables. The smaller tables usually have a single piece of slate for tables up to 8 feet. That requires 3 men at least to lift it, so for the bigger tables the slate is cut into separate pieces and then aligned when it is assembled on site. This is why snooker tables should be professionally installed.
When the snooker table is put together, the frame is assembled first and that has large wooden cross members to put the slate on. The slate is the put onto the frame and if the slate is in separate pieces they are aligned to provide a perfectly flat surface so the gap between the individual pieces is virtually non-existent. The cloth is then stretched over the slate and stapled to the frame to keep the cloth taught. The cushions which already have the rubber and cloth prepared, are then bolted to the frame. The pockets are made from metal and leather are screwed into the side rails last of all.
So if you are thinking of buying a snooker table, first determine what size table will fit in your room and then decide what colour wood would be best in your room from light coloured ash to the dark mahogany. The weight of the table is spread between lots of legs and a standard floor type is usually quite sufficient. Then think of what it would be like to have your own snooker table, the look and feel of it, and enjoy.
Snooker Tables, Dart Board And More / Plus Alex Higgins In Blackburn
Blackpool Snooker Company- Launch New Site
Blackpool Snooker Company have launch a new site. You can now purchase Snooker Tables, Snooker Cues, Darts and Dart Boards online. Not only will Blackpool Snooker Company deliver your Snooker Table, they will also install it.
Blackpool Snooker Company – Meet our pro’s
Preston’s hottest potter Ian McCulloch is as well known off the table as on it – mainly for giving the crowd stick in his exhibitions! Preston snooker professional Ian McCulloch is one of the biggest characters in today’s game. Ian – who made his name with his no century no fee exhibitions – has reached the semis of the 2005 World Championships and a highest world ranking of 16.
Book Ian McCulloch for an exhibition at your clubIan regularly pays guest visits to snooker and pool clubs… taking on challengers, demonstrating trick-shots and giving a thoroughly enjoyable evening…Visit Blackpool Snooker Company to book online
Peter Manley – Darts
Peter’s rise to fame was very quick; it took him less than three years to get to the very top. A very focused and determined player who just loves to play the game which is why he is at more Open Tournaments throughout the world than almost any other professional player, whether it is ranked or not. Held the number one spot for well over a year but hasn’t achieved his potential in the major tournaments.
He went out at the first hurdle in the 2000 & 2001 World Matchplays and suffered the same fate at the Skol Champs in 2001. He did however reach the semi-final of the World Grand Prix in 2000, but his run was soured somewhat when he suffered a 6-0 whitewash at the hands of Shayne Burgess. Came storming back into the frame at the 2002 Skol Championships to reach the final, having played some superb darts en route. There however, like so many before him he was whitewashed by Phil Taylor 7-0. In 2002/3 Manley has dominated the UK Open series winning three of the eight events and coming close on three further occasions. Picked up his first ever PDC major in July 2003 with victory over John Part in the Las Vegas Desert Classic. 2006 Peter was runner up to Phil Taylor.
Snooker Legends come to Blackburn
A night of Snooker Legends, featuring Jimmy White, Alex Higgins, Cliff Thorburn, John Parrott and MC John Virgo will be touring the UK in May and July 2010 at selected venues. As well as an evening of snooker and nostalgia one audience member will get to partner a legend in a match. You can also meet all the legends personally via a VIP package.
KING GEORGES HALL, BLACKURN – FRIDAY 28th MAY 2010
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