A FEW VARIETIES OF A SPLENDID WINTER GAME
Modern Man, Saturday 30 October 1909
POOL.
A FEW VARIETIES OF A SPLENDID WINTER GAME.
A game of pool is prime fun on a winter’s afternoon or evening, provided that you do not play it with bottle-nosed strangers in public billiard-rooms, and that there are no “tizzy-snatchers” among the pals or acquaintances with whom you play.
In case you don’t understand the term “tizzy-snatcher,” he is a low person whose one object is to win your money. Of course, if you play any game for slakes, you like to win, but the tizzy-snatcher plays solely for money, tries whenever he can to get into a game with novices, and is up to all sorts of mean little dodges and tricks for winning.
Pool, as the name implies, is played by a number of players, the eventual winner “scooping” the pool formed from players’ subscriptions, and there are many kinds of pool. Formerly “following pool” was the popular game, but it has been ousted from favour by snooker pool.
Still, “following pool” is a real good game, if a trifle slow. Practically any number can play, and the pool balls having been dealt round, the white is “spotted,” and then red plays on white, yellow on red, and so on. The players maintain this order, but if they take their allotted object ball, then they play on the nearest ball.
Each player has three lives, and you lose a life when you are potted by your player, run in off, pot the wrong ball, or miss the ball. You win a life when you pot the proper ball, your player runs in off, or misses you.
“Following pool,” like all pool games, teaches accurate winning hazard striking, and particularly safety play, as you must try to leave your ball “safe,” so that your player has a hard shot.
Too much safety play has perhaps spoiled “following pool.” Snooker is far more open, and there is enough sheer luck in it to give a novice a chance.
Snooker is played with the pyramid balls and six coloured balls. The pyramid balls are spotted as usual, and count one point each; the values and positions of the other coloured balls are as follows: Black (the spot), 7; pink (pyramid spot), 6; blue (centre spot), 5; brown (middle baulk spot), 4; green (right-hand baulk spot), 3; yellow (left-hand baulk spot), 2.
Before a player can play on a coloured ball he must pot a pyramid ball. Having done so, he may play on any coloured ball he likes, naturally going for the more valuable fines whenever be can, and if he takes a coloured ball, then he must pot another pyramid ball before playing on another colour.
If a player, having taken a pyramid ball, is in such a position that he cannot hit a coloured ball, he is said to be snookered, and if he cannot hit, misses, or runs in off a coloured ball at any time, he has to pay its value all round.
When there are many players, snookering is usually a matter of luck, but snooker is a fine game for two, and two skilful players will snooker each other time after time, deliberately leaving the white ball behind a colour, so that the adversary cannot hit a red ball, or after the red balls are gone and the colours have to be taken in sequence, leaving the white so that the player cannot hit the ball on which he has to play.
A very amusing game is “plate pool.” A small plate or saucer is placed over the middle spot. The billiard balls only are used and the scoring is the same as at billiards, game being 31 points. But if a player attempts a shot, and any one of the three balls touches the plate, then he forfeits any points he has already made and has to start again, while he has also to pay an agreed amount to the pool.
Cork pool, black pool, Russian pool, and skittle pool, these are all good games, but I haven’t space to describe them.
The great secret in potting is to keep your eye on the object ball, and “doubles” are particularly useful shots to practise.
E. Rushton Scares.