Dimensions Guide

Also referred to as pocket billiards, pool is played on top of a table with six holes or pockets. The primary objective of the game is to shoot the balls except the cue ball, depending on what type of game is being played. It has a long storied history, some of the most popular games of which are the straight pool, nine-ball and eight ball. In recent years, a number of game variations emerged including the bottle pool, American four-ball billiards and English billiards. Furthermore, there are lots of other interesting things to know about this game including the different pool table dimensions.

The Dimensions of a Pool Table and Other Equipment

What are the different pool table dimensions? Primarily, there are several equipments used in this game including the pool table, the cues and the balls. In terms of size, modern pool tables measure somewhere from 3.5 feet by 7 feet to 4.5 feet by 9 feet or 1.07 meters by 2.13 meters to 1.37 meters by 2.74 meters. Meanwhile, modern cues measure about 58.5 inches or 148.6 centimeters. Before the 1980s, the cues were slightly smaller at 57.5 inches or 146.0 centimeters. For the balls, sizes usually range from 57.15 millimeters or 2.25 inches to 60.33 millimeters or 2.375 inches in diameter.

Additional Facts and Other Interesting Details

Based on the history of this sport, people called it pool because of its close association with poolrooms. Within these venues, billiard tables were provided. The original version of the game was played in tables without pockets. As the game slowly gained popularity, the name simply stuck with it. In the latter parts of the 19th century, the billiards industry conducted various efforts to cut its ties with the name pool. However, such attempts proved unsuccessful.

Today, the game has numerous variations. Some of the most popular are the one-pocket, straight pool as well as nine-ball. Snooker is also a famous variation of the game, which is governed by groups like the International Billiards and Snooker Federation and the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Compared to carom billiards, which is popular in places such as Latin America, Europe and Asia, pool is famous worldwide.

The World Pool-Billiard Association governs the game in international competitions. One of its affiliates in the United States is the U.S. Billiard Congress of America. Generally, the Confederation of Billiard Sports is responsible for representing the game of billiards in the highly renowned International Olympic Committee. Bottle pool, cowboy pool and English billiards are some of the most exciting hybrid versions of the game.

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