About the 3 Types of Cue Sports: Carom, Pool and Snooker

Cue sports encompass a wide variety of games that have been around for centuries. Most often played with cue sticks striking billiard balls on a felt-covered table, they are one of the great pastimes that are making a resurgence in popularity today.

The oldest of the three games, Carom, does not have pockets in the table. The object of the game is to strike the opponent's cue ball with your cue ball. A point, or carom, is scored each time this happens. The first player to reach a set number of points wins the game. Carom is likely the oldest form of billiards and is the least played of all three of the cue sports.

Snooker pool, or just snooker, is a variation of billiards most people recognize. A snooker table is larger than a regulation pool table and has six pockets, just like a standard pool table. In snooker, there are 22 total balls. One cue ball, 15 red balls worth one point each, and six balls worth an increasing number of points. The colors and points in order are: yellow, two points; green, three points; brown, four points; blue, five points; pink, six points; and black, seven points. Players score points by first pocketing a red ball, then a colored ball in ascending order. The winner has the most points at the end of the game.

Regular pool is the most popular of the three cue games. Variations on this game are numerous, but eight ball pool is the most popular. Each ball is numbered, with the exception of the cue ball. The first seven pool balls in a standard set are a solid color. Numbers nine through fifteen are striped color and the eight ball is solid black. The object of eight ball is to sink each one of your colored balls, stripes or solids, and end the game sinking the eight ball. If you sink the cue ball, or scratch, after you sink the eight ball, you loose the game.

Serious pool players carry their own pool cues in pool cue cases rather than use a pool room cue. These pool room cues are likely warped and cause miscues. Some also opt for custom pool cues to perfectly fit their playing style, size and preferences and to elevate their game to the next level. You can find myriad pool cues and billiard supplies from online retailers to enjoy each one of these cue sports.