The original billiard game was born as an indoor variation of the croquet game. The first billiard game was played on a wooden table covered by a green cloth with six pockets. Instead of the cue stick, a wooden club was used and only two balls were occupied. The object of the first billiard game was to push the balls into a gate on the table and into a small piece of wood called the king. By the 19th century, there were several variations of the billiard game. The snooker game had apparently developed of a billiard variation called black ball, in which the player's goal was to score points by potting a red and a black ball alternately. The game is for two players or teams. Two cue balls (originally both white, but more recently one white, one yellow) and a red object ball are used. Each player or team uses a different cue ball; where both cue balls are white, one has a distinguishing mark (usually a black dot). |
Billiards 
