Today we are going to discover some interesting facts about the ancient game of Pool and Billiards. Did you know that in many years gone by players would use a mace as a Cue. This made it very hard for the difficult shots if the balls were near the edge of the pool table, so they turned the mace around and used the narrow end. This is the beginning of the cue stick as we know it today.
Cue from French
The actual word cue came from the French word Queue. I suppose if you think about it the pool balls are lined up, when you are getting ready for your shot. So Cue makes perfect sense.
It was in 1873 that the game of Billiards was the first sport to have the title of world champion.
A very high profile game, only for the rich, but now Billiards and Pool are played all over the world and many places and luckily they are so much more affordable.
Pool actually started off as game very much like croquet, which is probably why the original color of the felt for Pool and Billiard Tables was green. These days we can buy a huge range of colors for felt and the wool on Pool and Billiard Tables.
No wonder it was in some places illegal and only for the very elite, behind closed doors, Pool was considered a game of gambling. Sometime people will still have a bet while playing a game of Pool or Billiards, but it is all in fun now so we do not consider it as gambling. Even the church was critical of the game of Pool/ Billiards stating it was only for the people of no morals and sinful. Oh how times have changed, now the whole family can get together for a fun filled time of Pool/Snooker/ Billiards without any reprimand.
Cue ball
Do you know where scratch came from? That started when a player would pocket the Cue Ball and the player would have a point scratched off his scoreboard.
In the times of Mary Queen of Scots death they used the cloth off her Billiard Table to wrap her body in. This shows you how much people value not only the game of Pool and Billiards but the materials that the tables were made of; even today the English felt/cloth is considered the best. I cannot imagine anybody these days wanting to be wrapped in the Felt off their Pool/Billiards Table.
We can be grateful for modern technology in the making of the Pool and Snooker Balls, as they use to make them of only a particular inside part of an elephants trunk. Only 3 or 4 balls could be made out of each tusk. No wonder it was considered a rich man’s game, and thankfully we have saved the elephants.
If you look closely to the Pool/Billiard Tables of past and present. The wood work and designs in the legs of a Pool/ Billiard Table are still the same. We consider it as a beautiful piece of furniture, a focus point and we can always tell a story of “Remember that game of Pool/ Billiards the other night “. I am sure this has also been passed down during the years even if the conversation was behind closed doors as Pool/ Billiards was also behind the same doors.
Timber cue
Even the humble Cue has advanced over time. You can still purchase handmade Cues that are made of thin slices of wood that were especially selected so there would be a specific pattern. This made the Cue for Pool and Billiards a very special and valuable piece of Gaming tool. Today we are lucky, for there is a great deal of Cues available, from the very basic timber, to manmade materials to beautifully mastered pieces of different types of wood. For example The Cue can be made of basic timber to the strong maple wood or then there are the Graphite Cues. The graphite is actually made around a Timber Cue to keep moisture out and protect the Cue for many years of Pool playing. Using this material is also an advantage to us as we can have many colors and designs and individualize our Cue so when we are playing our cue stands out around the Pool/Billiard Table.
Pool table with facilities
Who remembers the coin operated Pool/ Billiard Table; they were a huge hit as it brought the sport of Pool to everyone. That actually began in 1903.
This is dedication to the game of Pool/Snooker/Billiards. A Captain Mingaud who invented the Cue Tip was a political prisoner during The French Revolution. There he was able to play Pool/Snooker/Billiards and was even allowed to have a Pool Table installed in his cell. He loved the game of Pool so much that when it was time for him to be released he asked to be left there as he wanted to continue to play Pool/ Snooker/ Billiards.
The largest Billiard hall in the world so far, held 103 Billiard Tables with many facilities to accommodate the extinguished gentleman.
These are just a few facts of the history of the Pool/ Snooker/ Billard Tables and of course the game, hope you enjoyed the read.
