
However, these three games are categorised as distinct cue sports separate from pool based on their unique development histories, culture of players, rules of the game as well as terms used in the sport.Ĭue Sport Variants: A Quick Overview 1.
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Variations of this subtype include eight-ball pool (which is the most popularly played cue sport around the world), nine-ball pool (which is the predominantly played cue sport at a professional level), ten-ball pool, straight pool (which used to be the former dominantly played professional cue sport), one-pocket pool and bank pool.

The tables on which pool is played vary between 7 feet, 8 feet, 9 feet or 10 feet in length.

In today’s world, cue sports are played in a large number of countries worldwide and are played competitively at the international level as well. These early variants of the games were played outdoors, and they are said to have evolved into the ubiquitous flashy indoor games that are well known around the world.

All modern forms of cue sports have evolved from games that were played using sticks and balls. Some scholars have held that the word ‘billiard’ may have its origins in the French language, from the words ‘billiart’ or ‘billette’, which means ‘stick’. Some of the famous personalities from history who are known to have been enthusiasts of cue sports include the renowned composer of classical music Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, King Louis XIV of France, Marie Antoinette, the famous philosopher Immanuel Kant, former American presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, the writers Charles Dickens and Mark Twain as well as the actor Jackie Gleason. Over the ages, these sports have found mentions in the works of William Shakespeare, most notably in the play ‘Antony and Cleopatra’, which contains the line “let’s to billiards”. It is widely believed that the very first cue sports were invented in the fourteenth century, with the earliest form of the game having been played around the year 1340. The tables are typically covered by cloth and are bounded by elastic bumpers that are referred to as ‘cushions’. The cue is used to strike billiard balls on a table, causing them to move around on it. But how is a cue sport defined? What is a Cue Sport?Ī cue sport is one of a diverse range of games involving the use of skill which are played with a stick known as a ‘cue’.

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There are numerous gaming platforms that have the option for players to download 8 Ball Pool and play the sport anywhere and anytime. The popularity of cue sports is so huge that it is possible in today’s world to play games like 8 Ball Pool on one’s mobile phone or tablet. Cue sports have a long and rich history, and are some of the most popularly played games today. When one talks about cue sports, games such as pool and billiards readily come to the minds of many people.
