Go To Billiards

The first pool cue was actually a crudely developed stick with a pointed end to strike the balls. Cue was taken from the word "queue" which means tail. Originally the stick was large at one end and narrowed at the other to a sharp point.
An imprisoned soldier in the Bastille refined the stick to a slender size. The Frenchman, Minguad, was fortunate to have a pool table in his cell and spent most of his imprisonment practicing the game. He rounded the sharp tip of the cue making multiple shots possible.
An average American cue weighs 19-20 ounces. There are usually two parts to a cue; the shaft and the thicker bottom horizontal bar, normally called the butt end. Some cues have three parts enabling the player to shorten the cue for special shots. Special cues are also available for jumping balls that are blocking the shooter and are used as a masse (curving around the ball).

If you've always wanted a pool table for your home, workplace, bar or pub, and you're now at a stage to give it some serious consideration, you'll need to ensure you know what you want and what's right for you. Here are 10 considerations you'll need to think about before making your purchase.
1. The biggest consideration when buying a pool table is the size of the room you have available. It needs to be big enough, not just for the table, but also for you to play without needing to hold the cue against the wall to take a shot. You may also require room for entertaining your guests, such as chairs or a bar.
2. You'll need to decide between coin operated tables and freeplay tables. Coin operated tables are available in different sizes and can be a great source of revenue for entertainment venues. Whereas, freeplay tables are better suited to the home - especially in a designated games room.
3. You'll need to choose the material of the table. For more serious players, the slate bed pool tables are high range, top quality options. They're long-lasting and highly durable. More affordable are the deluxe woodbed tables, which are made from high quality materials and are ideal for any situation.

If you're in the market of buying a pool table, you'll no doubt quickly come to the conclusion that you have two main options. You can invest in a slate pool table for a "proper" pool playing experience that's built to last, or a wooden surfaced pool table that is considerably cheaper. They both have their advantages and their relative disadvantages: slate is water and warp resistant and offers a particular sound and feel, yet it's extremely heavy and quite expensive. Wood, on the other hand (most often MDF or plywood) is much lighter in weight, less expensive, but is notorious for warping.
So what if there was another option, something that offered the best of both worlds? Well, that's exactly what Precision SL8 is. This new base is a manufactured material designed for pool table beds that's essentially a "middle-ground" between slate and wood. It's constructed to produce the advantages of both slate and wood whilst losing the disadvantages. And the end result achieves exactly that.

The history of billiards has a long, rich history dating back to the 14th and 15th century. Although it was originally believed to have started in Spain or Italy, it was probably first in France or England. Popularity of the game spread among royalty and the noble families of England and France in the early 1500"s. Shakespeare made reference to the game in his play "Anthony and Cleopatra" when Cleopatra suggests to her handmaiden, "let us to billiards." The term billiard is derived from one of two French words, "billiart" meaning- one of the wooden sticks, or "bille", meaning -a ball.
The game evolved from a lawn game similar to croquet and moved indoors to a wooden table with a green cloth to simulate grass. Balls were pushed with wooden sticks called "maces". Originally the tables had flat walls for rails, their only purpose being to keep the balls from falling off the table. The tables were large (11 or 12 foot) and rectangular. The English used a table with 6 pockets and the Americans used a table with 4 pockets. John Thurston of London made major improvements in the functionality of the billiard table. Tables had been made out of wood with some being made out of marble. Around 1826, he began using slate for the table bed. Slate was more suitable because it was heavy, making the table solid and it was a material that could easily produce a smooth surface and not warp. Slate is still used today for the surface of the table.

Choosing the best pool table for you can be a very big decision. There are many things to take into consideration before choosing the best pool table for your home, office, or space. First, you will want to decide where you will place the table and make sure you have adequate room. Most tables come in three sizes, seven, eight, or nine-foot lengths. If you were looking for the best table to play at home, an eight-foot pool table would be sufficient; however, if you are looking for a professional sized table the nine-foot is your best option.
You will have many options when deciding the model for your desired need. The table beds can be made of slate, cloth, or felt. If choosing cloth or felt, you will be able to choose the color to make it the absolute best pool table for you with your own personalization! The choices for the body of the table can be wood, laminates, plastics, wood veneer, and sometimes metal. Be sure to choose a body that will accentuate the room that you are planning to put it in. Choosing the best table for you is all about "Style" and not just any style, but your style.