Cue sports
Billiards is a game consisting of billiard balls, cues, and a particular table (usually slate covered in felt, twice as long as it is wide - e.g. 4'X8', 4.5'X9', 5'X10'. There are numerous games that have the different goals of winning (e.g. making a certain number of balls, or a certain ball). Games are played by hitting a "cue ball" into an object ball with the cue stick.
In 1865, John Wesley Hyatt patented a composition material resembling ivory for a billiard ball (US50359), winning $10,000 prize from Phelan and Collender of New York City for the best substitute for ivory. This was the first U.S. patent for billiard balls.
Billiard games by table type
- French or Continental billiard table (no pockets)
- English billiard table
- pool table
- rotation or straight pool
- eight ball
- nine ball
- seven ball
- banks
- one pocket
- six pocket
- cowboy
- indian
- Russian billiard table (pockets are 74mm, balls are 68mm)
- Russian Pyramid
- Moscow Style
- bumper pool table
- bar billiards