Buying a Billiards Table

Buying the right billiards table is not difficult; however, you must consider a few things before and after you make the purchase. The price, its size and space, who will own the table and how it will be used, are all factors when you choose the table. Once you have the table in your house, you must take care of it so it stays new and strong over the years.

There a many types of billiards tables in stores, so when you go out and shop for one, you must be sure your home is ready for the table's arrival. To do this, you must choose the best room in your home for the table, generally a room with plenty of space. It does not matter if you or our friends plan to play games on it, space is everything, you do not want the table near a corner; the table should be in the center of the room. You must also know the room's door size because if the table is already assembled when it arrives, you are going to have trouble squeezing it through a narrow door. No matter what kind of table you get, if you want one similar to the pros, you should get a table with BCA on it.

You can buy your billiard table in a few ways; you can use a newspaper, billiards store, classifieds ads, or eBay. All of these methods are great to use, but if you plan to use eBay, you should consider a few thing before placing a bid. On eBay, you cannot actually see the table up close to examine it, you just have to trust the picture and the information the seller typed in the description. This is not a problem with newspapers, stores and classifieds ads because you can get the address and visit the table on location. You can, however, search eBay based on your location and only get results for sellers that live nearby. Once you found a local auction, email the person, ask if you can stop by and see the table yourself and if you are happy with the table, you can place the bid.

Billiards table prices vary; the most expensive tables are antiques, which cost $15,000 or more; general tables are much cheaper with prices from $500 to $5000. Before you choose a table, you should consider a few important things to help you get the most out of the purchase without spending a lot of money. If the table is for your kids, you really do not need an expensive high quality table because they will not play on it a lot. For kids, you should visit a retail store to find tables to suit them; the best kind is the type of table that is sold in a box that you must assemble yourself. An actual billiard table can also be purchased from a retail store; however, you should visit stores that have knowledgeable retailers to help you pick the right table. If you are a serious billiards player and you want a table to improve your skills, you are going to have to spend a bit more money; however, you can get a good used table to save cash. To find a used table, you could run a classified ad about 7" in the newspaper, or even better, you can ask around to find someone that inherited a table. Some people may have inherited a billiard table and may not want it due to its size and the space it takes up. If you find someone in your area that inherited a table, do not buy it until you hire a billiards mechanic to inspect the table; the mechanic will also help you move it. Finally, if you only want to buy one table that will last forever which will also decorate your home, the best type to buy is a hardwood table.

If you want to buy a billiards table, plan who will own the table and how it will be used before you start searching.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Billiards

One Pocket Billiards Game

One pocket billiards is the billiards answer to soccer, while 14.1 continuous billiards is the billiards answer to basketball?s horse. Requiring to shooter to specialize in specific types of shots, in on pocket billiards the table is cut from six pockets for shots to two open pockets. You don?t have to call what ball will go into that pocket but, you must call the desired pocket for your shot in one pocket billiards.

The desired pocket on every shot is the opponent?s target goal, and that is the similarity for one pocket billiards to soccer. Requiring somewhat of a defensive strategy in addition to the usual offensive strategies of billiards, each play is essentially defending a target pocket. If a player shoots a ball into one of the four other pockets instead of making a ball into the opponent?s target pocket, then the shot is declared something like "illegally pocketed ball".

The opponent receive a winning point total if a shooter accidentally pockets a ball in their own goal pocket, and then, they do indeed lose the game. The shooter would have pocketed over half of the total billiards ball into the opponent?s pocket only if they reach the object. The object is to get to eight balls pocketed in the target or opponent?s goal pocket. The shooter loses only if the shooter has six pocketed balls and his or her opponent has seven total and the shooter accidentally pockets a ball in his or her own goal.

Before starting the game, the two shooters should choose which pocket they wish to use as a target pocket. The breaking shooter is required to make at least one ball into the targeted pocket, and the balls are set up in the racking triangle at random. Also, is required that the shooter makes a contacted ball hit a cushion, to continue his/her turn as the shooter. The game is over if the target pocket is scored on eight or more times.

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Billiards - The Transformation Years 1845 - 1897

In this article we're going to continue our transformation years with the changes that were made in billiard balls to begin with.

The early billiard balls were made of wood. They were easy to shape, inexpensive and readily available. In the 1600s ivory billiard balls came into use. While they were more playable than wood they were very expensive and only the very rich could afford them. And while they were nice to look at they never were very dependable. They also took a very long time to make as the tusk softening process took almost two years. Ivory billiard balls could split or fracture easily if not made just right. New balls had to be broken in gently by being struck softly for the first couple of months.

Finally in 1869 an Albany chemist mixed nitrocellulose with camphor under high pressure. This resulted in a hard, shiny, mouldable substance he called celluloid. The man's name was John Wesley Hyatt and while he didn't know it at the time, he had just invented the world's first plastic. It was this discovery that led to improvements in billiard balls to this very day. In April of that same year Hyatt discovered "collodion," which was actually an early form of celluloid. The addition of collodion to the surface of the balls resulted in a hard and perfectly smooth surface. Unfortunately, the new balls could shatter under hard impact and manufacture of them had to be stopped until a fix for this problem was found. The discovery that solved this problem was celluloid. However, because of the problems with his earlier billiard balls, acceptance of these celluloid billiard balls did not come easily. However, this process did lead to the discovery of Bakelite and cast-phenolic resins which are the main components of billiard balls even to this day.

Then in 1892 William A. Spinks, a professional billiard player from Chicago, began working with chemists on the components of chalk. It was during one of his trips to Paris that he discovered a chalk like no other. He was impressed with the chalk's ability to grip during play and set out to invent a chalk that could grip even more. Finally in 1897 he was granted a patent for billiard chalk, which actually did not contain any billiard chalk at all. It was made up entirely of silica and axolite. This compound was crushed to fine powder and then air floated to achieve just the right fineness.

The effect of the new "chalk" on the game would change billiards forever. The grit actually took hold of the ball on impact in a way that had never been seen before. It also solved the problem of blackboard chalk which discolored the billiard cloth and even rotted the fabric. The original color of this chalk was green but eventually it was made in just about every color. This chalk greatly improved the performance of the cue tip and literally revolutionized the game itself.

In the next article in this series we'll take a look at cue construction during the transformation years.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Billiards

Pool Table Lights Guide: How To Light Up Your Game

The proper pool table lights is critical to playing your best game of pool. The ideal pool table light fixture is attractive, unobtrusive, and provides just enough illumination without creating a glare. Choosing the right pool table lights for your home need not be difficult. Just keep a few points in mind.

The Best Pool Table Lights for the Job

The most effective pool table lights cover the entire length of the table. Measure your pool table before you start shopping. The majority of pool table lights fixtures available have multiple globes in order to direct several points of light at the table, usually two, three, or four globes. Multiple globes on your pool table lights fixture also help to eliminate any glare. Some fixtures contain multiple globes within one larger fixture.


Traditional vs. Contemporary Pool Table Lights

Pool table lights come in a wide variety of styles and finishes. Traditional, Victorian, Tiffany-style lights are popular pool table lights. These fixtures, modeled after designs by the famous glass artist, Louis Comfort Tiffany, are made of small panes of glass joined with lead piping. These colorful glass pieces are put together to form all manner of designs, logos, and slogans.

Tiffany-style pool table lights are available in one long shade with several bulbs inside the globe or in multiple shades along a single, metal bar. They may be elaborate, multi-color showpieces or relatively simple, one-color pool table lights fixtures.

Other traditional fixtures of pool table lights come in black or brown wrought-iron fixture with alabaster glass shades. Most often the pool table lights fixture is crafted into a scrolled design with multiple glass shades. This style of light fixture is also widely available in bronze, brushed pewter, and brass finishes. pool table lights made from ooden fixtures, too, can lend a warm and homey touch to your poolroom.

Contemporary pool table lights can give your room a clean, sleek, modern look. Bar pool table lights in chrome and brass with simple, smoked glass shades can create such a look. Some pool table light fixtures insert a vibrant touch by adding green, red, and blue colored glass shades.


Something a Little Different

Customize your pool table lights by adding a college or professional sports logo. Tiffany-style lights often incorporate the logo into the glass motif whereas solid glass shades can be etched with your favorite teams logo. Cheer on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, the Colorado Avalanche Hockey team, or the New England Patriots right from your recreation room.

Military logos are also popular designs for pool table lights. The Marine Corps, Navy, Army, and Air Force insignia are all available, both in Tiffany lights and in solid etched glass shades. Also consider Jack Daniels logo pool table lights or perhaps one with the Harley Davidson logo.


The Technical Stuff

Installing your pool table lights should be relatively easy for the weekend home remodeler. There must be a secure place onto which to mount your pool table light fixture and that it has its own separate electrical box. As with any electrical project, turn off the electrical current before you start working on mounting your pool table lights.

The correct light bulbs go a long way to ensuring your pool table lights fixture is safe as well as creating the right mood. 60-watt bulbs are recommended although some of the pool table lights with multiple shades might look better with 40-watt bulbs instead.
Where to Shop
The Internet has made shopping for pool table lights much easier. A typical search yields hundreds of online retailers of pool table lights. Browse through thousands of pool table lights, right in the privacy of your home. Many Web merchants even offer free shipping and live online customer service. Expect to pay from $150 for simple bar pool table lights to over $1000 for an elaborate Tiffany-style light fixture.

The right pool table lights can give your poolroom that ambiance of casual elegance or rustic charm that you desire as well as providing the lighting necessary to play your best game of pool. Shop carefully; consider all your options, and youll enjoy your pool table lights fixture for many years to come.
Richard Aubin is the publisher of the bi-weekly pool playing tips newsletter, full of tips, tricks and practical advice you can use to improve your pool game. Get his free 7 day consistency and concentration course - Visit http://poolplayingtips.com