A Guide to Basic Billiards Equipment

The game of billiards, also commonly referred to as "pool" is popular in many regions throughout the world and almost ubiquitous in every bar, lounge, gaming center recreational center in America. You've almost certainly played the game or at least seen a pool table somewhere in your life. While you may know a great deal or very little about the items associated with billiard, this simple guide is intended to discuss briefly some details of the six major pieces of equipment involved.

The largest and most prominent piece of billiards equipment is obviously the table. The entire game takes place on the table. Pool tables are half as wide as they are long and are typically seven, eight or nine feet long. Serious pool halls will have the 9 foot tables for serious players. Bars will generally have coin-op, 7 foot tables to save space. Most 8 foot tables are designed for homeowners who need a balance of quality and size.

Billiards tables have six pockets; rubber bumpers between the pockets, a base made of thick, smooth and level solid slate, and is covered in a cloth playing surface. The cloth playing surface is commonly called the "felt." While it has the feel of felt, it is actually a fabric called baize. Baize is a woven fabric of wool that is sometimes blended with nylon.

Another obvious part of a billiards game is the balls. Most commonly in modern play there is fifteen balls number from one to fifteen, plus the solid white cue ball. However, a popular game variation uses only nine. The balls are colored, with balls 1 through 8 being solid colors and balls 9 through 15 being marked with a colored band. In billiards the game is played by trying to hit balls into the pockets buy first hitting them with the cue ball. The cue ball is set in motion by a cue, often referred to as a "pool stick" or "pool cue."

Cues are made of wood, are round and taper down from the grip to the tip. The tip is made of leather and is the point which strikes the cue ball. The tip of a billiards cue is usually covered in applied chalk.

A more subtle piece of billiards equipment is the chalk. Chalk comes in cubes that are roughly 1 inch. Before each shot players apply the chalk to the tip of their cues. The chalk creates friction as the tip of the cue strikes the cue ball and allows for some forgiveness for less than perfect shots.

Another subtle piece of billiards equipment is called the rack. The rack is only used to help set the game up. It's a wood or plastic triangle used to form up to 15 balls in a triangle formation.

Finally, there is a tool called the bridge, sometimes called a "rake". The bridge is much like a cue with the addition of a rake shaped piece of metal at the tip. The bridge is used to assist a player in making long shots on the cue ball. The bridge is placed on the table, the cue is rested in the rake and the bridge increases the players reach to make the shot. While there are other items associated with billiards, these are a few of the basics that every player should know.