When people talk about billiards, they mean The Carom or carambola billiards. The name came from the newbies of the Royal Military Academy, which are called “snookers.” And because those balls were newly introduced into the game, he called his version of “black pool” as a snooker. The lieutenant thought that he should add other coloured balls. Neville Chamberlain, a lieutenant, wanted to modify certain things about the “black pool.” The game involves one black ball and 15 red ones. This makes snooker the youngest of the three. It was around the 1800s when snooker was introduced. They served as a way for bettors to pass the time while waiting for their races. Back in the day, however, pool tables were found in horse race betting parlours. As mentioned in our previous blog posts, the name “pool” came from the betting process where pool refers to a collective bet (ante). If you’re interested in pool (and billiards) ball, you can read the history behind them here. You will also learn more about the improvements in pool cue sticks. You will find a more in-depth look at the game’s background in this blog post. The history of the pool is the same as billiards since the game did stem from billiards. Cue sticks, on the other hand, emerged in the late 1600s. The billiard table also underwent modification since players had to keep picking up balls on the ground. Years later, the table game was given a name derived from the French terms bille, which means ball and billiart, meaning wooden sticks. The colour was specially chosen to resemble grass. There was a simple border, and a green cloth was on the table. From an outdoor sport, it moved indoors, where it required a wooden table. Over time, this game evolved with more styles.

Only the royalty and noble people were able to play. The game was mostly known in Northern Europe. In the 15th century, billiards’ roots can be traced back to a lawn game similar to croquet. But what are the differences between these popular table sports? This Quedos blog post will give you the answer. These three – billiards, pool, and snooker – all use cue sticks, tables, and balls.

And then, we have a snooker, which adds to the confusion. But while they do have similarities, there are also distinct qualities that set them apart.

For the non-professional players, it’s easy to see why these two table sports seem the same thing. Billiards and Pool are two terms that are often used interchangeably.

English billiards vs pool