Pool cue vs. Carom cue vs. Snooker cue

[Fenris]

Okay. This is just to satisfy my curiosity, so bear with me if this sounds like a silly topic. Being an "advanced beginner" in pool and having no experience with 3-cushion and snooker, I was wondering what the differences are between the EQUIPMENT used in the three games, namely the tables, balls and of course cues. So for those of you in the know, please enlighten me. Below, I have listed what I know, or think I know, about each game's equipment. Please correct me if I'm wrong, and fill in the blanks on the ones I don't know.

POOL
Table dimensions: 7' x 3.5', 8' x 4', and 9' x 4.5'. Height(s) unknown.
Balls: 2.25" diameter, 6 oz
Cue: GENERALLY - 58" overall length (29" shaft + 29" butt), 18-21 oz (19 being the most popular possibly), pro taper, metal joint pin, forward balanced, rock maple shaft, 0.75-1.0" ferrule.

CAROM BILLIARDS
Table dimensions: 10' x 5', others unknown
Balls: 2.5" diameter, unknown weight
Cue: GENERALLY - unknown overall length, unknown weights, conical or "euro" taper, wooden joint pin in shaft, rear balanced, shaft wood unknown, 0.5" or smaller ferrule.

SNOOKER
Table dimensions: 10' x 5', 12' x 6', others unknown
Balls: 2.125" diameter, unknown weight
Cue: GENERALLY - All unknown


This is just to satisfy my curiosity about these games. I hope you veteran players and enthusiasts (and even pros) out there can enlighten me on this stuff. And thanks in advance.

Fenris

 

[SlickRick_PCS]

Okay. This is just to satisfy my curiosity, so bear with me if this sounds like a silly topic. Being an "advanced beginner" in pool and having no experience with 3-cushion and snooker, I was wondering what the differences are between the EQUIPMENT used in the three games, namely the tables, balls and of course cues. So for those of you in the know, please enlighten me. Below, I have listed what I know, or think I know, about each game's equipment. Please correct me if I'm wrong, and fill in the blanks on the ones I don't know.

POOL
Table dimensions: 7' x 3.5', 8' x 4', and 9' x 4.5'. Height(s) unknown.
Balls: 2.25" diameter, 6 oz
Cue: GENERALLY - 58" overall length (29" shaft + 29" butt), 18-21 oz (19 being the most popular possibly), pro taper, metal joint pin, forward balanced, rock maple shaft, 0.75-1.0" ferrule.

CAROM BILLIARDS
Table dimensions: 10' x 5', others unknown
Balls: 2.5" diameter, unknown weight
Cue: GENERALLY - unknown overall length, unknown weights, conical or "euro" taper, wooden joint pin in shaft, rear balanced, shaft wood unknown, 0.5" or smaller ferrule.

SNOOKER
Table dimensions: 10' x 5', 12' x 6', others unknown
Balls: 2.125" diameter, unknown weight
Cue: GENERALLY - All unknown


This is just to satisfy my curiosity about these games. I hope you veteran players and enthusiasts (and even pros) out there can enlighten me on this stuff. And thanks in advance.

Fenris

The differences are very significant within all these particular styles of billilards.

When dealing with Snooker, you're up against a (and you got the measurements down) 6'x12' table which pockets are quite as tight. Unlike pool balls (which measure 2 1/4" in diameter) snooker balls are either 2 1/8" or 2 1/16" --- quite small. The cues are of European style (taper). The tables are heated which would make the balls go longer. More information concerning snooker log on to: http://www.fcsnooker.co.uk/ -- this is a stelar site!

Carom billiards have various disciplines: from the easiest being Straight Rail (or freegame as they call it in Europe or 4-ball "Danggoo" in the Korean area) to the most complicated 3-cushion billiards. Other forms of disciplines would include the various metrics of balkline, cushion caroms (was called one-cushion but doesn't make too much sense, really). Although search engines are perhaps the best recommended for searching, http://www.caromcafe.com would introduce to you about how three-cushion billiards is.

Other forms of exotic billiards would also include: Russian Billiards, English Billiards, and Itallian 5-pin (also called BIRILLI).

As far as how equiptment goes is concerned, each discipline of billiards (in whole) is very different. Research it sometime.

 

[Nott]

Snooker
Cue: GENERALLY - 57-58" overall length , 9-10mm tip, 17-20 oz , connical taper, full brass on brass joint, and often jointed at aprox 12-16" from butt end (called 3 piece cues, or 3/4 cues). Ash most popular shaft wood but maple is also used. Maybe 80/20% pro-ash.

Design of snooker cues are pretty simple compared to pool cues. Theire almost allways just fullspliced with either ebony or rosewood with some butterflysplicings(i beleive its called) at the buttend.

 

[Pizza Bob]

Snooker Cues

One 3/4 Jointed (actually a Jimmy White Long Butt) and one center-jointed

 

[Big Perm]

The tables are heated which would make the balls go longer. .

Seriously??? Wasn't aware of this???

Are there reasonable suppliers in the US for new tables? Did some searches yesterday, but all were in the UK, at least those I found online....I'm guessing a normal billiard shop could install one for you???

These are probably novice questions, but appreciate any answers...

Jason

 

[SlickRick_PCS]

Seriously??? Wasn't aware of this???

Are there reasonable suppliers in the US for new tables? Did some searches yesterday, but all were in the UK, at least those I found online....I'm guessing a normal billiard shop could install one for you???

These are probably novice questions, but appreciate any answers...

Jason

Under European standards (UK of course), English billiard tables are heated. As far as American snooker goes, you might want to ask Alan Morris on that.

Yea, snooker tables are origionally (and traditionally) from the UK area. Differences from the UK snooker and American is that UK have step rubber while American have the typical pyramid rubber.

As far as finding a heating system... I am seriously curious about wheither it is logical to even buy a table with one already installed in it or manually put a system in there.

 

[Pizza Bob]

When dealing with Snooker, The tables are heated which would make the balls go longer.

I have to question this. I've played snooker all over England and I never saw a heated table. The most common brand was Riley, which I also played on in NYC when Chelsea Billiards was an entity. Traditional snooker cloth is napped and slower than the current trend in pool cloths. It's common, and preferred with 3C tables because of the distances the ball(s) must traverse. Just my $.02

Adios,

Pizza Bob

 

[SlickRick_PCS]

I have to question this. I've played snooker all over England and I never saw a heated table. The most common brand was Riley, which I also played on in NYC when Chelsea Billiards was an entity. Traditional snooker cloth is napped and slower than the current trend in pool cloths. It's common, and preferred with 3C tables because of the distances the ball(s) must traverse. Just my $.02

Adios,

Pizza Bob

Well, I could be wrong as far as snooker goes.

You are certainly right there, Bob, about Carom being a heated table... there's no doubt about that! But when it comes down to snooker, I read over Mr. Alan Morris that snooker tables do have the tendancy to be quite fast and use heated tables. http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=607998#post607998

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=514015#post514015

See for yourself

 

[Nott]

Snookertables aren't heated in general, but the tables used in proffessional tournaments (atleast on the main tour) are.

 

[Colin Colenso]

Snookertables aren't heated in general, but the tables used in proffessional tournaments (atleast on the main tour) are.

I heard this discussed on the BBC commentary a few days ago. Indeed, the main tour tables are heated and use a shaved nap cloth. Hence, superfast.

Colin

 

[Hail Mary Shot]

snooker cues are longer and slimmer compared with pool cues. that's why snooker players often shoot straight using their chins and use short strokes to avoid miscuing and maintain accuracy.

 

[Bob Jewett]

I heard this discussed on the BBC commentary a few days ago. Indeed, the main tour tables are heated and use a shaved nap cloth. Hence, superfast.

Colin

Since this is presumably never seen in the typical club, I would think it is very difficult for a non-tour player to break into the rankings. The conditions he practices under would be little like the competition, whereas the current tour players would have gobs of experience with the fast conditions.

 

[Boro Nut]

Since this is presumably never seen in the typical club, I would think it is very difficult for a non-tour player to break into the rankings. The conditions he practices under would be little like the competition, whereas the current tour players would have gobs of experience with the fast conditions.

Oh I don't know Bob. There's plenty of immaculate tables in working men's clubs which are as bald as a badger's proverbial with lightening fast cushions. The first club I played for had a snooker table that played nine lengths (average 4.5 - 5). It was a complete booby trap to the visiting team when they broke off the side of the pack and ended up all the way back down among them.

Heating the table provides consistent humidity conditions across venues for the pros. Most working men's clubs I know brush and iron the tables before matches anyway, are always warm, and a full nap in those conditions is a thing of absolute beauty. Snooker clubs tend to be much worse in this respect.

Anyway, it's part of the experience, having to play on some crap now and again. It seems more fitting to play crap then.

Boro Nut

 

[Bob Jewett]

O... The first club I played for had a snooker table that played nine lengths (average 4.5 - 5). It was a complete booby trap to the visiting team when they broke off the side of the pack and ended up all the way back down among them. ....

Nine lengths!?! Good Lord! I've never seen a pool table that you could get nine lengths on or even seven. Of course, the last time I got six lengths (cue ball hits six end cushions when shooting up and down the center of the table) was on a 12x6 snooker table.

 

[despotic931]

I always just assumed that carom tables were heated so that the table speed remained constant, not to make it faster, just so that no matter what the air temp was the table would remain the same temp...

 

[Bob Jewett]

I always just assumed that carom tables were heated so that the table speed remained constant, not to make it faster, just so that no matter what the air temp was the table would remain the same temp...

I think the players are more worried about the reaction off the cushions. When the cushions are damp, the cushions play short.

 

[iralee]

I think the players are more worried about the reaction off the cushions. When the cushions are damp, the cushions play short.

Yes. Dampness and chalk are a sticky combination that not only slows a table down considerably, it makes sustaining or controling english beyond 2 or 3 cushions more difficult. The random chalk deposits during play constantly change the reaction of the balls on the table (even over the course of a single game) - making the game more unpredictable. If you regularly remove the sticky chalk from the table - you'll have a more consistent playing surface. Since warm tables stave off moisture, keeping chalk away is this easier to accomplish as dry chalk is lifted from the cloth very easily via vacuum.

 

[johnwall]

snooker cues are longer and slimmer compared with pool cues. that's why snooker players often shoot straight using their chins and use short strokes to avoid miscuing and maintain accuracy.

let me just comment - since i looked on this thread, that your answer represents one of those classical answers somebody gives about some topic that sounds so good - and so it is just believed. ok - so back down to reality - i actually purchased a snooker cue because i was interested in playing - and have been playing pool - and believe it or not - the snooker cue is SHORTER. Yes - that's right - SHORTER. now there are different extensions that you see the pros use - but yes, that's right - SHORTER. so i'm not sure where you got your information - but let me tell you - it sure sounded good - and i would have possibly just believed it if for not for the fact that i actually paid money and had a snooker cue shipped to me.

 

[onepocketron]

I played a lot of snooker 45 years ago and recently there is a hall that installed a 12 x 6. I started playing again and absolutely love the game. I watch matches online and now understand how the pros get so much effortless action on these tables. If they are heated, that will make a tremendous difference. The table I'm referring to was shipped from the UK and plays with the UK balls. The only issue with the table I have been playing on is getting the ball to draw. The slower cloth makes it more difficult.