Carambole

Sometimes, when I'm renting a table somewhere and I'm worn out practicing 8ball, 9ball and straight pool, I'll just take out the yellow one ball and the red three ball and pretend I'm playing billiards. There are several reasons why it's so hard to make a three-cushion billiard shot on a regular pool table. First, the pockets obviously get in the way, but not as much as you'd think. Secondly, the cushions just aren't springy enough. The rebound action is simply not there. Another reason is that regular pool balls are too small and light and don't roll as far. Billiard balls are about the size of the oversized cue balls found on most bar tables and have significantly more heft to them. Finally, the playing surface cloth on a billiard table seems finer, the surface much harder. The table is electrically heated to keep off moisture and ensure consistent rolls. It's almost like playing on the moon, you barely tap a ball and it'll roll a foot. I would love to know of a place in Manhattan that has pocketless tables.

The first time I played billiards was last spring in Queens, somewhere near the 7 train, I can't remember the name of the place. I was so unsure of the rules of the game, it was mainly just to see what the tables were like. The second time I played was this summer in Wichita, where I was still struggling but at least I knew what to look for and made a point. My third time playing was during my recent Brighton Beach visit. During that session I scored seven points in an hour. The first and second shots came fairly early on, within the first 15 minutes. My third shot was pretty elusive and I figured I'd have a good session if I could just get three total before my hour was up. Eventually, I got it. I kept playing and my fourth shot came on a roll that seemed to go on forever, ending with the smallest kiss possible. Incredibly, my fifth and sixth shots were almost back-to-back; two successful shots in three attempts. I wrapped up my session once I had scored a seventh point.

A couple Sundays ago I went to check out the Carom Cafe, out in Flushing, Queens. I could feel that I was getting the hang of it, as I scored 15 points in one hour. The picture above is from that visit, of another player who I talked to briefly. I asked him what his high consecutive run was, he said 13. They have a dozen or so Verhoeven tables (heated) that are beautiful to play on.

By far, the most useful thing I've discovered about the game is to not hit the first ball head-on. Doing so results in a loss of momentum on the cue ball and it'll rarely travel two cushions after a full hit. So, by cutting the first ball really thin, you get to see your cue ball whip around the table. Also, I use my hands and arms a lot, sort of waving them around like a conductor trying to envision the path that the cue ball will take.

One of the trickiest things is being able to notice when the path of your first object ball will collide with the third ball (see diagram). In other words, it's not just the path of your cue ball that you have to figure out, there's also the path that the first collision sends the second ball on. Countless times I've been on a dead-on roll to score a point but the yellow or red will collide (I always use the white as my cue ball), thereby eliminating (moving) the target I'd aimed for. Next time I play I'm going to practice my "ticky" (rail or rails-first shots) as well as getting the feel of "just hit it" speed, where you end up with your cue ball relatively close to one of the others, the result of the second hit coming at the end of a roll (a good example of this is the diagram in the previous post), setting you up for a better chance at another point. My goal next time I play is to string together at least two consecutive points.