20 Pocket Pool Resources, Suppliers, Tables & Cues

POOL, also more formally known as pocket billiards (mostly in North America) or pool billiards (mostly in Europe and Australia), is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the rails, into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball. An obsolete term for pool is six-pocket.

There are hundreds of pool games. Some of the more well known include eight-ball, nine-ball, ten-ball, straight pool, one-pocket and bank pool. There are also hybrid games combining aspects of both pool and carom billiards, such as American four-ball billiards, cowboy pool and bottle pool.

Nine-ball (sometimes written 9-ball) is a contemporary form of pool (pocket billiards), with historical beginnings rooted in the United States and traceable to the 1920s. The game may be played in social and recreational settings by any number of players (generally one-on-one) and subject to whatever rules are agreed upon beforehand, or in league and tournament settings in which the number of players and the rules are set by the sponsors. During much of its history, nine-ball has been known as a "money game" in both professional and recreational settings, but has since become established as a legitimate alternative to eight ball, straight pool and other major competition games.

In recent decades, nine-ball has become the dominant tournament game in professional pool, in the World Pool-Billiard Association, Women's Professional Billiard Association and United States Professional Poolplayers Association. Matches proceed quickly, suitable for the time constraints of television coverage, and the fast-paced games tend to keep the audience engaged.

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Pool Resources

• EIGHT-BALL POOL - Wikipedia.
• Lemonade stroke - an intentionally amateurish stroke to disguise one's ability to play.
• NINE-BALL POOL - Wikipedia.
• POOL | POCKET BILLIARDS - Wikipedia.
• PRO9 - "Europe's No. 1 Pool Player Resource"
• Sandbagging - in billiards and other games, deliberately playing below one's actual ability in order to fool opponents into accepting higher stakes bets, or to lower one's competitive rating in order to play in a future event with a higher handicap and consequently have a better chance to win; the term has spread to chess, go and other such games. Also known as hustling.
• STRAIGHT POOL - Wikipedia.
• THE COLOR OF MONEY (1986) - 9-ball pool cult movie starring Paul Newman & Tom Cruise.
• THE HUSTLER (1961) - 9-ball pool cult movie starring Paul Newman & Jackie Gleason.
• WPA | WORLD POOL-BILLIARD ASSOCIATION - "The Official Website of the Governing Body of Pool."
• WPA | WORLD POOL-BILLIARD ASSOCIATION RULES FOR STRAIGHT POOL
• WORLD STANDARDIZED RULES: 9-BALL - World Pool-Billiard Association.

Pool Tables & Cues

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• ASKA BILLIARDS - pool billiard cue sticks and cases. Famous brands: McDermott, Viking, Falcon, Mezz, Joss, Schon, Lucasi, Players, Aska, Pechauer, Predator.
• Balabushka pool cues - Billiard Warehouse.
• BRUNSWICK BILLIARDS - billiards tables and accessories since 1845.
• Budget Billiards - "Name Brand Pool Cues at Budget Prices!" The #1 Meucci Retailer Worldwide.
• LONGONI CAROM CUES - made in Italy since 1945.
• POOLDAWG - pool cues, billiards, pool cue cases.
• RAYMOND CEULEMANS CUES
• VIKING POOL CUES - "Handcrafting cues since 1965."