Pots and Cannons

Derby Daily Telegraph, Saturday 02 May 1925

A NEW GAME.

BY RISO LEVI.

Author of “Billiards tor the Million,” and “Billiards: The Strokes of the Game.”

Thirty or forty years ago, that is long before the game of Snooker had been invented, Pyramids was a very popular game. Fifteen red bulls were placed on the table in the same position as they are to-day for Snooker, and the player who took most balls was the winner. A variation of the game consisted in playing for so much a ball. When three or more players took part in it, the game was called “Shell Out,” and every time a player potted a ball the non-strikers paid him a penny, or whatever amount had been arranged per ball. And whenever the cue ball entered a pocket the striker had to “shell out” to the other players. During the years that Pyramids was popular, another game in which the 15 red balls were used was also frequently played. This was called “Pots and Cannons.” One player had to pot the balls and his opponent had to make an arranged number of cannons. With ordinary players 50 was generally the stipulated number. It seemed a very simple thing to make 50 cannons before one’s opponent could pot 14 of the balls, but appearances were often deceptive. The player who had to pot the balls, of course, broke off— from the D—and a good smashing stroke scattered the balls, or most of them, all over the table.

Occasionally a ball entered a pocket, and when this was the case the fortunate player could frequently take several more balls owing to many simple pots being left to continue with. If the smashing stroke simply scattered the balls all over the table without causing any ball to enter a pocket, the cannon player had any number of easy cannons one and even quite a moderate player could easily make a dozen or more—perhaps even 20-at his first visit to the table. Indeed, if he missed the one he played for, he generally got another, for with 15 balls on the table it was rather difficult to miss hitting something. If, however, the cue ball entered a pocket his innings was ended, and the same fate befell him if he potted a red ball. And it was surprising how often some ball or other entered a pocket. Indeed, unless the player was careful, disaster frequently overtook him quite early on. When the man who had to pot the balls came to the table again he genially had a ball or two quite near several of the pockets, and if he succeeded in potting four or five of them, the cannon player at his second visit to the table had nothing like the same number certainties faring him as when he first went to the table. When a few more balls had disappeared he often found that even with, say, half-a-dozen object balls on the table it was no odds on his scoring.

If the players were not above the average the cannon player almost invariably lost; indeed, he frequently only got into the twenties, and sometimes not even so far as this, but if two really good players opposed each other, the man who had to pot the balls had little or no chance against the cannon man—that is if he had only to make 50 cannons—because not only could the good player keep two or more balls together when they were together at the start, but he could also play his strokes in such a way as to bring other balls together. And in addition to this, if a ball was very near a pocket, though not on the brink of it, he could remove it from its dangerous position.

To-day this “Pots and Cannons” game is seldom or never played, but a variation of it was recently introduced in Manchester, and bids fair to become quite popular. Long breaks of very simple cannons are impossible in this game, and for this reason it is free from the monotony which was inseparable from making cannons with 15 red balls on the table. As this new game affords excellent practice for both potting and for the playing of cannons, I can commend it with confidence to my readers. Instead of 15 red balls, only six are used, and these six balls are set up in a pyramid form. The player who has to pot the balls goes off first, but in the event of a ball entering a pocket as the result of his smashing stroke, the balls are set up again, as otherwise the cannon player might have no chance, since a pot by the first stroke would  often enable the striker to take another ball or two. When the two opponents are quite capable or players, that is, men who make their thirties and forties quite frequently and occasionally a sixty or a seventy, the game should be 10 or 12 cannons versus the potting. Until one comes to play this game it would seem quite simple for any capable player to score 12 cannons with six object balls, on the table before his opponent could pot them, but if’ he balls have been well scattered  by the smashing stroke, it will sometimes be found that there are not too many cannon on which may be termed certainties. With ordinary players it is always long odds on the man who has to pot the balls even if bis opponent has only to score 10 cannons.      

Another way of beginning this “Pots and Cannons” game is to spot the red balls on the billiards pyramids, and centre spot and on the middle and end spots of the D line. In this variation of the game the cannon player leads off from the D and for this first stroke the balls on the D line cannot be played at. No certain cannon is thus on for the first stroke.