How to Play Billiards

Billiards, or pool, was developed from a 15th century croquet-like game that over time replaced the lawn with a banked felt table, the mallet with a cue stick, and the wicket with a number of colored balls. Billiards games are divided into 2 types: carom billiards, played on a pocketless table in which the object is to bounce the cue ball off other balls or the table rails, and pocket billiards, played on a table with pockets in which the object is to sink the colored balls into the pockets by striking them with the cue ball. Although carom and pocket billiards have different objectives, they both require the same skills in planning and executing your shots. The instructions below in how to play billiards can be applied to straight billiards, 8-ball, 9-ball, snooker, or any other game played on a billiard table.

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EditSteps

1. 
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   Look for your best shot. This depends on the object of the billiards game you're playing and where the balls lie on the table. In carom billiards games that allow it, you want take shots that gather the balls together so you can score repeatedly by bouncing them off one another. In pocket billiards games where you get another shot after sinking a ball, you want to position yourself so you can sink ball after ball, if you can.
   • Sometimes, your best shot isn't a scoring shot (offensive shot) but to shoot the cue ball to a place where your opponent has difficulty making a scoring shot (that is, a defensive shot).
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2. 
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   Align your body with the shot. Line yourself up with the cue ball and the ball you want to hit. The foot corresponding to your shooting hand (right foot if you're right-handed, left foot if you're left-handed) should be touching this line at a 45-degree angle. Your other foot should be a comfortable distance away from it and forward of the foot matching your shooting hand.
3. 
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   Stand a comfortable distance away. This depends on 3 things: your height, your reach, and the location of the cue ball. The further away the cue ball is from your side of the table, the longer you'll have to stretch.
   • Most billiards games require you to keep at least 1 foot on the floor when shooting. If you can't do so comfortably, you may either need to take a different shot or use a mechanical bridge to rest the tip of your cue stick in when you shoot.
4. 
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   Position yourself vertically with the shot. Your chin should be rest slightly over the table so that you're sighting down the cue stick as close to horizontal as comfortable. If you're tall, you'll need to bend your forward knee or both knees to get into position. You'll also need to bend forward at the hips.
   • Either the center of your head or your dominant eye should line up with the center of the cue stick without tilting. Some professional pool players do tilt their heads, however.
   • Most pocket billiards players put their heads 1 to 6 inches (2.5 to 15 cm) above the cue stick, while snooker players have their heads touching or almost touching the cue. The closer you bring your head, the greater your accuracy, but at a loss of range for the back and forward stroke.
5. 
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   Grip the cue stick comfortably. Your shooting hand should grip the butt of the cue stick in a loose, relaxed manner, with your thumb as a support and your index, middle, and ring fingers doing the gripping. Your wrist should point straight down to prevent it from moving sideways when you take your shot.
   • Your shooting hand should generally grip the cue stick about 6 inches (15 cm) to the rear of the stick's balance point. If you're short, you may want to move your hand forward of this point; if you're tall, you may want to move it further back.
6. 6
   Place the fingers of your off-hand around the tip to form a bridge. This prevents the cue stick from moving sideways when you shoot. There are 3 main grips: the closed, the open, and the rail bridge.
   • In a closed bridge, you wrap your index fingers around the cue and use your other fingers to steady your hand. This allows for more control over the stick, particularly with a forceful forward stroke.
     
   • In an open bridge, you form a V-groove with your thumb and forefinger for the cue to slide through and use your other fingers to keep the cue from moving sideways. The open bridge is better for softer shots and is preferred by players who have trouble making a closed bridge. A variation of the open bridge, is the elevated bridge, in which you raise your hand to lift the cue over an obstructing ball when striking the cue.
     
   • Use the rail bridge when the cue ball is too close to the rail for you to slip your hand behind it. Lay your cue stick over the rail and keep its tip steady with your off hand.
7. 
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   Take a few practice strokes if you need them. This will limber up your arm before the actual shot.
8. 
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   Look for the place on the cue ball where the cue tip should connect. You can do this while taking your practice strokes.
   • Most often, you'll want to hit the cue ball squarely in the center. Sometimes, you may want to hit the ball to one side or another to impart sidespin, or "English," to it to make the ball travel to one side. Occasionally, you may want to hit the cue ball below center to cause it to climb over a ball you don't want to move and strike a ball you do want to move.
9. 
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   Shoot. Move your arm smoothly back, then forward in a pendulum motion. The rest of your body should remain still as you stroke through the cue ball, letting the cue come to rest naturally.
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• Keep your shooting arm parallel to the line of the shot and perpendicular to the table as you shoot. A few professional players don't do this, but they've found ways to compensate for their angle of attack.
• How the cue ball strikes another ball can determine the direction the other ball travels. This effect is called "throw" and can be caused either by the angle at which the cue ball strikes the other ball, how much English was imparted to the cue ball, or both. Billiards players who've practiced and studied the effects of their shots make use of this when they play pool.
• More advanced billiards players make use of kick and bank shots to bounce either the cue ball or an object ball (a ball hit by the cue ball) off one of the rails to strike more balls or pocket it. Some billiard tables are marked with diamonds on the sides to serve as guides for aiming such shots.