Billiards
Snooker
Pool
Snooker plus
Golf
Find the Lady
Bowls

This is by no means a full list nor have I included all the different games of Pool Nine Ball, Eight Ball etc.

In this article we will concentrate on Snooker and Pool as these are by far the most popular games.

Now without wishing to offend pool players, snooker is the more difficult game to learn, partly due to the larger size of the table. A good snooker player will always play a decent game of pool but not necessarily the other way round. Pool was designed from the off on coin operation for a fast game, unlike on a full size table where you pay for time not individual games.

Pool is generally more rewarding for the first time player. Snooker can seem a little daunting but patience here brings its own rewards. All cue sports games require the correct stance. It is important to study other players and a few lessons can help improve your game no end. However the most important thing is to enjoy playing no matter what your standard. There will be days when you can’t pot a ball, other days when you can’t miss! Don’t get frustrated it’s part of the game. 

Brian

The first time I ever played snooker I was about 14.

I took to it like a duck to water, though only initially allowed to play on the three quarter table at the local Billiard Hall, within a few months I’d progressed to the full size tables and was knocking in regular 50 breaks and continued to improve quickly. My dad was a good player and it does seem to run in families.

Over the next couple of years I began to earn money by hustling, so what’s the secret? Put simply you find a guy prepared to play for, let’s say a £1 a game (bear in mind this is nearly 50 years ago when I was earning £12 a week). You lose the first five games then offer to play one game for 10 or 20 quid – win it and clear off with a nice profit.👍

I was earning £100 a week or more, there were plenty of Billiard Halls and Clubs about back then so always somewhere fresh to try your luck at. Now it’s not that easy to lose on purpose – you couldn’t make it too obvious so I learned to play right handed then switched to my normal left hand for the final frame. Amazingly, few players ever clocked on. Though it did backfire on occasion – I’ve been chased out of several Billiard Halls, barred from others and even got stabbed in the back with a broken snooker cue!!

Exciting times – Billiard Halls were spit and sawdust places back then, you couldn’t see the end of the hall for cigarette smoke, all sorts of criminal activities took place, often had police raids when everyone piled out the fire escape when the sound of heavy boots came running up the stairs! Perhaps it is rose tinted specs but times seemed simpler then and I have very fond memories.

It’s amazing how that first game of snooker opened up everything that followed👍👍