Carom billiards

People play a game with balls.

The table has no holes. You hit the balls with a stick.

You use three balls. One is red. One is white. One is yellow.

You hit your ball to strike the others. You can hit the sides of the table. This is called a carom.

The table has soft cloth. It is made of wool. This helps the balls roll fast.

Many people love this game. It is popular in Europe and Asia. It is a fun game to learn!

Carom billiards is a family of cue sports.

Players use a long stick called a cue. They hit balls on a table covered in cloth. This cloth is made of wool. It helps the balls roll very fast. Most carom tables have no pockets.

A standard set has three balls. One is red. The others are white and yellow. These balls are heavy and large. They used to be made of ivory. Now, most are made of resin.

The goal is to score points. A point is called a count. You score when your ball hits both other balls. In some games, you must hit the rails first. This is called a carom. One game is three-cushion billiards. In this game, you must hit three rails before the other balls. It is a very hard game to play.

Other games use lines on the table. These are called balklines. They help make the game more fair. Carom billiards is popular in Europe and Asia. It is a game of great skill.

Carom billiards is a family of cue sports played on cloth-covered tables.

Unlike many other games, these tables have no pockets. The main goal is to score points, which players call "counts." You earn a count when your cue ball hits both of the other balls in a single shot. This game is very popular in Europe, especially in France. It is also a favorite in many Asian countries like Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam.

While it is less common in North America today, it remains a sport of great skill.

To play, you need a special set of equipment. A standard set uses three balls: a white cue ball, a yellow cue ball, and one red object ball. These balls are much larger and heavier than pool balls. The table is covered in a smooth wool cloth called baize. This cloth helps the balls roll very fast across the surface. Many tables are even heated to about 5 degrees Celsius above room temperature. This heat keeps moisture away from the cloth so the balls roll consistently.

Players also use cues that are shorter and lighter than pool cues.

History tells us that carom billiards likely began in 18th-century France. The word "carom" has been used since at least 1779. It means any strike and rebound. Some people think the name comes from the French word "carambole." This word describes the red ball or a successive collision. In the past, billiard balls were often made from ivory. Because of this, people searched for new materials. In 1868, John Wesley Hyatt invented celluloid as a substitute. Eventually, modern players began using materials like phenolic resin and polyester.

There are many different ways to play the game. Straight rail is one of the oldest styles. In this game, players try to hit both object balls to score counts. Another style is called balkline, which uses lines on the table to create different spaces.

These lines help prevent players from using certain moves to score too many points too easily. One popular game is three-cushion billiards. In this version, your ball must hit at least three rails before it touches the second object ball.

This is a very difficult task for even the best players.

Carom billiards connects to many different parts of history and culture. For example, Queen Victoria had a billiard table that used zinc tubes for heating.

In the early 1900s, players like George Sutton competed in professional matches. The Union Mondiale de Billard is the group that runs international competitions today. You can see the skill involved in how players use "massé" shots to curve the ball.

Whether playing a simple game or a hard three-cushion match, it is a sport of precision and focus.

Carom billiards is a family of cue sports played on tables covered in cloth.

Unlike pool, these tables are pocketless. The primary objective is to score "counts." A player earns a count by hitting both object balls in a single shot. This sport requires immense precision and skill. It is very popular in Europe, especially in France. It also has a strong following in Asian nations like Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam.

The mechanism of the game relies on specialized equipment. A standard set includes three balls: a white cue ball, a yellow cue ball, and a red object ball.

These balls are larger and heavier than pool balls. They typically weigh between 200 and 250 grams and have a diameter of 60.6 mm. The table surface is covered in baize, a cloth made from 100% worsted wool. This cloth has no nap, which allows the balls to travel with very little resistance. To ensure consistent rolling, the slate bed is often heated to 5 °C above room temperature. This heat prevents moisture from affecting the cloth.

Players use specialized cues to control these heavy balls. Carom cues are generally shorter and lighter than pool cues. They often feature a thicker shaft and a smaller diameter. These designs make the cue stiffer. A stiffer cue helps players manage the larger balls more effectively. It also helps reduce "squirt," which is the displacement of the cue ball's path. This displacement happens when a player uses high speed or extreme side-spin. In carom billiards, players often use intense side-spin, making cue control vital.

There are several distinct disciplines within carom billiards. Straight rail is one of the oldest forms. In this game, players score a count by hitting both object balls with their cue ball. To prevent players from scoring too easily, rules were added to limit "nursing" techniques. One such technique is the "nurse," where players nudge object balls down a rail.

Balkline is another major discipline. It uses diagonal lines to create "balk spaces." Players are restricted to a certain number of counts while the balls are in these spaces. For example, in 18.2 balkline, lines are drawn 18 cm from the rails. Players can only score two counts before a ball must leave the space.

Other versions include one-cushion and three-cushion billiards. In one-cushion carom, the cue ball must strike at least one rail before hitting the second object ball. Three-cushion billiards is much more difficult. In this game, the cue ball must contact at least three rails before hitting the second object ball. Professional players aim for an average of one point per inning. World-class players can reach averages of 1.5 to 2 points.

This game was popularized in the 1870s by Wayman C. McCreery.

The history of the game is long and filled with technological changes. Carom billiards is thought to have originated in 18th-century France. The term "carom" has been used since at least 1779. It refers to a strike and rebound. For a long time, billiard balls were made of ivory. This caused economic and safety concerns for elephant hunters. To find a substitute, manufacturers offered large prizes. John Wesley Hyatt invented celluloid in 1868 as an alternative. However, celluloid was highly flammable and could explode. Modern balls are now made from materials like phenolic resin or polyester.

Carom billiards connects to many historical and cultural threads. Queen Victoria even used a billiard table heated with zinc tubes.

While the game is now considered obscure in North America, it remains a major competitive sport elsewhere. The Union Mondiale de Billard (UMB) serves as the highest international governing body. From the complex geometry of balkline to the extreme skill of artistic billiards, the sport remains a testament to human precision.