Why is billiards out of fashion? - Pool, Snooker, and Billiards -- Two Plus Two Poker Forums

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Why is billiards out of fashion?

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08-08-2011 , 06:43 AM

Jolt

adept

Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 716

Ok so I'm a massive noob on the pool table but I've grown up playing a lot of billiards. I'm just reading a through interesting threads over the past few weeks and I come across this quote:

Quote:

Originally Posted by gusmahler

Maybe Sklansky was referring to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Lindrum?

Just like Paul Anderson, Lindrum was an expert at something no one plays anymore, English Billiards.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/16...67/index2.html

I'd like to know why don't people play English billiards anymore? Is it because people are too good now and massive breaks can go on for hours?

08-09-2011 , 01:29 AM

sorrow

old hand

Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 1,531

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jolt

Ok so I'm a massive noob on the pool table but I've grown up playing a lot of billiards. I'm just reading a through interesting threads over the past few weeks and I come across this quote:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/16...67/index2.html

I'd like to know why don't people play English billiards anymore? Is it because people are too good now and massive breaks can go on for hours?

I like it, but i'm not particularly good. I'll give a few reasons why i think no-one plays it any more.

- Only 'cueists' know if its existence. Ask a pub pool player about snooker and they'll probably have a clue.
- It doesn't televise well. The average pundit can't tell the difference between poor, good and great positional shots. How many here would recognise great top of the table play?
- It is played on 12" tables
- No money

Brag (Beat?): Had centuries scored against me by a top ranked billiards player in snooker. http://www.englishbilliards.org/eloInitialRatings (Matthew Bolton)

08-09-2011 , 01:29 PM

broerstolyko

adept

Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 1,038

Quote:

Originally Posted by sorrow

You are talking about snooker. I believe OP is talking about Billiards played with only 3 balls and no holes.

08-09-2011 , 04:23 PM

sorrow

old hand

Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 1,531

Quote:

Originally Posted by broerstolyko

You are talking about snooker. I believe OP is talking about Billiards played with only 3 balls and no holes.

I'm slightly insulted you think I don't know the difference between snooker and billiards. English Billiards is played on a 12" table with pockets (ie. Snooker table) and 3 balls.

08-10-2011 , 02:11 AM

Frank the Tank

old hand

Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,458

It simply doesn't televise well. The average TV viewer goes "oh, so they knocked the balls around a little. Lame, nothing's being pocketed."

08-10-2011 , 04:48 AM

Wolfram

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 15,066

Quote:

Originally Posted by sorrow

I'm slightly insulted you think I don't know the difference between snooker and billiards. English Billiards is played on a 12" table with pockets (ie. Snooker table) and 3 balls.

You play snooker on a 12 inch table?

08-10-2011 , 05:43 PM

sixfour

should be called sevenfour

Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 74,764

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank the Tank

It simply doesn't televise well. The average TV viewer goes "oh, so they knocked the balls around a little. Lame, nothing's being pocketed."

basically this, although i have more fun playing it than snooker.

that said, i did see eurosport showing three cushion once

08-10-2011 , 11:22 PM

sorrow

old hand

Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 1,531

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfram

You play snooker on a 12 inch table?

Mea culpa - I come from a country that uses metric

08-11-2011 , 06:33 AM

Frank the Tank

old hand

Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,458

Snooker is so fun yet so frustrating. "Oh, ball's hanging over the pocket, it's a sure thing.....WTF! HOW DID IT BOUNCE OUT!!!!" Gotta get better at it.

Never tried billiards. I've only run into one billiards table ever.

08-14-2011 , 10:29 AM

#10

atennisplayah

grinder

Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 432

Quote:

Originally Posted by sorrow

Mea culpa - I come from a country that uses metric

the great down under!

08-14-2011 , 09:29 PM

#11

Frank the Tank

old hand

Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,458

The only country that doesn't use metric is the US.

08-15-2011 , 09:58 PM

#12

atakdog

addicted

Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 50,136

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank the Tank

The only country that doesn't use metric is the US.

Close:

Quote:

At this time, only three countries - Burma, Liberia, and the US - have not adopted the International System of Units (SI, or metric system) as their official system of weights and measures. (CIA World Factbook)

08-25-2011 , 12:38 PM

#13

MidyMat

veteran

Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 3,453

out of fashion?.......Snooker and 9-ball are very popular where I live. My local bar runs a 9-ball tourney 3 times a week....and my local Billiards club runs snooker tourneys every Saturday....Snooker is like a second job for me.....If you look hard enough you will find there is a big underground fan base for snooker

08-25-2011 , 11:29 PM

#14

sorrow

old hand

Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 1,531

Quote:

Originally Posted by MidyMat

So... You've never played Billiards. Perhaps because its out of fashion?

08-26-2011 , 10:16 PM

#15

Frank the Tank

old hand

Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,458

In this case, billiards = exclusively red, yellow, white ball, knock them around a pocketless table getting them to carom eachother.

08-27-2011 , 08:14 AM

#16

MidyMat

veteran

Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 3,453

Quote:

Originally Posted by sorrow

So... You've never played Billiards. Perhaps because its out of fashion?

When you are saying 'billiards' are you referring to Carom, pool, or snooker?
Billiards is a catch all phrase for any cue sports.

and No it is not out of fashion here.........

08-28-2011 , 11:12 PM

#17

JasonInDallas

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 6,898

billiards generally means carom with 3 balls

08-29-2011 , 04:54 AM

#18

brushbackz

old hand

Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 1,874

I saw some billiards tables up in New Jersey and saw some older guys playing it a long time ago. Haven't seen a billiards table since I moved to Florida in 2001. Of course I've only been to 5 other halls since moving.

I can see how hard it would to play, but don't know the rules.

08-29-2011 , 07:24 AM

#19

therightdeal

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 6,256

Billards is boring.

They used to play it on the professional snooker tables at my old club once every while.

I am talking about English billards.

09-01-2011 , 07:43 AM

#20

sorrow

old hand

Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 1,531

Quote:

Originally Posted by sorrow

Brag (Beat?): Had centuries scored against me by a top ranked billiards player in snooker. http://www.englishbilliards.org/eloInitialRatings (Matthew Bolton)

World final is streaming right now.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/table-1

09-20-2011 , 01:59 AM

#21

kellydouglas

stranger

Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 7

No i dont think so, billiard game is a fashion statement that remains timeless and an excellent.

09-20-2011 , 02:37 PM

#22

gusmahler

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Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 29,443

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank the Tank

In this case, billiards = exclusively red, yellow, white ball, knock them around a pocketless table getting them to carom eachother.

Actually, this thread is about English billiards, which does use only 3 balls, but is played on a table with pockets. You can score by either hitting both balls or by pocketing either the cue or the object ball.

09-21-2011 , 10:26 AM

#23

Frank the Tank

old hand

Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,458

Whoops, gotten it mixed up. Where I live, pool = 8 ball, billiards = pool in general/carom billiards, and English billiards = white, red, yellow on a snooker table.

I played it one time for teh lulz and as a training game to help a friend understand carom angles and english. It's entertaining.

09-21-2011 , 11:06 PM

#24

fockswoods

banned

Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 72

Not out of fashion here. I think it just depends on the area you go to. But even young kids I see playing billiards now.. 18-19 year old fresh-out-of-school kids. Wouldnt think they had the time to even learn to play.. but they do. Maybe ppl dont talk about billiards as much anymore but go to any club or bar with a table and ull see ppl playing for sure.