Billiards (probably from old Fr. billard, 'a stick with a curved end;' in English, introduced as the name of a game, and made plural). The origin of billiards is uncertain. Some ascribe its invention to Henrique Devigne, an artist who flourished about 1570. It was brought into fashion by Louis XIV. (middle of 17th century), whose physicians recommended him exercise after eating. Others believe billiards to be of English origin. It is mentioned by Spenser (Mother Hubbard's Tale, 1591) and by Shakespeare (Antony and Cleopatra, circa 1607). The earliest description of billiards in English is in Cotton's Compleat Gamester (1674). The bed of the table was then made of oak: sometimes of marble. Slate beds were first used about
1827. The cushions were stuffed with flock: list was used later. India-rubber cushions were first manufactured about 1835. The pockets, called hazards, were at first wooden boxes, nets being employed soon afterwards. Each player pushed his ball with a mast (now corrupted into mace), made of heavy wood, and tipped at the broad end with ivory. The game played was the white winning game (single pool), five or three up. A player holing his adversary's ball won an end (or life); if he holed his own ball he lost a life (hence the terms winning and losing hazards). In addition, a small arch of ivory, called a 'port,' and an ivory peg or 'king,' stood on the table, and certain scores appertained to passing the port and to touching the king.
In 1734 French billiards first appears in Seymour's Court Gamester. It is there stated that port and king are now wholly laid aside. Maces were still commonly used, but cue-playing was permitted. Cues, however, had no tips until the beginning of the present century. French billiards was very like single pool, a hazard counting two, a miss one, and a coup three. The game was played twelve up.
The losing game, in which a player scored for a losing hazard, was also occasionally played. About 1775 the carambole game (now corrupted into cannon) is first heard of. A third ball, called the caram ball (etymology unknown), was introduced. Winning hazards and cannons counted to the striker, losing hazards against him; and a baulk (now first so called) compelled the next striker to play out of baulk, as at present. Early in the present century, the white winning and losing carambole game, now known as billiards, ousted all other varieties in this country. It is played on a table 12 feet by 6 feet, surrounded by cushions, and having six pockets, of no fixed size, one at each angle of the two adjacent squares which form the bed of the table: three balls, diameter inches, are used. The French have long discarded pockets altogether, and play only a cannon game, with larger balls and a smaller table. The Americans added a fourth ball, and in their game cannons and winning hazards counted to the striker, and losing hazards against him. They then abolished the two side-pockets, in consequence of their interfering with cannon play (or, as the Americans still spell it, more correctly, carom). Of late years pocket-tables have been but little used in America, except for pool; and the size of the table has been gradually reduced to 10 feet by 5 feet; balls inches in diameter. The four-ball game is now seldom played by experts, the three-ball French carom game having superseded it in match play. Each carom counts one; each miss, one; and the game is usually 34 up.
The championship of the English game has been held by John Roberts, senior; Wm. Cook; John Roberts, junior; and Joseph Bennett, each having held it several times. From 1885, however, John Roberts's (jun.) play was so superior to the play of all the other professionals that his claim was not called in question till 1898, when Charles Dawson challenged him to play for it.
Meanwhile considerable discussion had taken place about certain strokes in the game—viz., the 'spot-stroke' (where the red ball is holed from the spot, the player recovering position with his own ball to repeat the stroke ad lib.) and the 'push-stroke' (where the player's ball is gently pushed through the object-ball till it reaches the third ball and makes the cannon). This push-stroke was held by its opponents to be a 'foul.' The tables also had their pockets of varying widths, so that 'records' have to be taken with caution. The 'championship' table had the pockets 3 in. wide, instead of the regu- lation in. of ordinary tables, and the billiard spot was in. from the top cushion instead of , making the game much more difficult than on ordinary tables. The rules of the game otherwise were in a state of great confusion. On account of the greatly increased popularity of this really scientific and beautiful game this was very unfortunate, and the Billiard Association finally framed a series of rules which came into force on October 1, 1898. Among other changes, these rules bar spot and push strokes, and provide a standard for the width and shape of the pockets.
It was under these new rules that the championship match of 18,000 up was played between Charles Dawson and John Roberts in March–April 1899, when Roberts was victor by 1814 points. Roberts's record break for the spot and push barred game was 679, made April 15, 1898; but this was beaten by Dawson on October 21, 1899, when he made 722 under the association rules.
While it is almost impossible to learn the game of billiards without practical lessons, we may give a few hints which will be found useful to beginners. The first important matter is to acquire as easy an attitude as possible in striking the ball. The player should stand with his body a little to the left of the line of stroke, the left foot in front with the toes just under the cushion and pointing towards the ball to be struck. The right foot should be about 18 inches behind the left, and at right angles to it. The body should be inclined forward, with the face full in front of the ball. The cue is grasped lightly with the right hand near the butt-end, the hand being almost directly under the elbow, while the left hand is extended on the table to form the bridge on which to rest the cue. To form the bridge, the points of the fingers and the ball of the thumb should rest on the table, the knuckles being raised about 2 inches or so and the thumb pressed against the forefinger to support the cue. The point of the middle finger should be about 8 or 10 inches from the ball. The cue should be held nearly parallel to the table and pointing to the centre of the ball, and in striking it should be drawn back several inches and sent forward with a free and even motion without jerk, allowing the tip to follow a little after the ball. For practice, place the ball on the centre spot of the balk-line and hit it straight up the middle of the table. If hit truly in the centre it will return from the top cushion over the centre spot. So much of the game depends on striking the ball fairly that this, simple as it looks, should be practised till it can be done every time. If hit with 'side'—that is, on either side of the centre—it will return to that side.
After acquiring ease and accuracy in striking the ball the beginner will find it much to his profit to study the 'half-ball' stroke, as on this and its modifications the foundation of the game rests. The half-ball stroke is made by aiming with the cue directly through the centre of the striker's ball to the edge of the object-ball. When this is done accurately the angle at which the striker's ball will glance off the object-ball is invariable, unless force, side, or screw be applied. There are certain positions on a billiard-table from which the half-ball stroke can be readily found. For instance, place the red ball on the billiard spot, and draw an imaginary line from its centre to the upper edge of either of the middle pockets; if the cue-ball is placed anywhere on this line, a half-ball hazard off the red can be made into the opposite top pocket. If the red is hit exactly a half-ball it will return off the top cushion straight down the middle of the table, and the strength used should be enough to bring it down to about the pyramid spot. Another half-ball stroke is when the red is on the billiard spot and the cue-ball in line with its centre and one of the top pockets. The stroke is into the other top pocket. When the red is placed on the pyramid spot there is a half-ball hazard into either top pocket from the corner spots of the D. These half-ball strokes apply equally to cannons, and should be practised until the eye gets thoroughly accustomed to the angle, when the variations produced by the use of force and side may be studied. Another very important part of the game is 'screw.' This is done by hitting the cue-ball below the centre, and without allowing the cue to follow the ball, but stopping it with a jerk just as the ball is struck. The lower the cue-ball is struck, and the fuller it is aimed at the object-ball, the more screw will be produced. With screw, a ball may be made to come off the object-ball at any angle between the half-ball angle and the straight 'screw-back,' which is produced by aiming at the object-ball quite full, and striking the cue-ball as low as possible. The 'follow-through' stroke is used when the object to be reached by the cue-ball is nearer a straight line than the half-ball angle. It is done by aiming the cue-ball more or less full at the object-ball, and, when near it, a little above the centre. The result is that the cue-ball follows the object-ball more or less in a straight line as it hits it more or less full. On these three strokes—half-ball, screw, and follow through—is based the entire game; but their niceties and innumerable variations and modifications must be studied under a teacher, although any good handbook will be found very useful by an apt pupil.
See works by Jos. Bennett (1876; a thoroughly good book for beginners), Wm. Cook (1866; new ed. 1877), Collender (New York, 1881), Garnier (New York, 1880), Drayson (1889), Buchanan (1895), Broadfoot and others ('Badminton' series, 1896), and G. W. Hemming, Billiards Mathematically Treated (1899).