Korean 4-Ball

[Azazello]

I just learned the rules for Korean 4-Ball billiards today. Met a Korean kid at the pool hall. I'd seen the game on YouTube and didn't understand it. There are 4 balls: your cue ball, your opponent's cue ball and 2 reds. A billiard is made when your cue ball hits both reds. The rules of straight-rail, or libre, apply. The interesting thing is that you can scratch, and lose a point. (Hell, the reason I play billiards in the first place is 'cuz there's no pockets and you can't scratch.) Anyway, if your cue ball touches your opponent's cue ball at any time you lose a point. So the opponent's cue ball becomes an obstacle, like a sand trap in golf except that it moves. Interesting game. The balls are different too; bigger, heavier. They felt like cantaloupes to me. Anybody else played Korean 4-Ball ?

 

[victorl]

Very interesting. Sounds like a lot of strategy could be involved on the defensive side, in using your own cue ball to try to block your opponent from making points. Reminds me of snooker table golf in a way. Are the balls just regular 3-cushion-sized balls with a white and yellow cue ball and two reds?
Also, what's the game called and do you have any links to youtube videos?

 

[Azazello]

The balls are bigger. There's two reds and two cue balls, a spot, or yellow, and a white. Of course, the pros just get the opponent's ball out of the way, gather the reds and run hundreds with a rail nurse. Just search Korean billiards on YouTube. Here's one link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SKAoqOZ76s

 

[Bob Jewett]

Are you allowed to shoot a red ball into your opponent's cue ball to move him?

 

[Dean_H]

4 ball Carom

Yes I enjoy playing Korean 4 ball. Where there is Korean community in a place in the world there is usually a Korean 4 ball room. In California we have quite a few rooms. I visited my Wife's country of Thailand and there was one Korean 4 ball room in Bangkok of all places.

On this channel there is Korean 4 ball tournament

https://www.youtube.com/user/BillardFriend/videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq-Mz5kpE2U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SKAoqOZ76s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGT-T8rUGjk





There is a You tube channel with Japan 4 ball tournament videos here:

https://www.youtube.com/user/yoshiex2/videos

Japan 4 ball is easier then Korean style as you can make a carom off of any of the other three balls.


I think France just started a 4 ball game with similar rules except that in France the Balls are the 61.5mm versus the Japan/Korea 65mm.

Here is youtube video in English on the Federation Francaise de Billard Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULMPYGvlHY

 

[erriep]

I think France just started a 4 ball game with similar rules except that in France the Balls are the 61.5mm versus the Japan/Korea 65mm.

Here is youtube video in English on the Federation Francaise de Billard Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULMPYGvlHY

The french billard federation started this game mostly as alternative for the initiation of the beginners. Kind of step to 3 balls carom.That was the idea.
We can notice now than it's a bit faster for the -absolute- beginners to make some points. Faster fun, that's it. But the 4 ball game is verrrrrrrrry, verrrrry rarely played here. In a few billard schools only.

Since all the other (non-beginners) french players play only 3 ball carom , most clubs are still using 3 balls to initiate. We mostly have at least one 4 ball set somewhere , that' a fact hehe :-D.

I would love to play with 65mm balls, i guess a 3c butt would do the job for balkline/straight rail with those big balls. .... Do you know what's the height of the rail nose used for those balls ?

 

[Texas Carom Club]

interesting game

 

[Azazello]

Are you allowed to shoot a red ball into your opponent's cue ball to move him?

Yes, I guess that's the only way you can move his ball. They use a 2-rail break shot too. It's the same gather break Hoppe gives in Billiards as It Should Be Played.

 

[Azazello]

The french billard federation started this game mostly as alternative for the initiation of the beginners. Kind of step to 3 balls carom.That was the idea.
We can notice now than it's a bit faster for the -absolute- beginners to make some points. Faster fun, that's it. But the 4 ball game is verrrrrrrrry, verrrrry rarely played here. In a few billard schools only.

Since all the other (non-beginners) french players play only 3 ball carom , most clubs are still using 3 balls to initiate. We mostly have at least one 4 ball set somewhere , that' a fact hehe :-D.

I would love to play with 65mm balls, i guess a 3c butt would do the job for balkline/straight rail with those big balls. .... Do you know what's the height of the rail nose used for those balls ?

I assume that Korean tables have higher cushions. We just played on the regular table we use for 3C.

 

[West Point 1987]

I played this game back in the early '90s when I was stationed in Germany...never heard it called "Korean Billiards". Every room I went into in Germany that had billiard tables had at least half the tables playing this game, the other half playing 3 cushion. Didn't think I'd like it, but it's actually a lot of fun. I think there was even a league (at least in Mannheim) that played it...