pocket billiards
A player uses a cue stick to sink the striped ball into the corner pocket during a game of pocket billiards.
Noun: A category of cue sports played on a rectangular table (a pool table) equipped with six pockets (one at each corner and one at the midpoint of each long side). The primary objective is to use a cue stick to strike cue balls, causing object balls to be potted (knocked into the pockets). "Pocket billiards" is a broad term encompassing various specific games with different rules, such as eight-ball, nine-ball, and straight pool.
The term "pocket billiards" is used to distinguish these games from other forms of billiards played on tables without pockets (e.g., carom billiards). It is often used interchangeably with the more common term "pool."
- The term can be used attributively (functioning like an adjective) to describe related equipment or contexts, e.g., , .
- Pool: The most common synonym in everyday usage.
- Eight-ball: A specific and popular game of pocket billiards.
- Nine-ball: Another major pocket billiards game.
- Straight pool (or 14.1 continuous): A classic pocket billiards game.
- Pool
- Pocket pool (less formal)
While "pocket billiards" is the formal umbrella term, in casual conversation, "pool" is far more prevalent. "Billiards" alone, without qualification, can be ambiguous, as it may refer to carom games or be used generically for all cue sports.
A player uses a cue stick to sink the striped ball into the corner pocket during a game of pocket billiards.
- any of various games played on a pool table having 6 pockets