Carambole billiards
From Free net encyclopedia
Carambole billiards (or carom) is a billiards game possibly developed in the 18th century in France, though the exact date of invention is not clear. The game consisted of two white cue balls and a red object ball. The red ball was called carambola after a red fruit. The object of the game was to score points by hitting the opponent's cue ball and the object ball in a single stroke. The word carom was derived from carambola and it describes the shot where the cue ball first contacts one ball and then makes contact with a second ball.
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Variations
Three cushion billiards
Three cushion billiards is the most difficult carom game to play, but its rules are very simple. The game arose after the older carom games proved too easy for the top players who could score large numbers of points at each turn at the table.
The game is so difficult that even the top players cannot always manage to score a point each time they shoot.
Three cushion billiards is played on a table with no pockets. The correct size for the table is ten feet by five feet. Other carom games are sometimes played on smaller tables.
There are two cue balls (white and yellow) and a red object ball. Each player shoots his own cue ball during a game. Carom billiards is one of the few billiard games in which players do not share a cue ball.
The object of the game is score more points than your opponent. To score a point your cue ball must contact both of the other two object balls, and at least three cushions (rails). However, three cushions must be struck before the cue ball contacts the second ball. A player may contact all the rails first, or use any combination of ball and rails as long as all three cushions are struck before the second object ball is touched by the cue ball. For example, to score a point, you can hit any three rails in succession, then the white object ball, then the red object ball. If you score a point, you may continue.
While this is an abstract concept, there are a number ways to make the task of scoring a point more successful. Regular layout patterns often arise with the three balls. If you learn to see the patterns, you will be able apply them to other cicumstances in the table, and make more shots. also, there are a number of math-based dimond systems that allow you to shoot the cueball in a predictable manner.
A national-class player will often average around 1 point per inning (time at the table). This means for every time at the table the player makes 1 point and misses once, thus making a point on only 50% of his or her shots (the game is that hard). A decent local player will often average around .05 - .08 points per inning.
Equipment
The game is normally played on 5-foot by 10-foot table. A full-sized pool table is 4.5 feet by 9 feet. Three-cushion billiard tables are often heated to about 9 degrees above room tempature. This helps to keep moisture out of the cloth to aid the balls rolling and rebounding in a consistent manner, as well as spinning more. The cloth on this type of billiard table is much finer than on a pool table, and allows for the balls to roll much further. Three balls are used, two white (the cue balls) and one red (the object ball). At one time, one of the cue balls had a black dot on it to aid differentiation. This ball was called the 'black-ball'. In more modern times, one cue ball is yellow, and the other white. The balls are larger than normal pool balls. Cue sticks used in three-cushion billiards tend to be shorter, stiffer, and smaller in circumfrence than pool cues.