Billiards Games Types: Carom Billiards

There are two major types of billiards games : pocket billiards games (also known as "pool games") and carom billiards games. Here you can be introduced to the less known type of billiards games, carom billiards.

Carom billiards, sometimes referred to as "carambole", is a type of billiards game played on rectangular (usually 10 footer), cloth-covered, heated and with no pockets. Carom billiards games are played with three balls: two cue balls (one for each player) and one object ball, called the red ball.

Carom Billiards Games Types

The most well known carom billiards games are:
Straight Rail Billiards
Balkline
3-Cushions Billiards

Straight Rail Billiards or simply Carambole - is a carom billiards game in which the first player who've reached a certain score wins the game. To score, a player's cue ball has to contact with the red ball (the object ball) and with the opponent's cue ball on the same shot. The strategy in this carom billiards game is to gather the balls together close by a table's corner.

Balkline - known as the descendant of straight rail billiards is a carom billiards game played on the same equipment as straight rail but occupy a different, more complicated set of rules. In balkline, the billiards table is divided into rectangular areas: 8 baulk areas, 8 anchor areas and 1 free area in the middle of the table. The players' object is to reach a set sum of points by moving the object balls from the balk area/anchor area.

3-Cushions Billiards - known as one of the toughest and most challenging billiards games, in 3-cushions billiards the players must not only hit both object balls in one shot, but to also lead them to hit three cushions in between. To win in 3-cushions billiards game, the player must reach the predetermined score.

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