What are the different kinds of Pool Table Balls?

Pool table balls are different from the balls used in other games. Pool is also known as pocket billiards in different countries. Pool is used to refer to a whole family of games that contain balls that have to be deposited in six pockets placed in the rails of the two sides of a table.

Carom billiards is used to refer to that kind of a cue sport where pocket less tables are used to play. If you are not in the cue sports industry, you would probably know the game as “pool”. This shows its unfortunate connection with gambling. One pocket, straight pool, nine pool and eight pool are some of the popular pool games.

Size of the Pool Balls

But if you think that you can use the same ball for both pool billiard and carom billiard, you are grossly mistaken. There are different equipments for both these games. For instance, pool table balls are smaller in size than carom billiards.

They range in the diameter of 2.25 inches to 2.375 inches. When you compare this size to the size of the ball used in carom billiards, you see that there the size ranges from 2.375 inches to 2.42 inches. The number of balls will vary according to the game of pool.

Numbers on the Balls

For instance, if the game being played is an Eight Ball, then there will be sixteen balls on the table. Out of this, you will see that there is one ball white and the rest fifteen colored balls. When you begin the game, the balls should be arranged in a neat triangular shape.

If this is the case in an Eight Ball, a Nine Ball consists of ten balls- nine colored and one white. When you begin the game, the balls should be present on the table in the form of a diamond shape.

Three Ball is a pool game that requires the least number of balls. It requires only four balls out of which three are colored and one is white. When you start a game of Three Ball, you should first arrange the three balls neatly in a triangular shape.

Snooker is another popular pool game that consists of 22 pool table balls. Out of these 15 are red, one is white and there are six other balls that are of different colors like black, pink, blue, brown, green and yellow.

This however does not mean that you cannot have your own number of pool table balls. The number of pool table balls can be increased or decreased with the kind of game that is being played.