Difference Between Billiards vs Pool
Indoor sporting activities would not be complete without referring to cue sports. One thing they all have in common is that they are played with a stick to strike balls on a special type of table meant specifically for the game. The goal is to sink balls into the table pocket.
This sport does not involve a lot of physical movement, but it engages all the human senses to make even a single strike. It also offers great benefits like increased focus, increased eye coordination, burning calories, improved critical thinking, and so on. We will take a look at the difference between billiards and pool, two confusingly different table and cue stick games played under very similar circumstances.
Definition of Billiards
Billiard is the name given to different cue sports played on a pocketless clothed table with cue sticks aimed at striking the balls. Its original name, carom billiard, has Portuguese and Spanish origins. Carom was derived from “carambola,” which means to rebound after hitting.
There are some peculiarities in this game that make it stand out from others. For instance, the balls used are larger in size, about 27cm or 16 inches in diameter, and are also heavier. There are 3 of them needed in total – the white and yellow ones, which are the strikers, and a red object ball.
The table cloth is also made with fine and smooth felt to facilitate the movement of the balls while playing. This particular feature is not a difference between billiards and pool, rather, it is a similarity expected of both games.
Definition of Pool
Pool is an indoor game played with a single white cue ball plus another 15 of different colors, all numbered. The white ball, also known as the cue ball, is the one to be struck with the cue in hopes that it can pocket any of the other 15 balls also known as the pocket balls.
The aim of the game is to pocket the object balls, sometimes in a particular order. It requires the use of a special table with a playing surface made from very smooth and fine stretched material. The table must be properly leveled without a slant or it may alter the accuracy of a shot.
One difference between pool and billiards is that this game comes with quite a number of accessories, one of which is the triangular rack, which is used to arrange the object balls in a triangular form at the beginning of the game. This tool can be used in playing games like eight-ball, straight pool, and the like. There is also the diamond rack used in playing a special type of pool known as nine-ball.
Main Differences Between Billiards vs Pool
In an attempt to answer the question – what is the difference between billiards and pool? – we came up with the table below showing how these games vary from the other. It covers their definitions as well as other properties that are specific to each of them.
| Basis of Comparison | Billiards | Pool |
| Definition | The general name given to different cue sports played on a pocketless clothed table with cue sticks aimed at striking the balls | An indoor game played with a single white cue ball plus another 15 of different colors, all numbered |
| History | Dates back to as far back as the 15th century | Can be traced to as far back as the 18th century |
| Table | Measures 9.3 by 4.7 ft | Measure 9 by 4.5 ft |
| How many balls used | A set of 3 balls – one is red, one is yellow, and the last is white | A set of 16 balls – 1 cue ball, 7 solid colors, 7 striped, and a single solid 8-ball |
| The size and weight of balls used | 61.5 mm in diameter and weighs between 205 and 220 g | 57 mm diameter and weighs 160 to 170 g |
| Rack | None used | Diamond-shaped and triangular rack |
| Most common game | Three cushion, four-ball, and straight rail | Eight-ball, snooker, and nine-ball |
Difference Between Billiards and Pool: Conclusion
Some of the notable billiards vs pool similarities include the use of a table with a very smooth playing surface, the use of balls, and cue sticks. They are both indoor games that date back to centuries ago. But the differences cannot be ignored despite these similarities.
The tables used for both games are different, so are the number, size, and weight of the balls. The type of game you can play depends on the type of table in use.
