A Brief History Of Pool and Billiards

Pool's Predecessor? Image by sparktography via Flickr

The Origins of Pool

Though it is a puzzle precisely at what time or at which area the recreational sport of pool started, it is commonly held that the original form of the game was played in France. It was a configuration similar to that of an inside game played on a lawn with a resemblance to crochet.  The aim of that sport was to push a ball through a wicket like those in croquet to hit a peg like a crochet stake. Contestants used a club-like stick, which became known as the “mace”.

American Pool Tables

In the early part of the 19th century, American carpenters began to build tables. Billiard tables began with flat perpendicular style walls as rails, and their lone function was to restrict the balls in flying off the table. The rails resembled river banks, and were even used to be called banks.

The Bank Shot

At what time players realized that the balls ricocheted from the rails, they started to deliberately aim at  the banks. This was the innovation of the “bank shot”. The “bank shot” is where a ball is aimed, and shot at the bank as the first part of a shot.Billiards came to be connected with billiard halls in major metropolitan areas. The word “pool” at the time meant gambling, but it was soon blended into the american form of pocket billiards and is still commonly referred to as pool.

There are Many Versions of Pool

In the march of time, this sport gained more popularity and evolved. Many variations of the game were created and different playing methods honed and mastered. In america, billiards, or pool as we know it, was becoming an up and coming sport. Early in the history of the game, it was regarded as sport of the wealth since the tables were so expensive. As new ways of manufacturing the tables came forth, using different materials, an increasing number of people could afford them, that game surged in popularity.

The Most Popular Pool Games

The most popular form of pool, eightball, was invented in the early 1900’s. After that, nine ball and cut throat came on the scene.  Three of the most common forms of that sport known.  it’s suspicious and unknown origin may always be a mystery to us as we continue to expand on game variations, development, technique and technology.  it is a sport and a leisure that is will never go out of style. Even today, though there staple variations of the game, it is apparent a myriad of styles and methods continue to manifest themselves. Masters are always eager go to the next level and the first to make a newly developed shot or master their own personally created technique.

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Tags: american pool tables, bank shot, billiards, crochet, history of pool and billiards, pool and billiards, pool games

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